Addicted to SEO: Interview with SEO Copywriting Certification Grad, Susannah Noel

I remember the first time I heard the term “SEO.” I was taking a PR writing course at a local college and one of the students said she’d taken a class in something called SEO, which, she said with a moan, was terribly confusing. As she tried to explain it, I could actually feel my eyes glazing over and my jaw growing slack. It just seemed too tough, and I filed it away under “Maybe someday.”

That someday came when I joined CPA Site Solutions as their Marketing and Communications Manager. At this niche web developer for accounting websites, SEO and SEM are pretty much their only marketing efforts – and they perform brilliantly in both. I joined their SEO team, took Dan Thies’s Link Liberation training, and got a crash course in how to dominate the search engines.

Flash forward a year or so, when I decided to strike out on my own as a freelancer. After establishing my website, susannahnoel.com, my next order of business was purchasing Heather’s SEO Copywriting course.

I loved the idea of learning everything I could about the craft and then being able to show it off with a badge on my site. I wanted prospective clients to know that I’m not just another Web copywriter: I’ve made the investment in learning how not to just write interesting, compelling copy, but how to get sites noticed in the search engines. I am, in fact, an SEO copywriter – and proud of it!

What do you enjoy most about SEO copywriting?

Well, first of all, I love keyword research. I think the thrill comes from brainstorming ideas and then testing them out. I just adore that mix of hypothetical and bottom-line reality.

Second, I enjoy the writing challenge that comes with incorporating keywords into copy. It’s even better when you try to be persuasive in your writing, too. It makes non-SEO copywriting seem ever-so-slightly dull!

What SEO copywriting projects are you working on now?

I’m currently writing copy for three of CPA Site Solutions’ accounting clients. I’m also helping my sister, a social worker, with her website. She isn’t getting nearly enough clients through her site, and it feels great to help her business grow through optimized blogging and keyword strategy sitewide. It helps me see how my SEO knowledge can have a practical effect in the real world.

I recently shot a promotional video for the home page of my website and posted it to my Facebook page. It garnered a lot of positive feedback, and several friends and acquaintances have approached me for help with their sites. It certainly seems as if my freelance business is picking up speed.

What have you found to be the biggest “take-away” from the SEO Copywriting Certification Program?

I find myself going back again and again to Heather’s breakdown of a typical website’s architecture and where to place what type of keyword – e.g., general keywords should go on the home page and long-tail keyphrases are appropriate for information pages or blog posts.

I also loved learning about the SWOT analysis. I think when you’re knee-deep in keyword research and data, it’s easy to lose sight of a client’s ultimate goals. It’s important to keep those in mind as you slog through the numbers.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I do get tired of sitting in front of the computer, as much as it surprises me to say it (because it’s where I’m the most comfortable). To counteract the hunching effects that come with this line of work, I try to exercise every day, particularly yoga and Pilates. I also keep busy looking after my two sons, aged 9 and 7. And sometimes, I read a novel, just for fun – which feels like a forbidden treat.

Any words for those considering enrolling in the SEO Copywriting Certification program?

Before I completed the course, my freelancing aspirations ran the gamut from journalist to magazine writer to mommy blogger. After completing the course, I couldn’t deny how endlessly fascinating SEO Copywriting is to me – and now, I’m turning it into my sole focus.

So take a chance on the course. Even if you don’t become addicted to this niche, as I have, your knowledge of SEO will only help your writing and business career!

You can connect with Susannah Noel on LinkedIn, Facebook, or via Twitter @susannahnoel. You can also email her directly at  susannah.k.noel@gmail.com.

photo thanks to dimnikolov (Dimitar Nikolov)