Leeds SEO

Not wanting to let Stephen get the better of me, I tracked down the lovely Chelsea Blacker for some insights into her life in SEO, the UK and working for Howard Stern!

So without further ado:

Give us a brief history of you life in SEO/the UK.

In summer 2008 I stepped off the plane in London hoping to land a work visa at Base One Group, a company I was familiar with because I had seen the Head of Search, Lisa Ditlefsen (our charming first SEO.BIO victim), deliver an inspiring talk at SMX London.  I know this sounds crazy – but I’d even told my friends in New York that I was going to be working at Base One when in fact I hadn’t even had a job offer! It was just this gut feeling and I was confident that it would work out for me.  As expected, everything has fallen into place.

I now spend my days working on social media campaigns, monitoring and advising clients on how to improve their online reputations, performing technical SEO evaluations, blogging, managing PPC accounts, the whole sha-bang!  While I love the challenge of pushing a new client with little or no online SM presence, I find the best cases are those clients who have a negative online reputation, and working with them to turn that around so users are praising them from the hills.

I was first hired as Avi Wilensky’s assistant at his boutique SEO firm Promediacorp in NYC; apparently I was hired because 1) I was a girl and 2) I had a blog.  He taught me about PPC and made sure I became well versed in SEO, especially doing site evaluations & coming up with creative link building techniques.  I am forever grateful I landed that job with him.

Before moving to London, I did a brief stint as a PPC manager at an affiliate marketing company in midtown during the first half of 2008.  PPC management is brutally boring when done full time, our office with no windows, and we were forced to dress in “office casual” (that means dry cleaning bills).  The department folded in January 2009, I’ve heard people cheered when they heard it was going down and they’d all loose their jobs.

What would you say is your greatest personal victory in working life so far?

Just one!?!  I have three stand out moments in my career so far:

1. I was recently asked to guest post on Search Engine Journal, which I’ve always regarded at one of my top 5 SEO blogs, it’s truly an honour.
2. When working as a PPC manager I snagged the biggest account in my team of five for a prestigious client spending over $30,000/month; I was new to the company and the youngest member of the department, I was quite chuffed with myself.
3. Cease and Desist Letter. I wrote a great blog post exposing a rip off online marketing company that I went “under cover” to investigate (they current rank #2 for the term “Affordable Website design” oh, the irony!). They wrote me a very silly letter full of legal jargon. My boss at the time made me delete the post, maybe I should republish it on my own site…

What’s the latest random subject you’ve learned about?

I LOVE random subjects!  I went to the library last weekend and ended up learning about the history of whaling in Japan.  Today, my neighbor was teaching me about the dangers the community laundry pole poses to his 5 year old, which apparently almost “fell” on the son so he took it down without consulting anyone.  Quite frankly, I think my neighbor should be more worried about his son running into inanimate objects.

You made a classic list of ‘You know you work in search when…‘ facts – have you managed to add any more to the list?

I’ve got tons more, be sure to stay tuned for additions!  The list is currently part of a scholarship competition I expect to win, so if you like the list (or just like me?) you’re free to pass it on to all your friends (with different IP addresses seeing as it’s measured on unique visitors)!

When I wrote the post, I figured that all of the other entrees would be “How To …” or “Top Ten Tips…” so I decided to do something a little more entertaining that actually had a chance at going viral.  Plus, with a list like this readers can get involved by adding their own funny ideas (I’ve had some great tweets, emails, & comments); and those conversations with people interacting – to me that’s the highlight of being a marketer.

What was it about studying history that made you want to join the new media revolution?

As a student of history, I’ve always loved researching, looking at events through a variety of lenses, and sucking resources dry on a subject matter. The beauty of search is that as long as engines are changing algorithms there will be more for us marketers to research, look at through different perspectives, and experiment on.

You currently work at Base One – what is the third thing you do when you arrive at work?

Say hi to Tony, our security guard. We usually asses my hair and outfit together in the mirror while I wait for the elevator.

If you could be anything other than a search consultant, what would you be (you still have to be a human though)?

Cowgirl. I would love to run a ranch in Wyoming and go horseback riding, kayaking, and hiking all summer, then have the Rockies to ski in during the winter.

What the hell inspired this avatar:?

LOL!  Stuart, no need to be shy.  If you like it that much I can make a few calls to get you one too!

You worked on the Howard Stern show (awesome!) – surely you have an anecdote you would love to share with us

You mean one that isn’t rated XXX?  Ok, how about this:

We had a competition to pick the most desperate virgin out there, and I think the winning contestant was actually submitted by his mom.  Anyways, the prize was a strip tease and hand job from a porn star.  Guess who got to hold the boom mic over the hotel bed as it happened, so it could be heard live on air?

Who do you prefer, Bill Murray or Dan Ackroyd?

I’m a big Wes Anderson fan, so we’ll have to go with Bill Murray.

And finally, what’s the most inspiring, insightful fact you can give to the lovely Leeds SEO readership?

Isn’t this the part where I talk about the future of search?  How we’re moving to a mobile search so get ready for a gigantic shift. And how our greatest opportunities to succeed as marketers is in listening to all the users at the bottom of the pyramid and building up client brands based on that insight?

Ok, 1 fact: Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.

-Fin-

Thanks for taking the time out to talk to me Chelsea, if you would like to follow the adventures of Miss Blacker check her out on Twitter or at her very own blog.