SEO

Back in 1997 I was working as a Marketing Communications Specialist for a large insurance company. I’d been writing independently for quite a few years, picking up small jobs here and there, but there I was finally getting paid a decent salary to write – and the company paid my tuition to UCLA to study print and broadcast journalism as to boot! After about a year or so then things started to sour and I was ready to begin looking for a new opportunity – one that incorporated more work with the Internet. Soon after I began my search, I ended up working as a Media/Publications Specialist in the engineering and technology department of a large university. I took a salary cut, but I gained the opportunity to learn HTML, QuarkXpress and Photoshop, thus enabling me to create and update Web sites. I eventually went on to work as a freelance journalist, which was a childhood dream, but soon realized that in order to be competitive as a writer in the 21st century, I needed to cultivate more knowledge about writing for the Internet. After a two-year stint as a Web Administrator/Online Producer for a non-profit, I now work as an Editorial Producer for a huge consumer local search site, where I am learning to master writing SEO-rich content, as well as how to optimize content, URL structure and other “white hat” (i.e. ethical) methods for search engine optimization. Our site traffic has increased by over 40% in just the last 6 – 8 weeks since we went live with the content I wrote and cleaner URLs and the like. I’m now exploring more opportunities to combine my writing skills with my technical and business development skills and though I enjoy my current position, with the support of our content manager and our SEO manager, I remain open to new opportunities and possibilities to optimize my career!