10 Signs You Have Married Your SEO Freelance Digital Marketer
My personal fundamentals for marrying your long-term SEO Freelancer include: Trust, Commitment, Communication, Understanding, Shared Goals, Adaptability and Paying Promptly. These fundamentals prosper over decades of business together.
As a freelancer I’ve been lucky in client love. Slowly, you realise that the business lines become blurred, until the pixels blend and there’s no hard distinguishing line between you and your client BFF. In the field of sociology and psychology, the institution of marriage is a complex social and interpersonal phenomenon that involves the union of two individuals with the intention of forming a long-lasting and intimate relationship.
Define intimate? Like having an affair, there’s some fundamentals that are a dealbreaker. We don’t mind if we aren’t the only SEO, you are welcome to have an affair if I know they exist. If you had a secret SEO then I’d probably flip a table. Then there’s the transactional trust, I get payment on time and I deliver good work to the client. Clients divorce ineffective SEO’s who are unable to prove results. Freelancers should divorce clients for systematic late payment.
This was fun to write, but my experience emphasises the deep bond and trust that can develop between an SEO and their client beyond the 7 fundamentals above. Sometimes it’s during the initial video consultation, sometimes it takes a few months, my thoughts are within the first 12 months. If we have had a full year of issues, you’re going to get the boot.
After all, a successful professional relationship often feels personal because of the level of mutual understanding and collaboration involved.
Blurred Lines Between Client and Freelancer - Good or Bad?
- Texting Out of Hours: You’re so comfortable with each other that texting early morning or late evening doesn’t feel out of place. You’ve even reached the point where you’re exchanging memes – a sure sign of a deepening bond.
- In Jokes: You and your SEO have spent so much time together that you’ve developed a series of in-jokes that only the two of you get. These in-jokes have become a shorthand way of communicating and bonding over shared experiences.
- Spontaneous Calling: You find yourself picking up the phone to share something that’s just perfect for one of your in-jokes. Even if it’s midnight on your way home from the Christmas party. Some things just can’t wait!
- Doing Favours for Each Other: The professional line has been blurred, and you’re now exchanging favours beyond the typical client-service provider relationship. Whether it’s services, products, or advice, you’re there for each other.
- Knowing Their Work and Personal Number: You’ve reached the level of closeness where you have both their work and personal numbers. It’s no longer just a professional relationship – it’s a friendship.
- Exchanging of gifts: You’re invested in their personal life, following them on social media, and making sure they’re not being poached by other SEO’s. Also, by having email notifications sent to your inbox for your client’s contact form, you view the quality of the leads that are coming through.
- Feeling Excited to Meet Them Socially: The prospect of meeting your SEO pal at social events fills you with excitement. It’s no longer just about work; you genuinely enjoy their company.
- Being Introduced as “My SEO Mate”: When your client introduces you as “My SEO, but we’re actually buddies in real life”, it’s clear the relationship has moved beyond professional boundaries.
- You’ve Met Each Other’s Family/Partners: Meeting the family is a significant milestone in any relationship, and it’s no different here. Your bond with your SEO expert has reached a level where you’re part of each other’s personal lives.
- They’ve Stayed Overnight at Your House: When your SEO expert has stayed over at your house, or vice versa, it’s safe to say the relationship has evolved far beyond a standard client-service provider relationship. You’re practically family now.
Is SEO Like Marriage? Digital Marketing in the Modern Era
How closely intertwined are you with your clients? The rapport between a freelance Digital Marketing SEO in the UK cyberspace and their clientele may unexpectedly mirror the dynamics of a marriage. You might not see it at first, but the parallels become clear when you delve into the relationship’s core.
Looking to connect with a grey haired SEO? Chat with me and send a message to say hello.
Just like a thriving marriage, the professional bond can also flourish when both parties display commitment, mutual trust, effective communication, and a shared vision. The same principles apply to the realm of SEO, which is a long-term strategy requiring patience, consistent monthly efforts, and a constant learning curve to adapt to the ever-changing SEO trends and algorithm updates.
In recent times, we’ve seen the ripple effect of major developments in Google Analytics, with GA4 introducing significant updates and the sunset of Universal UA. The SEO landscape has also evolved since the early 2000s, with some veterans in the field transitioning towards ad-hoc projects, while others energetically navigate the daily challenges, be it with a cheerful disposition or the occasional frustration vented on their keyboards. The key to survival is adaptation and knowing when to balance professional commitments with personal priorities.
My journey in Digital Marketing has seen me cross paths with a diverse range of SEO experts over nearly two decades. This includes CSS and Python wizards, experienced colleagues who’ve embraced age and baldness, and myself, who, despite the occasional ridicule, maintains a stubborn loyalty to my 1980s fashion sensibilities.
In this ever-evolving “marriage” with your SEO expert, periodic reassurances about meeting key performance indicators can bolster their confidence. So, the question to ponder is: How invested are you in this relationship with your clients? It might be more similar to a marriage than you initially thought.
A Flirty Relationship with AI for Niche SEO Copywriting
You have a solid SEO relationship when they share with you, the non technical client, new technology advances.
Back in February 2023, my husband asked whether I wanted a quick pint at the tiny pub at the bottom of our road. Our lodger tagged along, and we had sat at a table with 3 pints of Guinness and I told them both I needed to share something new. I asked that they would not interrupt me, I said how excited I was to share this revelation for SEO.
Fifteen minutes later, and a second round of drinks, both of them were engaged, amazed, firing questions at me, asking how long had I need trying out, what do I type in as a command, it was a memorable night.
I said a very niche client couldn’t send me a blog article this month, she was upset as she just didn’t have time. We have been working together for 3 years and it was the first time she wasn’t able to deliver.
I asked for permission to publish my own work and if I’m inaccurate or something needs changing or removing, I’ll fix immediately. The next day, after using GPT3 for 2 hours, I had nailed the sequence of prompts. The new article was uploaded and how gobsmacked did I feel when I was given compliments and it was perfect, no changes needed?
That was the day before the Guinness date, so I had a real life case study to illustrate how the right prompts provide accurate information. That week I signed up for the $20/month pro access. Every day at 1pm BST, my free access would be restricted, or just plain not available.
This AI tool is a huge boon to my world, I’m able to help clients in ways that seemed impossible a week ago.
I’m in love.
AI SEO Tools for Productivity, Ads, Social media, Design Creatives, Presentation, Webinar Slides Help and Content Generation 2023
When it comes to modern digital marketing in 2023, the world is brimming with AI tools vying for attention.
The CEO of Google DeepMind , Demis Hassabis, says that DeepMind has been making remarkable advancements in the field of artificial intelligence. Their latest project, known as Gemini, aims to harness the techniques that were instrumental in AlphaGo’s triumph over a Go champion.
The game of Go originated in ancient China over 2,500 years ago. It is a board game played between two players who take turns placing black and white stones on a grid. Go has since gained popularity worldwide and is played in many countries, including China, Japan, Korea, and various other nations. It has become particularly renowned in East Asian cultures and has a strong presence in professional and competitive gaming communities globally.
For years, the game of Go has posed a significant challenge for even the most advanced computer programs. Renowned for its complexity, this ancient board game offers an astonishing number of possible configurations for its pieces. In fact, the sheer magnitude of potential moves surpasses the number of atoms in the observable universe. This remarkable complexity has captivated the minds of researchers and AI developers, driving them to explore new frontiers in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Overcoming the obstacles presented by Go has been a monumental task, pushing the boundaries of what is considered possible in the realm of computational intelligence.
With the goal of surpassing the capabilities of ChatGPT, Gemini sets its sights on pushing the boundaries of natural language processing and generation. By leveraging the expertise gained from AlphaGo’s success, DeepMind aspires to create an even more powerful and sophisticated AI system. Gemini represents an exciting endeavor that promises to further revolutionize the realm of AI, paving the way for new possibilities and breakthroughs in conversational AI.
Amidst the crowd, a handful of remarkable ones have caught my eye, going beyond mere content generation and offering diverse functionalities. Let me share more 2023 top picks and why they stand out in the realm of digital marketing:
QuantPlus AI – Creative Insights for Advertisers
QuantPlus truly brings AI to the ad creation process. It deconstructs historical ad campaign data to analyse elements like CTAs, phrases, imagery, colours, keywords, and gender distribution.
This super-powered tool provides insights on top-performing elements, aiding informed design decisions. It makes ad creation efficient and effective by leveraging proven high-ranking creative elements.
Google Slides – Webinars, Conference and Event Presentations
Build the core structure of your slide deck and enhance slides using snapshots.
This free tool seamlessly integrates with Google Slides and Docs, providing prompts for slide enhancement and effortless integration of external data.
Reduce the time taken to whip up impressive and impactful slides.
MarketMuse – AI Content Strategy Optimisation
New to the scene, MarketMuse scans a website, providing personalised, data-driven insights for efficient content planning.
It automates content audits, eliminating subjectivity. The competitive analysis tool identifies gaps in competitor content. Content Briefs offer invaluable structure for topics, questions, and links, streamlining content creation.
GoCharlie – Content Repurposing using your Brand Voice
With a free trial currently available, GoCharlie helps you churn out anything from blog posts, social media content to product descriptions. What stands out is its ability to learn and replicate your brand voice – it truly sounds like you.
The ‘content repurposing’ feature is a godsend for recycling well-performing content for different platforms based on websites, audio files, and videos
AdCreative.ai – Creating social media images and ad generation
The straightforward interface, impressive effectiveness, and time saving capabilities make this tool an absolute triumph in my opinion.
It employs artificial intelligence to produce conversion-oriented ad and social media creatives in just seconds.
Its capacity to generate both visually appealing and engaging creatives, whilst also incorporating optimised copy, meaning that advertising campaigns’ conversion rates can increase significantly.
ScribeHow – AI Documentation Generator
It empowers you to deliver high-quality resources and documentation that enhance user experience and promote the success of your SaaS application.
Its intuitive functionality allows you to easily record your process, providing a seamless experience. With a few simple steps, Scribehow generates a well-written and informative guide, saving you valuable time and effort. Whether you need to onboard new users, provide step-by-step instructions, or document complex workflows, Scribehow is your go-to solution.
Instapage – AI Landing Page Generation and A/B Testing
Instapage is a highly recommended tool for entrepreneurs seeking to swiftly and effectively establish high-converting landing pages.
With its AI-powered capabilities, this tool enables users to generate content variations for headlines, paragraphs, and CTAs tailored to their target audience. Additionally, Instapage facilitates A/B testing to optimize campaign performance. Complemented by a vast selection of professional and customizable layouts, entrepreneurs have the flexibility to create visually appealing and engaging landing pages.
Trained on Your Own Data – Custom ChatGPT – Chatbase
Chatbase is a revolutionary platform that elevates the capabilities of support bots beyond traditional methods. By combining the power of GPT with your own knowledge base, Chatbase creates a chatbot that resembles ChatGPT but is specifically trained on your own websites and documents.
With Chatbase, you can provide enhanced customer support and engagement, leveraging the power of GPT and your own domain expertise.
eCommerce Product Monkey AI
An innovative AI-powered platform that focuses on product research and analytics. It assists businesses and entrepreneurs in making informed decisions by providing valuable insights into market trends, customer preferences, and product opportunities. Leveraging advanced machine learning algorithms, Product Monkey AI crunches vast amounts of data to identify potential gaps in the market and suggest product ideas. It can help optimise pricing strategies, conduct competitor analysis, and generate data-driven recommendations for product development and marketing campaigns.
BrandBastion – Reputation Management tool
The AI here does a fantastic job of identifying harmful comments and concealing them, thus preserving the reputation of the brand.
What sets it apart is the balance it strikes between automation and human intervention – the AI analyses conversations and notifies human content specialists of any sensitive issues, ensuring that nothing is overlooked.
BrandBastian helps companies and advertisers by effortlessly monitoring and managing online conversations. Trusted by top brands and advertisers, it’s worth remembering next time you see the opportunity.