Welcome to a new WTSInterview edition, where we interview brilliant SEOs in our industry and share their stories with the world! Anyone is welcome to share their story by simply filling this form, we encourage folks from all walks of life in our industry to do so.
Introducing Annika Haataja! Annika is the SEO Director at Seeker Digital, a bespoke organic marketing agency based in Bristol, UK. With over 10 years of experience in marketing, including 7+ years dedicated exclusively to SEO, Annika has developed a deep expertise in technical SEO and broader organic marketing. Annika’s approach to SEO is characterised by dynamic and purposeful processes, a commitment to excellence, and a passion for helping clients achieve their business goals.
We asked her everything from how she first got into SEO to what empowers her to be the brilliant SEO she is 💪🏽
I started my SEO career as a freelancer whilst doing my master's in Digital Marketing at Brighton University. I was a proper novice! The course itself only scratched the surface with a couple of SEO lessons, but I properly learned the basics by doing it myself. I had a few local freelance clients and I ended up doing SEO for them alongside PPC, web design, graphic design, email marketing and social media marketing, and found that SEO always brought best ROI.
That's how I knew I'd want to do it full-time, and eventually got headhunted into an agency as an SEO Analyst after moving to NZ. This is when my skills really took off, and I went from managing my 3-4 local small business SEO clients to doing strategy and execution to up to 30 clients at times. After a stint as an in-house SEO Manager, I found my way back to agency life here at Seeker.
I LOVE deep-diving into content effectiveness and quality analysis. While I love working with data and quantitative metrics, there's something special about qualitative analysis that really pushes my creativity. These audit reports tend to be the most fun to present to clients too.
There are so many, but Google Search Console is a wonderful way to quickly audit content and technical SEO at the same time. Nothing beats first party data! From purely tech SEO point of view, I would never give up Screaming Frog! A fast, lightweight and affordable tool - something that is nice and accessible for pretty much everyone.
I think this applies to all marketing, and business in general - following the Pareto Principle (20% of effort brings 80% of results) can really help with prioritisation and focus. With more experience, applying it gets much easier (and almost automatic), and it's liberating to know we don't need to fix every single SEO issue - just focus on what truly moves the needle.
Taking the stage at BrightonSEO earlier this year AND not being nervous (even though I'm a massive introvert) made me proud, as it meant that I really knew my subject matter and was able to fully enjoy the experience. I think the SEO industry is amazing because it provides so many opportunities to get outside your comfort zone, so I'm feeling huge gratitude about that. Nothing in the day to day feels as daunting after speaking in front of 100s of people!
Remember to stay true to your authentic self - your interests, skills, and unique qualities. While it's tempting to compare yourself to others, this can lead you down paths that don't align with your genuine interests. And you might run the risk of losing the love towards SEO. That said, don't hesitate to connect with the SEO community - it can be incredibly supportive. The key is finding your personal balance and respecting your own boundaries.
Areej AbuAli continues to be an incredible inspiration, building an inclusive, supportive community while maintaining genuine human connection (I love her honest Linkedin posts!). Also her April 2023 BrightonSEO keynote remains, in my opinion, one of the best SEO talks ever.
Lily Ray's direct, no-nonsense approach to search deserves recognition - she's someone I wish I'd discovered earlier in my career.
Also a special shout-out to Becky Simms, who not only mentored me (and many others!) before my BrightonSEO talk but also moderated our cohort. She elevates the industry through constant knowledge-sharing and empowering young digital marketers. I want to be her when I grow up!!
I try to take myself (and different situations) not too seriously. Life is hard as it is, without us adding extra pressure on ourselves! We all mess up, make questionable choices, or face bad luck at some point, whether in our career or life in general. Sometimes the most appropriate and healthiest response is simply a shoulder shrug 🤷 Perspective is so key, and I love to surround myself with people who remind me of that.
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Thanks Annika for a truly insightful interview! You can connect with Annika on her website, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Check out our Interviews page for more interviews. If you've enjoyed reading this, we'd love for YOU to share your story with the world! Simply fill this form here, we welcome brilliant SEOs from all walks of life! 🙌🏽