Interviewing Dayna Lucio

Welcome to a new WTSInterview edition, where we interview brilliant SEOs in our industry and share their stories with the world! WTS members are welcome to share their story by simply filling out this form; we encourage folks from all walks of life in our industry to do so.

Introducing Dayna Lucio! She has over a decade’s experience executing and developing strategies for multi-location and franchise brands. Her experience in local SEO has spanned various industries including health, beauty and spa, fitness, home improvement, and more.

How did you get into SEO?

I've been lucky to gain experience in many different areas of marketing, including branding, PR, social media marketing, and paid advertising. Through each of my past positions, I gained some exposure to SEO, but it wasn't until I started working at an agency that specialized in local and franchise businesses as a content marketer that I was able to learn and hone my skills, eventually leading me to transition into SEO fully.

What is your favourite SEO task?

I enjoy competitive auditing, especially for local businesses, when developing a localized strategy to improve GBP and location pages. I love the concept of local SEO because everyone does local searches and its relatable.

When you bring up examples from everyday life, such as looking for a restaurant for dinner, many clients can relate to that experience, no matter what industry their business may be in. The familiarity of doing localized searches has helped me to explain things related to local SEO to clients, such as why reviews are important or why a business needs to leverage its Google Business Profile.

What is your go-to tool or resource that you can't live without?

There are many great tools for SEOs to use and uncover valuable insights. Local Search Forum is always helpful when encountering a GBP issue or needing a second opinion on something local SEO-related. Aside from that, my favorite auditing tool is Screaming Frog. There are so many features, and they are constantly updating with more to help uncover technical SEO opportunities. gs location changer is a Chrome plugin that lets you change the location in Google Search to see localized SERP results. SEMRush/Ahrefs for competitor research, content research, and more. Analytics Edge is an Excel extension that helps gather large amounts of data from Google Search Console and can be helpful when looking at performance for large sites.

What is something you learned in SEO that made you have an 'AHA' moment?

My "aha" moment came when I understood how important it is to make the next steps and/or conversions clear and easy for users (and if users actually act in the way you predicted). Once I started learning more about heat mapping tools like Hot Jar, Microsoft Clarity, etc., it opened my eyes to how users engage with websites and how confusing some sites can be.

Understanding how users engage with a site and CRO (conversion rate optimization) is a great skill to have as an SEO. We can build valuable content that connects with our target audience, grow rankings, and drive traffic.

However, providing users with the best next step is essential, whether that be reading related content, filling out a form, completing a survey, or calling a business. Especially when considering big-picture goals for an organization since conversions like shop buttons, form fills, phone calls, etc., can be tied to revenue.

What is your proudest industry achievement?

My proudest moment has been pushing out of my comfort zone and beginning to share my SEO knowledge through industry publications, webinars, and panels. It's satisfying to have done work that reaches client goals and actively helps a business grow. I think sharing what we learned along the way is essential and can help someone else start their career.

What advice would you give those who are starting out in SEO?

Don't be afraid to ask questions, no one knows everything and even the most seasoned SEOs still ask questions. Try different areas of SEO to find what you like the most whether it be technical, on-site, ecommerce, local or something else.

Give a shout out to someone in the industry who inspires you, and tell us why

There are so many great SEOs throughout the industry doing amazing things. I've been lucky enough to work with a group of extremely smart and inspiring individuals including Lily Ray, Bambi Frazier, Erin Dolan, and Jamie D'Alessandro - to name a few. In the local space, I'm always inspired by the constant testing and knowledge sharing that Joy Hawkins does.

Additionally, Claire Carlile, who I've had the opportunity to collaborate with a number of times and who has always effortlessly made me feel comfortable and relaxed when I was pushing outside of my comfort zone.

Finally, what empowers you to be the brilliant person you are?

Having a passion for learning and trying new things. In this industry and in life you should never stop learning. That's how we grow and continue to get better every day.

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Thanks, Dayna, for a truly insightful interview!

You can connect with Dayna on LinkedIn and X.

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! 🙌🏽