Interviewing Shonavee Simpson-Anderson

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 Shonavee Simpson-Anderson! Based in Australia, Shonavee is the Senior SEO Strategist at Firewire Digital & Cofounder of Edge of Search - Newcastle's first SEO conference. With 12 years experience working online, she has a wide-ranging experience in SEO, copywriting, website management, eCommerce and more.

We asked her everything from how she first got into SEO to what empowers her to be the brilliant SEO she is 💪🏽

How did you get into SEO?

I was working at an arcade and gaming company in my hometown as the Online Editor. I was managing product databases online, writing articles, newsletters, as well as conducting interviews with trade show organisers and game developer representatives like Bandai Namco and Andamiro from all over the world. The role was journalism in nature, but it wasn't long till SEO was added to the equation. I sat down for my morning meeting with my boss and he told me I needed to start doing SEO; my response: "Great! What is that?". He showed me Yoast SEO and webstats, then I took the self-learning journey from there.

What is your favourite SEO task?

100% Reporting. I really enjoy seeing how tasks we've executed have turned into results that we can see and share with clients. I enjoy looking for patterns and trends, and being responsive to how users are engaging with a brand. And I really love finding the story in the data and finding external correlations for directions on how to move forward. It's like having a conversation without the small talk!

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

I am in love with my percentage calculator tool - I love looking at data points and finding unique stats to share with clients. It provides you with so many ways of looking at progress and outcomes, and can spark the most interesting conversations and thought processes with clients.

What did you learn in SEO that gave you an 'AHA' moment?

If you want visibility online, anywhere online, you should be using SEO practices. I was talking with a friend who wanted to rank but wasn't keen on a website and walking them through the process of how SEOs optimise content - usually on websites - and trying to apply that to other types of channels. It was an interesting exercise to go through and it made me realise that SEO isn't really a separate skill; we use digital skills like copywriting, like web design, like marketing, and we use them through this lens of SEO (our understanding of how search engines work and what they look for). And it was this epiphany for me that SEO is less a stand-alone skill and more of a collaborative tool.

What is your proudest industry achievement?

My proudest moment is yet to fully happen, but I'm proud of how far I've come on this project in less than 12 months - I launched an SEO conference in my hometown of Newcastle, NSW. Edge of Search is Newcastle's first SEO conference and it very much focuses on the collaborative nature of SEO. It's happening September 26th, 2024, and launching it with my team at Firewire Digital was a big moment for me!

What advice would you give those starting out in SEO?

Join communities like this one, find a mentor, and learn as much as you can. It's really hard to learn on your own without guidance, so find someone who works in it and put yourself out there. The SEO community is one of the most sincere and genuinely helpful communities I've ever experienced, so put yourself out there!

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

There's so many to choose from, but my friend Amanda King is always upping her game and challenging the industry. The presentation she did on Google entities was phenomenal and she's in the process of building some seriously cool things - she's definitely one to watch! Also, more recently Georgia Tan has launched a new agency focused on SXO, which absolutely speaks to the message I am trying to share through Edge of Search that SEO is inherently collaborative.

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

I am a determined and deliberate person, and when I make my mind up on something I tend to stand my ground. I think that comes from a place of being very open to continuously learning and admitting when I don't know the answer. I'm very okay with that, which means when I do know the answer, when I feel strongly about something, I tend to stick to my guns.

----

Thanks, Shonavee, for a truly insightful interview! You can connect with Shonavee on LinkedIn.

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! 🙌🏽