Improving UX for SEO, Cringe-Worthy Social Media & More with Mary Davies [PODCAST]

Listen to this episode and learn about her passion for user experience and social media, being actively involved in the SEO community, and more.

Show Notes

• What’s the focus of Beanstalk and what do they offer clients? [2:30]
• How is Mary holding up both professionally and personally amid the Coronavirus pandemic? [5:22]
• Some unexpected lessons that we can learn right now. [8:45]
• What is user experience (UX), why is it important, and how does UX play to SEO rankings and conversions? [12:26]
• Who’s doing a great job with UX right now? [22:32]
• The key metrics you should be looking at to measure user experience and find out areas for improvement. [26:40]
• Mary is seeing massive improvements on those sites where they’re really cutting content like crazy. [28:35]
• Dos and don’ts for people managing social media during the pandemic. [36:09]
• Mary was going into social work before getting into web design and eventually SEO. Here’s what led her into the SEO world. [45:01]
• The idea of starting an SEO company came about in 2004 while Dave and Mary were in New York. [50:03]
• What is was like for Mary going to SES in the early years “just to be there” and then eventually speaking at conferences and being very involved in the community. [52:06]
• If she could go back to the beginning and change something, Mary would work on separating business from personal matters. [56:07]
• How does Mary define success for herself and for Beanstalk? [58:41]
• On finding out whether there is a good fit with potential clients. [1:00:26]
• Some of her favorite client projects and what made them special. [1:03:02]
• Mary shares a frustrating “horror story” with a past client. [1:07:49]
• What should the audience look forward to about Mary’s presentation at the upcoming SEJ eSummit? [1:09:49]
• On how the Friday Focus column came to be and why Mary decided to get involved: “The whole purpose behind the column is really to normalize our realities, which is that we struggle, and it’s OK, and that we’re not alone in it.” [1:13:02]
• Mary opens up about her struggle with Imposter Syndrome and how she’s managing. [1:19:30]
• If she wasn’t in search or marketing, she would love to be doing community outreach type work instead. Mary’s dream job would be to be a philanthropist. [1:25:31]
• The best thing that has shaped her career more than anything is a simple reminder from Dave that she’s capable. [1:27:08]
• Mary is tired of hearing the advice: “Content is king.” She says, “the idea that content on its own as just a thing being so important is off.” [1:28:33]
• Key tips for newcomers to the industry who want to become successful. [1:30:23]
• “The more we move into AI-driven anything, the more excited I am.” [1:31:33]
• What’s next for Mary Davies? [1:32:52]

Links from the Episode

How to connect with Mary Davies:

Twitter | LinkedIn | BeanstalkIM.com

• Mary Davies on Search Engine Journal
• Mary Davies Wins Search Engine Journal Community Award (Search Engine Journal)
• Finding Focus, Peace & Joy During the Coronavirus Pandemic (Search Engine Journal)
• State of Search 2018 Session – UX – Behind & In Front of the Curtain (SlideShare)
• SEM Summit 2016 – Increase Conversions and Rankings with User Experience (SlideShare)
• SEJ eSummit: Virtual Conference for SEO and Digital Marketing
• Friday Focus on Search Engine Journal
• How I Deal With Imposter Syndrome & The Core Belief ‘I’m Unworthy’ (Search Engine Journal)
• What a Health Crisis Taught Me About Business (Search Engine Journal)