Let’s be honest. In a world where 77% of the industry is dominated by males, being a chick in SEO is quite an experience. Surrounded by a bunch of smart dudes who like the same stuff I do is pretty cool and I probably wouldn’t have realized this without the help of good ol’ Twitter. I spend a lot of time observing on Twitter, and occasionally partake in shop-talk. In fact, my favorite way to keep up with what’s going on is via Twitter, and in the process I inevitably learn about some of the “players” in the industry. Which leads me to wonder, what would I be like if I were a guy in SEO?
Warning: the following are sweeping generalizations, only mildly offensive, and likely inaccurate stereotypes based purely on my observations. Feel free to dispute or harass me in the comments below. I’ll take it like a man.
I would ride a bike.
@seandillonsmith i ride a single speed to work. Will probably get a road bike next spring. Def love bikes.
— John Doherty (@dohertyjf) October 11, 2012
@dohertyjf awesome! I have a Gary fisher 29er XC / all mountain bike, full suspension, love it. Really interested in DH / freeride though
— Sean Smith (@seandillonsmith) October 11, 2012
@hitreach @s_rvll You guys are harsh. I already biked in to work at 5:30 AM.
— Ian Lurie (@portentint) September 26, 2012
@seabikeblog I have a DH mtn & road bike that will never need lights/reflectors. I hav a commuter w/ lights but removed reflectors.
— James Daugherty (@JimmyDaugherty) October 17, 2012
I would wear a plaid shirt.
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I would enjoy good beer/local IPAs.
@wilreynolds @bigalittlea @jhtscherckyou guys seen/tried any wheat IPAs? Hadn’t seen them before but they’re everywhere in MO.
— Sam Hendrix (@samuel_hendrix) October 27, 2012
I would wear cool glasses.
I would have a cartoon Twitter avatar.
@jamesagate I’ll consider you TAGFEE when the cartoon pic disappears in place of your “real” pic.
cc @nealdougan
— Michael J. Kovis (@michaelkovis) October 29, 2012
@michaelkovis @nealdougan NEEEVVVEEERRRR
— James Agate (@jamesagate) October 29, 2012
“@jamesagate: @michaelkovis @nealdougan NEEEVVVEEERRRR” Are these guys discriminating against non-photographic representations?
— Iain Bartholomew (@iainbartholomew) October 29, 2012
I would have fancy facial hair.
I would talk [to other SEO dudes] about [fantasy] football.
Arguably one of the best 3 hours of my life. (sorry @recalibrate). It’s great to be a Florida Gator.
— Jon Cooper (@PointBlankSEO) October 6, 2012
@pointblankseo it’s alright man the last two years were great for me. We still control our path to the NC. Good luck the rest of the way
— Ryan McLaughlin (@recalibrate) October 7, 2012
nervously starting #Brady over #RG3 this weekend, match up almost requires I do so – but RG3 has looked so good all year… #FantasyFootball
— Rob Toledo (@stentontoledo) October 24, 2012
However, none of these things would matter if I could be the best looking man in SEO…let alone THE WORLD.
In case you couldn’t tell, there’s a certain coolness that SEOs possess, whether male or female. I dare any other industry to compete with our smarts, style, uniqueness, and overall awesome.
hat tip to you, good woman. this is quite impressive and hilarious, especially the tags on the pics (nice touch- every little bit..) . The plaid-shirt breakdown is genius…
Details, details, details.
Glad someone noticed!
Only a real SEO would have noticed the tags 😉
Well done here!
You might also wear a Bow Tie. Bow Ties are cool.
Bow ties are worthy of banning.
I concur.
Bow ties ought to be included in the next SEO update and considered as spam.
Bahahaha! So good, well done Emma.
Thanks James! Kudos on making it into two categories 😉
Horribly inaccurate representation of an SEO dude. Sure, I am currently wearing plaid,love microbrews, brag and bitch about fantasy football constantly, sport a 5 o’clock shadow and happen to ride a bike as well as require bifocals…but I do NOT have a cartoon Twitter avatar!
It’s easy to peg you dudes. You make it so easy
This is awesome, the trends of the SEO community are pretty interesting. Dig the attention to detail you had in this, especially the facial hair one!
Good on you 😀
All the glasses look the same (or nearly so) I think mine are way cooler. Then again, got no photographs in them to prove it…
Cool post, love the img titles!
But my glasses are even cooler now! Fun post
HA! Here’s to something DIFFERENT and entertaining. This was a fun read to brighten up my Thursday. Emma, you’re the (wo)man!
I’ll say this much – at my office I am generally considered “one of the guys” – on my first day, I was the only girl in the entire office (not just SEO). It’s a bit of a strange experience.
However, I do have a cartoon avatar – but none of that other stuff! There are certainly bike riders and football talk in our office!
You would also have a selection of tattoos…
Tattoos are quite prevalent in the SEO community
http://www.hitreach.co.uk/blog/seo-tattoo-gallery/
You could have dressed up like a man for Halloween, and brag about your SEO skills..
Loved this post, and great way to get attention from the people mentioned…
The next question is… Which SEO dude is going to be brave enough to write about “if I were a SEO chick”?
I would LOVE to see that.
gotta be @graywolf…
Thanks for breaking up my day with a little humor. Good work! I now need to get a cartoon twitter avatar!
This leaves me wondering where i fit in……… OMG, I’m an SEO outcast.
No Plaid shirt
No Cool Glasses
Beer, sure on a weekend but prefer a Lager
Fantasy football…. hrpmf, Rugby as a man’s game
No Avatar, I’m building author rank
I’ve got it !… I’m growing a Moustache for Movember
Phew, I really am an SEO
This. Is. Awesome.
I also actually do many of the things on this list, heheh. Learn by community!
Thumbs UP for: your effort in content curation, amuzement, and your pic – you are cute.
Thumbs DOWN for: practical advice on SEO
I’m terrible with the ‘practical advice on SEO’ (disregard this and this ) – being cute is the only part that really matters. So thumbs up!
Dude… are you serious?
I’m rarely serious.
Not you, I don’t think. Slava slightly out of line here?
Whoa whoa. He is NOT out of line. How else are you supposed to hit on chicks other than on their blog?
Good point.
I am serious, I meant this particular post.
Just you wait until a lot of SEO dudes have mustaches at the end of the month. Talk about fancy facial hair!
Emma Hahaha very funny & cute! I like the added “I mustache you not to laugh at me” reminded me of when I added a goatee to one of my pictures… It was one of my silly days, trying to keep up with the boys in the industry! Thanks for the humor and laughs!
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Emma, this is a fantastic post and I cracked up while reading it. Nice job! I work at a digital agency and most of my SEO counterparts are males so it’s always fun seeing what happens when you throw a girl into the mix. Us women bring a certain level of femininity, creativity, and insight that guys simply can’t understand. Like the difference for optimizing for a shrug and a bolero and how that differs from a cardigan. Thanks again for sharing!
“Wait… there’s a difference between a dress and a skirt?”
Great article, Emma! Good link bait too
Along with plaid shirts and beer, how about girls in yoga pants? Who’s with me!?
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lols, nice one, although I wouldn’t be caught dead in a plaid shirt!
Some good examples of SEO dudes, funny thing is our team currently has many girls in it, so its a good mix of ideas for all projects, and lets face it girls get better results from outreach as man webmasters are dudes…
Ha! I absolutely love this post, Emma! The similarities are very entertaining. I think you may need to add, “I would be a Star Wars fanatic!” But that’s not necessarily gender specific. It certainly doesn’t hold me back! I will be refraining from the mustache and plaid shirt though. =)
This is really hilarious and awesome. I wonder what a Ladies of Search would like look? 😛
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Nice breakdown of the whole industry there
big glasses and plaid shirts are a match made in heaven.
Thumbs up for originality!
Very funny. I almost drank coffee up my nose while reading this. The plaid shirts were particularly amusing (I didn’t get it until that point).
Good to see more females in the game.
Excellent light hearted stuff
Cool post! But our boss would surely add: turn up a bunch of Marshall amplifiers and play a solo like a pro 😀
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Hey Emma! I hear you….lets move over to the dark side! LOL xx
I’ve read this about 5 times over the last couple of days and it still makes me smile every time. Love it, good work.
Awesome compliment, thanks Iain
This made my Friday!
This making your Friday made MY Friday!
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Tis the season to support Movember.
It was pretty funny to see a pic of you with faux mustache.
Have you noticed any common trends among female SEO
practioners?
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It’s funny, I was just talking about this with a coworker the other day. I’ve been doing all of these things long before I even knew what SEO was. Although I have to admit, I don’t care for football. Does that make me an outsider?
Hilarious! As I sit next to my plaid-shirt-wearing counterpart right now…he sold his fixie though in exchange for a road bike..still count? haha Way to go Emma! A friend from outside the industry sent me your link thinking of me. Great work!
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Haha, the list is cool. I’m glad i’m a dude i can do all that, except the moustache
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Hilarious! Creative and very true, great read Emma!
Oh god I’m so glad you did this. Sorry I found it so late though! Truly great, right down to your replies. Mustache off to you, fellow seo ladydude.
I’m glad you liked it Kate
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Haha, this cracks me up.. Maybe a bit old, but still accurate… I love my bike & local brews…
still hilarious