Devon-based Shannon Lavis is our most southernly-situated member of the team, who joined the Climb & Conquer SEO Team as a Trainee SEO Executive last summer, bringing over 3 years of existing digital marketing experience to the table.
Since then, her innate understanding of SEO has helped deliver results for clients, including P4 Solar and Select Model Management.
Shannon is now taking steps towards becoming a Campaign Lead in her new role as a Trainee SEO Campaign Lead.
We interviewed Shannon over a virtual cup of coffee to get the inside scoop on her role at Climb & Conquer.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
Give us a whistlestop tour of your career journey to date:
My journey began a few years ago when I wanted to get into Digital Marketing. I got a job as a social media content creator and studied part-time with the Digital Marketing Institute, gaining a Diploma in Digital Marketing. I then joined a company as a Trainee SEO Executive and stayed there for about a year, but I was looking for somewhere where I could grow and learn a lot more.
I then stumbled across a job advertisement for Climb & Conquer and immediately fell in love with how much they empathised with their training programme. They sounded like they really wanted to invest in their employees – and I wanted in! Fortunately, I was hired and joined the team in July 2024.
Describe briefly a typical day in the life of your role:
As an SEO Executive training to be a Campaign Lead, my day-to-day tasks involve emailing and keeping clients up to date, carrying out the work I’ve planned for the month, and keeping up with the rest of my colleagues. I could be optimising a service page, writing a blog, performing technical audits and fixes, or conducting keyword research. I love that I’ll never be doing the same thing day to day.
What made you want to join Climb & Conquer?
Their training programme and willingness to invest in their staff. I loved that I’d be learning more technical tasks, which I had zero to very little experience in. Also, it’s fully remote! I live near the beach, so being able to pop in the sea for 30 minutes during my lunch break or work in an outdoor cafe during the Summer is such a win for me – and great for my mental health!
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I love seeing results! It’s nice to know that your campaign and work are paying off. I also love that I’m always learning. I feel like I’ve learnt so much since I joined the team, and the development never stops as I’m already on my way to becoming a Campaign Lead, which will bring me much more responsibility for client results, which is exciting.
And what’s the most challenging part?
I would say the technical fixes. I’m still pretty new to this stuff, but I’ll eventually get the hang of it.
What’s your hot take on SEO for 2025?
I’d say find the right balance between ‘being human’ and targeting those keywords. Google likes things as ‘real’ and ‘human’ as possible, so adhering to this can be a huge advantage.
If you could give one piece of advice to anyone looking to get into your field, what would it be?
Be proactive! Show that you’re willing to learn and invest in yourself. Do that, and the right thing will come along.
Want to join Shannon in the Climb & Conquer SEO Team? You’re in luck! We’re hiring. Find out more about our vacancy here.
