What it’s like to be a SEO Growth Strategist at Skale

Understand what an SEO Growth Strategist does at an agency, the projects they work on, and their responsibilities.

SEO is at the top of many people’s wish lists when it comes to employability skill sets. However, if you’re new to the SEO world, a lot of the lingo can be daunting or even misguiding.  

We thought we’d help unpick the mysteries behind what someone in SEO does with this series: Meet the Skalers. In this quick article, we caught up with Ryan Prior. Ryan was a former Marketing Lead, and is now a stellar SEO Growth Strategist here at Skale. 

Ryan is a big lover of SEO, but he’s also a big lover of his freedom and free time, as you’ll see in this interview. Let’s get to know him!

Meet an SEO Growth Strategist

Hey, I’m Ryan, a SaaS SEO Growth Strategist at Skale! I was born and raised in Teesside, north-east England, and I currently live in a small village called Croft-on-Tees. I joined Skale in 2020, prior to which I was an in-house SaaS marketing generalist and also worked agency-side in SEO, paid search, and paid social. I know what you’re thinking, and yes, it was a lot!

A day in the life of an SEO Strategist

Nice to meet you, Ryan. So, what does a typical workday look like for you?

It’s a mix of quite a few things, which is what I like about it. As a Growth Strategist at Skale, some of the most common things I’ll be doing are:

• Analyzing client SEO KPI performance
• Working with clients to map out quarterly strategies—answering: how can we get the most KPI growth from our organic channel?
• Building a business case & getting buy-in for SEO initiatives
• Working with Skale’s content & tech SEO teams to execute strategies
• Writing reports & updates to keep everyone in the loop & excited about progress

Every day is different, and it’s a good mix of technical and content-driven SEO. 

Nice! Let’s chat about Skale. Do you feel encouraged to grow and succeed at Skale?

Yes, definitely. For example, in my quarterly performance reviews, my manager proactively asks how I’d like to develop & progress my career and helps to make sure I’m on the right track.

That’s great to hear. Why do you love working at Skale? 😉

A few reasons. Working at Skale has allowed me to work closely with some great SaaS brands and learn much faster than I did in-house. 

I’m also able to work with different business models (product-led, sales-led) with clients who ‘get’ SEO and have the resources to make our ideas happen. I feel like I’m a better SaaS SEO professional than I was six months ago, and I expect to say the same again in another six months. 

Sounds really interesting! Can you tell us your favorite employee benefit Skale offers?

I’d have to say the remote working culture and flexible working hours are a big plus. I’d never want to go back to a regular 9-5!

Tell us more! How do you take advantage of remote and flexible work?

Day-to-day, I simply like to start work earlier and either finish earlier or take a break during the day for the gym or a walk.

Other than that, though, it’s a huge benefit to be able to schedule something like a haircut or a dentist appointment midweek. Also, if I need to do the school run or some other errand during the workday, it’s not a problem.

Thanks Ryan, see you on Slack!

That’s a wrap on Ryan for now. Thanks for taking the time to meet him and understanding his role better. It certainly seems as though an SEO Growth Strategist in an agency has the potential to grow very fast while having the freedom to step back and enjoy the personal ride they’re on as well. 

This is an ongoing series, so if you’d like to understand another SEO role or even any other role within Skale, then let us know. Lastly, if you think Skale makes sense as your next career step, don’t be afraid to get in touch! We’re always looking for new talent.