In Episode 73 of The Redirect Podcast, we interview Women in Tech SEO founder, Areej AbuAli, to share with you all more about this great organization that highlights and supports women in the technical SEO field. We share in-depth talks on why Areej started the organization in the first place and learn more about gender gaps present within the SEO and tech industries. Give a listen and follow along to some of the great resources we have shared in the show notes below.
Women in Tech SEO
Women in Tech SEO is a support network for women in the technical SEO field. It’s a place of organized learning and mentorship, with a series of great events and opportunities to learn and share with one another. As Areej points out, empowering others is key, and doing so in a positive and inspiring way is beneficial to help build their network and help accelerate their careers.
Despite 2020-2021 being a challenging year, Women in Tech SEO launched WTSWorkshop, a series of online (virtual) events taking place once a week. Covering a wide range of topics within the SEO field, this event series has been met with great success.
In addition to events and learning opportunities, Areej shared with us their mentorship program that matches up mentors and mentees looking to learn and grow. These cohorts are not just about learning technical skills, but also are inclusive of leadership, speaking, and being of council to support and be inclusive.
The Gender Gap in the SEO Industry
Discussing gender gaps between men and women makes many people uncomfortable. But in order to better understand the systemic issues that have been a part of the tech industry, including SEO, for years, we attempt analysis through a different lens. Oftentimes this means getting uncomfortable with what we don’t know.
You don’t have to look too far within the SEO industry to recognize that it’s a male dominated industry. And while based on our own attendance and observations and major industry conferences in the past few years, we have slowly seen a shift, it is nowhere near the level of involvement it should be at.
Our friends at Moz published a study last year that explored how big the gender gap is between men and women in the SEO industry, and unfortunately, men outnumbered women 2 to 1 in our industry… meaning, we have a ways to go for equity.
If you are interested in learning more about Women in Tech SEO, or perhaps even some steps your marketing company can take to help shift this curve – listen and take action. If you’re interested in learning more about what we’re doing here at BlackTruck, our door is open and we welcome your questions and comments.