Team Accord: Ashley Gilmour, Head of SEO
Ashley, our Head of SEO, is a driving force behind our success in enhancing online visibility.
What inspired you to start a career in performance marketing?
My very broad degree in computing included a module in advertising and marketing, which I found fascinating and piqued my interest. Being old, I grew up with the very limited world of Encarta, so I had always loved using the internet to find information and found how businesses used it intriguing. When a junior-level job in SEO was being offered on my doorstep, I jumped at the chance to start my digital marketing journey.
What is your role, and what do you enjoy most about it?
I’m Head of SEO, and with my team, I create and execute search engine optimisation strategies that increase our clients' online visibility, leading to increased organic traffic and revenue.
There are many components to SEO, which means it is a very varied area to work in. One day, you can dive into keyword data to find the most effective keywords to target. The next, you are auditing a website and finding fundamental flaws restricting both users and search engines from reading and understanding the information. Add in the fact that we have a wide range of clients, which is an extremely varied and rewarding area to work in.
What project are you most proud of?
I think our work with the children's charity World Vision UK has been one of the projects I am most proud of. Not only are they very positive people to work and collaborate with, but they trust our advice, and it genuinely feels good to help such a worthy cause.
I am also proud of our work with Ambassador Cruise Line, as we have been involved with launching the brand and have helped them massively grow their organic visibility.
And what do you find the most challenging?
Working in SEO can be challenging as there are lots of preconceptions around the marketing channel. Some people think that hastily written in-house content is ‘doing SEO’, some believe that results will happen overnight, and others think they can pay someone £100 a month to do it with AI.
In truth, SEO needs to be a highly planned, always-on approach that expertly balances well-written content, technical best practice and link-gaining techniques that meet very specific guidelines (no mean feat).
What do you get up to in your spare time outside of work?
As the dad of a three-year-old, much of my spare time is spent running around and entertaining our son, Theo. But one thing that started as a bit of a joke and has turned more serious is reviewing exotic snacks for Instagram. I am not quite at the micro-influencer level, but I have been sent free snacks to try, which is a bonus.
What advice would you give to someone starting in the industry?
I appreciate the level of support that is available. Starting in SEO in the mid-2000s, the official support and industry guidance levels were limited. SEO was a misunderstood world of keyword stuffing, quick content and dubious link-building techniques discussed at length in forums. Now, we live in a world where Google gives great guidance, and many companies like Semrush offer free training.
If you could swap your role with anyone else in the company, who would it be?
I feel like a lot of people have answered someone on the Creative team, and I was tempted too, as I really enjoyed art and design subjects at school. But I have more recently started to appreciate data and analysis much more. It would be interesting to take a step back from the delivery side of the business and look at how data and measurement influence strategy at a wider level and impact things like CRO.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
My first answer was going to be teleportation (see Nightcrawler). Still, I think time travel kills two birds with one stone, as you could not only travel backwards or forwards in time to whenever you wanted, but you could also travel to anywhere in the world, just 10 minutes in the past.
What’s the most interesting book, podcast, or movie you’ve read/watched recently?
It is hard to narrow down to one recommendation, so here are a few in each area.
Podcast - Oh What A Time - a history podcast presented by three comedians. History isn’t my favourite subject, but I’m trying to learn a bit more in an entertaining way.
Book - Parenting Hell by Josh Widdicombe and Rob Beckett – this book based on a podcast is a great way to understand the funny side of the slightly daunting world of being a parent to a young child.
Movie/TV Show - so much great TV is being made these days that it is hard to narrow down a very long list of things I have watched recently and loved. Here are a few: The Bear, Silo, Ted Lasso, Alice in Borderland, Colin in Accounts, and One Piece.
What’s something on your bucket list that you haven’t had the chance to do yet?
New York was always on my bucket list, but I visited there a few years ago. So, I think visiting Canada is my next dream destination. Working closely with Canadian Affair, we are constantly reminded about what a stunning location it is.
If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about our career opportunities, please don't hesitate to reach out.
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Ashley Gilmour
Ashley, our Head of SEO, is a driving force behind our success in enhancing online visibility. With a proactive approach, Ashley and his team craft and implement cutting-edge SEO strategies, resulting in amplified organic traffic and revenue for our clients.
