What's it like being an SEO in a market that isn't your native language? Yagmur Simsek joins the SEO Rant Podcast to talk about her experiences doing SEO as an expat.
How employers can best handle hiring an SEO who is an expat
The positive impact that comes with hiring an expat in an SEO role
The difficulties doing SEO as an expat
Doing SEO In Market Where the Language Is Not Your Mother Tongue: Episode Synopsis
Most of us take the ability to communicate with out teammates or clients for granted. But what happens when you move to a country where the language is not your mother tongue? Language is one thing, but learning a new culture is even more difficult. How might it all impact the way you do SEO?
As an expat myself, it can feel very intimidating to communicate with others when you don't feel comfortable in the language. Yagmur points out how vital it is to face that head on. When communicating with team members or clients don't stifle your own thoughts on the way to the best path forward for the site's SEO success. That does mean, as Yagmur points out, that you may need to be open to take feedback on how you approach communication and what it means to be an effective communicator in your new culture.
Employers also need to be sensitive to the situation an expat finds themselves in. Giving clear and honest feedback in a constructive way can be genuinely helpful to your "expat SEO." But that comes with a deeper relationship. Get to know your "expat SEO." Understand their culture and where they are coming from (both literally and figuratively). Don't back away from an SEO just because they're from another country (as should be obvious). Welcome the diversity. The language and communication will come. The most important thing is their character along with their skill and dedication to making it all work.
In fact, hiring an expat can be a great advantage (I see it all the time here at Wix where the company is heavily comprised of expats from all over the world). Within the SEO context, hiring an expat can be a real benefit when dealing with international clients and international sites!
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For more of the SEO Rant Podcast check out our previous episode on what makes an SEO course good.