Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in freelancing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nina Payne, Owner of SEO Lady Ltd, located in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, UK.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I'm a sole trader Digital Marketer specialising in Technical SEO and Google ranking for local Google Maps and eCommerce websites that sell throughout the UK online. My services include project management for domain migrations, working together with Developers to make changes to a website when redesigning or rebranding with SEO in mind, with a little bit of training for business owners thrown in from time to time. My target clients are Digital Agencies, SMEs, small businesses, and sole traders who want to hire a freelancer for a couple of hours a month without the huge fees. The majority of my portfolio has worked with me for over five years; some clients have been working together with me for over a decade. I'm hired for a lot of one-off projects, to problem solve, data mine, and fact finds in the back end of a website from the view of all Search Engines - Bing, Google, and Yahoo are the three big names that bring in revenue to Great British business located in the United Kingdom.

Tell us about yourself

My company began trading in 2008 as a side hustle whilst working for Funky Pigeon in Bristol; when you're employed for 40 hours a week and commuting for another 10, my daydreams were wishing I could work from home. I'd successfully ranked their website at the top of Google, beating Moonpig on page 1; now that the domain is the dominant UK nationwide, I've kind of worked myself out of a job. What is better than Google page 1, position 1? A business idea formed in my mind; I would write a case study about my success, build a website and rank it for "SEO Freelancer Somerset" to attract local clients. Working for just one domain isn't too exciting. As I'd found out, I'd relish the opportunity to work with a multitude of clients, keeping their websites fresh and having fun by visiting each new client that signs up.

My business will never scale up. I prefer the autonomy of being a sole trader, and as an older lady, experience does come with age in terms of confidence when dealing with a problem client. The flexibility of freelancing means I'm free to walk away after a project is completed should I feel we were not the right client fit. I'm motivated to only work with lovely clients so that every daily interaction is a joy and a positive experience. When a client leaves me a review or texts me to tell me they are at the top of Google Page 1, the feeling is quite indescribable. It's a mixture of elation with a lot of happiness and pride in my work. My client is making more money, and they are extremely happy, win-win relationships are a big drive to encourage myself to communicate effectively with each client in their own unique way and let them know I appreciate their continued investment with me.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Celebrating 15 years of trading in 2023.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Don't be afraid of asking for money upfront, as I have been burned for 4 figures. In the SEO industry, you can't un-SEO a website, so don't work on "Pay by Results"; similarly, don't build a website (or even start) before the money clears in the bank. Another challenge of being a sole trader is that people want to talk for an hour before parting with their money; I offer free email support to save 10 hours on the telephone. The greatest solution to this has been my exclusive refund offer; when you hire me for a one-hour Zoom consultation, I'll refund the cost against your SEO Booster invoice. Try hard not to work for friends or family in the first place. What other lessons have I learned along the way? Don't trust your friends without payment upfront, and be confident to sack them the minute they display disrespect or threaten your friendship.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. If you are thinking of building a website, do not wait to hire an SEO after it's live, a high percentile of business owners aren't aware that a website Developer is not an SEO; they are two totally different nice skill sets. Sometimes you can find a unicorn, but they are difficult to hire (always busy) and very expensive (high hourly rate), so from a specialist point of view, you'll need an SEO at the design stage of the website for Google ranking benefits before the website launches.
  2. It's possible to hire an SEO after your website has been live! I love it when you've had no previous SEO work as this means I've got carte blanche to deploy my methods direct in the back end and make a difference in just 30 days.
  3. If your website isn't ranking, usually it's down to size. Low pagination websites require new, fresh content, usually in the style of a monthly or bi-monthly blog post. If your website isn't ranking on Google page 1, hire an SEO copywriter to write enticing sales copy for your business.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.seolady.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SEOLadyUK
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninapayneseolady/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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