Editor’s Note:
This week, as part of our Workplace Wisdom blog series, we’re highlighting Emily Dann, a member of our technical SEO team. As a Senior SEO Analyst, Emily knows something about teamwork and attention to detail. When she’s not problem-solving for our clients, Emily enjoys getting outdoors and is a member of Terakeet’s employee-led rowing team. Read more to learn about Emily and her insights for achieving professional success.
What is your role and how long have you worked at Terakeet?
I am a Senior SEO Analyst at Terakeet, although I’ve worn many hats in the nearly four years that I’ve worked here.
What advice would you give someone who is new to Terakeet?
My advice for someone who is new to Terakeet would be to really put yourself out there. There are so many intelligent people who work across all departments, and everyone’s more than willing to help you explore your interests or learn something new. There are also Slack channels and employee resource groups (like the BIPOC and LGBTQIATS+ groups) tailored to special interests and identities, so you can connect with other Terakeeters who share your interests, regardless of where they live.
What is a quote that helped you get through a tough time?
My favorite poem by Rupi Kaur is what really helps me get through the tough times:
“it has been one of the greatest and most difficult years of my life. i learned everything is temporary. moments. feelings. people. flowers. i learned love is about giving. everything. and letting it hurt. i learned vulnerability is always the right choice because it is easy to be cold in a world that makes it so very difficult to remain soft. i learned all things come in twos. life and death. pain and joy. salt and sugar. me and you. it is the balance of the universe. it has been the year of hurting so bad but living so good. making friends out of strangers. making strangers out of friends. learning mint chocolate chip ice cream will fix just about everything. and for the pains it can’t there will always be my mother’s arms. we must learn to focus on warm energy. always. soak our limbs in it and become better lovers to the world. for if we can’t learn to be kind to each other how will we ever learn to be kind to the most desperate parts of ourselves.”
How do you unwind after a long workday?
When the weather cooperates, I love to spend time outside after work. Whether I’m hiking at a local park, nickel boarding on the parkway, or hammocking with friends, I always try to spend time outdoors doing what I enjoy most. I’m also on Terakeet’s rowing team, which is also a fun way to out of the house during the summer.
During the winter, I like to meet up with friends for trivia or spend my nights whipping up new recipes while listening to music.
If you could invite any famous businessperson or workplace guru to dinner, who would it be and why?
I would love to invite Sophia Amoruso to dinner. As one of the most influential businesswomen, she coined the phrase “girl boss” and inspires women everywhere to progress in their personal and professional lives. I remember reading her autobiography in high school and have admired her tenacity and bad-assery ever since.
If you could only use 5 workplace tools or platforms, what would they be and why?
There are a few tools that come to mind for me:
- With team members spread across the country, Slack is probably my most used tool day-to-day. Through Slack, I can communicate with colleagues, align on projects, keep up on company news, and occasionally send a gif or two.
- As an analyst, Terakeet’s proprietary tool Chorus plays a critical role in helping me monitor the first two pages of search results for my clients.
- Keyword research is a critical component of any SEO program, so Semrush is definitely necessary. I use the tool every day for audits, optimizations, competitor analysis, etc.
- Google Data Studio has everything I need to deliver in-depth and interactive monthly performance reports for my clients. It can pull data from several data sources at once, saving time and a lot of headaches.
- I open Hive every morning to track the progress of my tasks and to plan out my workday.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from a coworker?
Be a sponge for information. A former manager at Terakeet once encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone and shadow someone from each department of the company. He told me to really be present in those meetings, to show up with thoughtful questions, and to absorb as much information as possible. While I was uncomfortable with the idea at first, I dove in head first and discovered my love for the technical side of SEO.
I attribute so much of that to my success and growth at Terakeet!
This is a continuation of our “Workplace Wisdom” series. Read the previous posts here:
Workplace Wisdom: Burak Benturk
Workplace Wisdom: Ashish (AJ) Jacob