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International Women’s Day comes and goes every year, but women show up being awesome every single day. No matter the industry, community, or setting, women are actively shaping the world.
In an IWD22 video series with Google Cloud, I stated three ways that I think we can support women all year round. And as we move on from Women's History Month to the next awareness events, I’d like to pause to expand on those points.
Celebrate the Achievements of Women & Girls
This is something that my mother instilled in me from a young age and which I carry with me.
When we let women and girls know that we are proud and grateful for their efforts, we are helping build their confidence. We are giving them the tools to speak well of themselves in job interviews, sales pitches, and challenging conversations.
It is important to let people know that you are in their corner, that you are rooting for them, and that you recognize when they are trying and achieving great things. This helps to counteract imposter syndrome and can reduce the paralyzing fear of failure that hampers so many.
Hype up your squad online, by being someone who is an active follower. Be the first to like, subscribe, share or comment on the work of someone who is crushing it now or who you believe has great potential.
At home and in the workplace, show gratitude with detail if someone is going above and beyond. But also celebrate the little wins that add up to the big gains.
Advocate for Women
If you are in a space where women are under-represented, you should take steps to address this. If you are working on a project that is lacking input from women, say something.
These moments create opportunities to bring much-needed change and a more balanced pipeline. And they also create opportunities to better connect with your audiences.
What does this look like in the SEO space? Well, I can point you in the direction of Areej Abu Ali, Founder of Women Tech SEO, and Rejoice Ojaiku, founder of the B-Digital community.
Congratulate Women Publicly
This is important for allies. I’ve experienced this firsthand and when people in your team say to colleagues, clients, and contemporaries that you are smart and capable, it can go a long way to open doors and remove barriers.
Thinking more widely, this can take the form of social shares, inclusion on expert panels, as guest speakers, and content contributors.
Why Does This Matter?
Embracing this ethos and surrounding myself with others who also do so, has sustained me personally and professionally. I try to give back when I can and so have started a directory of female-founded communities, podcasts, courses, and tools which make the SEO and web development industry a much richer place.
This resource is inspired by Women in Tech SEO’s list of over 350 founders of SEO businesses around the world. As well as the many women that are creating incredible projects across the digital landscape.
Creating this helped me to discover many new initiatives and I hope you find some inspiration here too.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Crystal Carter is an SEO Consultant and Head of SEO Communications at Wix, with over 15 years experience working with SEO and Marketing clients around the world like Disney, McDonalds, Tomy and more. She has contributed to events, webinars, and publications from Google Search Central, Moz, Whitespark Local Search Summit, Semrush, SMX, Search Engine Land, DeepCrawl, Women in Tech SEO, and more. LinkedIn | Twitter
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