As with most tech professions, women are outnumbered in SEO at a rate of 2:1. This leads to a number of gender-specific issues that may go unnoticed by the majority of the field.
In this article, we want to highlight six challenges faced by young women in SEO.
1. Gender Biases and Stereotypes
The biggest SEO challenge for women is overcoming gender biases and stereotypes.
Women are typically viewed as technically inept. Not completely handicapped but unable to grasp the more complex ideas behind complicated technologies. Proficient enough to write an article in Google Docs but not proficient enough to do tech SEO.
Creative aspects of digital marketing are considered to be more feminine. People expect to see more women in copywriting, advertising, or content management. But they have some difficulties believing that a woman can be responsible for the technical side of things.
We can also be mistakenly viewed as aloof and irresponsible, reducing expectations but also lowering our chances for raises and promotions. This can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you put in more work than your other colleagues and still not get recognized.
2. Networking Difficulties
While networking isn’t an easy task for anyone, women face disproportionate issues trying to build meaningful connections with their peers in the industry. Thanks to previously mentioned biases, it can be hard to find partners with whom to collaborate.
This is especially exacerbated if you do not have a brand yet.
If you are a big name in the industry, a CEO of a digital marketing agency, an SEO lead, or the like, you can find reputable .edu websites or industry leaders like Forbes, Bloomberg, or Forrester and contribute to their websites. These are typically more impersonal and less prejudiced.
However, if you are just starting out, you have to rely on working with smaller companies. And with them, it’s always a gamble whether you are going to be judged based on your abilities or your sex and gender.
3. Lack of Representation
If you Google “Famous SEO experts,” this is the first thing that pops up on your screen.
Do you see a pattern? While the men in the picture are undoubtedly talented experts, Aleyda Solis probably feels lonely here at the top. What happens if you open up the “13 more” tab? You get four more women and nine more men, totaling 5 women to 17 men. The same goes for similar queries. You might get different names, but the split is roughly (un)equal.
This clear lack of representation is what pushes many women away from SEO. They don’t have enough people to identify with, they lack role models, and so they think this field is not for them. And it’s not to say that there aren’t any great female SEO experts. They’re just less visible, less public.
Luckily, this situation is getting better over time. You can find many more inspirational SEO success stories of women in 2024 than you would 10 or 20 years ago.
4. Age Differences
This isn’t necessarily a female issue but more of a young person issue. If you ask any seasoned SEO expert when and how they started, you’ll probably hear a story along the lines of “graduated in an unrelated field, worked there for a few years (or many years), didn’t like it, switched to SEO.” At that point in time, many of these experts were already past their 20s.
However, these days, SEO is much more visible and available, attracting people at a much earlier stage in their lives. Since it doesn’t require any formal education, we start seeing way more people in their early 20s beginning their SEO journeys.
However, the space is still pretty much dominated by older experts who started in other fields instead of targeting SEO as their first career. For this reason, it can feel odd for young women in tech SEO to communicate with most other digital marketing experts.
5. Imposter Syndrome
To be clear, almost everyone has to deal with imposter syndrome, regardless of their sex and gender. However, women feel it more acutely due to being underrepresented and undervalued in the field.
This loops back to the first and third issues on the list: the stereotypes and lack of representation. It gets further exacerbated for women of color or other underrepresented groups, making imposter syndrome not just an issue but a horrifying reality for many.
The turbulent nature of SEO doesn’t help with this issue as well. Everyone feels like they’re playing catch-up with search engines, but we also feel like we have to catch up with engines AND other men in the industry. Double the effort, double the burnout, same result.
6. Work-Life Balance
By the industry’s nature, SEO experts are prone to overworking and long hours. While it isn’t a gender problem on its own, it gets compounded with the fact women do more housework in general.
This leads to an issue where many women simply don’t have enough time for themselves. Split between a day job, overtime, and house chores, they have zero minutes for rest or hobbies during their weekdays. Add online courses to that, which many people in digital marketing take, and they lose even more time. And if they have kids, they basically forfeit their entire time to exhausting activities, leaving not a second for rest and recuperation.
Naturally, this way of life leads to burnout, reduced productivity, and lower work satisfaction. In turn, this also lowers women’s chances of getting promotions or even staying in the field at all. And that’s not even mentioning the detrimental effects it has on their personal livelihoods and health.
Conclusion
The challenges faced by young women in SEO are significant and multifaceted. These obstacles not only affect individual careers but also impact the industry as a whole, potentially stifling innovation and diverse perspectives that are crucial for the field's evolution.
However, recognizing these challenges is the first step towards addressing them. As the SEO industry continues to grow and mature, there's an increasing awareness of the need for diversity and inclusion. Many organizations and industry leaders are taking steps to make SEO for women equitable, mentor young talent, and showcase the achievements of women in SEO.
For young women entering or considering a career in SEO, it's important to remember that these challenges, while real, are not insurmountable. The industry is gradually changing, and each woman who perseveres in this field contributes to reshaping it. By building strong networks, seeking out mentors, and continually honing their skills, women can not only succeed but excel in SEO.
The path may not be easy, but it is undoubtedly worthwhile. For young women in SEO, the message is clear: your skills, your perspective, and your contributions are not just valuable — they are essential to the future of this field.
