Interview by Mallika Malhotra

Mallika Malhotra: Can you start off by sharing your name, your pronouns, and your business name?

Nina Gibson: Yes. My name is Nina Gibson, my pronouns are she/her, and my business name is Nina Gibson Co.

MM: Tell us more about what you do, what you sell, and who you serve.

NG: I do Search Engine Optimization, both in a done-for-you and in a teaching/coaching capacity for any kind of business. Lately, I have been focusing on solopreneurs and entrepreneurship-based companies with a strong focus on female founders, though not exclusively, and teaching them how to leverage SEO to get more visibility for their business, their brands, their offerings, etc.

MM: I know when I hear that acronym I get nervous because it feels like a beast. Is it a hard sell because people are afraid of SEO, how to use it, and how to understand it?

NG: Yes, it's so funny. I was actually just speaking with some business colleagues about this, and there's a really big education gap that needs to be closed, even for businesses that are established that have invested a lot in a website, etc. Teaching them about the importance of SEO and how it actually works, yes, I think it can definitely be a hard sell. It’s also a long game investment and strategy, unlike social media, or even personal development for our businesses, where we feel like we're getting something almost instantaneously. SEO is something you need to invest in and be consistent with for a minimum of three to six months until you really start to see the value. That can be tough for people, I definitely think it's a harder sell for small to medium-sized businesses, especially because it is an investment and it's also not guaranteed.

MM: Yeah, nothing's ever guaranteed with business though, right? 

NG: No, it’s not, that’s for sure. 

MM: How did you get started with SEO?

NG: In 2008, I lost my job when the market crashed like a whole bunch of other people. I was unemployed for almost a year, and I got a job at Concordia Partners on Middle Street in the Old Port. They were connected with Women to Women, which was a clinic based out of Yarmouth. They did a lot of focus on perimenopausal women and sold some products, so I was hired to do paid advertising like Google Ads. At the time I had no background in that, but because I have a quantitative research background from grad school, they were like, you'll be fine, you'll be able to learn it! And that's sort of how I got started in digital marketing in 2009. From there, I really started to like paid advertising, and I love the digital marketing world. I started building my skill set, eventually learning SEO, etc., so I kind of fell into it by accident.

MM: I love it. So you're self-taught, which keeps it feeling hopeful that other people can learn what you’ve learned and then apply it to their business? 

NG: Absolutely. 

MM: So SEO is about being found online, right? But I'm sure you have a deeper meaning to why you do SEO work. Can you tell us more about your mission or the why behind your business?

NG: Yeah, absolutely. My why is really about visibility. The beautiful thing about SEO is that there's really no barrier to entry. Anybody, when they're given the right tools and the right information can do it to become more visible and get more eyeballs on their business. It's kind of like an art form almost. 

Also, one of my big missions with my business, as I said, is accessibility. I work with larger, enterprise-level clients, but I want to be able to bring my expertise and my services to SMBs with smaller budgets and do teachings and courses that make it available to people who aren't maybe able to pay big agency prices. That's a big part of why I started focusing on female entrepreneurs, etc. I want people to realize that all of these marketing things that bigger companies do, you can do, too, you just have to have the right toolset to be able to do it.

MM: Yes, I think we share that philosophy because branding is very similar to SEO; having the tools to actually be seen and heard and get paid. Especially with women, you want to push them into the spotlight so that they can reap the benefits of having clients find them rather than having to do all the work. You're helping us get people to find us rather than us having to do the forward-pushing marketing all of the time. 

NG: Exactly. 

MM: How long have you been in Maine? 

NG: I went to undergrad at the University of Maine Orono, then I moved to London for grad school and lived there for a few years. My mom is German, so I'm an EU citizen so I worked there and right before 2008, I was like, I'm gonna move back to the States, to Portland. I didn't spend a lot of time in Portland while I was at Orono, but that's sort of how it happened and I've been here for a while now.

MM: How does it feel being in Maine for your business? Does it affect your business? Do you have local clients? I know as an online entrepreneur you can serve anyone anywhere.

NG:  I've worked with some Maine-based businesses, but 95% of my clients are based elsewhere. In some ways, like what we were talking about before we started recording, I definitely want to be more involved in the Maine business community, but it's not something that I've had a ton of time with, with my kids being younger and working on my business. I do feel like Maine is one of those really unique places. There is tons of entrepreneurship that happens in Maine. It’s like a diamond in the rough, it's one of these places where people are doing so many amazing things. Thus far, being in Maine hasn't impacted my business one way or the other, but it's something I want to tap more into. There's definitely a vibe about Maine and what people are doing that I want to be part of.

MM: That was one of the most surprising things coming as a newcomer to me. It's a very creative community. There are so many makers and innovative products. I stumbled upon this woman-owned vegan beer maker and thought, this is awesome, only in Maine would I find something like this. So, being an entrepreneur for a while, are there any lessons learned that are worthy of sharing? 

NG: There is one that people probably know, but consistency is key. I've been out on my own since 2014 when I left my corporate job. Up until recently, when I shifted my business, all of my business was referrals and word of mouth, do not underestimate the power of networking. 

All of these things that we do online, all of that is amazing, but at the end of the day, it's all about relationships, people work with you because they want to work with you. When you focus on that and remember that and keep that in mind…You know, if you're feeling like oh, man, you know, maybe my client list is down or I'm having trouble finding work…Relationships. Tap back into people that you've met before and the networking piece, because that has served me so so well. I think sometimes it's overlooked because of social media and all these other things, but at the end of the day, it’s about networking and relationships.

MM: I couldn't agree more. I feel like the pendulum is swinging a little bit because the sustainability of being out on social media all the time is hard. People are now looking for that deeper connection where you actually meet in real life, or for the energy, you feel when you're with other people, so it's good to have both. So, where do you find support for your business, and who have been your biggest supporters for you? 

NG: From a personal development perspective, which is something I've spent a lot of time on, there's a business coach and mentor of mine. She's a therapist and holistic business coach named Ash McDonald, and she's been a huge, huge catalyst for pushing through limiting beliefs and really shifting my mindset and focus. I also joined a mastermind two years ago with Holly Haynes and that was when I was new to doing business online this way. I had a direct client management roster but that's a little bit different. She was a big catalyst too in laying the foundation for doing business online and serving clients in a different kind of way. She has an alumni community that's really great that I'm a part of, and that I enjoy. Then I think to the connections, for example, the podcast connection, people that you meet on Instagram that comment on your stories, or are your cheerleader, maybe they're never going to be your ideal client, but they're like, hey, I really love what you're doing. I found a ton of support in that on Instagram, and even Facebook. I think that's something I underestimate, how important those connections are to me, too.

MM: It’s always good to have people in your circle so you never feel alone, and the nice thing with social media is you can hop on Instagram and find people to connect with. Shifting a little, what does being a woman-owned business mean to you?

NG: I think because of the space that I'm in, I wouldn't call it a true blue tech space, but there aren't a lot of women in SEO and there aren't a lot of women in color in SEO. It’s a very male-dominated space because it kind of crosses over into website development. Over the years, I've definitely dealt with, How old are you? How many years have you been doing this? Are you sure? So, for me, that's actually led to burnout, because every single time I've gone into a meeting, I need to know, for myself that I know more than anybody else in the room about what I'm talking about to prove myself.  I have to cover every single possible question they might ask, and do extra research and things like that. As the years have gone by, and I've been doing this a long time, now I find myself doing that less, because I’m more confident. But in the earlier years, I felt like I had to constantly prove myself and I still do that a little bit with new clients. Sometimes people still ask, Are you sure you know what you're talking about? 

I never really thought about it before as being a woman, but then I thought, you know, if my husband were in this room, they wouldn't be asking him that, so there's that. But on the flip side, I've worked with a ton of businesses who tell me I’m amazing, or I’ve helped their business and it’s been transformative, and have referred me on so. Being a mom and being in business has definitely been the most humbling thing. Those are some of the things that have sort of popped up for me, but at the same time, being a woman in business has afforded me so many unique opportunities such as our connection and meeting people. So there's the good and the bad.

MM: Yeah, absolutely. Alright, so with SEO, it can feel challenging, so can you provide any tips that you can share with our audience? 

NG: I'll give you three quick tips. Number one is page speed. You can use Google’s Page Speed tool, it'll pop up so you can put your website in. If you have a lot of videos, which may be beautiful, they might be slowing down your website. So be sure to balance the aesthetic with making sure that people can get to your website quickly. 

The second thing is mobile, I've seen a lot of websites where it looks amazing on a laptop, but not on mobile, even when it's a responsive design. Make sure that your images, your hero images, and things like that translate the same to a mobile device. 

The third is, target unique keywords on each URL. Not all of your content has to rank for SEO, but the content that you are trying to rank, like your blog posts and stuff, use only one keyword. For example, you're not trying to rank for ‘holistic business coach’ on every single page of your website. Keep that unique one-to-one mapping when you're thinking about content for SEO.

MM: Awesome, that is so helpful, thank you! Are there any businesses you want to give a shoutout to? 

NG: Yeah, so my friends, Janelle And Alicia own Casco Bay Creamery. You might have seen their butter in stores, they've got this really cool cow logo with bright colors on it. I used to work with Janelle back in our digital marketing days and she and her wife had built this amazing butter-based business, she was churning butter and they turned it into this really cool business, they're in the Portland area. 

Hannah at Near & Native in Westbrook. She does candle pouring, you can come and bring your empty candle containers and pour more. She was part of a retailer roundtable workshop I was a part of, and her business is very, very cool. 

Shout out to Melissa Kaiser. She does self-portrait photography tips for businesses, she's in the Rockland/Camden area, and she teaches business owners how to take amazing photos for their business at home. 

MM: Anything else you'd like to share about your business? 

NG: Yeah, I have something coming up in the fall, it’s called Visibility Co., and it is a membership for businesses who are looking for digital marketing and SEO support if you don't have the budget at the time for an agency. This membership is going to have guest speakers, hands-on training, and office hours with me. It’s to help you can start driving a digital marketing or SEO strategy for your business without having to bid agency fees and to get that background and foundation, and also a community of amazing other business owners.

MM: What an awesome offer and you have a podcast? 

NG: Yes, and I have a podcast called Elevated Visibility, which touches on a lot of what we talked about. Mallika’s episode was last week, check it out. It was awesome! I've gotten a ton of great feedback, people really are enjoying that episode. So yes, definitely check out the podcast, that's like my baby! I don't even think of it as a part of my business because it's so like cathartic. 

MM: It’s such a good driver to generate awareness around your brand.

NG: Yes, and it’s a great way for people to get to know me, it’s like this is who I am and if it jives with you great, and if not, that’s ok too. I think of podcasting as an SEO strategy, really. It’s also long-term, but the consistency is there too. 

MM: Thank you so much, Nina! It’s been so good to get to know you better and share your story with the MVM community. I appreciate you being here. 

NG: Thank you so much, this was awesome. 

Thank you, Nina, for taking the time to talk with Maine Vibes Magazine!

Web: https://ninagibson.co

Instagram: @ninagibson.co

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