I’m Melissa Byleveld. I’m passionate about optimisation. My CV says I optimise websites. But to be honest, I will try to optimise anything I can get my hands on.
Posts are mostly about search engine optimisation (SEO), search marketing and search experience, but sometimes also marketing and messaging more broadly.
A bit about my experience
I’ve been working in content and search strategy for the last ten plus years. With a background in journalism and experience in research and design, I enjoy the big picture, devising and implementing strategies that work as well for website audiences as they do for search engines.
I firmly believe it’s possible to craft online content with integrity and still have it ticking all the boxes for search engine optimisation.
I’d love for SEO to become a metric of website success rather than a quantitative bolt-on that too often threatens content quality.
Roles
I’m currently working at Matter of Form as Head of Search. It’s a brilliant opportunity to weave search consciousness into the fabric of web from the onset.
I’ve previously served as Head of SEO at London-based search agency Go Up, where the team and client portfolio expanded significantly under my leadership. We worked on a diversity of accounts, ranging from VR to wine investment, recruitment and commercial kitchen rental.
After Go Up I started a small boutique agency called Both Birds that focuses on maximising small business web budgets by building sites that are designed to work in search from the start.
I continue to consult search and digital agencies, recently Secure Site Digital, as well as private clients, where I devise SEO strategy for accounts ranging from online pharmacies to architects, cooking schools and investment managers.
Say hi!
Send me a note via LinkedIn.
Cover photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash.
