March 23, 2022, was a typical Wednesday for Ukrainian marketers and SEO professionals.
We had our morning coffee and did some tech experiments, built links, and updated a few access pages.
We were striving for better visibility and flexibility, trying hard to keep up with the deadlines, and hoping to achieve our KPIs.
Then, on February 24, the whole of Ukraine woke up to a recently terrifying and terrifying world.
Our plans, ambitions, and priorities changed.
From that day forward, the only thing that mattered most was saving the lives of our families, helping those in need of survival, and protecting our right to freedom. to live freely in our country.
For this column, my team teamed up with eight Ukrainian SEO and marketing professionals and asked them to share their experiences as our world changed.
It turned out that they were all alike in one thing: in a corrupt world full of bitter doubts, gained strength by helping others and contributing to Ukraine’s future victory.
Bringing Accurate News To Russian People
Artem Pylypets is the SEO Head at SEO7, an educator, and founder of the YouTube educational channel “SEOкола SEO” (SEO School). See the article : Global Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Market Report 2022 Includes WebFX, The SEO Works, Moz, Wordstream, SEOimage.com, Searchmetrics, SEMrush (US), Boostability, Adlift, & Straight North.
Before the war, Artem’s life was one of personal SEO and sharing his knowledge with others.
He led the SEO industry in SEO7, ran his own YouTube channel called “SEOкола SEO” (“SEO School), and conducted online training in SEO issues.
For now, Artem is still doing the same thing, but the sound of gunfire can be heard.
The war brought many hardships to his career. Members of the SEO7 group have been scattered throughout Europe as more and more people have been forced to flee their homes.
They try to simplify their process, but it is not easy.
In addition, many SEO7 clients held their operations, which left the team struggling to stay with several customers looking at U.S. markets. and Europe.
Artem himself lived in the cities of Kyiv. He admitted that he was accustomed to hearing gunshots and added that “they are not so heavy.”
Her neighbors set up roadblocks, and people patrolled the hubs to control the situation.
Image source: Author. The photo on the left was taken three months before the war. Artem’s t-shirt says, “Content improves when it comes to backlinks.” The image on the right shows a roadblock with sandbags, one of Artem’s new work areas.
“It really makes me happy to see how the war united my fellow Ukrainian citizens. The way we help each other, we fight for our country, is amazing.
At the same time, I have to believe that I can have a calm atmosphere above my head. ”
Like many other SEO professionals, Artem has decided to use his SEO skills to help Ukraine win the information war.
His goal is to help users of a Russian search engine to identify the real war stories and not just deceptive propaganda. To make this happen, he has been working to improve the visibility of international media in the Russian SERPs.
When the war ends, Artem plans to continue building his business and hopes to start all the projects he always wanted but had no time to do.
He is looking forward to reading the good news – not to mention the growing dangers and damage in Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Mariupol and other cities.
All he dreams of is celebrating the victory of Ukraine with his close friends.
Volunteering 24/7 To Help Those In Need
Andrey Kapeltsov is the founder of SEO.Capital and a keynote speaker at major SEO, Affiliate, and iGaming Ukraine forums. Read also : One Click SEO, a leader in search engine optimization, has achieved Google Partner status. He has spent the last 18 years mastering SEO and is constantly looking for new ways to adapt to search algorithm updates.
Since 2015, he has focused on the iGaming industry, working as a CMO at major gaming and gambling companies.
Because of the unique type of iGaming niche, SEO has always been the backbone of every marketing strategy that Andrey has developed.
Today, Andrey tries to serve his country and people in every way.
Some of his company employees lived in cities destroyed by the Russian army – Andrey helped them escape to safety.
Today, he continues to help evacuate people from the fortified cities to the settlement in central and western Ukraine.
As workers moved to safer areas, Andrey decided to revitalize his company’s operations to support the Ukrainian economy – his business providing donations to the armed forces of Ukraine.
They also established a charity to support refugee families and volunteers.
In addition to helping out financially, Andrey and his coworkers spend their evenings at relief centers unloading supplies.
Andrey says that this type of exercise works well even in the gym.
Image source: Author. Andrey’s portrait in times of peace and photos from current volunteer work.
“What impresses me is that the war forced us to set up complex systems quickly – it seemed impossible in a time of peace.
At times, I have had to struggle to acquire some military equipment, but my friends and acquaintances have been a great help.
I was thrilled to meet so many people last week. ”
Andrey admits that his life before the war began is far from over. He feels that the war lasts forever but has found a role that serves him and is determined to continue.
When all is said and done, Andrey plans to continue developing his business and actively involved in helping Ukraine recover.
He hopes to spend some time living near the sea, where only the sound of the ocean can be heard. But first, Ukraine must win.
Helping Ukrainian SEOs Find New Jobs
Olesia Korobka is an SEO entrepreneur who manages many projects before the war begins. Read also : Get out of the package using Local SEO Strategy. He provided guidance and advice to businesses and ran a number of his third-party projects.
Unfortunately, he had to stop working with so many supporters because of their country.
That left her with a lot of emotions. He is now able to perform tasks, but for a while he was unable to work due to a slow internet connection.
Olesia, her son and her mother were among the 4 million Ukrainians who had to flee their homes.
First, they moved to Poland and later to the Netherlands, where he could return to work, which he admitted was difficult.
“My brain was reluctant to focus on complex technology.
After working for a while, the first time I looked at the codes, I spent several hours doing work that took me 5 to 15 minutes earlier. , and I was still not sure if I did it right. ”
At the same time, working on his goals was something he really needed. It is the only thing that has helped Olesia to feel that she is doing well and that she is having a positive impact.
Image source: Author. Selfie taken from the ‘first’ life on the left, another selfie taken by bus to Amsterdam (right), and a photo taken at the refugee camp.
What inspired him was a new project he had planned to support the SEO community in Ukraine. From the beginning of the war, many people approached Olesia and asked her to help them find new work. Many Ukrainian SEO professionals lost their only source of income and felt frustrated.
This is how Olesia came up with the idea of creating a list of Ukrainian SEOs that briefly outlines their skills and areas of experience.
She contacted Aleyda Solis with a request to share her list on Twitter and in the #SEOFOMO newspaper, and Aleyda kindly supported the project.
Olesia then began receiving messages from various companies that were open to hiring Ukrainian people, so she compiled a list of job opportunities.
As more professionals and businesses continued to get involved in the project, the spreadsheet collapsed. So Olesia is currently working on establishing a number of websites that target employers in Australia, the USA, and certain European countries.
Once the websites are up and running, the process of finding a job and hiring should be very simple.
Olesia dreams that the war is over so she can go home.
He misses his normal life and people.
Olesia adds that most Ukrainians will have to deal with PTSD once the war is over and will not be able to live a normal life soon.
However, he is determined to keep his chin up and move on with his plans. Olesia also thanks all those who supported her in recent weeks.
“Soooooo a lot of people help me. It was amazing and kind of even more uncomfortable. I have never had that in my whole life and I never expected that.
I almost feel guilty, but also very grateful. Thank you all for your support and advice.
I can not always find the right words to thank everyone, but I am very grateful for everything. ”
Saving Ukrainian Four-Legged Cuties
Anton Shulke is the Head of Influencer marketing at Duda.co and the livestream production manager.
Since 2015, Anton has hosted live events, webinars, and podcasts for leading companies in the SEO industry, such as Duda, Semrush, and Kalicube.
Duda – Anton’s latest workplace – is not a Ukrainian company and was not directly involved (although the company had about a dozen employees’ ship Ukraine).
Anton was given paid leave when the war started, but he chooses to continue working, so he still does one online program a week.
In addition, Anton contacted the Ukrainian SEO community to help affected people by trying to organize accommodation, find job opportunities, or provide direct financial assistance.
Anton was surprised by the response of the Ukrainian SEO community. He always believed that there were many good people but did not expect to see such amazing support for the poor.
Anton added that he felt honored to be a part of it.
He also started a small charity project to raise money for the accommodation of cats and dogs, which you can learn and support here.
“I decided to help the small houses because I thought they would be under the auspices of the big charities, which often help children, refugees and the military.
I get messages from people who run residences, and they seem surprised and very grateful for the help I provide, which gives me the motivation to keep going.
The problem is that although in the beginning the response of the people was good without giving, donations are declining over time.
However, I understand that people are tired, and I can’t blame them. ”
Image source: Author. Anton with his cat and his traditional morning coffee
Anton hopes to keep his job at Duda, but also plans to devote himself more fully to the charity.
You will probably keep a cat and dog shelter plan, even if the structure changes.
Another thing he hopes to do is have coffee with all the lovely people who send him messages on Facebook.
Every day, Anton announces ‘Good Morning’ post on #coffeeshot on his Facebook page. In response, many people said that they would like to have coffee with him.
Protecting Ukrainian Land In The Armed Forces
Eugene Lata is a CMO at Lemon.io and an experienced entrepreneur who spent the last seven years building sales teams and improving growth strategies.
As of January 2022, it was CMO at SerpStat, an SEO tools company based in Odesa.
He had started a new career in the Lemon.io market shortly before the war.
In the early days of the war, Eugene decided to join the Odesa regional security forces, and is now a member of the 122nd brigade.
As a result of Eugene’s past experience, he became the chief medical officer of the logistics team.
This means that he is responsible for training other aid nurses and establishing special evacuation and emergency brigades.
Such units consist of a single paramedic and four invading soldiers. They are working hard to evacuate wounded soldiers and civilians.
Fortunately, for now, there is no need to evacuate residents from where Eugene is.
In addition to training aid workers, he trains various military forces in a NATO-led first-aid manner.
Image source: Author. Eugene serving in the local security forces with a photo of himself and his labrador dog before the war.
This is not the first time Eugene has decided to enlist in the army. Back in 2014, after returning home from the U.K., he spent six months in the Donbas region fighting enemies and other volunteers who joined the Dnipro-1 army.
That was when he started helping injured people as a paramedic.
Eight years later, his first experience allowed Eugene to teach other life-saving officers.
“What motivates me is the progress that the young men I am training.
Those who participated three weeks ago without proper experience and medical skills are now adequately trained to provide appropriate care. These people are already evacuating people and saving the lives of many people in the areas of Mykolaiv and Odesa.
Seeing this gives me a sense of accomplishment. ”
Eugene confesses that he loved his regular job, living under the quiet sky when his great anxiety was a ruined standard of advertising or the spread of coronavirus.
But until the war ends, he will not consider doing anything other than his current job.
When Ukraine wins, Eugene cannot wait to hug his family, who are now scattered across the country.
His wife and younger sister volunteered for Odesa, obtaining the necessary military guns for Eugene’s units.
He wants to go with his labrador dog.
Being an avid traveler, he will surely take new trips.
First, you will go to the Carpathian Mountains. Eugene hopes Ukraine will win before the end of the year – then he will enjoy the green of the year as he watches the sunrise.
He will also be very active because rebuilding the country requires a lot of resources.
Finally, he wants to be a father – he and his wife planned to start a family before the war broke out.
Fighting A Cyberwar Via SEO Community Chat
Igor Shulezhko then CEO & amp; Founder of rankUP and owner of Shmeo.Link. He has been in business for more than a decade as the Head of SEO for several major Ukrainian products.
Before the war started, he focused on building his SEO center, rankUp.
His business was very successful and boasted a diverse customer base that included start-up and SaaS companies, ecommerce projects and content portals.
All of these customers were from Ukraine, which means that the facility is not as affected as other companies with close ties to Russia.
However, the war forced many businesses to stop using their advertising funds. Igor is now working hard to save his base.
His team is currently spread across Ukraine and working remotely.
Igor noticed that he could hear how much everyone in the group was worried right now.
“Constantly monitoring the news is very stressful. In addition, air alarms keep people awake at night — usually two to four instruments each night and interrupt them slightly.
All of this makes it difficult to focus on your activities. It’s easy to do SEO when all you need to focus on is work. ”
Image source: Author. Igor is on his way to the border and eats food at a refugee camp
One of Igor’s plans is the SEO community at Telegraph, a well-known ambassador to Ukraine. Currently, the community is comprising about 5,000 people.
At first, it had a large number of participants, but most Russians withdrew as soon as the nation began broadcasting war-related messages.
Sadly Igor realizes that most Russians in the group supported Putin verbally and rejected all war crimes.
He said: “When the war started, we restricted public comment and limited copyright to the authorities only.”
The aim was to use public discussion to provide the most valuable efforts for subscribers. They shared links to certified aid agencies and information on migration opportunities, lists Russian territories whose activities they wanted to disrupt, and links to the public broadcaster in order to members of the public can prevent it.
Igor believes that he and his team are helping to defeat cyberwar against Russia by doing all this.
Igor admits he misses his peaceful life.
When the war ends, the first thing he will do is visit his mother, who lives in Sumy.
Fortunately, the town is not moving forward, but with Russian troops around, it is experiencing a shortage of supplies. The current escape is very dangerous.
Phones are still working, so Igor can still call his mother regularly.
She dreams she sees him in person and gives him a big hug.
Helping Ukrainian Families In Need
Max Karmazin is a Digital Marketing Specialist, Country Director (Germany) at SE Ranking. He returned to Ukraine in November 2021 after living in Switzerland for seven years.
Max worked with his Master’s degree in Sociology and Media Studies, working in a variety of fields, and traveling.
As a guest, she often felt limited working hours, income, employment and social status.
Feeling isolated, he could not fully accept the new psychological and social laws.
So he decided to return to Kyiv, and three months later, war broke out.
The first days after the attack were tough. Max could not continue working because he was always confused by the news.
When he left Kyiv on the third day of the war to stay away from danger, he felt he was saving lives and leaving the people of the country to take care of themselves was not in line with his standards.
Doing his regular work also felt bad at the time.
Max decided that he would join the army and fight the enemy or start volunteering.
This led to her joining forces with the national security forces, volunteering to protect the city’s residents.
He spent almost a week forgetting one of the few open gas stations, controlling incoming traffic and maintaining control.
Image source: Author. Max (left) and his companion, a 65-year-old soldier in the Donbas.
“I had this desire to prove that I had the courage to join the army and that maybe I would give my life for the country I love (and I wanted to go back to it). I think a lot of men feel the same way during a war. ”
The group then changed and Max joined one of his colleagues who was moving his family to western Ukraine and Poland a few days later.
Max’s new friend had lost his job a few months earlier and the family had run out of money for a week in the war.
So Max decided to support them at least financially.
Max was fortunate to have good and caring friends from Switzerland and Germany who were eager to help.
They decided that the best option would be to send money directly to Max’s account so that he could assist those in need who were personally in need.
“So far, we have assisted six needy families, a total of 15 people and the military. It may not be much, but it is a quality aid that provides enough money for a month or two. ”
Now Max has his family. He believes that the most important thing he can do now is to support them. He continues to work for SE Ranking from his home office.
Max will continue to work for SE Ranking, and would love to see everyone return to office after his colleagues return home when the war ends.
He hopes the war ends before the summer season to start new hobbies: boating and sailing.
He dreams of rediscovering Ukraine and its beautiful rivers with his friends on camping trips and boat trips.
Max also plans to start a voice player training because he loves listening to audio books and has the right voice. He planned to start training on March 6.
Max confesses that he misses the little things in his early life, such as going to the movies with friends, eating a coriander omelet for breakfast, exercising at the gym, and taking a long hot bath.
Although the future is uncertain, he believes he will be able to fulfill his dreams, from buying a car and taking a road trip with his friends to start a family.
And he believes that all his dreams can come true here in Ukraine.
Building A Strong Community Of Marketing Heroes For Mutual Support
Yurii Lazaruk, is the founder of many well-known Ukrainian SEO nations, such as SEO Club UA, SalesHero, CPC Real Talk, and Marketing Club UA, and a social development expert.
Before the war, he used his homeland to bring together Ukrainian experts. Yurii has helped them share experiences and gain significant career growth.
Image source: Author. Yurii is wearing a sweatshirt with a name tag on it.
After the first day of the war, Yurii set aside all his earlier steps. He decided to unite all the active members of his many communities into a group called the Ukrainian Hero Help.
The goal of the new community was to unite the SEO people of Ukraine to support each other, to share important information, and to help the military and the country as a whole.
Yurii herself needed help finding a job to support her family.
And she received one thanks from David Spinks, co-founder of CMX, the world’s largest network for social media professionals.
Yurii currently works as a part-time mentor, providing guidance on community development in Development, an AI-led training platform.
Yurii appreciates the opportunity to use his skills to make the nations of the U.S. be successful.
But since it is not a full-time job, she is still looking for additional opportunities.
Yurii also strives to help members of his community by collecting applications from SEO, PPC, marketing and marketing professionals, and finding them jobs with the help of international professional and senior citizens within see.
So, if by any means now you are looking for a digital marketing expert and are willing to help the people of Ukraine, you can contact Yurii, who will happily share your names with you.
All of Yurii’s dreams is that the war is over.
He aspires to establish a stronger digital society in Ukraine, find international clients with whom to work, make more money, and rebuild the country!
How You Can Help Colleagues In Ukraine
Search Engine Journal shares a collection of causes for SEO Community Support For Ukraine & amp; How You Can Help.
The SE Ranking Group has a source on how you can help the people of Ukraine here, too, that we will always keep you updated.
Image source: Founded by author, 2022.
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