When she entered her initial marketing internship, Liv Day thought that it would be strictly structured, maybe a mentor, maybe a team, or at least some people to brainstorm off of. Instead of this, what she discovered was the following: she was in the marketing department, taking her first steps in how to start a career in SEO without experience.
Liv found herself, headfirst, in the digital marketing world and had to learn it all in a short duration. She did not get a playbook with regard to social media, to SEO, to PPC ads, to blogging strategies, etc. She was the author who needed to write her own. It became the first chapter in her story of how to start a career in SEO without experience.
The majority of us would have panicked. Liv leaned in.
Liv Day is currently the SEO Lead at Digitaloft, a leading digital agency that supports travel brands in outranking such giants as Airbnb and British Airways. She has addressed global audiences, directed persuasive initiatives and she has transformed client visions into real life presence. Many people were on their way up and down the Ladders of Success. But her story a case study in how to start a career in SEO without experience could be attributed not to luck or timing but curiosity, courage, and silent determination..
Asking The Right Questions
Liv did not make it big instantly. It is a story about asking the right questions, at the right time and having courage to seek the answers.
At the start of her career, Liv was an in-house copywriter, churning out happy listicles on a children’s site the stuff of which included the likes of Top 10 Facts About Dinosaurs. However, her desire was bigger. She was intrigued by how content could influence visibility, how search engines were created, and how people could get what they sought on the Internet.
This early curiosity would later shape her journey in how to start a career in SEO without experiencing a path many underestimate.
She therefore requested the SEO Manager whether she could shadow them during the day. It was only one question that altered the whole.
“One day of shadowing turned into two days a week,” she recalls. “Then eventually, it became a full-time role in the SEO team.”
It was a turning point; it made her learn the lesson of speaking directly, speaking out what you want. It is a theme that has carried her along since.
“If I hadn’t had the confidence to ask a stranger for that shadowing opportunity, I might not be in the role I’m in today.”
That move alone set her apart in the world of breaking into SEO with no background.
Grit Without The Burnout
When it is time to define grit, Liv instantly admits that she does not subscribe to the hustle culture. Her vision of grit is not about working late and getting burnt out, it is about reflection, intention and action.
“To me, grit means not taking a backseat in your own life or career,” she says.
“Every six months, I sit down and ask myself: what do I want in six months, and how do I get there?”
This attitude has also enabled her to get promotions, assume leadership positions and be a keynote speaker in international conferences. It is not the hunt to become successful just to be called successful but it is being purposeful even at the expense of being difficult.
When it is difficult, especially.
“I’ve had moments where client results were down, or it felt like the whole world or just Google was against me,” she shares.
“But I always go back to this question: Would my 15-year-old self be proud of me right now?”
The response, most times, is none other than yes. This keeps her going, especially when navigating entry-level digital marketing roles for beginners felt unclear.
A Screenshot Worth Framing
The world of SEO is a world where success is difficult to gauge. In some cases, it is an additional several clicks. There are times when it is a small change in standings. However, to Liv it is personal.
She recalls the moment when she determined that her work was really helping. At the beginning of her career as an SEO expert, she was dealing with startups and small businesses, a brand where every click, every sale and every win counted.
She had one of her best clients, a former body builder who had a supplement brand. Liv organized a digital PR campaign and this earned him a live interview on BBC.
“I still have the screenshot of the message he sent when I told him,” she says, laughing. “It was all caps and a LOT of exclamation marks.”
That was not only regarding SEO. That was a matter of transforming a business, and a person. It was proof that building confidence in a marketing career comes from tangible results.
Flipping The Narrative On Imposter Syndrome
Similar to most high-performing professionals, Liv has been dealing with imposter syndrome. At the beginning of her career, she was always left in a trailing situation in an ever-changing world of digital works.
“I spent a lot of time overwhelmed by what I didn’t know,” she admits.
“It stopped me from applying to jobs I was perfectly qualified for.”
Only after she reconsidered her way of thinking, things began to change.
“Now, I focus on what I do know. I know more than I did a year ago and a hell of a lot more than I did five years ago.”
Her growth mindset helped her in breaking into SEO with no background, and she often reminds others that building confidence in a marketing career is a journey, not a destination.
In the case of writing a letter to her younger self, it would go something like this, Stop doubting. You’re doing better than you think. Give yourself credit.
Inspired By Quiet Strength
While Liv’s professional life has taken her through fast-paced agencies and dynamic SEO campaigns, her greatest inspiration comes from someone whose career looked entirely different: her dad.
“He worked at two companies his whole life,” she says.
“He climbed the ladder the old-fashioned way by doing a good job and showing up every day.”
It is that dedication and calm continuity that still make her grounded despite the noise that surrounds her in the industry that is related to noise. Especially for anyone trying to figure out how to start a career in SEO without experience, that kind of steadiness is gold.
In-House Expertise
The main themes that CenterLiving has been helping the travel brands to excel at at Digitaloft are matters of topical authority and defeating the search algorithm. Her secret? Embedded talents and converting them into cyber gold.
“We’ve helped brands outrank the likes of Airbnb, TUI, and British Airways,” she says proudly.
“Our weapon is EEAT- Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust.”
Good SEO is technical, according to Liv, but also human. It will be a question of what is valuable to another person in the terms of a brand. It is also that they tell them why the brand is so important more than anyone does.
And even now, Liv continues helping people in entry-level digital marketing roles for beginners understand the human side of visibility and branding.
Evidence Living Proof That Bold Does Work
Liv is doing fine today. She does not just make strategy on large clients, she also teaches other younger professionals, develops the visibility of underdog brands, and can demonstrate that being straightforward, kind, and curious can go a long way in the otherwise dirty business industry.
The real life of Liv, though, the one we see now the confident speaker, the SEO professional, the voice of authority did not come out of her being sure. She came out of wish to know. Out of a question in a silent office. Out of the conviction there was a greater thing to know, to give, to be.
“I’m still learning,” she says. “But I’m proud of who I’ve become and I think 15-year-old me would be too.”
For anyone wondering how to start a career in SEO without experience, Liv’s story proves it starts with curiosity, turns into clarity, and becomes building confidence in a marketing career one smart question at a time.
Connect with Liv Day
Email: olivia.day@digitaloft.co.uk
