I have spent most of my life feeling driven by the idea that I am not enough.
Whether I’m applying for an award or talking about my career with someone over a drink, I don’t feel comfortable listing my accomplishments.
Even writing this article, I don’t think my voice is particularly helpful or convincing.
Of course, I don’t just let these feelings win. I sit with them, challenge them, and try to write or say the words that my feelings deny. And I know I’m not alone.
These emotions are the classic signs of “impostor syndrome,” a term bandied about in corporate offices almost as often as words like “synergy” or “optimization.” And by now, everyone in the digital marketing industry has heard of impostor syndrome.
I surveyed over 150 online digital marketers and 90% of the responses were positive, “Yes, I have suffered from imposter syndrome in my digital marketing career.”
I am writing an article for @sengineland about the infamous impostor syndrome.
Have you ever experienced imposter syndrome in a digital marketing job?
— Harmony Huskinson 🎃 (@hhuskins) June 12, 2023
I conducted two surveys that confirmed the overwhelming experience of impostor syndrome: 85% of Twitter respondents and 97% of LinkedIn respondents said they experienced it in a digital marketing job.
So, the majority other people in digital marketing also feel that they are not enough.
We all berate ourselves in silence, exhausted by self-doubt and self-criticism.
But why? Why do so many people feel they are stuck in the deepest pit of their personal misgivings? how can we get out
I spoke with numerous professionals in the digital marketing industry about their experiences with imposter syndrome and discovered three perspectives to consider when dealing with imposter syndrome:
Remember: impostor syndrome won’t just go away. It is not an on and off switch. But our awareness of its place in our lives is crucial to managing it.
1. Look within
When impostor syndrome is defined in various articles, online forums, and discussions with my colleagues, it is usually described as a feeling. It is an emotion rooted in a sense of lack, non-belonging and inherent deficiency.
“It’s a feeling of discomfort, of agitation, it’s not a pleasant feeling,” Compensation Suleman said
A former SEO analyst, Suleman now runs a company coaching SEO professionals on their confidence at work and in their personal lives.
He has dedicated his career to combating impostor syndrome in the SEO industry through mindfulness training and soft skills growth. After being laid off in the midst of the pandemic, Suleman knew it was time to direct his energy to helping others overcome their doubts.
“If you get something wrong and say horrible things about yourself that you wouldn’t say to anyone else, how can you trust yourself?” said Solomon.
Growing as a person is not criticizing yourself to the point of exhaustion, but giving yourself enough grace to learn and grow.
Suleman acknowledges that it can seem impossible to keep up in an industry besieged by algorithm updates, legal rulings and the latest technical (read: AI) developments.
“You can learn and learn and learn, but what will make you progress is action. And the way to act is to feel confident,” Suleman said.
Information about the SEO industry flows endlessly, but the empowerment of that information can only be found by turning inward.
Impostor syndrome breeds burnout
When left unchecked, impostor syndrome inevitably mutates into burnout.
When a person doesn’t feel enough, they don’t have to worry about depleting their energy, their relationships, or their sense of self. It’s easier to be a machine when you ignore your body’s warning signs.
Adriana VujadinSEO Manager at Affirma, she was motivated by her burnout to examine impostor syndrome and find a way to overcome it.
“I was hoping that one day I would open my laptop and feel good about myself. But that didn’t happen. It was more frustrations, more negative thoughts, more sabotage,” Vujadin said.
He didn’t listen to his body’s anxiety attacks, ending his days covered in stress sweat.
“I was ready to even quit my career, my job, because I realized that my mental health and the health of my body have been affected by my work,” Vujadin said of his SEO career .
Then he took a break and read some books on how to control his thoughts. A year later, he leads a talk at Search London called “How to be confident in SEO”.
A slide from Adrijana Vujadin’s talk “How to be confident in SEO” at Search London in June 2023.
Vujadin took the time to rest and began to realize that none of the work he does in SEO matters if it is brought to exhaustion.
“Ninety-nine percent of people talk about technical stuff and years of experience,” but that’s not enough, Vujadin said. People can have 20+ years of experience and still feel imposter syndrome.
By asking a few self-talk questions, a person can gain confidence and find meaning in their career:
Questions to ask yourself against impostor thoughts
Is this thinking helpful? Is this thought true? How many times in the past have you proven yourself to be good enough, even though you thought you weren’t?
These questions raised by Vujadin have helped her rise from her lowest point to her current recognition as a stronger and more confident strategist.
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2. Look around you
In many ways, the concept of impostor syndrome is a cultural lie. It didn’t start out with the name “impostor syndrome,” but evolved into that concept as part of the office culture.
Originally described as the “impostor phenomenon”. in the late 1970sthe ideas of impostor syndrome have been co-opted by numerous self-help books, office support groups, and therapy sessions.
Browsing through iStock, I can choose from over 1,300 stock photos depicting imposter syndrome.
Today, “imposter syndrome” is used as a catchphrase for anyone facing their first day at a new job or preparing for a public speaking gig.
The term “syndrome” implies that a person is dealing with a problem that they can treat. It can be as simple as a brief feeling of nervous anxiety or as complex as a six-month depressive episode.
Blaming yourself for impostor syndrome is self-defeating. It will only create more problems.
People too often blame themselves for feeling imposter syndrome, they say Michelle Stinson Ross. As CMO of Feelalytics, Stinson Ross collects data on mental health and workplace culture.
“The feeling that I’m an impostor is really external,” Stinson said. “It’s the community’s fault that someone feels like an impostor. The syndrome is a misnomer … because it’s not internal, it’s not a malfunction of the individual. It’s a malfunction of the community.”
According to Stinson Ross, the SEO community is rooted in the tech and startup industries. Its roots can be associated with a more analytical mindset that is traditionally perceived as masculine.
These backgrounds create an environment where certain types of people may struggle to feel welcome.
Thank you so much for sharing your story, it is much appreciated.
— Harmony Huskinson 🎃 (@hhuskins) June 20, 2023
George Nguyen is the Editorial Director of Wix and a former editor of Search Engine Land. Despite his impressive resume, he still felt isolated because others didn’t look like him.
Rather than expecting people to conform to a logical, data-driven type of SEO, perhaps we can broaden our understanding of SEO as a practice and skill.
“Imposter syndrome isn’t because I’m deficient, it’s because I’m trying to fit into a perception of myself that’s not entirely authentic,” Stinson Ross said.
Allowing people to feel like they are authentic at work creates a sense of belonging. And it is only through this sense of belonging that people can truly feel free from impostor syndrome.
Ultimately, the SEO community and entrepreneurs in the digital marketing space need to take responsibility for making others feel welcome.
While it is an individual’s responsibility to combat negative thoughts, it is a culture’s responsibility to support one another.
3. Make others feel seen
There are three steps to addressing impostor syndrome:
Step 1: Manage your internal conversation. Tell your imposter syndrome thoughts to relax. Step 2: Recognize the external factors that contribute to your impostor syndrome. Who makes you feel bad? Step 3: Create a community.
Crystal Audain is a product manager and former senior SEO analyst at Groundworks. She has faced multiple obstacles throughout her digital marketing career, from being turned down for raises at a previous job to being fired at the start of the pandemic.
Despite these challenges, he has grown his presence on Twitter and been featured on popular podcasts such as The SEO Rant.
“It’s humbling to receive praise and there are days when it’s still hard to hear my voice as a black woman on a male-dominated team. However, my best advice to anyone who thinks you’re not enough, talk to your community and we’ll help you light up that voice in your head with a match and make it fly,” Audain said.
It’s impossible to feel like an impostor if you’ve found your people. The SEO community is like any other group of humans – we are made better by how we support each other and how we make each other feel.
Here are some SEO communities that are available to people based on their unique backgrounds:
In this list, I focused on diversity, highlighting groups for people who might struggle with belonging. But there are many groups outside of this, from those specializing in a particular SEO discipline to an organization’s internal employee resource groups.
When we introduce ourselves to each other, amazing things can happen. Whether you’re telling someone they did a great job with a pitch or reaching out to get a second perspective, everyone in SEO should feel like there’s a community to back them up.
“You’re modeling the kinds of behavior and communication that can foster belonging,” Stinson Ross said.
Only by building true and authentic relationships with others can we grow the SEO community into a space where everyone belongs.
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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