Optimizing to full potential. Botify Spotlight with Annabelle Bouard

25th July 2016Elizabeth

Want to become a Botify master? Then you need to know Annabelle Bouard.

In this Botify Spotlight, we talk with Annabelle to learn more about her role as Product Evangelist, what that means, and what she sees as the future of SEO. We also chat about the Botify as a Pro! Webinars she hosts, helping SEO specialists become experts at using the platform and boosting their organic traffic (and revenue!).

So, Annabelle, let’s start from the beginning. How and when did you join Botify?
I joined Botify in April 2014. I had worked with two of Botify’s founders at my previous job, when I was an SEO consultant specializing in large and international websites. So when they told me they had a job for me that was a perfect fit – and it was – I came right away.

What was your background before that? Were you always interested in SEO?
Originally, I got an IT engineering degree, but very early on I turned to journalism, writing about technology for an enterprise readership. I was first based in Paris, France, then in San Francisco for almost 8 years. I actually wrote about SEO for the first time back in 2001. It was about a tool that allowed dynamic websites to present crawlable versions of their content to search engines robots, which then were only able to crawl static content. When I moved back to France in 2009 and was looking for a new career, turning to SEO felt like the perfect move as it touches on many things I find interesting.

What do you find the most interesting about optimizing websites for organic traffic?
The fact that it covers so many aspects. Overall, it’s a strategic approach, content is key, and there are a number of high-impact technical aspects that can’t be ignored and spice it up. At the same time, there is no “one size fits all” solution that would work for all websites, which keeps things interesting.

What does it mean to you to be a ‚ÄòProduct Evangelist’?
You know, that’s a question I get a lot, including outside work when my kids ask me what I do exactly (they keep asking periodically, apparently I haven’t come up with a satisfying answer yet). As a product evangelist, my role is to help users understand what they can do with Botify, which goals they can achieve and how. This covers a lot, as the platform is very versatile and feature-rich, and the report includes indicators that some users may not be familiar with. In addition, the Botify platform evolves quite quickly, through frequent releases, so there are always new use cases to promote. That is why we also host webinars every few weeks.

Speaking of webinars, tell us about those!
The main goal of these webinars is to help our clients or trial users understand how they can leverage Botify to optimize their website. We walk through the tool’s approach to SEO, the types of information that are available in the report, from global findings to filtered views or details about a particular page, and provide examples of advanced findings that Botify provides. Of course we can’t cover everything, but we show examples. This is also a great opportunity to ask questions and hear other users’ questions.

So you help Botify clients become better users of the software platform?
I would say, help them make the most of the platform, for their website. The platform itself is not the goal, it’s just the means. But if users aren’t aware of all the platform’s possibilities, all the questions it can answer, then they aren’t optimizing their website to its full potential. And some of the information Botify provides has never been available before, so we need to provide educational material.

What are the most common questions you hear during your webinars?
There are several types, which reflect the attendee’s thought process: first, very practical questions about how to check this or that in Botify, for things that users have been checking using other tools and want to do now with Botify. For instance, “how do I find out where my 404s are linked from”, or “how can I analyze just a folder in my website?” Then, when they realize what else they can do, and in most cases couldn’t do before, questions about feasibility for more complex use cases come up, like “can I find out how much of my internal link juice is wasted on my non-indexable pages?” And then, after realizing all the types of problems they can identify and measure, questions tend to move to best practices, beyond the tool.

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Do you enjoy interacting with clients and prospective users to show off how cool/powerful the tool is?
Well, yes! It is extremely rewarding to see enthusiastic responses when users realize all they can do with Botify. It is also great to be at the forefront when we receive feedback, and be the interface between this feedback and Botify’s product and technical teams. We’re constantly preparing the next features, and new ideas for use cases and platform usability are fueling our efforts.

Great! Thank you so much for taking the time to tell us about your work. Is there anything else you’d like to say about what it’s like to work at Botify?
It’s a fast-paced, and very inspiring environment. I work with a lot of talented, passionate people. Botify has grown a lot since I joined the company, and is now growing even faster. I can’t wait to see how we are going to deliver the next steps.

And there you have it! A day (or week or year) in the life of Botify Product Evangelist Annabelle Bouard.

Join one of Annabelle’s regular webinars now – register in English or in French!

Annabelle Bouard, Botify Product Evangelist

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See previous Botify Spotlights with Training Manager Alpha Keita and Customer Success Manager Elisabeth Courland.