References

These are some of my references on LinkedIn, some of my Google Reviews, and also some via direct mail. These are from bosses, colleagues, team members, mentors, mentees and students across SMEs, Agencies and Corporates. They are in no particular order, and span my career.

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Carla is a rare gem with an abundance of talent in the field of SEO. Not only are her results second to none, her enthusiasm for her craft is infectious (in an amazing way, it buzzes up the entire team!). I have worked in marketing for 19 years and have never come across someone that enjoys and excels in the technical side in the way that she does. We are so glad that we found her through a recommendation from a close friend (also in marketing). Carla has a great personality and awesome sense of humour too which makes her a pleasure to work with. I don’t think I have ever enjoyed SEO as much as I do whilst working with her! Five stars from me and I look forward to a fruitful working relationship for many years to come!

Daniella Paolozzi – Owner – Website Doctors – UK

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Been working with Carla, THE SEO Coach, for the last 7 months with the purpose of getting found when prospective clients look for solutions to their problems that we solve. More than that, it was important to us to also show up in AI responses. Carla has been nothing short of amazing. We have gone from nowhere (and we have some great content and a longstanding website) to showing up at the top when searching for our targeted keywords (and not our name). Carla’s energy, genuine care, and expertise all make her a formidable force, asset, and partner. Thank you for helping us, Carla!

Francois Du Toit – Owner – Propulsion, South Africa

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When I first approached Carla for SEO help, I honestly expected a stiff, corporate tech full of jargon I wouldn’t understand. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Carla is approachable, funny, and incredibly knowledgeable. She meets you exactly where you’re at, breaking down complex issues into clear, manageable objectives – even teaching a non‑techy like me how to fix them.

Her patience, positivity, and “nothing is too much trouble” attitude make working with her an absolute pleasure. I would recommend Carla a million times over to any company looking not only to improve their online presence, but also to gain a real understanding of their own website and reach.

Where to begin… I met Carla on a cold winter’s day in Simons Town, staring over the ocean and wondering how I was going to tackle the marketing challenges facing our Not-for-Profit organization. Enter Carla. After a seamless onboarding process, she quickly set to work transforming our fragmented media strategy into a robust and comprehensive digital marketing strategy.

Carla’s impact was immediate and far-reaching. She revamped our website, brought cohesion to our social media platforms, and equipped our marketing team with essential skills. Her methodical approach—patiently taking the team through each necessary step—was invaluable. She never ran out of patience, even when faced with challenges, and her genuine, fun, and honest feedback fostered a positive learning environment.

What sets Carla apart is her commitment to building sustainable growth. Thanks to her, we went from a place of confusion to having a structured strategy where we can now track and measure performance effectively. To this day, Carla remains an essential part of our team, providing ongoing training to both the marketing and IT departments.

Her grace, expertise, and unwavering support have truly elevated our organization, making her an outstanding asset to any team she collaborates with.

Lelane Bezuidenhout – CEO  – Corporate NPO South Africa

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As a professional membership body serving the financial planning profession, transitioning to a more digitally focused marketing strategy was a key priority for us. Carla played a pivotal role in making that happen. Her expertise in SEO, paid media, and thorough technical project management brought a fresh perspective that transformed our approach. Carla, together with our leadership team, developed and executed a comprehensive digital marketing strategy, including setting up GA4 and the search console, which enabled us to better understand and engage with our audience. She also implemented a clear SEO strategy across our main and consumer sites, which resulted in a noticeable improvement in search rankings and online visibility. Furthermore, her work on overseeing critical WordPress enhancements greatly improved our web functionality. What truly distinguishes Carla is her ability to combine technical expertise with a strategic vision. She went beyond simply managing the technical aspects of SEO, ensuring that our marketing efforts supported our overarching goal of raising public awareness about financial planning as a profession and highlighting our designated FPI members as trusted professionals within the field. In addition to her technical skills, Carla was instrumental in working with the leadership team in the structuring of our marketing department and coaching the team. Her candid, straightforward communication style, combined with her passion for delivering excellent results, made her a true asset. She consistently met deadlines and held the entire project team accountable, ensuring we stayed on track.

I would highly recommend Carla to any organisation looking for a skilled digital marketing expert with both technical know-how and a strategic outlook.

Ronald Matande – COO / CFO – Corporate, South Africa

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Carla dos Santos epitomizes the word ‘professional’ in every sense. Apart from her vast Digital knowledge, she is a systems driven person and analytical thinker that looks to continuously challenge the way a business operates so that she can improve its efficiencies and effectiveness. I recognised early on that Carla is an asset to any organisation so we went from an agency-client relationship at Philips to working together as a team in a short space of time at LIXIL. Carla’s strength is her ability to quickly apply her strong commercial acumen to understand the opportunities in a business and begin formulating plans to add value. I was able to share my vision with Carla and then rest assured that she required no supervision in exceeding at delivering the task at hand. Her passion to succeed and make a difference is her true strength and she is relentless at achieving her goals and doesn’t accept failure likely. She is in the top 5% of her field and has a constant hunger to learn more and apply this knowledge in a meaningful way. I’d go into battle with Carla any day.

John Westermeyer – CMO – Corporate, South Africa

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Having worked with Carla on several projects, I can confidently say that Carla is a true leader who is willing to share knowledge and encourages those in her team to grow as individuals. She has great knowledge of all things digital and is extremely organised which is why any project I’ve worked with her on has run smoothly. She is very dedicated to her work, and is an asset to any working environment. Carla knows how to turn a bad situation into a working solution, and that is why I can highly recommend her.

Jane Hollander – Head of Dev – Agency, South Africa

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Having worked with Carla for nearly 2 years she has always managed to maintain her sense of humour in this fast paced digital world. Carla is a results-oriented, proactive, internet savvy individual with a profound knack for SEO. She loves the world of media, technology and of course her adorable fur-son. It has been a great pleasure to work with Carla on many ‘digitally challenged’ clients and I would recommend her for any future endeavours in the digital sphere as it is certainly her area of expertise.

Amanda Blevins – Senior Digital Marketing Manager – Corporate

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Carla gave my first job as an SEO content creator, little did I know the incredible mentor she would become. Fast forward 10 years. I decided to make a transition from behavioural health back into tech as Product Manager. Carla mentored me into a fantastic position with guidance, assisting in resume building, providing resources, interview help and just general support. Thanks to Carla I have a thriving career now.

Tessa Pennington – Product Manager – Corporate

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I worked very closely with Carla for over a year on a multitude of digital projects at 360eight. Her knowledge of all digital disciplines and elements is excellent but in particular, her knowledge and understanding of search is immense. Her strategic input was always highly valued and regarded and I was always confident in her in-depth digital strategies spanning all elements of online. Her attention to detail and hands on approach throughout the duration of the project meant that the projects ran as smoothly as possible for client and agency. She is a highly confident presenter and communicates very well with clients and internal staff alike. Her passion for her work, expert knowledge and experience and strategic insight make her a highly valued colleague to work with. Carla’s outgoing and friendly personality and irreverent sense of humour make her someone I would love to work with again.

Lynn Ross – Business Unit Director – Agency

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Carla was my manager at Creative Spark where I worked as a junior SEM specialist. This was my first full time job and during my time there Carla provided incredible coaching and guidance to me. She knew when to put me in the deep end to speed up my learning and challenge me but also assisted when I was struggling or a mistake was made. She also knew that falling forward was a strong way to improve as a junior. I would highly recommend Carla to anyone looking to grow their SEM/SEO skills, fast. Her unique and effective teaching style and many years of experience will benefit anyone from beginner to expert.

Lorenzo Labia – SEM specialist – Agency

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Carla is a manager that also serves as an inspiring mentor for me and the rest of her team. I reported to her for just over a year and she has patiently taught me everything I know regarding Search and SEO. I was impressed by the way Carla can handle even the toughest of clients and confidently give recommendations and ensure that all processes and briefs are followed to the last point. She will be an asset to any company and will provide her team with the knowledge, confidence and problem solving skills to ensure you handle every situation to the best of your abilities.

Britta Dahms – B2B Marketing and Content Strategist – Agency

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Few people have the opportunity to find a coach and mentor that is as generous with their time and knowledge as Carla. I’ve had the pleasure of working with her on several projects on an ad hoc basis during the two years that I’ve known her – her years of SEO experience and ability to make complex concepts accessible made a dramatic difference to both my own skill and knowledge, as well immediately benefitting my work at NOMU. Even if I was impatient to master new skills, she was able to quell my frustration and have our lessons end with a smile. As a team member or a leader, Carla earns my highest recommendation.

Lee Gelednehuys – Managing Director – Agency

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Hi Carla – I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your services and upskilling both our team members over the past 18 months. We have surely enjoyed the outstanding results since the relaunch of our online business. Our August online store performance delivered a whooping 226% increase on L/Y. We are very grateful for all your support and commitment to our business. Carla, we can’t thank you enough for your support on this project.

Finance Director – eCommerce

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You will be hard-pressed to find a person with more experience and knowledge in the industry, but more importantly someone with as much compassion, patience and pure joy at seeing other people succeed and grow. When I decided to start my own business 10 years ago I could clearly see myself at the final destination but had no idea how to get there and how to start the journey. I was lucky enough to have met Carla and she patiently and knowledgeably helped me navigate the journey. Since then she has always been there when mistakes have happened, when questions arise and when the wins come in. I cannot recommend Carla more as not only an expert in her field but also a coach who will help you navigate the personal and professional aspects of any career change.

Kate Kuilman – Paid Media Specialist – Freelance

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Working with Carla has been an absolute pleasure. I was impressed by Carla’s in-depth knowledge of search engine optimization. Carla’s professionalism, dedication, and unwavering commitment to driving results are truly commendable and the SEO results speak volumes about her experience and skills. Carla’s genuine passion for staying at the forefront of industry trends makes her an invaluable asset to any individual or business aiming to conquer the digital domain.

Bardin Ellis – WordPress Ninja level 7 – Freelance

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Carla gave me my first job as an SEO copywriter almost 10 years ago. Since then I have worked with Carla on a variety of digital projects both as her employee, and later as her supplier when I went on to open my own business. Carla has been an exceptional mentor and guide throughout my career. Her expertise in the field of SEO and digital marketing is truly impressive, and I’ve had the privilege of learning from one of the best. Carla possesses a deep understanding of the ever-evolving landscape of SEO and has the unique ability to explain complex concepts in a clear and practical manner. Carla has an innate talent for breaking down intricate strategies and techniques, making them accessible even to those new to the field. Throughout our time working together, I was consistently amazed by Carla’s dedication to continuous learning and improvement, and to staying ahead of the curve. She is always up-to-date with the latest SEO trends, algorithm changes, and best practices. Her mentorship has significantly enhanced my SEO and digital skills, leading to measurable improvements in the projects I’ve been involved in. Her guidance has been instrumental in achieving higher search rankings, increased organic traffic, and ultimately, improved online visibility. In addition to their technical expertise, Carla is an excellent communicator, mentor and teacher. She fosters a collaborative environment where ideas are welcomed, and questions are encouraged. Her positive attitude and willingness to help has created a supportive atmosphere that has greatly contributed to my professional growth. I wholeheartedly recommend Carla to anyone seeking a knowledgeable SEO mentor. Her skills, dedication, and passion for SEO make them an invaluable resource.

Tamara Wilson – Creative Director – Freelance

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Carla’s first accomplishment at Discover Africa Group was to establish an inbound travel division within the business. This included: After setting up the travel division, Carla played a key role in two major web projects (1) the re-development of OverlandingAfrica.com and (2) the launch of DicoverAfrica.com. Carla’s primary functions through these projects were:

1. Keyword research.
2. Site architecture and on-site optimisation.
3. SEO content planning.
4. Working with internal and freelance staff including writers, developers and interns.
5. Testing the bespoke CMS for bugs.

Carla’s approach to her work is very systematic and deadline driven. She is able to work well as part of a team, both as a leader and a contributor. She manages her teams and projects very efficiently. She is a fun loving staff member. She is direct and honest. She drives her team to achieve their objectives.

Andre Van Kets – MD – Online Tourism

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Carla dos Santos has worked at Shake Interactive for a period of 2 years and during this time, has committed herself completely to the task of managing our SEO team. She was required to put structure as well as processes into the team and has succeeded in doing so with the result that the team is able to go for long stretches without her guidance. Her SEO knowledge is current and forward-thinking due to her constant research and practical application. The SEO team relied heavily on her knowledge to make sure that their strategies and techniques would return results for our clients. She is a fun-loving member of the team, but understands that there’s a job of work to be done, within a deadline. We have enjoyed having Carla as part of the team and she will be missed. We have no doubt that she’ll be a valuable member of any team that she put in.

Anton Groeneveldt – Operations and Business Strategy – Agency

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Carla is a force of nature. In the 18 months I have worked with Carla, not a day has gone by when I have not been astounded with both her work ethic, and her ability to get the best out of the team she manages. Carla’s time and client management skills are a huge asset, and her extensive search knowledge has made her invaluable as both a sounding board and mentor.

Travis Booth – Chief Digital Officer – Agency

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Carla was my direct superior while at Shake Interactive for the two years I was there. I have never seen a manager juggle so many balls at once and still manage things easily. Carla is exceptional at managing a team and has an amazing ability to coax every once of potential out of them even while under the tightest of deadlines. She was also fun to work with and very approachable. It was a pleasure to work with her and I would recommend her for any management position.

James McDonald – Digital Marketer – Agency

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Reporting to Carla as a web copywriter, I was always inspired by her huge passion for the travel industry, as well as her organisational skills, patience, energy and knowledge of the brand, web presence, strategy and just about anything else under the sun. She has an ability to bring large projects and complex monthly content schedules to order almost effortlessly, with planning skills that also amazed me. Beyond her brilliance in what she does, Carla is also a fantastic person to work with (and work for) and an asset to any team.

Rox Bradnick – Copy Writer – Freelance

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For more about me please read my origin story