Zoe Chant

Name: Zoey Chant   
Company: Chant & Cox
Title: Director
Website: chantandcox.com

Zoey Chant

How did you get into your line of work?

A degree in languages led to managing online editorial for a language travel company. Optimising our website copy for search engines became crucial to the company’s rapid growth and I’ve been specialising in all facets of SEO ever since, moving via Barcelona, Boston MA and Cape Town.

What do you do day-to-day?

I take websites and look at their traffic, competitors, ppc, social media, content, links and PR and work out how they can make more money. Sometimes just a couple of day’s worth of tweaks can have a vast effect, sometimes we need to develop a long-term strategy, but you’d be surprised how often improvements to all these areas overlap.

What’s the most exciting part of your role?

The pace of change. Google is constantly tweaking its algorithm and the tech world never stays still. As an SEO, I work to keep websites progressing at the same rate as the search engines and internet users it relies upon, which means there is always something new to learn about.

Give us an overview of what you’ll be discussing at ABiC:

We’ll be showing delegates which parts of their website do (and don’t) make a difference to their rank in search engines, addressing the multiple ways in which travel sites rank in Google (including Google places), and giving away three essential reporting templates, to help website owners better understand their online performance.

What type of companies/individuals will find your talk relevant?

Anyone who has a website. Google has a 92% search engine market share in the UK so if you want people to find your website, you need to get interested in Search.

How will they benefit from it?


You’ll get a clear view of how a search engine might choose to rank your travel website and introduction to what you might work on to improve your rank. In addition; freebies. We’ll be giving away a practical SEO checklist (which anyone can follow), and the reporting templates for online business intelligence.

In your field, what exciting developments will 2012 bring?

The rise of search (and ££ spent) via mobile devices is ever increasing, it will be interesting to see how we can capitalise on this best, as online marketers.

How best can the travel industry use social media and the internet?

Take on full responsibility for your website and its performance – even if you outsource some elements of its management. Consider your website as a fundamental, integral part of the way your business works no different to your sales or accounts department. If you are an online business, everything you do should be with SEO in mind – whether this is PR, content creation, product special offers, social media… anything at all!

What’s your favourite travel destination?

The world is too big and too diverse to restrict myself to just one place! But if forced, I’m happy to declare my love for Cape Town.

Where’s your favourite place in London?

Highgate Cemetery (not as morbid as it sounds).

Sum up the capital in five words:

Best enjoyed on a Sunday.