I used to be a failed blogger. Invisible to Google. But discovering SEO changed everything.
In the spring of 2020, I was stuck in lockdown, yet determined to start an online business. It was a political event from four years earlier that finally inspired me: Brexit. This event took away British people’s rights in Europe. Unwilling to accept this, I moved to Portugal to get my rights back. I wanted to help as many people as possible to move to Europe and acquire second citizenship. To do that, I had to become visible online.
Blogging helped me find my path to freedom. I’ve flitted around the world, but found my home in Portugal.
Having worked professionally in journalism, I’d always found writing easy. But that was pointless if no one ever saw what I wrote. Instead, I decided to approach building Digital Émigré as an SEO-first project right from the beginning. As the site gained traffic, it was possible to monetize it in various ways. Now, it drives over 100K in monthly visitors.
Remote work is powerful. It changes lives. It certainly changed mine.
The ability to make money from anywhere is one of the 21st-century’s most fundamental shifts. It gave me the opportunity to relocate to Portugal and seek second citizenship. We don’t have to settle for living in the country where we happened to be born – especially if that country doesn’t reflect our values. Working remotely, through the medium of blogging, gives us the luxury of choice. And anyone can do it.
