Application pipelines, zero-loss migrations and AI-search visibility, built across GroupM, Ogilvy, JLL and GUS.
01 The record
application pipeline from organic search, before enrolment conversion
GUS, SEO pages in one year.
YoY organic traffic growth, no paid amplification
GUS, Feb 2022 to Sep 2025.
ranking positions lost in a Drupal replatform
Two legacy education brand sites, GUS.
citation gain on restructured pages
Answer-first passages, FAQ and schema.
people led across SEO, content and analytics
Cross-functional operating model, GUS.
9,800 SEO-page leads became 3,200 applications in one year.
02 Profile
I am an SEO, GEO and AEO strategy leader who ties search visibility directly to commercial outcomes. At Global University Systems, I advised CBO-level leadership on organic search strategy and directed multidisciplinary teams of specialists, writers and analysts. My background brings agency pitch and proposal discipline from GroupM and Ogilvy, where I owned the technical and market analysis that won the Ford pitch. I recently completed an MSc in Marketing Management with Advertising at the University of Leeds with First Class honours, and was shortlisted among the top 13 UK finalist teams in the CIM x IBM The Pitch 2026.
03 Selected work
01 / 05 · Global University Systems · Higher Education
End-to-end Drupal replatform of two legacy education brand sites where search visibility had to be preserved without ranking disruption.
ranking positions lost post-launch
traffic variance across transition
to full organic recovery
02 / 05 · Global University Systems · Higher Education
Restructuring deep course and programme content with answer-first passages, FAQ markup, schema, and entity signals after tests showed low AI visibility.
citations on restructured deep pages
content production time via AI workflows
03 / 05 · Global University Systems · Higher Education
Connecting search content architecture directly to commercial enrolment targets, generating qualified demand and accountable student applications across EMEA and APAC.
YoY organic traffic, no paid amplification
YoY growth in qualified leads
application pipeline, before enrolment conversion
04 / 05 · GroupM, WPP Group · Automotive
Owned the website technical analysis, competitor positioning, and market opportunity model that proved where organic search outperformed paid, winning the Ford mandate.
competitive Ford mandate pitch
non-branded organic traffic at zero budget
05 / 05 · JLL & Ogilvy · Global Enterprise
Multi-market SEO across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC on globally indexed domains, creating standardised governance playbooks and entity-level schema architectures.
across luxury, automotive, and healthcare
multi-market domain indexation
04 Experience
Feb 2022 to Sep 2025
+65% organic traffic YoY
Global University Systems (GUS) · Senior SEO Manager (Digital Portfolio and Content Strategy)
Organic traffic increased 65% year on year with no paid amplification, while qualified leads grew 20% year on year.
In one year, SEO pages generated 9,800 leads and 3,200 applications, creating an application pipeline of roughly INR 416 crore at an average programme value of INR 13 lakh, before enrolment conversion.
Executed a Drupal replatform of two legacy education brand sites with zero ranking loss, under 5% traffic variance, and full recovery within one month.
Gained 15-20% more citations on restructured deep content pages by implementing answer-first passages, FAQ markup, schema, and entity signals.
Led a multidisciplinary team of 7 to 10 specialists, including 5 SEO specialists, 2 content writers, and 1 analyst, establishing the cross-functional operating model with development, brand, and analytics leads.
Briefed CBO-level leadership and the marketing director weekly on search trends, defending organic investment by tracing Salesforce-tracked leads from SEO pages.
Nov 2019 to Jan 2022
+20% non-branded organic
GroupM, WPP Group · Marketing Manager (Digital and Integrated Marketing)
Won the Ford pitch by owning the technical website analysis, competitor evaluation, and market opportunity analysis.
Achieved 20% growth in non-branded organic traffic at zero media budget, outperforming paid search on target queries.
Delivered international SEO programmes across the Americas and MENA regions for major clients including Ford, PepsiCo, and Zee5.
Led a dedicated team of 5 to 6 SEO and marketing specialists across client pitches, scoping, and operational delivery.
Presented quarterly performance data to executive client stakeholders, establishing the commercial rationale for sustained organic search investment.
Feb 2019 to Oct 2019
EMEA & APAC expansion
JLL · Digital Marketing Analyst
Managed multi-market search engine optimisation across EMEA and APAC on a globally indexed enterprise domain.
Implemented entity-level schema across complex websites containing thousands of indexed pages and multiple regional sites.
Built standardised SEO audit templates, technical playbooks, and training resources for regional global marketing teams.
Partnered with international digital leads to scale organic best practices across commercial real estate service lines.
Sep 2016 to Jan 2019
10+ client accounts
Ogilvy, WPP Group · Digital Marketing Analyst
Delivered technical and strategic search engine optimisation across more than 10 client accounts spanning automotive, luxury, healthcare, and e-commerce.
Executed international search engine optimisation across the Americas and MENA regions for global consumer and luxury brands.
Authored the strategic and technical search engine optimisation sections for prospective client pitch decks.
Conducted in-depth competitor audits and crawl diagnostics to identify immediate and compounding organic growth opportunities.
05 Capabilities
Connecting search content architecture and non-branded acquisition directly to commercial revenue, enrolment targets, and compounding pipelines.
Structuring answer-first content, entity signals, and knowledge graphs to secure citation share and visibility in AI Overviews and answer engines.
Zero-loss CMS replatforms, international hreflang architectures, crawl budget optimisation, and site health diagnostics at enterprise scale.
Looker Studio dashboards, GA4 tracking, and Salesforce attribution modelling that proves organic search ROI directly to C-suite and board stakeholders.
Leading multidisciplinary teams of SEO specialists, writers, and analysts, while aligning cross-functional workflows with engineering and brand leaders.
Agency-grade technical discovery, competitor intelligence, market sizing, and strategic pitch narratives that win high-stakes enterprise mandates.
06 Education & recognition
MSc Marketing Management with Advertising
Graduated with First Class honours.
Dissertation on hyper-personalised Instagram ads and consumer purchasing decisions.
Shortlisted, Top 13 UK Teams
GBP 400K go-to-market strategy involving AI-driven commercial marketing.
Designed a multi-channel growth loop for “Green AI” and pitched it to IBM and CIM leadership.
MA Media Studies
Graduated with First Class honours.
Marketing Associate, 180 Degrees Consulting Leeds, voluntary.
07 Testimonials
Verified LinkedIn recommendations from managers and peers who have seen the work up close.
"I had the pleasure of working with Shalini during our time at JLL. While she was not my direct report, we did work on the same team to scale SEO best practices on a global scale. What sticks out in my mind about Shalini is her incredible work ethic. She is very smart and grasps new and highly technical concepts very easily. I always appreciated her ability to work independently and produce top-quality deliverables. That said, she never hesitated to ask questions or think outside of the box when it came to difficult tasks. I whole-heartedly recommend Shalini for any SEO leadership role."
"I had an amazing opportunity to work with Shalini in two different organizations over the years. It gave me a unique chance to see how dedicated she is and how eager she has always been to grow. She evolved remarkably from a junior role into senior positions where leadership and strong business understanding are essential. She is highly dedicated to her work and has unique skills in SEO and marketing overall."
08 How I work
Most SEO managers operate strictly inside a single channel. I work across the broader commercial system, connecting search strategy directly to pipeline and revenue. This focus is why organisations bring me in for migrations that cannot afford traffic loss, multi-market expansions that must scale quickly, and inbound engines built to compound over time.
09 Latest thinking
Observations from enterprise practice: navigating AI Overviews and structuring pipelines that compound.
Most pages chasing AI Overview citations are doing it wrong. Here's what's actually working in 2026, based on observation, not theory.
Read article →The job descriptions say one thing. The interviews reveal another. A first-person look at what UK companies are really looking for in senior SEO hires right now.
Read article →10 Contact
Whether you have a project in mind, want to discuss search strategy, are looking to hire, or just want to connect: I would love to hear from you.
