A Lady in London

Originally from San Francisco, Julie made the decision to move to the UK in 2007 with no job lined up, but a passion to see more of the world. Back then, it was easier for Americans to get visas, and she quickly took the opportunity.

She created A Lady in London as a way to keep in touch with people back home during a time when the connectivity social media offers today didn’t exist.

What was originally intended to be for family and friends turned into something bigger when she realized her audience was growing. She began blogging in the mornings before work, or at night when she got home, and on the weekends.

“I started getting quite a following and I thought, this isn’t just for family and friends anymore,” she says. “I started looking into whether this was something I could monetize and do as a career because I was really enjoying it.”

She celebrated her revenue milestones - from the $1 day, to the $10 day. “It was very much a journey, learning how to monetize something on the web and then watching it actually happen, getting excited about that, and seeing it grow,” she recalls.

After learning about Google Certified Publishing Partner Mediavine through friends who were bloggers, Julie signed up to ramp up her ad revenue goals.

“They really seem to care about their publishers,” Julie explains. “It's been liberating and freeing for me because my partnership with Mediavine has meant I've had to rely less on partnerships and sponsorships. It's been great for allowing me to really focus on doing what I enjoy and doing what my readers want.”

In addition to AdSense, Julie relies on an entire arsenal of Google products to run her brand, including Calendar, Analytics, Drive, and YouTube. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the Google products I use. I wouldn’t know where my traffic is coming from, or what I’m doing in terms of SEO - Google has been pivotal in terms of my business growth,” she says.

Since A Lady in London began, Julie has also received opportunities to extend her reach beyond her blog while also creating a solid network of travel aficionados.

She gave a talk at Social Media Week in 2012 and was recruited to teach blogging classes at General Assembly, an educational organization with international campuses. She then started speaking at conferences and events all over the world, a process that happened organically over time.

These days, Julie has started splitting her time between her adopted home of London and California, after becoming homesick during the pandemic lockdown. “I thought, once this is all over, I need to start figuring out how I can spend a bit more time at home,” she says.

But even though her travel plans have changed, her focus on publishing hasn’t. “Being a content creator means freedom to do something I love and to share that with people who are as passionate about it as I am,” she explains. “That to me is what really gets me up and excited to get to work every day.”