Nicci Severens
Copywriter, editor and SEO, AEO and GEO specialist in Maastricht. I write copy that Google understands, AI models quote and people read to the end.
About me
Born in Maastricht, then on the move for years via Ghent, Southeast Asia and ten years in Amsterdam. Now I live in Maastricht again, with half a library unpacked from the moving boxes and three books I contributed to.
SEO, AEO and GEO
I make sure organisations get found in Google and mentioned by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini. I write copy that Google understands, AI models quote and people read to the end, and I take care of the markup that tells a machine who you are. Since 2022 I've been doing this as a freelancer under my own name, because "that woman who writes the good copy" doesn't fit on an invoice.
Copy and editing
For Ben Steenstra I edited Start Giving a Damn and A Damn Good Business, both published in May 2023. For Holland Sail's Vloot vol Verhalen I interviewed skippers and wrote up their stories. That book came out in June 2026. It's my third, and the only one for which I got to sit on deck with a recorder.
Marketer
Since 2026 I've been the only marketer at Language Partners, a B2B company providing language training for organisations. So at every marketing meeting I automatically have the majority. Before that I worked in marketing and communications at NieuweStroom in Maastricht and in content marketing at Garden Connect, among other roles.
What makes my work different
A copywriter, an SEO specialist and a strategist are usually three people with three invoices. With me it's one person with one invoice, handy for small marketing teams, experts and entrepreneurs.
Writing and ranking
I'm a copywriter and editor, and I know how a search engine reads. You rarely find that combination in one person. I write copy that gets found, without sounding as if it was written for Google.
AI as a tool
I work with AI every day and by now I mostly know when not to trust it. I use it for research, search intent, analysis and a first draft. The thinking, the choices and the final copy are mine.
Strategy and execution
I don't just work out what you should be saying, I make it too. From positioning and content strategy to campaigns, web copy and social. No handover between thinker and maker, just one line from idea to execution.
Outside of work
What happens when the laptop closes. Then I'm a mother, traveller and bookworm, often all three at once, somewhere between a museum, a festival and a paper newspaper.
On the road
Parenting
Reading
Visited five of the seven continents, worked in Canada for six months and lived in Asia for years. Every year I try to discover at least one new place. What I love most are city trips, solo travel, museums abroad and above all being on the road and unfamiliar menus.
I'm a single mother. The most demanding client I've ever had: one who mainly costs money, regularly ignores my advice and gives feedback without beating around the bush. Sixteen years of experience as a crisis manager by now. The most fun and worst-paid assignment so far.
Curiosity is probably the main reason I read. My bookcase is a mix of literature, non-fiction, psychology, feminism and anything that teaches me something about people and the world. Especially now that the world is becoming ever more digital, I cherish my paper newspaper and books.
Work experience
First a photographer, then the owner of a club on a tropical island, then a marketer and copywriter at various companies, and now a freelancer under my own name. This is what I did along the way.
Now
Language Partners, 2026 to present. Sole marketer at a B2B company providing language training for organisations: content, SEO, LinkedIn, Google Ads and the website. Freelance under my own name, 2022 to present. Copywriter, editor and SEO, AEO and GEO specialist for clients including Mickey Blue, Holland Sail, Atrivision and CallTheOne. Waterwolf Sailing, 2025 to present. Built the website, including all articles, and responsible for social media.
Previously
NieuweStroom, 2023 to 2025. Marketing and communications at the Maastricht energy supplier. Become Damn Good, 2023 to 2025. Co-founder, responsible for the content, the website and the online course.
Before that
Garden Connect, 2021 to 2023. Content marketer in Zwanenburg. Lotus Sailing, 2015 to 2025. Managed the website, social media and marketing.
What others say
Two people I've worked with, in their own words rather than mine. Taken from my recommendations on LinkedIn (translated where needed), so you don't have to take my word for it.
Ben Steenstra, WeMindd
"There are very few people who can write in a way that is functional, creative and genuinely funny, while also bringing strong strategic insight and senior-level knowledge of SEO, GEO and AEO. Nicci Severens is one of those people. (...) She knows how to make complex topics understandable, human and findable."
Olaf Busser, Waterwolf Sailing
"What struck me straight away: she doesn't think in separate tasks but in strategy. (...) The website is sleek, professional and easy to find. The social media posts connect with our target audience and have generated noticeably more engagement than before."
Wat ik publiceer
Start Giving a Damn
By Ben Steenstra. About giving up on half-hearted work and starting something you truly stand behind. My role: editing.
A Damn Good Business
The sequel, by Ben Steenstra. About building a business that holds up, even when nobody is watching. My role: editing.
Vloot vol Verhalen
Holland Sail, 2026. Hardcover, 96 pages. My role: interviewing skippers, writing up their stories and gathering images, together with others.
Everything I published
This is where my story ends, not the conversation.
I work from Maastricht for organisations with a small marketing team, for experts and for entrepreneurs who want to look beyond a list of keywords. My first question is always the same: what is your website not doing that it should be doing?
Get in touch
