Watch the Showit SEO Webinar – Hosted by Showit

Thank you to Showit for inviting me to teach the Showit SEO Webinar! I had a great time answering questions and was surprised to see so many people willing to listen to me talk about SEO for almost an hour!

My Approach to SEO

SEO should be used to support your overall marketing goals and attract potential clients. It should never be at odds with good content or good design or user experience, which is why it’s so important to hire a recommended Showit designer or purchase one of their design templates.

Your website need to be found by the right people and designed to be user-friendly.

SEO is just a tool to get people to your site. And your website is also a tool – one of your most powerful tools for getting clients.

• Too many website users:
  • Don’t rank for the right keywords
  • Use outdated/incorrect SEO tactics
  • Don’t understand how their website performs

Where do I get my information and experience?

• Directly from Google and recent observations with currently client websites using their GA and Search Console.
• I started a little over 10 years ago as a full-time marketing manager for a real estate company and then a custom home builder later. So my job was to make sure all of our marketing efforts supported the sales team and the overall growth of the company. 
• I’ve been working specifically with creatives who use Showit and are not ranking or are not ranking for the right keywords.

Agenda for the Webinar

• Understand how visitors use your site and where they’re coming from.
• K.I.S.S. Keep it simple, Showit, for the sake of your visitors.
• Clean it up. Focus on what your clients want/need.
• Optimize your blog. Add value to your blog and use to your advantage.
• F.A.Q. Answering most commonly asked questions in the Showit group and busting some myths about SEO.

Google Trifecta

What’s the SEO tracking trifecta? Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Business Listing

• Google Analytics is used to understand audience behavior, site performance, and source of traffic. GA can also be used to track goals.
• Google Search Console can be used to find out how people are finding your site already, how Google ranks your site, and sometimes for the SEO correcting tools.
• Your Google Business Listing can be optimized to improve your local SEO rankings and give a thorough, accurate representation of your business.

K.I.S.S.: Keep it SIMPLE, Showit

Page Titles and Descriptions

• Ideally, should have unique titles and descriptions for each page.
• Do not try to fit keywords in awkwardly or unnecessarily. Don’t use the same keywords on multiple pages.

On-page content

• Be clear about what services you offer, WHERE you’re located, and who you work with.
• Use heading tags (H1, H2, H3), bulleted lists, and images to break up large blocks of text

Navigation

• Make your site easy to navigate with simple wording and main pages visible.
• Clearly name each menu link with easy-to-understand naming

Call-to-Action (CTA)

• If they’re ready to contact/hire you, don’t make them work for it.

Clean It Up: Organize Your Website

1. Fix broken links
2. Update or redirect old pages
3. Update offsite profiles

Optimize Your Blog: Use Your Blog for Good, Not Keywords

Blog with Intent

• Your blog should be a tool to provide useful info AND encourage potential clients to contact/follow you.

Publish Valuable Content

• Only blog what you think your visitors want to read, not just to show off for Google.

Strategically Use Keywords

• Focus on topics rather than keywords for your blog. Blog posts should support your main pages.

Pay Attention to Readability

• Avoid big paragraphs. Use formatting to break up text. Add minimal images between text.

Organize Categories & Tags

• Keep it simple. Categories and tags should make sense, not exist for SEO. Stop using a million tags.

Yoast is a Guideline, Not a Rule

• Use as a GUIDELINE, not a hard and fast rule. Google does not care about your green lights.

Should You Hire an SEO Specialist?

• If you have recently redesigned your website, are getting ready to redesign, have a website that is up-to-date but doesn’t get much organic traffic, then you need to hire someone for SEO.
• If you’re getting ready to redesign your website, then it’s the perfect time to hire someone for SEO. They can work with your designer to give recommendations on how to best optimize your site for long-term SEO. 
• If you have a very limited budget and are hoping to get new clients ASAP by working on your SEO, then you should not prioritize SEO yet. SEO is important, but it’s also a long-term game for most websites.