#4: SEO Demystified: How to Use SEO in Your Service Business
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Algorithms, Google rankings, keywords, SEO, UX – What are these? Do they matter? And what do you do with them?
Creative small businesses, coaches, and service providers all need to understand these things and how to deal with them.
In today's episode, I chat about SEO in a non-techy way to explain what it is and why you need to ensure your website is running with all the SEO juice possible so you can get more eyes on your business and more money in the bank while helping your clients.
Main Points
2:00 Why SEO-centric content is key to being found on the internet
4:16 What is SEO, and how does it work?
7:05 What is keyword research?
9:25 SEO on-page optimisation
11:33 Create high-quality, long-form content
14:19 The purpose of your website is to be your storefront
16:33 Why SEO is a marathon, not a sprint
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Transcription:
Algorithms, Google rankings, keywords, SEO, UX – What are these? Do they matter? And what do you do with them?
Creative small businesses, coaches, and service providers all need to understand these things and how to deal with them.
In today's episode, I chat about SEO in a non-techy way to explain what it is and why you need to ensure your website is running with all the SEO juice possible so you can get more eyes on your business and more money in the bank while helping your clients.
Hello, and welcome to episode 4 of The Brilliant Business Beautiful Life podcast.
I’m your host, Samantha Bell, of 16th Ave Creative Studio, a website, copywriting and design studio helping coaches and service providers around the world build the brilliant business of their dreams.
In my last episode, I mentioned this week would be the start of a three-part series on how to get lots of SEO juice flowing through your website to ramp up your traffic and conversions.
SEO may be a completely foreign language to you, but you've got to deal with it, and I'm going to help simplify SEO so you can fill your website with rich, engaging content to boost your rankings on Google.
First up, don’t worry about the terminology but do understand that SEO-centric content is key to being found on the internet. It's far superior to using social media to get discovered because quality SEO content writing on your website is evergreen and works hard for you for months and even years, making your initial time investment a great ROI – far outstripping what an Instagram post can do when it stops circulating after a few days.
If you've already been busy creating great long-form content, you're off to a good start! But there's always room for improvement. If you're unsure of what SEO is and how to use it, you're about to learn the basics of SEO in a language you can relate to and end the stress and confusion you might be feeling around it.
So many of my clients come to me completely confused about SEO. Some had not even heard of it, which is normal when you're just starting a business. You don't know what you don't know, right?
For my clients who did have an inkling of what SEO is, they didn’t understand how to use it in their writing, or where it goes on their website.
How does it all work? Why is writing a blog completely different to writing the copy for a sales page or the home page of your website for SEO? Does it matter if you get it wrong?
Over the next three podcast episodes we’ll dive into all this. Today’s episode is devoted to demystifying SEO in your service-based business. Next week we'll chat about how to create really sticky content with all the SEO seedlings you need for a long-term strategy that will keep working for years to come, and in the third part of the series I'll share how to put it all together on your website.
Let's get started demystifying and simplifying SEO. What is it, and why do you need it in your service-based business?
Let's say you have a brand-new service-based business. However, you're facing a challenge: not many people are aware of your business yet, and you want to change that. This is where SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimisation, comes into play!
It's not just a fancy acronym—it's a powerful, long-term strategy that can revolutionise your business.
Picture this: your website, shining brightly at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs), capturing the attention of countless potential customers. Imagine the surge of organic (free) traffic (people) flowing to your site, eagerly seeking the services you offer. It's like a digital magnet, pulling in quality leads and boosting your conversion rates.
SEO is about optimising your website to make it irresistible to search engines like Google. We're talking about fine-tuning your content, improving your website's structure, and making it lightning-fast. It's about using the right keywords that your target audience is searching for and building valuable backlinks to establish your authority.
When you search for something on Google, it looks for relevant information that matches your query. Google uses algorithms to determine which websites should appear in the search results and in what order.
An algorithm is simply a set of rules or guidelines that Google follows to evaluate and rank websites based on their relevance and quality. These algorithms analyse various factors on websites to determine their suitability for your specific search query.
For example, if someone searches for "plumbing services in my area," Google's algorithms will scan through thousands of websites to find the most relevant ones. The algorithms consider factors like the words and phrases used on the website, its overall structure and design, and the quality and quantity of other websites linking to it.
The aim is to deliver the best possible search results to you.
SEO is a set of strategies and techniques that can help your service-based business become more visible and popular on the internet when people are searching for the problem you solve.
That means you need an SEO strategy. But what is that?
An SEO strategy is a plan of action to optimise your website, so it ranks higher in search engine results. In simple terms, it's how you are going to help people find your website.
Here's how it works:
Keyword Research:
Think of keywords as 'magic words.' They are simply the words people use to find things. Just say you're a life coach. SEO helps people to find your coaching services online. Instead of using words like 'life coach' or 'coaching services' on your website, it would be best to use words that are more specific, like 'female empowerment coaching' or 'mindset and self-empowerment coaching for women.' Using words (short or long-tail keywords) that go a little more deeply into the problem people are having will help them find you more easily.
On-Page Optimisation:
Optimise your website's pages by incorporating your chosen keywords strategically. This involves optimising your meta tags, headings, content, and URL structures. This helps search engines understand what your website is about and improves its relevance to specific search queries.
In everyday language that means, when people walk by a store, the shop owner wants people to notice them and come in. So, they have a gorgeous window display with their new or best products arranged in an eye-catching way, they'll have store specials advertised in the window and an easy path to enter the store.
Relate this directly to your website, and it's called SEO on-page optimisation. A beautifully optimised website page has the right words in the right place and stunning imagery that grabs people's attention and draws them in to learn more. Just say it's your website's home page. It will very clearly show, with your words and images, who you are, what you do, and who you serve. It will highlight and link to your most important services, your current offerings and your blog or podcast. Plus, you'll have some social proof, like client testimonials, to give people confidence and trust in you.
You'll also have a short, tidy URL, and every page will have a unique meta description that explains what that specific page is about. Meta tags are the headline that appears in the Google search – so you'll make sure that each page has its own, which is short and includes your keywords and doesn't cut off when viewing the search results. You'll have your headings set up correctly, for example, only 1 H1 heading on every web page, correct use of H2 and H3 headings (don't worry, I'll explain all this in next week's episode!), and all your images are resized so they're not chubby and slowing down your site, also that they're named in the correct format.
SEO helps you make special signs designed to catch Google's attention and then show your website to people.
Content Creation:
To attract more customers and make your business more visible in search engines, you need to create high-quality long-form content that people will find valuable and interesting. This content can take the form of well-written articles and engaging videos. It's important that the content you create provides helpful information, captures people's attention, and is relevant to the services you offer. When you do this, search engines like Google will notice and reward your website by showing it to more people when they search using keywords related to your services. This can help attract more customers and grow your business. We'll dive into writing fabulous sticky, SEO rich website content in next week’s episode.
Link Building or backlinks:
Establishing links from other reputable websites to your own is an important aspect of SEO.
This is like getting votes of confidence from those websites, which shows Google that your website is trustworthy and important too. The more votes, or links, you get from high-quality websites, the higher your website can show up in search results. It's kind of like being more popular and well-known among your competitors.
The more high-quality links you have, the better your website's chances of ranking higher.
User Experience or UX:
No one likes a bad experience, do they? The same applies to people visiting your website. The purpose of your website is to be the gorgeous storefront I mentioned earlier. It needs to grab people's attention, tell them who you are and how you can help, direct them where you want them to go, while warmly welcoming them inside!
All online search engines want the same thing. They want people to get the information they're looking for fast and easily and for them to enjoy a great website experience along the way.
Think about how many times you've gone onto a business's website and left because you were completely frustrated at how difficult it was to find what you need. That's a bad user experience or UX.
So, what's a good UX?
Fast page loading time of under 2.5 seconds. Easy navigation and probably the most important thing these days, is looking good on mobile devices.
The loading time can be a challenge for you if you have a large website with lots of images – which is highly likely if you're a creative entrepreneur. Same if your website has lots of features and is heavy with coding. That's the trade-off, and you need to work out what suits your target audience best when deciding whether the load time is going to be a negative experience for them or not. But keep in mind that Google will definitely look at your load times.
The benefit of a great UX is that your website visitors are likely to stay longer on your website engaging with your content – and Google loves that and will rank you higher because of it!
The last thing I'll say today about SEO is that it's a journey. It's not something you do in a day. It requires dedication. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. It's all about playing the long game. You need to roll up your sleeves and commit to consistent effort because the payoff is worth every ounce of sweat.
Think of it as cultivating a thriving garden of online visibility. You can't rush nature, but with tender love and care, you'll reap a bountiful harvest.
How was that? I hope I’ve given you some valuable insights into what SEO is and made it less of an enigma for you.
Next week is Part two in the series where I’ll be talking about how to create sticky SEO content for your website and why your clients will love it!
Links and Resources
Want to craft the perfect brand voice? Our free Brand Voice Framework will teach you the steps to define your unique brand voice so you can communicate with clarity and confidence - uniquely you!
Do you want a high-converting website? Download Ultimate Website Content Checklist. It’s free and will guide you through all the content you need for a high-converting website!
Are you ready to start building the business and life of your dreams? Get the Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Playbook and design the life you deserve!
Check out our Services and get started building your brilliant business: Squarespace website design, copywriting, branding & organic online marketing
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The Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Podcast is dedicated to you - because you deserve the business – and life -
of your dreams!
PS. Download the Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Playbook and start designing the business and life you deserve today!
LISTEN + SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS + SPOTIFY
Hi, I’m Samantha Bell
I’m all about helping you build the business – and life – you’ve always wanted.
Listen in for the simple, actionable strategies, mindset shifts, and practices you need to make your business thrive. Plus, a healthy dose of self-care, health, and wellness so you can live the life you absolutely adore while building your beautiful business.
