Honorable Mentions

Thank you to Kat Collins, owner of The Heart-Centered Rebel™ for sharing her expert advice as a web designer. 

SEO a.k.a. Search Engine Optimization
     -Following best practice on your website and social media to be found easily on search engines.

-Goal: Increasing the quantity and quality of traffic 
      -Organic results (just from searching)
      -Paid ads (Google ads, Facebook & IG ads)

-You have to know your target audience and what questions they have and what they are searching so you can create content that provides value and answers those questions.

-Your product and service solves a problem for your ideal client. So, present your product and service as the PERFECT solution for ideal client's problem.

-Top ranked sites are seen as most credible and trust.
        -High ranking builds your web authority (when Google recognizes your site as an expert in that field because if it’s relevant and frequency other people mention and link to your site.

-Blogging is a POWERFUL and FREE tool to create valuable content to provide your potential clients with educational information before they even hire you.
    -Builds the like, know, and trust factor.

-Choose blog headlines and topics that purposefully and specifically answers those questions or concerns your clients have when searching for your product or service.

Black Hat SEO (avoid this)
     -Attempted to spam and fool search engines 
     -Keyword stuffing
     -Google can ding you and possibly block your site 

-White Hat SEO (do this!)
     -Best practices that abide by SEO rules in a way that uses strategies 
      -Make sure anyone you hire does it the right way 

Quick SEO Tips
    -Creating a unique, high-quality content
    -Having a thoughtful on-page keyword strategy
    -Providing a great user experience on your website
    -Earning backlinks from third-party websites to your website
    -Tracking your results and adapting your strategy

-Info above the fold on your website (the content you see as soon as you land on your site before you start scrolling).
     -Your name or business name
     -What you do 
     -Where you’re located
     -Tagline
     -You have about 3 second to capture someone's attention when they land on your site. Make it count. 

On-page SEO Tips ( on your website itself)
     -Create awesome, valuable content
     -Create content that helps people, answers their questions
     -How to’s, educational content, "Top 5 Choices" 

Use proper heading tags
    -Heading 1 should be your main heading, then H2, H3. Google reads them in order 
     -Meta description: the summary for that page that shows.
     -160 characters for full description, Google cuts it off at about 60 characters.

-Conduct keyword research and use keywords throughout your website 
   -Keyword Everywhere
   -Ahrefs Keyword Explorer
   -SEMRush, Ubersuggest, & Google Keyword Planner

-Optimize image text 
    -File Name: Use Keywords, location, description
     -Alt Text: Descriptions for Google to read and to help the visually impaired.

-Optimize image formats and size 
    -Images need to be smaller in size so they load faster. 
Compress images to save space but not lose quality
     -Jpeg Mini, Tinypng.com, & impagecompressor.com
     -Website Speed test: https://gtmetrix.com/

-Websites are a living, breathing thing. It should always be changing, updating, evolving to stay relevant in your business and for Google.

-Go back through client inquiries and communication to see what language and words they initially use to then maybe use those same words in strategic places on your websites.
    -Your clients or customers probably talk about your industry in a different way that you do. You know the fancy words and terms. They don’t. So, explain things in a way they will understand. 

-Use reviews on your website as social proof, sprinkle them throughout your site.
    -You can also pick out keywords from your reviews because they will use the words that mean the most to them & probably what people are searching for.
 
Off-Page SEO Tips
    -Things you can do outside of your website content and design.
    -Install Google Analytics
    -Sign up for Google Search Console and submit your site sitemap.
   -Sig up for Google My Business (especially if you have a physical location).

SEO Tips for Podcasts 

The Heart & Hustle Podcast
    -How to Improve Your SEO and Rank Higher On Search Engines with Lauren Taylar 
     -Top Web Design Mistakes and How to Fix Them with Sarah Crook