Why I Offer SEO Services In Addition to Squarespace & Showit Website Design
Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission – at no extra cost for you :)
Back in May 2019, I made the decision to start offering 1:1 SEO services.
It was exciting but also a little overwhelming because I had to design my packages from scratch.
Whereas there are many website designer courses that walk through how to package your services, there didn’t seem to be many resources for SEO strategists.
Nonetheless, I’ve loved the feedback I’ve gotten since then about the work I deliver.
And I’m excited to share why I pivoted to include this service in my business.
1. I was designing blog pages for clients and uploading posts that completely disregarded SEO
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE designing Squarespace and Showit (affiliate link) websites for my clients, who are mainly coaches and creatives.
Inside my website design package, I include 10 post uploads for blog page design.
And what I noticed is that almost every single client was writing blog content that wasn’t optimized.
In other words, it was never going to reach page 1 of Google.
And since improving ranking in Google is one of the main reasons for blogging, I was super disheartening to see this time and time again.
Most of the posts were journal-like entries and didn’t include words and phrases people would be searching for in Google.
That’s why I now offer my SEO course to all my website design clients so they can refer to it if they don’t want to invest in my 1:1 package.
2. Design and SEO are interconnected
I was once on a call where someone told me, “it’s probably confusing that you offer SEO and branding because they’re not related.”
100% false.
SEO is what gets you found in Google.
But what happens after someone lands on your website?
A website with mismatched colors and no organization is most likely going to cause people to click out (and never come back).
Design and strategic copy is what gets them to stay and take action.
Not to mention that user experience (from the design piece) is a Google ranking factor.
I love combining these services together because when clients invest in the whole package, they are truly setting themselves up for success.
I’ve even had SEO clients invest in my website design packages later on because they realize through working together just how important the design and aesthetics are.
And I know when people find my website on page 1 for “Squarespace SEO expert,” they’re not just judging my ability to rank high in Google, but also the quality and professionalism of the design of my website.
3. I worked in the SEO industry full time
SEO wasn’t something I paid $300 to learn and then started outsourcing it.
[Not trying to be a hater on anyone who purchases courses to further their education.]
I have Squarespace website designers in my SEO course community who want to start offering SEO services, and I’m so glad they entrusted me and my program.
But there’s a difference between learning and applying it.
I worked at an SEO agency for 2 years before quitting my job to start branding and website design.
I saw the inner workings of SEO campaigns for billion dollar global brands and high profile people.
I wish I could name drop, but I don’t think I can...sorry!
There were so many different things that I experienced, saw, and learned while there.
And that’s why I started taking SEO and blogging seriously for myself in my own business.
I wanted to show that I was walking my talk. And that I truly knew what I was talking about.
I continue to make blogging and SEO a priority to this day.
When people ask me questions, I answer based on my experience, not based solely on what I read in an article.
I realized a year into my business full time that I was sitting on wasted potential to earn more money because I had all this knowledge and education that was missing from the online space!
It was obvious that there was a need and that I could fill that void!
4. I got tired of seeing false information spread around in Facebook groups
I have the mindset that if something is extremely annoying, do something about it.
That's how I felt time and time again when I would see misinformation spread about in Facebook groups filled with online entrepreneurs.
When I say misinformation, I mean spammy black-hat SEO that will get you penalized by Google.
Like I got physically angry.
You’re probably thinking, jeez Lauren, there’s something wrong with you.
It was super upsetting that fellow solopreneurs were going to be implementing that information, and not realize that it wasn’t going to help (at least, not long term).
But that anger was fuel for me to create my own SEO packages and start working with clients.
And now I love educating people in my online bubble, whether it’s on my email list, free masterclasses, or on Instagram Stories, about the correct way to implement SEO and spammy tactics to stay away from.
Some of my clients are amazed to find that they’ve been doing SEO wrong for years because they followed someone else’s spammy advice that they believed was the right way.
5. I realized offering SEO strategy set me apart from others in the website design industry
As mentioned above, I worked in the SEO industry for 2 years.
And after being in this space for 3+ years, I have yet to see another Squarespace website designer who has a professional background in SEO who caters to female coaches and creatives like I do with both website design and SEO done-for-you packages.
For that reason, I consider myself a magical unicorn haha ;)
In all seriousness, it’s why some of my clients come to ME over the competition, even though I charge premium rates.
They know that not only are they going to get a gorgeous website that speaks to their soul, but also that it’s going to load fast and set them up for success on their blogging journey.
Because we all know that on house flipping reality TV shows, designers don’t just throw some shiplap over a cracked wall and paint a floor with a sinking foundation to hide these problems…SEO is the hidden “foundation” that needs to be addressed.
Even though we can’t see it, it's just as important as the design.
There ya have it! That’s my story of why I now offer SEO services in addition to Squarespace and Showit website design :) I absolutely love the work that I do, and love sharing about my journey to get to this point.
Ready for a beautiful website that doesn't just have swoon-worthy design, but also loads fast and is hella functional on the back end? I’m your gal!
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