a behind the scenes look at my Squarespace seo masterclasses.jpg

BTS, everyone’s favorite!!

BTS = Behind The Scenes, not the Korean Pop Sensations ;)

Today, I’m sharing a behind the scenes look at my monthly Squarespace SEO Masterclasses. Maybe you’re brand new to my little corner of the internet and you don’t know a whole lot (yet) about who I am and the different offerings I have. Or maybe you’ve been keeping up with my free content (blog posts, video tutorials, resources, etc.) but haven’t attended a Masterclass yet! No matter what brings you here, I’m hyped to share this info with you.

Real talk: my Masterclasses are a highlight of my biz and, frankly, something I genuinely look forward to putting on for my people every month!

If you’ve ever been curious about what these Masterclasses are, why I started running them, how I pick the topics, the tech/admin setup required and basically anything else, this is your chance to see all the magic that happens on MY side of the computer haha.

Many people, myself included, LOVE to peek behind the curtains and get the chance to be a little voyeur. It’s naturally that we’re curious and want to see how businesses work, the way different products/services/offerings come to be, and how it all comes together in an actionable and enjoyable way.

My goal with this video/blog post is to give you that behind the scenes look at how/why I host these Squarespace SEO Masterclasses and give you a solid understanding of what you can expect if you decided to join us for the next one!

As a Squarespace SEO expert and leader in this super random little niche, it’s my job/pleasure to educate you, give you all the skill and tech tutorials you need, duh, but also to present it in a way that makes you think, yes Charlotte I can handle this!

This is the kind of insider info that I share with my Squarespace SEO consulting clients and students in my online course, Top Squarespace SEO. But since I’m not one for secrets and truly want the best for anyone with a website, I’m giving you the summarized goods here - totally for free!

Read the blog post or watch the video tutorial below - I hope you get a kick out of my first ever BTS video! I don’t really know what I’m doing but hot damn, it’s fun for a laugh 😂

Some of you reading this might be totally new to Squarespace SEO and are looking for an introduction to this topic, someone to hold your hand and show you it’s not actually that scary. On the flip side, you might already be familiar with a few points on this list already but maybe you are looking for confirmation that you’re on the right track and haven’t missed anything important. No matter where you are in your Squarespace SEO journey, I know you’ll benefit from this info!

OKKKKKK let’s get started - read the post or watch the video to see a behind the scenes look at my monthly Squarespace SEO Masterclasses!

Related:

SQUARESPACE SEO SERIES

I have so many tips to share on the subject that it would have been crazy to put it all in one article! There are many misconceptions about Squarespace SEO which is why I've dedicate so many posts to this topic. Enjoy!

Click to view all posts in the Squarespace SEO Series

Visit my Squarespace SEO page for lots more resources.

Behind the scenes look at my Squarespace SEO Masterclasses

How do Masterclasses fit into my business?

Hi, my name is Charlotte and I’m a Squarespace SEO expert and online educator!

That’s a pretty vague title and one that not everyone’s familiar with (especially if you don’t live on the internet haha) but basically I work with people/brands/businesses and teach them about Squarespace SEO.

Now that we’ve got that intro covered, let’s talk about how these monthly Masterclasses actually fit into my business.

As a Squarespace SEO expert, my business is primarily broken down into the following offerings:

1-on-1 consulting and website/SEO work
my group program, Squarespace SEO Level-UP
my signature online course, Top Squarespace SEO
monthly Masterclasses
passive sales from my online digital products

To learn more about any of these offerings, please take a look at my Work With Charlotte page or my online shop.

As you can see, I’ve got a lot of balls in the air at once but the great thing is that when you love what you do and the people you work with, work feels like play! 🙏

When was the first Masterclass? How did I feel before/after the first one?

I ran my first Masterclass in July 2020.

People kept asking me the same questions over and over again - usually they were too brief for my online course or group program. I could always answer these questions in a 1-on-1 consulting session but I knew that since they kept coming up so many times, it probably made sense to address it in a 1-to-many format.

Thus the idea of hosting a Masterclass was born!

I approached the first one as a total experiment and gave myself permission to try something new without any expectations of the outcome.

Whenever you launch a new service/product/offering, there’s always that feeling of nervous energy and uncertainty, like “omg is this going to work, will anyone actually show up?”.

Trust me, I’m not immune to it!

These Masterclasses were a completely different format from anything I’d ever done in the past and I had no clue how my audience would response. I figured there would be some interest but I couldn’t even guesstimate how many attendees that would signup. 5 people? 20 people? 100 people? I had no clue.

But luckily these Masterclasses were successful right off the bat and I have been hosting them at least once per month since then!

The feedback is always amazing and it’s such a fantastic way to connect with my audience, often as their entry point to working with me in a deeper way (through consulting, the group program, investing in my online course, etc.)

How doe the Masterclasses work? What’s the format? Live or pre-recorded?

Each Masterclass is a 90-minute live video training followed by a Q&A period.

Basically what happens is people purchase a Masterclass ticket via my website, and then they will get emailed out the Zoom meeting link along with the Workbook.

The Masterclass itself is taught LIVE over Zoom. I demo everything on a mockup Squarespace website so people can follow along in real time to see how things are done. It is NOT a pre-recorded video training haha.

Each Masterclass is recorded and all attendees get lifetime access to the replays. This is great because not everyone can attend the Masterclasses live (because, you know, life/family/business/time change/prior commitments haha) but they still get the full experience and training to watch at their convenience, as many times as they’d like!

What topics are covered in these Masterclasses?

I’ve been running these Masterclasses for nearly a year now and we’ve covered so many topics related to Squarespace SEO, including:

website & SEO settings and what to fill out on the back end of your Squarespace website
keywords and keyword research
seo copywriting
strategic content planning

In terms of attendance & ticket sales, there are two clear winners for the most popular Masterclass topics.

First off, we’ve got the crowd-pleasing “6 steps to the ultimate Squarespace SEO glow-up”. I try to run this Masterclass every 3-4 months because it’s soooo good for beginners and even intermediates, really just a great intro into Squarespace SEO and a solid foundation based around quick wins.

The second most popular Masterclass topic is about “7 steps to master SEO copywriting for your Squarespace website”. I ran this for the first time in April 2021 and it had my highest Masterclass attendance ever, both in terms of tickets sold and attendees live!

How do I pick the Masterclass topics or decide what I’m going to teach?

I am to have variety in my Masterclass topics, obvi I’m not going to just teach the same class over and over again (it would be a whole lot easier to just sell the recording as a digital product LOLLLL)

When it comes to choosing the topics of my Masterclasses, I generally go about it one of two ways:

I pick a topic that I want to teach on. Basically, whatever my little heart desires or something that has come up a lot recently so I know my people will benefit from it
I’ll send out an email to my email list and give people 3 Masterclass topic options to choose from.

I LOVE polling my audience and asking them exactly what they want to learn about! It’s also fun because the numbers don’t lie and you can’t argue with the data hahah something I think I know what is going to be the most popular/highly requested choice but then the results come in and I’m like, lol nope I was way off.

Either way, I end up with the month’s Masterclass topic and then it’s time to take it from idea to reality.

I then come up with a Masterclass topic outline and prep my notes. I begin with a brain dump and get all my thoughts out there, and do any additional research if necessary. From here, I refine the points so that the content is broken down in a way that’s easy to follow, actionable AND fits within the 90 minute time limit.

Marketing for an upcoming masterclass

Alright, here’s where the behind the scenes comes in and I can show you all the website prep that goes on before/after each Masterclass!

Masterclass sales page

Once I’ve got the Masterclass topic and outline ready, the first step is to update the basic Masterclass sales page. It’s nothing fancy but it totally gets the job done! I make sure to update:

title
date
outline / what you’re going to learn in this Masterclass
workbook (included or not)
buttons link correctly to purchase ticket
copy is applicable

Masterclass tickets

I sell “tickets” to my Masterclasses using Squarespace’s e-commerce platform. Sometimes I update an existing product for the Masterclass (e.g., for the popular 6 steps to the ultimate SEO glow up, I keep the product and just update the dates etc.), but other times I will duplicate it and customize a new Masterclass product.

Once someone purchases a Masterclass ticket, I will then email them the Zoom link & workbook.

They’re set up as “services” on the back end of Squarespace and are non-refundable due to the instant nature of the Masterclass.

Workbook

Most of my Masterclasses include a workbook because…. people love a workbook!

I started including workbooks because 1) everyone loves them 2) it makes it easier for people to following along with 3) helps keep them on track and focused when they’re doing their homework after the Masterclass has completed.

Some of the workbooks are short & sweet but the workbook for my copywriting Masterclass was like 17 pages long!!! I design them in Canva.

Admin

Before anything, I make sure that the Masterclass date/time is added to my calendar because your girl does not have time for scheduling conflicts haha.

Next, I create the Zoom meeting link and then I’ll send it out to everyone to purchases a ticket

Promoting the Masterclass on my website

First off, I add/enable a promo or marketing section to various pages on my website to let visitors know about the upcoming Masterclasses. I add these to the Home page, blog page, freebies page, etc.

I create a little graphic in Canva and then add it to a page in the index page, which contains basic info like Masterclass title, date, button to learn more/purchase tickets.

Next, I also update the announcement bar and promotional pop-up

Finally, I enable a cover page and promote the Masterclass right off the bat to anyone who’s visiting my website.

Email marketing - newsletters scheduled

A massive chunk of the people who sign up for my Masterclasses do so via email marketing. My email list is without a doubt my most powerful online marketing tool (especially since I’m still not on social media haha) so it’s super important that I send out emails to my list letting them know about the upcoming Masterclasses.

I write all the emails myself (of course!) and pre-schedule them to go out in advance. Obviously they are a bit sales-y (because the goal is to get people to sign up and let them know where & when to show up!) but they’re also fun and playful!

I’ve noticed that I don’t get more signups with a longer promotion cycle vs a short & sweet blast, so I just stick to a 3 day marketing timeline.

Email marketing schedule:

2 days before the Masterclass: first promo email goes out
1 day before the Masterclass: second promo email goes out
day of the Masterclass: two emails go out: final chance and 2 hour warning

Wham, bam, thank you ma’am! 💌

How I prepare for each Masterclass aka, get in the zone

I already told you that these Masterclasses are one of my favorite parts of my business and I truly think it’s because the energy of the group taking part in this live training is 🔥!!! Whether people attend the Masterclass live or watch the replay, I do everything I can to show up in a high-vibe to make the info technical, informative but also FUN.

A few ways I get hyped for my Masterclasses:

light a stick of incense or candle next to my desk
blast a pump-up playlist 💃 💃 💃
pour myself a bevvy (I run these Masterclasses at 4pm PST so #happyhour)
review my notes

Pretty standard stuff but I never skip it!

Demo on a Squarespace website

Like I mentioned above, in each Masterclass I demo everything on a Squarespace website so that people can follow along in real time to see how it’s done.

This is how Masterclass attendees can “peek over my shoulder” and follow along, step by step by step in real time.

I have a cute & basic demo website already made that’s usually ready to go but every now and then I will go in and make a few tweaks/add stuff in so that it’s fully functional for the needs/focus of the particular Masterclass

The demo/mock website is built on the Rally template in Squarespace 7.0 but most things work about the same if you’re on 7.1!

Masterclass wrap-up & follow up

After the Masterclass ends, there are a few things that I do to wrap it up!

Masterclass replay email

Firstly, I send out the Masterclass replay email - this email basically thanks everyone for taking part in the Masterclass (whether they attended live or are watching the replay) and includes a recording of the Masterclass so that they can watch it whenever, at their own convenience. It also includes the workbook, any additional links/resources, and a summary of any homework/action points that I assigned during the training.

Website revert to normal

I also go back to my website and remove any outdated marketing sections (e.g, the promo sections on various pages, announcement bar, popup, cover page, etc.)

On the evergreen Masterclass page, I either swap out the old info for the next month’s topic OR I put in a basic placeholder info page to chill in the meantime.

Hide the product so no one purchases an outdated Masterclass.

Me time!

I’m always buzzing after the Masterclasses because there’s nothing like the energy of a live training and the chat blowing up with killer feedback! Talk about an instant dopamine hit haha

Either way I’m riding the high!

Sometimes I’m ready to crash for the rest of the evening, in which case I usually treat myself to my favorite takeaway dinner and some chill time on the couch…. but other times I have wayyyyy too much energy and can’t sit still, so in that case I try to plan something afterwards, step away frm the laptop, take a walk, see a friend :D

I’m a true ambivert who enjoys the aspect of the “crowd” (lol) but it also takes a lot out of me.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it, a behind the scenes look at my Squarespace SEO Masterclasses!

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing what goes into and how I prep for each Masterclass, why they’re such a beloved part of my business, and what you can expect if you join in on the next one!

If you’ve never been to one of my Masterclasses, the best way to join in is to sign up for my email list (below) or keep an eye on my website every month so that you don’t miss an update.

And if you’re interested in hosting your own Masterclass for whatever topic, I hope this gives you an insight into how I run mine! Never try, never know :)

Now it's your turn to tell me, have you ever attended one of my Squarespace SEO Masterclasses? What would you like me to teach on next? Anything that surprises you here?

Leave me your questions down in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer them. As people are spending more time online than ever before, it’s SO important that your website shows up properly in search results so that you can reach your ideal audience online - but you can’t do this without SEO!

If you want more SEO goodness, be sure to check out my Squarespace SEO page for all resources on the topic.

My signature online course, Top Squarespace SEO, will be opening for enrollment again soon - sign up for the TSS waiting list here!

You can also sign up for my newsletter (right here or below), where I often share Squarespace SEO tips, tricks and high-quality exclusive content. I send out emails to my list every Wednesday, mostly focused on Squarespace websites and SEO, and I can guarantee that you’ll find the newsletter topics interesting, entertaining and worth your time. #humblebrag

Finally, shameless plug: hit me up with any specific questions you have about Squarespace SEO and your website because I’m your girl. You can reach out to me directly if you’re interested in working together on your website and we can talk about whether or not you would be a good fit for my consulting and ongoing services. I can’t take on every request to do Squarespace SEO consulting but I do pick a few websites and businesses to work with every month and I’d love for you to be one of them.