Can SEO really drive more leads for your services-based business?

I’ve written before about why every services-based business needs an SEO strategy and I was happy to see that that blog post struck a chord with my of my readers. I received quite a few comments and emails about that blog post - people liked the post but they wanted to learn more about how to actually APPLY that strategy.

The number one question I received was “How can I use SEO to drive more sales/book more discovery calls for my services-based business?”. Fantastic question and I’m super excited to answer that in today’s follow up blog post!

Most of my clients are services-based business owners. I’d say about half of them run their businesses entirely online and rarely work with in-person clients, whereas the other half serve local clients and rely on their website to serve as their “online home”.

In both cases, these services-based business use their websites as a way to connect with their (potential, current and past) clients and customers, and promote their offerings online.

Services based businesses serve a whole variety of industries - we’re talking law firms, accountants, engineers, plumbers, florists, personal trainers, coaches, photographers, consultants, PR pros, social media managers, graphic designers, gardeners, dog walkers, psychics, bakeries, physiotherapists - you name it, the list goes on.

Some of these services must be performed in person (e.g., dog walkers, massage therapists, gardeners, etc.) but others can be done either in-person OR online/remotely (e.g., consultants, personal trainers, graphic designers, etc.).

Services based businesses can be one-off projects or ongoing, recurring services…. really, the sky’s the limit and there’s a huge amount of flexibility in services-based business models!

Almost all services based businesses, however, have a website. At this point, it’s pretty much a requirement because hardly anyone (except your granny) is going old school and looking up businesses in a physical phone book. Yes, we still rely on word of mouth and recommendations from our friends and family, but the trend is increasingly to connect with businesses online. More often than not, we check out a business’ website and then get in touch if we want to work with them.

But having a website doesn’t guarantee that potential clients and customers will find out about your business- far from it, in fact. All websites are not created equally! Different types of websites work in different ways. The requirements and strategy for a services-based business website is going to be totally different from a e-commerce shop or website that sells digital/physical products. Not only will the look & feel of these websites be different, so too will the SEO strategy and goals.

SEO can act as the perfect bridge between a website (think: business) and an online audience (think: future clients/customers). It’s the pathway that warms up a potential client to inquire about your service and ultimately book you out.

You already know that I’m a firm believer that every services based business needs and SEO strategy and beyond that, I know that SEO can directly drive leads and grow your business. SEO will help grow your website but it also connects you to a much wider online audience who can potentially become paying clients and customers. Which, if you’re running a services based business, is the ultimate goal!

In this blog post, I’m going to show you exactly how SEO can drive leads for your services-based business. Whether your website is on Squarespace or another platform, the goals and outcome will be the same.

Here's how Mariana pitched and booked $6,700 worth of her services in just 4 days!

GATHER ROUND HUNNIS because I’ve got some amazing news to share with you!

If you’ve been following this space or keeping up with me on Instagram, you might remember that I recently launched Pitching your Web Design & Development Services. It’s a digital product that teaches web designers & developers how to pitch their services through a 22-page How-To Guide, customizable email templates, and a tracker spreadsheet to organize their pitch process.

It’s been flying of the figurative shelves since then and I have been THRILLED to hear all the (seriously impressive) results that are already rolling in! Nothing makes me happier than people purchasing my products and getting fantastic results from them. I work very hard to create high quality, useful resources for my audience (through both free and paid content) and when this particular email landed in my inbox, I nearly fell off my chair with excitement.

So, I’m going to take a moment to proudly share Mariana’s story because her results truly blew me away and I’m bursting with pride! If she can do it, so can you.

BusinessCharlotte O'HaraJuly 12, 2019case study, mariana durst, pitching your services, pitching, digital productComment

Expert Roundup : Tips for sales pages that convert

Sales pages - they’re not for the faint of heart!

There’s a lot of strategy that goes into designing and creating a detailed, effective sales page and in my experience, it’s something that should never be rushed!

Whether your sales page supports a product, service, digital or physical offering, event, or anything else, the entire point of a sales page is for it to CONVERT. You want visitors to read the sales page and think, “Yes, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for “ or “This is exactly what I need”.

By the time they reach the bottom of the sales page, they should be totally convinced that you’ve got what they want - it should be a no-brainer for them to whip out their credit cards and confidently make an online purchase.

A good sales page is made up several different parts that all play an important role in securing a sale. It’s a combination of written copy, visuals (images, graphics, videos, etc.), testimonials and social proof, and a whole lot of psychology.

I’ve built many sales pages in my day, both for my own digital products as well as for my custom Squarespace website clients. Whether you’re a solopreneur, services based business, e-commerce shop owner, event planner, or anything else really , sales pages are one of the most important pages on any website because they’re undeniably the money maker.

Sales pages drive sales, simple as that. A good sales page can be the difference between a sold out launch and something that falls flat. It can help you reach bigger revenue milestones and improve your business’s bottom line. Effective sales pages can also mean fewer refunds and customer complaints, which saves you time and money.

I’m excited to bring back the Expert Roundup series to the blog and share some standout tips, tricks, best practices and recommendations that you can reference/implement on your own sales page!

I’ve collaborated with some big names in web design/development, business coaching, sales funnels and online strategy. These professionals are all powerhouses in the the digital world and let me tell you, they all know their stuff inside out. Not only have they built impressive businesses for themselves, they’ve also used these strategies with their own clients with impressive results. These sales page tips include tried and true knowledge and I’m so glad that they’re showing their work with us here today.

5 common myths about pitching your web design/development services

I’ve been thinking about pitching your services as a web designer/developer a lot lately.

Pitching is a topic that has come up many times in conversations as of late, whether it’s with my clients, my email newsletter subscribers, or even with my peers and fellow established web designers/developers. It seems to be on everyone’s mind!

If you’ve been following me and my business for a while, you might already know that I attribute my initial success and subsequent growth to pitching my services. Pitching is something I did to find clients, book out my calendar, take on the type of projects I wanted to do, and generally build up my experience and skills. It helped me leapfrog forward too and I know that I was able to achieve way more in a much shorter period of time because I took action and pitched my little heart out.

Was it easy or comfortable? Heck no! At the start, I pretty much hated pitching. The rejection stung and I felt like I was bothering people anytime I sent out a pitch email.

But do you know what? I kept with it, refined my strategy and started seeing amazing results from my pitches.

I was able to book loads more discovery calls which turned into secured web design/development projects. I started making good money. I was able to fill out my calendar in advance. My portfolio became more refined and targeted towards my ideal clients and audience/niche, which then made it even easier to sell my services in the future.

I am a HUGE fan of pitching because I know firsthand how well it works.

Which is why in this blog post, I want to address 5 of the most common myths or misconceptions I hear about pitching your services as a web designer/developer.

Most of these myths are based in fear, and I want to show you how powerful it can be to push past any awkwardness or hesitations you might have around pitching, because the results are totally worth it.

squarespace seo checklist

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squarespace seo checklist

DOWNLOAD THE CHECKLIST TODAY!

Thank you!