Hey Reader,
A lot of people have abandoned SEO recently.
Twitter and Facebook especially seem to be hating hardcore on the idea of using keywords anywhere. It's all about newsletters and paid Facebook page traffic now.
Which is sad.
But I get it.
The Google March update and the September Helpful Content Update tore the rug out from under a lot of bloggers.
*** ANNOUNCEMENTS BREAK***
π FREE Live Q&A Announcement! π
To celebrate hitting 4k Youtube subscribers, I'm doing a Youtube live on Thursday at 1pm EST.
Join me for 90 minutes and get a calendar alert before it all goes live here.β
βYou can submit any questions if you can't make it live in this form here - with a new anonymous option.
There will be a replay available immediately after so don't worry if time zones don't work out. Thank y'all for being an epic community and being so supportive on all platforms.
β
π¨ Now Boarding Bundle Applications Close June 30th!
The Now Boarding Bundle - the only major travel bundle - closes for applications on June 30th.
We've got applications from niches that vary from cruising to pet friendly travel to small towns to family travel to credit card points to lightroom presets to money saving guides to solo travel.
We've got a guaranteed reach of over 200k email subscribers and over 800k social followers. My goal is that everyone who signs up gets 1k new subscribers - which is an estimated $1k a month in your pocket according to newsletter income averages.
If you have any questions about this, don't get FOMO. Hit reply and ask me!
And if you have no idea what a bundle is, don't worry there's a video on the site to explain it all.β
Any products travel related or tangentially beneficial to travelers is welcome. The worst I'll say is no - I promise, I'm nice! - so apply away before it's closed.
βπ Apply to be a contributor hereβ
βπ Learn more about sponsoring the bundle, even if you don't have a productβ
*** ANNOUNCEMENTS OVER***
I'm not here to be a Google apologist. While I think it's fine for them to adjust their algorithms as they like, it's not ok to wreck so many livelihoods and then give false hope that "just fix your content and it'll undo itself".
So why am I still doing SEO?
It's not just because "SEO" is literally in my business name.
It's because it's still working.
It's just very different now - and no longer the single sustainable source of traffic and income it once was.
β
βI shared in this article that She Knows SEO and my build in public site are doing great.β
In fact, the build in public site just had it's first $500 month this month!
And I haven't touched the thing in months (that whole series-will-inspire-me-to-work-on-it idea didn't really pan out. Although to be fair, I did move across the country, take a month off, and then move across the city weekly in June).
But I had two sites hit HARD - my main travel site and a pet site I kinda forgot I owned. It's still trucking along nicely thanks to its Facebook group, but it's SEO is firmly in the toilet.
And my main site's newsletter has kept it nicely afloat and the ad revenue still coming in.
β
So, even though I got beaten down by Google, why am I continuing to use SEO?
Because it works.
Yes, it's not nearly as easy as it once was.
It got easy to gamify, and we all took advantage. So of course Google patched the hole and made it more difficult.
For a while there, I was growing by 50k pageviews a month with just a handful of new posts. That definitely wasn't going to be sustainable.
But SEO is part of a sustainable business model, when it's used in moderation.
β
Just like my obsession with sour candy, it can't be the basis of your entire meal plan. But it can be a regular part of your diet, if you have it in moderation.
It shouldn't be the basis of every meal - or every piece of content you create.
So here's how I'm using SEO now to build sites - based on what I've seen work for myself and for others post-updates:
- Define your audience avatar (who are you talking to? Get specific)
- Define your niche
- Define your unique selling point, and why you're qualified/the best person to help your audience with your topic
- Pick 1 content silo in your niche to start with
- Plan 20 posts related to that content silo. Make sure these fulfill every section of the AIDA funnel and provide your ideal audience with enough information that they won't need external sources
- βUse Keysearch to validate these keywords and make sure you've used the most optimal phrasing (i.e. must do vs. things to do - which has more traffic? Which has the intended user intent?)
- βWrite your posts with SEO optimization in mind, but in the back of your mind. I recommend outlining first, then going to do competitor analysis to see if you missed anything vital that they have, or if they all have things in a different order.
- Make sure every post has something unique in the first 1,000 words and makes it clear why you're the person to listen to on this topic.
- βAdd 10 internal links per post - keep them within the same content silo. 50% of these posts should link back to your content silo page.
- Add 3 external links to proper sources that help your reader or provide more value in some way
- Include multimedia, especially any videos from your own Youtube channel. Optimize the Youtube video for the same keyword and link to this post in it's description on Youtube
- Include a call to action in the footer to move your user through the AIDA funnel so they stay on your site, or encourage them to engage with your community in your email list or on social media
- Include a freebie opt in or promotion of your digital product 1/3 and 2/3 of the way through the post. I use a block I made in Kadence to promote them. You can find it hereβ
- Re-read your post before you publish and cut the fluff. Make sure it's focused on what your reader needs, not what you feel like writing.
- Share the post on socials once you publish it. I use this automated method that's free and simpleβ
Rinse and repeat with additional pillars, and then create a community if you don't have one yet.
I wouldn't start an email list day 1. Wait till you have like 20 posts or 5k pageviews - whichever comes first.
I also recommend a Facebook group. FB groups can grow organically and attract members without any external sources, like a blog can with SEO.
It's a good way to start growing a community, to engage directly with your audience, and to get a free source of endless zero volume keywords.
β
See how it's pretty similar to what you were doing before?
It's just not an algorithm first strategy. It's audience first, algorithm second.
Which means that your audience is the best it can be for your reader. Then we find your reader and bring them to your blog organically - wherever that is from.
But through internal linking and community building, we don't just focus on that first hit to our site.
I think of it like this:
We don't just want to invite someone over for tea and have them leave immediately after.
We want to have such a good conversation that they stick around for dinner, and then after dinner drinks. And when they do leave, you've already got another dinner on the books because of how great your conversation was.
That's where internal linking and a community element - like a newsletter or a group - come in. That's your second dinner invite.
And if you keep providing valuable content, you'll have a weekly dinner date in no time!
I hope to see you on Thursday at the Q&A!
Please remember, no questions are dumb or too complex or too simple. The only "bad" questions are those that you don't ask.
I don't mind if I've heard it before. I'd rather repeat an answer than have someone left wondering. And with the new anonymous setting, you won't even need to tell me your name if you prefer.
Feel free to ask about SEO, blogging, my dog Theo, purple hair, productivity, affiliate and ad income, digital products, my bundle, and whatever else is on your mind!
βYou can send me as many questions as you'd like here.β
Cheers,
Nina
Whatβs New with She Knows SEO:
My 6-figure blogging recommendations:
Affiliate Disclaimer: To cover the cost of my email software and the time I spend writing these emails, I do sometimes link to products. Please assume these links are affiliate links. If you choose to buy through my links then THANK YOU - it will make it possible for me to keep doing this.
β