Houston Tuesday’s Together SEO Workshop

I was so excited when Rising Tide Society Houston Chapter’s leader, LaShanta, reached out asking if I would host a workshop discussing search engine optimization! SEO is a topic I love chatting about, and have coached many creatives on the topic one on one. I’ve been researching SEO since the early 2000’s and learning more each year.

Leading a small group workshop giving each small business owner an SEO 101 crash course as well as being able to answer their specific questions was magical! I have a special place in my heart for teachers. I’ve never wanted to be one full time, but I do enjoy teaching and seeing those lightbulb moments.

For me, speaking engagements and workshops fill the desire to teach while still keeping my day job (which I think is the best job ever) being a wedding, anniversary, and lifestyle photographer!

Search Engine Optimization Workshop Houston

During this workshop I taught what SEO actually is, how to audit your current SEO, and how to optimize properly and effectively for SEO in the future. Search engine optimization is absolutely invaluable for a small business owner! To be found on a search engine, like Google, ahead of others offering the same (or similar) product or service. With how much time we all spend on the internet SEO is a BIG way to gain momentum against competitors.

Many small business owners feel overwhelmed or threatened by SEO. I’ve heard it all. “I don’t need potential customers to find me that way.” “My business is different and doesn’t really work for SEO.” “It’s just such a big task I don’t really want to start.”

Let me start by saying, if you have a website SEO will always work. Lots of small business owners rely on word of mouth or referrals for new business. What if they move? Who will sing your praises then? And yes, it IS a big task, but I have plenty of ways to start small and be actionable to conquer it!

My Favorite SEO Resources

I’ve read a lot of blog posts, books, articles, and even confirmed my SEO knowledge with courses. So I have a lot of great resources for my students up my sleeve!

Davey & Krista’s Inquiry System Course

Davey and Krista put together such a thoughtful A-Z course teaching SEO to creative small business owners. I was actually pondering putting together a course about SEO myself then they released this gem. I of course had to invest in it to see if there was a big secret I was missing, but it affirmed what I had learned over the years.

They have step by step videos to teach you how to get a good search engine optimization foundation set up as well as to help you optimize each blog post and image. Not only do you have their videos and worksheets you also have access to them! Both Davey and Krista are so helpful in their private Facebook community for students. If I ever have an SEO question that is stumping me I go straight to them! And if they don’t know the answer? The community pitches in with experiences and research. It’s a fantastic place to be!

You can check out their course here, and honestly- it’s an amazing investment. You could hire someone for a much higher dollar amount and still not know how to sustain your SEO going forward. Which is not something I recommend. Having a basic knowledge of everything your business touches is always a great idea, then outsourcing as need be.

Moz.com

Moz is a great research tool for SEO, but also it’s FULL of blog posts and resources to teach you SEO.

Yoast.com

Another tool that’s a must-have for improving and maintaining SEO is Yoast. In addition to their WordPress plugin though, they also have a huge library of SEO resources.

Rising Tide Society – What is it?

Rising Tide Society is a collective of creative business owners from all over the world that come together to provide business resources and to create connections in what can be a lonely time working from home. There are chapters literally all over the world! How amazing is that? And each member has a unique perspective to share that can benefit other members.

RTS also houses a ton of resources for creative small business owners! Including an article I wrote for them on prepping your business for financial success.

Rising Tide Society Houston Chapter

I want to give a huge thanks to the ladies that came out tonight. Also to the guys- know you’re always welcome as well! 😉 The ladies that attended did so with intent to make changes in their business! If you’re a speaker or educator you know just how impactful that is! All the business owners that came out had thoughtful questions to integrate good SEO practices and conquer it.

It was an absolute joy and I’m excited to be working on a more accessible solution on SEO education!

SEO Workshop at Oh La La Dessert Boutique