Episode #122: SEO Made Simple: How to Get Found on Google Without Being an Expert

GREAT NEWS!! Right now, at this very moment, your dream clients are searching for the exact products and solutions that you offer!!

… But they might not be able to find you!

If those three little letters “SEO” make you break out in a cold sweat, you’re not alone. If you’ve been putting off optimizing your website, that ends right here, right now. (I promise, I’ll be gentle)

Search Engine Optimization often feels like this mysterious, complicated 3-headed beast that only tech experts can tame.

But what if I told you that by the end of this article, you could have a simple plan to change that forever? No marketing degree required. No endless hours of keyword research. Just practical, bite-sized steps that actually work.

Listen to this Episode Here

What Is SEO Anyway? (The Plain English Explanation)

Let’s start with the absolute basics. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In plain English, it’s the process of making your website and content more visible to search engines like Google.

Think about how you use Google yourself. When you need to find something, you type in a question or a few keywords, and Google presents you with a list of options. SEO is all about helping your business appear higher on that list for searches relevant to what you do.

There are three main components of SEO:

1. On-page SEO: Everything you do on your actual website to help search engines understand your content (using the right keywords, organizing with clear headings, etc.)
   
2. Off-page SEO: Getting other reputable websites to link back to your site (like votes of confidence that tell Google your content is trustworthy)
   
3. Technical SEO: The behind-the-scenes stuff (making your site mobile-friendly, secure, and properly indexed)

But here’s the good news: you don’t need to become an expert in all three areas (I mean, unless you want to…. go wild if you want to!)

For most small businesses and entrepreneurs, focusing on the basics of on-page SEO will get you 80% of the results with about 20% of the effort.

This is especially important when you consider that Google processes over 8.5 billion searches per day!

That’s a lot of people looking for solutions, and your job is to make sure your content matches what they’re actually searching for.

5 Simple SEO Strategies That Actually Work

Forget complicated technical jargon and expensive tools. ❌

These proven strategies focus on what really matters: connecting your expertise with the people actively searching for it. You can implement these today, even if tech makes you nervous.

Strategy #1: Ask Yourself What Questions Your Ideal Clients Are Asking

Take your top 3-5 services or products and write down what questions someone might ask when they’re looking for that solution. Don’t overthink this! Just imagine you’re having coffee with someone who needs your help. What would they ask you?

For example, if you’re a virtual assistant, these questions might include:

• “How do I know if I need a virtual assistant?”
• “What tasks can I outsource to a VA?”
• “How much does a virtual assistant cost?”

Each of these questions represents a different search intent, and each one is an opportunity for you to create content that answers that specific question.

Strategy #2: Create Content That Actually Answers Those Questions

Once you know what questions your ideal clients are asking, it’s time to create content that directly answers those questions. The key here is specificity.

Instead of creating one general blog post about virtual assistant services, create specific content for each individual question:

• “10 Signs It’s Time to Hire a Virtual Assistant”
• “23 Tasks You Can Outsource to a VA Today”
• “Virtual Assistant Pricing Guide: What to Expect and How to Budget”

Each piece of content should have:

1. A clear, specific title that includes the main keyword or question
2. An introduction that quickly shows you understand the problem
3. Content that directly answers the question without fluff
4. Practical next steps and a clear call to action

My favorite simple hack: Use the question as your headline, word for word. If someone is searching “How much does a virtual assistant cost?” and your headline is “How Much Does a Virtual Assistant Cost? A Complete Pricing Guide” … you’re immediately signaling to both Google and the person searching that your content = what they’re looking for.

HubSpot research shows that websites that blog consistently generate 55% more traffic than those that don’t. And it’s not just about creating new content, even updating old blog posts with fresh content can increase organic traffic by up to 106%!

And for those of you thinking about using AI to help with your content creation? You’re ahead of the curve! Gartner predicts that AI-generated content is expected to power at least 90% of all online content by 2026. Just make sure you’re always adding your personal experience and expertise to keep it unique and valuable.

Strategy #3: Make Your Content Easy for Google to Understand

Now that you have great content that actually answers your ideal client’s questions, you need to make sure Google can easily understand what your content is about.

Don’t worry… this isn’t the technical part that scares everyone away from SEO. Here are the only technical SEO elements you really need to worry about:

1. Page Title (H1 heading): This should clearly state what the page is about and include your main keyword. Keep it under 60 characters so it displays fully in search results.
   
2. Meta Description: Think of this as your “search result ad copy.” It should entice people to click through to your website. Aim to keep it under 155 characters and make sure it also includes your main keyword.
   
3. Subheadings (H2 or H3): Use these to break up your content. This helps both readers and Google understand the structure of your content. Each subheading should be descriptive and can include related keywords.
   
4. Mobile-Friendly Content: Google prioritizes mobile-friendly content, so make sure you check how your site looks on your phone.

Pro Tool Tip: If you’re using WordPress, download the free Yoast SEO plugin. It gives you little red, yellow-ish/orange, and green lights to show you if you’ve optimized these elements correctly. Just follow the prompts until you get a green light!

Strategy #4: Build Authority Through Internal Linking (My Secret Weapon!)

Psst! This strategy is my favorite, because almost nobody talks about how powerful it is for small business SEO.

Internal linking simply means linking from one page on your website to another page within your website.

It helps Google understand the relationship between your content and which pages on your website are most important.

Here’s how to do it:

• Every time you create a new piece of content, link to 2-3 other relevant pages on your site
  
• Go back to your existing content to add links to your new content
  
• Always think “where to next?” when picturing your ideal customer’s journey as they navigate your website

Think of your website like a journey. Where do you want readers to go next?

I even have a Post-it note stuck to my computer monitor that says “Where to next?” as a constant reminder. You don’t want any dead ends in your customer’s journey on your website, because dead ends mean they click away and exit your site.

For example, if you write that pricing guide for virtual assistant services, you might link to your services page, your “How to Work With Me” page, and perhaps a case study or testimonial page.

This creates pathways for both Google and your readers to discover more of your content.

It keeps people on your site longer (which Google loves!) and helps establish your expertise on related topics. The best part? It takes about 5 minutes to do, and has a huge impact on your SEO over time.

Strategy #5: Optimize for Local SEO (If You Serve a Local Market)

If you have a local business or serve clients in a specific geographic area, local SEO is your new best friend.

It’s actually easier to rank for local searches because you’re only competing with other businesses in your area, not the entire world wide web.

This is huge, because according to Google, local searches lead 76% of mobile users to visit a business within 24 hours.

That means when someone searches for a service in their area, 3 out of 4 people are looking to take action right away!

Here’s a super simple local SEO checklist:

1. Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business): This is completely free and essential for local businesses. Verify your business, add correct business hours, upload good photos, choose the right categories for what you do, and add your services/products.
   
2. Get consistent with your NAP (Name, Address, Phone number): Make sure your information is exactly the same across your website, Google Business Profile, and any other online directories.
   
3. Encourage happy clients to leave Google reviews: Reviews are huge for local SEO, and the easiest way to get them is simply to ask. After a positive interaction, send a follow-up email with a direct link to your Google review page.

These three simple steps will put you ahead of 80% of local businesses when it comes to showing up in local searches.

What About Keyword Research?

Isn’t keyword research a huge part of SEO? Yes, it’s important, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Here’s my simplified approach that doesn’t require fancy, expensive tools or hours of research:

1. Start with Google’s autocomplete: Type the beginning of a question your ideal customers might ask into Google and see what suggestions pop up (don’t hit enter). These are actual searches people are making.
   
2. Check the bottom of search results pages: Scroll to find the “Related searches” section – these are more great keyword ideas.
   
3. Look at “People also ask” boxes: These show you related questions people are asking about your topic.

That’s it! This gives you real search data without needing expensive keyword tools or complicated spreadsheets.

If you do want to go a step further, I recommend the free tool Keywords Everywhere, or upgrade to their basic plan (only $6/month for 400,000 credits). It shows you search volume data right in your Google search results – plenty for most small businesses.

If you want to learn more about how to use Keywords Everywhere, check out the AI in Action episode of Tech Savvy 101 I did, all about this easy to use keyword research tool.

Episode #113: Keyword Research Made Easy: A Beginner’s Guide to SEO with Keywords Everywhere

How Long Does SEO Take to Work?

Here’s the honest truth: SEO is not an overnight strategy.

It typically takes about 3-6 months to start seeing significant results from your SEO efforts. But the good news is that once you start ranking, these results tend to snowball over time.

Think of SEO like planting seeds in your business garden. You’re not going to get tomatoes tomorrow, but with consistent care, you’ll eventually have more than you can eat. This is an essential part of your evergreen business strategy.

The key here is consistency. It’s much better to publish one well-optimized blog post every month than to publish 10 in one month and then nothing for the rest of the year.

And the return on investment? It’s pretty freakin’ incredible:

• SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate compared to only 1.7% for outbound leads like cold calling. That means people who find you through search are nearly 9 times more likely to become customers than people you chase down.
  
• Businesses that invest in SEO see an average ROI of 275% over time. That’s an insane return for any business investment!
  
• If you’re thinking about adding video to your content strategy, that’s another SEO win. Forrester Research found that pages with video content are 53 times more likely to rank on the first page of Google. That’s not 53%… that’s 53X more likely!

SEO Myths You Can Totally Ignore

There’s so much misinformation out there about SEO that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed before you even start (or decide to completely ignore SEO altogether because it just feels too dang overwhelming…)

Let’s bust some of the most common myths that might be holding you back from taking action on your SEO strategy.

Myth #1: You need to pay thousands for SEO experts or you can’t rank.

❌ WRONG. While good SEO professionals are definitely worth their weight in gold, many small businesses can handle their basic SEO needs in-house with just the strategies we’ve discussed today.

Myth #2: You need to stuff your content with keywords to rank.

❌ WRONG. Keyword stuffing can actually hurt your rankings. Google’s priority is providing valuable content to searchers, not rewarding people who cram the most keywords onto a page.

Myth #3: SEO is all about technical backend stuff.

❌ WRONG. While technical SEO does matter, content quality and relevance are far more important for most small businesses. Focus on creating content that answers real questions that real people are asking.

Myth #4: Once you rank, you’re set forever.

❌ WRONG. SEO does require ongoing attention. Search trends change, competitors emerge, and Google updates its algorithm. The good news is that if you’re regularly creating helpful content, you’re already doing the most important maintenance.

Your Simple SEO Action Plan

Here’s your simple action plan for implementing SEO in your business that doesn’t require you to become an expert or spend hours on complicated strategies.

Remember, the most important things are:

1. Understanding what questions your ideal customers are asking
   
2. Creating content that directly answers those questions
   
3. Making that content easy for both people and Google to understand
   
4. Being consistent with your content creation

This approach to SEO is all about connecting with the right people who are already looking for what you offer, rather than trying to convince people who just aren’t interested. (I’m looking at you, social media!!)

Ready to Take Your SEO Strategy to the Next Level?

If you’re excited about implementing these strategies but want a complete system for creating content that drives traffic to your business 24/7, I have something special for you.

I’m opening up the waitlist for my AI Evergreen Content Machine course, where I’ll teach you exactly how to use SEO strategies combined with AI tools to create content that continues to bring you traffic, generate dream leads, and bring in sales for months or even years to come.

Inside AI Evergreen Content Machine, you’ll learn:

• How to identify the perfect SEO topics for your specific business
  
• My step-by-step system for creating content that ranks on Google without spending hours on keyword research
  
• How to use AI tools to speed up your content creation process without losing your unique voice
  
• The exact content repurposing framework I use to turn one piece of content into multiple assets that work across platforms
  
• My proven strategy for creating content that drives traffic AND converts that traffic into actual customers

This isn’t about getting more traffic, it’s about creating a consistent, automated system that brings qualified leads to your business without needing to do cringeworthy social trends or live on your phone 24/7.

To join the waitlist and be first to know when doors open, click here.

Resources From This Episode of Tech Savvy 101: AI & Automation Made Simple

• Yoast SEO Plugin for WordPress – Free tool to optimize your WordPress site
• Keywords Everywhere – Affordable keyword research tool
• Episode #113: Keyword Research Made Easy – A Beginner’s Guide to SEO With Keywords Everywhere
• AI Evergreen Content Machine Waitlist – Get first access when doors open

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FAQs About Simple SEO

Do I need to blog every week for SEO to work? No! Consistency is more important than frequency. One high-quality post per month that truly answers your audience’s questions is much better than four weekly rushed posts.

Is SEO still worth it with all the AI tools and social media platforms available? Absolutely! Unlike social media platforms where your content quickly disappears from feeds, SEO allows you to build assets that continue working for you 24/7, often for years.

What if I’m not a good writer? You don’t need to be Ernest Hemingway to create effective SEO content. Focus on clearly answering questions in your authentic voice. AI tools can also help polish your writing if needed. I’m a huge fan of Grammarly!

How much should I budget for SEO as a small business? With the strategies in this article, your main investment will be time rather than money. The most cost-effective approach is to start with these DIY strategies and consider hiring experts only after you’ve mastered the basics.

If you are looking to jump straight into investing in tools or services, however, my recommendation is Otto by Search Atlas. It’s relatively simple to use, as it’s a pixel you install on your website once (with easy to follow tutorials for how to do this) and can save you hours, if not days, of time implementing your SEO and keyword strategy across your entire business.