Cynthia Oswald

Surface Design, Fine Art + Branding for Creatives

search engine optimization

How to Use Google Search Console to Know What to Write Next

How to Use Google Search Console to Know What to Write Next

There have been so many times I’ve sat down to write a blog post and had no idea where to start. And when you’re a solopreneur or working with a small team, that moment can feel overwhelming—because there are a hundred directions you could go, and no one to tell you what’s right.

Sometimes we get writer’s block because we’re not excited about the topic. Other times, we’re deeply passionate about something, but we’re not sure it’s what our audience actually needs. And as much as I believe in creating intuitively (and I do), I’ve also learned that content that doesn’t connect won’t do much for your business.

Over the years, I’ve published all kinds of content—some of it very strategic, and some of it just from the heart. And I’m grateful for both. Because now I can look back and say, “What actually worked?” And more importantly, “Where are the gaps between what I’ve shared and where I want to grow?”

That’s where Google Search Console comes in. It gives you a framework for getting from where you are to where you want to be—by showing you what’s already working and what’s quietly being ignored. It’s a tool I’ve come to rely on (and love!), both in my own work and with my clients.

Recently, I noticed that a blog post I wrote about motherhood, where I also talked about miniature watercolor paintings, was driving a surprising amount of traffic. But when I looked at the data, I realized people weren’t searching for my motherhood story. They were searching for miniature watercolor paintings. And while I’m glad they found the post, I also realized: I could write something more focused to actually meet them where they are.

Google Search Console gives you the kind of insight that helps you get specific. It helps you make better creative decisions—whether you’re building a blog from scratch, refreshing a website, or supporting a client who already has data but isn’t sure how to act on it.

If I could go back and tell myself one thing about blogging and SEO, it would be this: You don’t need an audience of thousands to grow your business. You just need one person to find the right post at the right time.

Why Intuition Isn’t Enough (And Why That’s Okay)

For much of my business, I’ve followed what felt right in the moment. I believe there’s something powerful—and very necessary—about honoring that kind of intuition. But when you have a lot of ideas, it helps to filter them through a lens that aligns with your goals. That’s what data does. It gives your creativity a compass.

My First Use of GSC Was Purely Technical—Until It Became Strategic

I started using Google Search Console years ago to index client websites after launch—submitting sitemaps so Google could crawl the site. It was just a step in the process. But over time, the back end became easier to understand. The interface improved. And with the rise of AI and data interpretation tools, I realized something: This wasn’t just a back-end box to check. It was a strategy tool I hadn’t been fully using.

How to Use GSC to Work Smarter, Not Just More

This brings me back to the Pareto Principle—that 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort. When I applied this principle to my own business, I mapped my biggest wins against the actions I’d taken—and realized that a few pieces of content were driving most of the interest.

With Google Search Console, you can do the same thing. You can:

  • See which pages are getting the most impressions
  • Spot which keywords are bringing people in
  • Identify where there’s opportunity to add or update content

This isn’t a guessing game. It’s a framework for clarity.

How to Use Google Search Console to Know What to Write Next

Let’s break it down. Once you’re logged into Google Search Console, you’ve connected and selected your site, here’s what to look for:

  1. Go to the “Performance” tab
    This is where you’ll find data about the search terms (queries) that are leading people to your site, along with clicks, impressions, and average position.
  2. Switch to the “Pages” tab
    Identify which blog posts or pages are getting the most visibility. These are usually your top performers—and worth updating or expanding.
  3. Now go back to “Queries” and filter by your top-performing pages
    This tells you what search terms are bringing people to specific posts. Are they searching for something that’s only briefly mentioned? That’s a gap—and an opportunity.
  4. Ask yourself: What’s missing?
    Are you ranking for terms you’ve never directly written about? That’s your cue to create a new post. Are there keywords related to your main offers that aren’t showing up at all? You may need to introduce those topics more intentionally.
  5. Create supporting content
    Use what you find to write new posts that:
    • Go deeper into a topic people are already searching for
    • Clarify or expand on an idea that’s getting traction
    • Introduce a new angle that supports your offers

This process doesn’t require any fancy SEO tools—just your existing content and a little curiosity. And best of all, you’re not starting from scratch. You’re building from what’s already working.

What Happens When You Follow the Data?

For example, one of my posts about creating cohesion started gaining unexpected traction. That told me something important: there’s an audience out there I haven’t met yet—one that’s finding me through this topic. That insight helps me write more strategically, not just randomly.

You don’t need a huge network to grow. I’ve spent two decades building strong relationships offline. But when you’re ready to scale local and beyond, this is where your website content can do the heavy lifting for you.

This Isn’t Just About “Blogs” Either

One quick myth to bust: Website content isn’t limited to a traditional blog. You don’t even need a blog to benefit from this—any page on your site can serve your audience and boost visibility when it’s built with purpose.

Also, your blog doesn’t have to look like a blog. It can be a journal, a guide, a resource library, or even a simple collection of helpful thoughts. The point is to publish content you care about in a way that helps people find you. And that’s where we begin. You can build:

  • A resource library
  • An FAQ section
  • A topic hub for your services
  • A project archive with case studies

As long as it lives on your site and answers a real question someone’s searching for, it counts. You don’t even need to enable comments or worry about keeping up with them. Your content can work for you quietly, consistently, and intentionally.

Your Website Can Reflect Your Strategy, Not Just Your Services

You’re already doing the work. Whether you’ve got a small website, a single blog post, or a full archive, Google Search Console helps you see the patterns in your effort—and turn them into a path forward. It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing what works, and building from there.

Grab the Website Visibility Checklist!

Even if you’re not an SEO expert, below are a few simple & essential steps you can implement that can make a huge difference in your site’s visibility. Opt-in below to download your free checklist now!

How to Get Your Website Found on Google: SEO Tips

How to Get Your Website Found on Google: SEO Tips

Long before I ever thought about SEO—or even knew what it was—I found myself building my first website. At the time, I was working full-time and had signed up for a single evening coding course. For years, websites had felt clunky and uninspiring to me—especially as someone who cared deeply about design. But around 2008, that started to shift. Web design was becoming more flexible, and for the first time, I saw the potential for websites to actually look beautiful. HTML and CSS started to get more flexible. Designers could do more. It started to feel creative.

I built my first website in that class and ended up offering web design at the high-end printing company I was working for at the time. We ended up growing an entire web department around that offering. But what I realized really quickly is this: it didn’t matter how beautiful the site was if nobody could find it.

Much like the Yellow Pages—if your business wasn’t listed, it didn’t exist—your site today must be found on search engines, like Google. That means SEO can’t be an afterthought. In fact, I believe that content drives design, and it also drives strategy. So when I’m working on a website, I’m not just thinking about how it looks. I’m thinking about what Google will see and how the user will experience it.

Whether you’re a creative entrepreneur, service provider, or small business owner, this post will walk you through what actually matters when it comes to search engine optimization—and how to make your website more visible to the right people.

How to Get Your Website Found on Google (Even If You’re Not a Tech Expert)

If you’re wondering how to get your website found on Google, you’re not alone. So many business owners and creatives build something beautiful—but forget about discoverability. That’s where an SEO strategy comes in.

Even if you’re not an expert, below are a few simple, essential steps that make a huge difference in your site’s visibility.

1. Beautiful Design Means Nothing If It Can’t Be Found

There are a few non-negotiables when it comes to making a site Google-friendly. These might seem obvious in 2025, but I still see them missed all the time:

  • Your site should be responsive across all devices
  • It should be legible, with clean font sizes and color contrast
  • It needs to be accessible, including screen reader compatibility and alt text

Google takes all of this into account when deciding whether or not to show your site in search results. So while these things may feel like design choices, they are very much SEO choices too.

2. Understand the Content Hierarchy Google Cares About

This is where content strategy and SEO really start to work together. Google crawls your site in a specific order, which means you need to be intentional about how your content is structured.

Here’s the order Google typically reads:

  • Page Title
  • Meta Description
  • Headlines(H1–H6)
  • Paragraph copy
  • Image alt tags

If your most important keywords aren’t showing up in your title, headers, or descriptions, you’re missing a major opportunity to get found. When I build or optimize a website, I always walk through this structure first and make sure it aligns with the keywords and phrases my client wants to rank for.

3. Use Google’s Keyword Planner (Free + Powerful)

There are lots of SEO tools out there, but honestly, my go-to for small business SEO is Google Keyword Planner, which is built right into Google Ads.

Here’s how I use it:

  • I enter keywords related to my services, offers, or content pillars
  • Google shows me the search volume, keyword variations, and trends for each one of my keywords
  • I can save those keywords and use them to optimize my content—or run ads later

If you want to improve SEO for your website, understanding what your audience is actually typing into Google is essential. And this tool gives you that information, straight from the source.

4. Submit Your Sitemap to Google Search Console

Think of Google Search Console as your direct line to Google. It tells you:

  • Which pages are being indexed
  • What terms people are searching to find you
  • How high you’re ranking for those terms
  • Whether people are clicking through

One of the first things I do after launching a site is submit the sitemap to Search Console. Most platforms generate a sitemap automatically (typically found at yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml), and by submitting it, I’m asking Google to index the full site. This helps Google understand your site structure and content—and makes it easier to show up in search results.

5. Analyze and Adjust Based on Real Data

Once Search Console is connected, the real fun begins.

Let’s say someone finds your blog post by searching “brand designer near me,” and your page is ranking in position #7. You now know two things:

  • That term is working
  • You have room to improve your visibility

I also use Google Analytics to see how long people stay on a page and where they drop off. If someone lands on your site from search but bounces immediately, it might mean:

  • The content wasn’t what they expected
  • It wasn’t relevant to the keyword they searched
  • The page didn’t clearly answer their question

You can either adjust the content to match the keyword or change the keyword to better match the content. Either way, you’re making a strategic improvement.

6. Create Content That Aligns With What People Are Already Searching For

This is one of my favorite parts. Once you know what people are searching for—and how they’re finding your existing content—you can create more content that aligns with their needs (and your goals!).

I often take the top search queries from Google Search Console and plug them back into Keyword Planner to discover related terms. Then I utilize what I discover to help me build out blog posts, service pages, or landing pages around those ideas. This help you stay visible where your audience is already looking.

Want to dive deeper into your website SEO? That’s where the SEO Strategy Pack comes in. 

Here’s the thing: knowing all of this is powerful. But having someone guide you through it and apply it to your business? That’s where real momentum happens.

My SEO Strategy Pack is a one-on-one, personalized service that helps you:

  • Audit and understand your current visibility
  • Pinpoint the best keywords for your audience
  • Build a content and SEO strategy that aligns with your goals
  • Set up the Google tools to track what matters most

Whether you’re launching something new or optimizing what you already have, this is the best next move if you want to start showing up—and showing up for the right things.

Click here to learn more about the SEO Strategy Pack

Grab the Website Visibility Checklist!

Even if you’re not an SEO expert, below are a few simple & essential steps you can implement that can make a huge difference in your site’s visibility. Opt-in below to download your free checklist now!

Build Momentum with a Smarter SEO Strategy

Build Momentum with a Smarter SEO Strategy

How to use Google tools like Search Console, Analytics, and Keyword Planner to strengthen your content strategy and amplify what’s already working

I’ve always loved the strategy behind a good chess game. I learned it from my dad—how to see the board holistically, anticipate what’s coming, and make intentional moves that pay off later.

And lately? That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling about Google Search Console.

As a designer and creative entrepreneur, I’ve spent years creating content I thought would resonate. I’ve polled my audience. I’ve followed my intuition. But nothing compares to the moment you can see—through real data—what’s working, what isn’t, and what’s possible.

Google Search Console gives you that aerial view.

It shows how people are actually finding you, what content is gaining traction, and where opportunities are hiding in plain sight.

It’s a lot like a chessboard.

Some content is worth letting go of (like a pawn sacrificed strategically). Some needs to be repositioned. And some—the kind you might’ve overlooked—has the potential to become your strongest asset (think pawn turned Queen).

The key? You have to learn how to see the board.

That’s why I created a simple, intentional process that helps you use Google’s free tools to focus on what’s working, strengthen it, and build momentum with confidence.

The Next Move SEO Strategy Framework

This four-part framework is designed to help you create content with more clarity, confidence, and traction—using tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and Google Keyword Planner. Whether you’re revisiting old blog posts or preparing for a new content push, this process will guide your next moves.

1. Connect & Collect

First, you need to know what’s actually happening on your site. That means setting up or auditing your tools—Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and Keyword Planner—so you’re not flying blind.

Look for:

  • Are your top pages being indexed?
  • What queries are driving the most traffic?
  • Where are visitors landing—and are they staying?

2. Observe & Assess

Once your tools are in place, the next step is to review your performance and spot patterns. Which content pillars are performing? What search terms are bringing people in? Which posts are leading people to take action (or not)?

Tools to explore:

  • Performance reports in Google Search Console
  • Top queries and landing pages
  • Bounce rates and time on page in Google Analytics

This is your insight phase—your view of the board.

3. Strategize & Strengthen

Here’s where it gets fun. Use Keyword Planner to find related search terms that align with your most successful content. Then revise, expand, or create connected content that builds on what’s working.

Examples:

Or maybe you’re a creative educator who’s shared a post about teaching illustration techniques in the classroom. Keyword Planner might reveal that people are also searching for digital art lesson plans, creative curriculum for middle schoolers, or teaching Adobe Illustrator to beginners. You could revise your original post to include those keywords—or create a new resource that expands on your process, helping more of the right people find and engage with your work.

Let’s say you run a CSA or small organic farm, and one of your most visited pages is about your seasonal produce. Keyword Planner might show that people are also searching for local CSA near me, organic spring vegetables, or ethical food systems. You could optimize your post to include those keywords, or write a new post about what sets your CSA apart—building SEO depth and supporting your mission.

Or maybe you’re a printer or service-based business, and your most-visited page is about custom packaging solutions. Keyword Planner might show that people are also searching for eco-friendly packaging, short-run printing services, or branded shipping materials. You could update your page to include those terms—or create a new blog post that answers common client questions, improving both search visibility and client trust.

Or you’re a school or educational organization with a popular post on project-based learning in middle school. Keyword Planner might surface related terms like integrated curriculum or hands-on education benefits. These could inform your next blog post or help optimize the original content with key phrases and internal links.

Or maybe you’re an interior designer or home builder, and you’ve written a blog post showcasing a recent project. Keyword Planner might reveal that people are also searching for natural home materials, warm minimal interiors, or custom millwork design. You could revise the post to include those terms—or create a follow-up post that dives deeper into your process, materials, or design philosophy to strengthen your visibility and authority.

4. Make Your Move

Once you have the data, you can make confident content decisions:

  • Refresh top-performing posts with new keywords and internal links
  • Plan future content based on proven search intent
  • Remove, update, or archive pages that aren’t contributing to your goals

The result? You’re not just creating more content—you’re creating the right content. And you’re doing it with strategy, not stress.

  • Think pawn turned Queen.
  • That forgotten blog post or simple service page could become your strongest lead generator—with just a few intentional moves.

Why This Framework Works

This approach helps you:

  • See what’s working (instead of guessing)
  • Use your time and creative energy wisely
  • Focus on high-impact opportunities that actually support your goals

It’s the Pareto Principle in action: 20% of your content is likely driving 80% of your results.
This framework helps you find that 20%—so you can amplify it and create more impact with less guesswork.

And the best part? You don’t need to be a tech expert.

This framework gives you clarity and direction—so your content starts working harder for you, even while you rest.

Want help applying this to your own site?

I created the SEO Strategy Pack to help creative business owners, educators, and service providers like you turn insight into momentum—without overwhelm.

It’s a one-time deep dive into your website’s performance using real data and expert strategy.

Here’s what’s included:

  • Setup or audit of Google Search Console, Analytics, and Keyword Planner
  • Strategic deep dive into your top 5 content pillars
  • A curated list of 25+ page-level opportunities with keyword suggestions
  • A custom PDF report with 3–4 weeks of data, next steps, and insights
  • A 60-minute 1:1 strategy session
  • A short training video for you or your team
  • [Optional] A follow-up call to review and align on next steps

✨ And for a limited time, I’m also offering an evergreen Google Ads setup as an add-on—so you can amplify what’s already working and reach more of the right people.

Click here to book your SEO Strategy Pack

Let’s turn your creative strengths into a thriving business—without burnout.

Is your website optimized to reach its fullest potential in search engines? Whether you’re looking to improve your site’s SEO strategy or start building a strong online presence from the ground up, I’m here to help. Let’s discuss how we can increase your visibility and attract more of your ideal customers. Reach out for a personalized SEO consultation, and together, we’ll ensure your website not just exists but stands out and attracts the audience it deserves.

Book Your SEO Strategy Consultation

What Makes a Good Website?

What Makes a Good Website?
The Anatomy of a Successful Website

I remember the early days of the internet when websites served merely as functional platforms, holding basic information without much attention to user experience or design. It wasn’t until around 2007 or 2008 that I began noticing a shift towards websites that not only functioned well but also looked beautiful—this transformation inspired me to learn coding. At the time, I was working at a high-end printing company, assisting artists with their marketing materials, and I could see the need for added exposure. A website was not just a place to get more eyes on their work but also to create a digital portfolio that would enable them to be in more places at once. Not to mention the ability to sell directly online. Obviously, there’s more to it than just having a website. Consumers won’t spend time on a site if it’s poorly designed, if they can’t find what they’re looking for, if it takes too long to load, among other issues. Which begs the question: What makes a good website?

5 Must-Haves For A Great Website

While websites, much like businesses, are not one-size-fits-all, there are a few key elements to consider as you build your site. First and foremost, make sure that you consider the content at the forefront of your design. Content drives design, so focusing on it first ensures you meet your goals and provide real value. You’ll also need to make sure that when people land on your site, they stick around, and a big part of that is ensuring your site is user-friendly. Building trust online is another crucial element. Establishing brand consistency and alignment should be considered throughout your site, ensuring the design reflects your brand values and mission. Finally, make sure that all of your hard work doesn’t go to waste by considering SEO as a key part of your site strategy.

When was the last time you went to Google with a question? Every single time someone searches online for a product or service related to what you are offering is a chance for exposure. So, let’s delve in to each of these must-haves so you can make sure your website stands out and catches your audience’s attention. 

Comprehensive Content: The Backbone of Your Website

Becoming a web designer made me a better content strategist, writer, and brand designer. I’ve always believed that a design can only be as good as its substance, which is especially true for websites. Web design is one key component, but it comes after thoughtful consideration of our goals, our customers, and our overall brand strategy. Quality content is what will actually help us be found online and meet our customers’ needs. If you are not clear on who your audience is and what they are looking for when they search for your product or service, that is the first step you should take. Spend some time becoming really familiar with your ideal customer, what they are hoping to achieve, and how you or your business is uniquely positioned to help them.

After defining your audience, the next step is to develop your content strategy by establishing content pillars (or key themes/topics within your content). These pillars act as anchors for your content, helping you to develop, organize, and maintain consistency in your messaging. Writing without these content anchors can feel a bit like running a marathon that never ends. But by clearly defining what content your site will include and where it belongs, you can break the writing process into manageable sections. 

I like to create a wireframe of the entire site before the design phase to see where we are with our content. Do we need to create anything new? Should it be broken apart across pages? What do we already have that we can make use of? This is a really helpful tool in planning a site and saving your sanity. This stage also gives you an opportunity for a little creative dreaming too. Since a wireframe is essentially a blueprint for your site, you can think about what type of imagery should accompany the text without actually having the imagery readily available. This not only allows you to dream up what your site could look like (in addition to the content), but will also enable you to see if you need a brand photoshoot, video session, brand illustrations, or even stock photography to accompany the text.

The next, equally important, content consideration for your wireframe are the calls to action. After all, you created the site to give them a place to find you, so don’t forget to include key calls-to-action after blog posts, throughout longer-form content, and above the page fold for those quick-start individuals who are ready from the start.

User-Friendly Design: Enhancing User Experience on Your Website

To put it as simply as possible, the user experience of your website is paramount. Many users will abandon a site never to return if they can’t find what they’re looking for quickly, if the design is outdated, or if the loading time is too long. So, investing time to consider how someone might experience your site is well worth the effort. Ensure ease of navigation by providing clear and accessible menus, both primary and secondary. And make sure you have methods for users to search and find what they need if your site contains extensive information.

Additionally, your site should be responsive, adapting seamlessly across different screen sizes. This used to be a more challenging task, but modern website builder tools have mostly simplified the process. Whether someone is viewing your site on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone, the design should appear professional, thoughtful, cohesive, and most importantly, user friendly. Consider what is visible on the screen at any given time, create natural breaks on the page, offer clear calls-to-action, and maintain an aesthetic that enhances overall site navigability. 

Loading time is another critical element of user experience. Did you know many people will leave a site and never return if it loads too slowly? Optimizing loading times can be managed through your web host and content management system, which often offer plugins or optimization reports. And make sure your images are web-optimized before uploading them to your site, as this can prevent slow loading times (and excessive hosting costs) without sacrificing user engagement.

Building Trust Online: Securing and Humanizing Your Website

Building trust online can be achieved in a number of ways—but the most important is through security. First and foremost, make sure you have an SSL certificate installed on your website. Most web hosts will automate this process for you, but there are still a few that make this confusing and less accessible. I work primarily with Siteground and Shopify, both of which make this process easy. Additionally, it’s important to be transparent about the data you collect, especially if you use tools like Google Analytics. Not every regional location requires transparency with the collection of user data, but it’s worth considering as it may become standard.

Another way we can humanize your content and build trust simultaneously is to incorporate testimonials, reviews, or case studies throughout your site. Practical applications of your product or service help to tell the story of your brand and build credibility with your audience. I love to use reviews and testimonials as a way to break information up or create natural page breaks throughout the content. I would recommend incorporating testimonials on any page that speaks directly about your product or service, your business, and also on your homepage. After all, how many times have you allowed a review or testimonial to influence your purchasing decisions?

Lastly, make sure you include contact details. Whether it be a form, email address, phone number, or some combination of the three, you want to make it really easy for the user to reach you. Giving them a way to connect directly with you will build trust and ultimately make the user feel more at ease with making a purchase, even if they don’t reach out.

Brand Alignment: Creating Consistency Across Your Web Presence

A large part of every website project I work on is creating brand consistency and secondary elements that align with the brand. This is one of the most exciting parts of the process for me. Working on websites compels us to look holistically at both visual and written content to determine what is necessary to make a significant impact on your audience. When considering brand alignment, it’s essential to refer to your brand board or style guide to identify the colors, fonts, icons, and other secondary branding elements you already have.

It’s also crucial to create a wish list for your brand—items such as a brand photoshoot, videography session, custom illustrations, or stock photography can be used during the launch and incorporated into your marketing materials. These elements work together to create consistency, connect with your audience, evoke a feeling, and build trust and recognition with your customers. This part of the process can be exhilarating! While it might be tempting to start from scratch, it is advisable to utilize established elements of your brand for consistency and recognition. However, this is also a great opportunity to introduce new secondary elements that complement your brand and help tell your story, making you excited to share your offers with the right people. If you don’t have an established brand, this is an excellent place to start. 

SEO Strategy: Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines

Last but certainly not least is your SEO. In fact, your site really starts with your SEO by way of content strategy. SEO strategy and content strategy are tightly intertwined, which is why it’s crucial to begin your website project by identifying key phrases and defining the type of content you want to be known for (i.e. your content pillars). Then you use these key phrases to anchor your content, which in turn helps to optimize your site for the search terms you want to show up for. Additionally, it’s essential to integrate tools like Google Analytics to monitor your performance over time and Google Search Console to ensure your site is indexed by Google. These tools should be connected as soon as your site goes live.

SEO is most effective when your content is intentionally crafted. Page titles, descriptions, image alt tags, headings, and the copy throughout your site all play significant roles in how well your site ranks with search engines. Paying close attention to these elements throughout the project is vital. However, it’s equally important to review everything towards the end of the project. Ensuring you’re using all available tools and double-checking your work will greatly enhance your site’s visibility when your target audience searches for your products or services online.

Conclusion: The Dynamic Nature of Websites

When crafting your website, remember that it’s an evolving platform that can adapt and grow alongside your business. Websites are inherently malleable, designed to evolve and respond to your growing needs and changing technologies. So embrace the journey—start with what you have, and refine as you go. But remember, your website is your primary digital platform, and it’s an important space where your brand lives and breathes. The effort you put into creating a user-friendly, content-rich, and visually cohesive site will help you not only establish your online presence, but it will help you connect with your audience, turning them from site visitors to loyal clients or customers. Every step forward is a step towards a more engaging and successful website.

web designer

Is your website optimized to reach its fullest potential in search engines? Whether you’re looking to improve your site’s SEO strategy or start building a strong online presence from the ground up, I’m here to help. Let’s discuss how we can increase your visibility and attract more of your ideal customers. Reach out for a personalized SEO consultation, and together, we’ll ensure your website not just exists but stands out and attracts the audience it deserves.

Book Your Web Design Consultation

Choosing the Best Website Platform for You

Which website platform is right for you?

Almost daily I’m running into the question from small business owners—which website platform is right for me? There isn’t one right answer. The answer depends on how large your business is, what type of business you are running, and what you plan to do with your site and offers over time. I personally work in WordPress and Shopify. Do I recommend WordPress or Shopify to everyone? Absolutely not. I wholeheartedly believe in guiding people to the best platform for them. That means that I have questions for them. I look for the best answer based on their unique needs. All that said, let’s dive into the different platforms I’m most familiar with—who they are for and what are some of the positives for each. And just because you might not see a platform on this list doesn’t mean it’s not a good fit. Just be sure to understand who the platform is best serving, what the limitations might be based on your unique needs, and what the investment will be from (considering design, development, and hosting) in order to assess whether a website platform is right for you and your business. 

WordPress

Who is WordPress for?

WordPress is an excellent option for anyone who is blogging long-form content to grow their audience. It works well for service providers who aren’t selling products on their site. It’s an excellent option for anyone looking to build a static website to promote their business. It can also work as an educational platform by integrating a plugin. If you have a multi-faceted business with multiple streams and offers, WordPress may be a solution for you.

The Positives:

  • As an open-source platform, anyone can contribute to the platform making it flexible and compatible with most integrations.
  • There is always a plugin solution for almost anything you can imagine with WordPress.
  • The platform started out heavy in the blogging arena and therefore is one of the best blogging solutions out there.
  • It’s also a desirable option if you are looking to optimize your content for organic searches—SEO.
  • It can be fully customized by your designer/developer to match your brand exactly as you wish.
  • With the latest page builder interface—Gutenberg—it is something you can maintain on your own vs. hiring a web designer/developer to continue editing over time.
ShowIt

Who is ShowIt for?

ShowIt is also an excellent solution for bloggers, service providers, and anyone looking for mostly static websites. They have an extremely attractive theme library, making it a desirable option for someone how wants a beautiful blogging site without a ton of work. ShowIt is gaining more traction online these days due to influencers who have marketed the platform. It actually utilizes the WordPress platform—meaning that it’s building off of WordPress. That said, depending on your specific needs and your budget you might consider using WordPress instead.

The Positives:

  • Showit offers a drag-and-drop website builder that makes it easy to create a professional-looking website without any coding skills.
  • It has a wide range of customizable templates and design options to choose from, making it easy to create a unique and attractive website.
  • Showit offers seamless integration with WordPress, making it a good option for bloggers who want to combine the flexibility of WordPress with the ease of use of Showit.
  • It offers excellent customer support and resources, including a helpful community forum and chat support.
Shopify

Who is Shopify for?

Shopify is for small to medium-sized businesses that want to create an online store to sell products or services (e-commerce).

The Positives:

  • Shopify is a user-friendly platform that allows you to set up an online store quickly and easily.
  • The platform offers a range of templates and customization options, which makes it easy to create a professional-looking website.
  • Shopify provides a range of features, including payment processing, inventory management, and shipping integration.
  • The platform has a large app store that allows you to add extra functionality to your store.
Squarespace

Who is Squarespace for?

Squarespace is for small businesses, freelancers, and individuals who want to create a professional-looking website without the need for coding or technical skills.

The Positives:

  • Squarespace provides a range of beautiful templates that are easy to customize, making it easy to create a professional-looking website.
  • The platform offers a range of features, including e-commerce functionality, blogging, and social media integration.
  • Squarespace provides good support and resources to help users create and manage their websites.
  • The platform is mobile-responsive, which means that your website will look good on all devices.
Kajabi

Who is Kajabi for?

Kajabi is designed specifically for entrepreneurs, coaches, and online course creators who want to create and sell digital products and courses.

The Positives:

  • Kajabi offers an all-in-one platform that includes website hosting, email marketing, landing pages, and sales funnel tools, making it easy to manage all aspects of your online business in one place.
  • It has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create and customize your website, even if you don’t have any coding experience.
  • Kajabi offers advanced marketing and analytics tools, including the ability to track customer behavior and create targeted marketing campaigns.
  • It has excellent customer support, including live chat and email support.
Thinkific

Who is Thinkific for?

Thinkific is designed specifically for online course creators who want to create and sell digital courses.

The Positives:

  • Thinkific offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create and customize your online course, even if you don’t have any coding experience.
  • It has a wide range of customizable templates and design options to choose from, making it easy to create a unique and attractive online course.
  • Thinkific offers advanced marketing and analytics tools, including the ability to track customer behavior and create targeted marketing campaigns.
  • It has excellent customer support, including live chat and email support.
Circle

Who is Circle for?

Circle is an online community platform that can be used by businesses, creators, and organizations to build a community around their brand. It’s an excellent option for those who want to create a private community or membership site where members can interact with each other and access exclusive content.

The Positives:

  • Circle provides a user-friendly interface that allows you to create a community and membership site quickly and easily.
  • You can customize the design of your community to match your brand and create a personalized experience for your members.
  • Circle integrates with various payment gateways, making it easy to charge for membership or access to exclusive content.
  • You can create multiple membership levels, each with its own pricing, content, and access.
  • You can also create automated email sequences to engage with your members and keep them up to date on new content or community events.
Mighty Networks

Who is Mighty Networks for?

Mighty Networks is for creators, entrepreneurs, and organizations who want to build their own community or membership site to connect with like-minded people, share content, and sell products or services.

The Positives:

  • Mighty Networks provides a simple and easy-to-use platform for building online communities and membership sites.
  • It offers features like discussion forums, event management, and course creation tools, which are useful for creators and entrepreneurs.
  • Mighty Networks allows you to monetize your community by selling courses, digital products, and subscriptions.
  • The platform provides a white-label option, which allows you to customize the look and feel of your community to match your brand.

In closing, choosing the right website platform is an important decision for any small business owner. The best platform depends on the size of the business, the type of business, and the website’s intended purpose. When considering which platform to choose, it is important to consider the investment, including design, development, and hosting costs. While each platform has its positives and negatives, it is essential to assess which platform best serves a business’s unique needs.

Please note: website platforms are changing and growing everyday. The information above may change overtime. This is a short and inconclusive list to help guide you and point you in the right direction. Thorough research is needed on your part in order to determine the best platform for you.

Is your website optimized to reach its fullest potential in search engines? Whether you’re looking to improve your site’s SEO strategy or start building a strong online presence from the ground up, I’m here to help. Let’s discuss how we can increase your visibility and attract more of your ideal customers. Reach out for a personalized SEO consultation, and together, we’ll ensure your website not just exists but stands out and attracts the audience it deserves.

Book Your Web Design Consultation

Adding CTAs to Your Website

website success tips

Best placement for calls to action on your website

Top 3 Things to Consider When Adding CTAs to Your Website

  1. What’s the number 1 goal of your website? Be sure to create CTAs (calls to action) throughout pointing users to that goal/next steps
  2. Include one above the page fold on each page, and throughout the content, as well as the bottom of every page
  3. Make it easy for your user to know what their next action should be

Today’s tip is all about creating calls to action throughout your website and making sure that you share it in the most important locations on your site. You are going to include it in your menu, which essentially are different calls to action, but you also want to have a button or some specific highlighted call to action below the intro copy so that people know exactly where they should be going next after they read that information. Always be thinking about what the number one goal of the page is and then make sure that your call to action relates specifically to that goal and points the user to the next logical location. 

Examples of CTA’s are: 

  • make a purchase
  • sign up for your email newsletter
  • learn more about a service
  • contact
  • schedule a call

You want to relate back to what’s the number one goal for that page and the content and really, your website overall. You would think that creating calls to action would be very natural, but a lot of times we overlook it and just think that people will find what they need to do by looking through the menu. As the user is scrolling through content, they may decide to jump off the page and take action on what you are sharing so include CTAs throughout the copy/pages in natural locations. Sometimes it looks like having four different links that all lead to the exact same location from one page. Website visitors are looking for next steps, so making it really obvious is going to be helpful for them and it’s going to make the user experience better. 

I have one more tip in this series all about consistent spacing and then I’ll be moving on to the next series. If you want to see a full list of all my top website tips, download my FREE Website Checklist!

Is your website optimized to reach its fullest potential in search engines? Whether you’re looking to improve your site’s SEO strategy or start building a strong online presence from the ground up, I’m here to help. Let’s discuss how we can increase your visibility and attract more of your ideal customers. Reach out for a personalized SEO consultation, and together, we’ll ensure your website not just exists but stands out and attracts the audience it deserves.

Book Your Web Design Consultation