Brittany Herzberg (00:03.982)
Hello and welcome to the Basic Bee Podcast. I'm your host and favorite SEO coach, Brittany Herzberg. And I am coming to you fresh off of the summer SEO challenge that we had, which was so fun. It was three days. We had a telegram group. Everybody had homework that they could fill in, submit toward winning a free SEO day. So I'm excited to announce the winner of that next week. But one of the coolest things that we had happen was we had a live call. And on the live call,
It was great to get feedback about how everything was set up, the wins that people were having, aha moments that people were having. And then of course we talked through not just what transpired and how on day one, two, and three we had different audits. So day one, they were looking at their website to look for just missed opportunities, gaps, things, places that SEO could help them with on their website. Day two, they were looking for those missed opportunities of SEO on their social media profiles.
And then on day three, the focus was on auditing their content. So they found a lot of good things. They found some stuff that was already going well. And then they found a lot of things that they could go in and improve upon. So that's the whole point, right? Like SEO is basically extra credit for business owners. And I want people to know what those areas of opportunity are on their website, off-site, in their content. So we were able to take a look at that. And on this live call, also we were talking about next steps. So one of those.
The big next step being to optimize their website for SEO if they haven't already done that, not just the homepage, but about page services, pages, contact page, podcast page, blog page, you name it. It's like all of these different opportunities to improve the bat signal on those pages. And that is exactly what we do in the SEO sprint. So naturally that brought up a lot of really good questions. And I want to bring those questions to you. I'm going to talk about some FAQs, of course, that are on the sales page, but
Also some stuff that you won't find on the sales page that have just been questions and answers coming up in DMs on that call in emails, things like that. So buckle up. We have a lot of information to talk about, my friend. First of all, when is this SEO sprint happening? Of course. That is question number one. So this next sprint is happening on August 10th. It's running for two weeks. That's how I have the sprint set up for right now. And then after that, the next sprint that's coming up beyond August is starting on October 5th. So August 10th.
Brittany Herzberg (02:28.15)
October 5th, one of the questions that came up was, Yes, you can sign up in advance for an SEO sprint. And when you do that, you lock in a 30-minute kickoff call with me. And you could either do that as a 30-minute live call, or if you just want to hop on for like asynchronous support in Telegram for a little bit one day, we can totally do that too. Whatever works for you. I'm happy to meet you where you're at. We have four calls that happen during these sprints. So for this upcoming one, it's Monday, August 10th, Wednesday, August twelfth.
Friday, August 14th, and then August 19th. So those are the calls that are happening. Another question that people ask is how much time can I expect this to take? And again, this is a guesstimate. This is based on other people, their lives, what's going on for them, what I'm hearing, what I'm planning for as I created this sprint and all of these tasks for you. All of these, it's only five tasks. But you can plan for about one to two hours each day.
That includes the time that's on the live calls and any additional focus work time to actually complete those tasks. The entire experience is structured so you can easily weave it into your day and make actual moves on your SEO. And I've had moms do this. I've had people who have had an unexpected loss do this. I've had people who are moving through launches or website rewrites. It's like they come in, they make the time to get this stuff done. And usually one to two hours a day does the trick. Again, it's two weeks.
And this is not intended for SEO to take over your life. That's the entire point of this, is that SEO can seamlessly weave in. So I am, of course, reviewing everything, every step of the way. There are five tasks, like I said. So you start by identifying your North Star. You answer those three questions of who do I help? How do I help them? Why me? Then you go and actually find the best keywords. You do some keyword research.
You list your seven to ten pages that you're gonna be working on during the sprint. Then you build out your SEO strategies. And the final thing is that you're plugging them into your website. And I'm checking the work every step of the way. So a lot of people are like, I don't want to mess it up. I will not let you mess it up between pep talks and Telegram, pep talks on coaching calls, clarification on coaching calls, comments in your Google Doc. Like, I will not let you not do this well. It's just not gonna happen. So you do the task.
Brittany Herzberg (04:50.348)
You submit the stuff, I review it, I share feedback. I'm gonna say a little bit more about this here shortly. So I'm not gonna get too in the weeds there. If you are someone who is, I mentioned that people have gone through this and they've been rewriting their website copy. If you're doing that, if you're rebranding, if you are building out a brand new site, I've had people go through the sprint in all of those stages. It's actually really a wonderful idea to have this SEO tool alongside you as you're doing copy rewrites, as you're rebranding, because
Lots of different things evolve. It's not just a color palette and a font set. It's also like the words that are on the page and being more intentional and knowing where to be more intentional with those words. So it's a beautiful tag team partner for that. A lot of people also are like, I've tried SEO before, I've handed it off to someone before. Maybe they have a little bit of like trust stuff that's happening there, which I totally understand. And you haven't done SEO with me.
I make it fun. I make it approachable. I make it doable. And I can say that confidently because I've had so many students go through any of my programs, any of my workshops, and tell me that. So it's a point of pride for me. I really do work so hard to make sure that this stuff is clear, understandable. I'm there for questions. I'm guiding you. Like I said, I'm reviewing stuff along the way. So if you've gone to one or two SEO workshops, if you've gone through a course, if you've handed off SEO and maybe things didn't go to plan.
Maybe your eyes glazed over like Michelle's did. I'll link her a podcast episode because it was a really great one. Just know that there's another way to do things. And that's what I'm here for. And that's what I get to introduce you to. Do I need to do anything before the SEO sprint starts? The only two things I need you to do is fill out a questionnaire and you get all of this information, both in the program hub as well as your welcome email. And I want you to ensure that you have set up Google Search Console and Google Analytics.
And ideally you'll share them with me. And there's steps and video tutorials for all of that in the onboarding stuff. But having those two things, the questionnaire answers, really helps me understand where you're at, where you want to go, your level of familiarity with SEO. And by having Google Analytics and Search Console set up, it helps you with that very last step of what we do in the sprint. So that's it. Just those two things. And then once the sprint is over, you do have the option of going into SEO and Grow.
Brittany Herzberg (07:15.486)
If you want to see a behind the scenes video tutorial of what the program hub looks like and what telegram looks like and what we're actually moving through, I do have that video. It's in one of the answers on that FAQ section of the sales page. So all of that is below. Another question I've been getting a lot is at the end of two weeks, what will actually be completed? Will there still be work for me to finish afterward? So the goal is for you to have a completed and implemented SEO strategy.
For seven to 10 core website pages. I'm reviewing everything. I'm available for support as you implement. So the idea is know that you will not have more to follow up on post sprint for those type of things, that part of the SEO. The next steps, however, are then going to be optimizing your social media profiles or directory listings, guesting assets for podcasts or guest speaking, anything like that, and to start blogging regularly. And those are things that you can do on your own, or you can go into SEO and grow.
For more support. So SEO and Grow is a three month group coaching program. I'm actually taking the entire month of August to pause and to restructure that because I have had it built in such a way that it was including the stuff that we do in the sprint now. But it's more like I've peeled away the website component that is now living exclusively in the sprint. SEO and Grow is going to be a place where you can work on your content, like blogs, optimizing that for SEO, podcast SEO.
And any of those off-site things, the directory listings, the social media profiles, and then maintain is the third thing if you want to go into that. It's where we really get into a groove with monitoring the metrics and making aligned marketing moves based on the data. Another question, can you help me understand which parts you'll be doing versus which parts I'll be responsible for? For example, are you identifying keywords and writing recommendations or teaching me how to do those things myself while you review my work?
Is the keyword strategy personalized to my business and my offers, or is the sprint more focused on teaching the research process? So my intention for you is to understand what it takes to do SEO on your own for a website page, but then to also be there so that I can check your work and offer suggestions along the way. So it often plays out like this: a person, business owner, will share their North Star with me. They will try to do the keyword research. They'll share that with me. I share a few more.
Brittany Herzberg (09:41.43)
words, keywords that I found maybe the business owner then identifies which seven to ten pages they're going to work on during the sprint. Again, you may have more, you may have fewer, but 10 is the max that I want you to be focusing on. You'll try to select a target keyword, draft the SEO title in the meta description, share that with me. I'll share alternatives or give you a thumbs up. That's lovely when I can just give you a thumbs up. You'll go plug in the SEO on your website.
And then I review it. And 99% of the time everything is fine. So again, it's just a thumbs up there too. But that's how the process plays out is like you're doing a thing. I'm looking it over, sharing information back to you. You're implementing that or taking that under advisement, sharing the next task, and so on. So I'm there again. I get to be training wheels, the safety net for your SEO journey. I love that for me and for you. another one. When you mention that some clients see results.
What kind of results are you typically referring to? The results have been everything from increased traffic to their website, ranking for better keywords, selling digital products, getting inquiries straight from Google, getting inquiries for speaking or podcast guesting. It's been really beautiful. Most clients, and I say most for a reason, see results in about four to six weeks. You will not catch me guaranteeing anything.
I will not guarantee that anyone will see anything in a certain amount of time because there are so many factors at play. Your industry, whether or not you're running ads, how long your website has been around, all these kinds of things. But I do find that most of my clients see results in four to six weeks, and those are the types of things that I'm talking about. Another one, since my business is coaching focused, will the strategy help me prioritize keywords around my specific coaching offers and ideal clients? Yes.
Everything is based on your North Star answers. So I've had, let's say, three coaches in one group before. All of them had their own unique flair, a burnout coach for rad techs, a podcast coach for business owners, a life and career coach for finance professionals. They're all different and their SEO is very different from one person to the next. If you're a business that has a local focus where you want to get found in a certain area, this is also where you can get specific with those local SEO keywords.
Brittany Herzberg (11:59.326)
Using the city, the state name, that type of thing that's relevant to you. Next one. When the sprint is complete, will I have a comprehensive SEO foundation that I can maintain on my own? Will I be equipped to optimize my social media profiles, guesting assets, and to start blogging regularly after the sprint? Or do most people find they need additional support afterward? So the continuation programs are not required. They're there for if
when anyone wants that extra support and has the funds for it. And remember, it goes SEO sprint, SEO and grow, maintain membership. Many people do choose to continue on to the following programs. Some people join immediately, some take a few months before joining. But by the end of the sprint, you're going to know how to find keywords, how to optimize a page for discoverability. And that includes blog pages because the same stuff is going to apply. And you get a DIY maintenance mini course as part of the sprint.
And that mini course shows you how to optimize social media profiles, how to track metrics each month, and it includes resources that help with blogging. You have all of the knowledge, all of the tools, all of the training that you need to be able to do those next steps on your own. That is very important to me. So we will set you up for success. All right, a few more. How much can I accomplish in this program that covers all of my bases? Example, website, content, profile, directory listings, frankly.
You can accomplish however much you want. What you will definitely walk away with is a website that's optimized for SEO. And I've mentioned this, but in order to keep everyone focused on a doable goal, that's why I have you select those seven to ten pages to optimize. Some people choose to do more than that. Some people have fewer website pages, so that part really just depends. I've also had people go through the sprint and in addition to their web pages, also optimize blog posts.
The focus is on those website pages. So that's what I'm prioritizing when you submit homework, but anything is possible. So there's that. Is there a limit to the rounds of feedback for the SEO sprint? No. And what typically happens is clients submit each homework assignment. For example, the North Star, initial keyword research list, SEO titles and meta descriptions. I review them, I send back my thoughts, and they often tag me in a Google Doc comment with a couple questions or ideas.
Brittany Herzberg (14:23.244)
And that's usually that. Or instead of questions in the doc, they may bring a question to the coaching call. And again, we have four of those. And you will not miss anything if you're not coming live to the coaching calls. Those calls are recorded, the replays are posted the same day. But really the meat of it is in the video lessons that you're getting immediately when you join. And with me being in your workbook and giving you advice and really reviewing everything before you do anything with it. All that said, you are not capped.
on how many questions you can ask or how many times you can have me review something, but most people don't need more than two reviews. So I've talked about these tasks and I want to share them with you because that's another question that I get is like, what are we actually working on? You have five tasks essentially. By the end of task one, you'll have a unique to you North Star, which will make keyword research much easier. It essentially acts as your filter for any possible keywords that you could find and that you could use. By the end of task two,
You'll know which pages you're doing SEO for and you'll have a list of ideal keywords for you. By the end of task three, you'll have experience under your belt of actually building a better bat signal with SEO, actually going and putting those keywords to use and knowing where they go and how to use them. By the end of task four, you'll have an entire on-page SEO strategy. So each core web page can go market for you 247. So you don't have to make sure you're
Capturing whatever moment you're doing in your life to go post to social media later that day. And by the end of task five, your website will have a shiny new SEO strategy ready to call in those aligned leads. So that, my friend, is everything that I can possibly think to share with you about the SEO sprint. If you have heard this and you still have a question, please come find me. The best place is going to be Instagram DMs. So I'm Brittany underscore Hertzberg. I'll have links for that below. I'll have links for the SEO sprint below.
If you don't have your website optimized for SEO, there is no time like right now. And we will get started on the 10th. You will get access immediately to everything once you join. When you go to the SEO Sprint sales page, you'll see that there are two different payment options. You can either pay in full, it's $1,000, or you can do a two-pay option. Once you join, you'll get a welcome email. It'll give you all the information that you need. If you need anything once you have signed on,
Brittany Herzberg (16:47.852)
You've got my email at that point. You still have me on Instagram and then you'll also have me on Telegram very, very soon. So if you're ready to get SEO checked off of your to-do list in two weeks, I hope to see you there. I'm here for any questions. And remember, I'm cheering you on on your SEO journey.
