Jenny’s Note: I am excited to bring to you today an SEO Success Story interview with Jill Anderson. She is an amazing designer and developer, and she’s really knocking it out of the park with SEO and lead generation from her website. I asked her to share some of her top tips with you and she graciously accepted, so without further ado, say hello to Jill!
Tell us about what you do and who you serve.
I design and develop websites for designers, copywriters, and agencies (and their client’s sites).
What are some of the SEO activities you have done for your site?
- My website is responsive, so it gains good Google mojo.
- I use the Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress.
- I make sure pages are structured appropriately in the WordPress theme (page titles are in H1 tags, etc.)
- I think about what people are searching for. My prospects are searching for “WordPress developer Atlanta” or “WordPress designer Atlanta—so I put those keywords in my home page title tag.
- I include human-readable description tags. My description isn’t just filled with keywords—it’s written to be read by humans. It says: I’m Jill Anderson, a web designer & developer in Atlanta. I’m passionate about crafting beautiful and responsive websites with HTML5, CSS3, and WordPress.
- I add new content regularly through my blog and portfolio.
What results have you seen?
I rank #2 for “WordPress developer Atlanta” and #4 for “WordPress designer Atlanta.”
Why do you think people struggle so much when it comes to wrapping their heads around SEO?
Folks need to think about what real people are searching for, and think of it page by page. Your home page will come up for different searches than a blog page will. So, think about each and every page or post and what search terms they want it to be listed for. Think about real people finding you.
What misconceptions do you see out there with SEO?
That it’s very daunting. Just a few simple modifications can help tremendously.
(Jenny’s note: I am in total agreement with this statement. A little SEO goes a long way. However, modern SEO success is dependent on a few things: you must run, (or work for), a business that provides great services that results in happy customers who will refer and share. Jill provides a great service, she has great customers, and clients find her LOTS of different ways. I asked Jill once how she finds such great clients, and she told me she goes to conferences and events where her target market hangs out, and tries to be where they are. She does not rely on SEO alone – or in a silo).
What information about SEO and website marketing do you share with your design clients?
I direct folks to this recent article since it’s a primer to what I’ve done that works for me: http://blog.marketing-mentor.com/2015/07/08/how-im-ranking-number-2-on-google/
Do you do any offpage/linkbuilding work for yourself, or only onpage optimization?
When applicable, I include links to my site from the websites I design and build. Plus, I made sure all my social media, industry organization, and affiliation profiles are up-to-date and include my website link.
What advice would you give other people who want more and better SEO results?
Follow the steps I’ve outlined above and make sure your website is responsive and you are regularly updating content.
About Jill Anderson
Jill Anderson of Jill Lynn Design is that rare breed of designer and developer who partners with talented designers, copywriters, and agencies on their websites, and their client’s sites. Jill is passionate about crafting beautiful and innovative websites focused on clear positioning and positive user experiences. As a freelancer for over 13 years, she loves typography, code, and WordPress. She lives in the Atlanta suburbs and enjoys hanging out with her husband and 5-year-old son. And cat, Peanut, the chief paperweight. She tweets@JillLynnDesign.
Jenny Munn
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