Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Made Clear For Creatives & Small Businesses

Search engine optimization, or SEO helps the right people find you online — and gives them a smooth, helpful experience once they arrive.

When done well, it works quietly in the background so your website supports your business instead of demanding more from you.



What Is SEO, Really? (In Plain Language)

Search engine optimization simply means:

  • Helping people find you more easily online
  • Making your website clear and easy to use
  • Providing structure so search engines can understand what you offer

When these pieces are in place, your website is more likely to show up when the right people search for what you do.


But it's more than that:

  • It helps people with disabilities, language differences, or slower internet connections access your content more easily.
  • It improves technical details, like loading speed, that can even help reduce your website’s environmental impact.

It's Infrastructure — Not Performance

SEO is more like the foundation and wiring of a building than the decor on the walls. It makes your site easier to use, quietly supports your marketing in the background, and attracts more of the right visitors without you having to be “on” all the time.

It’s a Crucial, Often Overlooked Part of Marketing

Strong optimization makes your site more visible in search results in web browsers, on selling platforms like Etsy, and even on social media. It can also reduce how much you rely on posting or paid ads for visibility.

Think of It as Passive Marketing

It works for you all the time, consistently attracting the right visitors and helping you build real connections — even when you’re busy doing your actual work.



The Good News (and the Hard Part)

The Good News: Almost everything you do online can support your SEO.

The Hard Part: There are hundreds of things you could do.



So where do you start, especially if you’re not “techy” and don't want this to be a full-time job?


Here's the Secret:


Simple, well-done basics are all that most creative professionals and small businesses will ever need.



The Core SEO Basics (What Actually Matters)

  • KEYWORDS: These are the words and phrases your ideal clients or customers type into their search engine, like DuckDuckGo or Google, when they’re trying to find someone like you.

    • Using the right keywords helps you:
    1. Describe what you do more clearly
    2. Show up in more relevant searches
    3. Make your content easier to find and more helpful to the people you want to reach

  • ON-PAGE SEO: These are the elements on each page of your website — like page titles, headings, and meta descriptions — that tell search engines (and people) what the page is about.

    When these are written clearly and thoughtfully:
    1. You’re more likely to show up in search results.
    2. Your site is easier to use and understand.
    3. People are more likely to click through and visit your website.

  • EXCELLENT CONTENT: You only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention before they click away. When you know what truly matters in your text, it becomes much easier to write content that keeps people reading and encourages them to take the next step — whether that’s reaching out, subscribing, or simply staying on your site a bit longer.

    • Strong content achieves many important things at once:
    1. It answers your audience’s real questions in clear, everyday language
    2. It helps people feel understood
    3. It builds trust
    4. It increases your visibility in search results

  • USER-FRIENDLINESS aka USER EXPERIENCE (UX): According to Google, 88% of visitors won’t return to a site after a bad user experience. Search engines also tend to rank websites higher when they’re easy and pleasant to use. In other words, a website that feels good to your visitors will usually perform better in search.

    Your website should be:
    1. Mobile-friendly
    2. Fast-loading
    3. Accessible (usable by people with different abilities and needs)
    4. Easy to navigate

  • BACKLINK BUILDING: Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your site. When reputable sites link to you, it sends a signal to search engines that says, “This site is trustworthy and useful.” That, in turn, helps you appear in more searches.

    • Link building guidelines:
    1. Don’t buy backlinks
    2. Don't use gimmicks
    3. Use link-building methods that feel natural, ethical, and sustainable for you


Some Methods Are Risky and Can Cause Problems Later


Examples of What to Avoid:

  • Stuffing keywords unnaturally into your text
  • Buying backlinks instead of earning them
  • Using hidden text or links meant to fool search engines
  • “Overnight ranking” promises

SEO should feel steady and sustainable, not scary or risky.



It’s Easier Than It’s Often Presented

SEO is often made to seem mysterious or highly technical, but it doesn’t have to be. At its core, it’s about:

  • Helping people
  • Understanding your business
  • Knowing your audience and what they need
  • Making thoughtful decisions
  • Applying simple best practices consistently

With that foundation, a few simple, well-chosen steps can make your website much easier to find and use, and can support everything else you do to promote your work.



Here’s Another Secret:


You’re actually an excellent person to handle your SEO, because you already know:

  • Your unique expertise
  • The problems you solve
  • Your audience and their needs


Why DIY SEO Can Actually Work (With the Right Guidance)

When you outsource SEO, someone else has to learn all those details about you and your business. That learning curve is part of what makes good SEO expensive.

Some of the strongest results come from:

  • Steady, thoughtful work
  • Clear priorities
  • Writing and showing up like a real human
    • (Yes, you absolutely can do this!)

You don’t have to do everything at once, and you don’t have to be “techy” to make meaningful improvements.



Start Sooner, Not Later

You might be thinking, “I’ll deal with this later, when it’s time.”

But SEO takes time to build momentum.

Starting sooner gives you space to experiment and refine your approach without added pressure, especially if your website is new or you’re making big changes.

It’s not an emergency.
But it is important.


How I Can Support You

If you’d like some help, I offer support that cuts through the jargon, explains everything in everyday language, and helps you feel more confident taking practical next steps.

Options Include:

  • Free 15-Minute Chat - Explore the best options for you.
  • A Variety of Website Audits - See what’s already working on your site and what to prioritize to improve.
  • Guided Support - No-pressure help implementing changes and answering your questions.
  • Join SEO-SOS - A small, personalized, step-by-step program designed to help your website work harder for you, with plenty of hands-on support.
  • DIY Website Assessment - Evaluate your site on your own to find out how it's doing and what needs to be improved.
  • Easy Tips Newsletter - Simple, practical monthly ideas to improve your website and SEO over time.

My goal is simple:

To give you the knowledge and tools you need to feel more at home with SEO — without having to become “techy” or a full-time marketer.