Welcome to Part 4 of our six-part SEO series on Salty Little Business, the go-to podcast for creative entrepreneurs, women in business, service providers, and digital product brands ready to grow with strategy that actually works.

Work With Us + Education: ⁠https://hightidestrategy.com/podcast⁠Join The Marketing Lab: ⁠https://www.skool.com/the-marketing-lab/about⁠

Today, we’re talking about blogging — not the way you were taught in 2015, but how it works now. If your blog has become a digital ghost town, a content graveyard, or a source of guilt on your to-do list, this episode will shift everything.

Mandy Ford walks you through how to turn your blog into your most valuable content asset, using a modern strategy that drives search traffic, email growth, and lead generation across platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, and Google.

You’ll learn:

• Why the old approach to blogging (personal stories, client recaps, and long emotional posts) no longer ranks or converts

• The power of topic-first blogging based on what your audience is actually searching for

• How to choose 3–5 core content categories that support your SEO strategy

• A simple framework to structure blog posts with H1s, H2s, H3s, meta descriptions, and keywords that work

• The repurposing process Mandy teaches inside The Marketing Lab, turning one blog into 5–7 content pieces across platforms

• How one student followed this system and landed page one of Google — bringing in consistent leads from a single post

• Why AI can support your content creation, but strategy must come first

Mandy also shares how this all connects to the data tracking from Episode 1 (Google Analytics), and how The Marketing Lab includes a full blogging SEO toolkit, batching systems, automation workflows, and repurposing matrices so you never waste a post again.

This episode is perfect for:

• Photographers, coaches, and designers struggling to get traffic from their content

• Product-based brands looking to boost SEO beyond product pages

• Women in business who want a sustainable way to attract leads

• Anyone whose blog feels like a chore — or a graveyard of old content

• Creative entrepreneurs who want their blog to do more than just sit pretty on their website

You’ll walk away with clear, actionable steps:

1. Choose 3–5 SEO-aligned categories you want to rank for

2. Brainstorm one blog post idea per category

3. Write one post this week using the structure we outlined

4. Publish it — and repurpose it

This is strategic blogging that compounds — not content for content’s sake. If you’re ready to stop guessing and finally make blogging worth the effort, this episode gives you the blueprint.

Coming up next in our SEO series: how to turn your blog posts into a full content ecosystem across Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Lemon8, email, and beyond.

Because strategic blogging isn’t dead — but bad blogging is.

Work With Us + Education: https://hightidestrategy.com/podcast
Join The Marketing Lab: https://www.skool.com/the-marketing-lab/about

Welcome to Part 3 of our six-part SEO series on Salty Little Business, the podcast for creative entrepreneurs, photographers, digital product sellers, and small business owners ready to get seen, get clicks, and get paid — without selling out or burning out.

Work With Us + Education: ⁠https://hightidestrategy.com/podcast⁠Join The Marketing Lab: ⁠https://www.skool.com/the-marketing-lab/about⁠

In this episode, Mandy Ford takes you behind the scenes of one of the most misunderstood parts of digital marketing: website SEO. If you've been told that search engine optimization is just about keywords in your blog posts, you're missing out on the full picture — and likely leaving money on the table.

There are nine types of SEO we teach inside The Marketing Lab, and most businesses are only using one or two. Mandy walks you through each one and explains how they work together to increase traffic, visibility, and conversions — especially for creatives and service-based brands using Showit, Squarespace, or Shopify.

You’ll learn:

• The 9 types of SEO every creative business should be using

• What technical SEO really means (hint: it’s more than site speed)

• The difference between on-page and off-page SEO — and why you need both

• How local SEO helps photographers, designers, and creatives rank in their city

• Why keywords, alt text, and image optimization impact user experience and searchability

• Common SEO mistakes that are costing you clients (like cutesy headers, keyword stuffing, and missing meta descriptions)

• How to use heading structure (H1s, H2s, H3s) like an outline to make your site readable for humans and search engines

Mandy shares real examples from members inside The Marketing Lab — like how one website tweak cut a bounce rate in half and how a shift in headline clarity led to a measurable increase in bookings. She also gives you a list of quick wins to boost your SEO today without tech overwhelm.

Quick wins include:

• Checking your page speed and mobile optimization

• Making sure every page has a single, relevant H1

• Adding clear alt text to every image (for SEO and accessibility)

• Updating your homepage title and meta description for clarity and location-based visibility

• Auditing your contact page and footer to ensure you clearly state what you do and where you do it

This episode is perfect for:

• Women in business scaling creative service brands

• Photographers trying to rank in competitive local markets

• Digital product sellers building evergreen traffic systems

• Small business owners looking to stop relying on social media for all visibility

• Marketing-curious creatives who are ready to stop guessing and start optimizing

If your website looks good but isn't generating leads, this is where you need to start. And if the idea of fixing your SEO feels overwhelming, you’re not alone — that’s exactly why Mandy created The Marketing Lab.

Inside the membership, you'll get:

• Step-by-step video training to self-audit your site in just 15 minutes

• Real-world before-and-after examples that led to booking surges and revenue bumps

• Ongoing support for strategic visibility, content planning, and platform optimization

If you're ready to get strategic about your SEO — across your website, social platforms, and content — Mandy breaks it all down for you inside The Marketing Lab.

Work With Us + Education: https://hightidestrategy.com/podcast
Join The Marketing Lab: https://www.skool.com/the-marketing-lab/about

Welcome to Part 2 of our six-part SEO series on Salty Little Business, the podcast for creative entrepreneurs, photographers, digital product founders, and women in business ready to market smarter and get found faster.

In this episode, Mandy Ford breaks down one of the most underestimated visibility tools in your business: your Instagram bio.

If your bio is full of buzzwords and “vibe” language but lacks searchable terms, you're not just blending in — you're invisible. Instagram is no longer just about aesthetics and hashtags. In 2025, it's a search engine, and your bio and captions are how the algorithm decides where and when to show your content.

You’ll learn:

• Why Instagram’s search bar now functions like a true SEO platform

• How to write an Instagram bio that clearly says who you are, what you do, and who you help

• The 3 essential parts of a high-converting, search-optimized bio

• Why “creative” job titles and vague mission statements aren’t doing you any favors

• What to include in your CTA link — and how to drive more clicks

• How Instagram captions can (and should) be written to rank in search

• How to structure long-form captions that drive saves, shares, profile visits, and traffic

Mandy shares what most people get wrong about Instagram marketing — and what to fix if you're tired of creating content that gets buried. If you’re writing captions with zero search intent or hoping your aesthetic will speak for itself, this episode will show you what to shift.

You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at how Mandy teaches Instagram SEO inside The Marketing Lab, her monthly membership for creative business owners, service providers, and digital brands who want to build scalable, searchable marketing systems.

This episode is perfect for:

• Photographers and designers using Instagram to book clients

• Digital product sellers looking to increase visibility without paid ads

• Small business owners who are tired of “post and hope” content

• Creative entrepreneurs ready to turn their profile into a lead funnel

• Women in business who want more traction without sacrificing personality

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start getting found, now is the time to optimize.

Next up in the SEO series? We’re covering the 9 types of website SEO most creatives ignore — and the exact mistakes that are costing you clients.

Until then, take today’s action step: Open your Instagram bio and ask yourself, “Can someone find me through search? Can they understand what I do without clicking anything?” If not, fix it. You’re sitting on searchable real estate that’s too valuable to waste.

Work With Us + Education: https://hightidestrategy.com/podcast

Join The Marketing Lab: https://www.skool.com/the-marketing-lab/about

Welcome to Part 1 of our SEO series on Salty Little Business, the podcast for creative entrepreneurs, photographers, digital product pros, and small business owners ready to build real traction with strategic marketing.

In this episode, Mandy Ford breaks down one of the most important — and most overlooked — tools in your entire marketing system: Google Analytics. If you're not tracking your traffic, understanding your bounce rates, or measuring what content is actually working, you're guessing. And in 2025, that’s a growth strategy that just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Whether you're building a new Showit website, marketing your photography business, launching digital products, or scaling your brand through Pinterest and Instagram, this episode will help you shift from “post and pray” to measure and refine.

You’ll learn:

• Why Google Analytics is essential for creative business owners

• What metrics matter most — and how to read them without overwhelm

• How to understand your traffic sources: Is it Pinterest, Instagram, Google, podcast referrals?

• Why bounce rate and time-on-page give you powerful insight into what’s broken

• Real client and Marketing Lab member stories on how GA data improved their site and strategy

• Why SEO, content strategy, and analytics are inseparable in 2025

Mandy shares a simple breakdown of how to get started and reveals one of her favorite wins from inside The Marketing Lab — a headline tweak that cut a student’s bounce rate in half after seeing the data inside her dashboard.

If you're someone who’s been avoiding analytics because it sounds technical or overwhelming, this episode will reframe that for you. This is not about becoming a data nerd — it’s about becoming the kind of business owner who’s equipped to grow intentionally.

This episode is perfect for:

• Women in business ready to scale with clarity

• Creative entrepreneurs and photographers looking for smarter SEO strategy

• Digital product sellers who want to know what’s working

• Small business owners tired of relying on guesswork or social media metrics

• Anyone in The Marketing Lab who’s ready to take their measurement game to the next level

You don’t need to wait until you’re “ready” to track your data — start collecting it now, so your numbers are working behind the scenes while you build your brand.

Next up in the SEO series? We’re diving into one of the most overlooked areas of visibility — Instagram bios — and why that tiny box is one of the most powerful pieces of searchable real estate in your business.

This series was built to help you finally understand where your leads are coming from, how to show up in search, and how to market with intention — not panic.

If you’re ready to go deeper and get personalized support, tools, walkthroughs, and strategy built for how people actually search and buy in 2025, it’s time to join The Marketing Lab.

Work With Us + Education: https://hightidestrategy.com/podcast
Join The Marketing Lab: https://www.skool.com/the-marketing-lab/about

Search isn’t what it used to be — and neither is SEO.

In this kickoff episode of a brand new six-part series, Mandy Ford breaks down how search engine optimization has changed and what creative entrepreneurs need to do right now to stay visible. If you’re still thinking SEO is just for bloggers or tech bros, it’s time to reframe.

This episode of Salty Little Business sets the stage for the modern marketing shift every small business owner needs to understand. Because in 2025, it’s not just about showing up — it’s about showing up where people are actively searching.

We’re no longer in the attention economy. We’ve moved into the discovery economy — and if you’re not searchable, you’re invisible.

Mandy dives into:

• Why visibility that compounds is the most important asset you can build

• The real reason your reels and posts are disappearing — and what to do instead

• How SEO has expanded far beyond Google: Instagram bios, Pinterest boards, podcast titles, email subject lines, and even TikTok captions

• The ROI of search-based content (hint: it’s not instant, but it scales)

• Why creatives still avoid SEO — and how to simplify it

You’ll also get a full breakdown of what’s coming up in the six-part SEO series that follows — each episode designed to help you optimize your business across every platform that matters right now.

Here’s what’s coming up in the series:

Ep. 1: Google Analytics Demystified
Set it up, know what to track, and finally understand who’s visiting your site — and why.

Ep. 2: Instagram SEO
Turn your bio and captions into searchable mini landing pages that convert.

Ep. 3: Website SEO — The 9 Types
Yes, nine. Most business owners only optimize for one. We’re covering them all.

Ep. 4: Blog Smarter — What to Write & Why
Learn how to write content people are actually searching for — and get traffic that sticks.

Ep. 5: Repurpose for Search
Turn one blog into a week’s worth of marketing assets: Reels, pins, captions, emails, and more.

Ep. 6: Optimize for AI
Search is no longer just Google. People are using ChatGPT and other AI platforms to find what they need — here’s how to show up there too.

This is strategy designed for:

• Creative business owners ready to get off the content hamster wheel

• Digital entrepreneurs who want to build visibility that lasts longer than 24 hours

• Founders tired of chasing algorithms and looking for long-term growth

• Anyone building a brand in 2025 who wants to stay relevant in a shifting landscape

Whether you’re writing a caption or structuring a website, SEO and personal branding are merging — and that’s where your traction lives.

Inside this series, you’ll learn the same strategies taught inside The Marketing Lab — Mandy’s monthly membership for small business owners ready to fix what’s broken and build scalable systems that attract the right people, automatically.

To learn more or to join The Marketing Lab, visit hightidestrategy.com/podcast.

If you’re ready to stop posting and praying, and start building visibility that actually works — this is your moment.

Hit play on Episode 1 and let’s get into it.

Why does marketing feel harder than ever? You're not imagining it — the rules have changed.

In this episode of Salty Little Business, Mandy Ford breaks down the biggest marketing shifts of 2025 and what small business owners, creatives, and entrepreneurs need to do to keep up. If your posts are getting ignored, your ads aren’t converting, or your once-steady growth has stalled — this conversation is your reset button.

Mandy pulls back the curtain on what’s no longer working in today’s online business world — from aimless consistency and content without SEO, to AI-generated posts that sound like everyone else. She also shares exactly what is working right now: visibility that compounds, personalized brand voice, and content that does more than just fill a feed.

You’ll learn:

• Why consistency without clarity is now just digital noise

• How to stop chasing trends and start building traction

• Why SEO is no longer just for Google — and where else it matters

• The problem with AI-generated content that lacks brand voice

• How to create lead magnets that speak directly to what your audience is actually searching for

• What it means to create content systems that recycle — and save you time

• Why your website doesn’t need to just be pretty — it needs to be fast, functional, and focused on the user journey

• The truth about paid ads in 2025: what they can do, and what they absolutely can’t

This episode is perfect for:

• Female entrepreneurs ready to stop playing small

• Online business owners tired of generic advice

• Content creators wondering why their posts aren’t converting

• Small businesses looking to grow without relying solely on social media

• Anyone who wants smarter marketing systems that scale with less guesswork

Mandy also shares a clear and simple way to audit your own marketing right now — starting with your most recent post — and a powerful mindset shift about visibility: the brands that win are the ones who are easy to find and impossible to ignore.

At the end of the episode, Mandy invites listeners inside The Marketing Lab — her monthly membership for entrepreneurs who are ready to fix what’s broken and build a business with real momentum. If you’ve been stuck on the how, this is your next step.

Inside the Marketing Lab, you'll learn how to:

• Optimize for search across Pinterest, Instagram, and your website

• Create marketing content that actually converts

• Understand what drives sales and traction — and what doesn’t

• Build a system for visibility that feels aligned, not exhausting

This is marketing strategy for business owners who want results — not just noise.

To learn more about The Marketing Lab and get exclusive podcast resources, head to hightidestrategy.com/podcast.

Welcome to Salty Little Business — the podcast where bold opinions, sharp strategy, and real growth collide. Hosted by Mandy Ford, creative director, marketing strategist, and the force behind hundreds of high-converting brands and digital product launches, this show is your new go-to source for marketing that actually works.

If you're tired of generic advice and surface-level tactics, you're not alone — and you're exactly who this podcast was built for.

This episode gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what Salty Little Business is all about, who it’s for, and why now is the time to rethink the way you market your business. We’re not here to sugarcoat the realities of growing in today’s crowded online space. We’re here to help you cut through the noise with marketing that’s smart, strategic, and sustainable.

Inside this intro episode, Mandy shares:

• Why this podcast took four years (and two domain purchases) to finally come to life

• The gap in the online business world that Salty Little Business aims to fill

• What makes this show different from every recycled advice podcast on your feed

• The type of marketing strategies you’ll learn, from SEO and Pinterest to Instagram content, email, and ads

• What to expect from upcoming episodes (including spicy commentary and behind-the-scenes breakdowns)

This podcast is for the creative entrepreneurs, brand builders, digital product founders, and small business owners who are:

• Scaling their first offer and want it to convert

• Done playing small and following advice from marketers who’ve never built anything real

• Looking for a smarter, more sustainable path to visibility, profit, and growth

• Interested in building a brand with real presence — not just a feed full of posts

• Navigating shifting platforms and algorithms with data-backed, design-led strategy

Expect weekly episodes that are quick, clear, and full of takeaways you’ll want to screenshot and send to your group chat. We'll cover what's actually working right now — even if it goes against the grain.

You’ll hear:

• Tactical marketing strategies that drive growth and conversions

• Behind-the-scenes insights into what Mandy’s testing, launching, and refining

• Guest interviews with business leaders doing things differently — and doing them well

• Commentary on what’s broken in the online marketing space and how to fix it

• Systems that support your growth without demanding you become a content machine

If you're into clean design, clear strategy, and strong opinions that challenge the status quo — Salty Little Business is for you.

From website design, SEO, Pinterest and Instagram strategy, to ad funnels and scalable marketing systems — we’re covering it all. And if you’re looking to go deeper, this podcast is your entry point to The Marketing Lab, Mandy’s hands-on program for entrepreneurs ready to build smarter marketing foundations, and High Tide Strategy, her full-service agency for businesses looking for expert execution.

Hit subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with the people in your corner who are ready for a sharper kind of growth.

For more details and resources, head to hightidestrategy.com/podcast.

Let’s make your marketing work with you — not against you.

Welcome to the Salty Little Business Podcast — a practical space for creative entrepreneurs, small business owners, and digital brands ready to stop coasting and start converting.

Hosted by Mandy Ford — marketing strategist, and founder of High Tide Strategy. 

I’ve spent the past decade helping small businesses build marketing systems that don’t just look good, but actually work. If you're ready to sharpen your strategy, scale sustainably, and finally understand what drives real results — you’re in the right place.

This podcast is your front-row seat to what actually grows a business in today’s market — especially when you’re not backed by a team of ten or an unlimited ad budget.

We talk about the marketing that matters:

• SEO strategies that get your website seen
• Pinterest marketing that brings in traffic on autopilot
• Instagram content that sells without sounding salesy
• Showit websites that convert
• Paid ad strategies that don’t waste your money
• Email marketing, lead gen, analytics, and more

But this isn’t a list of checkboxes. This is the place where we break down the why, simplify the how, and build a marketing foundation you can actually grow with.

Each episode is designed to help you:

• Understand the strategy behind your visibility
• Connect your marketing efforts into one streamlined system
• Move from just creating content to driving measurable growth

Whether you’re a photographer, designer, product-based brand, service provider, or a multi-passionate entrepreneur trying to do it all — you’ll leave each episode with clear insights, strong direction, and next steps you can actually implement.

This podcast also serves as the doorway into The Marketing Lab — my program for entrepreneurs who want to learn how to think like a strategist and market like a pro. Inside, we go deeper into the systems, tools, and strategies that power the kinds of businesses that grow without burning out.

And if you’re not the DIY type? That’s where High Tide Strategy comes in — my full-service marketing studio that offers everything from website design and SEO to full ad strategy, brand launches, and more. We work with high-growth, high-vision businesses ready to elevate their online presence and performance.

So whether you’re just getting started or scaling something big — Salty Little Business was created to meet you where you are and challenge you to think bigger.

New episodes drop weekly, each packed with honest conversations, tactical strategies, and the kinds of insights you won’t find in the typical online business echo chamber.

Hit subscribe, check out the episodes that speak to your current season, and when you’re ready — head to hightidestrategy.com/podcast to get more resources, learn about The Marketing Lab, or apply for full-service support.

This is Salty Little Business — where strategy isn’t a secret, and your marketing finally starts to make sense.