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