Bridget Willard | SaaS Marketing Agency

Author: Bridget Willard

  • SEO: Fix It As You Find It

    SEO: Fix It As You Find It

    So many people want to wait for a full SEO audit before they fix internal links or update articles. I get it. It feels like that may be the most efficient way to tackle the beast.

    But it’s like waiting to vacuum until professional cleaners do a move-out clean in your apartment. And this analogy is top-of-mind because I’m looking in the mirror here. I would love to get a deep clean done and reset my apartment.

    But it’s still going to get dusty. I still need to wash my bedding. I still need to mop the floor. I still need to sweep and vacuum.

    So, you want to wait for an SEO audit. Okay.

    Most SEOs charge a fee for that audit (like my friend Warren Laine-Naida does) but the fee doesn’t include doing the work.

    So, when is the work going to get done? How outdated will that article be?

    And, by the way, also talking to myself here — don’t forget to look at Google Search Console to see your top ranking keywords. This will give you ideas on HOW to adjust those internal audits.

    Because if you give the SEO consultant the wrong coordinates (content and business goal) that SEO ship will sail you in the wrong direction.

    Watch Video

    Notable Timestamps:

    00:56 You still have to fix things that you’re linking to.

    02:29 People who do SEO audits don’t do the work.

    05:00 Your homepage shouldn’t attract every customer.

    Full Transcript

    (00:01):
    Hey everybody. Sometimes you’re just cleaning and you’re doing stuff. You come up with a good idea.

    (00:06):
    And I was thinking about how as we’re cleaning vacuuming, we come across something and we’re like, Ooh, I need to dust this. Do you ignore it and wait for years? This is how people do SEO audits or, um, redoing their whole site. Like they come up with this idea that they have to have some person, some shiny salesperson come and tell ’em that they have a complete overhaul. That would be like, I’m not gonna vacuum anymore until the cleaning company comes in my apartment and does a move-out clean. And then I’ll have a fresh start. So everything I do from then will work out. That makes no sense. You still have to clean your apartment. You still have to vacuum. You still have to dust. You still have to do laundry.

    (00:56):
    And that’s the same way with SEO. You still have to fix things that you’re linking to.

    (01:03):
    Now, Pew Research came out with some findings that 40, 43% of all, um, links are broken on government sites and whatnot. And we link internally and we link out. So there’s checking for broken links on external sites, which is something I definitely need to do. I mean, I’m saying this as a reminder to myself, too. And then there’s internal.

    (01:33):
    And even though the link works, you may need to update some of that content. For example, the video I did the other day about Twitter still being super relevant in 2025, I linked to the text of my book ’cause you can get this Definitive Guide to Twitter Marketing book as a blog post. And I did some updates to that real quick.

    (01:58):
    But it’s, it’s the internet, it’s not print. So it’s very easy for us if you, if you have access to your own website, very easy to re redo that content. Um, I’m sure there’s articles that are published on bridgetwillard.com that I need to go through. And if I did a whole SEO audit and paid somebody five to two to $5,000, like 500 to $5,000 to do that SEO audit, I would still have to do the work.

    (02:29):
    People who do SEO audits don’t do the work. They just find out where the work needs to be done. It’s like a home inspector. They come in, they tell you all the things that are wrong and they give you a list to go get it done. So when you hire somebody like that, they’re not doing the SEO work for you. They’re just telling you where the SEO of work needs to be done.

    (02:54):
    Oh, Bob, this toilet needs to be fixed. Oh, there this room is isn’t level. It’s like that. It’s a list of tasks that somebody else needs to do. And that audit itself almost always comes up with a list of things that need to be done. Now, they also may for hire, like I said, I was in construction, so we would do building surveys and we would do ’em for a really good price in order to get the work that comes from the building survey. It’s a loss leader.

    (03:29):
    So instead, when you’re writing your content, um, for your website and you do notice that you’re linking to, um, an internal page, either a page or a post that you wrote, go ahead and make a note. Send yourself an email. Make it a to-do list on a kanban board, whatever it takes for you to spend five, 10 minutes on that one article to make sure that it’s, um, you know, done correctly or up to date with.

    (04:08):
    Um, it might not be wrong, wrong, but it still might say things that you don’t necessarily agree with. Um, so that’s a good time to update those.

    (04:18):
    Also, you may think, oh, I don’t really wanna do work with these kind of people anymore. So this language doesn’t make sense. Because sometimes when we’re writing pages, we’re experimenting with language to get that kind of traffic or to meet that person’s needs. Then you might wanna word it a different way.

    (04:38):
    For example, my homepage, um, is all about being a marketing manager’s best friend. Like, I got you. You need four articles more a month. You can’t do it. You have the budget to outsource. I’m your girl. Oh, you’re supposed to do Twitter and LinkedIn. You can’t focus on both. I’ll do one of ’em for you, no problem.

    (05:00):
    But then again, I also do a lot of white-labeled work for WordPress, uh, freelancers and agencies of one who do, who build the website, but maybe they’re not writing the page content. I don’t have a landing page for that. This is a good opportunity to have one.

    (05:21):
    And sometimes we forget that not everybody is our customer. And that’s why when you come across it, that’s a good time for you to go ahead and fix it. I was just vacuuming. I saw a big pile of paper as I moved from my table to under my tv. It’s all dusted. Do I just leave it all dusty? No. I am gonna go get the pledge and clean it up. Maybe the pile of paper comes in my office, but I do need to file those . But you see what I’m saying?

    (05:56):
    You don’t wait for. You can. You can wait until it’s a total mess. But then you have this giant overwhelming task. Instead of doing it as you come across it yourself on your site as you’re thinking of thanks to post on X Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, um, to share on a story link and Instagram, to pull content from to make those social posts. And you see something maybe you don’t agree with, or there’s a link to a vendor you don’t work with anymore, that’s a good time to just get in there and get it done.

    (06:33):
    What you’re working on today, let me know in the comments. Bye everybody.

  • Yes, X (Twitter) is Still Relevant in 2025.

    Yes, X (Twitter) is Still Relevant in 2025.

    If you’re thinking of jumping ship to Bluesky or something, I’d hesitate. People be out here randomly deleting accounts that took them forever to build. This is huge SEO no-no.

    Yes, X (Twitter) is very relevant to 2025 B2B marketing.

    Heck, it’s even relevant for B2C marketing.

    How do you know?

    • Google Alerts
    • Leads (SEO)
    • Google Analytics

    Watch The Video

    Google Alerts and X (Twitter)

    To be honest, the easiest way to find out if X (Twitter) is working is to set up a Google Alert for your name, product, service and set it as an “as-it-happens” update.

    You’ll get emails that show you exactly what’s going on and when Google Bots noticed it.

    google alert screenshot

    Search (Leads) On X (Twitter)

    Any platform that has a search bar is a place for you to optimize how you’re displayed. So, yes, X is good for SEO for on site search. It’s also good for SEO as a result shown in Google for your name or topic. This is why we set up Google Alerts and/or pay attention to Google Analytics.

    Dustin had an epiphany that, to be frank, inspired this post/video. He got a lead and did what all smart owners do, he asked where the lead came from. To his surprise, the client searched “WordPress” in the search bar on X (Twitter). That’s some SEO magic right there.

    What Dustin did right (to be found on X) is posting about his area of expertise. You could do this for any industry.

    “Apparently, I am feeding X properly.

    I got a new client over the weekend and I couldn’t figure out where he came from. So, I asked him. This is what he said.

    SEO for X is now a thing I guess.” Dustin Hyle

    SEO on X (Twitter)

    Check out your analytics on Google. I love real-time analytics. It tells me if someone clicked on a link I posted on X (Twitter). That is, of course, if you’re posting links to your website on X (Twitter).

    Just to show you I posted a link to this blog post on X (so meta). You’ll see people on it.

    Now, this only works if you’ve not published it elsewhere. Think scientific method.

    The first result, for example, was a referral from mail.google.com. So someone subscribed to my blog clicked the link.

    image

    The Definitive Guide To Twitter Marketing Paperback

    Hire Bridget Willard to Manage X (Twitter)

    Yes, I also have plans to manage X for clients.

    Custom Marketing Services

    Full Transcript

    (00:01):
    Hi everyone, your friend Bridget Willard here. I wanna talk to you a little bit about the platform X, uh, formerly known as Twitter, which we all loved, uh, for a long time.

    (00:14):
    It’s 2025, January four, and I just want to remind you that this is a valid social network regardless of what you think about who owns it, who’s on it, the noise. I have many tips in a book called The Definitive Guide to Twitter Marketing.” It’s also a blog post on bridgetwillard.com. It’s like five or $7 on, uh, on Amazon. It’s a good way to support if you like this video. Thank you very much. Um, but also, this is what I do. I manage Twitter for clients.

    (00:57):
    It’s really important. It was important in 2004, 2003, 2007. Wait, when did it come out? I’m thinking of my miscarriage. Sorry. Uh, I think it was 2006, seven, whatever. I’ll fi I’ll fix it. It’s been, it’s more than 10 years. Okay? So anyway.

    (01:18):
    It’s funny because I came across this tweet. I’m gonna old school this like a Weekend Update News from Dustin. And he’s saying that like he couldn’t believe that, you know, SEO is a thing for Twitter. It is because there’s a search bar.

    (01:35):
    So, um, I know this sounds kind of like snicky and witty and kind of snippety, but. Anytime there’s a search bar, I want to remind you, anytime there’s a search bar, Reddit, Pinterest, Google Maps, Apple Maps, bing, Yahoo, Facebook. Anytime there’s a search bar, there’s an availability to optimize the search results, which is what SEO is.

    (02:04):
    So he says, apparently I’ve been getting X wrong or apparently, let me, how, how about if I turn around so I can read it? “Apparently I’m feeding X properly. I got a new client over the weekend and I couldn’t figure out where he came from. So I asked him.” Mad props for asking where your referrals come from. That’s a totally different video, but it is underdone. So this is what he said. And then Dustin said, “SEO for X is now a thing, I guess,” to which I replied. It’s always been a thing.

    (02:36):
    So the person who reached out to him on December 29th, 2024 through his website, said, “Thanks, Dustin, for the great work. I found you by looking up WordPress on Twitter, which is where I found your profile.” It cannot be understated that being online and being prolific and being available and like he said, “feeding the X properly.” Right? Feed me, Seymour.

    (03:04):
    So if you’re posting and publishing, you’ve probably seen my video about replying. Replying is the power move it always has been. It’s still the power move in 2025. But also there’s been, uh, conflicting data and opinions on whether or not Google, uh, indexes, tweets or posts on X. It does. And the simplest way for you to deal with this is by, um.

    (03:35):
    Is this mirrored? Is this not? This is, this isn’t mirrored. Oh my gosh, I think you, I think this is backwards, but Google Alerts are the best. It is backwards for you. I’m so sorry. Maybe I could flip this video.

    (03:50):
    Anyway, Google Alerts, google.com/alerts. You can set them up. I have ’em come to me as, as it happens. Um, this email I got, um, yesterday, maybe the day before from something that was posted on January two. So it, it will come to you. It was actually me, um, saying the social trend in 2025 is replying. So I was posting that. Um, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this would be backwards, but you get, you get the picture. I didn’t wanna do a whole loom anyway.

    (04:29):
    Twitter X is super relevant. It’s super important, especially B2B, um, especially, um, for if you have professional services. Um, I, I always remind people that even newscasters are tweeting Carly from, um, the local news service in Corpus Christi tweets out the weather.

    (04:55):
    Uh, you gotta remember that posting on X is, is like a text message. So when things go down and you have bad storm issues and you wanna get um, kind of emergency things going out, Twitter x it’s the place to be. X marks the spot, it’s the place to be. It’s so important.

    (05:18):
    And the thing where business owners kind of get wrong is they’ll post something as they’re thinking about it, but they don’t keep up the regular publishing of things from their website to Twitter. Um, and the reason why they don’t do this is because they hop on when it’s convenient for them. Or they’re like, what’s going on in WordPress right now? What’s going on with the Green Bay Packers right now? And that is search, you know, going on there.

    (05:51):
    One of the main things I think is really important for um, X is super relevant in 2025 is actually knowing user’s intent. You can read their posts and find out exactly what they’re thinking about, exactly what they’re talking about, exactly where they’re, um, getting their who, what vendors they’re using. Are they using SEMrush? Are they using HubSpot, Mailchimp? Are they using BetterCloud? Are they using Dubsado? Are they using Xero? Are they using FreshBooks?

    (06:29):
    They’re posting about the things that they, like, they’re posting about the things that they don’t. Like. I was posting about hp, I thought that Hewlett Packer was like not letting me use my printer ’cause I didn’t sign up their ink. No, Bridget, you bought HP 64 cartridges instead of 67 because you had bronchitis and you shouldn’t have been ordering on the internet. Right? But I stopped myself before I posted that on Twitter, right?

    (06:56):
    So the thing is, it’s super relevant. If you want to learn how to use it for business, I have a totally free Twitter course on my website. I encourage you to literally do it in the order, do all the things that I say. I did go to college to be a teacher. I, it’s, it’s that way for a reason because a lot of times with platforms, we start using the app and then we think we know how to use it. So when you think about the strategy behind it and what you’re trying to accomplish, then how you use the program or the app is completely different. So I would encourage you to go get on that free course again.

    (07:43):
    I do have this book that came out in I think 2021, “The Definitive Guide to Twitter Marketing – I Double Dog Dare You To Try It.” 2021. Yeah, it’s on, it’s on as a free version is on my blog. Again, this is Kindle. This is paperback. This is your manual.

    (08:03):
    Or you can hire somebody like me. I’d be very happy to create a content calendar for you. Um, I, my, my contracts are an invoice. You pay me, I write your tweets. I can either post ’em for you or not and it’s prepaid. And if you don’t wanna do it any longer then you know, that’s fine. I have three different packages. Go to bridget willard.com/pricing. I’ll put a link, um, to it at the end of this video. Um, actually what I’ll put a link to at the end of this video, yeah, I’ll put a link to that at the end of this video.

    (08:39):
    But I really want you to know that Twitter is super relevant. And if you don’t trust me, you don’t have to take my word for it. Just go use it. Go use it. Set up Google Alerts and see what happens.

    (08:54):
    Your friend signing off up from Corpus Christi. Bye!

  • Social Media in 2025 — Reply is the Power Move

    Social Media in 2025 — Reply is the Power Move

    Everyone tells you to publish content. It’s true. You needed to be blogging in 2011 and 2024 and you still need to in 2025. Call it blogging, writing, posting, or publishing, but it still needs to be done.

    Publishing is just the basic move in 2025. It’s expected. It’s the norm. Mid. No cap.

    The real power move is to take time each day to comment on posts from other people. (Or hire someone to do that for you.)

    Replying gives you access to another audience. Replying exposes your content to other people. Replying helps other businesses see you. 

    Replying is the power move. 

    And, you can do it in five minutes a day. 

    That’s not too much to give in 2025. 

    Bonus: 3-2-1 Method for LinkedIn

    3 connections

    2 comments

    1 new post

    You can do it in 5 minutes a day.

    Watch the tutorial here on Loom.

    Full Transcript

    (00:00):

    Hey everybody, it’s your friend Bridget here. I’m just wanting to talk to you a little bit about replying. Replying to other people’s posts is the power move because all when all we’re doing is publishing, publishing, publishing, publishing, we’re like an RSS feed. An RSS feed is a really, really simple syndication, or real simple syndication, I think. Anyway, it’s publishing, it’s broadcasting. It’s like a radio where you’re just talking, talking, talking, and everybody’s there to just listen.

    (00:39):

    I just recently watched the movie called Saturday Night, about the 90 minutes before the first episode of Saturday Night Live, and there was like a feature of Milton Berle in there talking about when he was on radio, he had the attention of 97% of Americans. Well, he was in a unique period of time where radio — wireless, the wireless — was the only option besides being in person somewhere.

    (01:11):

    Now we have the radio — still works. We have, uh, streaming, uh, we have television, television over the air, cable television, various social media platforms, YouTube, um. There’s just so many, it’s almost too difficult to count. And so trying to be the dominant force on any social media platform or any media platform, because it’s all media, is the, is the medium in which you are performing or publishing or broadcasting. So, social media is, is the behavior of being social on that platform.

    (02:00):

    With Milton Berle being on radio, there was no feedback. There were only advertiser advertisers and purchases, and whether or not there are ratings from Nielsen Company, which still exists. And so we’re constantly trying to monitor and monetize and analyze the metrics by which people are engaging with us, right? If I get a Christmas card from you, therefore I’m still relevant, therefore, my brand is still relevant. You know, if I if I get a present from you or a text on my birthday, then I’m still top of mind. So whether it’s personal connections or small business connections, you only have control of, of so much of everybody’s time because it’s all over the place.

    (02:58):

    If you, if you’re still watching this three minutes into this video, how many text messages did you have to swipe away? How many, uh, phone calls from robots did you have to get rid of? How many children were tugging at your shirt? Um, this is the reality. So while you have someone’s — speaking of children, how many cats are meowing in the hallway? — But when you’re replying on somebody else’s post, you’re able to engage in a different way, in a different space and an audience that may have an overlap with yours. So I’m always talking about this is the power move is the reply.

    (03:43):

    Go look for other tweets, posts, whatever they call ’em on Bluesky. I’m just gonna call ’em posts. Look for somebody else’s post and write a comment on it. Or write a comment on that. Or find a comment that you like and like that comment and/or reply to it.

    (04:05):

    Go on Reddit for the category that you’re talking about and upvote somebody’s comment. Reddit is amazing. It’s been such a good driver of traffic and making actual connections for my handyman friend up in Door County, Wisconsin. I replied to somebody else’s post looking for a handyman in Door County. I said, my friend Michael does this. Here’s his website. Boom. That became a job, which became another job, which became another job.

    (04:39):

    Do you remember me talking about, uh, making a video explanation of epoxy injection for Riggins Construction with a point-and-shoot camera a hundred million years ago, three years after that terrible video? Well, it’s not terrible. It’s just like not the best quality. It was me just doing it, right? It explains, it’s still on the internet. You know, look for epoxy injection, Riggins Construction if you want to see how it works. But that video — three years old — that video filmed on a point-and-shoot camera edited by me, you know, roughly very, very raw, brought in one job. That one job was from a customer who owned 12 more buildings. That one small job became $97,000.

    (05:32):

    We, we forget that the content that we’re putting out matters. So go back into the context of a reply. I know this week I just saw it. I wish I could find it. Somebody was posting on X that they, they, they got a DM from someone after they re um, tweeted some — I’m just gonna say tweeted — after they posted and they got a new customer because they were replying.

    (06:01):

    Also, when you reply to a post, it helps that post get more visibility. And so you’re helping your fellow small business person while also giving yourself more visibility in that audience. Sometimes those replies get likes, like on Reddit, they’ll be upvoted. On Instagram, they’ll be liked with a heart. Um, sometimes they can be taken outta context. Sometimes that context, you know, it’s just, it’s important. But still, like that reply I on on LinkedIn.

    (06:40):

    Replying is such a power move because you’re giving yourself, you know, access to a totally different audience. And so when somebody posts on LinkedIn that they just got a new speaking gig or they just got a new promotion, how hard is it for you to say congratulations? In fact, it’s not even that hard on LinkedIn. There’s always these prompts that say, congrats somebody with, you know, you can either press that button or you can add to it. Um, when, when people are, um, posting about this topic or that topic, you adding kind of your take on it is such a huge thing because of that, I’ve been invited, um, to comment, um, or to add my thoughts to running articles on LinkedIn. And the thing is, I don’t even spend that much time on LinkedIn. It’s that we’re always holding our phone in our hand waiting for something to happen. But in addition to publishing your regular content, and I, I for one am getting back to being what I was doing and just going forward, right? Um.

    (08:00):

    You, you have to do the boring work. ’cause sometimes the boring work is spending an extra five minutes on each platform looking for something to comment on. I have a 3, 2, 1 method. Um, there’s a, a little video I did for, um, uh, on Loom that I could definitely, um, post in the comments or the description of this. But, um, you know, look for three things to comment on or look for. I forgot the exact order, but I’ll, I’ll have to go look it up. ’cause I, you know, I forgot my own advice. But basically I, it was like one new post, two replies, and three connections that you can either follow or, um, connect with, you know, so you can mix that up. Like you can find three things to comment on, one thing to post one friend to like, but either way make it a routine that’s part of your daily function so that you don’t get lost.

    (09:04):

    I mean, how many people have you forgotten? You know, that Dunbar number of 150 people that we can only keep track of? How many people would be like, oh yeah, who’s that one guy that not, he doesn’t just build websites, he makes a recipe app. Or who’s that one lady that teaches Pinterest? Gosh, I forgot. Because you’re not interacting with them and you’re not interacting with them ’cause you are not replying. They’re not replying. And we’re all beholden to some algorithm that constantly changes, changes.

    (09:38):

    Anyway, why don’t you just be, take the behaviors you would have in a mixer at a party, at a Christmas party and chamber event and just do that same thing. Go up to somebody, be part of the conversation. It’s really not difficult, but it’s not sexy, it’s not fancying, it’s not something that I’m gonna send you a guide on. It’s just something you have to do. You know, if, if you wanna make videos every day, then sit down at your desk, clean it off and make your videos. If you wanna send an email out to your people, get a MailChimp account and do it. But I would suggest that you stop making excuses. Don’t get stuck in the weeds of how is this gonna happen. Use the tools you already have and that’s why reply is such a power move. You don’t have to create the content, you just reply to it.

    (10:38):

    Anyway, my name is Bridget Willard. If you haven’t seen me before, or if you’re seeing me now, I write content for websites, articles, long form, short form. I rewrite your web pages, I do social media content strategy one-on-ones, and I’m here for you in the Corpus Christi, Texas area. Um, or online. Put the Zoom consultation and hey, reply to this video. Tell me what you’re working on. What do you need help with, what could I help you with? We’ll see if, bye.

  • Do You Still Need to Blog in 2024, 2025, etc? Yes, Yes You Do.

    Do You Still Need to Blog in 2024, 2025, etc? Yes, Yes You Do.

    Instead of asking if you still need to blog in 2025, ask yourself if you still need customers in 2026 or if you still need sales.

    Here’s the short answer: yes.

    Yes, you still need a blog in 2026.

    Yes, even though people are using AI to write (the school calls it plagiarism), you still need to write and publish on your blog in 2025.

    Why?

    Let me count the ways.

    Oh and before this becomes way too hard to read, let’s agree that “blog” can be a verb meaning publish your writing. Blog is also the noun referring to the archive of articles you publish on your website.

    And I may just say “write” instead of blog. I would presume you’re also publishing these articles on your website (aka blog). Sound good? Let’s go.

    1. You write to establish yourself as an authority.
    2. You write so people can validate you as a business/service.
    3. You write to stay top of mind.
    4. You write to educate your customer base.
    5. You write to provide helpful tips for your existing customer base.
    6. You write because your competition isn’t writing.
    7. You write so you can be found on a search.
    8. You write to rank on Google.

    As another caveat, let me ask you a few more questions.

    1. Do you print materials like brochures to give out?
    2. Do you hand out business cards?
    3. Do you have radio commercials or TV spots?
    4. Do you have billboard or print ads?

    If the answer to any of these is “yes,” then your website better deliver. (We’ll come back to “validate your business” in that section.

    You write to establish yourself as an authority.

    Regardless of the nature of your business, you need to establish yourself as the authority. This means ensuring your author profile says your name and has a bio. Yes, the byline matters when Google/AI are deciding what to show.

    Are you a dry cleaner? Your website should help a consumer trust your business with their $500 suit. Are you a website designer? Your website should help a client choose you for their $2,500 website build. 

    You’ve read it so many times you can probably guess that I’m about to say that people do business with people they…? Know. Like. Trust.

    In a digital world where consumers are researching solutions to their problems way before you invented your plant trap (I so want one, thanks Instagram), you have to be trusted. Who do we trust? Subject matter experts.

    No seriously, look at the Instagram account for Plant Traps by RailScapes. It’s pretty great and they have a blog. Or Sam & Louie’s Pizza in Corpus Christi. It’s real. Authentic. Pam Chavez cared enough to go to school and learn the trade. Her story is why my BFF and I eat there. Now, is she blogging? No. But she is creating content which is a start. (Always back up your video content with blog posts on your own site. You don’t want your IG account to get hacked and then you lose everything. But that really is another blog post.)

    You write so people can validate you as a business/service.

    Remember earlier when I asked if you hand out printed materials and or business cards? So people know your website because they met you at a mixer, say. They don’t need window blinds right now but they keep your card. You’re a nice enough fellow so when they decide they want shutters — who do they look up first? You. 

    Your website has to back you up. In fact, your website is the best salesperson you’ll ever have. That is, if you maximize it. And you maximize it with your blog posts. Why? Websites don’t work 9-5. They don’t take vacations. Websites don’t call out sick (when you’re on a good host.) People can read and process the information on your website at their own pace. They can watch the videos. 

    You write to stay top of mind.

    As you think about all of the connections you’ve made over the years, how many people can you think of that you know are roofers? Go ahead. I’ll wait. How about a lawyer? I don’t mean Greg Hermann or Thomas J Henry. I mean a business lawyer. Oh yeah, there was that one guy who talked about LLCs back in 2021. But do you remember his name? Nope. Nada. Why? Because the interaction is gone.

    Now, people tend to not subscribe to blogs anymore (the best practice is email marketing campaigns with Mailchimp, for example). 

    People always ask me what they should post on social media. Blog posts. You should post links to your blog on your Facebook Page, on LinkedIn, and on X. You can even make a video out of your blog post with a service called Lumen5. I do it all of the time. 

    You write to educate your customer base.

    Educating your customer base is one of the most important reasons to have a blog. You want to clear up industry misconceptions, manage expectations, and have the customer closer to a yes by the time they call you. 

    Educating your customers means you’re using the same vocabulary which makes communication clear. How many times can you think of when you thought you bought something but was delivered something else? Too many.

    “I didn’t know I needed that!”

    In roofing, for example, you never know if the plywood sheets need to be replaced until — guess what? — the roof is removed. So that conversation is had during the bidding process. Any reputable company will give you the per sheet price in that bid, if it needs to change.

    This can also happen with a website build. “I just want a button.” Well, what does the button do? And are those services connected? And did you pay for the software? Getting on the same page is so much easier if you have articles and helpful FAQs on your website.

    You write to provide helpful tips for your existing customer base.

    If people are already customers, maybe they need help using your product. This is where Plant Traps does well on their blog. They’re doing presales work and giving ideas for current customers. If you’re providing an accounting service, publish articles so that your clients are ready for tax time. My CPA DiMercuiro Advisors does a great job with this (though I wouldn’t call it a “Learning Center”).

    Green Cremation does this very well with aquamation here in Texas. They write articles about obesity and the cremation process, the process of water cremation, as well as a complete guide to natural burial. Things you might not know about until you need to know. And none of us want to talk about death – again, another blog post. 

    You write because your competition isn’t writing.

    Everyone wants to compete with their competition. Wait. That sounded weird. Every business owner thinks other businesses are competitors. And, they very may well be. But the truth of it is that consumers make choices based on variations we can’t always account for. Maybe your business is chosen because customer A only wants to support women in business. 

    With that said, having an active blog on your website is a great way to stand out from the competition. To me, an active blog tells me that you’re in business. You’re not going anywhere. I won’t have to change service providers, find a new dentist, etc.

    (But you haven’t published in forever, Bridget. I know. I was in a car accident in December and had 8 herniated discs. That was a lot of pain and quite a bit of treatment. I’m finally feeling like myself. Thus, today’s blog post. And two more drafts in my head.)

    You write so you can be found on a search.

    Where was the last time you searched for a product or service? Was it Google? Bing? Siri? Alexa? Yelp? Reddit? Pinterest? Facebook? Maps?

    The truth is, our search intent has a lot to do with where we’re searching. For example, if we’re going out to eat and the restaurant is closed, we may open up Google Maps (my BFF is definitely opening up Yelp) to find a place nearby that is open now. If I’m watching a movie and just want to see where else I saw Chris Evans, I may just ask Siri.

    Of course, you want to be found. But you may also be found on a search in X, a hashtag on Instagram, a job title on LinkedIn, or even on Facebook. 

    Search doesn’t always equal Google.

    You write to rank on Google. (This is the worst reason to blog.)

    A lot of people believe that ranking on Google is the primary reason to blog. It’s not. Google’s search has been idiosyncratic for about a decade. Your search history frames the results that Google will show you. SEOs call this SERPs: Search Engine Results Page. Unless you’re in a private browser, your results will be different from Jack in Miami. 

    Everyone forgets about Local SEO. Meaning, most of us search for things around us: dry cleaners, roofers, dentists, restaurants, movie theaters, bars, etc. And most of the time, we’re making a purchasing decision with that intent. 

    Everything that you do in all of the reasons above has a cumulative effect on whether or not your website shows up on a search result for a user. 

    Are you going to start writing now?

    I hope the answer is a resounding yes. Send me your blog link. I’m happy to make suggestions. But the main thing is that you now understand that blogging isn’t a frivolous activity. Blogging is vital to the long-term success of your business. 

    More Resources

  • Launch With Words, Texas Residential Care Homes, and Cyndi Pressler

    If you’ve been following me on Twitter for a while, you know about my free WordPress plugin, Launch With Words. It was built with the Starter Pack in mind, a spinoff of my free eBook, “If You Don’t Mind Your Business, Who Will?” At my core, I am a teacher and encourager. I love helping other small businesses (gen pop and web dev shops) thrive. This is what makes me feel like the best version of myself. 

    It’s the best feeling in the world.

    Launch With Words Care Home Pack

    Recently, a friend’s mom launched her consulting business. So, naturally, I created a companion content pack to support her goals and those of her new clients: residential care homes.

    You can even see some of the posts on the Consult Cyndi blog. So who is the trusted source in all things residential care in Texas? Why, Cyndi Pressler, that’s who.

    Meet San Antonio’s Cyndi Pressler – The Best Consultant in Texas For Residential Care Homes

    Texas native Cyndi Pressler is a big deal in regulatory compliance for Senior Care, specifically Type B Residential Care Homes. Like, she was involved in writing Texas compliance and regulations type of Big Deal. So, when Cyndi had the opportunity to start her consulting business, I was all in. 

    Can Cyndi Pressler Help Me Start My Residential Care Home?

    The short answer is yes, Cyndi Pressler can help you start your Residential Care Home in Texas. The first step is getting you ready for your Life Safety Code Certification.

    Located in San Antonio, Texas, Cyndi Pressler is the expert in state and local requirements that guide the foundation, existence, and operations of senior care homes here in Texas. She recently helped The Montgomery Home with their new facility in Palacios, Texas.

    “We value each residents’ experiences from their personal life. We honor them by listening to their thoughts and ideas of what an autonomous and dignified home environment entails.” The Montgomery Home

    Cyndi Pressler is An Inspiration to Women Business Owners

    Cyndi Pressler has been an industry expert for decades. Her ability to deeply understand regulatory compliance and present that information in a friendly way is unmet. If you’re lucky enough to know her, then you’ve laughed with her, cried with her, and maybe lost at Hand and Foot.

    One of my favorite things about her is the way she coaches business owners to advocate for themselves. This is a huge step for any entrepreneur and is often hard to see without a mentor like Cyndi.

    “Taking the next step in your assisted living business is called the advocate stage and the reason I call it that is ’cause you need to advocate for yourself.” Cyndi Pressler 

    If you’d like to book a meeting with Cyndi Pressler, you can do so on her public-facing calendar. Tell her Bridget sent you and she’ll give you a virtual hug, too!

    What Business Owner Inspires You? What Content Pack Do You Want Next?

    Hey, Launch With Words was built with you in mind. So, what content pack would you like to see? And which business owner inspires you to keep going? Have you told them lately how they’ve had an impact on you? I bet they’d sure appreciate it.