In truth, it may seem intimidating and downright scary to think about optimizing your website, starting to blog about your business, and ranking on Google!

I've been there too, but making the decision to do it anyway was the best thing I have ever done for myself. I am here to address some potential concerns and problems you might be facing in your own decision making, I relate to you with my experiences and help you with solutions.

Let's break it down!

1. Hiring an SEO expert who doesn’t care about your business, charges a lot, does not move the needle or get the results and just sucking the life out of you.

I hired an SEO expert team once. We sat down over coffee, I liked the sales rep, she talked me into an expensive package. In 3 months, I had one Yelp lead and they tried to make it seem like such a win. They never touched my actual website, they made a crappy lead capture page with copy that did not sound like me at all.

However, in just 1 month of doing my own optimization, I saw actual numbers change, my site traffic grow and leads start coming in. I also demonstrated my expertise and showed my personality on my website like only I could, and my dream clients loved me before they inquired with me. They knew I cared because I did, and it came through on my site.

If this is you, I suggest: fire your SEO expert, save a ton of money, learn your own SEO and then train your virtual assistant to do any future upkeep.

2. Paying for expensive ads on Facebook or billboards that have small ROI.

I have spent so much time trying to figure out a solution to booking more and charging more for my services. Facebook ads only brought cold leads that tore down my offers (half the time) and it was never worth it in the end. Certainly not the way being on Google and Pinterest has been.

Try this: focus less on ads and billboards that do not offer long term solutions like being on Google does, and spend time and money learning tactics that stand the test of time, are evergreen, and will continue to bring in income.

3. Only focusing on social media and word of mouth and not having eggs in multiple baskets.

Two years ago, I booked primarily from social media and word of mouth, so when I had a mental break from being active on Instagram, the algorithm dropped me and I found myself not booking and having to get side hustle jobs just to cover the bills. I realized then that I had all my eggs in one basket and needed some help.

My advice: take some of all that time you dedicate to SM and pour energy into booking passively by being magnetic to clients, and found on Google’s first page. Start an email list, get clients to love you by serving them with long form content on your blog and landing pages, and start seeing new income come in to triple your earnings like I did.

4. Not trusting that you have enough comprehension of SEO to do it yourself.

I understand how intimidating SEO is. When I worked for a marketing agency designing and building websites for hotels and restaurants, I would have to check SEO and fix tedious things I understood nothing about to get the site approved. I hated doing it. I think if I knew back then what I know now, those companies would have been blowing up with business. When I started working on my own business’s site, it was different. I cared too much and I was giving it my all. I took my time, got to know the enemy and found out that I enjoyed spending my time on a strategy that I could clearly see working. I could actually see the numbers moving and it lit me up!

I recommend: take one full month to learn a skill that will blow out your competition and make you some serious income, not to mention take your power back by understanding how the marketing world works deeper than ever before.

5. Thinking you do not have enough time to work on your website and Pinterest.

When I first started to learn SEO for myself, I groaned when the coach said I would need to do it in short bursts so i don’t burn myself out and I wasn't sure if I had enough time for it . I wondered what I’d gotten myself into. When I started to understand what I was learning and getting excited as my progress grew, I actually had to tear myself away from the computer so I don’t overdo it. I guess it grew on me. I like strategy that actually works.

How to solve this: take just 1-2 hours a day 4-5 days a week for 4 weeks and dedicate it to all the little things that make your website and Pinterest get going and then watch the bookings come in at a steady rate. Then use that money to hire a VA so you can get time back in your life and relax knowing that you have started the SEO flywheel.

6. Thinking you have to pay to be featured on the 1st page of Google and stalling due to money limitations.

I smirked because I figured I would never cross the barrier of being on top of Google’s search results for anything big, because I knew that there were plenty of customers paying to be in the top spots. What I did not realize is that consumers are so smart, most people skip over the paid ads and prefer to see which organic businesses are coming up at the top of Google search, because they feel like they can trust this information more when there is no money behind it. Before I knew it, I saw my name directly underneath and even sometimes above the giants of the industry because even money can’t compete with what really matters to people.

My share: it takes zero dollars to provide amazing information and to serve your clients so well that they love you and Google trusts you and offers your website as the go-to resource for hundreds and thousands of your potential clients.

7. Not blogging because you think that you have nothing to talk about.

I laughed at the first few posts I wrote on my blog. My husband is the writer, not me. I was sure people were going to never read it anyway and I couldn’t imagine how I would ever write anything worth reading. With practice, I got quite good actually, learned how to use AI as a starting point and made my copy interesting and unique with my own perspective. I created a blog guide that brought me over one hundred thousand dollars in just under a year and still continues to serve my clients two years later. In fact, many of my clients tell me on inquiry, how much they appreciate my blogging! I ended up liking writing so much, that I started to write my own book last year.

My take: you have a lot more to say than you think. What you think as obvious in your business, is actually mind blowing to others and they are excited to read what you have to say. Take it from my student Jessica, who wrote a guide for her dream clients that’s so good, people are finding it and raving about her months later.

8. Waiting until you have enough money to start on SEO or to hire someone, therefore not doing anything at all.

I had to bargain with my intuition and convince my husband that the $500 I spent on the DIY SEO course I took was going to be worth the price. I was delivering groceries, my business was dying and I did not have the money to invest into something that I didn’t even understand. I knew deep inside myself that it was worth it, so I trusted and I am so freaking relieved that I did. It was the best investment ever. So good, that I no longer question my intuition and I am happy to invest in myself every smart chance I get.

Here is the deal: if you wait to invest in yourself when you have more money, you will never have more money. Growth is the best way to move up in the world and the biggest growth happens when we wager on ourselves, because deep inside we are proud, resilient and tough and we won’t quit until we get it done. That’s the entrepreneurial mindset and way.

9. Thinking that learning SEO is like learning another language, but in reality the jargon exists partially to intimidate businesses.

Just like you, I struggled understanding the terms and was terrified of all the smart language and the techy bits of SEO. Just like any other skill, it becomes second nature when practiced. I now laugh when SEO guru companies try to sell me their services because I know they are just trying to intimidate me with words, which I happen to know so well that I am able to break them down into simple easy to understand versions of the information.

Guess what? You may have been brushing off learning SEO because the jargon stresses you out, but I’d like to remind you that you learned how to speak English, pay bills, drive a car, and do all the things that support your business. Not to mention file for business and deal with taxes and other legal paperwork to begin with.

It’s just a few new words and some tinkering - nothing your brilliant mind can’t handle.

10. Trying to figure out your own website copy and keywords without knowing simple ways around it like using AI and other time saving techniques.

When I built my first business website, I slapped on the same tired phrases everyone else in my industry was using and I certainly had no idea about keywords. I told my husband that a website is just a formality and they are going out of style like business cards. I am so happy I was wrong. I put my foot right in my mouth on that one. He loves to ask me how I feel now that a strong website brings in most of our income. I just roll my eyes.

Don’t try to figure it out on your own, and worse don’t NOT do it at all. It’s easy money getting left on the table and the sooner you get started, the sooner you can see your clear ROI on your time and effort.

Finally, I want to conclude with: there is nothing more tedious than figuring out a new skill or trade completely on your own from bits and pieces of information from all over the web.

No wonder you are exhausted! It is 1000% worth it to let a professional guide you so you can get there a hundred times faster and have someone to fall back on in the process.

Ready to begin? Download my free guide to get started and check out the store to see what I offer. Feel free to email me at lena@lazygirlcoaching.com for any recommendations or with questions.