How to do search engine optimization on your website by yourself If you're DIY-ing your website or you just want to try your hand at a tune-up, follow the steps below to start to improve your own SEO (Search Engine Optimization). We do these things so that Google can understand what your site is all about. The ultimate goal is that Google knows how to recommend your site to people who are looking for an organization like yours! #1: Write custom page title and descriptions. This is the most...
7 days ago • 1 min read
My new website is live! Ever since I launched my site in 2023, I've been looking forward to the day I could give it the love it deserved. It really has been a labor of love, and I'm so thrilled to share it with you today! Here's what's different (and the strategy behind each change): I added a new section to my site: a blog! Over the next few months, I'm going to copy over all of my past newsletters into this section. Right now, my archive is stored in my email service provider's ecosystem....
14 days ago • 2 min read
Is AI going to kill Google Search? Oh no! I've seen a lot of discourse about this issue recently. As a marketer, this has the potential to disrupt almost everything I've built my and my clients' platforms on. But - keep reading to understand why you don't have to worry: So what's happening, exactly? Maybe if you've googled something recently, you've seen the AI Overview at the top of the page. Here's an example: My husband and I recently purchased a home (yay!) and I was looking up how much...
21 days ago • 1 min read
Do you struggle when you sit down to design a social media post? The blank page can be intimidating. You might know what you want to say, but you don't know how to make it look. Take some time to do a little work up-front and move forward knowing you'll always have a design to sit down to. If you enjoy taking a crack at design projects, try this formulaic approach to creating a graphics pack of your own: Pick 3-5 hex codes you want to use. One or two of them should be true colors... the other...
28 days ago • 1 min read
Build a newbie's Know/Like/Trust factor with an email automation In my humble opinion, the ideal digital marketing flow for organizations like yours looks like this: You have an engaging website with strong Search Engine Optimization ⬇️ People find you on Google as they search for "church/school near me" ⬇️ On your website, you offer something of value in exchange for someone's email ⬇️ When they subscribe, a new subscriber automation kicks off ⬇️ Over a series of days, weeks, or months, you...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Learn to manage a church's digital landscape in ~5hrs/week 📼 WATCH THIS INSTEAD OF READING: This has gone through many, many iterations, so I'm extremely excited to share with you that... ...In the spring, I’m running a free training program teaching you how to manage a church’s digital landscape in about 5 hours/week. I’ll teach you: Basic marketing best practices How to set up and run a successful social media account How to edit sermons and sermon clips How to format/write/send email...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Today, I'm sharing one simple change that will retain site traffic. Here's it is: If you have social media links in your main menu at the top of your site, go ahead and move them to the footer at the bottom of your site. Why? One article I read about this topic called those social icons "candy colored exit signs." Once you have someone on your site, don't encourage them to leave! When these icons are in your header or near your main menu, they are taking up valuable real estate and giving...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Why is the organization of your main menu important? First and foremost, you want the user on the other side of the screen to have a positive experience on your site. This includes being able to find what they're looking for easily. Additionally, it boosts your SEO to have a logical, clean, simple navigation. Scroll to the end to see my favorite menu layout and the one I recommend to most of my clients. 1) As a general rule of thumb, stick to 5 (or fewer) main menu items. Keep your main menu...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
I love Canva and I feel no shame about that fact. The professional graphic design community loves to make fun of Canva users. I, on the other hand, think Canva is a great tool: an accessible alternative to expensive softwares. If everyone could be a pro at Adobe Illustrator, that would be great! But that's just not reality. As someone who is fairly comfortable with both ends of the software spectrum, I want to teach you a few ways to level up your Canva usage. 1) Instead of the "Lift" text...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Are you making the most of Facebook Events? If you're putting on any sort of outreach event in the coming weeks, I'd encourage you to take a few minutes to set up a Facebook Event. Then, use the list below to spread the word! You might be surprised how much visibility you can gain for free (or just a few dollars). Rule #0: Make absolutely certain that you include a location in your event wherever you can. If you do, you'll automatically be added to the list of events for your city/town, which...
2 months ago • 1 min read