Advertise on podcast: Sara Does SEO Podcast - Wedding SEO Podcast for Wedding Pros, Photographers, and Creatives by Sara

I keep noticing Instagram profiles showing up on page one of Google for competitive wedding industry searches. And yes, that means your Instagram profile could potentially rank right alongside websites! So why is Google choosing certain Instagram profiles over all the others? There are a few things the profiles I’m seeing in search results have in common. In this episode, I’m breaking down those patterns and the three tweaks I’d make to give your Instagram profile a better chance of getting found on Google. What I Cover: - Why Instagram profiles are showing up in Google search results for wedding industry keywords - What I noticed about the profiles ranking for searches like “DC makeup artist” and “Dallas wedding photographer” - Why follower count doesn’t seem to be the deciding factor - How to use your most important keyword in your Instagram profile name and bio - Why optimizing your first pinned post may give Google even more context about your location and services Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!

Some people are just naturally good at social media. They enjoy making content, they know what gets attention, and it actually brings them business! So if that’s you, do you really need to add SEO too? In this episode, I’m talking about why your marketing strategy doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s. I also share a few situations where SEO can still be useful, even if social media is already working really well for you. What I Cover: - Why I think some people are naturally better suited to social media than others - What I’ve noticed about creators who seem genuinely good at getting attention online - Why you don’t necessarily need SEO if social media is bringing you enough bookings - When it might make sense to add SEO as another source of inquiries - Why your Google presence still matters when someone discovers you on social media - Why SEO may feel easier if you prefer written, educational content over social media content Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!

A commenter recently said on one of my Instagram posts: "Unfortunately, you can't just quit social media if your SEO is good." I want to talk about it! (and you might be surprised by my thoughts on this 😉) There’s a big difference between using social media to prove you’re still in business, versus relying on it to constantly reach new people and bring in every lead. In this episode, I’m talking about what happens when SEO becomes a reliable source of inquiries. Can you quit social media entirely? Press play for what I'm seeing. What I Cover: - The difference between using Instagram as a “vibe check” and relying on it as your main lead source - What I’m seeing from clients who get strong SEO results without being very active on social media - When quitting social media entirely might actually be possible Recommended Episodes: - Episode 38: SEO vs Social Media: Which One is Easier? Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much harder social media feels than it used to. Creating one post can mean filming video, editing clips, writing hooks, choosing audio, and hoping you grab someone’s attention fast enough for them to keep watching. At the same time, SEO actually feels easier to me than it did years ago. AI can support so much of the content creation process, and search is expanding beyond Google in ways that give small businesses more opportunities to get found. If social media is starting to feel like a LOT, you need to press play on this episode! What I Cover: - Why social media content feels more demanding than it did 10 years ago - The amount of work that now goes into creating short-form video and getting the hook right - Why SEO can feel calmer and more flexible than social media - How AI tools are making parts of the SEO content process easier - Why you still need a smart strategy instead of handing your entire SEO process over to AI - The new opportunity of AI search and GEO Resources Mentioned: - Blogging with AI workshop: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/ai-blog-workshop How We Can Help: 🔧 Wedding SEO Bootcamp for wedding pros: https://saradoesseo.com/wedding-seo-bootcamp/ Recommended Episodes: - Next episode #39: Can I Quit Social Media if I Do SEO? Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!

I get asked about this a lot: can you use SEO to expand into a bigger market where you’d love to book more weddings? The answer is yes, sometimes! But ranking in a new city is very different from ranking in a market where your business is already established. In this episode, I’m sharing a real client situation that shows why a big competitive market may not be the best SEO target. I also talk through where my Multi-Location Strategy can make a lot more sense. What I Cover: - Why ranking in a brand-new market is harder than simply creating a location page - The local signals Google looks for when deciding which businesses to rank - Why established local competitors have a major advantage in competitive cities - When I would and wouldn't recommend SEO as a strategy for expansion How We Can Help: 🔧 The SEO Fix for wedding pros: https://saradoesseo.com/wedding-seo-services/seo-fix/ 🔧 Content Intensives for wedding pros: Available for SEO Fix clients Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!

In this second part of my Ask Me Anything series, I’m answering five questions about how we deliver SEO behind the scenes at Sara Does SEO! I’m getting into what ongoing SEO support looks like for our clients, how we approach content after an SEO Fix, and the tool I’m liking right now for tracking visibility in AI search. I’m also sharing the resources I personally use to keep up with SEO changes. What I Cover: - What our SEO retainers actually look like and why most clients don’t need monthly SEO work - The ongoing audit and optimization work we offer after an SEO Fix - How Content Intensives help past SEO Fix clients keep building their search visibility - The tool I'm testing for tracking client visibility in AI search - The most important lesson I’ve learned about setting expectations with SEO clients Resources Mentioned: - Ubersuggest: https://saradoesseo.com/ubersuggest* - Sterling Sky and LocalU - Near Media - Whitespark Local Update Podcast - Search Engine Roundtable with Barry Schwartz Recommended Episodes: - Episode 33: Sara, How Does Your Business Actually Work? (You Asked, Part 1) How We Can Help: 🔧 The SEO Fix for wedding pros: https://saradoesseo.com/wedding-seo-services/seo-fix/ 🔧 Content Intensives for wedding pros: Available for SEO Fix clients who want to continue growing their SEO with strategic content. Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo! *This is an affiliate link, so I may earn commission. Please note that I always recommended Ubersuggest to my students because it's an affordable tool to get started with.

I can totally understand why SEO can feel like it’s always changing if your entire strategy is focused on ranking for one big keyword. But that’s exactly why I don’t want you putting all of your SEO effort into one search! A strong SEO strategy uses a mix of higher competition keywords and lower competition keywords that can bring the right people to your website in different ways. In this episode, I’m walking through how I think about lower competition keywords for photographers and wedding venues. I’m also sharing how these keywords can help you build an SEO strategy that keeps bringing in qualified traffic for years. What I Cover: - Why focusing on one high competition keyword can make your SEO strategy less steady - How to diversify where your search traffic comes from - Examples of lower competition keyword opportunities for wedding photographers and venues - What to create to target these keywords - How I find lower competition keyword ideas using brainstorming and SEO data Recommended Episodes: - Episode 34: Is SEO Really “Always Changing”? How We Can Help: 🔧 Wedding SEO Bootcamp for wedding pros: https://saradoesseo.com/wedding-seo-bootcamp/ Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!

I keep hearing business owners say they don't have time to keep up with SEO because it's "always changing." That idea frustrates me because, in my experience, sustainable SEO should work for the long-term! In this episode, I share real client examples that are still getting thousands of targeted Google clicks from SEO work we did years ago. I also explain why focusing on timeless best practices and the right keywords can help your SEO keep working long after the initial setup. If you've been wondering whether SEO is something you'll constantly have to chase, this ep is for you. What I Cover: - Why I don't believe SEO changes as much as people think - Two real client examples of websites still getting thousands of Google clicks years after their SEO was set up - What I mean by "timeless" SEO best practices that continue to work - Why creating genuinely helpful content matters more than trying to outsmart search engines - How targeting lower competition, more specific keywords leads to stronger long-term results Recommended Episodes: - Episode 35: What are Lower-Competition Keywords? (How You Rank for Years) Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!

I never expected people to start asking me for business advice... but those conversations got me thinking! It sounds like you might be curious about what actually happens behind the scenes at Sara Does SEO. It blows my mind too that this business has grown to a team of 11, serving over 130 SEO clients and 500 students each year. So, in this Ask Me Anything episode, I'm answering your listener questions: how my services have changed, how I built a team, and what my day-to-day role looks like now. What I Cover: - How I went from web design to SEO and why my services have changed over the years - Why I stopped offering SEO audits as a standalone service and created The SEO Fix instead - How I gradually transitioned from doing all the client work myself to leading a team - What my job actually looks like today, from SEO strategy to marketing and teaching - The workshops, webinars, and marketing strategies I use to grow the business - What I look for when hiring new team members and why I only hire full-time employees Recommended Episodes: - Episode 1: Sara, Why Are You So Obsessed with SEO?? (How I Got Started) - Episode 19: Can I Hire You for an SEO Audit? (Nope 😉 Here’s Why) Services I Discussed: 🔧 Wedding SEO Bootcamp for wedding pros: https://saradoesseo.com/wedding-seo-bootcamp/ 🔧 The SEO Fix for wedding pros: https://saradoesseo.com/wedding-seo-services/seo-fix/ Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!

One of my favorite things we created last year is coming back, and I couldn't be more excited! Join me for a few minutes as I share more about the fun and collaboration of SEO Summer Camp. If you've been wanting dedicated time to finally work on your SEO with support, community, and live coaching, this is it. Whether you're brand new to SEO or ready to make more progress, I'd love to have you join us starting August 4, 2026! What I Cover: - How SEO Summer Camp got started and why it's become one of my favorite events - What you'll learn during this year's live SEO demo for a wedding planner - Why live demos, co-working sessions, and community make SEO easier to stick with - Who SEO Summer Camp is designed for and how to join SEO Summer Camp: - All the details: https://saradoesseo.com/seo-summer-camp/ - Join Wedding SEO Bootcamp for access to Summer Camp: https://saradoesseo.com/wedding-seo-bootcamp/ Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!

I get asked about blog post word count all the time. Everyone wants the magic number that guarantees a better chance of ranking on Google, but… it just doesn't work that way (sorry!) The length of a blog post depends on a couple of key things. In this episode, I walk through why a 300-word post might be enough for one keyword but nowhere near enough for another. I'll also share the simple research step I use before writing any blog post. Listen in! What I Cover: - What Yoast's 300-word recommendation actually means - Why SEO is a comparative game, not a checklist - How I actually decide on a word count target - Real examples of low-competition versus highly competitive keywords Resources Mentioned: - Detailed SEO Chrome Extension: https://detailed.com/extension/ Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!

Whenever I talk about blogging, there's always at least one wedding pro who asks: "Blogging?? Does anyone even read blog posts anymore?" And I get why you ask! Blog reading habits have absolutely changed in the last few years. But... does that make blogging useless? In this episode, I'm sharing the data from our wedding clients' blogs (we trust in the data around here!). It's probably not what you'd expect 😉 Listen in as I talk about how businesses need to view blogging in 2026, what has changed since the early days of blogging, and why I STILL recommend that you post some strategic blog content (sorry! ha). What I Cover: - How long a reader will ACTUALLY spend when they land on a blog post from search - How the purpose of blogging has shifted from 10 years ago - What Google Analytics reveals (data, not just vibes) - The types of questions and searches that are worth creating blog content around Recommended Episodes: - Episode 14: Can I Use ChatGPT to Write My Blog Posts? - Episode 15: How Often Do I Have to Blog for SEO? - Episode 29: Why Isn't My AI-Generated Blog Post Ranking? Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!

"I published a blog post... why isn't it showing up on Google at ALL?" — It's a question I keep getting, so I decided to dig deeper. And I didn't love what I discovered. In the last few months, I'm seeing this happen more and more. If you use AI to help write your blog posts, you can't miss this episode. What I cover: - Why blog posts can end up as "Crawled, currently not indexed" in Google Search Console - The common signs of AI-generated content that Google won't rank - Simple changes I recommend if you're using AI to help write blog posts - The one writing tweak that will make your content more human, more engaging, and more likely to rank Resources Mentioned: - Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console - Three Blog Posts in 60 Minutes: The Voice to Blog Framework workshop: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/ai-blog-workshop Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!

In this episode, I'm joined by past SEO Fix client Amber McKinney of Sunset Oaks Venue. Amber has built a wedding venue that consistently books 95 to 100 weddings a year in a highly competitive market, and about half of those bookings come from her SEO! What I love about Amber is her commitment to tracking her numbers. She uses the data to make calm, proactive business decisions, and it has really paid off. We talk about what led her to invest in SEO, how she's tracked the results, and why looking at year-over-year data has helped her follow her growth. What We Cover: - Why Amber decided to invest in SEO even when her venue was already booking well - What it's like competing in a crowded wedding venue market without relying on Google Ads - How the SEO Fix helped increase her website traffic for multiple years— with no maintenance on her part - The metrics Amber tracks to understand the health of her business (and how she can help you track yours) Resources Mentioned: - Vow to Grow: https://vowtogrow.biz/ - Vow to Grow free resources and Venue Health Tracker: https://vowtogrow.biz/resources - Vow to Grow on Instagram: @vow.to.grow - Sunset Oaks in Tyler, TX: https://sunsetoaksvenue.com/ - Read our full case study on Amber's event venue SEO results: https://saradoesseo.com/event-venue-seo-case-study/ How We Can Help: 🔧 The SEO Fix: https://saradoesseo.com/wedding-seo-services/seo-fix/ (this is the SEO setup service we did for Amber's venue!) Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and venues: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!

If you offer your services in more than one location, should you create more than one Google Business Profile? It sounds like a smart way to get visibility in multiple markets, but there are some important limitations with how Google Business Profile actually works. In many cases, trying to maintain multiple listings creates more challenges than benefits. In this episode, I walk through a real client example and what I recommended. Don't miss this one if you'd love to rank in more than one area! What I Cover: - Why Google Business Profile rankings are usually tied to one primary location - What service areas can and can't do for your visibility - The challenges of verifying multiple Google Business Profile listings - How splitting reviews across multiple profiles can hurt you - When it may make sense to have multiple listings Your Next Steps: 👉 Learn more about Sara Does SEO: https://saradoesseo.com/ 👩‍💻 Check out our SEO services for wedding pros and photographers: https://saradoesseo.com/get-more-info/ 💌 Connect with me on Instagram @saradoesseo!