Your Online Presence Deserves Better: Let’s Improve Your Website Performance!

In this exciting episode of the workshop “Let’s Fix Your Website,” hosted by the San Francisco Small Business Development Center and the San Francisco Public Library, I conducted website audits and offered insights into improving the online presence of small businesses.

Let’s explore how to enhance the websites’ SEO and drive more success!

Poles for Mobility

The website polesformobility.com is a platform to educate users on using poles for hiking and walking. However, the site needs several challenges in terms of visibility and functionality. Currently, it has a domain rating of 15 and ranks for 21 keywords, but none appear on the first page of Google.

Keywords like “Nordic walking pole tips” and “What size Nordic walking pole do I need” rank on the seventh page or beyond, resulting in virtually no traffic.

The site relies on one main webpage, which ranks for most of the existing keywords but does not generate meaningful engagement. Furthermore, the keyword difficulty is low, indicating untapped growth potential.

The subscription option on the site lacks a compelling call-to-action. It simply says “Subscribe” without offering any clear value proposition or incentive for users to share their email addresses.

The copyright date reads 2018, which suggests the site might not have been updated recently. Additionally, the Adventure Buddies blog associated with the brand is hosted separately. This blog performs better, with a domain rating of 18 and traffic primarily coming from Spain and the U.S. The separation of the blog and main site potentially dilutes SEO value.

On the positive side, the website’s mission is noteworthy. The owner, a Sierra Club leader, and breast cancer survivor, teaches classes for seniors and individuals with specific conditions like Parkinson’s, MS, and neuropathy. However, the site’s design and content do not effectively showcase these personal and professional qualifications.

Recommendations

To enhance the website’s performance and engagement, I recommended the following changes:

Add more targeted pages to rank for keywords related to hiking poles, mobility, and outdoor activities.

Merge the Adventure Buddies blog with the main site to consolidate SEO power and attract more traffic.

Replace static images with a welcome video of the owner introducing the site and its purpose. Highlight personal experiences and credentials, such as leading hikes and teaching classes.

Showcase photos and videos of classes, hikes, and events to build trust and relatability. Include stories of participants enjoying these activities, especially seniors who benefit from the programs.

Revise the subscription form with a clear value proposition. Offer a free resource, such as “10 Tips for Choosing the Best Hiking Pole”, in exchange for email addresses.

Feature testimonials from participants, community centers, and organizations to validate the site’s impact.

Highlight personal achievements on the homepage instead of burying them in the About section, such as being a breast cancer survivor and Sierra Club leader.

Design a section tailored to seniors and people with mobility challenges. Use simple navigation and include a gallery section for photos and event recaps.

Update the copyright date to reflect the current year.

Optimize on-page content using SEO plugins for WordPress, ensuring proper meta tags, internal linking, and schema markup.

Collaborate with community centers and local organizations to generate backlinks and referrals.

Feature events from local parks like Point Reyes and Rancho San Antonio, showcasing the site’s involvement in these communities.

How To Talk by Julie King

Julie King’s website, how-to-talk.com, has a significant online presence, with a domain rating (DR) of 32 and 1,700 keywords. This indicates that the website’s SEO performance is strong and generates traffic from Google searches. Julie is best known for her first book, How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen, which has amassed over 7,000 ratings on Amazon. Her newer book is also showcased prominently.

The website supports a range of offerings, including books, coaching, and interactive workshops for parents. Workshops are priced at $189 per person or $289 per couple for a four-week program consisting of two-hour sessions per week.

Attendees can also sign up for talks led by Julie and her co-author. Julie’s workshops emphasize hands-on practice, experiential exercises, and opportunities for participants to ask questions, setting them apart from traditional webinars.

Despite the website’s impressive SEO metrics, there are significant issues that need immediate attention. During the audit, I discovered unauthorized pages on her site, such as spam pages about unrelated topics like “turquoise floor vases.” This suggests a WordPress plugin vulnerability or an outdated setup, leading to a security breach. Hackers likely targeted her site due to its strong domain authority.

During this audit, I also identified the issue that the site was compromised by hackers using outdated plugins with vulnerabilities. These attackers injected spam content into the site, generating thousands of fake pages. This activity is likely damaging the website’s SEO, as Google associates such behavior with spam.

The site ranks for irrelevant and unrelated keywords due to the spam pages, which also appear in Google’s search features (e.g., People Also Ask, site links).

Recommendations

Ensure WordPress and plugins are up-to-date for security.

Enable a firewall plugin to prevent unauthorized access.

Use a custom login URL for added security.

Identify and remove compromised plugins, ensuring they are updated or removed as necessary.

Clean up the website by removing spammy or injected pages (which might number in the thousands), ensuring only legitimate content remains.

Check the site for any potential server-level vulnerabilities or backdoors left by attackers.

Rebuild the website, if necessary, to ensure a clean slate and prevent further issues.

Continue targeting high-performing keywords related to parenting and communication for organic traffic.

Create supporting content like blogs, videos, or FAQs based on How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen.

Highlight the interactive nature and unique benefits of workshops on the homepage.

Showcase the impact of workshops with testimonials and case studies.

Optimize workshop pages for SEO with keywords like “interactive parenting workshops” or “how to communicate with kids”.

Encourage early sign-ups for workshops through newsletters with discount offers.

Provide free downloadable guides as lead magnets to grow the mailing list.

If available, acquire howtotalk.com for better branding.

Respond to negative reviews and balance them with positive feedback.

Market Julie’s talks and workshops to a wider audience by partnering with speaker bureaus.

Offer on-demand workshops for flexible scheduling.

Ensure ongoing security and maintenance by consulting a web developer.

Create short, engaging videos and embed them in blog posts to improve SEO and visibility.

Punk Majesty Street Wear

The website punkmajestystreetwear.com offers a collection of eco-conscious, punk-inspired clothing. The site is fairly new, and Alisha Amnesia, the owner, is working to build her audience through social media, with limited success so far. The brand has a PR background but needs more exposure, particularly with influencers and organic growth strategies.

The combination of punk-inspired clothing with eco-friendly materials is unique and serves an underserved niche. This could attract environmentally conscious consumers, especially within the millennial and Gen Z demographics who care about sustainability.

Each collection has a brief origin story, displayed on the homepage. This helps provide context and connects customers with the brand’s mission. However, these could be expanded to create a deeper emotional connection with the audience.

Despite having a relatively small following (1,800 on Instagram and 1,100 on Facebook), Alisha has the potential to tap into the growing 40+ demographic on platforms like TikTok, which aligns with the brand’s eco-conscious, punk aesthetic.

The site’s homepage takes 17 seconds to load, which is too slow. This could lead to high bounce rates, especially on mobile. Google’s PageSpeed Insights suggests a mobile score of 35 and a desktop score of 83, which is problematic for user experience.

The mobile version of the site is difficult to navigate due to slow loading and layout shifting. The Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is 0.15, which means the layout moves unexpectedly as elements load, making the site harder to use.

The homepage currently shows too many products and collections, which could overwhelm users and slow down the site. And, the photos lack high-quality detail, making it hard for customers to understand the texture and feel of the products, especially for clothing.

Alisha’s previous experience with influencers has been costly and inefficient. While hiring a professional to find influencers was a step in the right direction, the results were not as expected.

Recommendations

Include a more detailed and engaging backstory for the brand and its founder.

Reduce image sizes and use JPEGs instead of PNGs for faster loading.

Optimize images, as 200 requests for 16MB data are too heavy for a homepage.

Consider using tools like Lazy Loading for images to improve load speed, especially on

Optimize mobile layout and test with Google’s mobile-friendly tools.

Focus on mobile-first design principles to ensure smooth navigation.

Use high-resolution images and allow for zoom-in functionality for a closer look at the fabric and design.

Include detailed descriptions that cover fabric texture, fit, and care instructions to help customers make informed purchasing decisions.

Limit featured products to the top 2 or 3 collections that best represent the brand.

Create separate collection pages and link to them from the homepage instead of displaying everything at once.

Focus on micro-influencers who resonate more with the brand’s niche and target audience.

Work with influencers on TikTok, specifically those in the 40+ demographic, which is the fastest-growing group on the platform.

Use Spark Ads to boost influencer posts on TikTok and Instagram to increase visibility.

Create a detailed “About Us” page with the origin story of the brand, its mission, and the founder’s vision.

Include customer reviews to build trust. Currently, there are very few reviews, which are crucial for building social proof.

Highlight the brand’s sustainability aspect more prominently in all marketing materials.

Gina D’Emilio

Gina D’Emilio is an artist and art educator. She offers private art education and showcases her artwork on her website, www.ginademilio.com. The homepage features an embedded YouTube video that showcases Gina’s artistic process. The website has separate sections for her artwork, bio, and more information about her. However, she is facing issues with SEO and is unsure how to improve her search engine visibility. She also wants to know how to optimize the shop section of her website for better searchability.

Gina mentions that her website has a clean design with a lot of white space, which some artists prefer for a minimalist aesthetic. While this clean design is appealing, it might not be the most effective in terms of SEO and engagement.

I noticed that the website has a hidden structure with many embedded pages, which might not be the best for SEO. Currently, the website’s structure is organized under five visible pages, with more content housed on hidden pages.

The art pieces are listed, but there is no clear story or narrative behind the works, which makes it difficult for potential buyers to connect with the art. Gina also mentions the challenge of growing her private art education business and attracting more clients, as the current site lacks clear testimonials or evidence of her work with students.

The site also has limited guidance for users regarding the purchase process, as she prefers clients to contact her directly via email, rather than using an online cart.

Recommendations

Enhance SEO by telling the story behind her art. Include detailed descriptions of materials, processes, and inspirations for each piece.

Improve the searchability of the shop section by creating unique pages for each art piece with relevant tags, descriptions, and SEO-friendly content.

Add customer testimonials and visual social proof, including photos or videos of students and their experiences with her art education.

Clarify her service offering by highlighting her art therapy background and private workshops to attract the right clientele.

Simplify navigation and improve user experience by ensuring key elements like the homepage and shop are easy to access and categorize her work into separate pages.

Tell a deeper story about each piece of art, focusing on its emotional and narrative aspects to connect with potential buyers.

Leverage visual content by showing art in real-life settings like homes or offices, helping potential buyers visualize the work in their spaces.

Optimize the purchasing process by providing an easy option to book consultations or buy art directly online, while still maintaining personal communication.

Four Seasons Estate Planning

The website for Four Seasons Estate Planning, run by Nancy Williamson, presents the typical structure for a legal practice but lacks the necessary elements to engage and convert visitors effectively. The site includes general legal content, such as information on probate, wills, and estate planning.

While these topics are informative, they feel generic and impersonal, failing to address the specific needs and concerns of potential clients. The website presents the information as though it’s a resume, focusing on credentials rather than answering the questions that prospective clients have.

Nancy, as an attorney, offers her background and experience but doesn’t provide a personal connection that could resonate with potential clients. Moreover, the website’s content doesn’t include personalized videos, which could significantly enhance client engagement. There’s also a lack of a clear connection between Nancy’s expertise and the value she provides, which could help in building trust with visitors.

Nancy’s online presence is mostly localized in the Sunnyvale area, and her website does rank for a few relevant keywords, such as “Sunnyvale probate attorney,” but the site doesn’t feature strong SEO practices or enough customer reviews to build credibility.

The site ranks in the local three-pack for probate attorneys but is still overshadowed by larger directories like FindLaw and Martindale-Hubbell. The current website’s design also suffers from being too plain and doesn’t convey Nancy’s personal story, which could serve as a differentiating factor.

There is also no video content, and the website’s visuals, such as stock photos, fail to establish a meaningful connection with visitors. Additionally, while Nancy is a published author, the book isn’t properly integrated into the website, and there is no section about why she wrote it or how it can benefit prospective clients.

Recommendations

Add a personal origin story to the website, explaining why Nancy became an estate planning attorney. A short video answering common questions about estate planning will humanize the brand and make her more approachable.

Create one-minute videos addressing frequently asked questions about probate, living wills, and trust management. Upload these to the website and link them to relevant pages.

Improve SEO for service areas like “Sunnyvale probate attorney.” Focus on on-page optimization, such as better meta descriptions, optimized header tags, and keyword-rich content to boost rankings.

Increase the number of customer reviews to build trust. Ask clients for reviews after successful cases and use automated software to simplify the process.

Update the website’s design to reflect Nancy’s personality and expertise. Replace generic stock photos with visuals that convey the uniqueness of her practice.

Integrate her book, Wrapping Up Loose Ends, into the website. Dedicate a page to explain the book’s significance and how it can help people plan for the future.

Consider switching from Squarespace to WordPress for better flexibility, scalability, and SEO capabilities.

Use Google Ads and Local Service Ads (LSAs) to increase visibility in local searches. Allocate a small budget (around $100 per month) to test the effectiveness of these ads.

Expand content to address common estate planning questions. Detailed, informative content will improve visibility in related searches and generate more organic traffic.

Saafara Herbal Teas

The website, saafara.com, faces significant challenges with traffic and SEO. The owner, Ismail, shared that the website’s performance fluctuates, and it often experiences sudden drops in traffic. He is concerned that there may be an issue causing the traffic loss, as the site occasionally seems to shut down.

Upon further investigation, the website may have incurred a link penalty. The site has accumulated approximately 4,600 backlinks, many of which are low-quality, suspicious links likely purchased through Fiverr gigs. Ismail admitted to purchasing SEO services from Fiverr, which likely led to these harmful backlinks. These links have little or no ranking power, and they may have negatively impacted the site’s SEO.

Additionally, there was a sharp increase in links around August of the previous year, which indicates a sudden and unnatural link-building spike. This type of link behavior could trigger Google penalties, explaining the sharp drop in website performance. There is also a need for clearer communication on the website about the product offering.

The owner described his business as selling West African herbal teas, but the website’s messaging isn’t conveying this to visitors. Despite the availability of an “about me” section, the site’s primary focus is more on the products rather than telling a compelling story behind the teas, which would likely engage visitors more effectively.

Recommendations

Ismail should create a list of harmful backlinks and submit a disavow report to Google, requesting their removal.

In the future, avoid purchasing cheap backlinks from unreliable sources.

Communicate the unique story behind Saafara’s West African herbal teas.

Differentiate the product from other generic teas by emphasizing its origin, benefits, and cultural significance.

Create a short video with Ismail explaining the product range, the tea’s origins, and why he recommends them.

Include videos showing the tea preparation process, serving suggestions, and the benefits of each variety.

Add more detailed descriptions highlighting each tea’s health benefits and personal anecdotes about Ismail’s usage.

Offer a deeper, more immersive approach by describing which tea is best for relaxation, energy, etc.

Include video content on product pages to engage visitors more effectively.

Network with local groups or collaborate with Nafi, an entrepreneur selling African products in San Francisco, to learn how to market the teas locally.

Leverage this connection to increase brand visibility within the local community.

Replace generic stock photos with original, high-quality images that reflect the uniqueness of the teas and Ismail’s connection to the products.

Optimize the site’s content for SEO, focusing on local keywords and improving the site’s structure for better navigation.

By addressing these recommendations, these websites can improve their SEO performance, increase engagement, and boost traffic. Ready to elevate your website? Join Office Hours now for expert advice and practical tips.

Stay connected—I’ll keep sharing valuable insights to help you attract more customers!