SEO & Grow 🌱 Case Study & Testimonial Mashup
“There are SO many little tricks that even if your website isn’t fully SEO-ified can still make a BIG difference!”
Welcome to what I’m calling the Case Study Mashup Episode!
I could obvs talk ALL day long about this program, but things just hit different when you hear from actual humans who went through the experience.
There’s a mixture of stories & insights from some of those who went through this last round of SEO & Grow. We had all kinds of entrepreneurs… from coaches to photographers to therapists to astrologers to herbalists to bookkeepers to copywriters & more!
You’ll meet someone who has ADHD, someone who’s a teacher, someone who went through this program with her assistant, a couple people who felt SO motivated they did things like rewrite their website copy, & EVEN someone who really doesn’t like group programs—but loved this one! We’re going a bit deeper with 3 students & you’ll also get to hear a clip from our final group call.
👉 As you’re listening, you can explore SEO & Grow 🌱 & if you have questions, DM me on Instagram OR leave a comment below!
Topics covered in this podcast episode:
What it’s like going through the SEO & Grow group coaching experience
Why now was the time for these entrepreneurs to get SEO on their websites
Breakthroughs these business owners had during the program
What they loved most about the group coaching experience
What surprised them the most about SEO
What they’re excited about now that they’ve started SEO
How to join the next round of SEO & Grow 🌱
YOU deserve to feel like a savvier business owner with a website built to work for you.
If you’ve been nodding along thinking, “YES, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for,” NOW is the time to take action.
2026 is right around the corner! Don’t let it be another year of slogging on the IG hamster wheel.
You deserve the support & clarity each one of these business owners got—and the wins they’re already (and will continue) having start inside SEO & Grow 🌱.
Related Episodes:
To learn more about the 3-part process inside SEO & Grow, listen to the Google Me, Baby! Series Recap
To hear how SEO actually supports you when life is lifing, listen to this SEO Client Case Study with Courtney Andersen
Connect w/ Brittany:
This episode of The Basic B podcast is brought to you in partnership w/ Leah Bryant Co.! Help me reach more service providers like you by following the show & leaving a rating or review on Apple & Spotify!
The unedited podcast transcript for this episode of The Basic B podcast follows
Cecily: I think that I'm a 1A chronic learner and I feel like I've bought a lot of programs and have not completed them, is what I'll say. And so I started like really tracking, like, what are the things I'm spending money on in my business first? And I was like, okay, the tax professionals looking at me every year like, you're really just buying courses, like, is this really a business? And I was like, I need to figure out like marketing and systems. That needs to be my focus this year. And so I said, okay, I'm going to deep dive into what marketing looks like. I also, like, I'm a full time professor and so I was like, marketing has to feel sustainable for me. And I kept coming across SEO. I kept hearing your name, also love that, but also like googling you. It's a thing. So I'm like, well, obviously this SEO thing is working, because when I googled this is what's coming up. But also other people in like other communities, trusted communities, were mentioning you. And so once I kind of found your website, it was a no brainer. I did the SEO taster and I think I like, message you, like late one night and you message me back and you're like, yeah, sure, like we can do it, let's jump in. And I was like, okay, I like the vibes here. But even after the SEO taster, I didn't know what I didn't know. And so in reading the document that you sent me, I was like, this makes a lot of sense. I don't know if I have the capacity to implement it for myself. And so you kind of like walked me through all of your offerings. And I think you actually did it a couple of times. Because at first I was like, let's just do the done for you thing. But I've been burned a couple of times by businesses like hiring the stuff out. And you were like, based on what you're saying you need Cecily, like, I really think you should do this so you can like learn SEO. And as a learner, I was like, well, hell yeah, let's do the thing. So it was a no brainer in that way for me. It made the most sense. Even before joining the program, you had given me like way more knowledge. That made me feel like this was something that made sense for my business. But also it was something that I had the capacity to tackle and implement. I was actually telling this other person that I'm working with another coach, like your program and their program is the only two programs that I've ever completed. And I feel like y' all are like educators. Like, you want to make sure that we understand why we're doing the thing, why the thing works. And so now that I'm like thinking about SEO and like thinking about the copy on my website, because I'm also like redoing some copy for some of the pages on my website. Like before, I would absolutely be like, okay, let's just like throw some money at the problem, get somebody else to do it. And then I get to check off a box, no idea if they're doing the thing.
Brittany Herzberg: Right, right.
Cecily: And now I understand they were not really doing the thing and probably knew that, like, I didn't know that they were not doing the thing. And so I feel like it has one saved me a ton of money because now I know what I need and I understand what the things are supposed to do. Like, I understand the functionality of my website and the copy on the website. And so many times, especially starting in business, I would hear people say, you need a website that's working hard for you. And I was like, what in the hell does that mean? Say more.
Brittany Herzberg: Say more sounds great, but what are you. What?
Cecily: Yes. And so now I feel like I have a thorough understanding of what that means. And because I know how my website, the different parts need to, like, work together, I'm able to make better decisions about, like, the things that I need in place to support this hardworking website for me. But you kept asking us those three questions. Who do we help? How do we help them? What do we want to be known for? I was like, damn, okay, Clearly I'm not going to be able to move past this point. I mean, as late as what, two weeks ago, you asked me that question again. You were like, cecily, I know you're thinking about, like, adding this other specialty page to your website, but you were like, take a beat. What are the things that you really want to do? And, like, let that inform what you're doing here. And so it's one forced me to slow down and really get clear on who do I help? What do I want to be known for? How do I help them? But, like, that's informing the strategy. I have adhd, so the strategy could get real all over the place real quick. And so not only has it been grounding for me, but when I go back into, like, doing SEO keyword search, I'm like, oh, okay, like, this is the strategy. It makes sense. Get back on the yellow brick road, Cecily. And it's been super, super helpful because even one of the specialty pages that I was telling you I was thinking about adding, like, I immediately went in to do keyword search, and I was like, oh, this is madness. I'm gonna leave this one where it is. Like, I'm not even really that excited about this work, but it goes back to those three foundational questions. And so it just kept, like, bringing me back and giving me a grounding place. That was super helpful for me. Funny enough. Don't judge me here. You know, I never do because I need accountability. And I have, you know, the ADHD and all the things. I've literally been thinking about going through the program again. Know it sounds and I know that I know what I'm doing right. But it was so helpful for me and how you like built in the pacing. So first I would tell the person to do it. Especially if you're like starting out and you're throwing spaghetti at the wall and you keep hearing people say you need a part working website, well, this is what they're talking about. They're just not saying all the things. They're not finishing the sentence. That's neither here nor there. It's a soapbox now. But I can appreciate when someone has taken the time to curate a learning experience where I can one, learn, two, retain the information. I feel like, yes, I can absolutely do this stuff on my own, but do I want to? No, not really.
Brittany Herzberg: Which is why the done for you service was so top of mind and you were like, program okay.
Cecily: Right. And that's the other thing. Brittani. I'm not a group program shorty. Like, I'm really. No, I'm really not. So the telegram, y' all be blowing the telegram up with the winds. And I read them. I don't ever share. I'm just like, oh my gosh, like, a lot is happening. There's a lot of movement. Like, I know that I feel like I'm making progress, but to see that it's a collective experience, I'm like, this program really does what it says it's gonna do.
Brittany Herzberg: Which shouldn't be such a mind blowing thing. And yet here we are.
Cecily: It shouldn't be such a mind blowing thing. And I think that is something that for me, an educator, somebody who teaches on a daily basis, like being a part of coaching programs that honor the program promise, but it's teachable. One, you can learn it, but two, you can retain it. Like, that's going to eat down every time in my mind, like, that's the type of experience that I want to be a part of. And I like the accountability. I liked coming to the group calls. I like reading everybody else's wins. I liked just sitting in the calls listening. Like on the days where I felt like I was at capacity but seeing where other people were and what they were doing, I was like, okay, momentum building. And so I would leave the call and it was like I got a second wind and I would go do the thing that I needed to do for myself. It was paced really well. Not only am I glad that I completed the program, this is one of the programs that I feel like I have gotten the most done in. Like, it has moved the Needle the most in my business.
Brittany Herzberg: You rewrote everything?
Erin: Yeah. So my website, Yeah, I completely rewrote it based on going through SEO and grow because none of my copy on the old website, like, used any keywords. I didn't know how to use it. So I had to rewrite everything, which was perfect. And I changed a lot of the formatting, changed the layout. Everything is brand new.
Brittany Herzberg: It's so fresh. Yeah, it's good to take us back to what made you say, like, now is the time that I really want to prioritize SEO, so I'll kind of.
Erin: Work back like nine months ago. So I relocated from New York City to the Bay Area of California. And as I relocated, I decided that I wanted to just work on the online portion of my business, because in New York, it was hybrid, where I was going to a studio and teaching online and working the online business. But I thought now is the time where I have more time and before I jump into studio life again, I want to focus on my website, focus on more video content, focus on all of the things that is required to make an online business thrive. So in, I would say, like, February, March, I was filming a lot of content and I was thinking, like, gosh, no one's finding out about this content. I definitely need to start with marketing. So then I thought about Instagram and social media, which felt completely overwhelming and unpredictable and not sure if that would give me results. And I couldn't really track results anyways. So then I was thinking, I really need to redo my website. And I actually wasn't even thinking about search engine optimization necessarily until I ran across your profile because we had taken another business course together. And then I looked at it and it was like, oh, this is what I need. I need to make my website findable. And I have no idea how to do that. So then it was instant. It was like, this is what I need to do.
Brittany Herzberg: Was there, like, a really big breakthrough that you had or a moment of clarity?
Erin: I had no idea how to title an image correctly. I was doing it all wrong. And then how to add alt text to an image. So the clarity ended up being more of, like, a discovery of what to do with that information. Because I would look at it before on my old website and I didn't really know what it meant. And the website builder doesn't necessarily explain even what it's really for and how to even write the correct terms in. Like, it's not like they do a bad representation of it, but it's coming from a Perspective that assumes people know what to do with it, which is not true. I don't think most people know what to do with it. So that was clarity for me of like, oh, now I know what to do with this text box. I actually know what to write.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah.
Erin: And in the future, I can change it if I need to and know what I'm doing and know why it's purposeful, which that makes more of a difference than what I was getting caught up in before was like, oh, beautiful images and layout and fonts. That doesn't even matter as much. I mean, it does for the user to see it, but if the user can't even see it, what's the point?
Brittany Herzberg: Any words of advice now that you're on the other side?
Erin: Yes. Well, first of all, I would say if you don't know what it is and anything, like me and want to actually take action on the website, I would just say sign up for Brittany's course and it will just help you and it's easier. So I would tell someone, do the course, do foundations, and do SEO and Grow, because it's a bigger deal than they might think it is. It's a bigger deal than just putting in keywords and then writing something for the meta description and for the SEO title. Right. So there's actually a strategy. And, you know, if they don't know how to do the strategy, I'd just say, make it easy on yourself. Sign up for Brady's course. You won't have to slog through all the forums online and what to do. And plus all the stuff you gave us to help us organize ourselves, which I need definitely is so helpful. So that itself, just organizing it and then having this template of how to move it forward and, like, take it off of the document our organization into the website and make it real, was amazing. I would tell them, it's important to do. If you don't know how to do it, sign up.
Brittany Herzberg: What made you go, okay, now is the time that I need to focus on SEO. And I'm laughing because we both know the story.
Michelle: So you and I had connected quite some time ago, and then you DM'd me on Instagram and you were checking in and I was like, yeah, SEO's on my radio. But it doesn't feel like it's something that's, like, urgent. There's a lot of other things on the list that come before SEO, and you're like, cool, cool. Then you started sending emails that were just your regular emails for SEO and Grow, and you Were very brilliantly sent me a personal email telling me how I was showing up for you when you googled my name. And there was something about tennis, and there was something about obituaries, and nothing about coaching or leadership or women or confidence or any of the things that I actually talk to my clients about anywhere. And it is because I have a vlog about life lessons from the tennis court. And I also have something about legacy that connects to your obituary. But, like, those are the things that people are finding when they search for me. This is no bueno. So I then responded to your email and said, okay, fine, I'll get on a call. Because I was like, this is clearly not good. So we got on a call, and I don't even remember what you said, but I pretty much was in because I was like, obituary and tennis are a problem.
Brittany Herzberg: They really are.
Brittany Herzberg: I totally understand with the blog and everything, but it's like you said, it's not really getting the right people in the door at all.
Michelle: No.
Michelle: And clearly the way I'm titling my blogs is not effective. And so nothing I'm doing online in my online presence is attracting the right people or having the right people find me. And so it just became very clear to me that this actually needed to go to the top of the list. I've known that I needed to do some major copy updates on my website for a long time. I loved the copy I had. But it's so bizarre how it was maybe four years old. That doesn't seem that long. But my business has grown up in four years, you know, and so it wasn't wrong. It just wasn't exactly going to attract the exact kind of client that I was looking for. So knowing that I was doing that with your guidance of keywords and SEO and I will, I mean, rewind. I learned so much. The whole picture thing. I mean, to understand how important it is and all the different places that your photo goes online and how it can either help you and really support you in having people find you in so many different ways or not. Like, there were just so many small little things that it's like, oh, these small tweaks individually make a difference and then add up to really make a really big difference. And, you know, we've just started tracking, so I don't exactly know what that difference has made yet. And I'm also not done with everything I need to do.
Brittany Herzberg: But she's also not behind.
Michelle: I'm also not behind. Cause Brittany always tells me I'm not behind. I mean, first of all, it was easier than I thought it was gonna be. It was way less like I imagined it to be. So overwhelming. And I think that something about you, which is that, like, you speak in normal people speak, not in tech speak. I have been in an SEO workshop before and my eyes glazed over.
Brittany Herzberg: That's the worst, truly.
Michelle: Like, I was like, oh, my God, I feel like my head's going to spin off. And I never felt that way with you. Or if I did, I knew that I could reach out. Like, I didn't have to stay in that overwhelmed space because you would simplify it or clarify it or make it easier for me. And so now, truthfully, it is a lot of information. And I feel like now that I've implemented in many ways, not all of them. Once I'm fully implemented, I kind of want to go back to the beginning to watch again, because you only absorb 25% of the information when you first learned something. Did you know that little fact? So I just feel like if I can go back and now look at it through the lens of having done it once and look at what I've done, I'm just excited about what's possible from all of it, from the photos to the headlines, even, like, the things on my website. There's just so many little tricks that even if your website isn't fully SEO ified, can still make a big difference. Like, you can choose to go all in, or you can choose like, I'm going to take this one thing at a time and I'm just going to start with this and all of it will make a difference.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah.
Michelle: And I think that was the biggest thing to realize. All these places that I had missed opportunities, opportunities to attract my right and ready client. I got motivated to update my website copy. I also feel motivated to blog now, and I'm just starting that portion, but I feel motivated to do that because I understand why it's important and what it will do for me, as opposed to just, oh, I have a website and I'm a coach, so I should have a blog. And it was like, meh, you know, now it's like, oh, there's a strategy here and there's a reason behind it, and we get to track the strategy and see what works. And so it makes me feel like I'm running my business from a much smarter strategic place than from just like, this is why you put a website up and you write a blog, you know?
Brittany Herzberg: But you also mentioned something that people haven't talked about yet, which is, you have support. You have an assistant. So what was it like for you and Jane to have that support and to actually have, like, a team member who was there with you and kind of absorbing it and doing some of the doing?
Michelle: It's awesome. Well, first of all, this is kind of Jane's sweet spot. Like, she's into tech. I mean, she's amazing at so many things, but I think it was exciting for her also. She was excited for the opportunity to learn more about this. And there are rabbit holes with SEO that I could have gone down and spent hours on things, but because I delegated specifically keyword research. But because I delegated to Jane, she sent me her first list. And it was great because some of the things on the first list, I was like, these are too coach speaky. Like, these are things that we talk about once people are in my program, but they're not gonna be searching for that. So she went back and revamped, and then we sent to you and you helped us revamp. And, like, that part, which I think to me was like the most in my mind, was so stressful, partially because of the SEO workshop I had done once before was so easy breezy. I mean, I watched it, so I knew what was going on. I wanted to have the information, but I just didn't have to do. It was amazing. She's watched all of the calls, so that also, if I'm like, oh, I'm not sure if this is working in the right way or can you look on this? She knows exactly what's going on. So. And really, like, we're setting this up. This is going to be like, I'm not gonna track my SEO data by myself. She's gonna look at it and interpret it, and then we'll get on a call. Because again, that's the kind of thing that would overwhelm me. The data stuff makes my head wanna explode. It's just not how my brain works. So to have somebody who's supporting me who actually enjoys digging into it, and then to have you to say, okay, here's what's working well, and here's where we might need to pivot or tweak a little bit, it makes me excited for 2026. I feel like this was a great thing to do in the latter half of this year, because I feel like now we're digging into it and I'll really get to reap the rewards in 2026.
Brittany Herzberg: Question number one. What made you say, now is the time I want to focus on SEO? We all know Michelle Z. I was.
Michelle: Going to say, you know my answer.
Val: I don't know what the moment was exactly, but I do know that I started to see things improve for me in Google searches last year and it was so random and I wanted a better sense of like, well, how does this work? I had seen that it does work, but I hadn't gotten a good clear overview of it and so I wanted that. And I think the thing that caught me was I was looking at your stuff for case studies and you weren't doing that, but you were doing this. And so I did this.
Brittany Herzberg: That was a good second option.
Elli : I feel like for me, I like always knew SEO was important and a good tool. I had paid someone to do it at one point and I feel like nothing happened. And I was like, well, I don't trust someone to do this again, so I want to do it, but it was never like in my capacity to learn it because I knew it was a lot that goes into it. And I know there's a reason why you guys charge what you do because it's a lot. And then I finally was like, I am done with social media and I want Google to work for me. And then Mallory said, check out Britney. And then I was like, yep, I trust her. I don't know why, but I trust her.
Brittany Herzberg: So we had like a solid 45 minute conversation in the DM and then you're like, I'm in!
Elli : Like two days before it started. And I was like, okay. It's like now or I don't know when, because, yeah, awesome.
Brittany Herzberg: Okay, next question. This is kind of a loaded one. But, like, whatever speaks to you, what actions or clarity or results or breakthroughs are you most proud of understanding?
Michelle: Like, starting to understand what this is and how it works. I think for me, it's like. It's like Mandarin.
Brittany Herzberg: It was.
Michelle: It was like. It was this elusive thing that the idea of even diving into it actually made me nauseous. And you made it much more accessible so that I now actually understand things. And yes, there are tech elements to it, but it's manageable. Like, I can read basic Mandarin.
Erin: Yes.
Brittany Herzberg: I love that.
Elli : I feel like my thing is that I can write blogs. And I thought it was this thing that was like, I can't do that. That's like, way out of my capacity. Like, I can't do social media. I don't like that. But blogs are very manageable for me. And I don't know if it's just the way that I process information. Like, writing it out is like, really easy for me versus, like, creating creative content on Instagram. But I can write blogs.
Brittany Herzberg: I'm so happy for you for that. Like, I can't blog.
Brittany Herzberg: Ask my husband.
Brittany Herzberg: And the next thing I know, she's got two blogs. She's like, they're going live. That's so exciting.
Erin: So I think the breakthrough was like, building the website but having the tools alongside. So this whole course, when it started, I was like, starting my website, so it was really nice to go along. So that was like a huge action I was excited about. I think the breakthrough is kind of like, Michelle, like, understanding you really made it simple. So I actually feel like, okay, it's not this crazy thing and it's totally doable. And I'm also like, with Ellie, like, I am on Instagram, but, like, I don't have above a thousand followers and I didn't want that to be like, the reason my business flopped or something like that. I was like, and that can't be the thing I'm relying on to, like, grow it because it changes all the time. They're very Random who they show and what they don't like. That's the thing. I don't really care. I'm like, ugh. And now I feel like what I'm excited about is because I don't have a blog, I actually feel ready to start it because on my website, I have a little blog tab. Unlike my old website, had none of that stuff. So now I have a little blog tab, and I feel, like, ready to go. Because I have goals in mind. Because I can't just write a blog without having a goal in mind of, like, what I want people to do. But it makes sense if I'm like, oh, I want to maybe get my free trial out there. Okay, then that's going to be the goal of the blog. Or I want to sell a subscription goal of the blog. So, like, now I feel like I can blog. Not that I've done it yet, but I feel way more excited about it, which I did not feel excited about before. I was like, oh, I don't even know what to do now. I know what to do.
Brittany Herzberg: Yeah, and you've got the right idea, especially as a business owner. That's the thing, what you were just saying of, like, I want to get my freebie out there. That's the thing that so many business owners miss. So with you having that in mind and having never written a blog, your blogs are going to be amazing for.
Michelle: You to break it down to say one day a month do this. You're very accessible. Also, to be able to say, like, one to two blogs a month works, that's a great place to start. Like, if I want to do more at some point, but just do that. It just feels now. I mean, listen, you can cut this out. I'm behind. You knew what I was gonna say, right? Didn't you know?
Brittany Herzberg: I did.
Brittany Herzberg: I have sirens going on over here, so it was on mute.
Michelle: I know.
Michelle: Like, I still feel a little overwhelmed because I have to catch up on the videos and, like, learn all that stuff and get that started. But once things are started, I also feel this sense of this is not a crazy thing to try to maintain. This feels very doable. And I don't feel that way about a lot of stuff in my business and fix it. It's accessible. It's much more accessible than I ever imagined. I truly was like, I can't do this until I have, like, a lot of space and time. And we never have a lot of space and time if our businesses are working.
Val: So my numbers on Google Search console, I'm Showing up on the first page, first three or four different search keywords. That's radical. I think it's radical. And I don't even feel like I'm done making things good yet. So that's really amazing to me. And I think I was hearing somebody talk the other day, it was a friend of mine who's also a coach, about keywords that she was looking at to put into her blog, and she listed them out. I'm like, you don't have a clue what you're talking about in terms of making a decent keyword. You don't know what you're talking. And I didn't say it, but I know what I'm talking about a little bit anyway, in terms of how to make a keyword work for my business to grow, which is. It's big. That's big. I think that's big.
Brittany Herzberg: That's huge. I mean, the fact that you're. You said three keywords. You're on page one. Like, what? And then to also feel. Just to even have that feeling of like, oh, I actually know. I actually know how to do that. And she doesn't know how to do that, but I know how to do that now. Just to have that moment of awareness is. It's definitely huge.
Val: Yeah, it feels huge to me. It feels like there's still a learning curve, you know, it's like doing the blogs is going to be a thing to figure out. I mean, I have a lot of blogs, and going back through them seems like a heinous task at this point. But I did the other day. I had a vague idea, and I did some keyword research to figure out what kind of keywords I wanted in there, and then I wrote it. And that was radical. I thought that was really radical.
Brittany Herzberg: I think I've listened to this three or four times already myself, and each time my jaw is just hanging open. I know the impact SEO can have on a business owner and a business, but hearing them share about the program and what they're excited about and even what they've already experienced in their businesses just makes me so proud and so happy for them. SEO wants to support you too, but it needs you to put in some effort in order for it to have the information it needs to go to work for you. That could look like done for you SEO or diying SEO, but it could also look like an incredibly supportive group program experience. With me as your guide, I'd be honored to help you navigate all things SEO. This next round of SEO and Grow begins on November 5th and it ends February 18th. We also have three weeks of integration time built in because we've got holidays and end of year, beginning of the year. The link to learn more about what's included in the program is below. There are payment plans and the next round of SEO and Grow will start in March and it will be at a higher price point. If you have any questions, come find me on Instagram. BrittanyHerzberg, you can text me using the link in the podcast player, but if you want a response, please give me some way to reach you. It could be an email address or Instagram handle, or even a voxer or telegram handle. Just keep that in mind. And until next time, I'm cheering you on on your SEO journey.
