Better Business for Small Business Leaders

Unlocking SEO Secrets and Balancing Business with Elizabeth Orley

• Chrissy Myers • Season 1 • Episode 1

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Want to uncover the secrets of online business success? Join us for an enlightening discussion with Elizabeth Orley, the driving force behind Elizabeth Inc., as she demystifies the world of SEO for small businesses. Elizabeth exposes the pitfalls of relying on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, over which businesses have little control, and instead champions the power of a dynamic, content-rich website and an optimized Google business profile for superior search engine performance. Get ready to arm yourself with actionable strategies to boost your online presence and understand why intentionality is the cornerstone of effective digital marketing.

In our conversation, we also dive into Elizabeth's heartfelt project, "Little Mind Books," created to address gaps in children's literature with educational and meaningful stories. Hear about her challenges and triumphs during the pandemic, including the juggling act of homeschooling and maintaining creative control. Elizabeth shares her passion for community involvement, highlighting collaborations with nonprofits such as Project Dead Bear. Learn how to connect with Elizabeth through her website, ElizabethInc.net, and get a sneak peek into her existing and upcoming book projects. This episode is packed with practical advice and inspiring insights for balancing professional goals with personal life.

Connect w/ Elizabeth:
Elizabeth Ink
Little Mind Books
LinkedIn

🎙️ Connect with Chrissy Myers and discover how resilience, expertise, and community can transform your world:

🔗 Follow Chrissy on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes insights, leadership tips, and updates on her journey as the CEO of two thriving businesses.

📘 Grab your copy of 'Reluctantly Resilient' to learn how Chrissy turned challenges into opportunities and how you can do the same in your life and business.

🤝 Explore Clarity HR and discover how Chrissy’s team simplifies HR for small businesses, giving you peace of mind to focus on what matters most.

💼 Visit AUI to see how Chrissy's employee benefits expertise can help you build a healthier, happier workforce.

Speaker 1:

The biggest issue with all of the social media platforms is that you have no control and no ownership of them. So you can have a business profile for free, right? That's great, fantastic. But they decide how your information is received by any audience.

Speaker 2:

All right. So today on the podcast I have Elizabeth Orley, who is master and commander of Elizabeth Inc. And what Elizabeth does with search engine optimization, or SEO, for small businesses is just nothing short of magical. So, elizabeth, I am so excited to have you on the podcast. Thank you for joining me. Oh, chrissy, it's an honor, as always, thank you. So can you tell me can we like to be effective and efficient in three sentences, what you do for small businesses and why you love it?

Speaker 1:

I play chess with Google and I win. So when we're talking about small businesses, to me the biggest and most important piece is to understand all the players on the chessboard and Google is by far the biggest but you have to know how to use all the pieces, and that's what I'm really good at, and I thrive on helping small businesses achieve optimal organic search.

Speaker 2:

Wow, I love that. So I'm sure at the beginning of your career and maybe even now, there are some small businesses, small business owners, that don't think that digital marketing, search engine optimization, is a must for their organization. So how do you help small business owners know how important it is for them?

Speaker 1:

Wow, that's a great question.

Speaker 1:

So the first thing you need to think about is everything that's online right is everything that's online right? So, if you're a small business owner I think a lot of small business owners tend to think of Facebook or Instagram or TikTok or whatever, and the biggest issue with all of the social media platforms is that you have no control and no ownership of them. So you can have a business profile for free, right? That's great, fantastic. But they decide how your information is received by any audience. So, for instance, facebook, you only get about five or 0.5% of organic reach on Facebook. So, if you're a small business owner and you're creating this great content and you're throwing it on Facebook and it's going through newsfeeds, how many people of your friends list is actually, or followers list is actually going to see what you produce? Very few, because they want you to pay for ads, wow. So let's look at what happened on Capitol Hill when they're trying to ban TikTok right now. Okay, if you've built your entire business model on TikTok, what happens if that platform goes away?

Speaker 2:

Oh, I kind of disappear, right, yeah, bye bye business.

Speaker 1:

So, at the end of the day, you have to really think about the things that you can control, and that, to me, is your website.

Speaker 2:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

So I think, as a small business owner, a lot of us put out a website that's maybe one page or two pages and we put it up there and we just say, okay, it's done, forget about it and we walk away. Yeah, the problem is, is Google's not going to give you credit for a stagnant website? It's basically like a pretty trifold you put online, you have to use it Okay, so building intentionality with your website, with your content.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely so. If you're putting content onto Facebook, I think you kind of have to take two steps back and decide why am I putting this on Facebook? Are people actually going to search for this content there? Because we're not going to find it in the organic search, right? Where do you search for stuff? Do you open the yellow pages? No, I don't even think they make the yellow pages?

Speaker 1:

I don't think so, right. So where do you actually look for information? You grab your cell phone, right, absolutely. You ask Surrey, uh-huh and guess what's going to happen?

Speaker 2:

Oh, there's no intentionality, because there's no website traffic, because all I've done is put it on Facebook or LinkedIn, right, right I guarantee you Google search engine and Surrey are not looking for content on Facebook? Oh wow, that's really good food for thought for a small business owner, because I'm thinking I always have to post in a certain space and you're telling me to be more intentional with where things are and why. More of the why than the what and the how.

Speaker 1:

Well, yeah, I mean, if you can put it on Facebook, why wouldn't you put it on your website? I think blogs are the least utilized and most important thing a small business owner can do, because you can always share your blog to Facebook.

Speaker 2:

So if you could give someone, a small business owner, just one usable nugget about their business and SEO, what would that be?

Speaker 1:

Utilize your Google business profile, because it's the first thing that's going to come up in their search engine. And then, second, you need to make sure that the content that you have on your website is updated regularly.

Speaker 2:

Wow, that's great information. Thank you, elizabeth. You're so very welcome, so let's shift for a moment, if you're okay with that, of course. So I've heard you say, as a small business owner because we've known each other for a long time my boss doesn't care if I need a day off, and even more when most customers need me. I have to be flexible, so I also know that you have a tremendous care for your family, so I would love to know how you balance your work, which you are exceptional at, as well as your family life.

Speaker 1:

Wow, okay, loaded question number one, because I don't believe that there actually is a balance. Something is always like in the fray, right? So today my children are in the fray and that's okay. I had one go to being camp, I had to pick that one back up and then you know lunch, all the things, and now I'm here. So if my husband wasn't home they would be here watching me today and I don't think that's a bad thing, because I think it's important for your kids to see the things that you do. But for me, balance is about creating a life and a schedule that they're going to be able to have memories. Like I took them paddle boarding on a Monday just because, like it's summer, they need have memories. Like I took them paddle boarding on a Monday just because, like it's summer, they need summer memories.

Speaker 1:

If I had a traditional job, I don't know that I would have felt comfortable taking that time for my family. I would have felt obligated to work right. It's really really hard and I know that you as a small business owner, it's really really easy to get completely overloaded, work 80 hours a week. I mean we've all done it right, absolutely. But what I've learned from that life is, yes, I can make more money, but I can never get back time. So my kids are only little ones and to me, making a comfortable living and loving what I do and, most importantly, doing it with integrity and intention and having great clients that I can work for and love working for, it makes the time that I'm working enjoyable for me. But when I put it down, I can be 100% focused on my family.

Speaker 2:

Wow. So I'm seeing a lot of themes around intention intention in your business, intention in your family. Let's pivot for a minute too, because not only are you an SEO master chess player, you're also an author. So another part of intentionality, and you did something special instead of just being an author, you created an entire publishing company. So I would love it if you would tell the audience a little bit about Little Mind Books and what inspired you to start another business.

Speaker 1:

Oh, my goodness. Okay, so enter the pandemic. I had two kids at home, we're trying to homeschool and nobody can leave the house right. So I had had this idea in my head to write these children's book stories for years, because, reading hundreds of books to my children, I realized there's a big gap in children's literature. It's either like and apple ran and ran and ran, or it's these stories that you know once it's done, there's there's nothing to follow up with it, there's no extra education, there's no nothing that's intentional for learning purposes. And so for me, I wanted to write a story about catching fireflies. But fireflies are an endangered species, and I wrote this.

Speaker 1:

I wrote the book, I sent it out to a bunch of different publishers and I had a few of them that were interested in publishing.

Speaker 1:

But they said, well, you'll get like 30 cents a book and you have to do all your own marketing and all your. I'm like, well, I'm doing that anyway, you know, and they only were interested in the one book. And I think the biggest problem is is that I wanted to go big or go home, and I have a series of books in my head that I want to make sure all get published, and so I wasn't willing to give up my authority on the first book to sacrifice the second and the third that I have in my head. So I wanted to start with the end in mind, and Little Mind Books doesn't have to be something that is only from me. It can be from other authors with similar ideas on wanting things to be extended and more educational. It can be something that I eventually sell if I feel like it, but, most importantly, I retain 100% ownership of it. I don't relinquish any rights, so it can be exactly what I want it to be.

Speaker 2:

So again, shaping that path intentionally.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, go big or go home, right, yep Blow it up.

Speaker 2:

Huge theme here, okay, so shifting again from from publishing, now from business and now into community. So we both share a passion for finding ways to give back to our community. I would love it if you would share some of the things that you enjoy in making an impact.

Speaker 1:

All right. So I truly believe that when you're blessed with a lot, you should give back a lot. When you're blessed with a lot, you should give back a lot, and for me, I find working with a lot of different nonprofits and helping them with marketing or helping them with graphic design stuff is both fulfilling for me. But, more importantly, I think they are in the same spot as most small business owners where they have limited amounts of funds and they want as much as they can to go to the community that they serve, and so they look for people like me that can really partner up with them to help them get more for their time and their effort and, again, help them to be intentional with the efforts that they do make in marketing.

Speaker 2:

What a great way to amplify your impact.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so I love working with Project Dead Bear. They have been in the Northeast Ohio community for 30 years, wow, yeah, and they help kids with cancer. Pardon me, yeah, sorry, they. They help kids with cancer and blood diseases, ok and, but they support their whole family. They have art camps which I've done projects for their art camps before I do their gala stuff every year. I'm also helping a couple other organizations with fundraising kind of stuff and I love that. I mean, I think it's a blessing to be able to give my time for things like that, to see our community being taken care of Wow that's wonderful.

Speaker 2:

So I've heard you talk about how you define success and if I'm not quoting you, well, I give you permission to reframe. Interrupt me and tell me no, you're wrong, it's this, but I remember you. Defining success is about doing the right thing and being there for your clients and then also for your family. So seeing that balance.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think I think that's pretty close. I mean, as I spoke about it before, it's really easy to take on too much and then not be able to work and deliver with the integrity and intention that I want to. So for me, yeah, I think balance all of it is related. Balance, success everything is built on how you can manage it in an effective way and sleep well at night.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So, as you're continuing to balance, to do the right things and care for your family, business and community, what's next for you?

Speaker 1:

Oh goodness, that's a really great question. I want to take two steps back, because when I'm talking about balance, I want to talk to all the small business owners that are out there. I, you know, you see people on TikTok and all of these larger platforms saying that small business owners can do it all and they can scale their business and they can grow it a million times over, like overnight success type stuff. And let me tell you, yes, you can. But you can also fall into the pit of losing everything that you wanted for your business by doing too much all at once. So, like with Little Mind Books, my kids are 12 and 13.

Speaker 1:

I want them to have me home and if I want to be an author and I still want to be an author when I grow up right, but if I want to be an author, I need to be intentional with that as well. And I just realized I don't have that on my plate, so I have to table it until the kids don't need me to drive them to band camp and baseball and run cross country as a coach, you know. So I think all of these things matter and they need to be part of the conversation, but as a small business owner, it's okay to make a good living and be happy, Like you don't need 500 employees you do not need like don't let, don't fall for that. I mean it's okay to just make a really great life, Like I call myself the master and commander because at Elizabeth Inc I run the ship right, but it is solely my ship and I'm okay with it. I don't need to be a fortune 500 in the next four years. I need to raise good humans.

Speaker 2:

So world domination can happen once your kids are a little bit older and you're not advising and overseeing as much.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean, I think everything has a time and a place, and so knowing, knowing your passion, but also being able to know the timing of things, I think is really important.

Speaker 2:

Thank you. Thank you for that perspective on balance and harmony. I appreciate it.

Speaker 1:

I don't know if it's good advice or not.

Speaker 2:

I think it's fantastic, and I'm sure that the listeners will think the same thing. So, last thing, before we close out and you tell us all the fun things about how we can find you. At the very beginning, we talked about having a Google optimized page is the one thing that business owners can really do to add value to their organization. It's something that you're an expert at. Is there anything else you want to say about that answer?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think you know. There's a couple of things that I would I want to say. Number one is get familiar with the wave tool. So, the wave tool, I think it's wave. I'm after the.

Speaker 2:

Lincoln the show notes.

Speaker 1:

That's fine. Okay, you're gonna have to. There's an accessibility tool for your website. And do you remember when Google said everybody has to have a mobile friendly website? Yes, and now they have just recently July 1st stop supporting websites that are not mobile friendly. Wow. The next wave of importance for Google is accessibility. Okay, and accessibility isn't just something that big companies have to do. Small companies have to do it too, but it's not even on people's radar right now. So companies that focus a lot on making sure that their content is accessible, like think about if you're blind and you're using a screen reader to show you what's on the site. You have to be able to see the whole page or you know. Google has to be able to see it and understand what's the most important, what's the second most important, what's the third most important, and then be able to categorize it for the screen reading people. All right, so when we're talking about accessibility and SEO and search engine optimization, it's a factor.

Speaker 2:

OK. So if I didn't have the mobile friendly site? Now I'm exited from Google, not indexed, well, and now, if I don't pay attention to accessibility, I'm also going to suffer the same fate.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, ok. So here's an important one. Let's say you have an e-commerce store online and you're selling to people in California or New York Okay, they have more restrictive laws on accessibility than some of the other states. Oh, so if you sell to someone in California with a screen reader and they get mad, they can like there's ambulance chasing lawyers that will go after Even smaller companies that sell stuff online that aren't built correctly.

Speaker 2:

So this is also a matter of protecting yourself and protecting your organization?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I don't know a lot of small businesses that can afford to not have $25,000 in lawyer fees. Yeah, I would say. Lawsuits are not my favorite. Yeah, I'd like to avoid them. So I think learning accessibility should be something that's on the radar, okay, and it's something that Google wants anyway.

Speaker 2:

Well, thank you for sharing that. So how can the listeners connect with you, follow you, all of the different things?

Speaker 1:

Oh okay, so my website is ElizabethIncnet and it's an anagram, elizabeth Inc. Anyways, that's how I remember it, elizabethinknet. And if you're interested in knowing more about Little Mind Books, you can go to littlemindbookscom. So I have a book in print and then I also have one on both on Kindle and the third one's in development, and I promise I will someday figure out when to publish that one. So well, wonderful.

Speaker 2:

Elizabeth, thank you for your time. Thank you for sharing all of your wisdom on SEO, about balancing family and business. I really appreciate the time that you gave us today Absolutely Anytime Bye.