Liz Cortes, a local SEO and Google ad specialist, joins Sarah St. John to discuss how she helps businesses get more traffic from local SEO and Google ads. Cortes has a interesting journey that the audience would likely enjoy hearing about. She started off selling baby pumpkins when she was five, worked as a fitness influencer in California, and then opened her own Rebel Fish Local business seven years ago. Rebel Fish Local focuses on helping local businesses get more traffic. Your business needs a physical address to be listed on Google and to be found through searches. When people try to find businesses in their city, having a physical address will help you show up more often. Additionally, having your business profile set up and filled out correctly will increase your chances of showing up in Google Maps and other online search engines. To begin marketing your business, you should first use Google Business Profile (GMBP). This will allow you to get started building reviews and being seen by Google before you have a website or any other online presence. Once you have a content platform that you enjoy and are good at (i.e., creating valuable content), you can start promoting your business using paid online advertising methods such as Google AdWords or Facebook Ads . However, it's important to note that paid advertising won't work if your website isn't set up correctly or if you don't have the right keywords targeted .
[00:00 - 07:51] Liz Cortes on how to get more traffic from local SEO and Google ads
• Cortes has an interesting journey that the audience would likely enjoy hearing about. She started out selling baby pumpkins door to door when she was five, and then moved to California and became a fitness influencer before starting her own business.
• When her husband and she opened their agency, they decided to focus on local businesses instead of just health and fitness products. They closed down their fitness business when they transitioned to their agency, and then worked there for six months before exiting in an
[07:51 - 15:14] You Have to Put Your Prices on Your Website
• You have to have a physical address to have a Google business profile.
• You don't need a website or any content yet to get started with online marketing.
• You can start with just filling out your profile information and then getting reviews.
• You should choose a content platform that you're really passionate about and focus on that first.
• Putting prices on your website is recommended. This will help you attract customers and keep them longer.
[15:14 - 23:07] 3 Options for Pricing Your Services
• Price your services to reflect the value you provide, not the budget of your client.
• Offer three different price points for clients to choose from, depending on what they need.
• Apply copywriting strategy and naming conventions to your pricing so that clients know what they're getting into.
[23:07 - 30:53] How to Spend Less on Google Ads and Still Get Results
• Liz recommends that people research different ways to generate income before choosing a particular method, as different methods have different costs and benefits.
• Google ads can be expensive, but can be effective if used correctly.
• Nonprofit organizations can apply for Google grants to help cover costs.
[30:53 - 38:43] Better ways to generate leads than ads: organic marketing is working well
• Liz recommends paid webinars and group sales calls as a better way to generate leads than ads, as the organic approach is working well.
• She also recommends texting people when they opt in to receive more personal touch and access to the speaker.
• The key to converting on ads is targeting the right audience, keyword research, and creating effective copy.
• When starting out, it is important to have a side hustle that does not require a large investment of time or money.
• If you're selling a course or coaching service, there are many ways to fail versus on a phone call where you can identify all their objections.
• When you're selling a course or coaching service, it's important to focus on list building and not just email list growth.
• It's helpful to have two buttons on your website - one for list building and one for a transitional call to action.
• It's important to tag people so that they receive the right emails based on what you're doing with them.
[38:43 - 46:04] How to Work with Your Spouse Successfully
[46:04 - 48:46] Liz Cortes Shifting Her Focus
• Liz is working on a new project for spouses in business together
