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In this episode, Meredith's husband explains why there was no show last week and how the very first COVID-era videos he created accidentally led to a 4,000-visitor-per-month blog. He unpacks how “document, don’t create” reshaped his business, why giving away his secret sauce made him happier, and how the new one-week SEMrush Challenge can help website owners dramatically improve their technical SEO scores.

Timestamps

[0:00] Introduction
[0:24] “Welcome to Smartless” (not really)
[0:37] Why there was no episode last week
[1:23] Recording close to release because AI changes fast
[2:03] COVID boredom → early screen-share SEO videos
[2:14] “Document, don’t create” and starting a new blog
[3:21] The blog grows to 4,000+ monthly visitors with zero marketing
[4:26] Using the SEMrush free trial + blog to reach an A score
[5:06] Running the live one-week SEMrush Challenge
[7:10] Giving away the “secret sauce” shifted Meredith's husband's career
[7:16] “Don’t be afraid to blog — it might make you happier”

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In this episode, Meredith and her husband break down a misconception in SEO — that you need to be a technical genius to succeed. Meredith’s Husband explains why most modern website platforms already handle the “tech stuff” and why Google actually rewards usability and trust over perfection. You’ll also hear how the new SEMrush Challenge helps you reach “good enough SEO” — an A-level site score that’s more than enough to win.

Timestamps

[0:00] Introduction
[0:24] SEO isn’t as technical as people think
[0:34] How the SEO industry promotes complexity
[1:39] “Part of the problem since 2002”
[2:03] What “Good Enough SEO” means
[2:22] Why Google doesn’t care about technical perfection
[3:00] How modern platforms (Squarespace, Wix, WordPress) handle technical SEO
[4:12] Thinking like Google: What does Google really want?
[5:45] What “good enough” looks like (A-grade site, not 100%)
[7:21] Introduction to the SEMrush Challenge

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Branded searches convert best. In this lesson, Meredith’s Husband walks local photographers through 12 must-do optimizations for a Google Business Profile—covering name consistency, photos, address vs. service area, products/prices, categories, descriptions, updates, reviews, social links, and image strategy—to boost first impressions and local “photographers near me” visibility.

[0:00] Introduction
[0:24] Why revisit Google Business Profile now
[2:05] Branded searches and conversion reality
[3:32] How GBP impacts local “near me” rankings
[5:01] Step 1 — Business name consistency
[6:00] Step 2 — Cover photo that actually crops well
[7:25] Step 3 — Service area vs. address (use a real address)
[10:15] Step 4 — Logo upload and preview
[11:10] Step 5 — Local phone number importance
[12:20] Step 6–7 — Products, prices, and categories
[15:05] Step 8 — “From the business” as a testimonial
[16:20] Step 9 — Monthly updates (why it helps)
[18:02] Step 10 — Reviews cadence and request method
[20:05] Step 11 — Attach social profiles (they’re back)
[21:30] Step 12 — Photos are the attention magnet
[23:15] Optional steps teaser + vote link

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Many photographers lose inquiries after sending pricing. In this episode, Meredith and her husband discuss how to filter out unqualified leads before they contact you — without sounding rude. They share practical SEO and website strategies like using autoresponders, pricing placement, and smart contact-form questions to attract clients who value your work (and your time).

⏱️ Timestamps

[0:00] Introduction
[0:24] The listener’s question: filtering out low-budget inquiries
[1:00] SEO isn’t just rankings — it’s attracting the right clients
[2:30] Reframing “bad” leads as a timing issue
[3:00] The importance of fast (but friendly) responses
[4:00] How to write a personable autoresponder
[6:00] Why humor and warmth make you memorable
[7:00] Where to mention pricing without sounding rude
[8:45] Using dropdowns and checkboxes in your contact form
[10:00] Alternatives to listing price ranges
[11:15] Keeping unqualified leads for future offers
[13:00] Why “starting at” pricing works best
[14:10] Managing expectations and emotional buying behavior

CONTACT
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In this episode, Meredith’s husband reacts to Meta’s marketing email promoting Click Here, a new book by Meta’s CMO, Alex Schultz. He and Meredith dissect the irony of a spammy marketing email from a supposed marketing expert, discuss the ethics of self-promotion, and reflect on the larger problem of how social media platforms manipulate attention. The episode offers valuable lessons for small-business owners on trust, transparency, and ethical digital marketing.

Timestamps

[0:00] Introduction: Meredith’s husband and Meredith open the episode with a discussion about a new marketing book.

[0:24] Discovering “Click Here”: They introduce Click Here, written by Meta’s CMO, and react to the confusing promotional email.

[1:00] Email Confusion Begins: Meredith’s husband decodes Meredith’s forwarded email and begins exploring its headline.

[1:31] The Mark Zuckerberg Endorsement: They react to Zuckerberg’s quote and how it overshadows the author.

[3:47] Early Amazon Reviews: Discussion about the initial reviews—mostly Meta insiders—and what that says about credibility.

[5:13] Spam from Meta: They point out that the marketing email itself is spam—sent without consent.

[5:50] Questionable Marketing Ethics: Meredith’s husband critiques Meta’s tactics as tasteless and self-serving.

[7:43] Meta’s Massive Email Power: They note how Meta can easily contact millions of small businesses for free.

[9:23] Social Media Reflections: They close by discussing social media’s broader effects and future content plans.

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In this episode, Meredith and her husband break down why marketing emails end up in the promotions or spam folder—and how to fix it. They explain the four key factors that affect deliverability: technical setup, content, engagement, and list quality. Listeners learn practical steps like verifying domain records, avoiding “pretty” templates that trigger spam filters, and boosting engagement through genuine replies to improve inbox placement.

Download the Cheatsheet
https://seiq.meredithshusband.com/c/resources/email-deliverability-tips-d968e683-fcc9-418a-a3ce-5d4e3eda58d5

Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction
[0:24] Why emails land in spam or promotions folders
[1:10] Technical setup issues: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records
[3:18] Domain reputation and sender address red flags
[6:02] Content problems: pretty templates vs. plain text
[7:47] How design and links affect deliverability
[9:54] Engagement signals Gmail pays attention to
[11:23] Cleaning your list for better deliverability
[13:27] Double opt-ins and removing inactive subscribers
[16:02] Testing and warming up your sender reputation

CONTACT
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👉 Improve Rankings for "near me" Searches
https://seiq.meredithshusband.com/near-me-searches

Summary
In this episode, Meredith's Husband tackles the question of why some photographers don't appear in "near me" searches despite having a website and Google Business Profile, revealing critical factors that determine local search visibility.

Episode Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction
[0:24] Listener question: ranking in “near me” searches
[1:12] Funny “Thai Restaurant Near Me” example
[1:24] Importance of Google Business Profile
[2:11] Outdated SEO tactics with city names
[3:00] How “near me” searches really work
[3:53] Address vs. service area settings
[5:24] NAP consistency across platforms
[6:16] Local phone numbers as signals
[7:15] Reviews: quality vs. spam risks
[8:42] Keeping your Google Business Profile active
[10:00] Correct categories and completeness
[10:24] Local citations and directories
[11:16] Blogging about local venues and mobile-friendly sites

CONTACT
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This episode tackles the common dilemma photographers face about whether blogging still matters compared to Instagram posting. Meredith’s husband explains that blogs aren’t meant to directly bring clients but to provide long-term value, authority, and useful resources. He stresses quality over quantity, advising website owners to focus on fewer, stronger posts instead of weekly filler or AI-generated content. This helps build credibility, avoids “garbage” blogs, and makes websites more valuable to both Google and real users.

Timestamps

[0:00] Introduction and listener question setup
[0:24] The Instagram vs. blogging dilemma
[1:18] Why Instagram success still matters
[1:41] What groups say about blogging frequency
[2:47] Social media posting expectations vs. reality
[3:55] Why blogs shouldn’t be written to sell directly
[4:38] The problem with old, broken blogs
[6:35] “Garbage” blogs and how they harm SEO
[7:43] Quality over quantity: monthly vs. weekly blogging
[10:35] What makes content truly valuable

CONTACT
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