Chunky Squirrel

09/02/2024

You can compare your website with your outfit on a first date: it immediately creates a first impression.

Now, whether that impression is correct or not, that's a different story. But when you're visiting a website, it comes with interpretations...

Here's a personal example, a while back (before our website makeover), a new person inquiring presumed our services would be "cheap" based on the look of our website. And while our own website may have looked simple, we'd been creating complex websites for clients including working with an awesome graphic designer.
So our own website didn't reflect what we could do. (Yes, we have to follow our own advice 😅)

What kind of impression do you think your website leaves? Are you proud of your website? Or do you feel like sharing it with a disclaimer?

08/30/2024

When you go through the same process as your clients... 😃

We launched our own new website, woohoo!

Here's the steps we took:

1. Consider business goals: what does this website need to do
2. Rewrite content (so much extra content was needed!)
3. Share our aesthetic preferences with our graphic designer
4. Pour over design and add changes where needed
5. Build the website for desktop (that was Jelger, haha, lots of custom code for this one)
6. Adjust the mobile version of the design
7. Final check
8. Publish!! (and enjoy! 🐿)

08/26/2024

If you add text to an image, Google doesn't scan that text.
So keep in mind that when adding f.e. a title in a banner image, you're not helping your SEO!

Ideally your title (or copy) is not part of the image file. This is best practise for both SEO, but also for accessibility.

If you do keep text in an image file, make sure your alt text reflects this.

08/23/2024

Quick website win: have you ever gone over your website pages, specifically checking your CTA's? If not, this is for you!

A CTA is a Call To Action. This means every button or link you've added to get your visitors to take action.

A typical spot where people to forget to add a CTA is at the bottom of website pages. While nowadays a lot of people won't scroll all the way down, for those that do, you want to help them by guiding them to the next step.

Of course this is not limited to just the bottom, you want to give your users options along the way.

Examples of CTA's are:
- Get in touch
- Join today
- Book now
- Learn more
- Get your free copy
- Shop now

Do your website visitors know where to go on your pages? 😃

08/20/2024

I received a newsletter today about preparing your marketing for the holiday season. My initial reaction was to roll my eyes and delete it. 👀

But while I prefer thinking about long and warm summer evenings, the email sender was right...

If you want to promote/sell certain products and are hoping to rank organically for them, NOW is the time to create those website pages.

It can take search engines a while to index them and waiting until the last minute to put them up is not a great strategy.

Tip for people that have recurring holiday content: keep the page alive, but take it out of f.e. your main menu, prominent featured locations when it's not relevant. 🎄

08/14/2024

Some web design can be, ehm, done a lot better! 🌶🌶🌶

We see a lot of websites, created by many different people. And the following issues happen quite often... WHY?! 😉

1. The template graveyard

Your designer uses a template and instead of removing anything you don't need, you end up with the template's archival tag pages and special posts all published online. This happens a lot. It's bad for your SEO and bad for UX. So if you see pages that don't belong on your site, reach out to them, they should clean it up!

2. Title structure mess

Instead of having a normal H1>H2>H3 structure, titles are being used purely from a visual point of view and not looked at per page. So you end up with 10 H1 titles (or none at all). It's a quick fix in almost any website builder to avoid this.

3. Massive files

Especially when using stock images etc, your designer should resize them to an appropriate size instead of slowing down your website with unnecessary massive files.

08/12/2024

I often forget in business (and life) that in order to reach huge goals, we got to start small. One step at a time.

In this photo I'm holding a tiny cabin that represented us wanting to own a cabin. So we started small, with an idea and determination. (and eventually we built one)

The same goes for your SEO. You want to dominate the market, but that'll take time and lots and lots of small steps on the way there.

Or your website, maybe you already have a 40 page miracle of a site in mind, but the budget for 4.

Start where you're at and if you keep working at it, you'll get there!

I know it's easier said than done, but take it from this impatient squirrel, it works!

08/09/2024

Getting a little technical here, but I know you can handle it! And if not, I won't hold it against you. Feel free to skip this one. 😉

First things first: when you want to change (or remove) a url on your website, you set up a 301 redirect. This makes sure you don't have broken links, because they are bad bad for your user experience and Google doesn't like them either.

Here comes the more technical part.
Instead of adding full urls (f.e. https://chunkysquirrel.com/contact), use only the part that comes after the domain name (so in my example /contact). This is a relative link.

Why do this? If you ever decide to change your domain name, it's so much easier.
You never know!

And if you have a web developer working on a dev site, they'll thank you too, because they'll be able to make sure all copied links keep working!

Are you using relative links on your website in redirects? And did you already know about setting up redirects, or should I explain more about that? 😊

08/07/2024

To have agency is to have the ability to choose what action to take, a sense of your own power. It's such a strong concept, as agency takes away a feeling of helplessness.

While this exists in all aspects of life, of course I'm talking about websites here. 😊

Do you have access to all aspects of your website? Could you work with a different provider/company at any point or are you "stuck" because your designer hosts your site and doesn't give you full access?

Do you understand how your website works? Not everything of course, but enough to understand the basics and not feel trapped?

08/05/2024

It's the same story as with forming any other habits: practice makes perfect!

1. If you expect to be on page 1 within a few weeks for every single keyword you can think of, you'll be disappointed and give up. So set smaller goals, they'll keep you motivated.

2. Unless you've been working on your SEO for a long time, a checklist before uploading new content is SO helpful. Eventually your practises will become a routine. But the checklist can be your routine first. 😉

3. There's nothing wrong with getting support! When you get stuck (or before that), ask a pro and figure out the strategy that works for you! A pro can go from: SEO pro to determine your strategy, to an SEO knowledgeable VA to help you implement things, to a copywriter with SEO knowledge to help you with content.

08/02/2024

How do you feel about SEO? 😀
Are you getting by and is your website doing well?
Or are you mystified by SEO?

07/31/2024

Your home page needs a fabulous first impression! So here are a couple of tips to make sure you're on the right track.

1. Loading sp*ed: is your page lagging? Do a Google Lighthouse Sp*ed test and find out how to improve things!

2. You'd be surprised how many people forget to mention what they do and where! If I have to scroll past a lot of information before I can confirm what you're offering, I might just leave.

3. Adding a blog feed to your home page with your latest articles, keeps your home page content fresh. Of course you can also update the other content occasionally, but a blog helps!

Of course there's a lot more that goes into a home page, but get started here!

And if you're interested in a copy edit for your home page, check out Sarah Wayte Creative 's free home page copy edit!

07/26/2024

Currently there are 16 million websites using Elementor for WordPress. And the number keeps growing. 😍

At Chunky Squirrel we use Elementor because it allows for a lot of creative freedom, while still being accessible to clients. 🐿

Is WordPress THE easiest platform to learn? No. There are other drag and drop type of platforms that are easier.

But WordPress allows for SO much more customization and it's awesome for SEO.

It's about finding that balance between convenience and functionality. We don't create a fully custom coded site, because then our clients would be dependent on us for ANY changes. But we also don't tell our clients to settle for less! 🎆

Elementor comes with an annual cost, but we offer a resale price to our clients, making it more budget friendly at $40 + tax. The fact that Elementor has an annual subscription cost also allows them to keep innovation. Unlike some other builders, they continuously evolve their product for sp*ed and efficiency!

Can you tell we like them? 😉 What is your website built on?

07/24/2024

This is us in our favourite town (well, unincorporated community to be specific) 5 years ago.

So much can change in 5 years!

🌲 We didn't know we'd purchase land the next year (a kilometre away from where we're standing in this photo!) and would start building our own home with our own hands. Curious how we did it? Check out

🌎 We didn't know we'd change careers and start working fully remote.

It's exciting to see how much you can accomplish in business and life in 5 years.

What are your 5 year goals? Or do you prefer to be surprised by life? 😉

07/22/2024

"I don't feel like getting an audit for my website, can't I just write some blog posts for my SEO?"

No.

I mean, sure you can write "some blog posts" and hope it works out for you. But without seeing the bigger picture, you might be wasting your time and money.

Are you sure your pages are getting indexed properly?
Do you have technical issues prohibiting your site from doing well?
Is you current keyword strategy well informed?

You don't know what you don't know... get that audit first! 🔥

07/19/2024

I've seen a couple of these disasters happen...

A company goes through a big rebrand and decides on a new name, and of course that comes with a new domain name.

They get a fancy new website and maybe they get rid of some content and half of their blog posts in the process.

As soon as it launches.... their traffic plummets. 📉

Talk with an SEO pro BEFORE you're in this scenario!

07/17/2024

Here's what an ideal website process looks like in my book! 📕

1️⃣ Sometimes people haven't fully decided yet on what exactly their business does... If that's the case, this is your number 1 priority. Business goals are important too (even though these can change/grow over time).

2️⃣ Without branding, your business won't stand out. Work with a brand coach to figure out what your brand values are, who is your target audience, what messaging is important to reach said audience etc.

3️⃣ SEO research: this wil determine the structure of your website. F.e. which pages do you need and how are they going to be connected with each other?

4️⃣ Your copy is what draws people to you! Clients connect with you through copy, so it's very important. Brand photos solidify your overall brand: unprofessional looking photos are a big turnoff.

5️⃣ Once you've gathered all your assets, a graphic designer helps to make your copy shine and ties every detail together in a visual way. A website developer builds your site according the the graphic designer's mock-up.

6️⃣ Now your website is built, you want to track your visitors and your conversion rates.

How did you build your website? And if you skipped steps, is something lacking from your site?

06/26/2024

Today was website launch day for the amazing Wholehearted Doula! 😄

This website is a labour of love, go visit it if you want to feel happy. ;) (link in a comment!)

06/22/2024

Check out this blog post about our FREE Google Chrome Plugin and how you can use it to improve your website's SEO!

Install our free SEO extension and find out what these important metrics do. Spy on your own and your competitors website!

01/26/2024

Sarah Wayte Creative wrote an epic blog post about home pages! We think she offers fantastic advice and find some home page SEO hot tips from yours truly at the end! ;) 🐿

https://sarahwayte.com/copywriting/is-your-home-page-holding-your-website-back/

Don't forget to take her up on her complimentary home page copy review!

As the most important page on your website, your home page has a huge task on its hands. So... is your home page holding your website back?

01/15/2024

Are you considering to start your first website? Or planning a makeover for your current one? Here are some things to consider before getting started!

🐿️ Define Your Website's Purpose and Goals

What do you need your website to do for you? Are you selling items or services online? Do you want clients to be able to book meetings through your site? Does it need specific functionality? Is your website going to be a lead generator? (If yes, definitely think about SEO before getting started.) Or is your website mostly an information resource?

🐿️ Identify Your Target Audience

What are their needs, interests? Are you targeting a certain age, gender, education level etc.

If you're not sure about this, you might need help from a branding coach! Check out if you're an entrepreneur/are interested in personal branding! And if you're local in BC, she's an awesome brand photographer too.

🐿️ Gather all of your information

Do you have photos? Make sure you have photos available to share with your web designer!

Do you have copy? You'll for sure need to talk about you/your company and about the services you offer! If you're selling products, you'll need product descriptions for each product.

Does copy feel overwhelming? You can always consider hiring a copywriter that works together with your web designer! A couple of fabulous ladies to hire are and

❗True story, most of our website builds experience a delay because clients take a long time to send us photographs and/or copy.

🐿️ Choose a Domain Name

Select a domain name that reflects your brand and is easy to remember. Avoid domains that are very long and confusing to spell.
Our favourite place to buy them is Their rates are WAY better than the competition.

🐿️ Next up...

Are you planning on building it yourself? Or do you need a squirrelly hand? You know where to find us!

01/13/2024

We're currently on an extended family visit/work trip in Belgium and are thoroughly enjoying the food. 😃 Especially everything that involves bread and fries, haha. 🍟

How is your January going?

01/10/2024

There are so many Google products that it can get confusing! Here's a quick explanation about the difference between Google Analytics (GA4) and Google Search Console (GSC). Both are free!

⭐️ GA4: shares information about where all your website traffic comes from: direct traffic (people that entered your website address in their browser), organic social media traffic, organic search traffic, paid traffic, referral traffic (via a link on someone else's website) etc.

It also shares information about user behaviour: events (such as clicks, scrolls) and session duration times

⭐️ GSC: GSC is solely focused on your organic search traffic! So perfect when you're working on your SEO.
You can find out more info about which queries (aka keywords) you're showing up with in search results. It also shares which of your pages are (and aren't) indexed.

This is why you want both! 😃

01/05/2024

When we help clients with website issues, something we come across often is that they don't have full access (or even ownership!) to their website and/or server. 🤯

I totally understand that for people that are less tech savvy, this can feel like a nuisance, but it's key that you both own and have access to your site. 🖥

What if your designer disappears (it happens!) and lets your website expire, what if you need an urgent fix and you can't even log in? 🕵️‍♂️

So here's the info you always want to have access to:
1. Your server name and login (f.e. GoDaddy, Bluehost, MDDhosting, Hostgator, ...). This is where your website files are stored. If you're using Squarespace or Shopify, they both host your site and are your website builder.
2. Your domain host and login (f.e. can also be GoDaddy, Porkbun, Hostgator etc) This is your website's address f.e. chunkysquirrel.com
3. Your website builder login (f.e. Wordpress login) if it's a separate platform from your host.
4. Keys or codes related to additional plugins used on your site (if any)

We pride ourselves in the fact that our clients can choose to work with whomever they want and NEVER hold anyone hostage. 🙂

01/01/2024

Happy New Year!!!

I don't know about you, but to me 2023 went by SO quickly! We're diving into 2024 with a jam-packed January. 😃

Do you have 2024 business goals that include your website and/or SEO?

12/25/2023

🐿️ 2023 has a been a fantastic year for us and it's all thanks to you! Our amazing network of befriended businesses enables us to grow Chunky Squirrel and to work from anywhere.
🥂 We're very grateful and can't wait to see what 2024 brings.
🎄 Merry Christmas if you celebrate today and Happy Hollidays!

📷 Photo by Stef Fournier :: Personal Branding Coach & Photographer

12/18/2023

In 2023 Google executed 4 core updates, meaning significant updates in the search algorithm. While that seems intimidating, certain practices are evergreen.

When you think about it, the main goals of Google and search engines is to present people that are searching with the answers and content that serve them best. So working towards creating relevant and high quality content is an evergreen strategy.

Creating a great user experience while sharing relevant information works!

12/11/2023

At least from an SEO perspective they are!

Google and search engines interpret hyphens as a space and underscores as nothing. So for example custom-cupcakes-vancouver versus custom_cupcakes_vancouver are read as "custom cupcakes vancouver" versus "customcupcakesvancouver".

So when choosing your url's, tags, image names etc, don't use underscores!

12/08/2023

https://chunkysquirrel.com/small-business-grant-bc/

Small businesses in BC can apply for the CDAP grant to improve their digital presence! Thinking about a new website, get the e-commerce part going on your website or ready to get started on your SEO journey? This is for you!

I share an extensive article about who is eligible, how it works and what you should get ready to apply!

Our government has a great small business grant available in BC. Get a $2400 digital marketing boost by improving your website, SEO and more.

07/15/2023

I know it's easy to get scared when you have a slower couple of weeks in your website traffic, but over time you'll get to know those times!

Of course the long weekend in July might have dropped your website visitors. And maybe your customers are all in vacation mode. 🏝

I always recommend looking at trends that are more long term! That said, if there's a sudden crash and no traffic, that's a different story, there might be an error.