The Top 7 SEO Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make

(and What You Gain When You Fix Them) with Paige Weise

Picture this: a potential client searches online for the exact solution you provide. But instead of finding your website, they land on someone else’s. You know you’re the perfect person to help them, but your online presence never gave you a chance to say, “I’m here!”

This is the power of SEO—or the pain of ignoring it.

In my latest episode of the Life After Corporate podcast, I spoke with @Paige Weise, CEO of Tree Ring Digital , a leading digital marketing agency, to uncover the biggest SEO traps entrepreneurs fall into. Paige’s expertise extends beyond SEO to managing a full suite of digital assets–critical strategies especially as the use of AI tools in marketing begins to explode.

Here are three of the top game-changing mistakes Paige highlighted—and what’s waiting for you on the other side when you fix them.

1. Skipping the Fundamentals

“I can’t tell you how many websites launch without even the basics in place,” Paige shared. “It’s like opening a storefront but forgetting to unlock the doors.”

Many entrepreneurs pour time and money into creating a website that looks beautiful but isn’t functional for search engines. Forgetting basics like submitting a sitemap or claiming your Google My Business profile is like leaving a neon “Closed” sign blinking in your window.

Why It Matters: When these essentials are in place, your business becomes discoverable. You go from “hidden gem” to “trusted expert” in the eyes of both search engines and clients.

Action Step: Double-check that your site has a sitemap submitted to Google and that your Google My Business profile is active and optimized. This simple step can fast-track your visibility.

2. Blogging Without Strategy

“I see it all the time,” Paige said. “People pour hours into writing blogs, but their site isn’t optimized, so no one ever finds them. It’s heartbreaking because the effort is there—it’s just misaligned.”

The common belief is that blogging alone will boost SEO. But without a fully optimized site and strategic keywords, your blog is shouting into the void.

Why It Matters: Your website needs to be a carefully tuned engine, and your blogs are the fuel that keeps it running. When aligned, blogs position you as a thought leader and draw the right clients to your site—ready to take action.

Action Step: Before publishing your next blog, ensure your site has the right SEO structure to support it. This includes optimizing existing pages for the keywords your clients are searching for.

3. Overlooking the Power of Reviews

“Reviews aren’t just for Yelp,” Paige said. “They’re one of the first things Google looks at when deciding if your business is trustworthy. It’s also one of the easiest ways to gain credibility fast.”

Many entrepreneurs feel awkward asking for reviews or don’t make it part of their client-offboarding process. But reviews can be the tipping point for prospects choosing you over someone else.

Why It Matters: Reviews establish trust before you ever speak to a client. They create social proof that makes referrals more reliable, sales calls smoother, and conversions higher.

Action Step: Add a simple, automated process to request reviews from happy clients as soon as your work together wraps up. You’ll be surprised how often people say yes.

Want to Know the Other Four Mistakes and how to fix them?

Fixing these SEO mistakes will help clients find you, trust you, and be ready to buy before they even speak to you. But that’s just the start.

When you address the remaining four SEO pitfalls Paige shared in the podcast, you’ll:

• Attract higher-quality leads by understanding what they’re searching for.
• Reclaim hours of wasted effort by ditching strategies that don’t work.
• Use AI to supercharge your marketing instead of letting it disrupt your visibility.
• Transform your website into a client magnet that works for you 24/7.

Ready to discover what these four mistakes are—and how to fix them?

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Your dream clients are out there searching. Make sure they find you.

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Debra Boulanger