88 \\ Why Substack Is Not the Answer (Blog vs Substack in 2026)

If you’re a home organizer trying to figure out how to get found on Google, I’ll be honest: a beautiful website is only the starting point. In this episode, I’m sharing what I’ve learned working with professional organizers across the country this year, and what it really means to set your SEO foundations. I’m walking you through my three-step process, why a website without SEO can look perfect and still stay invisible, and how one organizer’s Google clicks grew about four times in six months from foundations alone. Here’s what you’ll hear: Why clean and simple doesn’t have to mean empty, and how much copy your pages really need to rank The hidden technical issues I find in almost every organizer audit (missing headlines, broken links, duplicate page titles) Why marketing for professional organizers and SEO are two different skill sets, and what happens when they clash How to show up on Google Maps and in “near me” searches for your city and service area How location portfolio pages and niche service pages help you get found on Google and in AI search tools like ChatGPT LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Blog post for this episode: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-for-home-organizers LLM SEO: Why You Don’t Need Separate AEO, GEO and SEO Strategies: https://bypwdesigns.com/llm-seo/ How Long Does SEO Take to Work?: https://bypwdesigns.com/how-long-does-seo-take-to-work/ P&W Designs SEO Services: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-services/ P&W Designs Web Design Services: https://bypwdesigns.com/web-design-services Pinterest Marketing Course: https://bypwdesigns.com/pinterest-marketing-course Website: https://bypwdesigns.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@julie.pwdesigns/videos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.pwdesigns/

After managing Pinterest accounts since 2020, I’m no longer offering Pinterest management, and so let's talk about why. In this episode, I walk through what changed for me, from my outbound clicks dropping about 90% to what Pinterest’s own earnings report actually shows. I’m not here to tell you Pinterest is dead. I’m here to help you check your numbers and decide if it still deserves your time. Here’s what you’ll hear: What an outbound click on Pinterest is, and why it’s the metric that actually matters for your business How Pinterest can report record growth while your free traffic keeps shrinking What’s working on Pinterest right now (and why it takes way more design time than it used to) Who should stick with Pinterest, and what to ask before you hire someone to manage it Where I’m putting my energy instead: blogging and getting found on Google and AI search LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Blog post for this episode: https://bypwdesigns.com/pinterest-services-update SEO on Tap by Duo Collective (code JULIEW for $50 off): https://duocollective.com/seo-on-tap P&W Designs SEO Services: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-services/ Create It, Pin It, Let It Work Pinterest Course: https://bypwdesigns.com/pinterest-marketing-course  Website: https://bypwdesigns.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@julie.pwdesigns/videos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.pwdesigns/

If SEO, AEO, and GEO have you feeling like you're already behind on AI search, here's the good news: you don't need three separate strategies. In this episode, I break down what SEO, AEO (answer engine optimization), and GEO (generative engine optimization) actually mean, how they overlap, and why all three start with the same strong SEO foundations. I walk through examples for massage therapists, physical therapists, and home organizers so you can see what this looks like for a real small business. By the end, you'll know where to put your time first and how to spot when someone is selling you something you don't need. Here's what you'll hear: What SEO, AEO, and GEO each mean, in plain English (no tech dictionary required) How writing blog headers as real client questions can land you in featured snippets and AI overviews Where to find your AI overview impressions inside Google Search Console Why Google reviews, a strong about page, and consistent business info build the trust (EEAT) that helps AI tools recommend you The first steps to take for better AI visibility, and why no one can guarantee you'll show up LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Blog post for this episode: https://bypwdesigns.com/llm-seo The Baby Step (1-Hour SEO Coaching Call): https://bypwdesigns.com/coaching-call P&W Designs SEO Services: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-services/ Website: https://bypwdesigns.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@julie.pwdesigns/videos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.pwdesigns/

Using Claude for project management completely changed how I run my business, and I'm not a coder. In this episode, I walk you through why Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Monday, and Notion never fit the way I work, and how I used Claude to build my own task hub and client portals instead. You'll hear how my Claude task management system runs day to day with two VAs and more than 15 client portals, what it's built on, and the bugs I ran into along the way. If your current app feels like it's forcing your business into a box, this one's for you. Here's what you'll hear: Why Notion stopped working once I had multiple retainer clients and team members How gated tasks work, so the only thing I still do for my podcast is hit record The simple setup behind my hub (Claude, Supabase, and Netlify), even if you've never written code How I use AI task management to see each VA's to-do list and every client's tasks in one view The "waiting on" column that keeps client delays off my plate until they're actually mine LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Blog post for this episode: https://bypwdesigns.com/claude-task-management How I Built an AI Assistant for Business: https://bypwdesigns.com/ai-assistant-business/ How to Use Claude AI, Canva and Notion to Create Pinterest Pins Faster: https://bypwdesigns.com/claude-ai-pinterest-workflow/ P&W Designs Web Design Services: https://bypwdesigns.com/web-design-services P&W Designs SEO Services: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-services/ Informed Tech Solutions: https://informedtech.io/ Callan Faulkner's AI Employee Bootcamp: https://go.theuncommonbusiness.co/bootcamp-2026 Website: https://bypwdesigns.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@julie.pwdesigns/videos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.pwdesigns/

How long does SEO take to work? Longer than four hundred cheap pages can fake, and I have a client story that proves it. In this episode, I'm telling you about a client who felt like she never got results, why our SEO foundation work stalled out after two years of silence, and what happened when she found a cheap agency promising four hundred new location pages. I'm breaking down why location pages SEO only works when every page is genuinely unique, why Google Business Profile reviews became the single biggest lever I recommend to clients, and the real difference between a foundation and ongoing growth. Here's what you'll hear: Why "how long does SEO take to work" actually has an answer, and it is not overnight What goes wrong when a business stops building on top of its SEO foundation Why location pages SEO backfires the moment pages get duplicated instead of unique How Google Business Profile reviews became the biggest growth lever I recommend, and it costs nothing Three red flags to watch for if an agency pitches you bulk pages or directory listings LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Blog post for this episode:https://bypwdesigns.com/how-long-does-seo-take-to-work SEO Services (including SEO Foundations): https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-services/ Book a Baby Step coaching call: https://bypwdesigns.com/coaching-call SEO Monitoring Tools Guide: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-monitoring-tools One Page SEO Checklist: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-best-practices-checklist Website: https://bypwdesigns.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@julie.pwdesigns/videos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.pwdesigns/

Google's AI content policy doesn't care if you used ChatGPT or wrote every word yourself, but your traffic might be dipping without you doing anything wrong. In this episode, I'm breaking down what Google's AI content policy actually says (not what the internet is guessing), why Anthropic's new watermarking on Claude content may not change the rules, and why your rankings can hold steady while your clicks quietly drop. I'll walk through the real data on AI overviews and show you how I use AI generated content in client work without setting off Google's spam flags. Here's what you'll hear: What Google's AI content policy says about using AI tools on your site  What are Google AI overviews, and how to tell if they're eating your click through rate instead of your rankings What Anthropic's new Claude watermark does and doesn't prove about your content Why one client's flat traffic graph was hiding a smarter, more diversified AI SEO strategy How I actually use AI content and SEO together in client work so it still ranks LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Blog post for this episode: https://bypwdesigns.com/google-ai-content-policy Google's guidance on generative AI content: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/using-gen-ai-content Anthropic's "How Claude marks AI generated content": https://support.claude.com/en/articles/16266773-how-claude-marks-ai-generated-content P&W Designs SEO Services: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-services/ Website: https://bypwdesigns.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@julie.pwdesigns/videos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.pwdesigns/

EEAT SEO is the difference between a blog that ranks and one that just sits there, and most business owners are getting it wrong without realizing it. In this episode, I'm breaking down what actually makes a good blog post in 2026, including the technical checklist I run on every single post for my clients. I'm also walking you through why Google is deindexing so much AI written content right now, and what separates a blog that ranks from one that never gets traction. Here's what you'll hear: Why Google is deindexing more content than ever and what EEAT SEO has to do with it The real reason "non-AI written" blog services are quietly using AI anyway A real client example of blogs that got deindexed, then came back after we added her actual story The technical checklist I run on every post (word count, slugs, meta descriptions, and more) Why story always comes before keyword, and how to actually get your story out of your head LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Blog post for this episode:https://bypwdesigns.com/eeat-seo-blog-checklist Amy Boland Hauser's website: https://www.amybolandhauser.com/ SEO Monitoring Tools Guide: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-monitoring-tools One Page SEO Checklist: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-best-practices-checklist Pinterest Marketing Course: https://bypwdesigns.com/pinterest-marketing-course P&W Designs SEO Services: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-services/ Website: https://bypwdesigns.com/ FOLLOW ALONG: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@julie.pwdesigns/videos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.pwdesigns/  

It's been over six months since I did a real life update, so today's episode is exactly that: business, health, and everything in between. In this episode, I catch you up on where P&W Designs stands in 2026 (hint: it looks nothing like it did three years ago), what's shifting in my pricing and services, and how my health and identity work have been going behind the scenes. No SEO talk, no strategy breakdown. Just a coffee chat catch up, friend to friend. Here's what you'll hear: How P&W Designs evolved into a full organic marketing agency, and why I brought on two contractors this year Why I'm stepping back from Pinterest management and what's replacing it The gut health and thyroid progress I've made after switching providers this year The identity and mental health work I'm doing through Brittany's Become Her program Why our student loan payoff has me rethinking cash flow and freedom going into 2027 LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Website: https://bypwdesigns.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.pwdesigns/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@julie.pwdesigns/videos

Your website relaunch checklist shouldn't start with traffic numbers. It should start with the metrics that actually tell you if Google sees you. In this episode, I'm breaking down what success really looks like after a website launch or relaunch, and why most people are measuring the wrong things at the wrong time. I'm pulling real data from my own clients so you can see what normal growth looks like in the first few months. Here's what you'll hear: Why daily traffic in the first 30 to 60 days means nothing (and what to watch instead) The relaunch traps nobody warns you about, including the temporary traffic dip How to spot real customer feedback versus compliments from people who love you What a keyword ranking tracker should actually show you month over month Real before and after client numbers, including one site that went from 9 to 154 clicks in six months LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Blog post for this episode: https://bypwdesigns.com/website-relaunch-checklist On-Page SEO Checklist: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-best-practices-checklist#cta SEO Monitoring Tools Guide: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-monitoring-tools P&W Designs SEO Services: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-services/ Website: https://bypwdesigns.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@julie.pwdesigns/videos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.pwdesigns/

An AI assistant for business can do a lot more than answer one quick question, and in my studio I have four of them running the heavy lifting alongside one human employee. In this episode, I pull back the curtain on the five employees running my SEO and web design business on 20 hours a week. I break down the real difference between prompting AI and actually employing it, walk you through each of my four AI employees plus my one human VA, and get honest about how I use AI in client work and why my pricing reflects that. There's also a surprise at the end for Create It, Pin It, Let It Work students. Here's what you'll hear: Why prompting AI and employing AI are not the same thing, and which one actually scales The four AI employees I built and the exact job each one does How to build a Claude skill that runs a whole task in your business start to finish The honest truth about using AI for client work and pricing it fairly A free Pinterest skill surprise waiting for course students LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Blog post for this episode: https://bypwdesigns.com/ai-assistant-business P&W Designs SEO Services: https://bypwdesigns.com/seo-services/ Website: https://bypwdesigns.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@julie.pwdesigns/videos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.pwdesigns/