#012 Claim the Spotlight on Google 🎤

Newsletter Archive

Never miss another issue

Socialhart Newsletter: #012 Claim the Spotlight on Google 

Yes, it’s been a while. Hopefully, you’ve been well? As a reminder (in case you’re like, can you remind me what we were talking about?), this email is chock-full of my best marketing content and action tips for the week. Let’s catch up on all things business:

I’ve been focusing on client work across health, tech, lifestyle, ecommerce, and other brands since my last email. I’ve also been hard at work to make some changes at Socialhart. Over the next few months, you’ll notice a shift in messaging, POV, and positioning. (Its going to be more aligned with my original vision with Socialhart, and I’m so happy you’re here to grow your business with me.)

So tell me, how’s your marketing going?

Socialhart is still focused on bringing you expertise in SEO, content, and CRO so you can reach people when + where they search. Whether thats Google, ChatGPT, Instagram, TikTok, or any other search platform. Socialhart is here to get you there.

The spotlight doesn’t find you. You claim it.

And now, without further ado, the Socialhart Weekly Newsletter begins anew. Curtains, everybody!

#012: When I was a baby marketer

A long time ago (don’t say it dont say it dont say it) IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY…

I was a baby marketer.

Picture me in my first big-girl corporate job, doing marketing for Heely’s, Nine West Kids, and Feiyue shoes, handling licensing compliance for Disney, Marvel, and Dreamworks, excited to show up every day to a big, ugly building. It was an exciting time for me. After all, a girl without a college degree working in a full-time marketing job? She’s lucky!

That job taught me a lot. But what it didn’t teach me was paid media. And how I desperately wanted to learn paid media! After all, the paid media jobs were the big leagues. They were the people being promoted, the jobs with an actual salary band. They were the “future.” And no one would teach me, gosh darn it!

Eventually, I moved on from that job and gained some paid marketing experience. But the truth was, all my opportunities were coming to me from the organic side: organic social, organic SEO, organic content. I was so organic you could’ve picked me up at the farmer’s market.

At the time, it felt like a cage. It felt like no one was giving me the opportunities I wanted. Now, I couldn’t be more grateful to specialize in SEO, CRO, and content. I’ve worked with some of the most incredible brands in the world on their SEO, and I’ve met the most innovative people, people you would never know who are behind the scenes, working to create amazing organic experiences for their customers.

With that said, let’s put this outdated conversation to bed. Where should you spend your marketing dollars? On paid ads? On social? On SEO?

My take is: why choose? At some point, you’re going to need it all. So the better question is, what should you know about these channels?

Well, lucky for us all, I broke it down in my first YouTube video, SEO vs Paid vs Social: Why SEO Is the Foundation of Marketing in 2026

Here’s what we cover:

• Organic vs paid 
• SEO is a collaborative channel  
• SEO research example (Beauty + Skincare)  
• Owning your platform 
• SEO vs paid costs  
• What is a compounding snowball? 
• How SEO is like a tree 
• When to invest 
• SEO is the foundation of search 
• SEO is how you get into AI Search 
• Start with SEO research 
• SEO is good for you

I know! I cover a lot in only ten minutes. Give it a play and then pass it along to someone who might need it.

ACTION invitation

Check your Google visibility in 5 easy steps

I had a client a few years ago that I’ll never forget. We worked together on a Bubbly consulting call that completely turned her business around. For 6 months, she’d been investing in her SEO content, but for some reason, it wasn’t generating any visitors. I took one look at her page and instantly knew what it was (that’s what 10 years of experience buys you). See, her blog was configured with JavaScript, and at the time, her CMS was blocking Google from seeing any of the content. Within a week, her developer had fixed the issue, and she saw traffic improve by thousands. Yes, thousands. With a single system check, she could have diagnosed the issue months earlier.

So here’s what you’re going to do.

1. Sign in to your Google Search Console account. Don’t have one? Here’s how to get one (it’s free).
2. Select “sitemap” on the left-hand side.
3. Check to make sure your sitemap has been crawled and that the last crawl date is recent.
4. If you haven’t submitted your sitemap (it’s usually found at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml).
5. Check any random URL on your website by copying & pasting it into the Google Search Console browser to make sure it’s crawled and indexed by Google.

And that’s it! 5 easy steps to ensure your pages are being crawled by Google. Check your GSC account regularly to see if any pages have visibility or technical issues that prevent them from appearing in search results.

Can’t find something to complete these steps? Hit Reply to this email!

Search Engine Land Feature

Yes! I was very lucky to be featured as a contributor on Search Engine Land. This is one of the search industry’s most-trusted publications.

Why tune in? In it, I discuss why it feels like “GEO” is the same as “SEO” but with a new marketing spin. (Spoiler: It’s not).

READ THE ARTICLE

Socialhart’s Newsworthy

🎙️ Google announces AI Guidelines

Google has finally put the rules in writing. Here’s what you need to know.

Non-commodity content should be one of the most important areas where you spend your strategic time.

Here’s what Google says about it: “Be sure that you’re writing non-commodity content that your readers will find helpful and reliable. Commodity content (for example, something like ‘7 Tips for First-Time Homebuyers’) is often based on common knowledge, which could originate from anyone, and typically adds little unique insight for readers. In contrast, non-commodity content (such as ‘Why We Waived the Inspection & Saved Money: A Look Inside the Sewer Line’) provides unique expert or experienced takes that go beyond common knowledge and the ordinary.”

Why you should care? While you can still use content that is generally helpful, remember that expertise and experience is what makes your content go from generic to helpful. While this isn’t “new,” it is the first time Google has specifically called out its guidelines in this way.

🎙️ Instagram Reels enter the AI SERPs

I might be mistaken here, but I believe this is “not new.” Reports of Reels in AI overviews go back about 6 months, and the Meta update goes back as far as July 2025. However, we are seeing more instances of this happening for long-tail informational searches, like “how to travel in Japan.”

Why you should care? For founders, this is good news. It means that across a wide variety of search results, your reels may appear, generating long-term views beyond just the typical social media post lifespan. Meta’s documentation says that your profile must be a business profile, public, and that you must be over the age of 18.

Your social media strategy should align with your SEO.

🎙️ Millennials vs Gen-Z Trending Conversation

There’s been so much conversation around the “Millennial vs Gen-Z” trend going around on social media.

Why should you care? This is a really good example of timing over trend. The trend was funny, clever, and hit just enough of the truth to be endearing. In fact, as a Millennial, it was nice to see how much we perhaps overthink our marketing strategy vs something more raw and honest that a Gen Z marketer might do. But quickly, the trend became oversaturated noise. The slope from cool to cringe is really quite steep. So, should you post one of these now? Um, were you listening?!

🎙️ FAQ Rich Results: Ugh, As If!

FAQ schema is officially, actually, dead. Yup, you heard it here (actually, you probably didn’t, because FAQ markup has been dead for literal years). So why am I even talking about it? Well, Google just announced this tidbit as official-official (as in, we are so never ever getting back together). But, I still see people recommending “FAQ” content to every single page to “help boost SEO.” Gosh, I cringed just writing that. FAQ content is great, but not because of “SEO.” It’s good for people, people! Remember, don’t try to do SEO for the sake of doing it. As with non-commodity content (see above), your content should have a legitimate reason for existing.

Any of these news updates helpful and interesting? AMA by replying to this email.

The Blog

How to Launch a Product: A Complete Guide for Health and Wellness Brands

That’s all for now~ Do you love Google Search Console? Wait til you hear about Bing! Reply to this email if you’d like to talk more about AI visibility, brand product launches, or that super secret easter egg.

Until next time, Crystal Ortiz

Is this newsletter helpful? Invite a friend. I’d love for you to share the newsletter link.