All Posts, Marketing, Web Design
You’ve built a solid website. It looks sharp. The content is great. But there’s one problem—your traffic isn’t growing. Here’s the thing, getting traffic isn’t just about publishing content and crossing your fingers. It’s about knowing what’s working, what’s not, and where the opportunities are hiding.
Enter Ahrefs. You’ve probably heard of it—one of the biggest names in SEO. But what you might not know is that Ahrefs offers a suite of free tools that can give you actionable insights and help you drive traffic without spending a penny. Let’s break it down.
Why Ahrefs? And Why Free?
Ahrefs is like the Swiss Army knife of SEO. You can track backlinks, analyze keywords, and monitor what your competitors are doing. Essentially, all the things that make Google sit up and take notice. Here’s the good news; you don’t need a premium subscription to start making progress. Ahrefs’ Free Tools give you just enough firepower to make smarter decisions and build a traffic-generating machine. If you’ve been wondering whether free tools can really move the needle, here’s a tip: they absolutely can, but only if you use them consistently and strategically. At Design Theory, we’ve seen firsthand how small, focused efforts can add up to big wins when you know where to look.
Step 1: Start with Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (AWT)
Let’s kick things off with the foundation—Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (AWT). Think of this as Google Search Console’s more insightful cousin. It does everything GSC does, but with a sharper eye for SEO opportunities.
How to Set It Up:
- Go to Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
- Sign up for a free account and connect your website
- Verify your site ownership using DNS, HTML, or Google Search Console
Once you’re in, you’ll get access to critical data on:
Site Health: Identify technical SEO issues that might be holding back your rankings.
Backlinks: See who’s linking to you and which pages are driving the most authority.
Keyword Rankings: Find out where you’re showing up in search results, and where you’re not.
Our Theory: Set up AWT as soon as possible and schedule regular crawls. Even if everything looks great now, staying ahead of potential issues saves you headaches down the road. A quick monthly audit can reveal opportunities to improve and flag errors before they cost you traffic.
Step 2: Run a Site Audit and Fix What’s Broken
You wouldn’t drive your car without checking under the hood every now and then. The same applies to your website. A Site Audit through AWT gives you a clear roadmap of what’s working and what’s holding you back.
How to Run a Site Audit:
- In your AWT dashboard, select “Site Audit.”
- Crawl your website and review the results.
- Pay attention to:
- 404 Errors: Broken pages that frustrate users and search engines.
- Slow Load Times: Google penalizes slow sites, and visitors won’t wait around.
- Duplicate Content: Competing pages that confuse search engines and dilute your rankings.
Our Theory: Don’t just fix errors—prioritize high-impact pages. If a 404 error or slow-loading page is on a critical service or product page, that’s where you focus first. Pro tip: Redirect or fix 404 errors immediately, and use canonical tags to consolidate duplicate content.
Step 3: Use the Keyword Generator to Discover Hidden Gems
Now that your site is running smoothly, it’s time to focus on getting in front of the right audience. Ahrefs’ Keyword Generator helps you uncover keyword opportunities you might have missed.
How to Use It:
- Go to Ahrefs Keyword Generator.
- Enter a broad keyword related to your business or niche.
- Review the list of keyword suggestions along with search volume and keyword difficulty.
Here’s where the magic happens. Long-tail keywords (those 4 to 5-word phrases) might not bring massive traffic, but they attract highly targeted visitors who are ready to engage. For example, instead of chasing “digital marketing,” go after something more specific like “how to automate marketing for small businesses.”
Our Theory: Focus on long-tail keywords that align with your services and content strategy. These terms might have lower search volume, but they’re easier to rank for and often lead to higher conversion rates.
Step 4: Analyze Your Competitors with Site Explorer
If you want to win the game, you need to know what the competition is doing. Ahrefs’ Site Explorer gives you a backstage pass to your competitors’ strategies so you can learn from their wins (and their mistakes).
How to Use It:
- Go to Ahrefs Site Explorer.
- Enter a competitor’s URL.
- Analyze their:
- Top Pages: Identify their highest-traffic content and spot opportunities to create something better.
- Backlinks: See which sites are linking to them and explore opportunities to build similar links.
- Organic Keywords: Discover gaps in your own content strategy by targeting keywords they’re ranking for that you’re missing.
Our Theory: Don’t just copy what your competitors are doing, make the extra effort to improve on it. If their “5 SEO Tips for Small Businesses” is getting traction, create a more detailed version like “10 Proven SEO Strategies to Double Your Website Traffic.” Then, reach out to the websites linking to your competitors and offer your upgraded content as a valuable resource.
Step 5: Build Backlinks with Broken Link Building
Most people ignore broken links, but smart marketers see them as opportunities. Broken Link Building is one of the most effective (and underutilized) ways to gain high-quality backlinks.
How to Do It:
- Use Site Explorer to analyze websites in your niche.
- Look for broken outbound links on high-authority pages.
- Reach out to the site owner and suggest your content as a replacement.
Why does this work? Website owners want to maintain a high-quality user experience, and fixing broken links is part of that. You’re not just asking for a favor—you’re helping them improve their site.
Our Theory: Aim for relevance. A backlink from a niche-relevant site will do far more for your SEO than a generic one. When you offer a solution to broken links, make sure the content you’re suggesting is closely aligned with the original link.
Step 6: Track Your Progress and Refine Your Strategy
SEO is not a one-and-done game. The beauty of using Ahrefs is that it allows you to monitor your progress and refine your strategy based on real data.
How to Track Progress:
- Use AWT to schedule regular site audits.
- Monitor keyword rankings to see where you’re gaining (or losing) ground.
- Analyze which pages are driving the most traffic and focus on doubling down on successful content formats.
Our Theory: Make tracking a habit. Set a monthly review date to assess your SEO health and make adjustments. Small, consistent improvements will compound over time and lead to sustainable growth.
Closing Theory: Why This Matters for Your Business
Using Ahrefs’ free tools isn’t just about fixing broken links and finding keywords, it’s about understanding how search engines see your site and positioning yourself to win. The insights you’ll uncover with these tools give you a clear path to making your website a high-performing, lead-generating asset.
With us here at Design Theory, we’ve helped many business owners transform their websites from digital brochures into powerful growth engines. The truth is, most of them started with small tweaks that led to big gains over time. If you’re ready to take the guesswork out of growing your website traffic, it’s time to dive into Ahrefs and let the data guide your next move.
Ready to make your website work harder for your business?
Schedule a consultation with either Jean or Nicole and let’s talk strategy.
All Posts, Business Strategy
Let’s talk about a game changer that too many business owners overlook; Standard Operating Procedures, or more commonly called SOPs. If you’re rolling your eyes right now, thinking, Ah well that’s just corporate red tape,” hear me out. A well-crafted SOP isn’t about unnecessary paperwork; it’s about efficiency, consistency, and let’s be real, saving you from a never-ending cycle of putting out fires in your business.
Think of an SOP like a great recipe. If a Michelin-starred chef can trust a step-by-step guide to turn out flawless dishes, why wouldn’t you do the same for your business?
1. Stop Reinventing the Wheel. Your Time is Too Valuable
How much time do you spend answering the same questions or fixing the same mistakes? SOPs put an end to that. Instead of explaining to your assistant (for the fifth time) how to handle a refund request, a well-documented SOP lets them follow a proven process—no back-and-forth, no confusion, just results. The more tasks you systematize, the less time you waste micromanaging. And if you ever decide to bring in new employees? They can hit the ground running without needing you to hold their hand.
2. Mistakes Cost Money
Here’s the thing about human error, it can be expensive. A single misstep in invoicing, customer service, or inventory management can cost you big. SOPs reduce mistakes by giving employees clear instructions to follow every single time. No guessing, no improvising, just execution. This isn’t just about saving a few bucks here and there, it’s about preventing major headaches from compliance issues to customer complaints.
3. The Secret to Scaling Without Chaos
You want to grow your business, right? The problem is, growth without structure leads to chaos. Think of a new building for your business and the foundational cement was loose in some areas or non existent. Would you feel comfortable if construction continued and you moved in? A business that runs on SOPs is a business that can scale. Whether you’re opening a second location, hiring more staff, or just expanding your services, your SOPs ensure that everything keeps running smoothly. If you’re relying on memory or tribal knowledge, you’re setting yourself up for a mess. But if you’ve documented your processes? You can duplicate success without duplicating stress.
4. Employees Come and Go. Your Business Shouldn’t Suffer for It
Turnover is inevitable. Don’t get me wrong, it sucks, but you’ve gotta protect the work environment of your business. Without SOPs, every time someone leaves, their knowledge walks right out the door with them. With SOPs, nothing gets lost. Their replacement can pick up where they left off, and your business doesn’t have to slow down while you scramble to fill the gap.
5. Consistency Builds Trust [Internally and Externally]
Customers expect the same experience every time they interact with your business. Employees perform better when they know exactly what’s expected of them. SOPs create that consistency. It’s why McDonald’s can deliver the same Big Mac in New York, Tokyo, or Paris. They don’t leave things up to chance. Everything is documented, trained, and repeatable.
6. SOPs Aren’t Just for Big Corporations
Even if you’re a one-person show, SOPs can help. Future You will be grateful when you don’t have to waste time remembering how you set up that automated email sequence or which exact steps to follow for client onboarding. And when you’re ready to bring on help? Your SOPs turn what would be a painful transition into an easy one.
Closing Theory: SOPs Are the Best Business Insurance You Never Knew You Needed. If you’re serious about saving time, cutting costs, and creating a business that doesn’t depend on you being glued to it 24/7, SOPs are non-negotiable AND they can be updated as tasks and processes are refined. They aren’t about stifling creativity or turning your business into a bureaucratic mess. They’re about freedom—the freedom to focus on growth instead of firefighting, to trust your team instead of micromanaging, and to step away when needed without everything falling apart.
All Posts, Web Design, Web Development, WordPress
Most new business professionals and entrepreneurs are bootstrapping when they’re starting their new venture. Hiring a staff or agency isn’t always financially possible, and so they’ll try and learn and do as much as they can to get their business to a viable start with a limited budget. When it comes to the cost of building and maintaining a website, business professionals need to consider more than just the initial price of investment, they’ll also need to consider the quality (and functional features) and the amount of time it will take to launch. While WordPress and Squarespace have different pricing structures, there are hidden costs associated with both platforms, from time investment to ongoing maintenance.
Let’s break down the costs involved in building and running a website on each platform, so you can make an informed decision about where to invest your time and money.
WordPress: A Customizable, Pay-As-You-Go Approach
With WordPress, the cost can range widely depending on your needs and how much customization you require.
Cost Breakdown for WordPress:
1.Domain Name:
Typically you can purchase your domain for an annual cost of $10 to $20 per year. You can purchase your domain from a variety of providers, such as GoDaddy or IONOS (Formally 1and1).
2.Hosting:
WordPress doesn’t include hosting, so you’ll need to factor that in. Shared hosting plans start at around $3 to $10 per month, but if you need better performance, expect to pay for managed WordPress hosting, which can range from $20 to $100+ per month for higher traffic or resource-heavy websites. We recommend SiteGround for their great customer support, server performance, and pricing tiers.
3.Themes and Plugins:
While there are free themes and plugins available, many businesses go for premium options to achieve a more professional look and enhanced functionality. Premium themes range from $30 to $100 that may be one time or have an annual license that includes regular updates. Plugins can cost anywhere from $5 to $200+ per year depending on the functionality you need.
4.Developer Fees (Optional):
If you need custom functionality or advanced design, hiring a developer can cost anywhere from $50 to $200+ per hour. If your project requires extensive custom coding, expect a web development budget starting at $500 to several thousand dollars, depending on the complexity of your project.
5.Maintenance and Security:
Since you’re responsible for managing updates, security patches, and backups, you may want to invest in a managed service or security plugin. Budget $10 to $50 per month for these services, or more if you opt for premium backup and security solutions.
Time Investment for WordPress:
•Building the Site:
Depending on your experience, building a WordPress site from scratch can take anywhere from 20 to 100+ hours. If you’re using a pre-built theme and plugins, it will take less time, but customizations will add hours to the process. If it is your first time, prepare to spend quite a bit of time learning some technical aspects of the infrastructure setup. You’ll want to have a good idea for where you want your website to be and look initially and what growing it with additional features and functions will entail.
•Maintenance:
WordPress requires regular updates, both for the platform itself and for plugins and themes. Budget a few hours per month for this, or pay for a managed service if you want to offload the responsibility. You’ll also need to periodically monitor performance, security, and backups. Many of these tasks can be automated, and that will save you a lot of time. You can also hire an agency to monitor and maintain your website and perform the necessary updates and backups for you so that you can toss that hat away.
Squarespace: All-Inclusive with Transparent Pricing
Squarespace offers an all-in-one solution with pricing that covers hosting, design templates, and even e-commerce features if needed. While the price is more straightforward, you may end up paying more for features that come standard in WordPress via free plugins.
Cost Breakdown for Squarespace:
1.Domain Name:
Squarespace offers a free domain for the first year when you sign up for an annual plan. After that, the domain renewal costs about $20 to $40 per year.
2.Monthly Subscription:
Squarespace’s pricing is subscription-based. Plans range from $16 to $65 per month, depending on whether you need basic website functionality or more advanced e-commerce features.
- Personal Plan: $16/month – Basic website with a few pages and no e-commerce functionality.
- Business Plan: $23/month – Adds e-commerce and marketing tools.
- Basic Commerce: $27/month – Ideal for businesses selling products online.
- Advanced Commerce: $49/month – Includes advanced e-commerce features, such as abandoned cart recovery and subscriptions.
3.Design Templates and Features:
Squarespace includes a selection of high-quality, responsive templates at no additional cost. There are no additional fees for themes or templates, unlike WordPress, where premium themes are often necessary for a more polished look.
4.Additional Costs:
Squarespace’s integrated tools may reduce the need for third-party services, but some features (like advanced marketing integrations) could still require additional investment, such as paying for email marketing services or external plugins.
Time Investment for Squarespace:
•Building the Site:
Squarespace is designed for users with little to no coding experience. You can build a simple site in 5 to 20 hours, depending on how much customization and content you need to add. Most of the process involves selecting a template and adjusting it to fit your brand.
•Maintenance:
Squarespace takes care of updates, security, and backups for you. This significantly reduces the time you’ll need to spend maintaining the site. Business owners can expect to spend less than 1 hour per month on upkeep—typically updating content or adding new features.
Important Considerations for Business Professionals
1.Budget Flexibility:
If you’re operating on a tight budget, WordPress offers more flexibility. You can start with a low-cost hosting plan and add features as your business grows. Squarespace, while convenient, has fixed subscription costs that may not scale as efficiently as your site’s needs grow.
2.Time vs. Customization:
WordPress demands more time to learn, build, and maintain, but in return, you get unmatched customization and scalability. Squarespace, on the other hand, saves time with its ease of use but sacrifices flexibility. Consider how much time you can dedicate upfront and over the long term when making your decision.
3.Long-Term Growth:
If you anticipate significant growth in your business or need advanced functionality like a custom-built e-commerce system, membership site, or integrations with other platforms, WordPress is a better long-term solution. Squarespace is great for small to medium-sized businesses that value simplicity but may fall short as your business scales.
4.Tech Expertise:
If you don’t have technical expertise and don’t want to hire a developer, Squarespace is the easier, lower-maintenance option. WordPress, while powerful, requires either tech knowledge or the willingness to invest in professional support.
Our Final Thoughts on Cost and Time Involvement
When choosing between WordPress and Squarespace, it boils down to balancing cost, time, and flexibility. WordPress allows you to start small and grow with your business, but the hidden costs in development, maintenance, and plugins can add up. Squarespace provides a more predictable cost structure, but if your business outgrows its capabilities, you may need to switch platforms down the line. If you’re a business professional looking for a quick, hands-off solution, Squarespace’s ease of use is hard to beat. However, if you’re in it for the long haul and envision a website that evolves as your business grows, WordPress offers the versatility to make that happen if you’re willing to put in the time.
Not every website project is the same and so we couldn’t recommend one of these to everyone. Hopefully after reading this article and seeing the different options you now have a better idea of which platform will be best for you and your business.
