#MakeContentFindable

[laurafaritos]

HDMS048. Getting Googled On Purpose — An SEO Crash Course for Broke Creatives

If you’re not famous, and you don’t have a marketing budget, how are people supposed to find you online?

Before this course, I thought the answer was: they don’t. You just have to keep promoting your stuff manually, constantly, forever. But then I hit this section of the Harvard Digital Marketing Strategy course—and realized I’d been missing an entire discovery channel hiding in plain sight.

Search.

Like, actual Google search. Not hashtags. Not TikTok trends. Not getting lucky on Threads.

We learned how a tiny clothing company called Duckworth used search engine optimization (SEO) to go from a struggling retail brand to a growing e-commerce business—without spending big on ads. It was the first time I really understood that SEO isn’t just for corporations. It’s for anyone who wants to be found.

So in this post, I’m breaking down what I learned about SEO, how it applies to my own shows like Haunted Comedians, Foreigner Diaries, and Failed by Sex Ed—and how other creatives can use it to stop getting buried online.

This part of the course zoomed in on Search Engine Optimization (SEO)—basically, how to get your stuff to show up on Google without paying for ads.

The case study was Duckworth, a tiny, family-owned clothing brand that makes Merino wool clothes in Montana. They were getting crushed by ad costs, so they pivoted hard to owned media. But instead of just vibing and hoping someone found them, they used SEO to actively show up when people Googled things like:

“best base layer for snowboarding”

“warm wool layers for hiking”

“merino wool vs cotton”

These are called long-tail keywords: search terms that are super specific. They don’t have huge search volume, but the people searching them are often ready to buy. That’s perfect for small brands (and creators!) who can’t compete for giant keywords like “outdoor gear.”

Duckworth used those keywords to make blog posts, videos, and landing pages. They made sure the site loaded fast. They added reviews and useful info. And because they were so specific and helpful, Google started bumping them up in organic search.

They also taught us the three pillars of SEO:

Technical optimization – Make sure your site works, loads fast, and can be crawled by Google

Content optimization – Use the words your audience is actually searching for, and answer their questions

Link optimization – Get other reputable websites to link to you (this builds authority)

One framework they introduced was called CIRCLE, which breaks down SEO into Crawl, Index, Rank, Click-Through Rate, Landing Page, and Experience. It’s technical, but the core idea is: if people can find you, click on you, and have a good experience once they do? Google will reward that.

And that’s when I realized… I don’t need to be famous to show up in search. I just need to be useful and findable.

Before this, I always assumed SEO was something reserved for brands with tech teams and budgets. Like, who’s out here searching “comedian with haunted shows in Toronto”?

But then I realized—maybe someone is.

And even if they’re not searching me by name (yet), they might still be searching for the kind of stuff I do.

Haunted Comedians isn’t just a funny show—it’s a searchable concept. People might Google “haunted comedy Toronto,” “Halloween comedy events,” or “ghost tours with comedians.” If I build content that reflects those searches, people might actually find the show without me constantly promoting it.

Foreigner Diaries hits with long-tail searches like “Brazilian immigrant comedy” or “funny stories about culture shock in Canada.” Instead of just saying “I’m doing a show,” I could be writing blog posts titled ‘What Canadian audiences don’t get about Brazilian humour (but Brazilians do)’.

Failed by Sex Ed? GOLD MINE. SEO-wise, that show is basically a searchable cry for help. “Sex education podcast for adults,” “funny sex ed stories,” “neurodivergent sex ed,” “what I wish I’d learned about sex.” I have so much already in my files that matches that exact intent.

It hit me that SEO is a way to stop screaming into the void. It rewards specificity, patience, and storytelling—which is literally how my brain already works. I just didn’t know how to plug it into the system.

As someone with AUDHD, the idea of my work being discoverable on its own is huge. It means I can make stuff that lasts and that works with my brain, not against it. I don’t have to be viral—I just have to be searchable.

Let me say this first: you don’t need to know how to code to start using SEO.

What you do need is to know what your audience might be Googling—and make sure your content answers that search.

Here’s how creatives like us can start:

🔍 Step 1: Find your long-tail keywords These are the oddly specific phrases that someone might type into Google when they’re looking for work like yours. Think:

“funny immigrant stories from Brazil”

“comedy podcast about sex education”

“ghost-themed comedy Toronto”

You’re not trying to win over everyone. You’re trying to be the exact right thing for someone with a specific need.

📝 Step 2: Make content that speaks to that search Instead of just posting “New episode’s up!”, try:

A blog post titled “The Sex Ed Lesson I Needed at 13 (But Finally Got at 30)”

A YouTube description that says “Filmed inside a haunted church, this standup set dives into dating, demons, and dry shampoo.”

A podcast title like “Why Brazilian Jokes Don’t Land in Canada (and Why That’s Okay)”

You’re not faking anything—you’re just translating your art into searchable language.

🌐 Step 3: Optimize your platforms

Put those keywords on your website, in your episode titles, and in your social bios

Add internal links between your pages (e.g. your About page links to your shows)

Make sure your site is mobile-friendly and doesn’t take 100 years to load

🔗 Step 4: Build backlinks You don’t need press—just connections.

Swap guest spots on each other’s podcasts and link to each other’s sites

Write guest blogs or newsletters

Share your work on Reddit threads, forums, or in directories where it fits

Don’t underestimate the SEO value of being cited somewhere even once

You don’t need to be everywhere. You just need to be findable.

If you’ve ever felt like nobody was looking for your work—it might just be that they didn’t know how to find it.

This module made me realize that SEO is less about hacking the algorithm and more about meeting people where they already are. Your art deserves to be found. But for that to happen, you have to make it searchable.

You don’t need a huge budget. You don’t need to be trending. You just need a clear message, a helpful presence, and a few good keywords.

And if you’re someone who feels constantly behind on trends, or exhausted by algorithm chasing? SEO is your quiet revenge. It’s the long game. It’s “getting Googled on purpose.”

Now excuse me while I go rename every podcast episode I’ve ever made hahahahaha

I hope this post was as helpful to you as it was to me.

Tchau tchau <333