Hello world, it's me, Betsy.

March 17, 2023

The Betsy Benn journey to page one...

Well, hello! If we haven't met before, I'm Betsy, where have you been hiding? Or possibly, more appropriately, where have I been hiding? Spoiler, neither of us have actually been hiding, but getting seen in this world of online businesses can kind of feel like you're walking around with a Potter-esq cloak of invisibility.

We create the most beautiful personalised notebooks you'll ever see (humble, I know). They are exquisite creations, covered in a soft vegan leather and laser engraved with all manner of wonderful designs. The notebooks come in a range of colours so utterly gorgeous that I can't choose a favourite, and the edges of the paper and the TWO ribbon place markers match the colour of the book. The soft ivory paper on the inside is a dream to write on. I could go on. In an ideal world, we'd sell them too! But type personalised notebook into a google search and there are 15,300,000 results and "getting seen" so that our customers can buy the world's best notebook, can suddenly feel like an impossible mission - pass me that cloak.

yellow personalised notebook engraved with stars at the bottom and a name

Discoverability and the humble notebook

Notebooks are one of our favourite things to make at Betsy Benn. Not only are they incredibly beautiful, but they are also immensely practical. Need an interesting gift for a teacher at the end of the school year? A brilliant teacher notebook is your answer. Want to encourage your best friend or partner in their new business venture? A fabulous notebook engraved with their new business logo is just the ticket. Planning an epic year of 50 things to do before the end of your 50th year on planet Earth? You need a bucket list book to keep your ideas and notes in.

There's no end to the imaginative uses for a personalised notebook, but without a shop front that our intrepid customers can wander past, how do we show off this genius in paper form?

The answer is to tend to our virtual shop fronts with all the passion of a window designer at Fortnum and Masons and to be honest, I think we've done a pretty good job so far. Good product descriptions - tick! Clear and appealing product imagery - tick! List our wares on other platforms as well as our own website - BIG TICK. We've been partners on Notonthehighst.com since 2010, and by the way, I'm the regional ambassador for Notonthehighst.com in Gloucestershire and The Cotswolds so, if you're a local partner, pop over and say hi!

vegan leather personalised journal

Digital tools - for the love of Google

There's so much more to being found than just showing up, although that is a great first step. Last week, I attended a free Google Digital Garage skills training event in Chippenham and we were all encouraged to get SMART about what we wanted to achieve from showing up there! Thank you, Daryl. There's a whole bunch of in person events and on-line recorded and/or live training events. Here's a link to the Digital Garage skills page if you'd like to see what you could get help with.

I digress. Momentarily filled with optimism and boundless enthusiasm for my business (and my notebooks), I created myself quite a goal. To get on page one of a google search result for at least two of our biggest keywords, and do it organically. Something like 75% of people never scroll past page one of a search, so PAGE ONE is where it's at if you want to sell your products. And then my mouth, which is always the bravest part of me, shared this goal with the actual HEAD of Google UK & Ireland, Debbie Weinstein, when I met her over coffee. Talk about an accountability buddy!

You know what, I'm staring that goal in the face and singing Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" right at it. I've had my first one hour 1-1 with a Google skills guru (also free), I have a pocket full of tools and my action plan worked out, all written down in a gorgeous Betsy Benn notebook naturally, and the knowledge that it's all a journey. Want to come with me? Today I'm sorting out my H tags and meta descriptions, and of course, writing this blog post.

As of 17 March 2023, we're on page 3 for the search term "personalised notebook" and page 2 for the keywords "personalised 50th birthday gift". Shall we see what's possible?