The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
Back to feedPost
🎓 SEO Specialization Completed | Coursera × UC Davis
I’m excited to share that I’ve successfully completed the SEO Specialization offered by Coursera and the University of California, Davis, taught by Rebekah May and Eric Enge.
As a Software Engineer and Web Developer, I believe building a great website is only part of the equation. The real challenge is making it discoverable, accessible, and valuable to the people who need it.
Throughout this specialization, I strengthened my understanding of:
Search Engine Fundamentals — How search engines discover, crawl, index, and rank websites.
Keyword Research — Identifying search intent and targeting the right keywords.
On-Page & Technical SEO — Improving website structure, performance, speed, and optimization.
Content Strategy — Creating content that serves users while aligning with search engine requirements.
Competitive Analysis & SEO Strategy — Identifying opportunities and developing data-driven strategies for organic growth.
My biggest takeaway: A website shouldn't just look good or work well. It should also be easy to discover and deliver measurable value.
I'm continuing to expand my skills at the intersection of software engineering, SEO, web performance, and digital growth so I can build better digital experiences that support real business objectives.
For me, continuous learning means turning knowledge into practical solutions. This is another step forward, and I'm excited to apply what I've learned to future projects.
I'd love to connect with developers, SEO professionals, marketers, and founders who are passionate about building impactful digital products.
If you're also learning or working on something exciting, let's connect!
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
Related posts
Thousands of searches. Almost no clients.
That's where Richard Reid's website was when we started working together. Richard is a psychology-led leadership coach for founders, CEOs and senior leaders, and his site was ranking. Just not for the right people.
When I sorted every search the site appeared for by intent, 60% were people researching psychology topics. Only 5% were people actually shopping for a coach.
So instead of chasing more traffic, I rebuilt the strategy around that 5%:
Mapped the private pressures each of his three audiences carries, from the 3am thought to what they're really buying
Separated his two sites so they stopped competing for the same searches
Restructured the service hubs
Rewrote the homepage and about page to lead with who he helps and what he solves, with one clear route to a consultation
The old homepage said "Elevate Your Leadership with Richard Reid". The new one tells a founder or C-suite leader, in the first line, that this is for them.
Both pages are live. Full case study on my profile.
If your site gets traffic but not enquiries, the fix usually isn't more traffic. It's knowing which visitors matter and writing for them.
So cool! It’s a great reminder that more traffic doesn’t always mean better results. Understanding search intent and speaking directly to the right audience really can make all the difference. I especially like how the strategy focused on turning the existing traffic into...
𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟵𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝟯𝟬𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟭 𝗗𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗢
The 2026 WordPress Technical SEO Blueprint: Core Web Vitals & Schema Architecture
Dominating search engines in 2026 requires more than basic keywords. 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝟱-𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗘𝗢 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁:
1. 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗝𝗦𝗢𝗡-𝗟𝗗 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗜 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀.
2. 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗙 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
3. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴.
4. 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝘆.
5. 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗦𝗦 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀.
𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗘𝗢 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵!, 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴
Can too much free content hurt your sales?
One of our clients had three offers on the same page: a free guide, a paid membership, and a private consultation.
All three looked equally important. Guess what? Visitors downloaded the free guide and left.
So we changed the layout:
Keep the free offer simple. A small card with a clear description and one email field.
Make the paid offer stand out. More space, a clear price, and a strong CTA.
Connect free to paid. Show how the free guide is just a first step toward the membership.
The goal isn't to remove free content. It's to make sure it leads somewhere.
Free content should open the door, not replace what's inside.
Do you offer free resources on your sales pages?
Three offers with equal weight on one page is such a common trap. Making the free guide a step toward the paid offer instead of a competitor for attention makes a lot of sense.