Web + Wins #24: Q4 plans and how are you showing your expertise?
This Week's Update
Q4 is right around the corner, and this weekend I sat down and wrote out what I actually want to experiment with before the year ends. Not client work, not day-to-day operations — the fun stuff. The things I'm trying just to see what sticks. Here’s what I’ve come up with:
Virtual Networking Event think content club where you can bounce ideas off of other builders — October 14th at noon. A fellow Columbia Connectors member and I have been nerding out over content ideas and accountability for a while, and I've also had people reach out from this newsletter looking for real connection. So we're running a little experiment. Block your calendar now — meet him in Convo Corner below, and send me a note if you want to join!
Expert Roundup. I'm putting together a piece featuring contributors from across the marketing world — SEO, PR, print and direct mail — sharing what's actually working for small business clients getting found by new customers right now. Perfect Q4 timing.
Start With Yourself Book Club. If you don't know Emma Grede — she's the co-founder and CEO of Good American, a founding partner of SKIMS, and a recurring Shark on ABC's Shark Tank where she made history as the first Black woman to invest on the show. I've followed her for years. Those early 5am mornings when I was building Snaply Sites before my day job, she was on in the background. I love her grit and her honesty about the fact that success requires real tradeoffs — not glorifying burnout, just being real about it. Jade Pruett and I have both been reading her book, and we've been tossing around the idea of a book club. Even if it's just the two of us, we're making it happen.
These are my big three for now.
I don't have a polished marketing flywheel.
I'm a solopreneur trying things, seeing what provides value, and following what sticks. Sharing it here feels like the least I can do.
We are 6 months into this newsletter experiment. It’s neat to see what this has become – a form of accountability for myself, a personal journal of going full-time on a side hustle, quitting a stable job, having a baby, and running a business all at once plus sharing tips with other business owners trying to grow.
We just gotta keep showing up!
Get a Web Win: Make Your Website Match Your Expertise
I get to work with some really cool people. I’m excited to share this one.
This summer I launched a refresh for Palmetto Biomedical, the consulting practice of Larry Boyd, a professor at Clemson and someone you genuinely don't cross paths with often. Larry holds nearly 70 U.S. patents, has led product development generating hundreds of millions in revenue, founded three medical device ventures, and provides expert witness support for legal teams navigating complex medical device cases. The depth of what this man has built over a career is remarkable.
His website, though? It was over a decade old and didn't come close to reflecting any of that.
When we sat down together, the first thing we worked through wasn't design — it was audience. Larry has three very different people landing on his site: startups and medical device companies looking for consulting support, investors evaluating technical credibility, and legal teams seeking an expert witness. Each of them comes with a completely different question in mind, and the old site wasn't answering any of them clearly.
Here's what we focused on building:
A clear expert witness section — this is some of Larry's most valuable work, and it was invisible on the old site. We gave it its own dedicated space that explains his background, the types of cases he works on, and why his combination of hands-on industry experience and teaching makes him uniquely qualified to explain complex topics to a legal audience.
An innovation portfolio — instead of scattered tabs for each venture, we brought everything into one organized section where visitors can explore the startups he's been involved in, with links to the actual patents. It turns a résumé into a story.
A site that matches his LinkedIn presence — Larry shows up consistently on LinkedIn, sharing updates from events and insights from his work. The website now supports that traffic with the credibility it deserves when someone clicks through to learn more.
In Larry's own words:
"The updated site better reflects the work I am focused on today. I especially wanted the site to do a better job explaining the Expert Witness section — that background, combined with years of teaching and explaining complex medical device topics to diverse audiences, is highly relevant to legal matters where clear technical analysis matters."
Why this refresh matters more than ever for AI search
Here's something worth thinking about beyond the visual refresh. When an attorney searches for "medical device expert witness for spine biologics" — they might not be Googling anymore. They might be asking ChatGPT or Perplexity. And here's how AI tools answer that kind of question: they look for websites that go deep on a specific topic. Generic service lists don't make the cut. But a dedicated expert witness page that clearly explains the types of cases, the relevant technical background, and the specific areas of expertise? That's what AI pulls from to build a recommendation.
This is what makes Larry's new site so well-positioned. The more specific and detailed your content is about your unique angle — the patents, the ventures, the 30 years of hands-on experience — the more likely an AI tool is to surface your name when the right person is searching for exactly what you do.
Generic content is everywhere. Your specific story and depth of experience? Only you have that. Make sure your website actually says it. 💡
Your takeaway: If you've built real expertise over a career, your website should show the depth of that work — not just list your services. Dedicated pages for the projects you've led, the problems you've solved, and the results you've delivered aren't vanity — they're how the right clients find you, whether they're searching on Google or asking an AI.
Check out palmettobiomedical.com here →
Convo Corner: Jonathan Palance, Soda City Films
Meet Jonathan Palance. I connected with him through the Columbia Connectors — one of my favorite local networking groups — and every single conversation we have leaves me fired up.
Jonathan is the founder of Soda City Films, and his zone of genius is visual storytelling. But what I love most about talking to him isn't just the work — it's the energy. He's one of those entrepreneurs who is genuinely bursting with creativity and ideas, someone who's willing to take risks, try things, and not worry about failing.
Lately we've been talking a lot about content in the age of AI. In a world where anyone can generate anything in seconds, people are craving something real and human. We kept coming back to the same question: how do you actually show up authentically, consistently, and without burning out?
That conversation turned into an idea — a Content Club. A small, free virtual get-together for people who want to experiment with their content, find some accountability, and connect with others who are figuring out the same things. No course to buy, no challenge to join, nothing transactional. Just a 30-minute lunch with the right people and the right mindset.
If that sounds like you — reply and let me know. I'll send you the sign-up link. October 14th at noon. Come as you are.
Let's Talk!
Need any updated website going into Q4? Let’s talk! I’lll take a look at where you are and give you some pointers. Just reach out, I’m here!
