Our 2023 Review: Thank you!

Written By Haley Davidson
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2023 has been an incredible, mind-blowing year. To think that I went from wondering how I would make this freelancing thing work in January…to managing half a dozen contractors and multiple 5-figure contracts in December—it’s kind of unbelievable.

I’m so grateful to be here today, and I know none of it would have been possible without the incredible support of my family, my clients, my mentors, and my community. So today, I want to take a moment to say thank you. 🙏

Whether you know me as Haley Davidson, the freelance writer, or Haley, from Gaia Content, or Haley, founder of Freelance Unlocked—I’m so grateful for the role you’ve played on this wild freelance journey over the past few years.

Today, I want to share a few highlights from 2023 and a sneak peek of the direction we’re taking in 2024.

From freelancer to CEO…

When I quit my 9-5 job in 2022, I had no idea what would happen next. I dreamed of making a bigger impact, hiring and mentoring a team, and building a world-class SEO agency.

What I never expected was to be able to reach these goals less than 2 years after leaving the corporate world. 🤯

Here are just a few of my proudest accomplishments from 2023…

  • I’ve built a team of 10+ contractors with expertise in content writing, content management/operations, technical SEO, conversion optimization, and reporting

  • We’ve served more than 15 clients, including high-growth, B2B tech-startups and one of Atlanta’s most prestigious marketing agencies

  • We’ve written and optimized 100+ pieces of SEO content on a wide range of topics—here are some of our favorites:

  • We’ve driven hundreds of product sign-ups from SEO, proving that SEO can and does drive real revenue for our clients

  • We’ve researched literally 1000s of keywords and designed half a dozen innovative, results-driven SEO content strategies

I’ve also learned a LOT.

When I talk to people who want to freelance, so many hesitate because they think they need more experience. They feel so much pressure to “know it all,” to be perfect, that they never even attempt the freelance thing.

But here’s what I’ve learned about freelancing this year: if you’re humble, transparent, and willing to figure it out, you can do this. We need more freelancers who are great at what they do…but who can also check their egos at the door, own the fact that they don’t know everything, and embrace all forms of feedback.

This year, me and my team have seen so many highs. But we’ve also experienced some lows—clients who ghosted, content that just plain flopped, and knowledge gaps that we had to rush to fill.

But we’ve continued driving amazing results and growing our client base because with every mistake, we’ve come back stronger, smarter, and more inspired.

If there’s one thing I know as the founder of this agency, it’s that we’re all out here just trying to make the gods of Google happy. So as long as you’re always learning and always humble, you have just as much a chance at success as anyone else. 💙

I’ll get off my soapbox now, but if you’ve ever considered freelancing yourself, I have a library of free resources, a podcast, and an online program available for you at freelanceunlocked.co. Check it out :)

Finding our “niche”: meet Sandbar SEO

Business growth happens in stages, and this year, my business felt like a teenager having a new identity crisis each week. Over the summer, I made the semi-terrifying decision to launch an agency (you might know her as, Gaia Content 😉).

I resisted this decision for a long time because agencies tend to have a, well, terrible rep in some circles. They’re infamous for overcharging and underdelivering, and I didn’t want to be associated with that. After all, integrity and transparency are some of my most important personal values.

However, when I finally decided to take the leap and announce Gaia Content, I was blown away by the support I received from clients and colleagues.

Over the next few months, we took on larger and larger contracts. I hired a small but mighty team of writers and fully stepped into my role as CEO and “chief SEO strategist.”

After spending a bit of time as “Gaia Content,” however, it became clear that my sweet spot and passion is truly SEO. So in response to what I hope is our last identity crisis and rebrand for a long time…I’d like to introduce you to Sandbar SEO. 🏝️

At Sandbar SEO, we help mission-driven tech start-ups drive revenue and visibility with SEO. We offer full-service content production, SEO consulting, and SEO strategy services.

The best part? We’re looking to help a few new ambitious tech start-ups with SEO strategy and content in 2024. If that sounds like you, let’s chat.

You can use the link below to book a call for January. ⬇️

Thank you for being a part of our journey.

If you have questions about anything shared above, feel free to drop me a line on LinkedIn and send me an email.

In the meantime, me and the Sandbar SEO team are wishing you a happy new year. 🥳

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Haley Davidson