Authenticity is the New SEO: How I’m Building a Web of Influence Online

TL;DR

Last year, I shifted my online presence from scattered and personal to intentional and professional. By experimenting, refining, and focusing on what truly mattered, I built a presence that aligns with my expertise and values—without sacrificing authenticity.

The result? Social media is now my most effective marketing tool, reinforcing my values, experience, and expertise while positioning me for the next wave of digital strategy.

Here’s what I did and why it matters:

The Experiment: Rethinking My Online Presence

A year ago, two of my clients, Jimmy McDermott and Michelle Doong, challenged my perception of Instagram. They pointed out that it wasn’t just about vanity metrics or influencers getting free stuff—it was a powerful way to reach decision-makers and shape public perception.

I realized I had been using social media out of habit, without considering if it truly reflected who I am today or if it was bringing me real value. So, I made a change.

The Steps I Took and Why They Mattered

1. Audited My Online Presence

I evaluated how I felt about social media and made some big changes:

I privated my personal Instagram and removed professional connections to create a space that felt ‘safe.’ At the time, sharing my personal life online was normal, but I didn’t want to mix messages between the weekend version of myself and my Monday-Friday version of myself.
Eventually, I deleted my personal account altogether, realizing my strongest relationships thrived offline, and Instagram was not how I wanted to stay connected with close friends and family.
This shift helped me connect more meaningfully with friends in real life and pivot to focusing completely on my online presence on work.

2. Created ‘Hannah From Hard Refresh’

Instead of juggling multiple accounts, I streamlined my digital presence:

I rebranded my existing business account, renaming it Hannah From Hard Refresh. The point was to tell my story rather than just post to a business account. I don’t know about you, but I’d way rather follow a real human than just their business.
To start fresh, I removed nearly all of my followers. Once I had momentum, I re-followed key connections, as well as people who I knew would consistently engage with my content and curated an engaged audience. I highly recommend this while you’re jumping through the hurdles Instagram puts on new accounts.
I experimented by copying content created by others to see what felt right, posting a lot and deleting a lot, and slowly found my own, authentic genre of content creation.
Every month or so, I audit my audience – those who aren’t engaging don’t need to follow me. It’s not personal, it’s business. While my follower count may be lower, this curated audience means my engagement numbers are higher – which I’m willing to bet will matter as LLM’s authenticate social presence in the future.

3. Unexpected Success

As I tested different content styles, I was surprised to see what worked:

I found my niche in storytelling, work-life-balance advocacy, light-weight tech tips, sustainability, and just being a girl living in the Pacific Northwest.
I learned that polished, “trying too hard” content flopped, while raw, real insights performed best.
I stumbled into micro-influencing, partnering with brands like Armoire and Eight Billion—companies I genuinely believe in. (And yes, those are affiliate links – these brands are awesome and I’m proud that they’ve asked me to promote them and are willing to compensate me for doing so!)

4. How I’m Moving Forward

Now that I’m established, here’s whats on the horizon:

I decide what to share publicly versus keep private, and it feels so good. Sharing everything doesn’t make sense – sharing what’s relevant to the audience who’s engaged with my story is far more important.
I shifted my mindset—my content isn’t necessarily for my friends, and that’s okay! The entire purpose of my instagram account is to reinforce my credibility and remind other female entrepreneurs that work life balance is critical to our success.
As I dive deeper into how search and topical authority is changing with the rise of LLM’s, I’m strategically looking for opportunities to meet my audience where they are, create opportunities for mentions/tags, and using Instagram to reinforce the work I do.

The New Wave of Digital Strategy

The tools and methods of search are changing. LLMs are indexing social media content, using mentions to gauge authenticity and expertise. Public demand for authentic human connection online is rising, but the way we establish credibility is evolving.

I may only have 475 followers, but by auditing my engagement, encouraging interactions, and creating content that generates mentions around specific keywords, I’m transforming my digital strategy and building credibility around my personal brand. This mentality is something y’all need to adopt, fast.

I’m not just building a following—I’m building a web of authenticity around my expertise in climate tech, work-life-balance, and digital strategy. This is what the next era of digital strategy looks like.

The Results

More opportunities: by being clear about who I am and what I do, I’ve gotten career opportunities I had only dreamed of in the last 6 months.
My personal relationships are stronger because they’re offline, and my online connections feel more meaningful because I’m prioritizing engagement rather than vanity metrics like followers.
Authentic outreach to connect on interesting topics, work opportunities, or follow up with busy decision-makers when they haven’t responded to an email feels natural, not icky!

The internet is a wild place right now and I believe we all have a social responsibility to curate our experiences online. I hope sharing my experience over the last year sheds some light on tactics that shift your perspective away from social media clout to social media as a tool for authenticity and genuine community. Don’t hesitate to connect with me online if you want to talk about this more!

Cheers,

Hannah