Deborah Pokallus has a passion for natural skincare, and she wanted to create a skincare brand that shared that passion. Launched in 2014, Bel Essence believes in giving customers effective and affordable skincare products. Ingredients are sourced for both their powerful skin benefits and sustainability. 

Deb first came to the SBDC in June of 2022 looking for help improving her existing eCommerce site. She’d been selling her products on Amazon, but after an algorithm update, had been seeing decreasing sales.  

She attended several webinars focused on marketing and eCommerce but was looking for more one-on-one assistance, so she joined the Pennsylvania Digital Transformation and eCommerce Program (PADTEP), a statewide program that provides digital and eCommerce services to entrepreneurs and small business owners. She was paired with eCommerce Consultant Beatrice, who conducted a website, SEO, and social media audit. The audits provided findings and recommendations for improvement, which were discussed at a follow-up meeting.

Deborah took the recommendations and ran with them. Site improvements included: 

• Adding meta description 

• Incorporating tags/text in 'H1' headings

• Implementing keyword-rich content strategies 

• Writing ALT tags for graphics and images 

• Improving and updating the website by migrating to a new site template 

She also made immediate improvements to her social media platforms.

The commitment, passion, and receptiveness Deb has demonstrated throughout the process have made it possible for her to achieve significant and visible results on her website in a very short period of time. The program has also reinvigorated her excitement for her business. 

We’re excited to continue working with Deborah and look forward to seeing Bel Essence grow!