curlmaven.ie

Curl Maven is a holistic hair, beauty and wellness brand for wavy and curly hair, founded by Gabriella Strano. It is an education-led site rather than a shop: visitors come for articles, curl-pattern guides, free quizzes and a downloadable starter guide, all aimed at helping people understand and care for their natural waves and curls. If you are looking for product listings or a salon booking page, this is not that kind of site.

Who runs it

Gabriella Strano is described as the owner and founder, and as a consultant, educator, designer-maker and award-winning content creator specialising in wavy and curly hair. The site positions her as "the leading expert on the most misunderstood hair type" and includes testimonials from a hairstylist of almost 20 years, a beauty editor and podcaster, a model and an RTÉ presenter.

The stated approach is holistic: educate, inspire and empower people to embrace their natural curl pattern and feel capable of caring for their own hair. That framing matters, because it tells you what to expect — technique and understanding first, products second.

What you can actually do on the site

The homepage points to four main types of content:

• Articles — recent examples include "4 Ways to Use the Innersense Overnight Repair Serum", "How to Protect Your Hair This Summer" and "A New Gel Cream Styler for Fine Hair".
• Curl-pattern guides — separate guides for wavy, curly and coily hair.
• Free quizzes — a Hair Porosity Quiz and a Protein Moisture Balance Quiz, described as quick assessments that reveal which products and techniques suit your hair type.
• A free download — "The Essential Guide for Misunderstood Curls", which the site says covers a method that works for all hair types and curl patterns, and comes with 10% off cheat sheets and hair guides.

There is also a Subscribe link, so you can follow new content. The site does not state a price for the guides or cheat sheets, so treat the 10% discount as a discount on an unspecified price rather than an indication that everything is free.

Who it is for

Curl Maven suits you if:

• You have wavy, curly or coily hair and want to understand why it behaves the way it does.
• You have tried generic advice and want guidance organised by curl pattern and by hair properties such as porosity and protein-moisture balance.
• You prefer to learn a method you can apply yourself rather than buy a fixed product routine.

It is less useful if you want a single product recommendation, a salon appointment, or content aimed at straight hair.

Language and tone

The site is written in British English (en-GB), so expect spellings like "colour" and "specialising". The tone is encouraging and educational rather than technical or sales-driven — the emphasis is on giving you the tools to make your own decisions.

A sensible first step

If you are new to the site, the two free quizzes are the most efficient entry point: they are designed to tell you what your hair needs before you read any product-specific article. From there, the curl-pattern guide matching your hair type gives you the relevant method, and the free download bundles the overall approach.

If you're new to Ahrefs and want to run your first SEO audit, the fastest path is: open Site Explorer, enter your target URL, review the Overview for a health snapshot, then dig into Organic Keywords, Top Pages, and Site Audit to find specific problems. From there, build a short prioritized to-do list instead of trying to fix everything at once.

This tutorial walks through that workflow using a realistic starting scenario, explains what the numbers mean, and shows how to turn findings into actions.

Before You Start: Pick a Narrow Scope

A common beginner mistake is auditing an entire large website on day one. The reports become overwhelming, and you can't tell which issues matter.

Instead, choose one of these starting points:

• A single important page (your homepage or a key product/service page)
• A small site (under ~50 pages, e.g., a personal blog or small business site)
• One section of a bigger site (e.g., /blog/)

For this tutorial, assume you're auditing a small business site with about 30 pages. The same steps scale up later.

You'll need an Ahrefs account to follow along. Ahrefs offers paid plans, and pricing and feature limits change over time, so check the current Pricing page for what's included in each tier before committing.

Step 1: Enter Your Target in Site Explorer

Site Explorer is Ahrefs' core tool for analyzing any website or URL.

1. Open Site Explorer from the top navigation.
2. In the search box, paste your domain (e.g., example.com).
3. Choose the Exact URL or Domain mode depending on scope. For a full-site view, use Domain or Prefix; for a single page, use Exact URL.
4. Press Enter.

You'll land on the Overview report. Don't try to absorb everything — focus on four numbers first.

Reading the Overview Snapshot

Important caveat: Ahrefs' traffic and keyword numbers are estimates based on its own data. They won't match Google Search Console or your analytics exactly. Treat them as directional, not absolute.

Step 2: See What You Already Rank For

Go to Organic Keywords in the left sidebar. This shows queries where your site appears in search results.

Sort by Traffic (descending) to see which pages bring the most estimated visitors. Then look for:

• Keywords ranking in positions 4–15 — these are often the easiest wins. A small content or on-page improvement can push them onto page one.
• Keywords with high volume but low position — potential opportunities if the topic is relevant.
• Irrelevant keywords — if you rank for something off-topic, it may signal thin or mismatched content.

Write down 5–10 of the position 4–15 keywords. These become your first optimization targets.

Step 3: Find Your Best and Weakest Pages

Open Top Pages. This ranks your URLs by estimated organic traffic.

Look for two things:

1. Your top performers — understand what topics and formats work. Can you create more content like this?
2. Pages with traffic but poor rankings — these may need on-page fixes (title, headings, internal links).

If a page gets zero traffic and targets a topic you care about, it's a candidate for a rewrite or consolidation.

Step 4: Run a Technical Site Audit

Now move to Site Audit. This crawls your site and flags technical and on-page issues.

1. Click Site Audit → New project.
2. Enter your domain and set crawl settings (default is usually fine for a small site).
3. Start the crawl and wait for it to finish.

Once complete, you'll see a Health Score and a list of issues grouped by category.

Which Issues to Fix First

Not all issues are equal. Prioritize in this order:

Ignore low-impact warnings (like minor meta description length) until the big items are handled.

Step 5: Turn Findings Into a To-Do List

You now have raw data. Convert it into a short, actionable list. Example:

1. Fix 3 broken links found in Site Audit.
2. Rewrite title tags on 5 pages with duplicate titles.
3. Improve 4 pages ranking in positions 6–12 by adding missing subtopics and internal links.
4. Remove or update 2 thin pages with no traffic.

Keep the list to 5–10 items max for your first audit. Finishing a short list beats starting a long one.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Chasing every red flag. Site Audit flags many minor issues. Fix what affects rankings and users first.
• Trusting estimates as exact numbers. Ahrefs data is modeled, not measured from your analytics.
• Auditing a huge site too early. Start small to learn the interface.
• Ignoring search intent. A page can be technically perfect but still fail if it doesn't match what searchers want.
• Forgetting to re-crawl. After fixes, run Site Audit again to confirm improvements.

Where to Go Next

Once your first audit is done:

• Compare with competitors using Site Explorer's Competing Domains and Content Gap reports.
• Track keyword rankings over time with Rank Tracker.
• Explore backlink opportunities in the Backlinks and Link Intersect reports.
• Set up recurring Site Audit crawls so new issues surface automatically.

Your first audit isn't about perfection — it's about building a repeatable habit: enter a target, read the key reports, pick the highest-impact fixes, and act. Do that once a month and your site's health compounds.

The free quizzes on Curl Maven are the Hair Porosity Quiz and the Protein Moisture Balance Quiz. Together they are designed to reveal what your hair needs, and to point you toward the products and techniques that suit your hair type. They are free to take and are one of the main entry points on the site for getting personalised guidance.

What each quiz is for

Curl Maven describes these as "quick assessments" that "reveal exactly what products and techniques will work for YOUR hair type." That is the core promise: not a general hair type label, but a steer on what to put on your hair and how to handle it.

Who they are for

They are aimed at anyone with wavy, curly or coily hair who is unsure where to start, or who has tried products that did not work and wants to understand why. The site is built around what it calls "the most misunderstood hair type," and the quizzes sit alongside separate wavy, curly and coily hair guides as a way in.

If you already know your porosity and your protein/moisture balance, the quizzes are unlikely to tell you anything new. If you have never thought about either, they are a reasonable first step before buying anything.

How to use the results

1. Take the Hair Porosity Quiz first. Porosity affects how your hair takes in and retains moisture, so it shapes almost every other decision.
2. Take the Protein Moisture Balance Quiz next. This tells you whether your current routine is skewed toward too much protein or too little moisture (or the reverse).
3. Use both results together when choosing products and techniques, rather than treating either as a standalone answer.
4. Re-take the balance quiz if your hair changes — for example after colouring, heat damage or a change in water hardness — since protein/moisture balance is not fixed.

The site also offers a free download, The Essential Guide for Misunderstood Curls, which it says covers a method that works across all hair types and curl patterns, and includes 10% off its cheat sheets and hair guides. That guide is a separate resource from the quizzes, but it is presented as the next step for people who want a fuller method rather than a single diagnostic answer.

What the quizzes will not do

They will not diagnose a scalp or hair condition, and they are not a substitute for advice from a dermatologist or trichologist if you have a medical concern. They are also not a product recommendation engine in the sense of naming one specific product — the site frames them as revealing "what products and techniques will work for YOUR hair type," which you then apply yourself.

One practical note: the quizzes are free, but the site also has a Subscribe link, and some resources (cheat sheets and hair guides) are discounted rather than free. Do not assume everything behind the quizzes is free.

A sensible way to start

If you are new to Curl Maven, take both quizzes before reading the wavy, curly or coily guides. The quiz results tell you what your hair needs; the guides tell you how to act on it. Doing it in that order means you read the guide that matches your actual hair rather than guessing from your curl pattern alone.

Yes. Curl Maven is built around all three main curl families — wavy, curly and coily — and organises its content so you can go straight to the guide that matches your pattern. The site describes itself as "the leading expert on the most misunderstood hair type," and its free download states the method "works for ALL hair types + curl patterns." If your goal is simply to check whether your hair type is represented before you invest time reading, the answer is that it is.

How the content is organised by curl type

The homepage lists separate guide entries rather than one generic curl section:

• wavy hair guide
• curly hair guide
• coily hair guide

That structure matters if you already know your pattern. You can start with the guide closest to your hair instead of filtering general advice down to your type yourself.

What the method claims to cover

The free downloadable guide, The Essential Guide for Misunderstood Curls, is described as a "proven method that works for ALL hair types + curl patterns." The same download also offers 10% off cheat sheets and hair guides, so the free guide functions as both an introduction and a route into the paid resources.

The site's stated approach is holistic — it frames hair care alongside broader hair, beauty and wellness content rather than treating curl pattern in isolation.

Finding out what your own hair needs

If you are unsure which category you fall into, or which products and techniques suit you, Curl Maven offers two free quizzes:

• Hair Porosity Quiz — assesses how your hair absorbs and retains moisture
• Protein Moisture Balance Quiz — assesses whether your routine leans too far toward protein or moisture

The site says these "reveal exactly what products and techniques will work for YOUR hair type." For a wavy, curly or coily visitor, this is the practical starting point: the quizzes narrow down your needs, then the type-specific guides tell you what to do about them.

Who this suits — and who it may not

A good fit if you:

• have wavy, curly or coily hair and want guidance matched to your pattern
• want to understand your hair's porosity or protein/moisture balance before buying products
• prefer an educational, self-directed approach over a single product recommendation

Less of a fit if you:

• want a quick product list without working through quizzes or guides
• are looking for straight-hair-specific advice — the site's focus is explicitly on waves, curls and coils

Practical next step

Start with the quiz that matches your main uncertainty. If you already know your pattern, go directly to the wavy, curly or coily guide. If you want the overview first, the free Essential Guide for Misunderstood Curls download is the entry point the site itself recommends, and it also unlocks a discount on the fuller cheat sheets and guides.

Gabriella Strano is the owner and founder of Curl Maven, a holistic hair, beauty and wellness brand for wavy, curly and coily hair. She is described on the site as one of the world's leading hair experts specialising in wavy and curly hair, and her stated approach is to educate, inspire and empower people to understand and care for their natural curl pattern. If you are deciding whether Curl Maven's guides, quizzes or consultations are worth your time, her background and the third-party testimonials on the site are the main signals to weigh.

What Gabriella Strano does at Curl Maven

Her role is not limited to writing articles. The site lists her as:

• Owner and founder of Curl Maven
• Consultant — she offers one-to-one guidance, including a service referred to as a Curl Clinic
• Educator — she teaches clients and professionals how to work with wavy and curly hair
• Designer-maker — she creates hair guides and "cheat sheets" sold through the site
• Award-winning content creator — her articles and videos are the public face of the brand

The brand positions itself as holistic, covering hair, beauty and wellness rather than styling alone. That framing matters if you are looking for product recommendations and routines rather than a single quick fix.

Why her expertise is the credibility signal

Curl Maven's homepage leans heavily on third-party endorsement rather than self-description alone. The testimonials come from people who work with curly hair professionally or publicly:

For a reader trying to judge whether to trust the advice, these are peer and professional endorsements rather than anonymous reviews — a stronger signal than marketing copy, though still promotional in nature.

How to use this to decide

• If you want free starting points: the site offers a Hair Porosity Quiz and a Protein Moisture Balance Quiz, plus a free download, "The Essential Guide for Misunderstood Curls," which also mentions 10% off paid cheat sheets and hair guides.
• If you want personalised help: the Curl Clinic consultation is the route referenced by at least one testimonial.
• If you want ongoing content: the site has a Subscribe option and publishes articles such as "4 Ways to Use the Innersense Overnight Repair Serum" and "How to Protect Your Hair This Summer."

One caveat: the site does not publish pricing for consultations or paid guides on the pages reviewed here, so check the relevant page before committing. The free quizzes and download are the lowest-risk way to test whether her method suits your hair before paying for anything.