Calling all gym business owners! Do you have a website set up for your gym? That’s good. For sure, that’s a great way to attract customers, but unfortunately, that alone won’t do the job.
It should be paired with effective search engine optimization (SEO).
Seven Reasons To Use SEO for Your Gym’s Website
SEO is the practice of adjusting elements of your website to make it rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).
How does SEO do this? There are many ways. Some of these are inputting relevant keywords in your content, establishing backlinks, and improving the readability of your content.
Looking at what SEO is, you can understand how vital it is in helping your gym get more customers.
Take a look at the seven reasons your gym’s website should use SEO.
1. Enhance Visibility on the Web
The first step in reaching more customers is to make yourself known.
You can’t expect to draw more customers to your gym business by simply having an online presence. No matter how eye-catching your website design is, if it’s not on Google’s first results page, there is a tiny chance people will find and click on it.
So how does Google pick which sites land on the first page of its SERPs? It uses algorithms that your site should meet. Thus, SEO decides your site’s SERP ranking.
2. Increase in Sales
A search-engine-optimized website doesn’t just contain relevant keywords but also quality content that answers user queries. Your website is not just highly visible but has a higher chance of users’ engaging with it for a longer time.
This is good news because customers who engage longer with a website tend to identify with the brand more. The longer they engage with your gym’s business website, the more they get to know your brand, what you stand for, and what you can offer. Such engagement can lead to customer advocacy and long-term revenue.
You might wonder how long you should wait before you see a significant increase in sales through SEO. It’s not that long. According to Digital Authority Partners, for online businesses that have already begun their SEO campaigns, three months of SEO work will generate a good increase in sales.
3. Develop Credibility and Brand Awareness
SEO doesn’t just benefit your gym business website by making it more findable. It also spreads awareness about your brand to a wider audience and, in turn, draws in more customers.
Through proper use of keywords and SEO articles, your site won’t just appear whenever users type “best gym in x” but in other searches related to fitness as well. And the best part is that by consistently appearing in searches related to fitness, you are establishing a key element for a successful business: credibility.
It’s not just about being visible, but the fact that Google deems your business (as a result of SEO) relevant to a customer’s search sends a good impression to them.
4. Advertise Continuously
SEO is a great way to promote your gym nonstop, as in 24/7. There’s no limit to screen time, unlike in TV commercials. So your website has more chances of being seen by your target audience.
Whether it be late in the afternoon or past midnight, your gym business, your services, and other merchandise are accessible to your target market.
5. Get Valuable Insights From SEO Data
One of SEO’s beauties is that it offers quantifiable data about your business website’s performance.
This means that you can monitor changes in your rankings, the amount of website traffic, and even your users’ buying journey. What keywords did they use to search? What actions did they take on the site?
Knowing these insights can direct your SEO strategy accordingly. In other words, you know you’re not just putting in a variety of SEO work and hoping you end up with more customers.
6. Reach Google’s Vast Number of Users
More than 50 percent of shoppers say they use Google to find a new brand. In other words, people rely more on search engines to find what they need than on other people, print ads, and other media.
This is too great of an opportunity to miss out on, and what better way to take advantage of this than through SEO?
Effective SEO practices ensure your gym business lands more than once in the number of searches made by users.
7. Thrive in the Competitive Market
Your competitors are also using SEO. This is all the more important if you live in an area with a relatively higher concentration of gyms. Just imagine how competitive the market is.
To stand out, ensure your website has the right keywords and quality content that answers what users want to know. It should load fast and be user-friendly.
You can also look at your competitors’ websites to spot their weaknesses in content. If they are on ecommerce platforms such as Facebook Shop or Shopify, check their pages, too. Determine what they are missing and capitalize on it.
Who Can Help Me Start My SEO Campaign?
You can start implementing SEO practices on your own if you take the time to learn them. But, as with most business owners, time is of the essence, so we recommend hiring an SEO agency to do this for you.
Here are a couple of tips to help you find the right agency.
- Make sure SEO is one of their primary services. A digital agency that offers SEO as one of its primary services means you’d be hiring real experts who can do the job and have tons of experience in this field.
- Check their portfolio. This is usually on their website. Here, you can take a look at their past work and the clients they have served. See whether they have worked with a business in the fitness industry.
- Beware of too-good-to-be-true promises. SEO is not a quick fix to get more customers. It will take time to see good results, so beware of agencies that promise to make your site rank high on Google within a short time.
Summing Up
More and more people rely on the web to seek what they need, whether it be the latest weather forecast or the best gym in town. Some even subscribe to ecommerce platforms like Shopify for their secure purchases.
SEO is a way to bring valuable fitness information closer to your target clients. While it won’t add hundreds of new customers overnight, it is a valuable tool for your gym to stand out from the crowd.
