How to increase customer base on gym websites using SEO

Owning a gym or fitness club does not come without any hurdles. You must ensure that you have everything on hand that your customers could need.

When you conceive of a gym business, you are committing to invest a big chunk of money. It’s not fair that, despite your best efforts, your gym has a low customer count. To do this, you must have a website for your company and understand SEO for gyms. Let’s go in further.

Before committing to a health club, many consumers use Google to research the most acceptable options. Once a website is up and running, you still have to work to attract additional customers to your gym facility.

People seldom browse to the second page of Google search results when choosing a gym, so you need to make sure it shows up on the first. Having the first-page ranking gives the impression that your gym business is well-known and respected. Better search engine rankings are a direct result of SEO, helping to solidify customer trust in your company’s name.

Simply put, what is search engine optimization?

Increasing your website’s visibility in search results may attract more customers and grow your online company.

You must rank well for local searches if you own a locally focused business like a fitness center. Therefore, we shall discuss local search engine optimization (SEO) strategies for individual websites.

SEO for gym websites: 4 essential strategies

1. Master your keywords

Creating a keyword list specific to your gym business and services is the initial step in fine-tuning your website optimization. Lay out everything you offer, from Zumba classes to cardio training.

Nowadays, you may learn about keyword density with applications like Keywords Everywhere and Google Keyword Planner. You can estimate the volume of inquiries into such phrases in this manner. Try using both target keywords and long-tail keywords. Furthermore, try to use buying intent and research intent keywords in your keyword research strategy.

  • Buying intent keywords

The goal is to reach potential customers who are actively searching for a service and are willing to sign up right away. Customers with a strong desire to purchase are valuable to any organization since they help bring in new customers and increase revenue.

It would help if you used such keywords on your website homepage and any pages that describe the services you provide. Such fitness-related search terms include “yoga classes Sacramento,” “fitness center Sacramento,” etc.

  • Research intent keywords

People interested in fitness and exercise may find this list of terms valid. Let’s assume a lot of individuals are looking for articles on a diet that works well with their exercise routine.

Using health-related keywords, you may cater to people’s research needs by responding to frequently-searched terms.

While this target group probably won’t sign up for your fitness center anytime soon, they will help increase your brand’s and site visitors’ exposure.

2. Get listed on Google My Business 

Before joining a gym, most people make sure they have a clean record. Include your fitness center’s NAP (name, address, and phone number), as well as images, a map of its location, and any other relevant information. Google My Business provides easy access to all of the pertinent information in one convenient location.

If you want the “verified” icon to appear next to your gym business on Google My Business, you must complete the verification procedure. This is great publicity for your fitness center.

Your NAP and other information should be consistent across all of your online profiles. Google also uses its spiders to examine this data in search of uniformity. It would be helpful if you detailed your business hours and any specialized training you offer.

To further define your company’s focus, choose from the many available categories. Three or four broad groups, including “sports club,” “fitness facility,” “gym,” “Zumba,” etc., are acceptable. If you do this, people will be more likely to find your company when they do their searches.

Think of a succinct statement that conveys all the essentials of your gym business. Including images of the fitness facility and its amenities would be helpful.

Most customers choose a gym primarily on aesthetics and the availability of essential amenities. Make sure to upload high-resolution images with a clear subject so that everyone may learn something from every photo.

Request that your current clients post feedback on Google My Business. Try responding to any questions that may have been raised in the review area.

3. Make your site better

Optimizing your webpage to make it user-friendly will increase the number of people visiting and allow them to discover the information they need quickly.

There are many fitness-related websites, so it’s essential to stand out by having a distinctive design that complements your specialty, is easy to navigate, and conveys your brand narrative and message.

Please make sure there are appropriate categories and subcategories so that users can quickly locate the content they’re seeking. Make sure the search engine can find all your site’s pages. You can do this by including a sitemap. This is crucial when thinking about search engine optimization for fitness-related websites.

Also, ensure the average load time for your site is under three seconds. Websites with long loading times see users abandon them. That isn’t good for your bounce rate and your search engine rankings.

4. Create valuable backlinks

Adding credibility to your company online requires link building, especially if your website is fresh to search engines.

Building backlink connections is one of the best strategies to boost your rankings. If you want to include a link in your blog post, it should go to a specific website, so make sure the content you provide is relevant.

Anchor text refers to the text you include in a link to a website. In addition, you should realize that outbound links indicate when you leave your page to go to another.

Outbound backlinks are helpful, but inbound links from other sites count.

However, the domain authority of the websites that refer to your site should be greater than yours. Google will provide more weight to your site’s rankings if it receives links from other, more authoritative sites.

To determine the number of links you may include, check for the backlinks in your primary competitor content for a given keyword. Make sure you don’t spam the content by throwing backlinks here and there. It’s vital to include just the right amount of links.

Vivek is a published author of Meidilight and a cofounder of Zestful Outreach Agency. He is passionate about helping webmaster to rank their keywords through good-quality website backlinks. In his spare time, he loves to swim and cycle. You can find him on Twitter and Linkedin.