SEO Keywords for Coach Websites to Increase Search Engine Traffic

Getting traffic from search engines is fantabulous for coaches because those searchers are “actively seeking help.”

These people did not stumble on an ad, run across an article in their feed, or get spammed by email, but rather made the effort and are seeking specific information.

They are “qualified leads” in marketing lingo. Motivated buyers.

And if they find your website, which has good information and builds your credibility, they’ll be like, Wow! This is awesome! Who is this coach? I should get in touch with her.

When people are coming to you, instead of you chasing after them, the whole posture is the initial call is much better for getting them signed up.

To get traffic from search engines like Google, start with keywords.

At the heart of SEO is finding good keywords — the terms and phrases people use when searching. Choose keywords that potential clients would likely type in that relate to what you do as a coach.

There are many tools to help find such keywords. I like using Google’s Keyword Planner Tool to quickly find highly searched phrases.

In this article, you’ll get my trade secret sources of keywords for a coaching business. I’ve used these to help coaches get traffic from search engines and fill their practices with clients.

Keyword Source #1 – Service Phrases Like Executive Coaching, Life Coaching, or Career Coaching

I may be due for another research project, but searches on coaching (schools, training, coaches) have always been on the up and up.

Here are more related service phrase examples:

• business planning
• career counseling
• fitness boot camp
• dating advice
• online training

In these examples, you can see phrases about what you might do as a coach that aren’t exactly using the word “coaching.” So that’s an opportunity!

Keyword Source #2 – Your Coaching Title, like Health Coach or Nutrition Coach

The number of searches for phrases such as life coach, health coach, and relationship coach also increased.

More examples:

• leadership coach
• functional fitness coach
• career counselor
• keto coach
• small business mentor

Coaching title phrases are great wherever your name appears on your website, and surely on your About Me page.

Keyword Source #3 – Pain Points like Dead End Career or Diabetes

I love phrases that relate to the challenges, frustrations, and problems that clients face because coaching (from the client’s perspective!) is all about getting rid of pains.

Further, people who are actively seeking to resolve tough challenges are more likely to invest in help and do the work. In marketing-speak, they are highly qualified.

Some examples:

• how do I quit smoking
• how do I lose weight fast
• should I get a divorce
• common causes of fatigue in men
• finding a new career at 50
• how to lead a team meeting

I suggest getting these words and phrases in your website copy. Consider dedicating entire pages, articles, blog posts or even coaching programs to them.

Speaking of pain points, let me digress into a quick little strategy I’ve used tirelessly to get traffic from search engines — Pain-Point Blogs.

My Fave Way to Get Traffic from Search Engines – “Pain-Point Blogs”

Please allow me to interrupt your joyful learning and share one simple approach for using good keywords to boost traffic from search engines.

The strategy is to write blogs around specific pain points your clients face. It’s magnificent because …

• People love info to help deal with problems/pains
• Search engines love sending traffic to blogs
• Blogs build your credibility as a talented coach
• Writing content is easy if you approach it this way

For example, Mitzi, a student of one of my website-building courses, focused on blogging and keywords to grow her business.

Shown below, she injected the keyword phrase healthy relationship into her title as well as throughout the article.

It’s clearly a subject that lots of women would be interested in — females and relationships were in her target market.

Also, here’s one of Rachel Hill’s blog posts nailing the keywords on how to write a cv, which is a highly searched-on phrase. She also tied in “getting a job” (as I teach with the MV technique), which makes this article irresistible.

Pain-point blogging is a smart strategy for a marketing coaching business.

But, let’s get back to those keywords …

Keyword Source #4 – Desired Outcomes

Phrases that describe the ideal outcome or future of your clients make great words to include in your website content.

• increase profits for my restaurant businesss
• find love after divorce
• find meaning in retirement
• how to boost mental power

Desires-based keywords are a second favorite to pain-point keywords. Pains seem to motivate people more than pleasure — for whatever reason!

A great combo for any website page is to include both pains and desires, like losing weight and getting fitter.

Keyword Source #5 – Your Name

People will often search for your name, especially if they can’t recall your website address. Your About Me page is the perfect page to optimize for this.

Specifically, do these:

• get your name into the heading of the About page
• put your name in the caption under your photo
• add your name to the bottom as sign-off or signature
• add it into the image alt tag of headshots and photos
• make sure it’s in the About page title tag too

A little power-move, since you’ve read this far, is to make a nice juicy keyword-rich writeup using word from all the sources on this page, and use that in the footer of your website.

Aren’t you glad you’re taking in every word ;P

Keyword Source #6. Jargon, Skills, Industry Terms, Techniques, and Buzz Words

Every field has their secret society lingo. Many of these phrases are great for finding a skilled practitioner. Some examples you my have seen …

• 9D Breathwork
• NLP
• Emotional Intelligence
• Imago Therapy
• Tapping
• Law of Attraction
• Whole 30 coach
• Dream coaching
• Leadership Coaching
• Carnivore Diet Coach

These phrases work well on your coach services page, within coaching programs, or in blog posts on the topic.

You could also ask clients to speak about your techniques in their testimonials, getting these phrases into your website.

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A word of caution on keywords …

Getting excited to start stuffing your words into your website? A warning not to over-do it because jamming words into a pages can:

• make reading clumsy and awkward
• get you penalized by search engines because they “will know”

So yes, get those keywords into your pages tastefully.

Keyword Source #7 : Your Location, Town, City, Region or Country

The name of your immediate city or region is great because people often want a coach in their vicinity. There’s a degree trust gained by being within an arms reach.

Even if you only do phone coaching, knowing that you are nearby bring trust to clients. You could periodically meet in person as a higher-level of service.

I’ve seen plenty of coaches build their entire business by optimize for local SEO — like “life coach New York” and “life coach Nelson.”

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Got some fresh keyword ideas for your coaching website? Post below …

In a keyword nutshell, use phrases that clients are likely to use that relate to your coaching services — and get them into your website, articles, and all. Here’s that list again .. .

1. service phrases
2. your coaching title
3. pain points
4. desired outcomes
5. your name
6. jargon & buzz words
7. your location

After I wrote this article, I remembered another 8th keyword source for traffic to your coaching website and this bigger picture content-strategy to get coaching clients online using your newfound keywords.