Four Tips for Getting High Rankings as a Coach – My Rule of Thumb on SEO
My SEO rule of thumb is based on motives.
Search engines (for example, Google) survive on users – the more users actively using the search engine, the better. In order to keep users happy, search engines need to provide users with web pages that make the users happy – which are …
- Ones that have useful content.
- Ones that are easy to access.
- Ones that open up fast.
- Ones that look great on mobile devices/browsers.
- Ones that are easy to use and read.
- Ones that are trustworthy.
If you ask yourself, which pages do like best when you are searching online, what would you say? You’d probably think of pages from “sites with great content, site that works smoothly, and trustworthy sites you can engage with (buy, subscribe, post personal info).”
Four things I’d recommend focusing on if you’re a coach seeking higher rankings are:
1. Posting good content – the kind that readers are interested in – often on overcoming challenges, getting motivated, and getting inspired. This follows naturally from #3 below.
2. Having an easy-to-use site – fast loading, easy to get around, easy to read, and looks good on browsers/devices (a site that works well).
3. Focusing on what you coach/write about – as you narrow what you’ll focus on (based on specific groups of people on specific topics they want to know about), the readers of that info will come and read.
4. Know your keywords – yes, it’s a good idea to research and know what words people are searching on and to get those words into your content. This is a consequence of #3.
Make great content with blogging and articles. Have a smooth, easy-to-use site — get a designer or techie with usability sense and some know-how on search engines. Become known by other sites and people through social networking, linking, Google +, author articles, YouTube, etc.
All good ideas.
1 – I’ve heard updating your site consistently and frequently is key for good SEO. Your thoughts?
2 – Keywords. If everyone in your particular field, mine being coaching, focuses on the same keywords, how does this help SEO?
Thanks.
Hey Steve … good to see you again … I think frequent updates (blog especially) indicates newer/fresher/updated/relevant content in the eyes of search engines. Naturally, there’s a “plus” for newer information as the world/people/humans grow.
As for ‘everyone focusing on same words’ – I’d aim to be specific about who I’m seeking as a client and words they use. Yeah, probably trying to get high ranking for “life coach” or “business coach” will require more work than “restaurant business coach” or “tech firm executive coach” … but then again are people really searching on those phrases.
I suggest narrowing in on ideal 2/3/4 word phrases that your market uses. Also, I wouldn’t solely rely on SEO to be found as a coach – and ask the question, “Where are my ideal clients online?” “What are fast ways to find/reach/get around them?”.