During the early phases of restrictions, many non-essential businesses were forced to close, and that included gyms and other fitness centers. Given this, some fitness companies may have faced weeks to months without revenue and are rushing to recoup losses now that restrictions are less strict. Even then, it’s a slow process since the capacity limit establishments are expected to implement means that not as many customers are allowed in at a time.

So as the owner of a fitness company, what can you do to secure a clientele during these rough times? And how do you ensure that the moment things are back to normal, clients will flock to you instead of your competitors?

Digital marketing is the key to post-COVID success

Through digital marketing with help from fitness SEO companies, you can market yourselves right to where your consumers are: on the internet. TV, radio, and print media use are at an all-time low, so it’s not worth your money to invest in traditional marketing tactics.

The truth about digital marketing is it requires more finesse than just setting up a website and a social media page. Digital marketing covers many tactics, from pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to search engine optimization (SEO). Today, we will focus exclusively on the latter.

SEO is a strategy that aims to boost your website’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERP). Why is this important? It’s because research shows that the higher your rank is on a SERP, the more user traffic you get. Around 34% of people click on the first website that isn’t an ad on a SERP, while only 17% click on the second-ranking website.

Why should I use SEO?

SEO has become so important in the fitness industry that fitness SEO companies come handy in helping create SEO strategies tailor-fit for any fitness company. Given this, it’s safe to assume that all your competitors are in the SEO game, and if you don’t jump in soon, you’ll just run the risk of falling by the wayside once things go back to normal.

In case you’re still doubtful about the benefits SEO can offer your business, here are just a few of the direct advantages of using SEO:

Increased brand awareness. The higher your website is placed on the SERP, the more people become aware of your business. No one will patronize your business if they don’t know you exist, so boosting your brand awareness is critical especially now when customer mobility is limited and their only means of discovering new companies and brands safely is through an online search.

More conversions and revenue. More people clicking on your website means more conversions. If your site has a conversion rate of 2% and only 1000 people click in a month, that’s 20 new customers, but if you got a higher rank, the number of site visitors and conversions could increase, which directly translates to more revenue for your business.

Better brand reputation. Part of SEO is creating an attractive and functional website to improve user experience and adhere to the search engine ranking criteria. These improvements to your website will make your business appear more professional to site visitors. Additionally, people think that business websites that rank higher on SERPs are more high-quality and credible, so ranking number one on any search engine will encourage more people to have you as their number one choice.

How can your fitness company do SEO effectively?

Here are the best practices.

Website optimization

One of the ways fitness SEO companies help boost their clients’ SERP ranking is by optimizing their website. Often, business owners who didn’t avail of professional web development services are ignorant of the factors that constitute a good website, so they fail to do the necessary improvements and unknowingly drive potential customers away with poor functionality and design.

When optimizing your website, you should focus on improving loading speed, ensuring all links are functioning properly, maintaining a neat and logical layout, and implementing stylish, modern, and mobile-friendly web design. Giving your users a good experience from the get-go increases the chances of conversion and gives them a good impression of your overall business.

Local SEO

Even pre-COVID, your best clients are likely the people in your immediate area. Unless your fitness center boasts state-of-the-art facilities or other unique features, people won’t travel from a city or two away just to patronize your business. Given this, your wisest option is to invest in a local SEO strategy. You need to focus on a few key things:

Keep your Google My Business (GMB) updated and active. Besides your website, your GMB is also an essential tool that potential customers use to get information on your business. GMBs should be complete and accurate, from phone numbers and addresses to business hours and photos. Incentivize clients to leave reviews on your business by offering them something of value in return.

Target local search keywords. Local search is when people use their phone’s location or add location-specific tags to their search terms. If you’re in a gym in Tampa, Florida, your target search engine keywords should include gym in Tampa and gym in Tampa Florida. Include shorthand and landmarks near your business, like FL for Florida or Tampa Riverwalk.

Content marketing

One of the ways you can convert site visitors is through high-quality and engaging content. You can cater to your target market remotely by offering a steady stream of home workout videos and blog posts on health, fitness, and dieting. Staying faithful to an upload schedule means users have a reason to keep coming back to your website, ensuring that you’re at the forefront of their minds.

The challenge of SEO is the fact that it’s not something you can implement and leave to run indefinitely. It’s a strategy that needs constant monitoring and modification. Given this, if you’re planning to develop and implement an SEO strategy for your business, expect it to be a complex, full-time job. You’re better off outsourcing the service to fitness SEO companies. Not only will you get expert and reliable services, but you’ll also have time to focus on running your business.

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Can Increase Clients Using SEO