If you’re a coach looking to grow your business and find more clients (or should I say, have more clients find you!) then you’ve come to the right place. When you rank well on Google, there is so much opportunity for potential clients to be able to easily find you—without you needing to spend tons of time creating content every day like you do on social media. So if you want to save time on social media and have clients coming to you, keep reading my top tips for utilizing SEO for coaches so you can rank higher on Google!
Top 9 SEO Tips for Coaches to Rank Higher on Google
What Is SEO?
Before we get into some SEO strategies – what actually is SEO? For any coaches new to SEO, I wanted to provide a quick overview before getting into the tips.
SEO stands for search engine optimization, and in very basic terms it is the process of making your website easier for search engines (like Google) to find and understand your website. This means your website will rank higher when people on the internet search for particular keywords, and you’ll get more traffic to your site (hint – more traffic means more eyes on your site and more potential clients!).
So if you’re a health coach for women with PCOS, for example, you’ll want your website to be ranking for search terms like “health coach for PCOS,” as well as other related terms, rather than just general terms like “health coach” that will help you reach people outside your specific audience. Improving your SEO is how you make that magic happen!
So keep reading for my top 9 tips on SEO for coaches to really optimize your website and get those inquiries rolling in. (And if all of these tips sound too overwhelming and you don’t have time to do it yourself, I do offer SEO services for coaches to help you rank higher on Google!)
1. Niche Down and Identify Your Target Audience
This may not be a specific SEO tip, but it will help with your overall SEO strategy! If you don’t know exactly who you’re trying to reach, how will you know what content to write or the types of keywords they’re searching for?
The more specific you can get with your audience, the easier time you’ll have ranking! For example, trying to target something general like “business coach” will be hard to rank for and it will be harder for you to know how to write your website copy and content since it’s such a broad audience. But something like “business coach for nutritionists” will be much easier to rank for, will help you better know your potential clients’ pain points that you can address in your copy and content, AND it will be easier to convert website visitors to clients since they know you are an expert about their industry!
So before optimizing your site, make sure you know exactly who you’re trying to reach so you can rank higher and increase your conversions.
2. Find the Right Keywords
Keywords are the foundation of SEO. They help search engines understand what your content is about and what you should rank for. Start by researching keywords that are specific to your coaching services (so don’t just target the keyword “coach”) and align with what your ideal client is searching for. Keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Keysearch, or Ubersuggest can help you streamline the keyword research process and find keywords that have a good monthly search volume without being too competitive.
For example, if you specialize in business leadership coaching, consider keywords like “leadership development for business owners.” Once you find good keywords to target, strategically integrate these keywords into your website content, including blog posts, service pages, title tags, and meta descriptions. Aim for 1-5% keyword density in your overall content so you don’t keyword stuff and look spammy to Google.
3. Don’t Keyword Stuff
While keywords are a vital component of SEO, make sure you don’t overuse them. Keyword stuffing, or excessively incorporating keywords into your content, can be actually hurt your chances of ranking. Just use your keyword(s) 1-5% of the total text.
So focus on creating high-quality, informative content that naturally incorporates relevant keywords. Your primary goal should be to provide value to your audience rather than trying to please search engine algorithms. By striking the right balance, you can improve your SEO while still focusing on connecting with your audience!
4. Optimize Your Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Title tags and meta descriptions are the titles and snippets that appear on search engine results, and they’re an often-overlooked SEO strategy for coaches. Title tags are a ranking factor, and while they may not directly impact rankings, meta descriptions can significantly improve click-through rates. If you don’t fill them in, Google can fill them in with whatever they like, and I’ve seen them write some pure gibberish for many sites! And that can really harm your traffic if people don’t understand what is on your website page or blog post from the meta description.
Keep title tags under 60 characters and meta descriptions under 160 characters, and make sure you naturally incorporate your keywords to reinforce to Google what that page should rank for.
5. Write Lots of Helpful Content
Blogging is a powerful tool for coaches to showcase expertise, connect with potential clients, and rank higher on Google. Blog posts provide an avenue to discuss your passion, share insights, and establish yourself as an authority in your coaching niche. Well-researched, insightful, and relevant content helps you target a variety of keywords so you can reach people who are searching for your services and content in different ways.
If blogging sounds overwhelming or boring, then you don’t need to start from scratch! I bet you’re already creating content on social media, podcasts, or YouTube that you can easily repurpose. Just take the content or transcripts and rewrite them to read like an informational blog post (which can be done much quicker now with the use of AI).
If you need help making your sure blog posts will rank on Google, check out my blog post How to Optimize Blog Posts for SEO in 9 Steps.
6. Focus on User Experience
User experience (UX) is a critical but often overlooked aspect of SEO for coaches. In a nutshell, the easier your site is to navigate, the easier it will be to convert visitors to email subscribers and clients! And the more engaged people are with your site, the more it will help your rankings.
So make sure your website is easy to navigate, with clear menus and well-organized content (and check on both desktop and mobile). Pay attention to the color scheme to help readability, and ensure text is legible against the background and large enough to read easily.
And optimize your website for fast loading times, as slow-loading sites can lead to higher bounce rates, negatively impacting SEO. You only have a few seconds to capture someone’s attention to keep them on your site. If it takes every website page 5 or more seconds to load, how long do you think they’ll stay before leaving to check out a competitor’s site? Slow-loading sites can deter visitors, leading them to abandon your site before it fully loads. Google interprets high bounce rates as a signal that users are dissatisfied with your site, which can affect your rankings.
Check your site speed using tools like PageSpeed Insights. Identify areas for improvement, such as large image files or inactive plugins you don’t need. Fixing these issues can significantly enhance your site’s speed, creating a more positive user experience and improving your SEO!
If you need more help with UX, check out my blog post How UX Can Help Your Site Rank Higher in Google.
7. Use Internal Links and CTAs
Along with focusing on UX, make sure you’re also focusing on using calls-t0-actions (CTAs) and internal links to guide visitors where you want to them to go on your site. CTAs serve as prompts for visitors to take specific actions, such as exploring your coaching services or programs or signing up for your email list. Strategically place eye-catching buttons throughout your site to encourage conversions. And again, the more pages people visitor and the more they’re engaged with your site, the more it can help your rankings!
When writing blog posts that I know I definitely convinced you to write 😉 , use internal links to connect related content. For example, if you’re writing about goal-setting strategies in one post, link to another post where you delve deeper into personalized coaching for goal achievement. This not only boosts user engagement but also informs search engines that your content is interconnected and provides a structured experience for visitors.
8. Optimize Old Blog Posts
Don’t let your older blog posts gather dust – freshen them up and help them rank higher! Over time, industry trends and client needs evolve, so it’s important to revisit and update older content. Update any outdated information. and reformat the content for improved readability and alignment with your current coaching focus. And make sure that the post aligns with your current SEO strategy and target keywords, and you can also add new internal links to newer content you’ve created.
Optimizing older posts signals to search engines that your website is active and continually providing relevant information. This not only contributes to better SEO rankings but also ensures that your audience receives up-to-date and valuable content.
9. Share on Social Media
My last tip on SEO for coaches is an easy one, and it isn’t even SEO specific! Make sure that when you’re creating content, you’re sharing it on social media and not just publishing it and hoping people will find it. Social media isn’t just a platform for connecting with your audience – it also plays a role in SEO. When you share your blog posts and website content on social media, you contribute to your site’s overall visibility. Google recognizes social signals as indicators of a site’s relevance and popularity, and the more quality, engaged traffic you get to your site, the more it can help your rankings.
Use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to share your coaching insights, blog posts, and any other valuable content. Encourage your audience to share your content as well. The more your content is shared on social media, the more signals it sends to search engines that your site is reputable and valuable.
Pinterest is another great platform to share your content and get traffic to your site, and I do offer Pinterest services if you want to try a new platform!
Have I convinced you to focus on SEO for coaches yet? 😉 By using these actionable tips in your marketing strategy, you can start ranking higher on Google, connect with your ideal clients, and position yourself as an expert coach in your niche. Remember, SEO is a process to help your site continue to rank for more keywords your ideal clients are searching for.
If you need help getting your site optimized, check out my SEO services and see how I can help you rank higher on Google!
