SEO for Coaches: 10 Tips and SEO Mistakes to Avoid
It’s no secret that SEO can feel hard, especially if you're just starting out and don't know where the heck to even start.
A lot of coaches think they can jump in and start ranking just because they add some keywords here and there, but this article will show you the best practices for beginners so your site can perform well from day ONE!
❌ NO time-wasting over here.
🎧 More of an audio listener? Click below to listen to the podcast episode!
I remember when I first started blogging, it seemed like such a daunting task with all these technical terms thrown at me by Google: keywords, title tags, long-tail keywords WTH 🤷♀️
One thing was clear though, if I wanted my blog posts to attract new leads and convert them into my offers, then having strong content and also implementing SEO would be a must!
When I started to learn about SEO and its importance, I knew that my business could be a lot more successful.
Nowadays people are searching for information on Google in ways they never have before so if you don’t start taking advantage then someone else will!
I was blown away by all these potential customers who didn't even know about me yet before, but thanks to SEO they now knew about me and my business.
👀 This is why SEO strategy is a core module inside of my course, Blog Traffic Machine, because if you're producing blog content, you may as well optimize it so it can work harder for you.
SEO is important whether you are a blogger, coach or product-based business.
It doesn’t matter what kind of company you have, you need to know about SEO because it can help you get new clients if you start ranking on Google for certain search terms.
SEO for coaches: Why is it important?
Search engine optimization is the best way to stand out from all other businesses in your niche.
SEO gets your content in front of customers who are searching for your products and services.
That's why you will target people who are;
✔️Already problem-aware
✔️Buyers ready to find a solution ASAP
It’s about getting your content in front of the right people at the right time.
It’s that simple.
👎Would you open a coffee cart business on an abandoned road at 9 pm at night?
👍Or would you open a coffee cart business at 7 am on the main promenade?
Obviously the latter, right?
You can apply certain techniques to your content and website, so you can show up on page 1 of Google search in front of customers who are already searching for you.
✅ Right place, right time
If you’re ready to not have to rely on showing up on socials to sell and generate leads on autopilot instead, join Blog Traffic Machine today.
Here are the 4 TOP SEO MISTAKES TO AVOID
1. Don't concentrate simply on the keyword
Isn't it true that you can simply slap a keyword into your blog post and be done with it?
❌ No, there's more to it than that.
There are so many tiny parts to SEO, so many moving pieces, and business owners must comprehend them all.
Choosing a keyword and putting it in your blog a few times isn't enough. This is only a tiny aspect of SEO.
But don't get me wrong, SEO doesn't have to be overwhelming either.
Unfortunately, many business owners get overwhelmed by SEO and think it’s a never-ending maze of confusion.
That’s why I'm so passionate about simplifying SEO in my courses.
2. You can't do it once and be done with it
Another mistake I see with SEO is that you rely on a random checklist to tell you how to do SEO, you implement, and then WOOSH, you vanish 👻
☝️ Oh no no no. SEO isn't a one-hit wonder.
SEO is a long-term strategy that you should come back to again and again. All good seo coaches will tell you that.
Once you publish a blog post, check your rankings over the next month, 3 months, 6 months and a year.
Because you can adjust, update and potentially 10x your results by doing this 📈
3. Not knowing your niche and specialities
When it comes to SEO, you need to focus on what your niche and specialities are if you want to stick out from the sea of sameness.
Over the years there's been an increase in the competitiveness of ranking for specific subjects and niches.
I usually advise my clients that they should be more precise when it comes to their keywords.
🚫 'Business" is no longer a niche.
🚫 'Food' isn't a niche.
You should look at it from another perspective.
You'll need to narrow down your search considerably further to observe outcomes. It's important to figure out what your niche is, which includes elements such as:
- What you're genuinely interested in
- What you’d like to do
- What are your natural talents and strengths?
- What makes you different from your competitors?
👉 What are the most frequent questions you get asked about?
👉 What is it that people want information on?
👉 What's your unique spin and spicy take on your industry?
When you have a mix of all 3, then create content with that in mind. These days, specificity is required.
P.S. I've been doing some research around seo for business coaches and GOODAMIT business coaches, you have SO much opportunity to rank on page 1 of Google for easy keywords 👀
P.P.S Also seo for life coaches is POPPIN too. Just a hot tip 🔥
4. Using the incorrect SEO tool
Not employing an appropriate SEO tool is the last mistake when it comes to SEO.
There are a plethora of SEO tools on the market, but many of them are boring, overcomplicated and give you exaggerated and inaccurate results.
The best keyword tool is Keysearch. 🔍
I've been using them for years, and it's also the one I recommend to coaches, course creators and service providers because it's easy to use, colour-coded (um hello 👋 ) and reasonably priced, but more significantly, it's accurate.
If you're looking for the best seo keywords for coaching, course or your services then you NEED to use this tool!
10 tips for SEO for coaches, course creators and service providers
1. KNOW YOUR NICHE AND THE TOPICS YOU ARE EXPERIENCED IN
The first step, as we've previously discussed, is to identify your niche and what you specialize in. This is critical.
Within my VIP day (click here to check it out), we map out your blog framework so you know exactly what niche and topics you will focus on, to begin with.
We narrow down our competition to reduce the number of competitors.
You can't develop everything on your blog if you don't know your niche and the topics you're an EXPERT in.
2. USE SPECIFIC KEYWORDS
The second piece of advice is not to be too generic with your keywords in SEO because general implies that they are more competitive.
Let's assume I'm going to Google and searching for "business advice."
I'm guessing that if you wrote a blog post on business advice, you could rank it on page one for that term.
Do you realize how many other articles, blogs posts, photos, and YouTube videos are connected to the term "Business advice"? The answer is a lot!
When I first began blogging, I would try and rank for general keywords like "New Zealand" if I created a New Zealand travel post. That was a little too competitive; be more specific.
👉 Let’s say you're a business coach for beginners.
I want you to break that down further.
What kind of questions people are asking when they are starting a business as a coach?
The number one question that might come could be ‘How can I get my first client’.
So, that's when you would do some keyword research and see how you could write a blog post on that particular topic.
If you're stumped about what to write about and don't know what questions to ask in your field, I propose a few suggestions.
1. Join some Facebook groups within your niche. When you join these groups, you would look to see what questions people are asking within the group.
That's how I discovered some of my most valuable keywords. I would take the questions and put them in a Google doc for each and every one that I came across. Then, maybe once a month, I'd do keyword research to check which questions were the most popular and whether or not they were easy to rank.
2. Use a website called Answer the Public. Input a keyword from your field and get a slew of alternatives for phrases and questions asked in that area.
3. Look at your intake forms and pull out any questions/keywords from there. Get an idea of how your ideal clients word things!
3. THINK OF YOURSELF AS THE READER
This is of utmost importance because when you're looking for a keyword to use, the one you choose should be the one that most people are searching for.
Consider your reader when they go to Google on their laptop and have a query about your niche.
If I wanted to know how to get my first client, I might type it in many different ways such as
- Getting my first client
- Tips to get my first client
- How to get my first client
Consider what type of language they would use and how they would phrase things. This can help you when it comes to keyphrases.
Again, your intake forms can be a valauble way to find this info!
4. USE the tool KEYSEARCH
My fourth suggestion is to make use of a comprehensive tool like Keysearch. Keysearch is my favourite gadget in the world. It's a keyword research tool, but it does much more than that.
I adore several aspects of keysearch.
The first feature is the ability to keep track of your rankings.
You may use Keysearch's keyword search function to enter all of the keywords you want to rank for on your site. Every month, I check my Keysearch ranking chart to see where I'm at.
When it comes to blogs, I'd wait at least six months before updating a post if it hasn't ranked recently.
You must be keeping track of those ranks since they'll provide you with a lot of information on what's effective and what isn't.
Another feature I appreciate is the "Organic Keywords" section under the competition analysis heading.
Enter your competition's domain, and you'll see what keywords they're ranking for.
It suggests that you may look at what keywords you can use in the future if they are in the same area as you. You're receiving recommendations based on the keywords to which they've been assigned.
Finally, it's a keyword research tool that's extremely valuable.
If you're considering a keyword tool and want to take SEO seriously, I highly recommend Keysearch. It isn't a free keyword research tool; it costs $17 per month, but the investment is well worth it (use code KSDISC to get 20% off)
5. INVEST IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT SEO
The fifth SEO tip for coaches is to invest in learning about SEO's ins and outs.
😌 You could learn SEO in an afternoon, and apply the strategies for years to come.
That’s exactly why I created Blog Traffic Machine.
You learn the exact process to optimize your evergreen blog content so that dream clients are reading it every minute of the day.
Blog Traffic Machine teaches you;
👏The 101 of search engine optimization in 2024
👏How to optimize every single one of your blog posts so you can rank on page 1 of Google
👏How to find the exact keywords and phrases your audience is typing into Google
👏How to use my favourite SEO tool - Keysearch. I teach you all the Keysearch tips and tricks you need to know.
👏The SEO secret that tripled my traffic (updating old blog posts) and the Google sheet formula that shows you which extra keywords to add in 20 mins or less
Blog traffic Machine breaks it down into a simplified format so you can apply the techniques today and see rewards for years to come. This course is the A-Z to blogging for coaches, course creators and service providers that drives automated visibility, leads and sales to your funnels and offers.
6. USE YOAST AS A GUIDE to start (If you use Wordpress)
I'm a fan of Yoast; I think it has some great features. However, don't take what it says as gospel, but rather as an option. I don't want you to stop using Yoast; rather, I want you to realize when you're performing SEO correctly and when you're not. You shouldn't rely on Yoast.
Yoast is an excellent resource.
7. TRACK THE KEYWORDS YOU'RE USING AND HOW THEY RANK.
The seventh step is to monitor your keywords and how they rank over time.
I was just talking about this before, in tip number 4, through Keysearch.
You can also accomplish this by using a different method.
You might use a Google spreadsheet or something comparable to Asana to keep track of your rankings and how they're progressing every week. It's far easier to utilize Keysearch.
Also, utilize Google search console.
If you connect it to your website, this will tell you how much organic traffic you're getting and where you're ranking.
If you haven't linked to Google's Search Console yet, do so immediately!
8. UPDATE YOUR BLOG POSTS OFTEN
Make sure you're keeping your blog articles up to date.
We may overlook that a blog post is an evergreen piece of content, and Google appreciates it when you keep things fresh.
When you update blog entries, Google notices this sort of notification to say, "Hey, I've updated this blog post because it's still really relevant today."
If you've been blogging for a while and haven't implemented SEO before or weren't doing it correctly, this is something that will increase your visitors dramatically.
I promise you'll be rewarded.
If you have any blog posts that aren't properly optimized, I recommend going back and updating them NOW to optimize them THIS WEEK.
Listen to my podcast episode below that tells you how to update blog posts and how to do it effectively 👇
9. CHOOSE LESS COMPETITIVE KEYWORDS FOR MORE TRAFFIC
The ninth step is to seek less competitive, less searched-for keywords rather than the ones that receive thousands each month.
If you can find 5-10 keywords that are searched for 50 to 1000 times per month, they may be considerably simpler to rank for than 1 keyword that's searched for 50,000 per month.
You should hopefully rank for them and appear on Google's first page right away.
✅ Choose keywords with a lower competition level.
10. USE RELATED ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS in your blog posts and sales pages
You can rank for multiple keywords at the same time!
You can have the primary term, but you may also use additional keywords throughout your post in order to rank for more than one keyword.
I wrote an article where I ranked for more than 100 keywords in this single blog post.
When conducting keyword research, it's a good idea to look for the main term and then search for some closely related tiny ones.
Imagine if you could rank for 20 keywords and they were all searched for a hundred times each month, that's potentially 2000 visitors to your site every month.
The more keywords you can rank for, the more traffic and revenue you may receive!
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