{"id":3441,"date":"2017-06-14T05:30:31","date_gmt":"2017-06-14T04:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.totalcoaching.com\/blog\/?p=3441"},"modified":"2017-05-15T15:43:45","modified_gmt":"2017-05-15T14:43:45","slug":"local-seo-for-personal-trainers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.totalcoaching.com\/blog\/local-seo-for-personal-trainers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Complete Guide to Local SEO for Personal Trainers"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":3467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","tve_updated_post":"

Local SEO for personal trainers is not new, but it can be absolutely crucial. <\/p>

\"Local<\/span><\/div>

If you work with clients or groups in your local area, this quick article will give you enough simple pointers to surpass most of your competitors. <\/p>

In fact, at the end I will even give you one pro-tip that many experienced SEO people I speak to don\u2019t seem to realise.<\/p>

Local SEO: The \u201cWhat\u201d and \u201cWhy\u201d<\/span><\/h2>

In recent years, one of Google\u2019s biggest changes<\/a> has been the way that it recognises local businesses and presents relevant results to searchers. Google recognised that some categories of searches need very local results. <\/p>

For example, if they\u2019re looking for pizza delivery or a locksmith, they want to find businesses with a nearby physical location.<\/p>

Personal Trainers fall firmly into that category. Clients will use a keyword<\/a> such as \u201cpersonal trainer Minneapolis\u201d for example, or maybe even \u201cpersonal trainer near me.\" <\/p>

Thanks to the growth of GPS in mobile devices, Google can now use your<\/span> location<\/span> to determine results. Thus, searches on keywords containing the words \u201cnear me\u201d have grown significantly.<\/p>

\"Map<\/span><\/div>

This is a Map Pack based off the search \"personal trainer Los Angeles\"<\/p>

Searchers are then presented with a results page which contains a \u201cMap Pack\u201d showing 3 businesses. At the top of the page, you may see some Google AdWords (pay-per-click) ads. The Map Pack will appear below the paid ads<\/a> and is very powerful visually, especially on mobile where it dominates the screen. <\/p>

So how do you improve your chances of appearing in the Map Pack, or elsewhere on page one of Google?<\/span> Follow these simple steps and you\u2019ll be well on the way.<\/p>

Tip #1: Google My Business: The Foundation of Your Local SEO Strategy<\/span><\/h2>

The Map Pack listings you see when you search for a local business are fed by \"Google My Business<\/a>.\" Once upon a time, businesses could create a listing on Google Maps. This then became known as Google Places. Now it\u2019s known as Google My Business.<\/p>

If you created a profile on Google Maps or Google Places, chances are it\u2019s still there. If anything, you may need to claim it as your business and go through a verification process to prove it\u2019s your business. <\/p>

One thing to be very clear on though:<\/span> Google My Business is not the same as Google Plus, although the two do look similar. If you still have a Google Plus account, it won\u2019t be doing you any harm, so don\u2019t delete it. But you will need a Google My Business account to appear on the Map Pack.<\/p>

To find out if you have a listing, go to maps.google.com<\/a> and search for your business by name, and then by keyword (e.g. \"personal trainer Minneapolis\u201d). If you can\u2019t find your business this way, go to business.google.com<\/a> and follow the instructions<\/a> to create a new account. <\/p>

If you have a physical location, you can add that to your profile, and of course your website and phone number. Or if you run multiple locations\u2014such as a chain of gyms\u2014you can add each location individually.<\/blockquote>

However, if you work on a mobile basis and visit clients, you can register as a \"service area business\" and tell Google the area you typically cover.<\/span> Google then allows you to hide your address on your profile if you really want to\u2014for example, if you work from your home address and don\u2019t want to share it publicly. They will then consider you for local searches, but without showing your address.<\/p>

By using one of these options, Google will decide which geographic areas your profile should appear in. Once your account is live, you can log in and see how many views and clicks your profile has received.<\/p>

Tip #2: Get Your Fair Share of Reviews<\/span><\/h2>

As a personal trainer, you have the potential to profoundly affect the lives of your clients. They probably came to you because they couldn\u2019t achieve their health and fitness goals alone. You\u2019re improving their health, confidence, quality of life, and self-esteem.<\/p>

So what are the local SEO implications of this? You'll notice that Google My Business profiles include reviews and a star rating. If plumbers and locksmiths can get good reviews<\/a> on Google, just think what you could get with the changes you\u2019re making to people\u2019s lives! <\/p>

Getting customer reviews helps put you in the Google Map Pack, so you really should be asking for reviews at every opportunity. Look to get at least 10\u2014that should start to improve your local SEO performance.<\/span><\/p>

7 Data-Backed Reasons to Ramp Up #Google<\/a> Business #Reviews<\/a> in 2017 via @justincherring<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/CrBFnZDCbN<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7M1ImmD4Ev<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Simon Thompson (@WSI_Worcester) May 12, 2017<\/a><\/blockquote>\n[tcb-script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"][\/tcb-script]<\/code><\/div>

Make it really easy for customers to leave you a review. The process on Google My Business isn\u2019t as simple and intuitive as you might expect from Google. <\/p>

So, consider giving out flyers explaining how to leave a review, or even have a \"leave a review\" page on your site, with links to your profile and a note explaining how to leave a review. A link to the page can then be emailed out to customers.<\/p>

It\u2019s also worth mentioning that to leave a review, customers need to have a Google account. If they have a gmail address, they definitely have a Google account, so target those customers first.<\/span><\/p>

Important note on reviews! <\/span>Don\u2019t incentivise or offer discounts to people in return for a review, as this violates Google\u2019s terms of service and is \"technically\" a breach of FTC guidelines, which can land you in a surprising amount of trouble<\/a>.<\/p>

Tip #3: Good NAPs Can Give Your Local SEO More Power<\/span><\/h2>

You may have noticed before\u2014especially if you\u2019ve been in business a while\u2014that your business is listed on various sites already, that you didn\u2019t even submit it to. Directories and public information sites may contain your company\u2019s contact details, which are known as NAP<\/a> (Name, Address, Phone No) citations.<\/p>

For Local SEO, it\u2019s important that you\u2019re consistent with your name and address.<\/span> <\/p>

For example, if you call yourself \u201cVelocity Personal Training\u201d in one listing and wrote \u201cVelocity Personal Trainers\u201d in another, this can count against you. Even if you write \u201cStreet\u201d in one listing and abbreviate it to \u201cSt\u201d in another, Google will see this as an inconsistency.<\/p>

The first step is to simply search Google for your business name and see what listings come up. Check them all for consistency<\/a>\u2014you may not have a problem at all. <\/p>

At some point though, you may want to consider signing up for a service such as Moz Local<\/a>, Bright Local<\/a>, or Whitespark<\/a>. All of these services are similar: you submit your details to them once, and they ensure that your online citations become much more consistent over time. <\/p>

It can take a few months to work fully, but it\u2019s way quicker and easier than manually updating listings yourself.<\/span> Either of these services will have a positive effect on your local SEO performance for a modest cost. Moz Local, for example, is just $99 US per year.<\/p>

Tip #4: The Power of Local Links<\/span><\/h2>

If you\u2019ve already been working on SEO and getting quality links to your site, rest assured that these will still work in your favour. However, local links<\/a> are really important for ranking in local SEO.<\/p>

It can really help you to get links from local businesses, events, and organisations to boost your organic listings results<\/a> (the standard, free listings below the Map Pack). The locality of these links is really important, even if they aren\u2019t the most stellar websites.<\/p>

For example, links from local churches, web directories, sports teams, community organisations, events, or anything else that\u2019s local to your business can help with local SEO.<\/span> <\/p>

How Important are Local Citations for Local #SEO<\/a> in 2017? https:\/\/t.co\/H7UedfBCFX<\/a> #internetmarketing<\/a> #smallbiz<\/a> #digitalmarketing<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/nYOUQCwj4X<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Acadoceo (@acadoceo) May 12, 2017<\/a><\/blockquote>\n[tcb-script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"][\/tcb-script]<\/code><\/div>

As with any form of SEO, links from any questionable sources such as gambling or Viagra sites will hurt you, but look for links from any local organisations you are affiliated with or any events you appear at.<\/p>

Tip #5: Write About Local Events and Issues<\/span><\/h2>

Of course, if you want local businesses to link to you, there\u2019s a better chance of them saying yes if you write about areas of common interest. If you\u2019re appearing at an event, write about what people can expect to see and how they can find you. <\/p>

Or as a personal trainer, maybe you could share details of local running or cycling routes, or upcoming races and events.<\/span><\/p>

If your website has a proper blog section and you\u2019re able to add news items and create categories, you can even create one for your local town or city, and post regular updates on what\u2019s happening locally<\/a>.<\/p>

All of this will help make your content more link-worthy in the eyes of local site owners, and over time will give a clear signal to Google that you\u2019re an active, well-connected part of the local community.<\/p>

Pro-tip: Measuring Local Map Pack Traffic in Google Analytics<\/span><\/h2>

Now for the pro-tip I mentioned at the start. If you don\u2019t use and manage your own Google Analytics<\/a> stats, this might make no sense to you at all. If so, don\u2019t worry\u2014the other tips above will be enough to sharpen up your local SEO efforts.<\/p>

Assuming that you have access to your Analytics account, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll agree, more details on where your traffic is coming from can only help. The \u201cAcquisition\u201d report in Google Analytics tells you where your traffic comes from, such as \u201cOrganic\u201d (for non-paid Google traffic), \u201cPaid Search,\u201d and so on.<\/p>

\"Google<\/span><\/div>

With Google Analytics, you can improve the accuracy of your marketing strategy<\/p>

What many people don\u2019t realise is that Map Pack traffic (which comes through your Google My Business account) actually shows up in Google Analytics as \u201cDirect\u201d traffic (along with people who simply keyed your web address into their browser).<\/span><\/p>

Depending on your level of experience with Google Analytics, you may be familiar with tracking URLs. These can be created easily using the Google URL builder<\/a> and will enable you to isolate Map Pack traffic and see just how effective you are at generating local traffic this way.<\/p>

Bringing Your Local SEO Efforts Together<\/span><\/h2>

Together, these tips will help you perform better at local SEO. The more of them you\u2019re able to do, the better your chances of getting more traffic from local SEO. Do all of them, and you will be well ahead of much of your competition.<\/p>

Was this information helpful? Share it with others, and talk to us in the comments!<\/h3><\/div>","tve_custom_css":"","tve_user_custom_css":"","tve_globals":{"e":"1","font_cls":[]},"tcb2_ready":0,"tcb_editor_enabled":0,"tve_landing_page":"","_tve_header":"","_tve_footer":""},"categories":[1,72],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.totalcoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3441"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.totalcoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.totalcoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.totalcoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.totalcoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3441"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.totalcoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3469,"href":"https:\/\/www.totalcoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3441\/revisions\/3469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.totalcoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.totalcoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.totalcoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.totalcoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}