My website and Google have been the only tools I’ve used to successfully build and market my personal training service.
These proven strategies will help you increase traffic to your website, and you’ll also get more visibility in Google search results.
You can do them yourself for free. No paid ads required.
#1 Harness Video Content
The attention span of people is short. A video can be worth millions of dollars!
The best part? You don’t need to create an artistic masterpiece. You can upload videos straight to YouTube using your smartphone.
Before you begin rolling…
Be sure to know what you want to say. A good video can really connect with your audience.
Make sure you only cover one topic per video. Your message could be forgotten if you try to cover too many topics.
Here’s my list of top tips for creating epic video content:
It’s better to keep it short, under 60 seconds is ideal so that you can upload the video on Instagram.
When editing, adjust the angle to maintain the viewer’s interest
Add the video and write more about the topic.
2 Link Power
Google relies heavily on the number of people who are talking about your website to determine its credibility.
This can be done by using social media, such as Facebook or Instagram. However, they are more likely to do this by looking at the number of other blogs and websites that link to you.
Imagine you were a famous person and had a site. Imagine how many blogs, newspapers and magazines would link to your website and mention it.
You must be someone worth talking about if all these other people talk about you. This is how it works, in simple terms.
There is one more important thing to consider…
Credibility of links is important. If BBC News mentions you and links to your site, then that’s more credible than a small village website linking to you.
You can’t simply ask BBC to include you on their website, you need to earn it. It’s because of this that it’s so powerful.
Make it work for You…
Start small. Start writing on your blog, to make it credible. Also make sure that your website is of high quality. There should be no errors, bad blog posts or shady images.
You can then offer to write free content for other websites. In this case, you might begin with a small village website. Then, you can use your success to reach out to the next blog that is more popular and larger. Show them what you have written for other websites.
Continue doing this until you get writing jobs on reputable sites.
Pro tip: Write on sites that are credible and relevant to your field of expertise. As a personal training I would like to write blogs on topics such as sport, crossfit athletics, and training. Writing about gardening or knitting sites isn’t as useful and won’t be as helpful.
Get started today with
- Check out the “write for us section” on websites and blogs that you visit. It means that they accept guest postings – you are the guest, and you post to their website.
- You can search Google with “write for us sport”. You can replace sport with your expertise. There are hundreds of thousands.
- Make a list of all sites that accept guest postings and are relevant to your expertise.
- Select the people you would like to write for from your list. Look at their previous posts to get an idea of the topics and style they cover. Check out their requirements before submitting your post.
- Include a link to your social media and website in the article. You can create an author biography on most sites where you can place these links
# 3 Reviews Matter
It is vital to get genuine reviews online for your business.
Ask your customers for feedback on multiple platforms such as Facebook, Google, Yell etc.
Google will require that a user has a Google Account before they can leave a review. Google will therefore know a great deal about the user. They will know, for example, if the person visited your business.
Tracking Reviews…
It’s not worth it to get fake reviews. Google can track users to see if the reviews are from real accounts, or bogus ones from overseas like India and Philippines.
Don’t be caught unawares. Build trust by asking for only genuine reviews. Be sure to respond to every review. It is important to have many genuine reviews and responses from you as the owner. This will help attract new customers.
Top tip: Ask people to include details in their reviews. These details will not only allow your clients to see what you have to offer in their own words, but also help Google better understand your business.
How your Google listing appears is closely related to the reviews.
#4 Level-up Your Listing
Google My Business should be set up. This is absolutely necessary.
The majority of people don’t do anything more than that. This is a mistake. Here are some key ways to make the most of your business listing.
Add new categories
You should add as many other categories as possible that are real. You can add “fitness center” or “boxing gym”. You have a wide range of options, so add all that are relevant.
Service and Products
You can enter your services and products in two different areas. Complete them.
Include your own personal training costs and add any extras. You can do more if you want. Consider your business listing like a shop window. Make it as inviting and thorough as you can.
Website
On the left, there is a section labelled “website”. Google My Business includes a website, so make the most of it.
You can still link to your website, but you will get extra credit. It will include all of your information, including your services, opening hours, and the areas you serve. Make sure that all your information in your business listing is accurate and current.
Google is looking to showcase high-quality businesses to its audience. Completely filling out your business’s page shows you are serious about the company and willing to put in the effort.
One more section that I would like to highlight is essential for use.
#5 Google Posts
Google allows you to post updates, such as blog posts, notifications of events, and offers, to your listing.
These posts will help you engage people with your business and show them that you’re active. Google will display the posts, events and offers that you create when people search for your business.
Posts will only be visible for seven days. Events and offers, however, last for the duration you specify. You can easily understand how they work by taking a closer look, but you must use them.
Use images and videos to increase engagement and relevance to your audience. You can use sections of your previous blog posts to link to the complete article by adding a button that links to your blog.
When you create videos or write posts, keep in mind your audience. Create content that is both relevant and helpful to your audience.