A gym or fitness center needs a website and overall digital presence to attract customers. Research from Visual Objects shows about 76% of people in the digital age will research a business online before deciding to visit it in person. Without a website, a gym will struggle to find new members.
A gym’s web presence can help it attract more members if said web presence captures the attention of leads. A gym owner may thus implement a local search engine optimization (SEO) strategy to ensure their website delivers a strong return-on-investment.
What is SEO?
A website’s function for a business owner is to attract potential customers. Thus, it’s important for a website and its pages to rank high in search results pages. According to Forbes, links appearing in the first page of Google search results may account for as much as 92% of all search traffic clicks.
Various factors can influence whether a website’s content ranks high in results pages when users perform relevant searches. SEO involves optimizing these factors so that a website has a better chance of attracting users who may have an interest in the site’s content.
Understanding Local SEO for Gyms
A general SEO strategy helps a website’s content rank high when users from virtually anywhere in the world perform relevant searches. A local SEO strategy helps a website’s pages rank high when users perform region-specific searches.
A gym is a type of business that can only serve customers in its area. Thus, a gym’s SEO strategy should target local users.
A local SEO strategy helps a gym owner achieve this goal. Benefits of local SEO for gyms include the following:
Making Effective Use of a Marketing Budget
Spending money on SEO services and investing time into rolling out an SEO strategy isn’t worthwhile for a business owner if their website ends up getting the attention of users who live too far away to ever become paying customers. By implementing a local SEO strategy, a gym owner targets users in their area. Doing so is key to making the most of their SEO and marketing budget.
Making a Local Connection
A gym owner who embraces a local SEO strategy may begin tailoring the content of their website (and other aspects of their web presence, like their social media) so that it speaks primarily to local issues and topics. Adopting a local voice and perspective can help any local business establish trust among customers in the area.
Getting the Attention of Users at the Right Time
You already know a local SEO strategy can help a local business owner attract the attention of the right users. This type of strategy may also help a gym attract the attention of users when they’re at the proper stage of their search journey.
A local SEO strategy may help a gym’s website appear in search results pages when users are specifically searching for information about gyms and fitness centers in their areas. If a user is searching for a gym in their region, they may be more likely to purchase a membership than someone who is merely researching general information about gyms.
Local SEO Delivers Significant Value for a Gym
If you own and operate a gym, the above are merely a few reasons to invest in local SEO. Be aware, you don’t need to master local SEO yourself to take advantage of it.
Consider partnering with specialists to develop a strategy that’s tailored to your needs. By coordinating with experts, a gym can leverage local SEO to its full potential.
Main Street ROI offers local SEO services to gyms and various other local businesses.