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SEO for Coaches: A Full Guide for Beginners in 2023

Have you been relying solely on social media marketing like Instagram and Facebook to grow your coaching business and want to know how to use SEO for coaches?

If so, you may be missing out on the massive opportunity for passive compounded growth through SEO strategies to attract more potential coaching clients.

In this guide, I’ll share the insights and strategies necessary to thrive when it comes to using SEO for coaches effectively in 2023.

What is (SEO) Search Engine Optimization and how does SEO work?

What is seo? An seo strategy means your content is shown as a result to people searching for a solution to their problem or answer to their question on search engines like google

SEO means Search Engine Optimization. Essentially, It is a way for coaches to make their business more visible online, so more people can find and use their services.

Search Engines like Google use keywords, metadata, blog formatting, link quality, referring domains and other factors to determine how relevant and valuable a piece of information on a website page is.

Unpacking Search Intent

Search intent on Google and how search intent works based on the way google is set up

Search intent is a technical SEO term that essentially means what someone is intentionally looking for.

For example, whenever you have a question, curiosity, or want to find information about something, you google it.

Let’s say I was looking for a brand and web design package for my business, I would go to Google and type in “Brand and Web Design Package” then hit “search.”

Google would then crawl the entire internet to see what web page BEST matches my question based on a few variables we’ll talk about down below.

Keywords

The “Keyword” is another important technical SEO term that’s much less complicated than it sounds.

Essentially, the keyword or keywords are the group of words used in the search to find the information.

In this example, our keyword phrase is “brand and web design package”

What are keywords? Keywords, also known as SEO keywords, keyphrases or search queries are words and phrases that users type into search engines to find information on a topic

After I search for this keyword, I’ll be sent to the SERP, also known as the Search Engine Results Page which is just a fancy way of saying the first page of Google’s Results but SEO coaches will often refer to it as just the SERP.

You can see an example of the SERP for this keyword search down below.

Google Search Engine Results Page SERP for Keyword Searched Brand and web design package showing meljudson.com as the first result

The SERP is broken into a few important sections with details that are important to understand.

SERP Structure of the first page of google search results and how it prioritizes the content that is shown

The first 4 spaces on every SERP are reserved for Google Ads

You can see this in the image below or by testing on your own and seeing how the first few options have a “sponsored” text on them letting you know that these sites have paid money to Google to be placed in that spot on the SERP.

After the first 4 spaces, we get into the real magic.

SERP top 10 first page ranking sites

Every SERP on Google will have a total of ten (10) ORGANIC website pages that are currently ranking for the SEO keywords you’ve used in your search.

Traffic breakdown by position on SERP

Based on recent studies from the Advanced Web Rankings from December 2022…

The FIRST position on the Google SERP gets more than 28.75% of all clicks from the organic search.

The second position gets 14.75% while the third position gets 8.83% and the fourth position gets 5.65%

That means more than 50% of ALL the traffic from this search or any search on Google goes directly to the first 4 pages on the Google SERP.

Why rank #1 on google? This graphic shows the value of potential click-through rate for your content for years to come

Okay but why does this matter?

Another technical SEO term any good SEO coach will teach you has to do with “Search Volume” so let’s take our example from above and continue to break it down.

Based on the previous example we’ve been using throughout this article, we can see through Ahrefs research that this single blog post, Google is sending this page more than 800+ site visitors every single month allowing it to rank for.

The power of one seo optimized blog post demonstrating over a 1000% increase in monthly views after 4 years

This blog post was originally written in November of 2019 with an average monthly view of 18 site visitors. However, it has continued to compound and start ranking for the keywords, allowing it to become an easy sales funnel to attract new clients without constantly posting online.

Ranking on google for keywords demonstrating how one blog post has the ability to rank for multiple key words

Imagine if ONE Instagram or Facebook post you wrote FOUR years ago was STILL bringing you 800+ new leads every month and growing for even more Keywords!

Sophie Kessner

How does Google Rank First Page Search Results?

In order to understand HOW to rank on Google, you need to know WHAT you’re trying to rank for and who your ideal clients are and how you can leverage seo coaching for creatives or any other business owner.

Because Google is an INBOUND marketing method, you have to know what your ideal clients are searching for and find keywords that you can use to create free resources (like this blog post) to build up your website content for your target audience.

Google uses a fancy tool called “spiders” that essentially “crawl the web” to read all of the content that exists on every page of every site that’s ever been created and index pages based on the content that’s on them.

What are spiders crawling for on SEO? Matching the inquiry keywords, relevancy of content on page, quality of content and referrals, usability of webpage, location of user and content

“Spiders” are crawling for a few important pieces of information including SEO keywords that match the search intent both on the page itself but also in the meta description, title, URL and more.

Relevancy and Quality

It will prioritize pages that most closely match the keywords THEN look at the relevancy and the quality of the actual content on the page, which is why it’s crucial to know who your ideal clients are and understand that SEO isn’t just about stuffing words onto a page, but to ensure that the person looking for the information finds what they need.

Ending The Query

This is known as “ending the search query” which is just another fancy SEO coach term to say that the user looking for something on Google FOUND what they needed and are no longer searching.

If someone clicks over to a page that doesn’t have the answer they’re looking for and leaves the page to go back to Google to explore other websites ranking on the SERP and find the information they need on that page.

This is an important and valuable action that tells Google the quality of this page is better.

Site Speed

Google also bases SERP ranking on the site speed and user-friendliness of the site. Meaning how quickly the site loads, if it is mobile optimized, and if it is easy to read and navigate throughout the content.

local SEO

Finally, Google will also base results on local SEO which means they will present information that is in the same relevant geographical location as the person who is searching for it and the person who created the content.

For example, if I search for something in San Francisco, California, I am likely to find results based in California or surrounding areas.

This is why any marketing coach or SEO coach needs to ensure you’re also leveraging local SEO into your marketing strategy, especially if you have a physical brick-and-mortar business or see clients in person.

Finally, Google is also looking at the external links and internal links on your site and pages to see how much credibility and authority your site has built.

If you have websites like Forbes.com linking to your coaching website, it tells Google that your coaching website is more trustworthy because another site with high credibility is referencing you;

To improve your chances of having your own website or sales pages rank #1 on the Google SERP is to build links that are high quality both within your site and from other sites.

If you’re not sure where to start, I recommend finding an SEO coach who specializes in your niche, we offer a free SEO training for coaches and course creators in the health coaching space, you can learn more about it here.

How is SEO different from other social media strategies?

To understand HOW SEO works, it’s important to understand the terms attention merchant business model and the way social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook build out their algorithms which tend to be very different from any SEO industry and focus primarily on Interruption and Disruption.

The Attention Merchant Business Model

Platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook use a very specific business model that relies on getting and keeping users attention for as long as possible.

The longer that users are on the platforms, the more data these platforms have to resell to business owners who want to buy ad space on their platforms.

The better results business owners get with ads from more accurate targetting, the more money they invest in ads with the platform, boosting the platform’s revenue.

I wrote a full blog outlining the Attention Merchant Business Model here for you to read about in more detail.

The attention merchant business model visual graphic demonstrating how platforms like instagram tiktok and facebook generate their revenue

The core difference between Social Media and SEO is broken into three categories:

  1. How information is found
  2. How long content can continue to be easily found
  3. The goal of the platform

The goal of Search Engines is to simply, end the search query as fast as possible.

Whereas the goal of social media platforms based on the Attention Merchant Business Model is to keep users on the platform as long as possible o collect as much data as possible.

Life Span of the content

Based on recent studies, the average social media post lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to 40 hours, not including YouTube.

Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook do not have search engines built into them and don’t leverage keyword research, which is why the lifespan of these platforms’ content is so short.

Average lifespan of a social media post graphic demonstrating how social media posts have exponentially shorter lifespans than blog posts, pinterest or youtube.

After the prime time expires, if your piece of content hasn’t gone viral, it disappears into the social media blackhole of content never to be seen again while you are forced to continue producing more and more content fighting for attention with every other creator on these platforms.

To continue being seen by potential coaching clients, and driving website visitors to your business, you have to continue becoming more creative with your content to interrupt and disrupt someone’s scroll to get them to pay attention to you.

If you are a health coach or a nutrition coach or any other type of wellness practitioner, chances are you have a highly valuable skill with years of knowledge that your coaching clients need and want to find.

But without the right strategy or knowing what specific keywords to use in your content, it can feel incredibly overwhelming.

The Difference Between Inbound and Outbound Marketing

A diagram breaking down the difference of social media used for interruption versus seo that is used for inbound content strategy

Inbound marketing refers to strategies that focus on getting potential customers to find you through organic SERP rankings.

This often includes activities like blogging, link-building, and keyword research.

Interruption marketing is the purpose of all major social media platforms that focus on distracting and grabbing attention through engaging content.

There is no way to directly target keyword research with outbound marketing unless you’re intentionally leveraging paid ads on these platforms.

How to find the right strategy to create content with SEO

The goal of Search engines is to bring you more website visitors and improve your overall SEO results by leveraging your understanding of your target audience and consistently creating high-value content that ranks on the Google SERP.

But free website traffic is just the beginning!

The most strategic SEO coaching is one that combines the knowledge of search engines with a very valuable skill in email marketing that turns your website visitors into email list subscribers.

One of the core funnels you’ll want to have in place that we teach clients in a single coaching session is the ability to have a high-converting opt-in funnel.

We share more about the best platforms for online coaches to run their businesses all in one place here.

These practices include optimizing the page titles, meta descriptions, content structure, and images for relevant keywords. Additionally, on-page SEO also includes ensuring that each page has a clear call-to-action (CTA) that encourages visitors to take action on your site.

By taking the time to implement effective on-page SEO practices, you can increase your website’s visibility in SERPs and drive more targeted traffic to your coaching business.

When it comes to measuring success with SEO, there are several metrics you can track such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, conversion rates, and more.

Creating an SEO-Friendly Website for Your Coaching Business

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence has become a vital aspect of running a successful coaching business. One key element to achieving this is by creating an SEO-friendly website by utilizing SEO Copywriting by learning from SEO educators like myself and business partner, Mel Judson or big name SEO professionals with free SEO courses like Neil Patel.

Benefits of having a website that allows you to leverage SEO and content marketing to gain credibility and boost your expert positioning

SEO Coaching is a process of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engines such as Google through SEO optimized marketing strategies

By doing so, potential clients are more likely to find your website and ultimately, your coaching services.

Optimizing for SEO involves various strategies, including choosing relevant keywords, creating high-quality content, and ensuring your website is mobile-friendly- below is an outline of the anatomy of a website that converts:

Anatomy of a website that converts including the six core components of a website: clear value proposition, testimonials and social proof, professional brand photos, email list builder, offers that make sense, the obvious next step

You can checkout the Website SEO Analyzer tool to help improve your website SEO ranking

Optimizing Content For SEO

If you’re looking to increase traffic to your website, optimizing your content for SEO is a must. But what exactly does that mean?

Essentially, it involves making sure your website’s content is structured and written in a way that search engines can easily crawl and understand.

This includes using keywords strategically, crafting clear and concise headlines, and formatting your content in a way that’s easy to read.

By optimizing your content for SEO, you’ll help ensure that your website appears higher up in search engine results pages, making it more likely that users will click through and engage with your content. It may take some effort, but it’s worth it to see your website climbing the rankings.

Links are an essential component of search engine optimization (SEO). By building links, website owners can improve their search rankings and attract more traffic to their sites.

However, not all links are created equal. Google and other search engines are constantly refining their algorithms to weed out low-quality links and reward high-quality ones.

That’s why it’s critical to focus on building high-quality links that come from reputable websites in your industry.

By doing so, you can strengthen your website’s authority, increase its visibility in search results, and drive more qualified traffic to your site.

So, if you’re serious about improving your search rankings, be sure to make link building a priority in your SEO strategy.

Tracking and Measuring Results From SEO Efforts

Tracking and measuring results from your SEO efforts is crucial to the success of your business’s online presence.

Through detailed analysis and monitoring, you will be able to see how your website is performing in search engine rankings, what keywords are leading users to your site, and how much traffic is being generated.

By setting goals and benchmarks, you can consistently track your progress and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Utilizing tools like Google Analytics and Search Console can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your SEO efforts and help guide your future decisions.

Make sure to prioritize tracking and measuring your results to stay ahead of the competition and achieve your online business goals. Here are your core KPIs for SEO content creation and success:

Core Keyword KPIs to create great content with including search volume, traffic potential, keyword difficulty, and cost per click

Favorite SEO Tools

If you’re wanting to take your SEO strategy to the next level, we want to share a few of our favorite tools to help you speedup the process of ranking on search engines like Google, below are a few of the top tools we recommend for SEO marketing:

Jasper.Ai

Jasper AI is the king of AI copywriting softwares and has a direct plugin with Surfer SEO that allows you to have a robot write high quality SEO content for you that’s bound to rank on search engines with the right strategy and keyword research.

You can try Jasper.AI for free by clicking here.

Surfer SEO

Surfer SEO is the BEST platform for writing your SEO optimized blogs and content with advanced tools to help you plan out your content strategy and pulls from search engines in real time.

You can try Surfer SEO by clicking here.

Ahrefs

If you’re serious about SEO for your coaching business, there’s no other software that compares to what Ahrefs has to offer but it’s recommended to go through SEO coaching with and SEO expert first before trying to jump into the complexity of Ahrefs.

Ahrefs has a free plan that you can get started with here.

Ubbersuggest

A more affordable alternative to Ahrefs is Ubbersuggest created by one of the Top SEO Coaching experts in the SEO industry, Neil Patel.

This platform offers a free option along with a low cost $29/month plan that you can sign up for here.

SEO Coaching Session with Soph

If you’d like to have a more personalized coaching session where we can do an actual audit via a shared screen session of your current site and assets, you can get in touch via the contact page on this site to inquire about an SEO Coaching session by clicking here.

SEO Training

You can explore our free Scaling Without Social Media Workshop to learn the basics of SEO Marketing and how to apply it to your business by clicking here.

Conclusion

All in all, SEO is an effective tool for coaches to use in order to grow their coaching businesses in any given year, but especially so by 2023.

Coaches should put time into researching and understanding keywords, creating a website and content that caters to SEO practices, utilizing links as part of their marketing efforts, and tracking their progress with various tools.

By optimizing their coaching business for search engines, coaches can tap into a massive pool of potential clients that are already looking for them.

Therefore, using SEO now is essential in helping your coaching business thrive in the future.

For our full guide on tools to scale your coaching business in 2023, check out full blog here:

the 3 best online coaching platforms and tools for 2023

Please note certain links throughout this blog may have affiliate commissions.

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I'm Sophie Kessner

First generation Mexican American mama that’s gone from hood to strategic hustle. I’ve spent the last 10+ years inside the personal development space supporting 100’s of coaches in scaling 6 figure businesses online & supported 4 different companies in surpassing the 7 figure mark. Today, I focus on making scaling more sustainable by integrating the lenses of business, systems, automation and CEO Development through an Equity centered and Trauma informed lens.

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Sophie is the founder of The Online Business Automator Agency and has been in the service based coaching industry since 2015. She’s created and scaled 4 different multi 6 figure coaching programs including her latest offer, Sass & SEO.

Soph has also founded her SaaS business with the OBA CRM where she works with her clients building custom backend systems and a high quality template shop with Brand and Web Design expert, Mel Judson.

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