6 Step Process to Get Your Yoga Business Found on Google using SEO with Meg Casebolt
“I think there’s a fear of giving things away for free and I understand that fear. But by being generous you can teach people the basics of what they need to know so that when they’re ready for the next step, they can take it with you. Free content is an amazing way to let people meet you, get to know you, understand who you are and it shortens the sales cycle a lot.” — Meg Casebolt
Do you want to have more yoga students?
Then it’s time to play nice with Google so you can invite more people to your awesome yoga party! (AKA: your yoga class!)
But showing up on the first page of a google search isn’t something we all naturally know how to do. Lucky for you, I’ve got an SEO (search engine optimization) expert and yoga teacher here to break this process down into bite-sized pieces. Like you can break down a pose into manageable chunks for your students, she does this for learning about Google.
Getting Found for WHERE You Are
Making sure that your website is optimized for local traffic or being found when someone searches “yoga near me” is critical.
“60% of all mobile searches are local. And 2/3rds of local searches that happened on mobile devices result in action. People act on these searches much faster.” — Meg Casebolt
For this you want to include your location on your website in many different ways:
- If you have a physical location, include a map with your address on your website
- Mention your city and state in the footer of your website (all pages)
- Mention your location in blog posts
“I was a yoga teacher for many years and I know how hard it is to fill those classes so if you have someone bring a friend that makes it so much easier.” — Meg Casebolt
Getting Found for WHAT You Offer
This is your niche! Once you know your niche and what you want to be known for as a yoga teacher, this is what you want your website to be optimized for as well. You can still include local information but also topic-specific content too.
- If you want to focus on private clients, make sure you have “Private Yoga Sessions” page on your website
- Write blog posts related to your niche and link to the place on your site where the person can book that particular offering
- On your about page, include why this specific topic is important to you
- On your home page, make it clear what your yoga is all about. Don’t’ make them guess
“I think everyone has problems with client acquisition so that’s one of the reasons I started doing search engine optimization for myself. To try and even out the ebb and flow of clients, to be found more consistently without necessarily needing to rely on referrals” — Meg Casebolt
6 Steps to Get Found on Google
Step 1: Have a website
Everyone needs a website because Google prefers to send traffic to websites to get more information. You also want to make sure your website is mobile friendly. Google actually looks at the mobile version before it looks at the desktop version of your website when indexing your work.
“Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed with the optimization stuff before you get started. That can come later.” — Meg Casebolt
Step 2: Create a Google My Business Account
Even if you’re working virtually and not concerned with local students, you still want a Google My Business Account. You can set this up quickly at business.google.com. You will have to enter a business address so they can send you a postcard to verify that you’re a real person with a business but your address will not be public if you choose to keep it private by clicking “I provide services”. This is where you want to start collecting reviews for your yoga business as well.
Meg’s blog post on Google My Business
Step 3: Identify what people are searching for
By knowing what your dream student is searching for online, you can then include those words on your website so that it will show up for them in a Google search.
Keyword research:
“It’s just figuring out what people are already searching for and then finding ways to create words on your website that reflect that.” — Meg Casebolt
Keyword Research Tools:
Step 4: Come up with a plan and start producing
Whether you’re writing blogs or creating YouTube videos, make a plan and then start creating your content. You will learn more about what your audience is responding to once you start creating content. Just get started.
“Often the hardest part of creating content is showing up and being willing to be vulnerable and being willing to put yourself out there but just like yoga, it gets easier with every class you go to, content gets easier with everything you publish.” — Meg Casebolt
Step 5: Lather, Rinse, Repeat Process
You can just post one blog post and call it good. You have to find a consistent process that you can repeat for your audience. Maybe it’s once a month, or every other week or even weekly. Decide on your process and take action.
“You might be writing a blog post or creating a video that’s already been done. Cool. Put your own spin on it. Say it in your own words. Let your audience find you for it.” — Meg Casebolt
Step 6: Look at what you’re being found for
Once you start creating content, you can then see what you’re being found for and that’s where analytics come in. This is how you can improve on the content that you’ve already created and also create more content based on what your dream students are searching for online.
“Look at how you’re ranking and make adjustments to the content that you’ve already done to improve the search volume.” — Meg Casebolt
Resources:
Your next step
Start creating content if you haven’t already. If you’ve posted a blog post once, decide on your frequency and stick to the plan. And if you’ve been creating content on a consistent basis then it’s time to dig into the details and let your content work for you.
“Get specific about who you want to work with and how you want to work with them, they can find you. But if you just say ‘I’m a yoga teacher’, you’re going to get lost in the midst of all other yoga teachers.” — Meg Casebolt
Until next time, give yourself permission to create content now and grace along the way. Talk to you soon!
About Meg Casebolt
Meg Casebolt is founder of Love at First Search, an agency that’s where were singularly devoted to helping women-owned businesses get found in search results.She helps female entrepreneurs succeed online by helping them get found on Google then turning readers into customers, all by using custom strategies that fit them better than Catwoman’s suit (without the wedgie).
Meg’s Links:
- Meg’s website: loveatfirstsearch.com/start
- Meg’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxuufsUPhvMHxeLuQX_gHeA
- Meg’s Courses
- Set up Google Analytics on your site (blog post)
- Install Google Search Console on your site (blog post)
For more stories like this, listen to the Marketing Yoga with Confidence Podcast.
About Amanda McKinney (Marketing Coach for Yoga Teachers)
Amanda McKinney is a Marketing Coach with a passion for empowering yoga teachers to earn more money doing what they love. She does this through her podcast: Marketing Yoga With Confidence and Online Offerings. All of which focuses on building confidence and community with an extra dose of encouragement every step of the way.
