Search Engine Optimization for Sports Facilities: The First Steps
When a potential client searches for your services online, does your sports facility show up somewhere on the first page of results? If not, you’re missing out on a lot of new business. Most owners are aware of the need for visibility. They’re just not sure what concrete steps to take to increase it.
You could read guides to search engine optimization all day. There’s plenty of information available online. Some factors are pretty technical, and others are less so. However, I’ve found that many small sports facility owners skip even the easiest, most basic steps that can have the biggest impact on visibility and rankings.
Steps to Improve Search Engine Optimization
If you’re just getting started, or only have time for a few first steps to increase your web visibility, here’s where to start.
Make sure you’re listed on local maps.
All major search engines have separate map listings. Make sure you’re listed on all of them. Also, make your listing as detailed as possible. Make sure to list all your services and add pictures of your facility to make the listings stand out. Some search engines list map results prominently within regular search results, depending on how closely it matches the search query. Map listings are free and only take a few minutes, although there’s usually some type of address or phone number verification required.
Do keyword research.
Think about what your potential clients would type into a search engine if they were trying to find your services. Since sports facilities’ locations matter to clients, it’s important to also consider which specific geographic terms they might search for. You might know that you’d like to be listed for the biggest metropolitan area associated with your facility. However, don’t forget smaller communities and suburbs. For example, my own sports facility is in Greater Cincinnati. I include communities such as Loveland, Milford and Mason on the site. Make a list of the keywords and phrases that are the most important to your business so you can begin to build your content around them.
Build a page for each service you offer.
Ideally, your website should contain a page for each service you offer at your facility. My facility has separate pages for baseball, soccer, football, speed training, personal training, and more.
Make sure page titles reflect that service-specific content.
Each page title should be about six to eight words. It should focus on the content that you hope to show up for in search engines. Here are some examples of page titles on my own site:
- Baseball Instruction and Private Lessons in Cincinnati
- Personal Training in Cincinnati With Fitness Results
- Birthday Parties and Team Parties in Cincinnati
There’s a lot more to search engine optimization than these first four steps, but these are a great place to start. If you’re ready for an in-depth, technical look at how to improve your search engine presence, give me a call at (513) 791-4940.
