Fitness SEO: The Ultimate Guide

Google has 91.54% of the search engine market, and you can achieve a 39.8% click-through rate if you rank in Google’s first position. That is 10 times the 10th-ranked spot, while the second and third positions have 15% and 11% click-through rates, respectively. Whether you have a gym, produce or sell wearables or gym equipment or offer digital health services, you need key fitness SEO strategies that increase your ranking and CTR.

Optimize Your Website With Fitness SEO

The U.S. has 31,028 health clubs, with a global market worth $96.7 billon, and the wearables market has a growth rate of 41.51%, reaching $265.4 billion. In addition, the market for sports and fitness equipment is a $337.73 billion industry with over 5% growth, and digital health has 41,517 apps in the Apple store. You need to set yourself apart from your competition.

Every day, Google receives 8.5 billion search requests. Your optimization directly impacts your users’ experience, which is one of the factors in Google’s ranking algorithm. In addition, 88% of individuals will not return to a website that they find challenging to use.

Start your optimization with security and encryption, two-factor authentication, passwords and updated software plugins. Increase your website speed and create simple URL structures, website hierarchies and descriptive anchor texts to improve website navigation for your fitness-conscious customers.

Of Google searches, 63% are on mobile devices, while 80% of GenZ use mobile devices for their searches. In addition, by 2029, 5.1 billion people will be smartphone users, and 52% of users leave websites that aren’t optimized for these devices.

Fitness customers, whether they seek a gym or an online marketplace to purchase wearables, equipment or digital products, such as exercise programs that take advantage of the outdoors, need a website that responds to their mobile screen size.

Create Strong Business Profiles

Create a Google business profile. Make sure the information is correct and reflects the part of the fitness industry you practice in. Match the information on your website, social media and other online assets. Your profile also expands your visibility to individuals seeking fitness solutions, builds your brand and boosts fitness SEO. Don’t forget to optimize it using fitness-centered keywords.

Expand Your Social Media

Social media has 4.74 billion users worldwide. Although Google does not consider your social media usage in its ranking directly, it impacts your brand search results, generates backlinks and improves customer engagement, which Google tracks. Therefore, consider the following strategies:

• Interact on platforms that your target market uses.
• Solve every problem and answer complaints on social media immediately.
• Respond to some of your customers’ posts, particularly if they ask about your products or services.
• Post engaging content, such as printable fitness trackers or new fitness research.

Expand your fitness instruction, product features, gym tours and other fitness content on YouTube because 91% of companies say they use video marketing.

Choose the Right Keywords

To maximize your fitness SEO, you need strong, fitness-focused keywords. For the most effective keywords, follow these steps:

• Analyze your target audience, brand, competition and products.
• Research how your customers search for you.
• Review synonyms and related words for popular keywords.

Keywords between 10 and 15 words get nearly two times more clicks than one-word options, while those with four words have the greatest click-through rate of 31.8%. Create long-tail keywords like “personal trainer near me,” “the best new wearable device of the year” or “fitness equipment in Denver, CO.” Keywords that reflect your URL have a click-through rate of 45% over those that do not. Use your keywords in all your content.

Produce High-Quality Content

High-quality content is one of Google’s main ranking factors. Most companies’ marketing plans (90%) include content marketing. Regular blogging increases lead acquisition by 67%. Therefore, build high-quality, updated, data-driven, well-researched, relevant and useful content that revolves around fitness topics. Include valuable links and create health-related blog posts, videos, ebooks, interactive tools, social media posts and templates. Use infographics, photos and videos to break up your content text.

Nearly half (47%) of marketers produce audio content, and 61% of podcast and streaming service users actively listen to ads. Therefore, add podcasts and ads on health, exercise, general fitness, athletic equipment and apparel, new health products and nutrition to your fitness SEO strategy.

Focus on Local SEO

When users search for local businesses, 80% will start with a Google search. When they search with their mobile phones, 76% will visit your location within a day and 28% will purchase something, which is especially valuable for gyms and shops. Therefore, add your company data and keywords to local business directories.

Pursue Backlinks

Links and backlinks are key factors in Google’s ranking algorithm, and 66% of websites do not have any. Therefore, if your pages have backlinks, they are more likely to rank higher. The highest-ranking pages on Google have nearly four times the backlinks of the second on their lists.

To increase your backlinks, provide long-form, high-quality, compelling and accurate content, which receives significantly more (77.2%) backlinks. Consider these unique strategies:

• Become a health and fitness source for reporters and media outlets through the HARO website.
• Search relevant content for broken links, and offer these webmasters links to your content.
• Search for sites that link to your competitors and offer your links as well.
• Post testimonials about products you purchase, particularly if they are complementary to your products and services, and ask these companies to link back to you.
• Offer to guest host or blog on others’ fitness sites and backlink to your own.

Also, promote your content and product and service pages to relevant websites and publications. Fill out local and industry business pages and contribute to industry forums on fitness topics.

Analyze Your Results

Google Analytics can provide you with valuable data about your paid and organic SEO results. Monitor your sales, leads and conversion rates. Verify the number of monthly visitors. Then, calculate your click-through and bounce rates. Adjust your strategy to maximize your fitness SEO results.

Find Out How We Can Help You Achieve Your Fitness SEO Goals

At BKA Content, we have expertise in enhancing user experience, building high-quality content and white-hat link building. Find out how we can help you maximize your fitness SEO.