This post was originally published on Kenn’s blog Coaching Sites That Work.
Getting traffic from search engines is magnificent. What coach wouldn’t want people coming to their website who are eager for what the coach has to offer? But most coaches don’t get much traffic and part of the reason due to poor keyword choice.
Here are four things to consider when seeking good keywords.
1. Is there a significant amount of traffic for your intended keywords?
You don’t want to choose keywords for which no one is searching. For example, if you coin the phrase “Eternal Life Balance Coaching” and want to be the first position in Google for that phrase, then you could probably pull it off by using that phrase often in your content.
But, who is searching for “Eternal Life Balance Coaching” other than you? Does anyone know of it?
What good are keywords if no one is searching for them?
2. Are your keywords going to bring “qualified” traffic?
Let’s say you’re trying to draw traffic to your website by using the phrase “Anthony Robbins” in your copy. You’re thinking that “hey, if they like his stuff, they would probably be great candidates for coaching and would love my stuff too.”
Sound logic, but, think about it from the searcher’s perspective. If YOU were a searcher performing a query on “Anthony Robbins,” what would you REALLY be looking for? Probably one of his books, programs, or courses.
And let’s say you ended up on a website that did not have Anthony’s stuff, but instead was promoting someone else’s stuff? How long would you stay? Would you be more inclined to leave an retry your search?
3. Do people really search online for a “coach”?
In my research, I’ve seen more and more evidence of people using the phrases “coach” and “coaching” in their searches. As the coaching industry grows, this is naturally the case. So, focusing on the word “coach” might help bring you some traffic.
However, even if people know what a coach is, they don’t often see “coaching” as something they want or need. It’s too new and ambiguous. They would have to already know about coaching and probably have been coached by someone very good in order to actively search solely on the word, “coach.”
In my experience, and with some simple logic, you might notice that when people do perform searches online, they are often very intent about their search. They are seeking something specific – and that specific something is often around their challenges. Now here’s where a coach can position themselves nicely.
For example, a concerned mom might search for “weight-loss tips for children” or “how to parent overweight teenagers.”
And, if you’re a coach who has articles and other content that includes these keywords, then you’re site is a prime candidate for top position. Furthermore, the visitors to your website who searched for these terms are prime candidates for clienthood.
4. The tighter the niche the easier to get great traffic
If you want to get high rankings for the phrase “coach,” you’ll have a lot of competition as there are lots of coach websites out there. There’s also lots of coaching schools out there, lots of sports coaches out there, lots of busing(coaches) companies out there, and then there’s Coach, the famous pocketbook brand.
However, if you tighten your focus to “health coach” then you limit the playing field and there will be less websites competing to be found for that phrase.
If you tighten further, continuing with our example, to “health coach for parents” and create content around phrases like “parenting children for weight-loss” or “help my kids lose weight”, then you’re getting closer to gold. Again, you’ve got less competition and the traffic that comes to you will be VERY interested in what you have to offer.
To summarize, choosing good keywords can do a lot for helping you get traffic. Aim for keyword phrases that are close to the things people are searching for and make sure those things are very relevant to what you offer as a coach. The more qualified the traffic, the more likely they are to buy from you.
Kenn Schroder helps coaches create client-attracting websites. Get your free copy of “5 WEBSITE STRATEGIES FOR ATTRACTING COACHING CLIENTS” at http://www.coachingsitesthatwork.com
Thank you. I will try this on my blog!