As the market becomes more competitive it gets even more crucial ‘to be found’ easily. One of the easiest ways is to be discovered by prospective customers is being on the first page of Google search.

We put together five crucial SEO tips that you can implement without taking help from your IT team. And the best part is that – it's free! 

Search engines like it ‘fast and responsive’

Site load time and mobile responsiveness plays a crucial role in determining your organic search ranking. Users are most likely to leave the site if it doesn’t load on time or it isn’t responsive when accessed from a mobile device – this reduces engagement and increases bounce rate.

So, how do I know my site speed?

Visit Google page speed insight , type in your URL and hit analyze.

Yep, it’s that simple! 

The results tell you exactly the load times of your site on mobile, desktop and how to decrease them - optimize images, eliminate render blocking resources, remove unused CSS and so on. Once these changes are done, try it again after a couple of weeks and calibrate the results. 

Right keyword at the right place

We all know keywords are important – but is it enough to just have a keyword-rich page? The answer is no.

Here are the following places where you should include the relevant keywords for best results:

• Title tag
• Webpage url
• Meta description
• 100 words of your content
• Image alt descriptions

For any business there are hundreds of relevant keywords that you want your site to show up.

How do you prioritize?

Here are top three points that you should take a look at:

• Search volume – How many people are searching for this given keyword at a location? You can use Google keyword planner or free sites such as Search volume for an estimate. 
• Relevance – How relevant is this keyword to your business, or is it a keyword your prospective customers would search?
• Competition – Is my competition using some relevant keywords that I might be missing? Take a quick scan of their blogs and website to understand more. 

Interlink your site – make it easier for the spider

We're not talking about the creepy crawly insect (thankfully)!

Interlinks are hyperlinks that target pages on the same domain. In simple terms, it points to another page on the same website. This interlinked structure makes it easier for the Google spider to discover and index pages. It helps to build page authority and increase link equity.

Many sites make the mistake of hiding the main navigation link so that search engines can't access it, which makes it even more difficult for the page to be listed. 

Read more about 7 Must-Haves on Your Spa, Salon or Barbershop Website

Earn inbound links – co-write content

Content marketing has changed drastically in the last two decades. It is no longer about the amount of content – the paradigm has shifted to user engagement, time spent on the page, authenticity of the content and so on.

One of the strongest indicators of good content is the number of external backlinks. Google’s algorithms have been redesigned to give higher page authority to the page which has the most number relevant backlinks. Collaborating with authors and industry specialists to write articles or joint posts would be a great way to start!

Don't forget about social media!

Whoever you're targeting, whether it's millennials or baby boomers, do not underestimate the importance of social media’s contribution to SEO.

It is highly recommended to have a social media presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest. Have unique bios for all the platforms tailored to the audience with a clear link to your website. Share fresh content in the form of blogs (that link back to the website), explainer videos, GIFs, and contests.

Learn more about 3 Strategies to Engage Your Spa or Salon Customers Through Social Media

It's important to encourage conversation, rather than just dumping content. Understanding and nurturing these relationships boost SEO in the long run. 

We hope this was a helpful resource for you as you optimize your spa, salon, or medspa for great online results! For more insights into best practices to help you supercharge your salon, spa or medical spa marketing, read our eBook here.