Do You Need SEO for Your Wellness Website?

There is SO much information (and many opinions) online about SEO, and whether you need it, or not.

The thing is, most people assume keywords are the only thing that goes into SEO, however it is SO much more than that. I’m going to dive into why you should be concerned about the SEO on your website, and what you can do to maximize yours.
 
SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It is the process of getting traffic from the “free,” “organic,” “editorial” or “natural” search results on search engines.
 
If you’ve done some research online, you know that there are businesses dedicated just to SEO, and getting your business ranking in Google.
 
Some of these companies are legit, however a decent amount of them make hefty claims that they cannot guarantee. Google is it’s own beast, and no one has the ability to promise you first page rankings. Especially with the algorithms constantly changing, there is no sure fire way to promise a first page ranking.
 

Google much prefers real, authentic websites which provide high-quality information about the search terms, not just websites that have a couple keywords plugged in throughout the site.

 
In addition to that, just consider how many practitioners are trying to get on the first page of Google with the keyword “massage” or “acupuncture” – It’s nearly impossible.
 

What can you do? Do you really need SEO in your wellness website?

 
Well, sure! Having your keywords included in your website is key to having Google understand what your business is about.
 
This is easily done through your copy, images, posts, and the titles of your pages. Your wellness web designer should have already done that for you!
 
As a wellness web designer, I offer a basic package and a premium package for my websites. One includes basic SEO, using your preferred keywords, and the premium package includes research done for you on your competitors, what they’re doing for their SEO, what keywords they’re using, and where they’re visible. It’s imperative that your website is built correctly with the proper SEO tactics in place from the start, to make sure your future endeavors worthwhile! Check out Yoast SEO as a great resource for SEO on WordPress websites!

 

But, past that, your best bet for SEO as a Wellpreneur is going to be building relationships with people through networking, and more.

 

Guest posting is a HUGE way to do this online.

When you guest post, you’ll write articles for blogs or companies that have a similar target market in your niche, and have links back to your own website, in order to build more traffic.
 
At it’s core, this is called link building; creating more and more links back to your website to build authority in your niche. It is KEY that you do this correctly.
 
DO NOT EVER PAY FOR LINKS TO YOUR WEBSITE.
This is black hat marketing, and will get your website demoted in search results faster than you can say SEO.

 

So how do you find where to build links organically, and easily?

 

Do searches in different search engines for common phrases that your clients might search for.
Searching in Google, Pinterest, and Facebook will yield your best results.
 
Examples include:
“benefits of massage therapy”
“what is acupuncture?”
“foods for losing weight”
“exercise programs”
 
…and see what pops up!
 
These sites, probably blogs, if they’re not run by someone doing exactly what you do, will probably accept guest posts.
Dig a little deeper to see if they have guidelines for guest posts, and write one up and submit it!
 
Here is an example from Mind Body Green: mindbodygreen.com/contribute
 
MBG is a great resource for getting published, and is relatively easy to get accepted, making this a great starting point.
 
Yes, it takes some time to write an article, but if you’re serious about your business, you’ll find it easy to throw together a simple explainer post about what you do, the benefits of it, and the next steps they need to take. Start with a catchy opening statement, something that snags the readers attention from the get-go. After you catch their attention, they’re all yours for the next couple of minutes. Make sure your post is of value to your reader, not just a pitch for your latest sale, or new course.
 

Once you’re published, make sure to promote the snot out of your new post! You should be proud of your accomplishment, being published, so let the world know!

 
Post to Instagram, Pinterest, your Facebook page, some Facebook groups (if they allow it), and send it out to your email list! They’re your fans after all, they’ll be excited to see your new guest post with another company!
 
Have you had great results from optimizing your SEO on your website? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!