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Local SEO for Martial Arts Schools: Be a Black Belt in Google Domination,…
Local SEO for Martial Arts Schools: Be a Black Belt in Google Domination
Introduction
Don't rely on paid ads to get students in the door. What if they stop working?
Don't build your house on rented land. SEO helps you attract students to your own website, which you hopefully own, rather than relying on social media networks that could stop working or shut you down with no warning.
SEO is a longer-term strategy that rewards effort up front, works well in combination with paid strategy
Become ubiquitous online in your local area. Become the only, obvious choice. Dominate search results.
Using SEO as part of an integrated marketing strategy, I grew my school's student numbers by 130% in the last year.
You DO NOT need to constantly pump money into Facebook ads. There are other ways to attract students!
SEO Basics - What is SEO?
What is Local SEO?
Algorithm
Local Pack
Google Maps
GBP
How search engines work
RACE Model (based on Coombe p.98)
Relevance
Authority
Crawlability
Engagement
E-A-T
Expertise
Authoritativeness
Trustworthiness
How to Dominate Google
Not just about your website. Aim is to occupy as many spots on Page 1 as possible.
Google Business Profile
Social properties
Facebook Page
Instagram
YouTube
Ensure all social profiles link to school's website in bio or about section. And preferably to each other.
Business directories
National e.g. Thomson, Yell, Yelp
Local business directories
Check local council sites. Search for other local listings
NAP
Industry-specific directories e.g. dojos.co.uk, NEST
Can use citation management tools e.g. BrightLocal or SEMRush
What should my school rank for?
Keyword research
What sort of terms did I track for my school?
How to perform research
Check competitor keywords using tools eg SEMRush/Ahrefs
Google Autocomplete
Google Keyword Planner - Discover New Keywords. Filter by your locality
List of top MA keywords from Google Keyword Planner
UK list
US list
How to keep track of progress
Monthly SERPS reporting
Organic traffic reports in GA
What tools to use
What metrics are most important?
Bonus content / Appendices
Link to monthly SERPS monitoring Excel template
Recommended / Useful SEO tools and their explanations
Recommended tech for beginner / low budget e.g. Excel, Keyword Planner, GA, GSC
Recommended Reading
Books and blogs
Glossary of SEO Terms
Tutorials
How to set up Search Console
How to set up Google Analytics
On-page SEO
Site structure
Example IA diagrams
Page per physical location
Page per art/style
Coaching team / instructor info, but not the first thing people see
Importance of mobile responsiveness
Location(s) in site footer
Include social profile icons/links, phone number in header or footer
Importance of internal links
META title and description
Keywords, including location. Include in title, headings, text, and page URLs. And as ALT text and image filenames
Local SEO location signals
Local landing pages
Embed Google Map
Add NAP
Earn quality local backlinks
Add directions or other text mentioning local landmarks / locations
Include city and state/county in META title
Location-specific pages
Recommended structure and content
Location and keyword in title, H1, first para, related keywords in sub headings
Embed Google Maps
Use appropriate sub-headings and H tags
Location. Ensure same as that used on directory listings and GBP
Photo of venue, venue name in ALT and filename
Include directions to venue and mention key nearby locations/landmarks, to give Google geographic context.
Clear CTA - contact form
Use enough words to maximise chances of ranking, but break up with sections, headings, white space, bullet points etc. Be clear and concise and write for your user.
Powerful images - e.g. students enjoying themselves. Smiling, working together if kids. Only use images if people bashing each other if this is your target audience. E.g. MMA gym wanting to attract competitive athletes.
Include video. To increase dwell-time
Sitemap
Domain name selection
Off-page SEO
Backlink building
Citation building and management
Content marketing
Blogging
Guest blogging
Internally link similar posts to each other and to service/location pages
Video
What sort of content to produce
Instructionals - technique breakdowns, training drills. History and interesting facts about the arts. Interviews. Opinion pieces (could be deliberately controversial). News about the art(s), industry, developments or events in the school. Regular content.
Attract traffic and backlinks
PR - e.g. news articles for local newspappers/sites
Building topical authority - content clusters
Blog post clusters linking to programme pages
Google Business Profile
Importance
how to set up and optimise
How often to post
User Reviews
Google Reviews
Social proof
Backlink Building
Local sponsorships eg sports teams. Backlink on site
Local bloggers / lifestyle blogs, social media influencers? Reach out.
Governing bodies / groups you belong to
Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts (UK)
Technical SEO
Canonicalisation
Sitemaps
Audits
Tools - Screaming Frog, Semrush, Ahrefs etc
Downloadable Resources
On-Page SEO Template (use Hubspot one for inspiration)
SERPS tracking template
Other complementary tactics to dominate Google
Google PPC ads