One day you will decide to start living a new life and start going to the gym. While some may say the first thing to do to start exercising is to buy new shoes, this is not true, the first thing you should do is choose a gym. And that is when problems arise. With an overwhelming number of gyms around, it may be a real challenge to find the one which not only meets all your needs but will not discourage you from playing sports in general.
For gym owners, the situation is no easier. A variety of gyms makes up a vast competition making it not so easy to stand out and show people your gym is what they need. According to the 2021 Gym Industry Global Analysis, there were 7,239 gyms in the UK in 2019, with one in seven people attending a gym. As for the US gym statistics, there are about 41,370 gym facilities, with one in four Americans visiting a gym, and the gym industry makes about $35 billion in revenue each year.
Globally, the number of gyms accounts for more than 210 thousand and the gym and health club industry makes billions of dollars each year. With such a vast number of health clubs available worldwide, businesses in the fitness industry need to outperform the competition and be visible to their potential members. One of the most effective methods to do this is SEO. Search engine optimisation plays a vital role in a gym’s online visibility. An SEO campaign run by professionals can increase awareness, attract new members, and build your fitness club’s reputation.
SEO takes more time to provide results than other digital promotion methods like PPC and SMM, although it offers long-lasting effects. While paid ads like PPC immediately increase traffic to your business, SEO services usually take a few months to display results. However, the primary difference between this method and short-term forms of digital marketing is that SEO allows your website to keep its positions even if you decide to stop using SEO services, while PPC ads cease to exist as soon as you stop paying for them.
Search engine optimisation is the best option if your goal is to get as many customers online as possible and keep getting traffic in the long run. It helps your brand rank high on the internet and builds credibility and trust in the marketplace. Keep reading to find out how your gym can benefit from better rankings in search results.
SEO Results for Gyms
Gym owners face many challenges when trying to attract new members. When searching for a gym, most people run a Google search and then call the first gyms on the list. So, to boost the flow of visitors to your fitness facility, you need to land in that crucial first spot. SEO allows your website to rank high among the search results for all people searching for ‘best gym near me,’ ‘total body workout,’ ‘ladies fitness,’ and thousands of other search queries.
When looking at the Google search data for the keyword ‘gym,’ you’ll see 4.4 million search queries per month. Most of these search terms come from the US (1.2 million), India (622 thousand), and the UK (376 thousand), demonstrating that a vast number of people from different parts of the world are regularly searching for a good gym that would meet their needs. Google Trends show a similar picture:
You can see a steady growth of the search term ‘fitness near me’ from 2004 to today, with the US, Australia, and Canada leading in the interest by the region category.
For all gym owners, this statistical data means that there are millions of potential visitors to their fitness centres, each of which can become a regular gym visitor and help your business grow and develop. With a successful SEO, your gym website will rank highly on Google and become visible to all people, attracting new members.
People Search Differently for Gyms
Keyword research is essential for the successful SEO of your website. For example, trying to rank for the term ‘gym’ is almost impossible, especially if you run a small business or just started promoting it online. Instead of this, you may include keywords that reflect the services your gym provides or specify a location in your content. People may search for ‘gym in London,’ ‘functional fitness’, or ‘yoga classes’ when searching for a gym, and determining the right keyword is crucial for your business. The more specific your keywords are, the less likely you will compete for them with lots of other companies. The screenshot below shows people’s search queries when looking for a gym.
Some of your potential clients can also form their queries as questions:
An SEO agency can help you identify the industry-specific keywords and integrate them into the content of your website, allowing it to capture higher positions in the SERPs.
The Effectiveness of SEO for Gyms
The fitness industry is highly competitive, and managing SEO for gyms can also be quite challenging. Nevertheless, SEO can play a vital role in your gym’s online visibility when implemented correctly. Let’s look at some of the successful search engine optimisation results with the examples we’ve prepared.
The first example is www.hussle.com – a website providing a network of gyms, spas, and pools. Hussle offers clients a one-off visit, multi-gym access with one pass, or a full gym membership, allowing people to choose the program that best suits their needs. The website offers to find a gym near you and book it easily online or in the app. The screenshot above demonstrates that this website has organic monthly traffic of 215 thousand visitors. The estimated value of this traffic is around $150 thousand, which means the website owners would have to spend this money if they decided to get the same search traffic with contextual ads like PPC. Hussle ranks high on Google for the search terms ‘gym with sauna near me,’ ‘gyms in Birmingham,’ and ‘gyms with pool near me.’ The pages bringing the most traffic to this website are displayed below.
Among the top keywords, you can see queries like ‘shoulder press’ and ‘leg workout machines’ that an SEO company can successfully integrate into the content of your website to get as much traffic as possible.
The second example of SEO effectiveness for gym websites is www.fernwoodfitness.com.au – a network of health, fitness, and wellness clubs designed for women. With over 30 years of history, Fernwood network has 70 health and fitness clubs across Australia, helping over 70,000 women achieve their fitness goals
The website has organic traffic of nearly 70 thousand visitors per month, and its traffic value is estimated at $64.4 thousand. Fernwood Fitness website occupies top positions on Google for the search queries ‘ladies gym near me’ and ‘female gyms near me.’ A well-designed SEO strategy allows the website owners to save $65 thousand each month as they don’t have to buy this amount of traffic through contextual advertising, as they get it organically due to the website’s high rankings. In this case, pages with the highest traffic include:
These two examples demonstrate how effective SEO for gyms can be and what results in your fitness business you can achieve regularly.
How to Create Effective SEO for Gyms
Search engine optimisation algorithms are constantly changing, and for all fitness business owners, this can be a bit of a struggle. Here is a helpful quote from SEO expert Nina Baurmann on how this can be tackled:
“Only a user-centered strategy is future-oriented. That is exactly what search engines want: Get the user the best search results. If it is useless for the user, it is useless for your business. Instead of trying to be smarter than the algorithm: Focus even more on creating awesome and useful content for your customers.” – Nina Baumann, Founder at Linkspiel
Even with these words of wisdom, it can be tough to go at SEO alone. NUOTIMA is a full-stack SEO agency that will develop a responsible growth strategy for your gym website, taking into account all the features inherent to this highly competitive sector. We have an experienced SEO team to create custom strategies based on your business goals. Our experts use a combination of digital channels to increase visibility, conversions, and revenue to help your website drive as much organic traffic as possible.
Here is what we can do to grow your gym website:
- Keyword research and strategy. SEO experts at NUOPTIMA use the most effective keyword strategies to help your website rank on the first page of search results.
- Content writing. Interesting, SEO-optimised content is a crucial part of any SEO strategy. We use the most effective techniques to help your website attract visitors and increase search engine rankings.
- Link building. At NUOPTIMA, we perform backlink building to reliable, high-quality websites to improve the credibility of your website and help it grow.
- Local SEO. A local SEO is critical in driving more clients to your gym. Our team will develop and utilise an effective local SEO strategy leading to growth in your customer base.
- Technical SEO. Innovative and effective technical SEO services play a vital role in ranking your website in search engines. Our experts will help you with this task by making a website faster and more understandable for search engines.
It is only a part of our approach to gym SEO. To get more information about NUOPTIMA’s SEO services and our ability to help your website grow and drive new organic traffic, you can book a free discovery call with our team and start growing your business right now.
Boost Your Gym’s Online Visibility with SEO
In the fitness industry, standing out from the crowd is essential. With the right SEO strategies, your gym can enhance its visibility, attract more potential members, and establish itself as a leader in your area.
At Nuoptima, we specialize in SEO for gyms. Our team of SEO experts understands the unique challenges and opportunities in the fitness sector. We employ proven strategies and innovative techniques to help our clients improve their search engine rankings, drive more traffic to their websites, and grow their businesses. Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help your gym excel in the digital landscape.
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FAQ
SEO is crucial for gyms as it helps in attracting potential members and establishing a strong online presence. With effective SEO, your website can rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for potential members to find your gym.
Nuoptima uses a unique approach to SEO for gyms, focusing on keyword research, content creation, and link building. We also optimize existing pages and create new ones to attract as much organic traffic as possible.
With Nuoptima’s SEO services, you can expect increased traffic to your website, higher search engine rankings, and increased membership sign-ups. These results can lead to a significant return on investment over time.
Nuoptima’s services are unique because of our specific expertise in the fitness sector. We understand the unique challenges and opportunities in this field, and we tailor our strategies to meet the specific needs of gyms.
Nuoptima has worked with a wide range of gyms in the past, including small local gyms, large fitness chains, and specialized fitness centers. Our experience spans various fields within the fitness sector, allowing us to provide tailored SEO services that meet the unique needs of each client.
