Local Gym Optimization on Google My Business
In September we acquired a client that had some unique needs for their business. When we did our keyword research, we realized that when people search for local gyms, they want gyms with weight machines. This particular company didn’t offer that kind of fitness. They also are a Franchise owner operated location. Which means corporate controls their website and doesn’t let anyone have access. This was a hurdle to overcome, but we did with great results.
The Beginning of Our Optimization Process
The beginning phase of our optimization process begins with market research and competitor analysis. We found that there were some companies ranking for keywords that we were going to be targeting. We decided to study what they did and tried to imitate the actions taken.
- What categories were they categorized under?
- What services were they providing?
We then took this research and applied what we felt was attributed to our client. Then the keyword research was implemented and we had images optimized for the geographic location and their niche specific keywords.
Keywords are great for traffic, but keyword research done for keyword intent is more important. If a person is searching for a gym in Boca Raton and they drive up and see there are no weights what are they going to do, stay or leave? Depends really… However, it’s likely they will leave. A Gym is a vague reference, but the searchers intent was to find a weight room. Now, when a person is searching for physical fitness training, this is what our clients customers are looking for, This is what our client offers, so the keyword intent makes all the difference,
What took place during the time we were optimizing their Google My Business?
During the time we cared for this client we:
- Cleaned up any listings that were associated with the same address prior to the client moving their business there.
- Listed on 350 local niche specific directories.
- Images Geo Tagged and Categorized for their niche and uploaded to each directory.
- Proper Google My Business category selection.
- Proper service descriptions listed
We built out their citations for better NAP Scores. Name Address and Phone numbers need to be cohesive across all online directories and maps listings to be fully effective. THIS CAN’T be Achieved through YEXT at all. So never let a company sell you on it. The directories Yext offers are only a portion of high authority domains that list companies so consumers can find them. In fact, many of their directories aren’t even front page listings and are scraped by companies outside of the United States to call them and solicit them.
Keyword Intent Makes The Difference Between Traffic and Conversions
These took 3 months to achieve, the branded keyword search was most important since they opened up 2 months prior to us helping them. Keep in mind many companies will pitch Google, but we optimize for all three of the major search engines including Google, Yahoo and Bing. Keep in mind that there are several facets of Google like Google, Google Mobile and Google Maps. The same goes for Bing like Bing search and Bing Local. Then let’s not forget Yahoo. We rank for all three.
