Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is what takes a salon website from nice-to-have to financially advantageous. Without it, potential customers will not be able to find you when they search for new salons in your area. If you’re unfamiliar with SEO, it is the process of steps you take to improve to improve your website’s visibility in a search engine’s unpaid results. More simply put, it’s what you need to do to get on the first page of Google results for searches for salons in your area.

Here’s how to put SEO to work for you:

The Key is Keywords

The first step in optimizing your salon’s website is to figure out what keywords to focus on. Keywords are the words people would type into Google to find a hair salon in their area. Try brainstorming keywords by writing out different phrases people might use when searches for salon, for example hair salon followed by the name of your town or neighborhood. You can also use free online tools from Google and other sites to help you. Google’s tool is called Google Planner.

Smooth Incorporator

Once you have your list of keyword phrases, you need to make sure they get added to your website text and to other web pages elements, such as the title tag. When incorporating these keywords into your website, make sure things still read smoothly and don’t appear as if you just stuck random words into sentences. You want your website content to flow and be enticing. Search engine optimization should never impact the quality of your website’s marketing message.

Create Links

Search engines view links to your website as votes of confidence and can build traffic to your website, so try to build as many links as you can from other sites to yours. For example, make sure your Yelp profile includes a link to your website. Use your social media networks to share links to your website. All things being equal, the more links to your website from other reputable websites, the higher your site will appear in Google results.

SEO is complicated, at first, and time consuming, but it can help you generate new business from your website. A little brainstorming and altering wording can make a world of difference for your business.

If you get stuck, are completely confused or would rather do what you do best behind the chair, reach out to a professional salon SEO company, like Salon Search Party. We’ll provide some SEO love to your salon website and help you get the phone to ring.