This article is written for Life Coaches & anyone who want to improve their google ranking. 13 is a lot of steps, but take it one at a time & you will get there! Remember, ALWAYS BE CONSISTENT.

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Let's Get Started

Step 1: NAP

• Carefully write out your Name, Address, Phone, Email (NAP).

• Save it on your computer and NEVER change or deviate from even the smallest detail when using it. This is exactly how you must write out your NAP for the rest of time.

Copy and paste this exact version whenever you use your address. Whether you choose to write it long hand or abbreviate words like "street". Write your NAP 1 way, and one way only.

BE CONSISTENT ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS.

Step 2: Keywords, Title Tags, Description, Services, & Tagline

Keywords

• Research local keywords, keywords for your business, & also research your competition to see what they are writing. See what is already working & then make it your own.

Need Help?

Use Google Ads Keyword Planner (it’s free!) Here is a helpful link with more info on using Keyword Planner written by backlinko. Also Wordstream.com has a decent keyword research tool. Here is a list from ahrefs.com with more help planning your keywords.

1. Google Trends

2. AdWord & SEO Keyword Permutation Generator

3. Answer the Public

4. Google Correlate

5. Keywords Everywhere

6. Wordtracker

7. Scout

8. Google Search Console

9. Suggestion Keyword Finder

If you have the budget for it, you can even buy a premium tool such as Ahrefs, Moz, or SpyFu. SEMRush takes spying on the competition to another level.

Google keyword planner is usually all most people need; however,

before you finalize your list of keywords, it is good to use Google Trends & see if the interest in those keywords is rising or falling. Now Let's Choose!

• First: Choose your Offering keyword or phrase, this should describe what you offer to your clients

• Next: Choose a Marketing Power-Word! Here’s a helpful article for you to find some! https://sumo.com/stories/power-words

• Choose the 1-2 high ranking BEST keyword(s)

• Choose 2 mid ranking keywords

• How do you know how they rank? Using the tools we've listed like Google Keyword Planner.

Title Tag

• Now that that you know your keywords. Write out your SEO title tag for your homepage in the structure below (use 60 characters or less)

• Power Word (e.g. Best, Top, Amazing, New, Certified) and Offering Keyword or Phrases (eg. Wellness Coach, life coach) | City & State Abbreviation | Name of your business (business name ideally contains a keyword)

• Insert your Title Tag on your site. Don’t know how? Google “insert title tag on my __________ (insert web-host name, e.g. wix or wordpress) page.”

Alright, Title Done Now for the Description

• Write a description that includes your offering keyword, location keyword, best keyword, and power-words. (Less than 160 characters)

• Insert your meta description tag on your site. Don’t know how? Google “insert meta description tag on my __________ (insert host name, eg wix or wordpress) page.”

• Add your description to the homepage of your website above the fold (Above the fold = What your users first see on your homepage before scrolling)

Bonus Task: Write a Tagline that has your keyword & a power-word & use it wherever it makes sense

Incorporate all of the above EVERYWHERE consistently

Now Take a break & reward yourself.

Step 3: Create a Google My Business

• Verify it

• Add in your NAP consistently

• Choose additional business categories (as many as are relevant)

• Add in your service area

• List your business hours

• Add in your services

• Add your consistent description

• Add in opening date

• Add in photos

• Make sure your location pin is correct

• Create a post for your business announcing who you are and what you do (Use keywords and your URL in this post)

Step 4: Bing Places

• Import your business info from Google My Business.

• Verify your business listing (if it isn’t already)

• Ensure you NAP is consistent

• Optimise your listing & be consistent

Time for a little reward & self care then back to work!

Step 5: Use a schema markup.

• Use Google Structured Data Markup Helper to get the markup.

• Google “how to add a schema markup to my ________________(insert your webhost name, eg Wix or Wordpress) page.

Want to know what structured data is? Here is a helpful article by Moz.

Schema Markups are stressful take a breather

Step 6: Make sure your address is on your home page.

Step 7: Make sure a map is on your contact page.

(Google provides you with one, just google your business and click share. Read here to learn how to embed a map. & learn how to add html right with article from hubspot here)

Step 8: Make sure your have alt tags (descriptions in the photos metadata) on all your images especially on your home page and include your city and state in them.

(Helpful article about alt tags from Yoast here)

Step 9: Start a social media page include your NAP

(here is a helpful article about which social media platform is right or you by businessnewsdaily.com)

After all that you deserve a reward. Go ahead reward yourself

Step 10: Start a business yelp page and list your business anywhere you can.

(unofficial step 6.1: block yelp’s phone number when they call the first time and say no to anything they offer, you can DIY it all through their https://biz.yelp.com site.)

Step 11: Ensure your website and other pages (mybusiness, yelp, social, bing) are ACTIVE

• Continuously add relevant content.

• Include content that is relevant to the location you are in as well as.

• Post relevant valuable content, in different formats.

Post ENRICHED content!

• Answer the questions your customers ask and thoroughly.

• Always be updating your content on social and on your website.

• Include Links to your social pages AT THE BOTTOM of your Webpage (You don't want to give people a reason to click out the moment they get there.

• Respond to reviews

• Create a check-in offer on Google, Yelp or Facebook.

• BE SOCIAL

Step 12: Promote yourself Be shameless! Tell EVERYONE, the checker at the store, your neighbor, your friends, EVERYONE!

You’re almost there! You never thought you’d make it this far!

Step 13: Backlinking

Include links to other relevant sites on your site and try and get those sites to link back to you. (Hope you were paying attention, this page is filled with them)

It's called cross promoting, not only does it get you more followers & users, google feels that a link to you from an already reputable site makes YOU far more reputable yourself. So go out and link and get backlinks! How? Here's a couple ways.

1. Make friends with other businesses & people that are already successful with successful followings. Write articles that reference them. Message & email them prior to releasing the articles and ask them if it’s ok for your to hyperlink to them. This will put you on their radar and often leads to them backlinking to you.

Or

Here’s a helpful site https://neilpatel.com/backlinks/

Also remember it never hurts to ask, everyone likes to hear how amazing they are & most people want to help.

Bonus step test your SEO using sites like https://neilpatel.com/seo-analyzer/

http://www.seowebpageanalyzer.com/

https://sitechecker.pro/

And stay in tune with your site using Google Search Console.

Don't get discouraged if your SEO isn't perfection. Just keep working on it a little at a time & know every step no matter how little makes a difference.

YOU DID IT! GIANT REWARD & EXTRA LONG BREAK TIME!!!