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5 Essential SEO Best Practices for Wellness Websites

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Founder and CEO of Brandi Allen Marketing (aka BAM)

I work with health coaches that want to make a difference in women’s lives, ditch the hustle, and still have a thriving, profitable business, all while maintaining balance in their own lives. 

My team can help you do this with a curated marketing strategy, monthly content calendars and copy written and delivered in your unique voice and style. 

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5 Essential SEO Best Practices for Wellness Websites

5 Essential SEO Best Practices for Wellness Websites

Google gets more than 1 billion health questions every day. So, making your wellness site visible on search engines is very important. A survey by Moz showed 75% of people don’t look past the first search page. This means being on the first page is critical for wellness sites to find their audiences.1 This article […]

Google gets more than 1 billion health questions every day. So, making your wellness site visible on search engines is very important.

A survey by Moz showed 75% of people don’t look past the first search page. This means being on the first page is critical for wellness sites to find their audiences.1

This article will look at five key SEO strategies for wellness businesses. These strategies aim to boost your online presence, attract leads, and grow.

Key Takeaways

  • The U.S. healthcare industry makes up over 17% of the GDP. This shows how big the wellness business market is and how difficult it is for new, smaller businesses in the space to stand out.
  • Google gets over 1 billion health questions every day. This is why optimizing websites for search is crucial.
  • 75% of people don’t go past the first search page. Being at the top is vital for wellness sites to be seen.
  • Using good SEO practices can help wellness companies get more leads and customers from search engines.

Keyword-Optimized Content Creation

Writing good, keyword-focused content is key to boosting a wellness website’s SEO. By diving deep into keyword research, wellness brands can discover what their audience looks for. This helps pick the right keywords, or, you could say, the right topics to invest in. Such keywords are the basis for making content that matches what users are looking for. It also helps your content be seen more.

Conduct Keyword Research

First, figure out what words and phrases your potential customers use. Looking into keywords helps you understand what users are into. It guides how you shape your content. With this keyword info, you can write stuff that meets your audience’s needs. This makes your wellness brand seem more reliable and knowledgeable.

Incorporate Keywords Naturally

Keywords have to be placed naturally otherwise your readers AND Google are going to know you’re trying to trick them. Work keywords into your writing smoothly. This makes your content sound better to your readers. Also, updating your content now and then shows you’re up to date. It proves your site is a go-to for the latest info.

Create High-Quality, Engaging Content

Having top-notch, interesting content is vital for doing well on search engines.3 Making your content friendly to search engines can raise your brand’s profile. This way, you can reach more people.2 Adding in some fancy stuff like images, videos, and photos can attract more people. It also helps them understand your content better. This means your content is likely to make a bigger impact.

Want to see how your keywords rank? Grab your free audit!

On-Page SEO Optimization

Good on-page SEO is vital for any wellness site’s online success.4 It helps pages rank higher on Google and attracts more organic traffic. To do this, we look at things like what people search for, page titles, links within the site, and web addresses.4

Optimize Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

Making catchy titles and descriptions is key to doing well with on-page SEO.5 Google’s data shows that pages often rank high when they use specific keywords in their titles.5 But, a study of 11 million results found that just having keyword-packed titles doesn’t guarantee a top spot.5 So, it’s good to have unique titles for each page and put keywords up front to match search terms better.5

5 Google also values the impact of meta tags in search results.5 It suggests short, keyword-rich descriptions under 160 characters.5 Meta descriptions should explain what the page offers without misleading users to attract more clicks.5

The title tag is circled in blue in the picture below, and the meta tag or meta description is highlighted in yellow.

A screen shot of the search results for "Hike SEO" demonstrates the difference between a title tag and a meta tag

Use Header Tags Properly

6 Using the right header tags can make a site more searchable and user-friendly.6 They help organize content for easy skimming and Google to understand the hierarchy.4

As you design your website and added text boxes you were given options of H1, H2, H3, and paragraph 1, 2, 3 and so on. Selecting the text size here does more than change the look of a website. It tells Google what your page is about and what the main points are much like a book title, book chapters, subheadings and so on help you organize what you’re reading.

Optimize Images and Other Media

6 Images are not just for looks; they also help SEO and attract more visitors.6 Pages with the right images can get almost half more traffic.6 So, it’s key to use images well on wellness sites.6

6 Also, videos and infographics can keep people on the page longer and boost SEO.4 Adding the right visuals can really help your wellness content stand out.6

Find out how your on-page SEO is doing. Use this free audit!

Mobile-Friendly Website Design

A mobile-friendly website is essential today. It isn’t just a nice feature. It’s key for wellness businesses to succeed.

Around 59% of web traffic comes from mobile devices globally7. Plus, the number of mobile device users is expected to hit 7.49 billion by 20257. Google favors websites that work well on mobile. This makes mobile optimization critical for SEO7.

Responsive Web Design

Creating websites that look good on any screen is vital. Google calls this responsive web design. It not only pleases Google but also improves user experiences. With more than half of web users visiting sites on their phones, this is crucial8.

Optimize Load Times

Speeding up your website is crucial. Quick-loading sites are preferred by users and Google. They result in better search rankings. The best-ranking sites load in under 2 seconds8. For businesses, every second counts. A one-second delay can lead to a 7% drop in conversions.

Mobile Design ElementsBest Practices
Button Size and PlacementImplement simplified layouts with clear calls to action and intuitive navigation.
Image OptimizationEnsure buttons are thumb-friendly and strategically placed for easy accessibility.
Layout and NavigationUtilize standard fonts like Open Sans and Droid Sans to ensure a consistent look across devices and reduce loading time
AccessibilityUse high-contrast colors and a minimum font size of 14px (16px for body content) for improved readability8
Cross-Device ConsistencyUtilize standard fonts like Open Sans and Droid Sans to ensure a consistent look across devices and reduce loading time8

Include mobile-friendly elements to help your site succeed. Use tools like responsive themes and media queries. This way, your wellness site can offer a great user experience and rank well in searches8.

Learn your load time here!

Technical SEO Considerations

It’s key to getting the technical parts of a wellness website right. This ensures search engines can find and rank the site better. Doing this helps wellness brands reach more people online.9

Ensure Crawlability and Indexability

For wellness websites, it’s vital that search engines can navigate and highlight key pages easily. People mostly click on organic search results, not paid ads.

So, strong technical SEO is essential for these brands to stand out.9 Having a good strategy, like fixing your robots.txt and keeping the website clean, greatly helps your website show up in searches.

Implement Structured Data Markup

Using schema.org, a type of structured data markup, can be very beneficial. A study by Schema.org revealed that using it can increase click-through rates by 30%.10 It makes the website’s content clearer to search engines, which in turn helps in showing detailed results to users searching online.

Set Up XML Sitemaps

Having an XML sitemap is crucial for letting search engines find and show a wellness site’s content. According to HubSpot, sites with XML sitemaps have 53% more of their pages indexed.9 This makes it easier for search engines to understand what the site is about, improving its visibility online.

Addressing these points greatly benefits wellness sites online. It attracts more relevant traffic and enhances the site’s search engine rankings, boosting the overall success of the site’s digital marketing strategy.

Computer on a desk shows a wellness website

Local SEO for Wellness Businesses

Today, people use search engines a lot to look for local services. So, having a good local SEO plan is key for wellness brands.11 About 46% of Google searches are for nearby places. This shows why local SEO is vital for wellness businesses that have a store or office.11

Claim and Optimize Google My Business Listing

Starting with your Google My Business (GMB) listing is essential for great local SEO.12 Businesses that make sure their GMB listing is complete and correct are seen as more trustworthy by customers.12

Make sure your GMB profile has all the right info about your business and what you offer. Also, use tools like posts, photos, and reviews to make your GMB listing better and get seen more locally.

Build Local Citations

Having your business info show up accurately across various local sites and lists is very important too.13 When your business name, address, and phone number are the same everywhere online, you can expect more people to find you through Google searches.13

Don’t forget to claim and update your business listings on sites like Yelp, Facebook, and more. This work makes your place in local searches better and shows potential customers that they can trust you.

By working smart on local SEO, like perfecting your Google My Business listing and ensuring your business info is the same everywhere, wellness companies can boost how many people see them online. This means more customers from the areas you target.111213

Local SEO TacticPotential Impact
Claim and optimize Google My Business listingTwice as likely to be considered reputable by consumers12 Average of seven times more clicks and 70% more location visits compared to uncompleted listings13
Build consistent local citations17% more traffic from Google searches13 Improved local search rankings and trust with potential customers

SEO Best Practices

It’s key for wellness websites to follow important SEO steps. This helps them shine more online and bring in better visitors. As per Backlinko, doing basic SEO right like picking smart keywords, fixing pages, and handling tech stuff, can boost web traffic by 31% on average.14

Keeping the content train running is critical for SEO success. HubSpot found that sites with active blogs end up with a lot more pages that can be found online and more links coming into their site. This makes a clear case for staying on top of your content game.15

Don’t overlook the nerdy side of SEO – the tech bits matter a lot too for wellness sites. Moz discovered that adding schema markup can get you more clicks from search results – 30% more to be exact. Using structured data is a smart move.

Put together, nailing these SEO tactics can seriously boost a wellness web spot. It gets them seen more on search engines, brings in visitors who really might become fans, and helps reach out to the ideal crowd more directly.1415

Link Building and Authority

Link building is key to make wellness websites rank higher on search engines. A study by Ahrefs showed that top-ranking Google pages have 3.8 times more backlinks than second-page sites. This highlights how vital link building is for these types of sites.16 Backlinks from well-known sites boost a website’s trust and where it ranks on search results.16

Create Linkable Assets

Wellness brands must create content that others want to link to. This could be guides, research, infographics, or stunningly visual content.17 These different types of content, like eye-catching visuals and original data, are proven to attract more links and shares.17

Pursue High-Quality Backlinks

Wellness sites should also aim for backlinks from trusted sources. Moz says having more unique backlinks helps you rank higher. The top-ranking pages often have more backlinking sites.18 Guest blogging and PR approaches, like press releases, are great ways to get these links. They can boost your wellness site’s reputation and clout.1817

Focusing on creating valuable content and getting quality backlinks helps wellness websites become more trusted. This, in turn, attracts more visitors and leads, boosting their digital success.

Want to see what backlinks you already have? Find out here.

User Experience and Engagement

Wellness websites aim for a seamless, engaging user experience. They do this by optimizing for user intent19 and increasing dwell time20. This way, they draw in more visitors and build strong connections with their audience.

Focus on User Intent

Now, search engines prefer websites that meet user search intent.19 Know your audience’s needs well. Create content that helps them. This approach will pull in more visitors and keep them engaged.20

Optimize for Dwell Time

How long users stay on a webpage, known as dwell time, is key for search ranking.20 Websites that keep users interested rank better. This shows search engines your content is relevant and valuable.20

Encourage Social Sharing

Using social media is great for increasing engagement and social sharing on wellness websites.19 Stay active on social media. Create content users will want to share. This tactic boosts your site visibility and drives more conversions.19

Personally, I’d recommend using Pinterest as your primary social media for your website because, guess what! It functions more as a search engine than a social platform. So your content is shared based on what it’s about vs. your popularity.

Organic Traffic Using SEO Best Practices

The traffic that is most likely going to convert to paying customers is organic! So help your ideal client find you by implementing the above SEO best practices.

If you’re curious to see how your website currently ranks, use our free audit tool or book a free consultation to learn more!

SEO Best Practices FAQ

What are the essential SEO best practices for wellness websites?

Research shows that making content and the site itself better can boost visits. For wellness sites in competitive areas, this is key.

Why is improving SEO and growing organic presence a top priority for wellness marketers?

HubSpot says 61% of marketers focus on SEO to bring in better customers. Doing SEO right helps find more people through search.

How important is ranking well on the first page of search results for wellness websites?

75% of searchers stop at the first page, as a Moz survey revealed. So, ranking high is crucial for wellness sites to be seen.

What is the importance of creating keyword-focused content for wellness websites?

Brightedge study points out that over half of site visits come from search. So, using the right keywords is vital for wellness brands.

What is the optimal length for content on wellness websites?

Semrush’s study found top-ranked Google pages have about 1,447 words. This shows longer, detailed content works better.

How often should wellness brands publish new content?

Posting new content frequently makes a site get almost 8 times more visits, says Moz. Wellness brands need a solid content plan.

How important are optimized title tags for wellness websites?

Backlinko found adding the right keywords to titles helps pages rank much better on Google. They can jump to an average position of 5.8.

What is the importance of using header tags to structure content?

Moz’s research highlights the benefit of structured content for search engines. It makes the site easier for them to understand.

How can image optimization impact the performance of wellness websites?

HubSpot notes that optimized images can increase site visits by 47%. So, wellness sites shouldn’t skip on image SEO.

Why is mobile-friendliness important for wellness websites?

Google says if a mobile site doesn’t work well, 61% won’t return and 40% will check out a rival. A good mobile site matters a lot.

How does website speed optimization impact the performance of wellness businesses?

Faster-loading pages rank higher, as found by Backlinko. They also found a slow page can reduce sales by 7%. So, speed is vital.

Why is technical SEO optimization crucial for wellness websites?

Moz found most people ignore ads and focus on organic search results. This makes good tech SEO key for wellness websites to rank well.

How can implementing structured data markup benefit wellness websites?

Schema.org’s study shows structured data can boost click-through rates by 30%. It’s a simple way to stand out in search results.

What are the benefits of having an XML sitemap for wellness websites?

HubSpot found with a sitemap, websites get 53% more pages indexed. This helps search engines understand and show more of your content.

Why is local SEO important for wellness businesses with a physical location?

BrightLocal reveals 46% of online searches are local. For wellness sites with a location, local SEO is essential to be found.

How can having a complete and accurate Google My Business listing benefit wellness businesses?

Moz says accurate listings make a business look more trustworthy. They are twice as likely to be seen as reliable by customers.

What are the benefits of having consistent NAP citations for wellness businesses?

Whitespark’s research shows accurate contact info across the web can boost Google traffic by 17%. Consistency is key.

What are the overall benefits of implementing essential SEO best practices for wellness websites?

Backlinko notes that using good SEO practices can increase site visits by 31%. It’s worth the effort for wellness businesses.

How can consistent content creation impact the performance of wellness websites?

HubSpot shows blogging increases site visibility. It leads to more pages indexed and more links coming in, which helps the site grow.

What are the benefits of implementing schema markup for wellness websites?

Moz’s study shows using schema can improve search results clicks by 30%. It’s a smart move to get more attention online.

Why is link building crucial for wellness websites?

Ahrefs’ study found top-ranking Google sites have nearly 4 times more links. This shows the power of links for wellness websites.

How can guest posting on industry blogs benefit wellness brands?

HubSpot highlights that posting on respected blogs can get wellness brands more links and better authority. It’s a win for SEO.

What is the importance of dwell time for the SEO performance of wellness websites?

More time spent on a page often means higher Google rankings, as Backlinko discovered. It’s a sign that people find the content valuable.

How can aligning content with user search intent benefit wellness websites?

Moz says focusing on what users really want can double your site’s traffic. It’s a strategy that works well for wellness sites.

What is the impact of social engagement on the lead generation of wellness brands?

HubSpot says active social profiles can double your leads. It underlines the power of social for wellness brand success.

Source Links

  1. https://surferseo.com/blog/healthcare-seo/
  2. https://rockcontent.com/blog/seo-content-creation/
  3. https://www.crowdcontent.com/blog/seo/blog-seo-best-practices/
  4. https://www.semrush.com/blog/on-page-seo/
  5. https://backlinko.com/on-page-seo
  6. https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33655/a-step-by-step-guide-to-flawless-on-page-seo-free-template.aspx
  7. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/mobile-website-design/
  8. https://www.romainberg.com/blog/web-design/designing-a-mobile-friendly-website/
  9. https://bonzer.io/blog/technical-seo-guide
  10. https://www.semrush.com/blog/technical-seo/
  11. https://radialgroup.com/how-to-optimize-health-wellness-websites-for-local-seo/
  12. https://www.webfx.com/industries/health/hospitals-healthcare/local-seo/
  13. https://www.beaconmm.com/2022/01/28/your-local-seo-guide-to-marketing-your-mental-health-practice/
  14. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide
  15. https://backlinko.com/hub/seo/best-practices
  16. https://foundationinc.co/lab/seo-link-building-best-practices
  17. https://backlinko.com/link-building
  18. https://www.syntacticsinc.com/news-articles-cat/link-building-best-practices-strategies/
  19. https://seranking.com/blog/ux-ui-seo/
  20. https://www.uxpin.com/studio/blog/ux-seo-guide/

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