SEO for Fitness Websites (5 Ranking Tips + SEO Keywords)-SEO

With the right SEO strategy in place, fitness centers, gym owners, and personal trainers can increase organic visibility for their websites on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing to attract more clients and memberships for their businesses.

This guide explains the fundamentals of how to do SEO for fitness websites and gyms from start to finish. It also includes a list of keyword ideas to target and the most searched topics in the fitness industry so you can easily generate content ideas for your website.

Key Points

SEO for Fitness Websites & Gyms Strategy Guide

1. Choose the Right SEO Keywords

The first step in optimizing your fitness website for SEO is to create a list of keywords that are related to your particular business.

If you’re trying to attract local clients or new members, then you’ll want to focus on keywords that include your local area. For example, “fitness center in Baltimore”, “yoga studio in Cambridge”, “Crossfit gym in Barton”, or “Scottsville Zumba classes”.

If you’re trying to attract fitness or gym members on a national or international level, then you can target general keywords in the fitness niche. For example, “online fitness program”, “Pilates training coach”, “wholesale gym equipment”, or “Daily Burn workouts at home”.

One of the best keyword research tools for this process is  KWFinder by Mangools (try it for free). It’s one of the only SEO tools I recommend as an affiliate because it’s a cheap, yet powerful tool for keyword research.

The Mangools suite of tools also comes with other great things like a Keyword Rank Tracker, Backlink Miner, and Site Profiler. And, in my opinion, there’s no other tool you need to be successful with SEO for gyms and fitness websites.

Here’s a quick demo of how the KWFinder keyword research tool works:

In KWFinder, you can search for a seed keyword like “boxing gyms in Maryland” and the tool will show you related keyword phrases along with the average monthly search volume and keyword difficulty score  (more on this SEO metric later).

In the image below, you can see suggested keywords like “boxing gym Baltimore”, Knockout fitness Baltimore”, “boxing classes in Maryland”, “boxing gym Annapolis”, and many more.

Whenever you see a green-colored square under the KD (Keyword Difficulty) column, that means the keyword phrase is easy to target. As a fitness center, gym, workout studio, or personal trainer, you should be looking for keywords with high search volume and low keyword difficulty to write content on for your website.

By following this SEO strategy for keyword selection, you can achieve faster ranking results in Google, Yahoo, and Bing than if you were to go after more difficult terms with high KD scores.

Another thing to keep in mind here when creating your final list of SEO keywords is that it’s best to cluster the closely related keywords together so you can target them all on one page. You do not want to create two or more separate pages for keywords that target close variations or attract the same type of fitness client or gym member.

For example, you wouldn’t write a separate piece of content for “boxing gym in Baltimore” and “boxing gyms in Baltimore County” even though these two keyword phrases show up in a keyword research tool like KWFinder. Both of those keyword phrases belong on the same page. Similarly, keyword phrases like, “online Zumba classes” and “virtual Zumba classes” belong on the same web page; not as separate pieces of content.

2. Optimize Your Fitness Website for SEO

After you have a good list of keywords to target, the next step for fitness SEO is to optimize your website for your target phrases.

As previously mentioned, the best way to do that is to create individual pages for the keyword clusters you’re focusing on. That way, you can optimize the content so it can rank for all of the related terms and capture the most amount of traffic.

Now, there are about 20 HTML locations you can optimize a financial advisor website for SEO, but the 5 elements listed below are the best places for you to get started. By optimizing these locations the right way, you’ll give your content a better chance at ranking on the first page of Google without having to worry as much about the other 15 spots.

Note: If you want a comprehensive guide on on-page optimization for advanced SEO training, then check out the Complete On-Page SEO Checklist.

Meta Title Tags

The meta title, also known as the title tag, is one of the most important ranking factors for on-page SEO. Meta title tags tell Google what the page content is about and get displayed in the search results for your website listings. Therefore, the keywords you put in this HTML field are crucial for higher rankings.

If you have an SEO plugin installed on your site, then you can easily edit the title tag for your web pages to include your target keywords. All-In-One SEO, Yoast, and RankMath are good options for this purpose.

The best way to optimize the meta title tag is to put your main target keyword at the beginning of the page title so it appears first in Google’s search engine. This position also has the most SEO weight for rankings.

Here’s an example of a good meta title tag that’s optimized for the keyword phrase, “Pilates studio in Destin”.

• Title Tag: Pilates studio In Destin, FL (Individual & Group Classes)

You can also look at the top 5 ranking pages in Google for your target keyword phrase to get ideas on how to write a well-optimized title tag. The top-ranking pages are clearly optimizing this HTML field correctly, otherwise, they would not be ranking so high in Google’s search engine.

Meta Descriptions

The meta description is another field you can optimize with an SEO plugin. Meta descriptions give Google, Yahoo, and Bing a brief summary of what the page content is about. Meta descriptions are also displayed under your web page listings in the search results when they best match the user’s query.

A simple gym and fitness SEO tip here is to include your main target keyword as the first piece of text in the meta description. Then, include as many secondary keywords as you can without repeating too many of the same words or making it sound unnatural.

Here’s an example of a meta description that is properly optimized for the keywords “senior fitness center in New York”, “senior fitness center NYC”, and “fitness center for older adults in NYC”.

• Meta Description: Voted BEST senior fitness center in New York City. Participate in group fitness lessons, tennis, yoga, pickleball, and more with other older adults in NYC.

If you need additional help optimizing the meta description for a target page, follow the previous advice about doing a Google search for the main keyword phrase. The meta descriptions for the top 5 ranking pages on Google will help guide you on the word order and choices to include in this HTML element.

Page URLs

The page URL is another important ranking factor for fitness websites and gyms. Page URLs are the string of text that appears in the search bar and point to a particular page on the site. Google also displays a portion of this URL in the SERPs. Therefore, it’s good to have your main keyword as the URL.

You also want to use dashes (-), not underscores (_) between words in the URL. Google doesn’t recognize underscores as word separators and that can harm your SEO efforts on a fitness or gym website.

For example, the URL for this SEO guide is:

• /seo-for-fitness-websites/

Now, if you were creating a web page for a specific fitness class, gym workout program, or personal training session, then the URL structure should contain the primary keyword phrase and the location.

For example, a page targeting the keyword phrase, “Zumba classes in West Hollywood” could look like this:

• /zumba-classes-in-west-hollywood/

For a blog post targeting a fitness-related topic, such as “why is cardio important for bodybuilding”, the best URL would be this:

• /why-is-cardio-important-for-bodybuilding/

Headers

The headers for a web page include the H1 to H6 tags. The H1 heading is usually coded in HTML as the visible page title for the reader. A good rule of thumb for SEO is to copy the title tag text into the H1 heading so they are duplicates of each other.

For example, the meta title tag mentioned in our previous example for meta title tags could be copied into the H1 heading for the page so it looks like this:

• H1 Heading: Pilates Studio In Destin, FL (Individual & Group Classes)

The H2 to H6 tags are used to outline the content for the reader. H2s are the main subheadings, while H3s are subheadings under H2, and so forth down the line to H6.

When implementing SEO for gyms and fitness sites, you want to put your main keyword for the web page in the first H2 subheading and then try to include secondary keywords in subsequent H2 tags in a natural way if you have any to target.

For example, a personal trainer page targeting the keyword phrases “personal trainer cost in Miami” and “hourly rate for a personal trainer in Miami” could optimize two H2 subheadings on the page like this:

• H2 Subheading: Average Personal Trainer Cost In Miami
• H2 Subheading: Hourly Rate for a Personal Trainer In Miami at Our Gym

If your content has any H3 subheadings, you can put keyword variations and partial-match keyword phrases in this HTML tag to help boost the on-page SEO signals without over-optimizing the target keywords.

For example, the following text could be placed in H3 subheadings for the “Average Personal Trainer Cost In Miami” H2 section to bolster on-page relevance:

• H3 Subheading: Low-End Cost for a Personal Trainer
• H3 Subheading: High-End Cost for a Personal Trainer
• H3 Subheading: Average Price Per Month

As for the H4 to H6 tags, these HTML elements can be ignored for on-page SEO as they don’t have as much influence on search engine rankings. You can choose to use them, if needed to outline the content for the reader, or ignore them without any worries about the impact for SEO.

Navigation Menu

The navigation menu can also be optimized for SEO purposes on a fitness website. Not only does this menu help visitors navigate your site but it also tells Google what the most important pages are for your visitors, and therefore, should rank the highest in the search results.

To use this SEO strategy, simply place a link in the navigation menu with keyword-optimized anchor text for the seed keyword phrase. You don’t need to go overboard by adding the exact match phrase with your target state or city location because the content on the target page and the rest of the website will already contain that information.

For example, if you were targeting the keyword phrases “aerobic exercise center in Fort Worth”, “Jazzercise fitness classes in Forth Worth”, and “yoga studio in Forth Worth, then a good set of anchor text links for the navigation menu would be:

• Aerobic Exercise Center
• Jazzercise Fitness Classes
• Yoga Studio

3. Set Up A Google Business Profile

Creating a Google Business page listing is crucial for fitness centers and gyms with a physical location. Having a physical location listed on a verified Google Business Profile will help your fitness organization be better optimized for local searches that include your city or town name as well as “near me” searches.

For local businesses, a Google Business Profile listing ensures your business also shows up in the Google Map Pack in the search engine. The Google Map Pack is a search results feature that enables users to quickly identify the most relevant businesses that provide what they searched for. This feature includes the top three business listings that Google’s system determines is the most relevant for the searcher.

A Google Business Profile allows you to include photos, hours, fitness activities, contact information, and reviews, so it’s beneficial for more than just SEO purposes. Google Business Profiles also help to attract new clients and members to your exercise facility.

Follow these best practices to optimize your Google Business Profile for local SEO:

• Set Up a Google Business Profile: Go to google.com/business/.
• Complete All Information Fields: Fill out as much information as possible for your business listing, including the physical address, phone number, and category. The more information you include, the easier it is for Google to match your business with relevant keyword searches.
• Put Relevant Keywords In the Business Description: Adding relevant keywords for your gym and fitness center offerings in the business description can help Google match your listing to more local searches.
• Include Your Business Hours: List your hours of operation for each day of the week. Also, update your listing to include holiday hours as the approach. This improves the reliability of your Google Business Profile which can help improve visibility during certain times of the year.
• Add Photos: Photos are an essential element for fitness and gym SEO on Google Business. Uploading photos to your Profile helps show off your building so potential clients will want to visit your location and know that they’re in the right place upon arrival. You can also add images of your facility, exercise equipment, group training sessions, etc, to get people excited about visiting your fitness center.
• Verify Your Location: Verification is essential for proving your business is located where you say it is. A verified location on Google Business increases your chances of showing up on Google Search and Google Maps.
• Create Optimized Google Posts: Google lets you create posts that appear on your Google Business Profile for new offers, company updates, and events. Each time you create a new post, make sure to add relevant keywords to the content. That way, you can keep your Google Business Profile optimized for the phrases and terms that matter most for attracting the right fitness clients and gym members.

Following these tips will improve the basic optimization of your Google Business Profile. For more advanced SEO tips, check out our Google Business Optimization Checklist and this dedicated guide on How to Add Keywords to a Google Business Profile.

4. Add NAP and Schema Markup to Your Website

NAP refers to the name, address, and phone number of a business.

And when it comes to SEO and ranking in Google, it’s important to have consistency online for your NAP information. A mismatch of NAP for a fitness website can cause a number of ranking issues, which you don’t want to experience.

Plus, every fitness website should have NAP information included even if you don’t have clients or members come into the building.

For example, if your fitness website is an online-only resource, then you should use your home address or office address for the NAP information. By doing this, you can improve the authenticity of the site.

Now, the first step is to make sure your NAP is present on all of your web pages. And the best place to do that is to put this information in the site footer.

It’s also a good idea to put your NAP on the about page for the fitness website.

The next step in this process is to include Schema markup on your site that includes the NAP information.

Schema markup is another way to improve the quality of your business information to increase your fitness website’s rankings in Google.

Simply put, Schema markup is a set of HTML tags that help search engines like Google identify what specific types of content are on a site. And when it comes to NAP information, Schema markup can make sure that the name, address, and phone number are attached to your business without any mistakes.

While the NAP information in your site’s footer is visible, the Schema markup is hidden and only read by Google’s crawler. Basically, it’s an invisible sign that tells Google what your fitness center’s address and phone number are.

You can easily create Schema markup for free to add to your site using Rank Ranger’s Schema Markup Generator. Just choose the “Local Business” option to get the correct fields.

Once you’re done using the tool, copy the HTML code and place it in the footer of your site.

5. Build Local Citations for Your SEO Fitness Website

After your NAP and Schema markup have been added to your fitness website, the final step is to build some local citations to further verify your business.

Local citations are a type of crosslinking in SEO that are made up of directory listings with online profiles that include your business name, address, phone number, website URL, and additional information about your fitness business.

Anyone can create a local citation for their business and many of these directories are free to create a profile.

Local citations are important because they not only verify your NAP information is correct but also act as authoritative backlinks. This is another reason why you should include NAP information on your fitness website even if you don’t technically have a physical building for people to visit.

When it comes to SEO and fitness websites, the more relevant directories you can get listed in, the more Google will trust your business as being real and authentic.

Also, you can add related keywords to your local listing profiles to further associate your site with the queries you want to be ranked for. (See on-page vs off-page SEO for more details about these two types of search engine optimization techniques.)

Below is a general list of local citation sites you can create a profile for your business.

• yelp.com
• foursquare.com
• bbb.org
• local.yahoo.com
• mapquest.com
• yellowpages.com
• angi.com
• here.com
• city-data.com
• manta.com
• tomtom.com
• justlanded.com
• citysearch.com
• merchantcircle.com
• superpages.com
• dandb.com
• us.kompass.com
• factual.com
• local.com
• brownbook.net
• company.com
• yellowbook.com
• chamberofcommerce.com
• infobel.com
• insiderpages.com
• yellowbot.com
• communitywalk.com
• elocal.com
• hotfrog.com
• ezlocal.com
• local.botw.org
• storeboard.com
• tupalo.com
• cybo.com
• ibegin.com
• salespider.com
• showmelocal.com
• neustarlocaleze.biz
• citysquares.com
• n49.com
• cylex.us.com
• yasabe.com
• threebestrated.com
• 2findlocal.com
• bizvotes.com
• b2byellowpages.com

You can also go to a site like Fiverr and pay someone to create these local citation listings for you. See Local Citations on Fiverr for approved vendors.

What are the Best Keywords for Fitness?

Note: These SEO keywords are general ideas for fitness websites. You can mix and match the examples and use other words that apply to your particular fitness center, gym, or studio.

Which Keywords Relate to the Term Fitness?

• aerobics
• athletic training
• bodybuilding
• diet
• exercise
• fitness training
• gym
• health
• health and wellness
• lose weight
• nutrition
• shape
• studio
• weight lifting
• weight loss
• wellness
• work out

Most Searched Fitness Topics

• What is Fitness
• What are the Different Types of Fitness
• Best Exercises for Fitness
• Top Fitness Programs
• Fitness Workout Plans
• How to Lose Weight
• How to Gain Weight
• How to Build Muscle
• How Often Should I Exercise
• How Long Does it Take to See Fitness Results

SEO for Fitness Websites Summary

I hope you enjoyed this guide on SEO for fitness websites.

As you discovered, the basic principle for fitness SEO is to optimize certain elements on each web page so you can maximize the ranking value for each keyword on Google.

The search engine optimization tips I revealed here can work for any type of fitness center, gym, studio, or online fitness website. So feel free to use these SEO strategies to increase your search engine visibility for all kinds of fitness topics online.