What are the top 7 mistakes I see hypnotists making with their websites and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ? You asked, so here's my thoughts on this very important topic. My belief is that the world needs more good hypnotists, but if they can't find your website because it's slow or clunky, they can't get the help they need. Having a good website that can be located by the major search engines, is easy to navigate, displays properly on all types of devices, is setup for analytics so you can constantly improve your site, and includes proper calls to action and all the important information is not difficult, but watch out for the following common mistakes.
1. Not having a website at all
Don't make this mistake - most clients, even those that are referred to you will want to check out your website before coming to see you. It's the most powerful and affordable way to market yourself and your business.
2. Not having a Mobile Friendly Website
What is Mobile Friendly? It means your website is viewable on mobile devices and tablets in addition to desktops and laptops. This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. If your website is not mobile friendly you can lose up to 50% of your traffic - they will not be able to view your site. Making sure your website is mobile friendly is an absolute must. Read here for how to check if your website is mobile friendly or not and what to do about it.
3.Spending money on expensive SEO before updating your website
It's tempting to spend money to bring people to your site, but you should first ensure your site is updated. By updated I mean that it is easily viewable on all devices - note that up to 50% (and growing) of your clients will browse your site on a mobile device, so you want to ensure that your site is responsive and displays properly on desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones.
Let's put it this way - if you haven't updated your site in over 3 years, do that first, then consider paying for SEO. But you don't have to pay for SEO, and SEO should be something you do all the time, every time you build a new web page or post. The interesting thing about SEO is that you really don't have to pay a lot for it. Modern content management systems (CMS) like WordPress, and SEO plugins can do a majority of the work for you.
4. Not using free analysis tools
If you're not signed up for Google Analtyics, Google Webmaster Tools, or another website analysis tool, do so now. Even if you don't know right now what you'll do with the data, get your site signed up and configured to use it so you can analyze the results later. Without this important data analysis tool you will never know what pages on your site are bringing in new clients, and which are driving them away.
I use both Google Analytics and Google Webmaster tools.
5. Not using other free social networking tools to promote your website
There is a lot of talk about how much social networking sites like Facebook and Google+ really impact your website and SEO ranking, but the tools are free - so I recommend at least using Google+ and Google My Business to ensure Google knows about your business, address, location, and hours. I typically will post to Google+ once a week, so it doesn't take much time after the initial 30 minutes or so getting setup.
There is another really important reason to use Google My Business - your business can appear on a map in local search results. If you don't have your business signed up with Google My Business your business will not appear in Google Search results on a map.
Cascade Hypnosis Center on Google Maps
Here's how my hypnosis practice, Cascade Hypnosis Center, appears on Google Maps. It shows the business hours, location, phone number, and photos. And all of that is free. Don't miss out on this free and important resource.
Get your business setup with Google My Business here : https://www.google.com/business/.
6. Not focusing enough on the actual words used on your website
Make sure each of your web pages has a good title and description. The page title and description appear on Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) pages, and they are the first thing your clients or customers may see when they search for something - so spend a little time making both compelling and descriptive.
You also want to think about how you word content on your pages. Your page content should be structured to answer a question because that's how people search the internet - they asks questions, like "does hypnosis really work?" For example, on a weight loss page you may want to have the text "Can hypnosis help you lose weight ?"
7. Not having a clear Call To Action (CTA) on your website
A Call-To-Action is a clear message on your website that directs visitors to what they should do next. Here's a few examples :
From my software engineering days one of the primary premises was - don't make people think. Most of the visitors to your website will only scan the webpage - most will not read it from top to bottom. Make sure there is a clear CTA on your website that directs visitors to what they should do next.
This is an important consideration - what do you actually want your visitors to do ? Do you want them to send you an email? Watch a video? Call you? Make sure they know what they're supposed to do and make it easy for them.
Most studies indicate that a button stands out more than a link text, so you'll want to use a button (the third example above) whenever you can.
If you have questions about any of this please leave a comment below or contact me directly.
Erika Flint, BA, BCH, A+CPHI
Erika Flint is a Board Certified Hypnotist, Accredited Certified Professional Hypnotherapy Instructor, Software Engineer, Web Developer, and she's also AdWords Certified. She became a hypnotists after over a decade as a Software Engineer in Silicon Valley.
Now she enjoys using hypnosis to help clients, teaching hypnosis and hypnotherapy to students in one of her hypnotherapy certification courses, and she also provides website, SEO, and AdWords consulting for Hypnotists as part of her year-long mentorship program to help them reach a wider audience by optimizing their website and bringing in new clients.
She's presented her material at the National Guild of Hypnotists, and you can review the details of that talk here: Get new Clients With Google, fast.