Do you ever go beyond the first page of Google results? If you’re like the majority of the population, the answer is most likely no. This is why it’s important that your event company’s website is ranking in one of these top spots! SEO for event profs can change the game, resulting in more eager paying customers for you and your event company.

SEO is the practice of creating a website that search engines show to users when they’re searching for information on the Internet. This marketing strategy of SEO for event profs is incredibly important, as more and more people are doing research online before making a purpose. Because you want to be where the customers are, you want your website to appear when people type terms into Google such as “event rentals near me,” and “best party rentals.” Let’s learn how to do that!

The Top 10 Best SEO Tools for Event Profs

Your SEO action plan is as follows:

1. Perform a site audit
2. Choose and implement the right keywords on your website
3. Create a backlink strategy

1. Perform a Site Audit

When you perform a site audit, you check every page on your website to ensure everything is working and loading properly. You can use a tool like Screaming Frog to do this for you, or you can perform a manual site audit.

Website Audit Checklist for Event Profs

Some red flags that deserve your immediate attention:

• Broken linksIf a link on your website leads to an error page, this is a vote against your site. This means that Google is likely to rank your website lower. Make sure that all the links on your website lead to other pages on your site, or to other credible websites.

• Outdated information
  If information is old or outdated, this is another knock against your website. For instance, this could look like referencing an old company address, even though you’re now located in a different area.

• Slow loading timesMost people get frustrated and leave when a website takes longer than 3 seconds to load. If you notice that your website is loading slowly, this is something you want to fix ASAP. You may need to speak to your web developer for assistance.

• Duplicate contentDuplicate content occurs when the same or very similar piece of content lives on multiple web pages across the Internet. If you have the same call to action or product description on every page of your website, this could hurt your SEO score.

• Formatting issuesWhen you follow the best practices for titles, headers, images, and more, you’re setting your website up for success. Learn more in our SEO Crash Course webinar and our UX guide.

2. Choose & Implement the Right Keywords

Every piece of content you produce should be centered around a keyword phrase, whether you’re creating the homepage of your website or writing a blog post. Let’s break this down:

What is a keyword?

A keyword is a singular word or a longer phrase that embodies the topic of your content. It is also what people (potential customers!) are typing into a search engine, trying to find more information. So, say you’re a tent rental company. If your target client is wedding planners, then when someone searches “best tents for an outdoor wedding,” you want to make sure that your awesome inventory is showing up in the #1 spot.

How do I know what keywords to use?

It’s important you choose the keywords your customers use, not the ones you THINK they should use. For instance, you may provide a curated tabletop selection for events. However, if people are instead searching for “pretty wedding plates,” then this may give you a hint about what terminology to include on your website. You should also always include the area you serve, so that people in that area can more easily find you.

You can use free tools like Google Search Console and Google Keyword Planner to determine what your target market is searching, so you can add these to your site!

Where do I add keywords to my website?

The short answer is: everywhere that makes sense! This means that your keyword placement should be natural. No one– human visitors and search engine crawlers alike– wants to read a sentence that sounds something like “XYZ Event Rentals, serving event rentals to all D.C. residents who are looking for event rentals for their event.” This isn’t a good user experience, and it alerts the search engine crawlers that you’re keyword stuffing, which can be flagged as spam.

You should add keywords to:

• Titles
• Headers
• URLs
• Alt text of images
• Meta descriptions

Be sure to advertise your business while also sounding natural!

3. Create a Backlink Strategy

Backlinks are one of the best things you can do for your SEO outside of your website.

What is a backlink?

A backlink occurs when another website includes a link to your site on one of their pages. This tells search engine crawlers that your website is providing value and is a good source of information. The more credible this website is, the better it is for yours.

How do I get backlinks?

Event professionals can get backlinks by:

• Writing guest blog posts for others’ websites
• Allowing the use of your photos (with credits!)
• Being featured in publications
• Partnering with others to host webinars and podcasts

These are some of the best ways to get backlinks for your event company, but certainly not the only ones!

SEO for Event Profs

Search engine optimization is key to bringing in new, qualified leads to your event business. Your website is your opportunity to showcase your unique inventory, tell your story, and set you apart from the competition. You’re now armed with these three first steps toward a revamped SEO strategy!