Martial arts studios can gain more students with SEO

Martial arts studios often market their services aggressively, but traditional approaches to advertising have lost effectiveness over time. Now, instead of wasting time on the phone, masters know martial arts advertising efforts can be improved by optimizing the website for search engines and implementing a pay-per-click strategy.

Although business websites are not a new concept, many small organizations do not have one, and of the ones that do, many are not optimized for modern SEO. Because search engine algorithms are constantly changing, a website that is not regularly updated can quickly drop down in the rankings. However, SEO is extremely complicated, and most Masters do not have time to acquire this knowledge.

Martial arts studios still using outdated advertising

Since traditional advertising techniques do not require technical knowledge on the part of the Master, many martial arts studios are still relying on portable outdoor signs, ads in local newspapers, and phone book advertising. While these techniques were once effective at driving traffic into a studio, marketing methods have grown far more advanced.

When martial arts studios want to grow their student base, online marketing can be more effective for bringing in new people.

Consumer preferences are changing

As technology has evolved, so has consumer behavior. People are constantly connected to the Internet through their smartphones, according to Media Post. Because the techniques available to marketers have grown more sophisticated, consumers have come to expect advanced, modern advertising campaigns. Traditional advertising may not have the same impact anymore.

For example, if someone watches a martial arts video from his or her smartphone on the bus and then passes a martial arts studio, the person can immediately look up the business without needing to remember the spelling or location at a later time. Online marketing functions more quickly than traditional advertising.

However, local companies are often reluctant to move away from the advertising strategies they have relied on for years. Although Internet marketing can seem daunting for many martial arts studios, it has a better return on investment and increases consumer awareness. Investing in advanced marketing methods can help martial arts studios keep up with changing consumer demands and preferences.

How can martial arts studios get new students?

Using the latest SEO techniques, a studio’s website can be optimized so it will be more likely to be found when local people are searching for martial arts. Once the website has been optimized, studios can utilize PPC advertising. Unlike basic SEO, PPC allows a website to be found immediately in search results, but there is a cost every time someone clicks an ad.

PPC can significantly increase website traffic, and once visitors are on the site, SEO can improve conversion rates. Conversions can increase by as much as 500 percent when studios include calls to action.