This is a guest post by Melanie Kealey from Bandzoogle, a website-building platform for musicians.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a powerful tool that can help you get discovered organically and book more gigs. The Google search bar is most people’s first stop when looking for any kind of information — so if your website doesn’t rank highly for your target keywords, chances are slim you’ll ever be seen.
Fortunately, you don’t need to be an SEO expert to elevate your visibility. Getting your website to that coveted #1 spot doesn’t happen overnight, but if you apply these SEO best practices, you’ll have a much better shot at being found by the right audience.
1. Build a website
Social media pages aren’t enough — you need to create a dedicated website that you have full control over.
Whether you’re a musician, comedian, DJ, or any other kind of performer, it’s essential to have an online hub where you can showcase your talent and promote your work. Platforms like Bandzoogle help you create an on-brand, SEO-friendly website in minutes. It’s the best way to ensure that every page you publish is clean, optimized, and responsive without having to deal with any coding.
As you build out your website, one way to boost SEO is to name each page with a simple and descriptive title. Just as you wouldn’t want visitors to have any doubt about what they’re clicking on in your navigation menu, search engines need the same level of clarity. The goal is to make the user experience intuitive while also improving your SEO.
2. Create relevant content
At the heart of SEO is the content itself. As a general rule, the more quality content you have on your website, the better. Every page you publish is another opportunity to rank higher in search results. Make sure everything is well-written and relevant to your target audience.
Google loves to see websites with fresh content. This includes updating even static pages like your bio from time to time. You can also send positive signals to search engine indexes by regularly publishing pieces of content like blog posts, videos, photos, new releases, and upcoming events. However, keep in mind that search engines can only read text. So be sure to optimize images and other visuals you post by adding descriptions or alt text.
3. Use target keywords
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make with SEO is trying to cast too wide a net with highly competitive search terms. If playing guitar is your main gig, for instance, you’re never going to rank in search results by only using generic keywords such as “guitarist” or “musician.” Instead, brainstorm and research specific keywords that accurately reflect your niche so you can target a more engaged audience.
Once you’ve compiled your keyword list, optimize your content by naturally integrating those keywords. Pay special attention to your page titles, headings, meta descriptions, and body text. That doesn’t mean you should stuff keywords back-to-back throughout your pages. Search engines know when you’re trying to game the system, and it will actually harm your website ranking.
Remember that your pages need to be written for humans and search engines, so be strategic about how you incorporate your keywords. You can provide valuable content that resonates with your visitors while sprinkling in words and phrases that will enhance your discoverability.
As your brand and goals evolve, keep coming back to that keyword research. Refine your strategy and update your website accordingly to get the most out of your online presence in the long term.
4. Submit a sitemap
A sitemap is a file that guides search engines through the various pages of your website and the relationship between all of your content. It provides valuable information about the most important pages and files.
If your website has a lot of media, such as images and videos, it’s especially crucial to submit a sitemap. It’s also beneficial for any newly launched website that doesn’t have many external links to it yet because web crawlers will have a hard time discovering those pages on their own.
Google Search Console is a great place to start. It’s a free suite of tools that allows you to submit sitemaps, fix issues, measure your performance, and understand exactly how Google sees your pages. When you build a website with Bandzoogle, your sitemap is created for you automatically.
Don’t forget to resubmit your sitemap and individual URLs for crawling whenever you update or add pages to your website. It’s the best way to keep search engines up to speed and get a leg up in the rankings.
5. Get authentic backlinks
A backlink is like receiving an endorsement from another website. To a human, it just looks like a simple link pointing to another page — you see them all the time on the internet. But every single one of those links plays a major role in how pages are ranked. The more backlinks you have pointing to your site, the more it signals credibility and authority to search engines.
That said, backlinks from any random website won’t necessarily boost your search results ranking. It’s important to focus on getting genuine backlinks from relevant sources. Quality over quantity really matters in your link-building strategy.
As a first step, add your website URL to all of your social media bios and anywhere else that you already have a presence. Then, on your website, link back out to all of those online profiles from your homepage, contact page, or footer. Try to ensure that any press coverage, venues, and blogs always include your website. If you participate in online forums that allow external links, it’s smart to include your URL in relevant posts and comments.
6. Use analytics to measure and adjust
There are dozens of SEO tools out there that can give you invaluable insights. It’s worth investing a little time in learning how to use at least one of them.
Any decent analytics platform will allow you to monitor your website traffic, keyword rankings, bounce rates, and the overall effectiveness of your SEO strategy. All of these metrics can be turned into a data-driven action plan for optimizing your website and rising up the search engine rankings.
Keep in mind that even the best SEO strategies take time to show results. It’s a long game that requires months of patience, analysis, and fine-tuning. However, if you apply all of these tips, you’ll put yourself in an excellent position to get discovered by a wider audience and increase your bookings.
💡 Bonus tip — Double your exposure with GigSalad
SEO is an important part of the GigSalad formula! Search engines find both GigSalad results pages and individual profiles for most keywords related to talent categories and booking prompts. Create a profile that will get you gigs by adding high-quality media, getting great reviews, and optimizing your written content. A well-maintained profile has the best chance of showing up directly on a search engine result page.
Heather is the Content Manager and a GigSalad veteran of 15+ years. She loves helping event planners create unforgettable celebrations and talent make a living doing what they love. When not at work, she enjoys reading romance and fantasy books, bingeing TV shows, playing board games, and spending time with friends.