Over the last year or so, we here at Kirsten Foss Coaching have had so many spa owners come to us with this specific problem: they need more bookings from their Ideal Clients, and they need to know– what’s better for increasing Ideal Client bookings, SEO or a stellar website strategy?

(And yes, this is especially true for spa owners who have gotten more clear about the services they want to offer and have niched into skin therapy!)

Why is this so common? Well, because client attraction is a multi-pronged approach… and you need to use different strategies for different subgoals!

In today’s edition of Spa Business Mastery, we tackle how to know what’s better for increasing Ideal Client bookings: SEO or website strategy. Let’s settle this once and for all!

The SEO vs Website Strategy Debate

When your main goal is to increase bookings, that means we need to create two actions on your website to convert a customer into a booked client:

1. Attraction to the website from a search via SEO
2. Drive consumers to book an appointment from the website (via a call, text, or online booking) through website strategy; how to get into the head of your Ideal Client and prompt them to book a treatment. This includes high-level copywriting, web design, image selection & booking prompts.

That’s right: when it comes to the SEO vs website strategy debate, the answer is that you need both. My team calls the combining of these two strategies a “website rehab”... because we love whipping our clients’ websites into being an automatic booking assistant for them!

Here’s how to figure out how to prioritize your time, effort, and budget to maximize your results:

SEO For Spa Businesses

SEO– short for Search Engine Optimization– is the optimization of a website’s technical configuration, relevance, and links to ensure that its pages are findable via relevant search queries. 

Its key role is to attract clients to your website through a blend of:

• Well-researched keywords and key phrases embedded in both your copy and in your images
• Optimized headlines
• Behind-the-scenes meta descriptions and meta titles

Think of it like this– if you offer facials, and you’ve done your SEO right, then your website and social media platforms will pop up when potential clients in your area search “facials near me” or “the best facials in _____”. When done really right, you may even land on the coveted first page of Google!

SEO is an unskippable part of your funnel. After all, how can you convert leads to appointments if you don’t get any in the first place?

Website Strategy for Spa Businesses

Now, onto website strategy.

Now, this is where most spa owners simply don’t know what they don’t know– and that’s okay!

A lot of you have created your own website on a platform like Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress. Nowadays, there are tons of templates to choose from so that you don’t necessarily have to be website-savvy to create a pretty format for your spa biz!

The pitfall of this, of course, is that the visual aspect is a very minor factor in how well your website converts. Spa owners frequently input visual aspects that slow their website down, don’t speak to their Ideal Client, or (gasp!) subtract from their SEO.

There are four core areas of website strategy where spa owners go awry:

• Having too much or too little copywriting: Copywriting is the name of the game when it comes to reeling in your Ideal Clients. It gives you the opportunity to get clear on your USP (Unique Selling Point), services, benefits, and retail items. It also shows the consumer that you completely understand their inner chatter & physical struggles and know how to create change. We advise to stick with a minimum of 300 words per page (and no more than 600 words per non-blog page!) to hit that sweet spot of valuable-but-not-boring.
• Not utilizing CTAs: CTAs (calls-to-action) are what prompt Ideal Clients to buy that product, book that service, or contact your team. There should be at least one CTA per page and be prominent on the page in order to draw attention.
• Using the wrong images: Do your images reflect your most current branding, Ideal Client, and general atmosphere? The images on your website need to allow your Ideal Client to quickly identify themselves and feel aligned with your service offers. For example, if you're a holistic skin therapist, you probably don't want to be using those highly photoshopped stock photography as it's not a realistic representation of your Ideal Client...you want lifestyle images!
• Not using on-brand language: Are you conversational? Formal? Witty? Fun? Your website’s language should reflect what you and your team embody– after all, your Ideal Client will jive with it and be more drawn to your business because of it! 

What Should Spa Owners Prioritize, SEO or Website Strategy?

While both SEO and website strategy are indispensable tools that, ideally, should be used in tandem to generate bookings from your Ideal Clients, we understand that sometimes there’s just enough budget to start with one.

So if you’re in that position? Definitely kick off with website strategy! After all, if you work on your SEO before your copywriting, image selection, page design, and CTAs, you’ll likely be wasting your efforts on attracting the wrong kind of client… again!

If your current website strategy is not super-detailed about what your Ideal Client feels, wants, and needs or you're simply not getting enough Ideal Clients through the door, then it’s time to up your copywriting skills (or hire it out!) to really connect with them. 

If you’re looking for a done-for-you Website Rehab, contact us today to transform your website into the automatic booking assistant you know it can be.