Jake runs a local gym in Newark, New Jersey. He’s dedicated, experienced, and passionate about helping people get fit. But lately, business has slowed down. Walk-ins have dropped. Phone calls are fewer. His team is doing everything right inside the gym—but something isn’t working outside of it.
He googled “gyms in Newark” and guess what? His business was buried on page 3.
Jake’s story is more common than you think.
In fact, 46% of all Google searches have local intent, yet 56% of local retailers haven’t even claimed their Google Business Profile. That means most gyms are missing huge opportunities to rank locally, and Jake was one of them.
Let’s break down the 10 local SEO mistakes Jake—and many gym owners—make and how to fix them (before your competition does).
- Not Claiming GBP
- Not Optimizing GBP
- Missing Location-Specific Page
- No Personalized and Local Content
- Targeting Generic Keywords
- Inconsistent NAP Information
- Ignoring the Reviews
- Not Creating Citations
- No Mobile Optimization
- Slow Website Load Speed
Let’s dive deeper into each point to make sure you do not make the same local SEO mistakes.
1. Not Claiming GBP
If you are unaware of GBP (Google Business Profile) and haven’t created your Gym profile yet, dude, you are missing out on a huge chunk of the audience.
This is a major local SEO mistake that many Newark gym owners are making.
I am sure you must have come across the GBPs whenever you search for any business or service near you.
But if not, this is how it looks!
Now that you know about GBP, check if your gym profile exists or not.
Search with your brand name. If you can’t find it, you should claim your GBP right away.
How will this help?
When anybody searches for something like “best gyms in Newark”, your profile will appear on top (provided it is optimized, which we will be talking about it in the next point).
For now, your only task is to create the Google Business Profile of your Gym or Fitness Center in Newark, NJ.
Please note that you need to create a separate GBP for each fitness center in case you run your business in multiple locations apart from Newark or within Newark.
Once created, jump to the next point!
2. Not Optimizing GBP
If you have a GBP for your Gym business in Newark, NJ, but it is not optimized, it is equal to not having a GBP.
Every GBP needs optimization to improve its visibility. It helps your profile appear in the relevant searches when your target customer is searching for your fitness service.
The following are some of the optimizing areas that you must focus on:
- Your GBP title must be optimized with a registered brand name and a main business keyword. But make sure not to do keyword stuffing.
- Optimize the description with relevant keywords.
- Upload images and videos of your gym.
- Apply relevant primary and secondary categories.
There are many other optimizing areas. We will cover this in detail in our next article (Stay tuned!)
3. Missing Location-Specific Page
If you have your fitness center in one location, then you are good to go with your website. But you must create location-specific pages if you run your gym business in many locations within the city or different cities in the country.
This helps Google understand and rank your website better in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) on that specific location (provided the webpage SEO is to the point).
4. No Personalized and Local Content
I have seen a lot of businesses writing general content on their websites. This is the fourth major local SEO mistake that needs to be avoided.
Like, WHY?
People read your content to learn about your business and the services you offer.
The website is created to represent your business. Why not use its full potential?
Instead of writing generic content from ChatGPT or any AI content writing tool, own the content with your own wording.
Personalize the content to your brand. Talk about your gym, its location, your mission and vision to start the gym, etc.
You know your brand better and not any AI tool.
Do not take this work as a time-waster. This should be a part of your work because it is a part of building the brand and growing the business.
If you do not want to write, then hire a good content writer, tell them your story, and the rest will be done by that person.
So, never write any generic content, but personalize and localize it.
Another thing to keep in mind is that create different dedicated pages for different business locations. Also, make sure to customize the content with local keywords and local content.
Please, do not make the mistake of copying and pasting the same content from the other location-specific page and only changing the location name. Change the content and rewrite it as per that location.
5. Targeting Generic Keywords
Suppose you ask me about my gym business and I tell you, “My gym is ABC. It is spread across a 4000 sq. feet area and has X number of machines. I provide personal training as well and blah, blah, blah.”
Now, in the second scenario, I introduce my gym business as “I run a gym business called ABC in Newark, NJ. It is spread across a 4000 sq. feet area in QPR street and has X number of machines. I provide personal training to the people as well and blah, blah, blah.”
Which of my statements makes it clear about my gym location?
Of course, the 2nd statement.
Similarly, while drafting website content, never use generic keywords. Use location-specific keywords like “best gym in Newark, NJ”. It helps the user and Google both to understand that your gym is located in Newark.
Note: Never use the keyword “gym near me”. This does not clarify the location and is not a best practice to target “near me” type of keywords.
6. Inconsistent NAP Information
NAP means Name, Address, and Phone Number. These are the main details of any local business.
While creating your Google Business Profile, Google asks for this information as these are the basic and important details that help users connect to or locate your business.
To increase your business’s visibility on the web for local searches, you need to create citations. That means listing your business on third-party websites like directories or any listing websites. Citations help build the authority and credibility of your business on the internet.
I have seen many fitness brands that have inconsistent NAP information. Meaning, on their website and GBP, they have mentioned different phone numbers, and on the third-party websites, they have mentioned different phone numbers.
This can harm your brand visibility, and Google might not rank you in the top positions. It is because an inconsistency in business information gets identified as a suspicious activity by Google.
Hence, always remember to make the changes in all the platforms along with your website and GBP, in case there is any important change made in any of the information of NAP.
7. Ignoring the Reviews
I can understand that your gym is running very well and you do not have the time to reply to any reviews you receive in your Google Business Profile.
But always remember that the user feels connected with those brands that continue interacting with their customer, even if they have reached a certain height in their niche.
Whenever you receive any new review, whether good or bad, make sure to reply to it. People hate getting ignored. Make them heard. Make them feel that their words are being valued.
And this gesture is what keeps them coming back to you, even if you are not the best fitness training provider in the city.
Another advantage that you get is from Google. Engaging with your audience and replying to reviews are among Google’s ranking factors in the Google Business Profile.
Google monitors all your activities. If you are active on your profile and engage with your customers, you are already above your competitors who are ignoring this part.
8. Not Creating Citations
I have seen businesses just having the GBP and wondering why they are not ranking at the top.
They are missing the citation part.
Citation means listing your gym business on third-party websites to improve your brand visibility, authority, and credibility.
See if you are not making the same mistake. If so, hire a good GBP optimizer who will help you optimize the profile and create the relevant citations at the same time.
The citations give Google a signal that your business is credible since it is getting mentioned on other authoritative local directory websites. This leads to improving your ranking in the local pack and hence saves you from making another local SEO mistake that other fitness centers are making.
9. No Mobile Optimization
I mean, you can’t do away with this.
Currently, as per the data, over 7 billion searches happen daily. As per the statistics, 64% of the searches happen through mobile device.
With the increasing number of mobile users, most searches happen through mobile devices. So, imagine the necessity to optimize the websites for mobile. Even Google has always stressed mobile-first optimization.
Check your website design and see if it is responsive and mobile-friendly. Are the text readable, are the CTA buttons large enough to be clickable, and many more?
The mobile user experience should be top-notch. It will help improve your engagement rate and ultimately conversion.
10. Slow Website Load Speed
Loading, loading, loading…
Who likes it?
Today, our attention span is less than 3 seconds. Wondering how?
Remember, while browsing YouTube, you come across a skipable ad. And how impatient you become to not watch the ad for even 3 seconds and wait to skip it.
Hence, it’s proven that we don’t have the attention span of even 3 seconds.
Now, coming back to the website. Make sure that it loads within 3 seconds. Neither people nor Google like waiting. One of the website ranking factors is its fast load speed. It also improves the user experience. Thus, make your website load lightning fast and avoid making this local SEO mistake.
Conclusion
So these are the 10 common local SEO mistakes that many gym owners make.
Now that you are aware of them, audit your Google Business Profile and website. Consider these 10 points as your master checklist and correct and implement them one after the other in case they persist.
After doing so, you are surely gonna see a jump in the performance. This will lead to an increase in phone calls and leads for your gym membership.
If you need any help with the Gym Local SEO strategy implementation, connect with our Local SEO experts.
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