Getting your event to show up on Google is the dream of many organizers.
That’s because ranking on the first page of search results is a great way to boost your event’s exposure, driving engagement, sales, and communication.
To do this, you need to use a few techniques that your organizing team can adopt.
But don’t worry — I’ll walk you through, with practical and easy tips, everything you need to get your event’s site to appear on Google.
In this blog post, you’ll learn more about:
- Why create an event website?
- What is SEO?
- The benefits of SEO for events
- Foolproof SEO tips to rank on Google
Why create an event website?
With the growth of online events, the number of people reached by events has become even greater.
After all, as we’ve mentioned here on the blog, online and hybrid events bring incredible benefits to attendees, such as the ability to participate from anywhere in the world!
So now organizers face another challenge: creating an experience that brings out the best of digital.
This means that besides accessibility, scheduling, and various other factors that make an event successful, that initial contact also becomes essential for attracting and generating more registrations.
In other words, a positive and impactful first impression is necessary for your attendees!
And here’s a tip: your event website is your ally, since it’s an essential tool for promoting your event, making it easier to increase sales, and also being a great communication channel.
After developing your event’s website, the way to compete for the first pages of Google against your competitors is to make it seen.
Don’t know how? You need to get to know the concept of SEO!
What is SEO?
If you’ve ever wondered how the content on Google’s first pages was ranked, all you need to know is that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing your content to appear organically in online search tools like Google.
In practice, what happens is that Google, like other search engines, uses bots to analyze web content and check whether it’s relevant and trustworthy.
To do this, it has a few analysis criteria, such as the URL, text structure, keywords, site loading speed, and more.
Sites are then ranked according to what the search tools consider most relevant to the user.
In this sense, SEO is the set of techniques used to follow the bots’ standards and show Google that the site is trustworthy and can be shown to users right on the first page of search results.
And why does it matter for your event to be well positioned? Let’s find out!
The benefits of SEO for events
Did you know that a survey by Hubspot found that 75% of users don’t go past the first page of Google search results?
This means that if your attendee is looking for a topic related to your event, your site needs to be one of the first to appear on Google in order to reach them!
This way, you’ll have greater visibility and a better chance of closing the ticket sale.
That’s why we use SEO techniques, which also tend to make your site more appealing, since they aim to capture the user’s attention.
Everything you want, right?
So it’s time to understand the essential tips for your event’s site to be a success!
3 foolproof tips to rank on Google
There are several SEO strategies for search tools.
With that in mind, we’ve selected the main and simplest methods to reach your goal.
Let’s get to know each one? Leandro Arantes, our expert, covered all of this at the Even3 Summit 2021 warm-up livestream, and I’ll share a summary here:
1. Optimize your site and explore keywords
Exploring keywords is the best-known technique and one of the most important for site optimization.
In fact, a survey by Resultados Digitais found that keyword research is the second most applied method by companies, second only to content production.
To give some context, the keyword is what users type into search tools.
For example, if you go to Google and type “What fashion events are happening in Recife?”, your keyword might be “fashion event in Recife” or “fashion event.”
This way, the tool will show all the related results to what was typed, whether broadly or exactly.
So when Google recognizes that your site has that keyword, it understands that it will be a great solution for the user.
That’s why it’s important to always think about how the customer will search and how you can include the keyword in your text.
Know where to place it
On the organizer page, under Settings > Events on our platform, use the keyword in the Event Title. This will be the most important element in Google’s eyes.
Also use it in the Access Link, as this is another way to show whoever is searching what that page’s content is about, bringing clarity and trustworthiness to your site.
The same should be done for the Short Description under the Settings > Events tab.
The short description, in turn, is a preview of the content that will be covered on the site.
In other words, once again, a way to signal to the user that everything they need will be resolved by clicking the link.
So create something summarized about the event, using the main keyword and related ones, aiming to keep the text under 156 characters.
Lastly, another change you should make is to go to the menu and click Event Page, editing and also adding the keyword under About the Event.
But a site isn’t just about text, right? So let’s move on to the next topic!
2. Customize your site’s images
Images are essential attractions for capturing your customers’ attention and getting your site to appear on Google.
This happens because search engine bots still can’t read all the images on your page.
So the text that names the photo becomes a way to track the content and identify it as relevant to the user.
So when adding an image to your site, try to name it with your topic’s keyword.
Also, consider the quality of the photos you choose, with sizes and formats proportional to your site’s needs.
3. What to avoid and what to do to rank well
Some actions can be responsible for making your site not show up as easily on Google.
One of the most important points is to avoid keyword stuffing, meaning using the keyword excessively and out of context.
Another thing that matters a lot for search tools is your site’s loading speed.
This happens because too much information and content can make the page heavy and slow to load.
So avoid adding too many videos, pieces of information, pop-ups, and so on.
Finally, it’s also important to consider your user’s mobile experience, checking whether your site opens well on phones and tablets.
Also, don’t forget to:
- Connect your platforms and explore social media to share about the event. If possible, invest in relevant content production;
- Create a good design and keep the event’s visual identity consistent throughout the site;
- Select the key information for your user, without overloading them.
Don’t have a website for your event yet?
Now you understand the importance of having a website for your event and how to improve it to rank on Google.
So it’s time to build yours!
With Even3, you can build a site in an easy, free, and complete way in just a few minutes.
