What is SEO and why it is important For The “Win” in today’s music business
May 16, 2020
SEO and the Indie Artist
There is lots of competition in the Indie Artist market. Anyone today, can create a song in a home studio, and put it out. 40,000 songs are being uploaded each day to Spotify. If you want to WIN you have to figure out how to be seen. Whether it is a new single release, show tickets, or merchandise understanding SEO can make a HUGE difference and SAVE YOU TIME and HELP YOU MAKE MONEY.
SEO stands for search engine optimization. (Google and YouTube are both search engines). SEO helps drive traffic to your website. So when you type search terms into google, yahoo or any other search engine multiple hits appear. If you use SEO correctly you will land at the top of the search list which makes it more likely a fan will click thru. Here are some simple tips to make your music easier to find.
The right keywords
Keywords are the “key” to SEO. Think about what defines your artistry and your brand. Write down words that define your artistry. Words to consider are genre, where you live such as Brooklyn, your brand, your affiliations, song titles and more.
For example, I represent an artist named Tanisha Avent her name would be an obvious keyword or hashtag #tanishaavent. However, if she wanted people who did not know her to find out about her music she would need to use other key words to attract them. Why? Because they would not be searching using her name. Therefore, it makes sense to describe your Artistry in both broad and specific words that work for your music. Think about descriptive words that define you and your music and use them over and over again. Repetition is key to making this work.
How do you make your website Pop?
In order to drive more traffic to your website, you have to optimize it. If you host it thru providers like Bandzoogle, WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix, it is not too complicated to accomplish this task! Simply add your metadata to your website which is the kinds of words your fans would use, when searching online, that would lead them to you.
SEO metadata tips:
Meta descriptions: Limit this to between 50-300 characters. This is relevant because it serves as a first impression for what your music is about even though it does not directly impact SEO rankings. However, there is no second chance to make a 1st impression.
Title tags: VIP should be 50-70 characters. These are the main titles that show up in Google when you conduct searches.
Headers: These are the titles for the articles and posts on your site. You should use a service like Headline Analyzer to see what has the highest ranking and will grab fans attention.
Remember no one likes a boring party so make sure you continually add new content such as music, pics, video’s and maybe even blogs.
What can you do to keep your website interesting?
Unique content is VIP when it comes to SEO. Google’s algorithm is eternally changing. When you update your page and add new content it shows Google thru it’s algorithm that you are working and can help your site rank higher.
Here are some ideas:
- Link your YouTube videos. Remember both YouTube and Google are search engines and “related to each other”
- Update your page adding some performance footage.
- Take pics of your merch in order to make sales
- Write a blog about life on the road or something your fans will find interesting
- Create a press page and continually add blogs written about you and interviews about you and your music.
- Use a host that has mobile friendly capability as most people live on their phone and not their desktop. Google actually prioritizes sites set up for mobile, so this cannot be ignored!!!
- Don’t forget to add Keywords on these pages making it easier for the page to be found.
Google Analytics
Make sure you are set up on an analytics platform like to Google to determine what is and what isn’t working. This will save you time and money and focus your efforts to get the most out of SEO. Google analytics answers these questions and more:
- How many people visit my website?
- Where do my fans live?
- Do I need a mobile-friendly website?
- What websites send traffic to my website?
- What marketing tactics drive the most traffic to my website?
- Which pages on my website are the most popular?
- How many visitors have I converted into leads or fans?
- Where did my fans come from and go on my website?
- How can I improve my website's speed?
- What blog content do my fans like the most?
Setting up analytics and tracking your website is similar to seeing and understanding what is happening on your social media. The main and most important difference is YOU CONTROL YOUR WEBSITE. Being able to interpret this data will help you see who your current audience is and it will teach you how to get in front of new fans. For additional help go to the following Google links: Google Tag Manager to help you figure out how to put the Google tag into your weebsite. Also you can use Google’s Search Console to find out what pages on your website are indexed and see if there are any errors.
Remember the GOAL IS TO SAVE TIME AND MAKE MONEY. So make sure you use the FREE tools that are available to you to MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.