How To Use Keywords To Start Your Home Business As A Music Teacher
In this article I'll share the steps I use to answer many of the questions you face when starting a business as a local music teacher. These start with, "How will I get customers?" "How will I compete with the big businesses in my area?" "How can I make my lessons stand out?" "What should I name my business?" "What should I write about on my website?"
The answers to these questions comes from understanding how you can best fit into the existing competition. You can use Google for this. When I started teaching music lessons, my keyword research gave me the marketing strategy that got my business off the ground.
In this article I'll give you my complete keyword research plan. You also can use my Local Keyword Research Spreadsheet. It will help you analyze your competition. The research process should not take long.
We'll use an easy three-step process:
Step 1. Find keywords.
- Obvious keywords
- Niche keywords
- Local, relevant, buyer keywords
- Keywords with weak search results
Step 2. Find your keyword competitors.
Step 3. Choose target keywords.
Focus On Local Search
When you start a home business teaching music lessons one of your first questions is, “How do I get customers?”
Music teachers and marketers have all had to answer that question. There are so many options, and you need to choose well. It’s hard to know what your best option will be when you’re starting out.
Should you talk with people in person to make the sale? Who should you try to meet? Should you call them on the phone? Should you use email instead? Or catch peoples’ eye with an advertisement on local bulletin boards? Should you write a blog? Should you use Facebook ads? Should you make a website?
At first I tried them all. But the strategy that got my business going was to focus on local search.
The internet makes it easy for you to get all the customers you need. Online marketing doesn’t have to take much time or money, and it can pay for itself in a short time. Local search is an excellent sales opportunity for you if you want to teach music lessons at your house. That's because when people make local searches they’re already on the verge of buying something.
When I start shopping for an in-person service like music lessons, the first thing I do is an online search. Most people I know do the same thing.
First I open up my default search engine, which is Google. Then, I make up my search query. “Banjo lessons near me.”
We call that whole search phrase, or keyword phrase, a keyword. It’s the only information the search engine needs. Google then provides a selection of excellent businesses in my location.
I skim through the first page of results. Some of them have reviews and customer testimonials. I click through and browse a few of the different business’s pages. After looking at three or four web pages, I’ve already chosen the teacher I want to hire for my music lessons.
This example contains three points for music teachers:
- Google is the only reference I used to find a teacher.
- The only teachers I found were those that had web pages that were relevant to my search query.
- One of those web pages was able to convince me that it had the best offer.
People tend to use Google. Keywords are Google’s way to connect searchers with the information they’re seeking. Once people find an offer that fits their needs, they compare it with others and pick their favorite. People tend to only use the first page of results if they can.
These insights give us strategies for selling music lessons in today’s markets:
- Get in the top 10 results in Google when your ideal local customer searches for your type of service. Then people will see your page. The name for this is ranking.
- Know the keywords that shoppers use to find your type of service. Then you can design your web pages to compete with other pages to rank for those searches.
- Design your pages to have the most compelling offer, so that you get the sale.
Before you create a web page to get customers, research your keywords. Then you can craft your page to rank in relevant searches.
In retrospect I went way overboard with keyword research when I started my business. Most of it was not productive. But some of it had a huge impact. It helped me create an effective web site. It also gave me a new idea for a profitable niche offering. That is the kind of research I will show you how to do in this article.
Do some keyword research
You want to create web pages that will get found in local search. So you need to find keywords that don’t already have overwhelming competition.
Overwhelming competition means the results in the top page are all very relevant. It will take time to rank among those businesses. To get a business started, you can get plenty of customers from less competitive keywords.
Here is a keyword research plan you can use to get your music lessons business found in local search. After you complete this research, you’ll have a good idea of what content you need to make.
This keyword research plan will give you a map of the competition in your area. It will also give you a valuable list of keywords with less competition.
First we’ll brainstorm keywords and analyze their results. Then, we’ll expand the list until you have several low competition keywords. Once you have your target keywords you can create a competitive strategy.
Step 1. Find keywords
Obvious keywords vs. niche keywords
Some keywords are short, obvious phrases. “Banjo lessons” is an obvious keyword. So is “Banjo lessons near me.”
Obvious keywords are the most popular searches. For that reason they have the most competition. But they are useful because they inform you who your top competitors are.
More specific keywords and their variations are less popular but there are far more of them in total. On a popularity graph you would see a tall spike of demand for the most obvious keywords. After that would be a long, low tail for all the other searches.
That long tail adds up to a lot of searches for lower-popularity keywords. They have less competition and they’re a golden opportunity for a new music teacher. Those are long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords are more specific keywords with less search demand and less competition. Usually they are longer phrases than obvious keywords, to add specificity.
“Best bluegrass banjo teacher in Denver” is an example of a long-tail keyword.
You should use both obvious and long-tail keywords in your marketing.
❑ Take Action: Download this Keyword Research Spreadsheet for local businesses. Brainstorm a list of ten keywords for your niche. Enter them in the Keywords column under Step 1. Include broad obvious keywords and also more specific long-tail keywords.
Qualified keywords
There are three qualities your music lesson keywords should all have. They should be local, relevant, buyer keywords.
Local keywords
They should be local, relevant, buyer keywords. As a music teacher, you need to rely on local search to get sales. The only keywords you should target are local keywords. Local keywords are any keywords you use when you’re searching for something in your area.
“Banjo lessons near me” or “banjo lessons in Denver” are both local keywords. Google will also give local results for even shorter searches like “music lessons.” “Music lessons” is a local keyword. “Banjos” is another local keyword, and Google will try to provide local results for your area.
When you search for “banjo” the results are different. Most of the results will be non local, but Google will include some local results at the bottom. Depending on the competition, this might be a useful local keyword for a banjo teacher. But most likely not.
When you search “how to play the banjo,” the results are non-local. This is not a local keyword.
Relevant keywords
Keyword relevance depends on your niche. You only need to track the keywords that are relevant to what you teach.
“Bluegrass lessons” is a relevant keyword for you if you can teach bluegrass. Otherwise it isn’t.
Think about what you can teach. It might lead you to new keyword ideas for your list. It led me to lean into special education with my business. That helped my site rank since there were no other similar web pages in my city.
Buyer keywords
What is the searcher looking for when they make up their keyword? This is their search intent. Are they looking for information about a topic? Or are they looking for the sales information for a product or service?
“How to play the banjo” is an informational keyword. The searcher is not looking for a music teacher, but an online guide. They’re most likely not ready to buy anything.
“Music lessons” is a buyer keyword. The searcher is most likely not looking for free online information. They intend to hire a teacher.
Informational keywords have limited value for you as a starting music teacher. Focus on buyer keywords.
❑ Take Action: Check through your list of keywords and make sure each is a local, relevant, buyer keyword. If a keyword doesn’t meet all three of these requirements, remove it from your list.
Keyword idea generators
It can be hard to find qualified keywords by brainstorming. You might find it helpful to use online software to generate more.
These software take your keyword as a prompt, and generate popular related keywords. It can be useful to scan these lists and see if any give you valuable new ideas. It gave me the idea to start competing for early childhood music lessons. That has become an important niche for my business.
There are lots of free options. Three popular tools you can try are:
- Google Keyword Planner: https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/
- Ubersuggest: https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/
- Keyword Tool: https://keywordtool.io
❑ Take Action: Keep brainstorming and using keyword idea generators until you have 10 qualified keywords. They should all be local, relevant, buyer keywords.
Weak search results
Now that you have found 10 qualified keywords, you can analyze them to see how competitive they are. We are hoping to see at least a few keywords that do not have overwhelming competition. If all 10 of your keywords are too competitive, we’ll remove some and keep looking.
Here's how to look for weak search results for your keywords: Search each of your keywords in Google, one by one. Only look at first page of results when you google your keyword. Look through the titles of each webpage listed in the search results. That is usually all you need to do to spot the criteria of weak or strong search results. If you can find a few weak results it means your page stands a good chance of outranking one of them. Then, your webpage will start showing up in the top ten results instead.
How do you tell which websites are weak results? For local music teachers, three of the best signs are:
- Nonlocal results, including databases of local teachers
- Results that are not relevant or are poorly related to the search intent
- Absence of 3 businesses with great reviews in Google’s Local 3-Pack in the results
Nonlocal results
When you search for a local music teacher, you are not looking for nonlocal websites. Google knows that. They will serve only local results if they can. If a nonlocal website is in the top ten, you can create a web page to outcompete it in relevance.
People searching from different neighborhoods get different results based on their exact location. Your pages are competing for relevance in your town. They're also competing for relevance in your immediate area. There is a lot of opportunity for a new business to make progress by being the first in the area to fill a niche.
Google will allow large nonlocal companies to rank using local teacher directories. This includes sites like Takelessons.com, Thumbtack.com, and Yellowpages.com. But Google gives priority to local businesses with a strong online presence. If you see a directory website ranking for your keyword, consider it a sign of weakness you can exploit.
Poorly related results
When you see search results that are not relevant, that’s a sign of weak keyword competition.
For example, let’s say you search for “music lessons” and one of the results is a press release. It's about a local teacher’s music lessons. That is not as relevant to the searcher as a page where you can actually book music lessons. The teacher’s own site is a relevant result. Her press release is not. A new teacher’s web page might be able to bump the press release out of the top ten results.
Local 3-Pack is missing
When Google does a local search for a buyer keyword it tries to provide a Local 3-Pack. That's the extra information at the top of a local search results page that has a map with up to three businesses on it. It’s also called the Google Map Pack.
If there is no Map Pack, or if there are fewer than three businesses listed in it, that is a void you can fill. If there are businesses but they don’t have many Google reviews, you can outrank them by collecting great reviews.
❑ Take Action: Run a Google search on each of your keywords. Scan the first page of results and determine whether it has any weak results or not. Try not to spend too much time analyzing the search results. You should be able to tell from a 10 or 20 second scan whether the search results for a keyword are strong or not. Record your findings in the Local Keyword Research Spreadsheet. Use the checkboxes in the Weak Results column.
If your list doesn’t have at least three keywords with weak results, keep searching. Try to find at least three. Replace some of your most competitive keywords with them.
Step 2. Find your keyword competitors
Now you have 10 qualified keywords and at least a few low competition keywords. It’s time to get more specific about your competitors. Who exactly are they? How many of them are you competing with? How strong are they in local search?
Some local music teachers or music schools may show up several times in your searches. These are the businesses who are targeting those keywords. If one of them shows up a lot in your different keyword searches, they are a strong keyword competitor.
You can estimate of which competitors are the strongest in your niche. Analyzing how many times your competitors rank for your keywords will give you a good sense of that.
The Local Keyword Research Spreadsheet will calculate this for you. It compares your competitors on a bar graph. After you enter your search results you can see who are the strongest competitors.
Set your sights on competing with these businesses for search rankings.
❑ Take Action: Google each of your keywords. Use the Local Keyword Research Spreadsheet under Step 2. Record the names of the businesses showing up in the Map Pack for each keyword. Record the domain names of the top ten search results. You can use abbreviations.
Next, switch to the second sheet in the spreadsheet. It's labeled Competitor Ranking. You’ll find a chart showing you who the top competitors are in your niche.
Step 3. Choose target keywords
You are almost ready to start creating your sales pages. You’ve identified ten keywords. Now we need to narrow down the list even further.
You have to be selective when choosing keywords to target. Google does not reward pages that try to offer a little of everything. The pages that rank highest for a keyword are pages devoted completely to that topic. You can create a lot of different niche pages but it will take time.
Start by focusing on one, two, or three of your most promising keywords.
I hope you have identified a niche in your area with low competition. Those are your most valuable keywords. My target keywords were “special education music lessons” and “music lessons for kids.” Here is further reading to help you find your niche: How To Select A Profitable Niche As A Music Teacher.
Your list might change as your business develops. Don’t worry about that. You can rework your pages later to target other keywords, or even create more pages.
❑ Take Action: Choose up to three target keywords. Enter your choices under Step 3 of the Local Keyword Research Spreadsheet.
Then, switch to the third sheet in the spreadsheet called Target Keywords. Here you can see who your most specific competitors are, based on your target keywords. Knowing who they are and what they offer will give you an advantage. It will help you create a more compelling sales offer and web page.
Next: Compete for your target keywords
Now you have the information you need to enter your market through local search.
Next you need to create and publish content for your target keywords. Start by setting up your online profile with Google and creating a simple website. If you do this part right, these two tasks will become a foundation for success. In this series of articles I’ll show you how to do it.
Remember, your first goal is to convince Google you are relevant to the search. Before you can convince customers, you have to convince the search engine. You have to play by the rules.
Google’s rules and frameworks are the guidelines for local search. Our first job is to learn from Google what it wants, so we can feed the machine.
❑ Take Action: Set up Google My Business. This is an easy first step with a huge impact for competing in local search. Here's an article that covers this in depth: How To Use Google My Business To Start Getting Music Lesson Customers.