Search engine optimization might sound complicated, but it’s something every musician should be thinking about. Whether you’re a new artist or an established one, making sure listeners can find you online is extremely important. If someone hears your music and wants to look you up to hear more and your content isn’t easy to find in search results, they might just move on. And while it sounds complex, there are tons of things every artist can do - even if you’re brand new to the SEO game. This post will guide you on how to market your music using SEO strategies.

What is Search Engine Optimization?

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is how you use organic search results to boost traffic to your website. This helps you increase not just the quantity but also the quality of traffic to your site. When people search using Google or another search engine, the most relevant content is at the top of the results. Search engine optimization is the method for making your content easily searchable so the right people can find it.

How to promote your music using SEO strategies

Search engine optimization is important for musicians because it’s how fans can organically find your music online using search engines. Your goal is to get your music to be on the first page when someone searches for it. If not, people may have trouble finding you. This is also why it’s really important to have a unique, searchable artist name so you aren’t competing with another artist for the top search results. Doing it right can increase your fan engagement, your plays, and your website traffic, all of which can translate to greater, faster success.

1. Distribute Your Music Everywhere

Before you can get started with search engine optimization, you’ll need to get your music on Spotify, iTunes and as many streaming and download platforms as possible. This is simple with a digital distributor like MusicDigi, which lets you upload unlimited music to hundreds of platforms worldwide. Having your music in stores will help it come up in search engines when people search for it.

2. Make and Update Your Website

Making a website is one of the most important things an artist can do to help increase search engine visibility. You can even make one for free on some sites that help you create a great-looking site without much design know-how. Many hosting sites even include SEO tools to help you optimize your website, including blogs and even images. Include all your links to your content across the web, including reviews, videos, and more. Be sure to update it often to keep your freshest and most popular content at the top of the search results.

3. Find and Use the Right Keywords and Links

Keywords and links are really important for increasing your visibility on the web. These help you show up in more searches and strengthen your website. Keywords are words that relate to the topic on your page, and they’re what people are most likely searching for, so do your research to figure out the best ones that will work for you. Getting these right will help your website show up in more searches, which means more people potentially see you and hear your music.

4. Connect Your Website to Google Search and Analytics

Google Analytics is a valuable tool for musicians because it helps you learn more about your website and social media traffic. Setting up tracking is super important because it will help you see who you’re reaching and where your traffic is coming from. Many website hosts even have analytics embedded in your site already. Why is this so important? Because it will give you tons of information that can help you learn what platforms to focus on for promotion, what your fans are digging, and other key data about your audiences.

• Google’s Search Console: This will tell you which pages on your website are strong and being indexed. It can also help you find errors.
• Google’s Tag Manager: Here, you can easily manage and track your tags if you are able to embed Google Analytics in your website. These can help you show up in more searches much like using keywords.

5. Claim Your Google Knowledge Panel

A Google Knowledge Panel is the information box that often appears on Google when you search for something, and it has the most relevant information on that subject picked from across the web. Google automatically creates a knowledge panel for artists who have their music across different places online, pulling which ones it thinks are most relevant. Updating it with your links can help fans find you and the content you want faster.

Conclusion

As an artist, it’s always important to think about search engine optimization. You want people to listen to your music, but if they can’t find it online, you’ll be out of luck. Following these tips consistently and updating them often will help you attract more people with an interest in your music to your website. Even just applying the basics of SEO will help you see a noticeable difference in your web traffic, which will translate to more plays, more fans, and more revenue.

Ready to release your music? Sign up to MusicDigi to release your music to all the major music stores and streaming platforms.