Hidden SEO Factors for Coaches – Beginner SEO Guide – Part 2 of 3

For coaches who want to show up on Google—without messing with code, plugins, SEO jargon or techy stuff.

If you’ve already read Part 1 of this beginner-friendly SEO series, you’ve tackled the basics: choosing the right keywords, creating helpful content, and setting up solid on-page SEO.

But it’s not just about what’s on your site that matters, but how your site works behind the scenes. In this post, we're covering three often-overlooked essentials that affect how Google (and real people) experience your site:

• Mobile Design – why your mobile site matters more than your desktop one (and how to spot issues that could be holding you back)

• Site Speed – how slow load times silently hurt your rankings—and what you can do to speed things up without hiring a developer

• Backlinks – what they are, why they build trust with Google, and how to earn them naturally

What topics have been covered in the first post?:

• Keywords

• On-page SEO

• Content

What topics will be covered in the next post?:

• Technical SEO (no code required)

• Google Search Console

• Google Business Profile

  
  

In Part 1 of this series, you got a handle on the basics—choosing the right keywords, crafting helpful content, and optimizing your pages with on-page SEO. But now, it’s time to focus on the behind-the-scenes, or 'hidden' factors that can really impact how both Google and your visitors experience your coaching website.

In this post, we’re diving into three key areas you might not have considered yet: mobile design, site speed, and backlinks. These often-overlooked elements play a huge role in your rankings and user experience. Let’s break down what they are and how you can improve them to give your website the best shot at being seen!

1. Make sure your website works on mobile (not just desktop)

These days, most people visit websites on their phones. And Google knows it. That’s why mobile-friendliness is a ranking factor—if your site isn’t easy to use on a smartphone, you’re less likely to show up in search results.

Even if your site is responsive (which most modern websites are), some adjustments will likely still need to be made. Responsive design isn't perfect on its own. Whether you're working with a web designer or using a DIY platform, you'll need to check how elements appear on smaller screens and make specific tweaks to ensure everything looks and functions as intended across all devices."

It's easy to see why so many coaches neglect their mobile sites—they can be a major pain to design. The narrow pages make layouts challenging, and you don't have as much flexibility or options, as with desktop sites. This is one reason why it can be super helpful to hire a designer—we're familiar with mobile limitations, behavior, and various design solutions.

What to check:

• Text should be easy to read without zooming, and with adequate line spacing

• Buttons should be easy to tap

• Content should fit the screen without side-scrolling

• Pop-ups (if any) should be small and easy to close (ask me my opinion of popups)

• Elements shouldn't overlap or be squished together (unless intentionally designed that way)

• There should be ample white space (this is empty space, not necessarily white)

• Anything glitchy, inconsistent or weird-looking should be fixed or deleted

  
  

How to test:

• Open your site on your own phone—how does it look?

• Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool. Just go to this page (https://pagespeed.web.dev) – Paste your URL and it will give you a score and tips for improvement—both on mobile and desktop

• Check on Andoid and Iphone

Quick fixes for mobile issues:

1. Resize & Reposition Elements: On mobile, make sure images, graphics and buttons fit well on the screen with ample white space.

   
   

2. Make Sure Text is Legible: Ensure your text isn’t too small to read. Generally, aim for a minimum font size of 15-16px for body text, depending on the font.

   
   

3. Avoid large text areas: Break content into smaller, scannable sections

   
   

4. Increase Button Size & Spacing: On mobile, buttons need to be large enough to tap easily. Make sure buttons are adequately spaced so users can tap them without accidentally clicking something else.

   
   

5. Simplify Content Layout: Condense your content so it’s not overwhelming. Use fewer columns or stacked layouts to make navigation simpler.

   
   

6. Remove Large Images or Adjust Their Size: Big images can break the mobile layout. Use smaller or compressed images that fit better on mobile screens.

   
   

7. Delete what's not necessary: Any information that's not absolutely necessary to include on your pages can still be displayed on your desktop site, blog posts and collapsible FAQ sections

   
   

2. Speed up your site (because no one likes to wait)

Even if your website looks great, visitors will leave if it takes too long to load. Google knows this, too. Page speed affects your bounce rate (how quickly people leave your site) and ultimately, your rankings.

What slows your site down:

• Large, uncompressed images, videos, graphics, and animations – Files that are too big take longer to load, which slows down your site.

• Apps or scripts – Extra code or third-party apps can cause additional load times, especially if they're not optimized.

• Pop-ups – While they may be necessary, pop-ups can increase load time and frustrate users.

• Long pages with a lot of content – Pages with heavy text, images, and complex structures can take longer to render.

• Unused files (images, fonts, scripts) – Files that aren't being used on the page but still take up server space can slow your site down.

• Cheap or overloaded web hosting – Budget hosting plans with limited resources or shared servers can negatively affect performance.

  
  

Easy ways to improve speed:

• Resize and compress images before uploading (try tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh)

• Limit plugins and apps—especially ones that load extra scripts

• Avoid large video files or animations on your homepage

• Delete what's not necessary from both pages and file storage

• Enable Lazy Loading: Lazy loading helps speed up your site by loading images and videos only when they’re visible to the user. Wix typically enables this automatically

• Choose a fast, reliable hosting provider: For website builders (Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, etc.): Hosting is included with your plan, so you don’t need to worry about selecting a separate provider. For WordPress users: If you're using WordPress, make sure to choose a fast and reliable hosting provider, like SiteGround, Bluehost, or WP Engine.

  
  

If you’re using WordPress, try a caching plugin like WP Rocket or a free alternative like W3 Total Cache.

3. Earn backlinks (they tell Google you're legit)

A backlink is when another website links to yours. Google sees it as a vote of confidence—if trusted websites are linking to you, your content must be worth sharing.

Backlinks can give your rankings a serious boost. The good news? You don’t need hundreds—just a few quality ones can go a long way.

How to earn backlinks (without being spammy):

• Create social profiles on popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Pinterest, etc. Just having a presence on these popular platforms can help, even if you don't plan to actively promote yourself there. Be sure to have at least a few posts or samples of your work for people to see if they end up on your profile

  • I also just learned that Instagram content will be regularly shown in Google search results (not just the odd random post!)

    
    

• Create a Google Business Profile – it's a powerful and essential tool for local coaches looking to improve their visibility on Google Search and Google Maps

  
  

• List your coaching business in reputable directories & forums like Yelp, BBB, Yellow Pages, Reddit, Quora, etc

  
  

• Post listings on online marketplaces for products or services like Etsy, Kijiji (Canada), Craigslist, Amazon, Ebay, etc

  
  

• Industry-Specific Directories & Associations – Look for niche directories related to your industry. These are often high-quality and trusted by Google

  
  

• Event or Conference Websites – If you speak at, sponsor, or attend events relevant to your coaching niche, the event website may list you with a backlink

  
  

• Ask partners, vendors, or clients to link to your site from theirs

  
  

• Write a guest post for a related blog or local news site

  
  

• Be a podcast guest – Being a guest on a podcast is an effective way to increase your visibility and earn backlinks from authoritative sites

  
  

• News Websites or Local Media – Reach out to your local news outlets or industry-specific media to see if you can be featured or contribute content

  
  

• Create useful content (like checklists, how-to guides, best-of, or local resources) that others want to link to

  
  

Don’t do this:

• Don’t pay for shady backlinks – Low-quality links from spammy sites can get you penalized

  
  

• Don’t join sketchy link exchanges – “You link to me, I’ll link to you” deals look unnatural to Google

  
  

• Don’t comment spam – Dropping your link in random blog comments won’t help and can hurt

  
  

• Don’t use backlink software – Tools that automate link building often violate Google’s rules

  
  

• Don’t use private blog networks (PBNs): These are networks of websites created solely to link to each other or to a target site. Google considers them a black-hat tactic, and they can lead to penalties

  
  

  Don’t automate link building: Using bots or automated tools to create backlinks at scale can result in low-quality links that hurt your SEO

  
  

Focus on quality and relevance, not quantity.

Wrapping Up

The behind-the-scenes work on your coaching website is often just as important as what’s visible on the surface. By optimizing mobile usability, speeding up your site, and earning high-quality backlinks, you’re giving Google—and your potential clients—the experience they expect. As you focus on these crucial elements, you’ll notice improvements in both your SEO performance and overall user engagement. These 'invisible' SEO signals matter more than you think, and they’re part of what separates a website that shows up, from one that gets buried.

Up next: Part 3 – Getting Your Website Ready for Google

Now that you’ve got the right keywords, helpful content, and a solid foundation—Part 3 covers the final steps to make sure your coaching services actually shows up in search results. We’ll walk through technical SEO basics, how to use Google Search Console, and how to show up in local searches.

Read Part 3 : Get Found – Technical SEO, Google Search Console & Local SEO →

Missed Part 1? Read it here: Part 1: SEO Basics – Keywords, Content & Structure →