Zibster SEO Starter Guide
Overview
Your Zibster Website Package includes built-in SEO tools that help search engines understand your website and its content. You can customize page metadata, add image alt text, publish searchable blog content, add schema markup, submit your sitemap, and connect website tracking tools.
Strong SEO begins with original, helpful content written for your ideal clients. It also depends on clear website organization, accurate business information, a mobile-friendly experience, and regular updates.
This guide introduces the primary Zibster SEO tools and provides a practical checklist for improving your website’s visibility in search results.
Review Your Business Profile
Start by reviewing the Business Profile in the Branding section of your Zibster account.
Make sure the following information is accurate and current:
• Business or studio name
• Location or service area
• Services and specialties
• Contact information
• Website address
• Social media links
• Business style and brand voice
Zibster AI uses your Business Profile when generating website content, metadata, and schema markup. Keeping this information current helps Zibster AI create suggestions that more accurately represent your business.
See How to Set Up Your Business Profile in Zibster for complete instructions.
Create Helpful, Original Website Content
Search engines use the written content on your website to understand your business, services, location, and intended audience.
Review your primary website pages and make sure they clearly explain:
• Who you are
• What services you offer
• Where you are located or provide services
• Who you serve
• How potential clients can contact you
Your Home, About, Services, Contact, portfolio, and location-specific pages should include original text that is useful to potential clients.
Avoid copying content from other websites. Original content gives search engines more context about your business and gives visitors a clearer reason to choose you.
See How to Create Quality Content for SEO for additional guidance.
Review Your Website Metadata
Website metadata can influence the title and description people see when your pages appear in search results.
Zibster can help create metadata in several ways:
• The Zibster AI Website Creator generates initial metadata for the website pages it creates.
• The Zibster AI Page Creator generates initial metadata when you add a new page.
• The Zibster AI Blog Post Creator generates initial metadata for new blog posts.
• Ask Zibster AI can create or update metadata for existing pages and blog posts.
• You can manually write and customize your own metadata.
Review the metadata for your most important website pages. Each page should have a clear meta title and meta description that accurately describe the visible content on that page.
Google does not use the meta keywords field as a search ranking factor. Focus primarily on helpful page content, descriptive meta titles, and accurate meta descriptions.
For more information, see:
• What Is Website Metadata in Zibster?
• How to Customize SEO for Zibster Website Pages
Add Alt Text to Important Images
Alt text is a short written description of an image. It helps screen readers and search engines understand what the image shows.
Alt text is especially important for websites that rely heavily on images to present services, products, portfolios, or previous work.
Write natural descriptions that accurately explain each important image. Avoid repeating the same description across multiple images or adding lists of unrelated keywords.
For example:
Bride and groom exchanging vows during an outdoor wedding ceremony in Greensboro, North Carolina
Decorated birthday cake with pink flowers and gold lettering
Interior of a renovated kitchen with white cabinets and a marble island
Alt text should describe the image itself. Do not add information that is not visible in the image solely to include additional keywords.
For complete instructions, see How to Add Alt Text to Website Images in Zibster.
Publish Helpful Blog Content
Blog posts give you opportunities to add fresh, searchable content to your website and answer questions potential clients may be researching.
Choose topics your ideal clients are likely to search for, such as:
• Recent projects or client sessions
• Local venues or service locations
• Planning and preparation tips
• What clients can expect when working with you
• Frequently asked questions
• Location-specific guides
• Advice related to your services or industry
For example, a wedding photographer could publish articles about local wedding venues, engagement-session locations, wedding timelines, or preparing for photography on the wedding day.
Use the Zibster AI Blog Post Creator to help create an initial draft and metadata, or write your content manually. Always review AI-generated content for accuracy, originality, and relevance before publishing it.
For more information, see How to Boost SEO for Blog Posts in Zibster.
Add Schema Markup When Relevant
Schema markup is structured data that helps search engines understand specific information on a website page.
Schema can identify information such as:
• Business details
• Services
• Locations
• Contact information
• Social media profiles
• Products
• Events
• Frequently asked questions
Zibster includes a Schema section inside the SEO settings for individual Website Builder pages. You can use Ask Zibster AI to generate schema markup or paste valid schema markup created through another source.
Before generating schema, confirm that your Business Profile and visible page content are accurate. Schema markup should match information that visitors can see on the page.
Do not use schema markup to provide misleading information, add reviews that are not displayed on the page, or describe services and locations that are not supported by the visible content.
See How to Add Schema Markup to Your Zibster Website for complete instructions.
Submit Your Sitemap to Google Search Console
Zibster automatically creates and updates an XML sitemap for your website. The sitemap helps search engines discover the pages available on your site.
You can submit your sitemap URL to Google Search Console to help Google find and review your website content.
Google Search Console can also provide information about:
• Indexed website pages
• Search queries
• Search impressions and clicks
• Sitemap processing
• Mobile usability
• Indexing notices and errors
Submitting a sitemap does not guarantee that Google will crawl, index, or rank every page. It gives Google an additional way to discover your website content.
Zibster is not affiliated with Google Search Console. For assistance with Google products or account-specific errors, visit Google Search Central Help.
For complete instructions, see How to Submit Your Zibster Sitemap to Google Search Console.
Submit Your Blog RSS Feed to Google Search Console
Your Zibster Blog automatically creates an RSS feed containing recently published and updated blog posts.
You can submit the RSS feed through the Sitemaps report in Google Search Console. This gives Google an additional source for discovering recent blog content.
Submitting the RSS feed does not guarantee that Google will crawl, index, or rank each blog post.
See How to Submit Your Zibster Blog RSS Feed to Google Search Console for complete instructions.
Connect Google Analytics and Google Search Console
Google Analytics and Google Search Console provide different types of information about your website.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics focuses on website traffic and visitor activity. It can help you understand:
• Which pages people visit
• How visitors reach your website
• Which devices visitors use
• How visitors interact with your content
• Which pages receive the most traffic
Google Search Console
Google Search Console focuses on your website’s presence in Google Search. It can help you review:
• Indexing activity
• Search queries
• Search impressions
• Search result clicks
• Sitemap activity
• Indexing notices and errors
Use the global Tracking settings in the Zibster Website Builder when tracking code needs to load throughout your entire website.
Use page-level tracking only when code should load on one specific website page.
Avoid installing the same tracking code in both locations unless the tracking provider specifically requires it. Duplicate tracking code can cause inaccurate reporting.
Review Your Website on Mobile
Many visitors will view your website from a phone or tablet. Review your most important pages on a mobile device and make sure the website is easy to use.
Check the following:
• Text is easy to read.
• Navigation is clear.
• Buttons are easy to tap.
• Contact information is easy to find.
• Forms are easy to complete.
• Images load at a reasonable speed.
• Important calls to action are visible.
• Pages are not unnecessarily long or difficult to navigate.
You should also test important links, contact forms, Scheduler services, Mood Boards, and checkout workflows from a mobile device.
Review more than your Home page. Test the pages that potential clients are most likely to use when contacting you, requesting information, scheduling a service, or making a purchase.
Improve Local SEO
Local SEO helps potential clients find businesses that serve a particular city, region, or service area.
Helpful local SEO practices include:
• Mentioning your location or service area naturally on relevant pages
• Creating useful pages or blog posts for specific services, venues, or locations
• Keeping your business name, address, phone number, and website consistent across online listings
• Creating and maintaining a Google Business Profile
• Linking to your website from social media profiles and reputable business listings
• Publishing content that is useful to clients in your local market
• Confirming that your contact and location information is current
Avoid adding long lists of cities or repeating the same location phrases unnaturally. Your content should remain clear, accurate, and helpful for potential clients.
Only claim locations that your business genuinely serves.
Keep Your Website Current
Search engines and potential clients benefit from accurate, current information.
Review your website regularly and update:
• Services
• Pricing information
• Business hours
• Contact information
• Service areas
• Team information
• Portfolio images
• Outdated blog posts
• Broken links
• Calls to action
You do not need to change content solely to make a page appear recently updated. Focus on making meaningful changes that improve accuracy or usefulness.
How Long Does SEO Take?
SEO improvements do not usually produce immediate changes.
Search engines must crawl and evaluate your website before updated pages, content, or metadata may appear in search results. The timing and results can vary based on factors such as:
• Your location
• Your competition
• The services you offer
• Search demand
• Website content quality
• Website history
• External links and business listings
• Ongoing optimization
Continue reviewing your website, publishing helpful content, correcting technical issues, and monitoring search performance over time.
No platform, service, or SEO professional can guarantee a specific search ranking.
Zibster SEO Starter Checklist
Use this checklist while reviewing your website:
• Complete and update your Zibster Business Profile.
• Add clear, original content to your primary website pages.
• Review the meta title and meta description for important pages.
• Add descriptive alt text to important images.
• Publish helpful blog posts that answer client questions.
• Add accurate schema markup when relevant.
• Submit your XML sitemap to Google Search Console.
• Submit your Zibster Blog RSS feed when applicable.
• Connect Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
• Test important website pages and workflows on a mobile device.
• Review your local business information and online listings.
• Update outdated services, contact details, links, and content.
• Monitor your website’s search performance over time.
Professional SEO Services
Zibster offers professional services if you would like personalized help improving your website SEO.
• SEO Go provides professional website optimization and ongoing SEO support.
• SEO Go Plus provides expanded SEO strategy and support for businesses that want a more comprehensive service.
Need Help?
Zibster Support Hours: Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm EST
Phone: 844.353.3412
Channels: Phone, Live Chat, Support Ticket
