Ink That Ranks: A Guide to SEO for Tattoo Shops & Artists

Getting a tattoo carries a lot of meaning, and people spend time researching the studios and artists near them before taking the plunge. 

Search engine optimization (SEO) can help your tattoo studio get more clients by helping your website appear higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This helps all those potential clients who are actively searching for tattoo options find you right away.

Let’s break down how that works, and some of the strategies you might need to reliably bring in more clients through your digital presence. 

On-Page SEO Services for Tattoo Artists

One of the first things you need to do to improve your website’s ranking in search results is to make sure that all on-page elements are fully updated. 

So what does that mean? Essentially, on-page SEO includes every element on your own website, including:

• Images
• Keyword Integration 
• Headers
• Content
• Tags 
• Alt Text
• Schema Markup
• Plugins and Applications
• Mobile Display 

When all of these elements are updated to match the most relevant search terms for your niche, your website is far more likely to rank at the top of search results pages. 

Link Building Services for Tattoo Shops

The internet can be thought of as a giant web connecting all the billions of websites out there. Websites that have many other high-quality, reputable sites “linking back” to them are considered more reliable by Google. 

Each time a person runs a search query, search engines like Google try to present that person with the best possible match for their search. They will prioritize a more reputable site, and the number and quality of backlinks are part of that calculation.

So what does that mean for your tattoo shop — or an individual practitioner? Essentially, if you have real review sites and other businesses linking to your site, it boosts your online reputation.

Our team will review the entire map of sites linking to yours, as well as the sites you link to in return. We will:

• Remove broken or poor-quality links that hurt your online reputation
• Build effective links to your social media profiles and review sites
• Conduct competitor research
• Reach out to topically related websites for links 
• Identify guest posting opportunities 

This strategy is a great way to build your ranking, but it takes some time. This is why outsourcing to an external team, like the experts at SEO Design Chicago, is a great part of your SEO strategy.

WordPress SEO for Tattoo Businesses

WordPress is the content management system that hosts over half of the websites on the internet, so there’s a good chance that it was used to build your website. WordPress is great because it provides almost infinite customization options. To get the most out of it, though, you need to make sure that all of its SEO capabilities are actually being utilized.

Our team at SEO Design Chicago has over 10 years of experience getting the most out of WordPress sites. Some of our key tips for tattoo studios include the following:

• Include keyword-rich descriptions of your tattoo designs — use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to research frequently searched terms.
• Use high-quality images and make sure they’re sized to display properly on mobile devices.
• Add descriptive image tags and alt text that incorporate relevant keywords like “watercolor tattoo” or “portrait tattoo.” 
• Make sure your UX is flawless — your site should load in under three seconds and be simple to navigate.
• Use conversion-focused design to make it easy for potential clients to book a free appointment to discuss design options.

Shopify SEO for Tattoo Artists

Another popular platform for building a website is Shopify. While it is better known as an e-commerce platform for selling physical items, the catalog feature makes it a popular choice for certain artists to showcase their portfolios online and help clients understand pricing and customization options. 

As with a WordPress-hosted website, you need a solid SEO strategy to help your website rank at the top of search engine results pages. Since a catalog-style site has many individual pages, it’s crucial that you make sure each page has unique content and links to related pages in a logical, organized way that makes it easy for customers to navigate your site. 

To get a tattoo Shopify store to show up in search results, pay attention to the following elements:

• Optimize collections with keywords.
• Organize tiles with visual-first descriptors.
• Update your website’s internal linking between collections and products.
• Integrate long-tail keywords into product titles.
• Optimize URLs.
• Remove duplicate content.
• Add breadcrumb menus. 
• Integrate customer testimonials.

There’s a lot more that goes into showcasing your artwork on Shopify than just uploading some snapshots of your work!

Let our experienced team handle your site, so you can focus on delivering beautiful, unique artwork for each client who walks through your doors. 

SEO Website Optimization for Tattoo Businesses

Not sure where you need to start with your tattoo shop marketing? An SEO website optimization is usually a good place to begin your digital strategy. Most artists and studios already have some kind of social media marketing and a basic website in place. Optimization will determine where you can improve what you already have to get more clients. 

We will complete a comprehensive audit of your website to identify where it is already performing well and where there are opportunities for improvement. 

With small businesses or independent artists, we often see opportunities to make some tweaks to your local SEO. This matches your site more closely to the audience in your geographic region.

This is important for the tattoo business — while there might be clients hundreds of miles away willing to travel to you for your art, it’s far more likely that advertising specifically to people in your geographic region will be more successful! 

You might be surprised at how far a few small adjustments can go in bringing more leads to your business. 

FAQs: How Do I Get My Tattoo Shop To Get New Clients from Search Results?

As a full-service digital marketing agency, SEO Design Chicago has helped hundreds of businesses improve their online presence through customized digital marketing strategies. 

Here are some of the top questions we receive about helping a local business like tattoo studios rank more highly in search results, boost their visibility, and get more clients affordably. 

What is SEO, and how does it help tattoo artists?

Search engine optimization is a set of strategies that boost your studio’s visibility on online search result pages. When potential clients search for particular keywords, like “a tattoo shop near me” or “best portrait tattoo artist in CITY_NAME,” you want your website to appear for the most relevant searches. 

When done properly, SEO brings you a steady stream of interested clients almost automatically. This saves you time, as you don’t have to spend all your time cold emailing or reaching out to people who aren’t necessarily interested in what you do. 

Can SEO really help me attract more tattoo clients?

SEO harnesses the power of search engines, which is where the vast majority of us get our information these days. We turn to the internet to find the best tattoo artist, the best sandwich, the best surgeon, and the best realtor. 

SEO is one of the most effective forms of advertising for the tattoo industry, as it generates measurable leads for your business. More online visibility leads to more clicks on your online listing, which equals more clients. 

Since the success of your business relies on a steady stream of bookings, SEO is absolutely essential to bring in new clients who are actively searching for your artwork, right now. 

What SEO services are most important for tattoo studios?

Your tattoo SEO strategy should be based around helping potential customers find your business, and then continuing to build trust with them.

The foundation of your tattoo marketing efforts should be on-page optimization, link building, quality content marketing, and Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) optimization. 

When these elements are locked down, you should start to see an increase in new clients from search engines. You can then build on that success by implementing additional marketing tactics, like email marketing, social media, or Google Local Service Ads. 

How long does tattoo shop SEO take to work?

SEO is a long-term reputation-building strategy. A fully optimized website generally takes between three and six months to consistently start seeing increased traffic.

Once you begin to get more clicks from your SEO, though, the results add up over time. More traffic to your site signals to Google that your business is a good match for searches related to tattoo services, helping improve your ranking over time. This continues to boost your online visibility, which will, in turn, attract more clients. It’s a virtuous cycle that provides ongoing growth with a relatively small continuous investment. 

I already use Instagram, do I still need SEO?

As a visual platform, Instagram is a great way to showcase your work and build connections with your audience who are already interested in tattoo art. In other words, it’s a good long-term lead nurturing strategy.

What SEO does for you is give your business exposure to people who are actively searching for a tattoo artist today. People generally turn to search engines when they are closer to making a decision. Optimizing your digital presence for SEO helps these clients find you more quickly. 

Now, once you’ve appeared at the top of those search results and the searcher has clicked on your website, they are likely to check out samples of your work on your Instagram page. That’s why it’s best to have your SEO and social media strategies working together, so you’re always providing people with the information they need to move forward with booking. 

Is your business showing up in local searches? Find out now with a free comprehensive SEO Analysis of your website!