SEO Tips for Music Teachers: Get Found on Google

Originally written on July 21, 2021.
Latest updates made on May 5, 2026.

If you’ve ever searched for “SEO tips” before — whether on Google, ChatGPT, or anywhere else — you’ve probably seen a plethora of information come up in the results. Some of it is downright confusing.

You’ve worked hard on your website, writing copy, finding pictures, and learning the ins-and-outs of whatever website service you’re using. But what good is a website if you aren’t being found?

That’s where SEO – search engine optimization – comes into play.

If you want to be found by new clients, you need to be searchable. And that’s what we’re breaking down here: What the heck is SEO and how can you make it work for your studio?

Without spending hours and hours researching the interwebs.

Let’s make SEO simple.

(or as simple as it can be.)

First, let’s unpack what SEO means.

Think of the internet as a library and search engines and AI tools as the librarians. They thumb through websites looking for things that tell them “what is this about?” Then they index that information by subjects, and when someone types a word or phrase into the search bar, websites are brought up in order of relevance.

Adding one more layer to this analogy: these search engine librarians also ask themselves “how would someone search for this information?” Essentially: what keywords or phrases would people be most likely to type into the search bar?

That’s why it’s important to have good SEO on your website — you want the search engines to list your website under the right subjects so that you show up in the appropriate search results.

These tips will help you do just that.

Researching Service Keywords

The first step in search engine optimization to figure out what keywords people are using. These are your service keywords For some types of music lessons, it will be pretty straight forward. For example:

Guitar lessons
Piano lessons
Flute lessons
Violin lessons

Also consider that instead of searching for “lessons,” a potential client might use phrases like “guitar teacher” or “guitar instructor.”

Voice lessons are a slightly different animal, as there are many phrases that clients might use instead, such as:

Singing lessons
Vocal coach
Voice classes
etc.

The industry terms that WE use aren’t necessarily the terms that potential clients use. But before you toss your hands up in exasperation, I’ve got good news for you.

There are websites that specialize in analyzing what people actually type in search engines. A few of my favorites:

• Google Search Console — free and official, shows what searches are already bringing people to your site
• Google Trends — free, great for spotting seasonal patterns (think: when people start searching for ‘summer music camp’)
• AnswerThePublic — free tier shows the question-shaped queries real people are typing, which is gold for the FAQ work we’ll talk about later
• Wordtracker — still a solid option for digging into specific keywords

Location Keywords

If you’re teaching in person, you’ll want to include keywords that indicate your service area. These are your location keywords. If you’re teaching online, you’ll want keywords to indicate that as well. Now the phrase “piano lessons” would become “piano lessons in Pittsburgh, PA.” Or it might be “online piano lessons” or “piano lessons on Zoom.”

One more quick tip: If you live in a very small town, try including the cities in your surrounding area. And conversely, if you live in a big city, consider focusing on specific areas of the city where your ideal clients tend to live.

Once you’ve made a list of your potential keywords and phrases, then it’s time to apply them to your website.

Using SEO Keywords on Your Website

Applying SEO keywords and phrases to your website isn’t as tricky as it sounds. Let’s break down some of the places you can include these words so that those Google librarians can find them.

1. Page Titles
2. Page URLS
3. Headings and Subheadings
4. Paragraph content
5. Meta descriptions

The first place to consider using a keyword is in the title of your page. For example: the title of this blog post is “SEO Tips for Music Teachers: Get Found on Google” This includes two words / phrases that I think people would be searching for, plus it identifies my audience niche.

Let’s apply those same ideas to what YOU can put on your website. When possible, the page url should include the phrase “piano lessons” in it, like this:

madeupstudiowebsitename.com/pianolessons

madeupstudiowebsitename.com/onlinepianolessons

(Please note that you do NOT need to get a new domain for your website just so that a keyword can be in the url of the home page.)

Another place Google librarians will look for keywords is in your headings and subheadings. Making sure that keywords are present here is key!

Here’s an example of what this might look like:

Singing Lessons at Sara’s Music Studio

Ready to get into that high school musical? Trying out for a solo or prepping for District choir? Perhaps you’re a seasoned singer, but find yourself struggling with some recent vocal changes, or you’re ready to up your performance game.

If so… you’ve found the right place. The studio provides voice lessons and vocal coaching for a variety of singers…

The colored text are the keywords. (No need to highlight them on your site, the search engine librarian will find them regardless.)

Further down the page, I’d include info about where the studio is located and the areas which it serves. This means we’d hit both the service keywords and the location keywords in the headings and in the paragraph content.

SEO + Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions are the text previews that shows up under a page’s title in search results. Each page on your website can have its own meta description, and they’re typically around 120–155 characters long.

Here’s an important update for 2026: Google now rewrites meta descriptions in a majority of search results, especially on mobile. So the description you carefully write may not be the one that shows up. But — and this is a big but — Google still uses your meta description as a strong signal for what the page is about. A well-written one helps you rank, even if Google decides to display its own version. So they’re still 100% worth writing.

A good meta description for a music studio includes: your service (piano lessons, voice lessons), your location (city or region), and a hint of what makes you different.

Here’s an example of a great home page meta description from Julie Duda:

In this description we see “piano lessons” and “Bethel Park, PA” — and since Julie also makes resources for teachers, we see “teaching resources” and “piano teachers,” so she’s hitting all the keyword points!

Now that you have an idea of what a good meta description looks like, let’s examine how you set them up.

How do you set meta descriptions?

Every website builder handles meta descriptions a little differently, but you’ll usually find the setting under each page’s SEO settings. Search “[your platform name] + meta description” for step-by-step instructions specific to your site.

Meta Description Instructions:

• Squarespace
• Wix
• WordPress.com

My Music Staff doesn’t have a specific FAQ on this, but you can turn on Advanced SEO options by selecting “Show Search Engine Optimization Options” found under “Studio Settings” > “Options” 

WordPress.org will vary depending on what theme you’re using, but my favorite plugin to use for this is called Yoast. The premium version is absolutely phenomenal.

That covers the basics of traditional SEO. But there’s a whole new layer to think about now…

What About AI Search?

Here’s something that’s changed dramatically since I first wrote this post: a lot of parents searching for music lessons aren’t typing into Google anymore. They’re asking ChatGPT. Or Claude. Or skimming the AI-generated summary at the top of their Google search results before they ever click a link.

So we’ve got a new question to answer: how do you make sure those AI tools recommend your studio?

The good news is that the librarian metaphor still works — AI tools are just really fast librarians who happen to also write you a summary. The bad news is that they’re looking for slightly different signals than traditional search engines were. Or, more accurately: they’re looking for the same signals, plus a few more.

Why FAQs Are Suddenly a Big Deal

AI search engines are essentially answer machines. When a parent asks ChatGPT “do any piano teachers in Austin teach beginner adults?”, the AI scans websites looking for content that directly answers that question. The closer your website’s content matches the shape of someone’s question, the more likely the AI is to pull from your site (and recommend you).

This is where an FAQ section earns its keep. A well-written FAQ does three things at once:

1. It speaks the language of search. Parents type questions into ChatGPT the same way they’d ask a friend. Questions on your site = a direct match.
2. It gives AI tools clean, scannable content. AI tools love clear question/answer structures. They can pull from them quickly and accurately.
3. It saves you time. The same parents who would email you with these questions can now find the answers themselves before they ever reach out. (Of course, I cannot guarantee that someone won’t email you about this, but… here’s hoping.)

What questions should you include?

Forget what you think parents should be asking. Write down the questions parents actually ask you. The exact phrasing matters here — “Do you teach little kids?” is a different question (and a different search) than “Do you teach preschoolers?”

A practical exercise: open your email inbox. Search for messages from parents inquiring about lessons. Look at the questions they actually wrote. Those are your FAQs.

Common starting points:

• Do you teach beginners?
• What ages do you accept?
• Do you offer online lessons / in-person lessons / both?
• Do you teach adults?
• What’s your studio policy on makeup lessons?

Answer these questions with 2-4 sentences, weaving in location data when it fits naturally. Put this FAQ section would be towards the end of your Lessons / Services page.

Optimize Your Google Business Profile

If you teach in-person lessons, here’s a stat that should get your attention: a huge percentage of families looking for local music lessons will find you through Google Maps before they ever land on your website.

They’re typing “piano lessons near me” into Google.

Then they’re tapping the Maps button and they’re looking at the little cards that pop up… name, photo, rating, distance… and making a snap judgment about which studios to investigate further.

Those cards come from Google Business Profile. Or GBP for short. It used to be called Google My Business, and you might still see it referred to that way in older blog posts and YouTube tutorials. Same thing, new name.

If you don’t have a GBP set up, you’re invisible to a meaningful chunk of your potential clients. If you have one but haven’t optimized it, you’re showing up but losing to the studio down the street whose profile is sharper than yours.

GBP deserves its own deep-dive, and I’m working on one.

For now, here’s what to do this week: head to business.google.com, claim or create your profile, and write a description that includes instrument + student type + city. We’ll cover the rest soon!

SEO Tips Summary

First, if all this information has your head swimming… I want you to take a deep breath! Improving your SEO isn’t something that you have to do all at once. Start by making a checklist of SEO items you want to work on, and then chip away at a little bit at a time by building it into your admin business hours.

All that work? It’ll be well-worth it in the long run. Because you deserve to get found in search results. (And those potential clients deserve to find you, because you’re awesome!)

Final note: If website stuff like this isn’t in your wheelhouse at all? It’s a great task to hire out. Ask around your business owning friends to get a good reference.

Want more help with SEO? We’ve got you covered!

If you’re a DIY kind of person, our Music Teacher’s Marketing Library shows you all the ins-and-outs of optimizing your website’s SEO.

Or if you’d like personalized assistance, check out our website auditing services! This is a great way to know exactly what you need to change before you hire a web designer.

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