When someone nearby types "[activity] club [town]" into Google, you want your club to be one of the results. Nobody can promise a ranking, and the details of Google's systems are not public, but there are plain, honest things a small club can do that help. None of it needs a specialist. This guide puts the steps in the order that gives the best return for the least effort.
Step 1: Have a simple website that says the obvious things
Google cannot recommend a club it knows nothing about. A website is where it learns who you are. Make sure these facts are written as ordinary text on your pages, not only inside images or PDFs:
- The name of your club, spelled consistently everywhere.
- What you do, in the words a newcomer would use ("beginners' badminton", "village hall choir").
- Where you meet: venue name, town and postcode.
- When you meet, with days and times.
- How to join and how to contact you.
- Who it is for (ages, abilities).
Use the words people actually search for. If you are the "Friday night walking football" group, say so, rather than only "our social programme". Give each page a clear title and headings, with the main topic in the first sentence. Our guide to how to make a club website lists the pages worth having, and what pages a community group website needs shows the basics.
Step 2: Make the website work on a phone
Most people looking for a local club search on a phone. Open your site on yours: can you read the text, tap the menu and find the "when and where" within a few seconds? Keep pages light and avoid text locked in a flyer image. Include alt text on images so they make sense to screen readers and search engines. Accessibility improvements tend to help everyone.
Step 3: Claim a Google Business Profile, if you are eligible
Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is what shows your name, address, opening hours and a map when people search for a business or organisation by name or nearby. It is free. Whether a club qualifies depends on Google's guidelines, which are mainly about organisations with a physical location that people can visit or that serve customers face to face, and they change from time to time. Some clubs with a regular venue qualify and others do not. Read Google's current eligibility rules before you apply.
If you can create one:
- Use your exact club name, not extra keywords.
- Choose the closest category.
- Add the venue address and hours. If you do not have a staffed location, follow Google's rules about hiding the address.
- Add your website link, a short description and a few real photos, with permission for any people in them. Avoid pictures of identifiable children unless parents have agreed.
- Check the profile every few months, and keep it consistent with your website.
- Reply politely to reviews.
Verification may require a postcard, phone call or video, which can be awkward for volunteer-run groups, so allow time. Keep the login in a role-based email, not a personal account.
Step 4: Get listed where people already look
Local directories and organisations often link to clubs, and a link from a trusted local site is useful for both visitors and search engines. Look for:
- Your town or parish council's list of local groups.
- The local council for voluntary service (CVS) or community directory.
- Your sport's national or regional governing body "find a club" pages.
- Community noticeboard sites, library listings, school newsletters and village or neighbourhood websites.
- A listing with a charity or volunteering platform if you recruit volunteers.
Only add your club where it fits. Avoid paying for lists of dozens of directories or "SEO packages", and be wary of unsolicited offers. Each listing should use the same name, address and website as your own site. If the details differ, correct them. Ask the people who run the listings to link to your website's address.
Step 5: Keep fresh content on your site
A page that says "Next AGM: 2021" tells everyone, including Google, that nobody is looking after the club. Update:
- Dates and times when they change.
- A news or events page with real posts. Short is fine.
- Photos from recent sessions, with permission.
- Your newsletter archive. See how to write a club newsletter.
Do not stuff pages with repeated keywords or write extra pages only to catch searches. Write for a newcomer, and the rest follows.
Step 6: Use Google Search Console and submit a sitemap
Google Search Console is a free tool that shows how your site appears in Google: which searches your pages show up for, which pages are indexed and whether there are problems. To use it you verify that you own the site, often by adding a code or a DNS record, which your site builder may help with.
A sitemap is a file that lists the pages on your site so search engines can find them. Many builders create one automatically, usually at an address like yourclub.org.uk/sitemap.xml. Check yours (open that address in a browser) and, if it exists, submit it in Search Console. If your builder does not produce one, for a three-to-ten-page club site Google can usually discover your pages through your menu links, but check your builder's help pages for what it supports. Search Console will also tell you if a page has been left out of Google's index, which is useful to know after a redesign.
Step 7: Earn a few honest links and mentions
Links from other websites are one signal that your club is real and useful. You do not need many. Practical sources:
- The venue's website, which might add "home of [your club]".
- Your governing body, council and school or parish newsletters.
- Local news and community pages when you run an event or reach a milestone.
- Partner clubs and charities you work with.
Ask politely, give them the correct name and address and the link to use. Do not buy links.
Step 8: Be consistent and protect privacy
Use the same club name, address, phone and website everywhere: website, Google profile, Facebook, directories. Use a role-based email and a club phone number, not personal details, so the information does not break when a volunteer leaves. When you publish names, photos or contact details, follow the rules in GDPR for small clubs and charities. Do not publish anyone's personal address or phone number without agreement, and see what to put on your safeguarding page before posting images of juniors.
Do you still need Facebook?
A Facebook page can help people find and share you, but it is rarely enough on its own, and not everyone sees it. Treat it as a complement to your own website; see club website vs Facebook page vs WhatsApp group, and moving off Facebook if you want to reduce dependence on it.
Tools and cost
You can do all of this for free. If you do not have a website yet, Natterio has a free plan that gives you a live 3-page site on a Natterio subdomain with no card needed; paid plans, from £7 a month, add your own domain. Our free website health check can look at a site and point out gaps. If you want a name like yourclub.org.uk, see club website custom domain and email.
A short checklist
- Name, activity, place, times and contact are written as plain text on your site.
- The site works on a phone.
- You have checked Google Business Profile eligibility and set it up if you qualify.
- You are listed with your council, CVS and governing body.
- The site is updated, with recent news.
- You have verified Search Console and checked your sitemap.
- Name, address and website match everywhere.
Results take time. Check progress every few months, fix what is out of date, and keep it simple.