Why SEO Matters
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) helps potential visitors discover your events and venue when searching online. Good SEO means your productions appear higher in search results, bringing more people to your website and ultimately selling more tickets. Think of it as making sure search engines like Google and Bing can properly read, understand, and recommend your content to the right audiences.
SEO also lays the foundation for:
- Accessibility - Many SEO best practices (clear content structure, descriptive alt text, logical navigation) directly improve accessibility for users with disabilities. Strong SEO and accessibility practices go hand in hand.
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) - As AI tools answer questions directly, good SEO practices help these systems find and recommend your events.
Good News: You're Already SEO-Ready
Your CultureSuite CMS automatically handles many complex SEO tasks behind the scenes:
✓ Structured data for all events, productions, and pages (schema.org format)
✓ Meta data automatically generated for all pages
✓ Clean, short URLs that follow best practices
✓ XML sitemap automatically generated and updated
✓ Mobile-responsive design built in
✓ Fast page loading optimised by the platform
✓ Proper page structure with correct HTML headings and markup
This means you can focus on the content-level optimisations that make the biggest difference for your specific venue and productions.
Before You Start
These foundational tools should be set up before diving into the checklist below. If you haven't already:
- Google Tag Manager (GTM) - Container for all your tracking scripts
- Google Search Console - Monitor search performance and indexing
- Google Analytics 4 (GA4) - Track visitor behaviour and conversions
Need help? See our guide: Settings for Google Tag Manager (GTM) for step-by-step setup instructions.
Your Essential SEO Checklist
☐ 1. Connect Your Google Tag Manager
Location: System > Control Panel > Google Tag Manager
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a container that manages all your tracking and analytics scripts in one place. This is where you add Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, or any other analytics tools. Without GTM and analytics properly connected, you can't measure the impact of your SEO efforts or understand which marketing channels are essential for tracking how visitors find and use your website.
Action: Add your GTM code in the Control Panel to connect analytics and tracking across your site.
☐ 2. Fill In Template Text Meta Descriptions
Location: System > Template Texts
Template Texts control the Meta descriptions for your Website and Overview pages, including the What's On, Courses Overview, and other key pages. These are often the first results people see when searching for your organisation.
Meta descriptions are suggestions you provide to search engines about what to show under your page titles in search results. While search engines may choose to use your meta description, paraphrase it, or create its own snippet from your page content, it's still important to fill them in - especially as they're used directly when sharing on Social Media platforms.
Action: Review all Template Text entries and ensure meta descriptions are filled in, search for FE3_meta
- Keep descriptions to 160 characters maximum
- Make them compelling and action-oriented
- Include relevant keywords naturally
Learn more about Template Texts
☐ 3. Optimise Your Production SEO Fields
Location: Events & Productions > Productions module
Every production has dedicated SEO fields that directly impact how it appears in search results. These are crucial for individual show pages and when sharing on Social Media Platforms.
For Each Production, Review:
- Slug
- Creates the URL for your Production page
- Auto-generated from title
- Make it clear, concise, relevant, and natural
- Example:
/shakespeare-hamletis better than/production-12345
- Meta Title (60 characters max)
- Auto-generated from title + subtitle, but you can customise
- Include performer name and show title when possible
- Example: "Hamlet | Royal Shakespeare Company"
- Meta Description (160 characters max)
- Your sales pitch in search results (Search engines may use, paraphrase, or create their own snippet)
- Used directly when Social Media (same principles as Template Text meta descriptions above)
- Include key details: what, when, why someone should attend
- Example: "Experience Shakespeare's timeless tragedy. Award-winning cast. Playing March 15-April 3. Book now."
- Performer & Performer Type
- Helps search engines understand your content structure
- Select whether title or subtitle contains the performer name
- Specify if it's a person or group/collective
- Location Data
- Crucial for "near me" searches and local discovery
- Powers Search Engines event viewer and map resultsAction: Ensure all Halls have complete addresses
Action: Go to: Dashboard > Event metadata > Locations and ensure all Locations have complete addresses
- Fill in for each Location:
- Full street address with number
- City
- Postal code
Action: Go to: Dashboard > Event metadata > Halls and ensure all Halls are linked to a Space. This connects them to the correct Location data. Read more about Spaces & Locations.
☐ 4. Optimise Content Descriptions
Locations:
- Events & Productions > Themes module
- Stories > Pages
Page and Themes can have their own meta descriptions. If you use themed collections or campaigns, this is powerful for SEO.
- For Themes, focus on the connecting thread between productions
- For Pages: Clearly explain what visitors will find on the page
- Include relevant keywords
- Make them compelling and action-oriented
- Maximum 160 characters
Example: For a "Summer Shakespeare Festival" theme, describe the festival concept and its unique appeal.
Example: For an "Education Programme" page, highlight workshops, school visits, and learning opportunities
☐ 5. Create a Helpful 404 Error Page
Location: System > Template Texts
When visitors land on a broken link or page that doesn't exist, a good 404 page keeps them on your site instead of leaving in frustration.
Your 404 page should include:
- A friendly message explaining the page wasn't found
- Links to your most important pages (Homepage, What's On, Contact)
- Your upcoming featured events or current season highlights