SEO FOR CONTRACTORS: THE TOP 7 TIPS EVERY CONTRACTOR SHOULD KNOW
Are you a contractor who's looking to take your business to the next level? Here are seven must-have tips about SEO for contractors.
Studies show that more than 90 percent of the people searching on Google go beyond the first page of results. If your site isn’t ranked in those first few positions, you’re reaching less than 10 percent of your potential customers.
The question is, how do you get your site into one of those spots? You can’t buy your way in, you need to convince Google your site should be one of its top recommendations.
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the way to do that. Let’s look at 7 tips to improve SEO for contractors.
1. CLAIM YOUR GOOGLE MY BUSINESS PAGE
The first step in search engine optimization for contractors is to claim your Google My Business (GMB) profile. This profile includes all the important details about your company - name, address, phone number, services offered, and more.
Google uses this information in the search results when someone searches for anything related to your business so it’s important that it’s accurate and that you claim it before anyone else does.
2. GET VERIFIED WITH GOOGLE
Once you’ve claimed your GMB profile, the next step is to get verified with Google. There are several ways you can complete this verification process:
By mail
By phone
By email
Instantly (for some businesses)
In bulk, if you have 10 or more locations
The verification process is important because it confirms you own the business and adds a second layer of trust to the information.
Ultimately, trust is one of your most valuable assets online. Google needs to trust you to rank your site and your visitors need to trust you to make the leap from prospect to customer.
3. BUILD A KEYWORD LIST
Google’s search system is based on keywords and phrases. The majority of people searching for something on Google use short phrases or keywords, not fully-formed sentences.
For example, someone looking for a contractor for a home renovation project in Brooklyn is more likely to search for something like “home renovation Brooklyn” than “what is the best home renovation contractor in Brooklyn?”
“Home renovation Brooklyn” is a keyword. To help your site rank for search terms related to your business, you need to include those terms in the content on your website.
4. BUILD CITATIONS
Claiming your business on Google is important but it’s not the only place you should put a stake in the ground. There are various other sites where you can create business profiles such as Facebook Pages and industry directories.
Google considers the information on those pages when ranking your site as well so it’s important that it’s both current and that it matches what’s in your GMB profile.
Your business name, address, and phone number are known as your NAP in the world of SEO. This information should be exactly the same on every site so there’s no doubt about what’s correct.
If you list your address as 123 Main Street in your Google My Business profile, don’t list it as 123 Main St on another site. They should all be exactly the same to get the best results.
5. GET CUSTOMER REVIEWS
Another important factor in digital marketing for contractors is getting your customers to review your work. They can review you on Google or on other sites like Yelp or Facebook.
Google considers all the reviews it finds on the web and displays them alongside your listing in the results. The higher your ratings, the more likely searchers are to click on your site in the results.
6. CREATE A MOBILE-FRIENDLY VERSION OF YOUR SITE
Mobile devices account for more than half of Google searches. More people are using smartphones and tablets than ever so it’s important that your website looks good on screens of all sizes.
A responsive website can resize itself and adjust the layout to work on any size screen. Modern smartphones and other mobile devices can display “desktop” sites but they’re hard to read and a lot of people will click away to find a more friendly site.
7. SPY ON YOUR COMPETITION
“Spying” on your competition is a simple way to identify opportunities for improving your contractor SEO.
Once you have your list of keywords, search for them yourself and see where your competition ranks in the results. If they have a top ranking for particular keywords, take a closer look at their site and analyze what they’re doing.
What keywords are they focusing on in their content? Do they have images on their site? What kind of layout are they using?
Dig into their business a bit more and see what kind of reviews they have. Take a look at their Facebook Page, Instagram posts, Twitter feed, and any other social media presence.
Create a blueprint of what they’re doing that’s getting them a top ranking and then start doing the same things yourself. And better yet, find gaps in their SEO that you can exploit by doing it better.
If you can duplicate what they’re doing, you should be able to compete in the rankings. If you can fill any gaps in their SEO, you can likely outrank them and “steal” some of their traffic.
WHERE TO TURN FOR HELP WITH SEO FOR CONTRACTORS
SEO for contractors is reasonably straightforward but it takes a lot of time and effort to do it right. Not only do you have to do all this work, but you also have to stay on top of all the changes.
Google constantly updates its algorithm to improve the results and that means you need to keep up with those changes if you want to hold onto your rankings.
If you’d rather focus on what your business does best and leave the SEO work to experts, I can help. My SEO services for contractors will help you rank higher on Google which means more traffic and more business. Get in touch with me to set up an initial consultation today by calling 917-209-5964