Local search engine optimization also called local SEO for contractors and construction companies is an online marketing strategy that helps your website rank on the first page of search engines such as Google.
It is no secret that most people do research online when they are looking for help with their property.
They are looking for local professionals who are experts in their trade and checking out their reviews before they make a call.
If you have done your job by creating a modern looking website design and doing some local SEO, this makes it much easier for your company to reach these people in your market when they search for the services you offer.
It simply helps your potential clients find your website and services when they need them, and in return, your company will receive more leads on a consistent basis.
Local SEO for contractors and construction companies can be a bit tricky because there are many other companies in your area who are competing with you.
However, if you do it right, you’ll be on top of the search results, which means more leads and more money in the bank.
There are certain steps that have to be taken in order to ensure your continued success.
This is NOT rocket science or woo woo marketing.
It just takes some basic internet knowledge and a lot of online work.
You can either do this yourself or hire an expert company like ours to handle your digital marketing.
If you are ready to handle this yourself, please keep reading.
I’m going to walk you through the simple process by sharing the tips that I’ve used over the years.
Here are the 11 simple steps to local SEO success:
1. Create or redesign a professional contractor website
Your website is the first impression of your business that potential clients will see. Therefore, it is critical that you make sure you have a great presence online.
If your website is dated and lacks good content, they will more than likely go to your competitor instead.
Having a well-designed website that is SEO optimized is essential for contractors to stand out to potential customers and beat their competition in their local markets.
2. Create content on your website
Make a home page, about page, service page, contact us page, and a blog.
Then, create as many pages as possible with relevant content about your business and its services/products/locations. Make sure each page has unique content that is not duplicated across multiple pages (no keyword stuffing).
This will help Google know what each page is about when it crawls your site and determine which one should appear in search results based on the relevance of content and location data from the map on each page.
3. Search Engine Optimize (SEO) your website
If you do not have an online presence or your website is not on the first page of Google, you are missing out on a lot of new potential business.
That is why you need a website and to optimize content for local keyword searches and phrases.
Use your main service and local city in the keywords in your title tags on your home page.
For example, MasterCraft Plumbers Carlsbad, Ca. or San Diego Roofing Company.”
And you need to SEO optimize your meta descriptions.
4. Get listed on Google My Business (GMB)
Google My Business (GMB) is a must for your local SEO.
Create a GMB page for your business and add the correct information.
Choose the right location extensions for your target cities for proper GMB listing optimization
Work on getting as many 5-star reviews on your Google profile as possible.
Update your GMB listing regularly (weekly) with photos and videos.
Rinse and repeat…
5. Get in the Top 3 for Your Main Service in Google Maps
The Google Local Map Pack (also known as “The Map Pack” or “Google Top 3 Map Pack”) consists of 3 local businesses that are shown on top of organic search results.
Ranking in the map pack is simply one of the most powerful SEO ranking factors that will determine whether people will click on your listing or not.
It is a set of 3 maps that show up at the top of the search results for local searches.
The Map Packs are displayed at the top of Google Maps search results when you search for a location-based keyword, such as “kitchen remodeler near me” or “san diego emergency plumber”
If you’re a contractor looking to be found online and to get more leads on a daily basis, this is where you want to be.
6. Get listed on Yelp
Some people don’t like Yelp. They say it’s a place for negative reviews, or that the reviews are too biased to be useful.
But if you’re in the contracting business and you don’t have a profile listed on Yelp, you’re missing out on some serious opportunities.
Yelp has massive local search dominance. Often, they rank #1 for many contractors and home service business searches.
The popular review platform has become one of the go-to places for consumers to find reliable information about local businesses and services.
According to a study by Bright Local, 92% of consumers use online reviews sites like Yelp when looking for businesses like yours.
That’s more than any other source, including Google, Facebook and Angie’s List.
People looking for contractors near them will find your listing when they search for “contractors” or other relevant keywords in their area.
This lets them find local businesses they can trust without having to call everyone in town — which saves them time.
That means if you’re not on Yelp, chances are that your competitors are and they’re winning out over you.
7. Get 5-star reviews
When potential clients search for a contractor to do business with, they also research their reviews.
Search engines like Google and review sites such as Yelp also use reviews as an SEO ranking factor for your website.
So you need to get lots of reviews from every happy client. Then get more reviews. Rinse and repeat daily!
Encourage them by using special software to share those reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp, and other review sites where they’re appropriate
8. Content Marketing
Content marketing is a must for local SEO and brand awareness.
It draws in and retains audiences by sharing relevant content such as videos, photos, infographics, articles, and podcasts that are relevant to your field of expertise.
You then publish this content on your blog or other social media platforms to attract traffic, rank well in Google, and convert that traffic into leads and customers.
For contractors and home service businesses, educational and informative content works best.
For example, if you have a home remodeling company, you might consider creating content like articles and videos that feature before and after photos of your remodeling work and share them on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
Show how to install cabinets, tile, or how to properly waterproof a shower pan.
You can create informational content based on what people are searching for online to help them get ideas before they remodel.
To do this, you will need to perform keyword research and start creating content around these searches.
You will find that people are searching for “how much does it cost to remodel a bathroom?”, “how much does it cost to remodel a kitchen?”, and “bathroom remodel ideas on a budget”.
9. Social media marketing
Social media marketing for contractors is the use of these social media platforms to promote and brand your business.
It allows you to engage with existing customers and reach new ones as you promote your company culture and services.
Use social media effectively by posting relevant content and listening to what people are saying about your industry or business
This allows you to drive traffic from social media by using optimized images, blog posts and videos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which also helps with yoru SEO efforts.
10. Get internal links and backlinks
If you want to get more traffic and sales, then you need to have more backlinks pointing to your website.
This is known as link building and it is an important part of SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Backlinks to your website and internal links help with your local SEO.
Backlinks are links from other websites, which point to your website. These links can either be internal or external.
Internal links point to pages on your own website, while external links point to another website.
There are many ways to get backlinks like guest blogging, building links on other websites, writing content and creating videos.
Use local citation sites to get backlinks and boost your rankings.
Write guest post articles for other relevant websites.
You should use all these techniques to build your backlink profile.
11. Video marketing
Video marketing is one of the most effective and profitable ways for contractors to get more leads and dominate their local market.
Search engines like Google now include video as part of their search results and give preference to websites that include video content on their landing pages.
They help your potential clients find you by increasing organic traffic to your website and help them stay longer which increases engagement — a key ranking factor with Google — as well as conversion rates.
Search engines can’t read and interpret video content alone, so it’s important that you optimize your videos and their content for search engines by including relevant keywords within your titles, descriptions, tags and transcripts.
You can make target areas and cities that you want to work in by including the city in your title and description.
Add videos on YouTube and Facebook that show your services in action and get backlinks to your website for local SEO.
Do you have the expertise and time to do this yourself?
It takes a lot of time and expertise to do local SEO correctly.
This can be a real challenge for busy contractors who are running their business.
That is where a digital marketing agency for contractors like ours can help your company at a fraction of what it would cost to hire an in-house marketing expert.
If you would like a consultation or free estimate, please reach out to us and we would be glad to help!