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Marketing is a non-negotiable part of running your business, and having some knowledge surrounding SEO (or search engine optimization) can make the marketing part of your job much simpler. You can’t get away with not having a website, so you might as well take a few extra steps to help your site get as much quality traffic as possible.
If you’re not a certified SEO expert, however, wading through the many recommendations, search engine updates, and claims of best practices can be overwhelming. Some tips are far too time consuming for the average business owner; others simply don’t apply to your industry. To add another layer of complexity, Google updates its search algorithms frequently; unless you’re completely plugged in to the SEO world, you may not know about an update until after it impacts your web traffic.
SEO can be hard! But it’s not impossible. Even though we’re slightly more than halfway through 2019, it’s not too late to determine which SEO updates and tactics are worth your time and attention. Also keep in mind our SEO recommendations from last year—they’re still relevant, so add them to your SEO toolbox.
Keep reading to learn more.
Contractor marketing SEO best practices
You know your company’s work is outstanding, and while you might want it to speak for itself, that is often easier said than done. Smart SEO and marketing decisions are what will ensure that your company name reaches your target customer base.
1. Prioritize the mobile version of your website.
The majority of web traffic now occurs on smartphones and mobile browsers, so if your website doesn’t have a mobile version, you’re behind the eight ball. In fact, Google now considers the mobile version of your site first when indexing and ranking online properties.
Your website isn’t a one-and-done enterprise—the content and the design need to be updated periodically to keep the site fresh. Make sure that any updates you make are functional and look good on mobile browsers first, and then tackle any hurdles with the desktop version.
2. Include customer reviews—and update them often.
Research has shown that about one third of all local Google searches are made by users looking for reviews of a business. That’s a lot of people. Don’t let a lack of reviews (or recent reviews) cause you to lose that many eyes on your brand.
Survey your customers on an ongoing basis. When your team members complete a job, make sure that that customer receives a satisfaction survey promptly, while the experience is fresh in their mind.
Once you receive feedback from your customers, use it! Those valuable comments do far more good for your company when they’re displayed publicly than when they languish on a server somewhere.
Devote a page on your website to testimonials of your work and business practices, and update that page with new reviews as you receive them. Resist the urge to cherry-pick reviews to display. A page of solely positive reviews looks suspicious to your audience and to Google, and it will ultimately hurt your search ranking. Negative and neutral reviews are part of running a business, and people recognize that—what matters most is how you respond.
3. Put resources toward video content.
For contractors and home service professionals, video is a tool that won’t let you down (as long as you take the right approach, of course). Brief, well-edited videos highlighting your company and the services you offer can help prospective customers better understand what they’ll get when they hire you.
For the greatest benefit, host your videos on YouTube, and link to your channel or individual videos from your website. YouTube is the world’s second most popular search engine, after all, so while producing video content requires more time and equipment than written content, not having a multimedia presence can harm your search ranking.
4. Aim for high-quality, valuable content.
Your website’s search rank will improve if you publish high-quality, well-written content. Make sure your site provides all the information a prospective customer might need:
- Location
- Business hours
- Contact information
- Services provided
- Warranty details
A blog can be a great way to ensure that your website has informational content that is regularly updated (a clue to search engines that your site is well maintained and a good resource for users). But one of the keys to seeing good results from a blog is consistency.
If you don’t have the time or personnel resources to maintain a blog, don’t blog! That’s OK. But if you do decide to write a blog, maintain a regular schedule and write content that your customers will find useful. A good alternative to a blog is a FAQ page or resource center that provides helpful, in-depth answers to questions you field often from clients.
The bottom line
Driving traffic to your website takes time and effort, but the payoff is so rewarding—and you’ll see an increase in leads, too.
Today’s consumers have high expectations when it comes to a company’s website. To meet them (and boost your site’s search ranking at the same time), follow these guidelines:
- Make sure that the mobile version of your website is easy to use and helpful.
- Produce content that brings value to your target customers.
- Keep your website content fresh—featuring client reviews and your own video content is a great way to accomplish this goal.
