Today I want to talk about the importance of local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for contractors. Like most businesses today, you probably have a website and a social media account set up for your company.
Maybe you think that simply owning a website and doing a little social media work is enough action to get good leads online. If that’s the case, I hope this post will give you some things to think about and whet your appetite as to why SEO matters so much for the local contractor.
Tackling the subject of SEO for your own business can seem overwhelming, but it’s such an important topic we do well not to ignore it, especially in today’s Internet-driven market.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of adjusting a website’s ranking in the search results of any search engine. Search engine algorithms examine each search result for hundreds of factors every second—popularity, time spent on website, users’ response, etc—to determine where the website should be positioned in the results.
The higher a website ranks in the search results, the more web traffic it will receive. Investing time in the increase of your company website’s SEO is critical to getting found with an online search and getting found with an online search is critical to attracting business leads.
So, why should you pursue SEO for your website?
Here are four simple reasons why an investment in SEO for your website is beneficial to your contracting business.
1. SEO Increases Your Online Value
How many of you contractors would buy a piece of land and do nothing with it?
While a piece of land in and of itself has value, the moment you build a house on it, the value is raised. SEO is very similar. When you invest in SEO, you are increasing the value of your online real estate.
I preach the importance of high-quality, high-converting websites all the time. Having a killer website is critical to a solid online presence, but if no one can find you and your website, do you even exist? If your website does not bring your company business, it has no value.
Your website shouldn’t be like like a million-dollar billboard placed on a deserted mountain road.
As search engines (Google, Bing, etc.) have grown more advanced over time, it is more difficult than ever to ensure that small company websites find a place in the first search results.
However, as it’s grown difficult, it’s also more important than ever. In fact, 61% of marketers say improving SEO and growing their organic presence is their top inbound marketing priority [in 2018]. (Hubspot, 2016)
Instead of an empty lot or a million-dollar sign on a mountain road, your website can be like a valuable mansion or a gleaming billboard in Times Square.
Improved SEO, over time, will increase the value of your online presence by helping your company website get found.
2. SEO Helps Bring in Business
How important is SEO really? Will you even notice the difference? Or if you have good SEO, would it really affect your business if it was gone?
Tim Roman from Imperial Kitchen and Bath told me that if his company’s website and SEO went down, he would drop everything to fix it immediately. Ryaan Tuttle from RJT Carpentry and Tile told me the same thing. The reason contractors take this so seriously is because their good SEO has them ranking high in the search results as well as getting a lot of leads from local people who find them there. These men know that if their SEO went away, their businesses would suffer.
A good ranking is not unattainable. You can have success with SEO too! With those examples, I want to inspire you with the hope that it’s possible for you to rank on page one as well.
3. SEO Lets You Control Your Own Online Real-Estate
Social media is HOT right now; each platform buzzing with new business accounts and client/contractor interactions by the second—without a doubt they are effective in getting your company more business. Here’s the hitch; the social media platforms are not yours. You do not own them, and even without your prior knowledge, they could crash and burn tomorrow.
You DO own your website and SEO, however. It is online real estate to which you can stake your name and claim. It is a long-term investment that will bring you back dividends. Social media is good, but make sure to focus equal attention on growing your SEO on the online platform that belongs to you.
4. SEO Makes You Stand out from Your Competition
Let’s say you are a custom home builder. Now, imagine being in a room with 100 of your top competitors when someone walks into the room and asks, “Is there a custom home builder in this room?”
Everyone raises their hands at once. However, your hand is the first one she sees, and the way your hand is positioned draws her to you. She immediately trusts you, and wants to hire you to build her house.
That’s the power of SEO.
Summary
Having a website is the foundation of your online presence as a contractor, but a website alone is not enough to attract great leads to your company. Your website needs good SEO so that it can be found by your potential customers. You own your contracting website, and by building up the SEO, you can take your place at the top of the search rankings, standing out from the crowd.
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Thank you for joining me today. If you have any further questions or comments, please join the conversation in the comments below.
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