SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the action of gaining search engine algorithms and ranking higher in the search results to help you be found online.
Ever wonder why that 7-year-old opening Nikes gets so many views? That’s SEO and Branding at work.
Let’s break it down to our level. Local SEO is pretty much what it sounds like – it’s focusing on your local area so search engines know where your business is and what it does when people search for services like yours.
Most of Local SEO is considered to be ranking higher on Google Maps to get your business into what we consider the “3-pack” which is the first 3 results.
A good rule of thumb to help understand SEO is E-E-A-T, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. My boss doesn’t fully agree with it, and after some time, I get why, but it’s still a useful guide.
So, what does Local SEO for Contractors look like? Well, whether you’re a plumber, excavator, landscaper, or construction contractor, if you’ve been doing the work, you’ve got the experience and expertise.
Authoritativeness comes down to whether you’re the go-to person for your field. You wouldn’t go to a bakery to get your tires changed, right? Same idea. You gotta have authority in your industry.
As for Trustworthiness, that’s more important than ever with all these bots and fake websites popping up. If your site has any negative flags or sketchy activity, it’s not gonna rank high in search results.
How Local SEO Helps
Back in the day, if a business wanted to get noticed, they had to get creative. Since the internet wasn’t like it is now, you had things like wacky waving inflatable tube men or sign spinners outside your local tax place.
Maybe your town even had someone dressed as a monkey breakdancing by the drive-thrus.
Local SEO is kind of like your modern-day sign spinner. It grabs the attention of potential customers but online, where most people are looking. It helps clients find you, even when they don’t know they need you yet. You’ve got the tools to make their dreams happen – all that’s left is for them to fill out that contact form. SEO is the sign spinner that points them right to your business.
Local SEO is what gets you in front of people searching for “Local [X] contractor near me.” You’ll show up ahead of the businesses that pay for sponsorships – because everybody knows those guys paid for that spot. When you’ve got a good Google My Business profile, and all your accolades lined up, you’ll stand out more naturally in the search results.
Just today, I heard one of our newer clients sealed a 6-figure job. Feels like we just got them a few months back, but the results are already showing. I’ve got plenty of case studies, but I’ve got a personal story that really shows the difference SEO makes.
A Short Overview of Aspects of Local SEO
We are not going to try to jumble up your mind with all the technical stuff with Local SEO, but here is the general ideas that you should be aware of when it comes to the ranking factors and the idea of SEO.
1. Google My Business (GMB) Optimization
To keep it simple, GMB = your business map listing on Google. Make sure to have your GMB profile filled out and verified. It’s a free listing, use it to your advantage. Here are the things you should have filled out.
- Business name
- Business category
- Description
- Contact Information (NAP) name, address, and phone number
- Website
- Social profiles
- Locations served
- Business hours
- All products (can be listed and directed to your service pages)
- All services your business provides
Here is an article if you need help creating and setting up your GMB profile,
2. Local Citations
Local citations and directories are your Yelp, Angie’s List, and even your local news websites. The idea of listing your business all over the internet is to gain trust in Google’s algorithm to rank your website higher. The more your company’s name is listed, the higher Google will rank your website.
Make sure to have your NAP (name, address, and phone number) the same on every single citation or directory listing to be consistent.
3. On-page SEO for Local Pages
On-page SEO is the process of optimizing your location or service page so the search engines know exactly what you’re offering.
Use local keywords naturally in your H1 title and SEO Title and content (e.g., “Roof Repair in Cleveland”), and make sure your content is simple, clear, and answers the questions customers are likely to search for.
In most cases, you will have location-specific service pages and base service pages.
4. Schema Markup
Schema markup is in most cases, a piece of JSON code put in the backend of a website to give the search engine crawlers more details about the page or overall site that is not shown to the front-end user of your site.
Local Business Schema and SameAs schemas are typically the most commonly used ones for local business sites. They will list the hours, address, phone number, and your business name on the back-end.
5. Reviews
The number of reviews you have on your Google My Business profile is the most important thing to outrank your competitors once your GMB account is fully filled out.
If you are wondering “How many reviews do I need to rank high?”, at Blue Sky Advertisement we usually use this rule: Top 3 ranking businesses total reviews divided by 3 to get the average of reviews our clients need to rank.
What Happens Without SEO
I’m the youngest grandson of a man who owned an excavation company. We did all kinds of general labor – digging wells, thatching roofs (yep, they even had me thatching roofs).
When my grandpa passed, the work slowed down. My uncle took over. Now, don’t get me wrong – my uncle’s a great guy.
Salt of the earth. But when it came to keeping up with the times, he wasn’t interested. He didn’t have my grandpa’s gift for talking his way into a good bid; he just had work ethic. He ended up underselling himself, which, while noble, wasn’t so great for putting food on the table.
Without modern marketing, he got by running the farm, working into old age, but not leaving much behind. As much as I respect him, standing on honor doesn’t pay the bills in today’s world.
Without SEO, you’re holding yourself back. Just about everyone has internet access now. The world’s wide open, but let’s bring it back down to the local level.
People aren’t just searching for services like yours, they’re also looking for the kind of person they can trust. My uncle is the kind of guy I’d leave my house key out for, to come fix anything. But he can’t even send a text beyond “OK.”
Without Local SEO, you’re at a serious disadvantage. You’ll have to rely on word of mouth alone, and odds are, you’ll get fewer jobs – and at lower rates. Setting up your Google My Business profile doesn’t take much, and they even offer options to verify your business without needing the internet.
