How can search engine optimization (SEO) help my plumbing business?
Working with local plumbers since 2011 has allowed our team to understand industry specifics that best assist in our technical SEO strategies. We have built many relationships with niche sites that enable us to post content relating to your industry while acquiring backlinks to your website. Begin SEO work for your plumbing business ASAP because your competition is already doing it!
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Research
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Content Adjustments
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Natural Backlinking
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Local Citations
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On-Site Blogging
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Social
THE BENEFITS
Getting to the top of Google search engines is where all the magic happens; you can pay for results using PPC efforts, but once you quit paying, all is lost. With SEO, you are investing in your company's future. With hundreds of keyword possibilities to rank for, the traffic possibilities can become enormous. Our SEO services for plumbers help your site get top rankings for relevant search terms, maximizing the overall traffic potential.
What Does Local SEO For Plumbers Mean For Your Plumbing Business?
I want to get right to the core of what it actually means to apply SEO services in a way that works to get your plumbing company more business leads. In other words, you have set out to get your company more business, and you have many options when it comes to marketing. You could wrap your vehicles, buy a billboard, pay for radio ads, pay for Google & Facebook ads, as well as pay someone to perform SEO. The problem with paying for SEO is that it is complicated to understand what you are getting and how it will work for you. We know it's a weird form of marketing.
There is one thing that you do know is true though, and that is that your customers in your local area are going onto their phones and computers and searching in Google for words like "Plumber Near Me" or "Best Plumbing Company Near Me." You know in your heart that this is true, and we also know it is true because we see the data.
Sure, referrals are always the best form of generating business, and it's great when someone sees your truck wrap and calls you. But you want people who do not yet know about your company to find you when they do their search. You understand that when someone searches for a plumber, the first thing they will see is a Google paid ad. You, like many people, believe that your customer will scroll down past these ads and you do not care to pay for those ads as a form of marketing.
When your potential customers search online and scroll past the ads, the next thing they see is a list of plumbing companies on a map that is closest to them as well as a list of 10 websites that are on the first page of Google. We all know that your customers will not go to page 2 and they will most likely click on one of the companies located on the map with the most reviews or they will click on the website ranked between the #1-3 spots below the map. These are the two spots that you want to be at, either #1 in Google or #1 on the map, and this is where an SEO company comes in to help get you there.
Here Is A Visual To Show You What A Google Search PAID AD Looks Like
(These cost $20 per call lead)
![Best Plumber Dallas TX - Ads.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6da3b2_76137a3fb43d4f669cd2ca51f1509525~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_600,h_333,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Best%20Plumber%20Dallas%20TX%20-%20Ads.png)
As mentioned above, when someone performs a search, the first thing they see are paid Google ads. These can be comprised of two types of ads, Pay Per Click ads and Pay Per Lead ads. The ads shown above are paid per lead. Their goal is to trick the searcher by calling them Google Guaranteed, but when you look to the right, you notice the word sponsored. These are not placed here because these are the best companies that are somehow guaranteed to be the best. They are placed here strictly because Google is being paid to put them here, and they cost $20 per lead. This method is Google's shameful way of adding more paid advertisements to their search engine in a way that appears less like a paid ad, and all it does is trick searchers while pushing organic listings further down. People are smart, though, and they know to scroll down to find the best business that earn their natural positions in Google by being a great business.
Here Is A Visual To Show You What A Google Map Listing Looks Like
(These are free to set up yourself)
![Best Plumber Dallas TX - Map.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6da3b2_5e3d709122d345d9b295c1dc2eb7dbe5~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_598,h_655,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Best%20Plumber%20Dallas%20TX%20-%20Map.png)
To be on a map listing above only requires three main components which are your business category, ie. Plumber, your location in proximity to the person searching, and finally your amount/star reviews. This map listing is called Google My Business, and it is Free and effortless for you to set up your self. Don't listen to an SEO company that says they work hard monthly to get you on the map. That statement is not correct unless they are a review company who's goal is to get you a ton of reviews, specifically Google reviews. To be shown on the map, Google puts a significant focus on who first is in the same category to the person searching. If they need a local plumbing company and the category of your main listing is a plumber, then they consider you. Once Google establishes all the local companies in the category being searched, then they next look at the addresses and see which companies are the closest in proximity to the searcher. Finally, once they have narrowed those listings down, then Google looks at the reviews and puts the plumber at the top who not only has the most reviews but more importantly, the best reviews. It has been noticed by SEO companies, that Google takes businesses more seriously who have 30 or more reviews. Set you listing up for Free and start asking every customer for a review. You and your team personally asking is the best way to generate reviews, and in our opinion, it is better than paying a company to do so. We say this because we have witnessed our customers acquire more reviews by asking rather than paying companies to ask.
Here Is A Visual To Show You What An Organic Google Search Listing Looks Like
(Top of Google earned listings, no paid for)
![Best Plumber Dallas TX - Organic.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6da3b2_ef771629b49647a195f601ad859d3414~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_597,h_705,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Best%20Plumber%20Dallas%20TX%20-%20Organic.png)
These listings are the organic search results, also called by SEO specialists SERPS (search engine results pages). You want your website to rank #1-3 spots, ideally #1. When people say, they want to rank in Google, be on top of page one, or be found at the top of Google when someone searches, this is the spot they are most likely referring to. When someone says pay me for SEO services to get found in Google, this is the spot you are paying them to get you to. The difference here is that no one, not even Google, can guarantee you here, and you cannot merely buy a spot the way you can with a Paid Ad placement. The company and its website earn these organic spots at the top. When you pay an SEO company to get your plumbing business to the top of search engines, then what you are paying for is for the company to strengthen your website. Your site itself gains authority with Google, and Google chooses to place the website at the top. Google places a website at the top if they feel it is the most influential, most relevant site for the person who is searching. Our job as an SEO company is to make your website healthy and full of content. Google sees it as having the most authority for your customers searching; therefore, they place your site at the top when they search.
I know this is very repetitive and sounds ambiguous, but it is quite the opposite. Making your website strong is like going to the gym. Your website is you at the gym, and we are the trainer who works the site out. We know how to add content and build links in a manner that correctly grows your website. We track the results monthly, we can see the search data of how many potential customers we are trying to drive to your site, and we can provide every single specific task that we are completing to achieve this. What is quite secretive with most SEO companies is extremely transparent with us. Learn more about why your plumbing business needs SEO.
More About The Plumbing SEO Services We Offer
We talk above about why plumbing companies and contractors need to implement an SEO strategy and campaign to be found online, and we also show what it means and looks like to be found online via SEO. Now we want to dive into SEO itself and share some of the main components and tactics we use to acquire movement to the top of Google specifically for plumbers. If you are a contractor who likes to get hands-on, or maybe you are already working with an SEO company, then please download our Free SEO Training Video to get our in-depth SEO methods.
RESEARCH & DATA
Data is the cornerstone when investing in any form of a marketing campaign in particular. If you were to rent a billboard for your plumbing company, then you would want to know how much traffic drives by and who those individuals are. The same goes for a radio ad. If you choose Pay Per Click ads, then you want to know what targeted words the ads will show for when people search as well as how many impressions and potential clicks you will get. The same goes for your SEO campaign. If you want to be at the top of Google and pay a company for SEO services, then you must know what specific keywords people are searching and how many times per month they are searching. For instance (and this is a made-up number) but if you want to be at the top for Plumbers near me, then you would want to know that 1000 people search that word per month in your area. Once you know the words people are searching for and how often per month they are searching, then you can decide if the monthly investment for SEO will bring in the potential ROI needed once you were to rank at the top for those words. Without performing and understanding the SEO research and data, you will not be able to make a sound investment. You and your SEO company must work together to interpret this information.
CONTENT
If you have heard of the term content is king, then know that it is so true when it comes to SEO and ranking your website. We understand that you may assume that people do not read, and you should keep your site simple with little content. We get the idea, but the fact is that Google reads and if you have little substance, then most likely you will show low results in the search engines. Google knows that your potential plumbing customers are searching for your business, and they are explicitly vetting you over the competition. They want to know why to choose you, who you are, the values you bring, and the experience you have. They want to trust you before they consider even to call. When it comes to searching online and building trust, it takes the content to do this. Of course, this trust is also made with reviews, images, and videos as well. Google knows that your business is more then a couple of sentences of content. How can you be in business for years and offer an excellent service but only describe it in a few sentences? This approach doesn't make sense to Google and for a good reason. We provide content and lots of it, both on and off your website. This content builds authority with Google and trust with your readers. We write the content for you and in a manner that works for search engines and SEO as well.
LINKING
Linking websites and content to each other was one of the founding principles of Google. The founders realized that linking and connecting websites build strength and authority on the internet, and this could lead to many possibilities for sites, people, and businesses. Over the years, this concept has been muddled with by many black hat SEO companies who have abused the idea and caused Google to penalize sites who do corrupt linking practices. The truth is that linking is still one of the most critical factors for a website that must-be handled correctly. There are different types of linking for instance if you have a link on a website that is not yours and it links back to your website; then this is called a backlink. These links are precious to your website, and you want backlinks from healthy relevant sites. However, if you have a backlink from a poor website, then it affects your websites, making it seem of less quality. You only want backlinks from useful, relevant websites. You can also create links from your website off to another site, giving them a backlink. These links are helpful to connect your viewers to vital information that they cannot receive from your website alone. Then finally, internal linking is comprised of links within your website itself. These links take you from pages within your site to other pages on your site. The goal with your website is to get people to stay on it and look around. You want them going to as many pages as you can while teaching them all you have to offer. SEO campaigns strongly benefit from a solid linking profile which can often be tricky to achieve on a large scale.
REPORTING
Your reporting directly correlates with your research. You have done all of this research to figure out what words you want to rank for and now have decided to invest in an SEO company to begin moving you up in the search engines. Now it makes sense that tracking these rankings is the final step to make sure that your investment and campaign are worthwhile. Many SEO companies like to share with their customers some necessary Google Analytics reports, which mainly show website traffic. Although these reports are vital to understanding if your campaign is bringing more customers to your site, we believe that alone they do not suffice. We feel it is crucial first to track and report the actual words you are targeting and watch where you are correctly ranked. These are the words you are paying to move up for, so you must watch the movement. Most likely, you will not produce site traffic from words that are not top of page one, so it is essential to monitor the words first move to page when then up to the #1-3 spots. While doing this, we also watch Google Analytics see traffic increase. The theory is that once the words make it to the top, then the traffic should grow with them. This method is our approach to report and has noticed that many SEO companies do not share the rankings. Maybe it's because the rankings for these companies are not moving up, or perhaps it's because they choose not to share. Either way, with The SEO Contractor, we want our Plumbers to see the SEO results in action to monitor and understand the results of their SEO campaigns properly.
GET IN THE GAME OR SIT ON THE BENCH
Ok, all you plumbers looking for SEO and website rankings in search engines. It's time for the moment of truth. The facts are that if you believe that people are searching in Google and think they should find your company, then that means SEO is something you should talk about with a specialist and begin. If you sit on the sidelines and don't get in the game, then you are failing, and if you start and give up too soon, then you are also failing. If this is something, you believe in then get started. If you feel that referrals are all you need and that SEO is a waste of money, then go ahead and leave this site because this product is not for you anyhow. No hard feelings. If you feel that this form of marketing is a hoax or not going to work for you and you should try something else, then please leave, and Google searches a PPC, Billboard, or Radio advertisement company as they might be right for you. But if you believe people search in Google, and you are tired of your competition winning, and you are ready to commit to this form of marketing, then reach out to us and get a free consultation. We are prepared for your plumbing business to succeed in search engines!
What is SEO for plumbers?
So what exactly is SEO, and what does it stand for? SEO stands for Search Engine Optimizer, which improves the quality of your website and the quantity of traffic to your website. By optimizing your website's design, content, and even popularity through link building and keywording, SEO allows your website to become more relevant in searches, and search engines will rank your website better. Simply put, it helps bring your website to the top of Google when someone searches "plumbers in my area." It doesn't matter if your social media is up to date or even if to have a nicely designed website. Suppose the information about your plumbing business or the link to your plumbing company's website needs to appear on the first page of Google. In that case, you are guaranteed to lose customers to any rival businesses, including your local area.
How Does it Work?
SEO for plumbing companies will be able to bring your company to the first search listed by providing website content like blog posts and editing code to ensure that your website has a high ranking factor on Google. High rankings on search engines mean you have much traffic on your website and quality traffic from customers using their search engines. By using blog posts on your website, an SEO can use keywords to provide links to certain areas of your website, creating more traffic and engagement across your customer base, not to mention allowing this potential customer base to see more of your plumbing services.
Coding on your website must allow search engines to find and rank your website. This coding also means that your website needs to be fast and secure but mostly mobile-friendly. Mobile-friendly means that the design on your page should display well on a smartphone, and any information about your plumbing business is easily accessible and shown. An SEO strategy will provide coding to your company's website that browsers and search engines need to display your website prominently, which is only possible to create with the proper training and expertise.
SEO for plumbing companies also comes with an SEO strategy using content marketing for link building and keyword research. Your website can have page after page of unique content to optimize your website and engage your potential customer base.
What Results Can SEO Provide?
Plumber SEO services and strategies provide long-term search engine marketing for your plumbing website. This will bring your website more traffic from customers looking to purchase your plumbing services. By providing your website with high keyword rankings on search engines, customers will be directed to your website above other local businesses and competitors with words like "plumbing company near me," "plumbing websites," or even "water heater." These results are an essential part of SEO because about half of all customers choose the first three options presented on search engines, and any help in your company's rankings will bring them to you first.
Why Do Plumbers Need SEO?
Using social media for marketing your plumbing website should only be a part of your marketing strategy. It's more complex than establishing an active Facebook or a location on Google, even if it does have good reviews. To ensure that information about your plumbing business is found online, you must add SEO Search Engine Optimization to your marketing tools. Search engines, like Google, help people find what they are looking for online, including any local businesses in the area. Having SEO is working to rank your website higher on the results pages from those searches creating more traffic to your website and expanding your customer base.
How Your Plumbing Company Needs SEO
Local SEO
By using SEO strategies locally, you can begin optimizing your website. When doing local optimization in the plumbing industry, you will become more visible to your direct customer base than your competitors. Claiming your business profile and ensuring active social media falls within this category. Still, you can improve your online presence with good reviews and link-building to your plumbing services web pages. Getting local links that direct customers to your website will help establish your plumbing websites in trusted local businesses. Finding business directories in your area and working to add your website link to their listing is a great place to start.
Technical SEO
The technical side of SEO is by making improvements on the backend of your website, actually inside the coding of your website, that makes it easier for browsers to look through your website and then produce them on the results page of those searches. This is where it is best to work with professionals who understand how to make these changes and improvements to optimize your website. It can get complicated, and their expertise will provide your ranking factor with actual results quicker. Part of this optimization also includes the ease of your website for consumers. Your website must load quickly, be easy to navigate, and be mobile-friendly. This will bring customers to your page but also keep them there.
On-Page SEO
Using on-page SEO means that elements like keywords, images, headings, and internal links are optimized to make your content rank higher and drive more traffic to these pages of your website. This isn't just limited to the front-end changes you can make on your own but also includes how your URL is structured and meta descriptions for your website. Using keyword research, blog posts, or imagery will give results different than a hired professional can bring to SEO for plumbing companies. Creating a blog for your plumbing services will show your customers that you are an industry expert, and you can either write the blog posts yourself or hire a freelance writer to help keep your content fresh and new.
Off-Page SEO
Off-page, SEO brings a level of credibility to your link-building and rank factor. When off-page SEO is done correctly, it tells web browsers that your website is essential and endorsed by other websites and companies. Creating valuable backlinks and links on other websites that direct traffic to your website shows that the quality of your content is high, and the more traffic you generate from off-page SEO, the higher your ranking will be.
What is the best platform to advertise a plumbing business?
When working on advertising and building a marketing strategy for your plumbing business, you need to consider working with a professional to build a strategy for SEO. Search engine optimization will bring customers from the most prominent platform to your website first. Some of the largest platforms to advertise your plumbing business are social media platforms like Facebook, but the largest search engine is Google. The plumbing industry is very localized and highly competitive, and by using local SEO strategies, you will generate more leads within your local community. Creating connections with local and neighboring homeowners should be the goal of any local plumber. Your local customer base is looking for plumbing companies and businesses with a positive reputation in their neighborhood.
Local SEO
It would be best if you first appeared in the top Google Map searches to establish a robust local SEO. Thankfully, this narrows your competitors by geographical location, but first, you want to appear in the top three choices. The first step is creating and establishing your Google My Business page. This page should be clear and consistent in its information about your plumbing business, as it is the perfect tool to bring customers to your business first. Within this page, be sure to respond to reviews authentically and encourage reviews as well. You can also create posts within this page to work on your link-building and guide potential customers to your blog posts. Finding current business data is what customers are looking for. If Google verifies your business, you can find it on the listed sidebar space, highlighting it even more for customers. This shows that Google endorses your plumbing company and boosts your ranking factor.
Keeping the Locals
Now that you have optimized your website in the local plumbing industry through SEO strategies, it's time to perform your audits, set a schedule for them, and keep your local business by staying relevant. SEO is an ongoing process that will continue to evolve, so it's best to contract help for its maintenance. By performing an audit, you will see where your company stands in the plumbing industry and what you can work on going forward to achieve the level of engagement your business needs. Ensuring your business displays appropriately in search engines and that the information is always accurate is crucial. Going through your internal links to maintain your website's structure and ensure correct citations lead your customers to the products and plumbing services they can purchase. Local plumber SEO challenges stem from building a connection to your local community. Consider engaging your local network by posting blogs specific to your neighborhood, mentioning and highlighting specific local employees, and participating with that local community. Potentially partnering with a local nonprofit, sponsoring or hosting an event, or even featuring a local scholarship while continuing with this marketing PR with your SEO in mind will bring additional clicks to your page, increasing your local traffic on your website and helping to establish domain authority for your website credibility as well.
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