“Hey, Google – find roofing contractors near me.”
The Local SEO industry has rapidly changed, not just with the ever-evolving world that the global pandemic has brought upon us, but because of updated technology, new ways to communicate, and more convenient ways to shop. For the home services industry, effectively marketing online to its target consumers can be tricky, especially since many people do not want anyone outside of their ‘bubble’ to enter or be near their homes. Drastic measures have had to be made to ensure the health and safety of home service providers and customers, but it has also allowed the industry to think outside of the box and reach people digitally in a way that home service providers have never taken advantage of before.
Digital marketing tactics in 2021 tend to attract, engage, and convert online users into customers rather than seeking potential customers out. This strategy, often referred to as inbound marketing, brings customers to a business rather than going out to find customers.
Inbound marketing creates relevant content that people search for via search engines; if a company does not have keywords that match up with search results, they’re not relevant to that searcher’s inquiry.
That’s where enters the arena.
Local SEO
Ah, Local SEO – the term that so many businesses claim to understand but few utilize to earn more clientele.
Local SEO has never been so important. In a world where being relevant is everything, local businesses must understand how to get on their potential customers’ roadmaps.
Online users searching for home repair services use search engines such as Google to find the help they need. Understanding how the complex Google algorithm works and what you must do to stay relevant should be a top priority. As we’ve discussed in other blogs regarding Local SEO, there are several tactics that you can put into place to ensure that you are using all Local SEO efforts available to you. Such tactics include:
Understanding what needs to be done to obtain optimal Local SEO results over time is the first step. As we dig deeper into what Local SEO entails, you may find the mindset you had for your business does not align with what your target market is looking for, and that’s ok! Now is the time to realign your thinking and meet customers where they are.
Keyword Research for Local SEO
Home service providers need sales to maximize their ROI and become leaders in the marketplace. When it comes to understanding what your target audience is searching for in the home services niche, you must know the terms that online users are typing in the search bar and incorporate them into your website content.
Investing your time in keyword research tools to find the words and phrases you need to focus on are necessary. There are hundreds of tools to consider, but we’ve found that the following tools and extensions are our go-to favorites for Local SEO:
You want to find the words and phrases that are not only being searched for by your target market frequently, making them more competitive terms, but also those “low-hanging” fruit terms that are easily accessible to you. In other words, the terms that have a low competition rating. You want to strive to earn a higher ranking on search engine results for those more competitive terms, but that takes time, so be sure to put your energy into both!
Search Engine Optimization and Local SEO
After conducting your keyword research, you need to optimize your website content with the keywords and phrases you have decided to focus on. Many businesses tend to focus on the same keywords for a month, a quarter, or even longer; whatever you decide, incorporate those terms into the pages of your site and create original blog, video, and audio content as needed.
For example, suppose you offer roofing services in Charleston, West Virginia, and have found that people are searching for “roof repair services” in that area. Updating one of your website’s pages with a headline such as “Roof Repair Services in Charleston, West Virginia” includes those keywords and can help to optimize your site and make it more SEO-friendly. Continue to do this with other terms that you have found to be relevant and update your site accordingly.
Local SEO is a tactic that allows home service business owners to be found online at a hyper-local level. Mapping out your website and ensuring that your content matches what online users are searching for are essential to earning leads and conversions. Essentially, if your website cannot be found, you don’t exist, so you need to jump on the Local SEO bandwagon now – I guarantee your competitors are already doing so.
If you’re unsure where to start and how to get your business out there online, we’re here to help! Contact us today to get in contact with our Local SEO and digital marketing specialists to set up your free 30-minute strategy session.
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