Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) increases your online visibility to potential customers. This is important to tradies in search of more business. It is important to established, perhaps too busy, tradies to strengthen their credibility and cement their brand in the online world. It is difficult to maintain your company name as a household word if you do not have a vibrant online presence.
SEO may sound daunting and costly, but understanding how SEO works puts the tools in your hands. You do not need more software and pricey consultants.
How SEO helps new customers find tradies
If someone needs a plumber in, let’s say, Sydney’s northern beaches, they will go online to a search engine such as Google and type in keywords that state their needs. Typical keywords would be the following or similar:
- Find plumber northern beaches
- Northern beaches plumbers
- Best plumbers northern beaches Sydney
- Local plumbers
- Plumbers near me
If your business appears on the first three pages of the Google search results, customers are likely to click on your business name, which may go to your website, a review website, or a website where you have established a presence. All a potential customer has to do is click and call you. Or, if your webpage allows for online appointments or questions, they may use that feature to request further details or a service estimate.
Great SEO lands your business on top search pages
Using Google, the top search engine, for example, here are three strategies for getting your tradie listed in the first three pages:
- Invest in an online SEO strategy. Your cost would be from $400 to more than $2,000 per month;
- Create quality links on other websites back to yours;
- Have strong social signals, meaning other websites are talking about you. This tells Google a business is real and vibrant, and the search engine will reward your business with a higher page ranking.
How tradies are improving their page rankings — and profits
We have discovered easy ways to improve your website’s SEO with little or no investment:
- Add your name to local online directories. But first research directories. You do not want to get lost in a long list. And, you do not want to pay for more than you need. A link back to your website is a big plus, but paying by postcode can be too expensive for your ROI. Verify that your contact information is complete and uses the best keywords;
- Create keyword–targeted landing pages on your website. Remember the example, “Northern beaches plumber” and include as many likely search terms as you can;
- Include keywords and location in the URL, headings, and page content;
- Avoid using a major city or state as a keyword. Be area specific (geotargeting.)
- Use Google AdWords Keyword Planner to discover the best keywords for your services and the area you serve.
You can also build your online visibility and SEO ranking by connecting, partnering, and collaborating with other websites. Ask relevant industry blogs if you can provide a guest post that, ideally, will link back to your website. Crafting a blog post or article will not be a waste of your time. When other sites mention you and link to you, Google will recognise your website (and business) as trusted and credible, thus deserving a higher page rank.
Please contact us with questions and for more information on making your tradie the “go to” company in your area.
