Categories
Google Advertising Plumbing

How To Get Your Plumbing Business In The Google 3 Pack?

Local SEO for plumbers is imperative to making sure that people can find your plumbing services when they’re searching online. And if no one knows about your services, then it doesn’t matter how great they are! Let’s talk about the basics first- shall we?

Do you know that 80% of local homeowners and property managers might miss your services monthly? Research shows that 4 out of 5 prospects/clients utilize local searches before scheduling a service appointment. You will miss many potential clients if your plumbing website is not optimized for local searches.  

Google is the most famous search engine in the world today. According to the search giant, there are more than 240K searches each month for plumbers in the United States. So, you need to get your plumbing company on top of google maps local pack to turn these browsers into paying clients. But how can you make your plumbing company rank on top of Google’s local 3-pack? Without further ado, let’s dive in!

What Is Google’s Local 3-Pack?

Google’s local pack is a list of three plumbing contractors/companies near a person searching online. The result is a comprehensive view of plumbing companies to help the searcher make an informed purchasing decision.

Like aggregate search sites such as Angie list or Home Advisor, getting your plumbing company on top of Google local pack gets you in front of local homeowners’ minds when conducting research online.

For most local plumbing companies, a typical Google local pack may include the following basic elements:

  • Directions
  • Website link
  • Opening hours
  • Phone number
  • Ratings (based on your Google My Business profile)
  • Location on the map

To run a successful plumbing business in your local area, your plumbing website must appear in Google’s local three-pack. It is the most prominent feature on Google and takes up a lot of screen space. Rather than homeowners scrolling down to find your organic listings, you can attract them by putting your plumbing company in the top three listings on SERP.

What Is Local SEO For Plumbers, And Why Is It Crucial?

Local SEO implies that you optimize your plumbing website to rank higher in the search engine result pages for location-related plumbing searches.

Simply put, it is a set of optimizations and tweaks which assist Google in understanding your plumbing company and your services and deem your business worthy of ranking in the local packs and SERPs.

It is the same as plumbing SEO with an added component of geographical location.

For instance, let’s assume your plumbing company operates in Nashville, TN.

When a homeowner /property manager searches for “Plumbers in Nashville” or “nearby plumbing contractors,” you want your plumbing website to appear on top of search results in your area. Preferably within the first three rankings on search engine result pages.

This is what is called a Local 3-pack on Google. Such results are displayed on top of organic listings in the SERPs.

Factors That Google Uses To Determine The Rank Of Your Site On The Google Local Pack

Google rewards plumbing businesses with local pack rankings based on relevance, proximity, and prominence. A combination of these three factors will help you determine your local pack rankings:

Relevance

Does your plumbing business provide services that are relevant to homeowners’ searches? For instance, your chances are higher to show up for the keyword “emergency plumbing services near me” when your Google My Business profile and plumbing website advertise emergency repair services than if they didn’t.

Relevance denotes how well a homeowner search query matches your plumbing business content, and Google will rank your business if they feel you could adequately answer the user’s query. Optimizing your Google My Business Profile would be best so that search engines have sufficient details to rank your content.

Proximity

When determining your rank in the local pack, Google considers how far from your plumbing business a user is. Sometimes homeowners can specify a location that is not near them, so we highly recommend that you include your current address in your profile.

The nearer you are to the homeowner/property manager, the higher your odds of ranking higher in the local pack. Conversely, the further your plumbing is from searchers, the fewer chances of ranking in Google’s local pack.

Prominence

Is your plumbing company well known to the communities you serve? Your business can have two kinds of prominence, both offline and online. For instance, popular landmarks are likely to appear in the local pack because of their popularity.

Online prominence is a major ranking factor, and Google considers all the information on the web about your plumbing company. The more known your business is on the Internet, the more Google will likely reward your site.

3 Proven Ways To Get Your Plumbing Business Rank Higher On Google’s Local 3-Pack

Since ranking on local 3-pack is important for your plumbing business, here are some tips on how to do local SEO and put your company on top.

Want your plumbing company in the 3-pack? Keep reading our step-by-step guide to getting started:

Step #1: On-page Optimization

If you want Google or other search engines to notice your plumbing website, you must get your on-page SEO right.

Several things are important, particularly for local SEO, if you want to rank higher in the coveted three-pack position. 

Here’s what you need to optimize your plumbing website for search engines:

  • Boost your plumbing website’s loading speed: Your site should load in less than three seconds to improve user experience and rank higher.
  • Ensure that your site is mobile-friendly and performs optimally on mobile devices and desktops: Google favors mobile-optimized plumbing websites with higher organic rankings.
  • Include a contact page on your website
  • Insert a map showing your location
  • Make sure your phone numbers are clickable to get more calls.
  • Add schema markup to your plumbing website.
  • Increase prospects/clients’ confidence with reviews or testimonials

Step #2: Optimize Your Google My Business Profile

Google My Business is a free tool that can help discover your plumbing business in Google maps, SERP, and other Google properties. It is a go-to source that helps Google to get information about your business.

The initial step to getting your plumbing company ranked higher in the local pack is to claim and optimize your Google My Business listing.

Without it, your chances of getting listed in the local pack will be slim. When homeowners search for your local plumbing company, they want more information about it, which will help them decide if you are the right fit for them.  

Here are some tips to help you claim and optimize your Google search listing:

1. Create Your Google My Business Profile: Google offers a guide here, or your plumbing marketing agency can do this for you. Sign in, enter your company when prompted, and you will be good to go!

2. Verify Your Business Address: Most companies will be verified through snail mail. Google will send a postcard and verification code to the address listed in your Google My Business profile. Occasionally, you can verify your plumbing business by phone, email, or text via the Google Search Console. Still, we highly recommend using snail mail as it is a proven and tested method.

After claiming and verifying your Google My Business profile, now it’s time to optimize it:

  • Ensure Your Plumbing Business Categories are Right: Your company’s secondary and primary business categories, as listed on the Google My Business profile, are used to describe your plumbing business to Google. If your primary category is “plumbing contractor,” then Google will display in local search results to homeowners who search for “plumbers,” “emergency plumbing,” and plumbing services in your area. The more explicitly you describe your services, the better.
  • Make sure Your Name, Address, and Phone numbers Are Correct: Google wants to know the name of your business, where it is situated, and how people can contact you to book plumbing service appointments. Ensure that your NAP citations are accurate and correct across all your online directories.
  • Request Reviews from Clients: Obtain as many positive reviews as possible. In addition, make sure that you respond to all reviews promptly to help build trust with your prospects or clients.
  • Include Pictures: Add photos of your office, team, and recently completed projects on your Google My Business profile.

Stage #3: Optimize Your Online Business Citations

Congratulations! If you have already optimized your Google My Business profile and plumbing website. But the battle is not over yet. You should also list and optimize your business on primary data sources where prospects go to search for plumbers like you.

Apart from the Google My Business profile, these primary sources include:

  • Yelp
  • Better Business Bureau    
  • Facebook
  • Angie’s list
  • HomeAdvisor
  • Nextdoor

If your plumbing business is listed consistently on these data sources, you have higher odds of ranking in the local pack.

Customized Local SEO Strategies & Services For Plumbers

If you are struggling to get your plumbing company on top of Google’s local pack or don’t generate sufficient leads to keep your team busy, Blackstorm Design + Marketing can help.

As a full-service internet marketing agency, we help plumbers like you grow their businesses online. We have helped hundreds of plumbers across the United States to book more jobs, outrank the competition and increase sales.

Schedule a free strategy session with one of our Growth Coaches to learn how our local SEO services for plumbers can help differentiate your brand online.

 

Categories
Google Advertising Plumbing

Top 10 Common Mistakes That Plumbers Are Making With Google AdWords

Common Google AdWords For Plumbers Mistakes Exposed-Which One Are You Making? 

It’s no secret that Google Ads can be a great way to bring in new business for your plumbing company. However, if you’re not careful, you can waste a lot of money on ads that don’t generate leads.

These are some of the common blunders plumbing contractors make when they try to manage their Google Ads accounts independently. Poorly managed plumbing ad campaigns can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars than they are worth. That’s why it is crucial to ensure you don’t continue making costly mistakes that we will share in this post.

Mistake #1: Selecting The Wrong Keywords And Accumulating Them In An Ad Group

Your PPC campaign will be as effective as the keywords you choose. Thus, you must select keyword phrases that your target market frequently uses.

For example, you are running an ad for prospects/clients searching for plumbing equipment, but users looking for equipment aren’t interested in services, implying that such users aren’t your target.

An Ad group should contain all the related keywords. 

For instance:

Plumbing inspection, plumber near me, local plumber, drain cleaning, plumber (location), leaking gutter, and drain camera are all plumbing keywords.

Yet when put in the same Adgroup, and with an ad that doesn’t have a specific topic, chances of a prospect seeing it as relevant are slim.

If you have a blocked drain in your home, you are likely to click on an ad with an attention-grabbing headline like unblocking drain services. If you are searching for a pre-purchase plumbing inspection, you aren’t going to click on the ad.

Solution: Put all related keywords into one topic Adgroup and craft ads that are relevant to the topic.

Mistake #2: Failing To Include Negative Keywords

Adding negative keywords to your plumbing Google ads is crucial in ensuring that your campaign is relevant and streamlined, particularly if you utilize broad match terms. Most plumbers forget to add a negative keyword list yet end up paying for such terms more than once, thus wasting your marketing dollars.

Any term in a custom search that cannot lead to an inquiry should be added to the negative keyword bucket list immediately. For example, negative air conditioning keywords can include images, apprenticeships, jobs, handbooks, and suppliers. Since every click costs you money, having a substantial number of negative keywords will save you money in the long term.

Mistake #3: Using Your Marketing Dollars On Irrelevant Keywords

The #1 blunder we see plumbers making, again and again, is wasting their advertising dollars on completely irrelevant keywords. The key thing to always remember is that your bid keywords may not necessarily be the terms that prospects type in when searching for your plumbing services online.

For instance, your business may be offering plumbing services in Murfreesboro, and thus you are focusing on keywords such as “plumbing services.” But you may be showing up to search for “plumbing services in London.”

Mistake #4: Not directing Users To A Landing Page

If your ad copy sends prospects to the website’s homepage, you may not achieve satisfactory results. Another great way of boosting your ad’s quality score is by crafting a relevant landing page.

Choosing a relevant landing page will go a long way in determining whether or not customers will book jobs with your plumbing service company. Each ad should concentrate primarily on the plumbing services or products you are trying to advertise, implying that your landing page should be relevant to this major focus.

Mistake #5: Not Spying On The Competition

To run a successful Google Ads campaign for your plumbing business, you need to stay abreast with what your competitors are doing. That affects your plumbing PPC to its core, and it can break or make your advertising campaign. Once the ad group is created, pick a keyword and quickly search on Google.

Note the kind of plumbing ads you see.

Based on your observations, focus on the keywords, asking yourself why they appear as search results.

Mistake #6: Not Having A Compelling CTA On Your Sale Pages

Plumbers normally have this misconception that their site visitors will know what to do after reading their posts. But they won’t -unless guide them. They may love your post but are stranded on whether they should call you and which email or phone number to use. Don’t leave them hanging. Instead, provide a phone number or contact form at the header and footer of every page. You will be shocked by how this simple hack can skyrocket your conversion rates.

Mistake #7: Using The Wrong Bidding Strategy

The most common blunder made by plumbers managing their campaigns is selecting the kind of bidding strategy to maximize conversions. Google’s AI completely fails if you choose this bidding option if you don’t have conversion tags on your plumbing website.

Mistake #8: Setting Google Ad Campaign On Autopilot

Another common Google Ad mistake we see plumbers making is setting the ad campaign on autopilot mode and not managing it. They think it is a set-and-forget thing. Static campaigns will show some results over time until a new competitor comes in and crashes down your campaigns mercilessly. Thus, you should keep an eye on your campaign and make necessary adjustments, either weekly or daily.

Mistake #9: Trying To Run The Google Ad Campaign Themselves

While to an inexperienced marketing professional (like you), Google’s online help, recommendations, and phone calls may sound like a brilliant idea, it is crucial to note that Google will always act in their best interests, not yours.

They aim to ensure that you spend every dollar on your advertising budget and when you comply, they request you increase your ad spend. Relying on their recommendation is not acting in your best interest.

That’s why it is highly recommended that you partner with experienced Google Ads professionals to help you make the most out of your campaigns.

If you need help with Google Ads management for your plumbing business, schedule a free strategy session with one of our Growth Coaches to get started today.

 

Categories
Electrical Google Advertising HVAC Plumbing Roofing

Home Service Advertising Concept Copy

HOW TO FIND MORE CLIENTS, CUSTOMERS, AND SALES THAN YOUR CONTRACTING COMPANY CAN POSSIBLY HANDLE FROM GOOGLE OR FACEBOOK ADS!

Dear home service contractor,
Would you like to know a simple, guaranteed, and fast way to skyrocket your sales with Google or Facebook Ads beyond all imagination?

With over 2.6 billion people lodging on Facebook monthly, we will help you tap into this vast market of wallet-out prospects ready to improve their homes or businesses.

If you want to know a proven way to use paid ads (using Google or Facebook ads) to drive sales like a vacuum cleaner on steroids, at a supersonic speed

Then this is the most potent advertising message you have ever read on the Internet.

Here’s why:

Over the last year, our team has spent $20 million on Facebook or Google Ads alone.

Here’s the proof:

And we have done this in over five home improvement niches, including Roofing, HVAC, Pest Control, Plumbing, and Electrical Contractors.

We have used that $20 million to help generate over $1.2 Billion for our clients in sales.
All with Google or Facebook ads.

And since we have spent that kind of money on Ads, it goes without saying that our experts have learned a lot.

About precisely what doesn’t work and what does work

Not what works theoretically, from some courses and YouTube tutorials.

Or from some self-proclaimed gurus with many ‘theories” pretending to be a “professional.”

No.

We are talking about battle-tested, No BS strategies from front liners which can convert your advertising into revenue or profit.

Experienced professionals understand what it means to run a profitable ad campaign- since they have payroll obligations to meet.

And if you have been doing Google or Facebook Ads, this may sound familiar.

EVERY TIME YOU ELEVATE YOUR ADVERTISING BUDGET, THE PLATFORMS SHIT THE BED, CPAS, AND CPLS SKYROCKET.

ROAS hits the floor

Your once-successful ad campaigns typically shit the bed.

And your bank account or wallet is left begging for mercy.

While you are left yelling like a hungry man,

“How is that possible?”!

Since your agency convinced you to increase ad spending?

But now you are doubting……

So you hired a new business growth coach.

You found them on Craigslist or TheGumTree, next to used exercise equipment and the iguanas.

They are entirely legit.

And they can’t seem to make sense of all this.

So they persuade you to invest in a new business logo and begin to create a ‘personal brand.’

*gasp*

All this makes you want to throw your laptop out of the window.

So, you cut down on your ad budget since your ROI is non-existent and your bank account is on its knees.

This all implies that

YOU CAN’T ACHIEVE YOUR GROWTH GOALS, SO YOU SETTLE FOR THIS VOLUME OF SALES GROWTH.

Instead of the level you want to be.

You shelve it in the “too-hard basket. ”

It is a deadly and vicious cycle that drives you down the path of creating a mediocre contracting business.

Well, we have great news for you……

We will unearth the simplest, fastest, and most effective way for you to obtain as many clients as possible using Google or Facebook Ads.

And lastly, hit or even surpass your wildest growth goals.

But don’t take our word for it.

Here’s the money-multiplying proof

Stories like these make our heads sweat.

Okay, too much of that; let’s discuss paid ads now.

MAKE THIS ONE TWEAK TO YOUR GOOGLE ADS ACCOUNT AND 20 OR 30X YOUR SALES

THIS ONE HACK WILL……

  • Lower cost per click /lower CPLs /CPAs
  • And generate a significant ROI
  • Increase quality scores

Alright, ready?

Listen close.

Let us show you how we do it.

More specifically, how we apply this hack to level up your ad and make campaigns more profitable magically.

So, you can make extra dollars.

So, you can buy more protein shakes, tissue massages, and pistachios.

Okay, saddle up.

Here we go.

First step………

Step One

WHEN RUNNING A GOOGLE AD CAMPAIGN, ALL HOME IMPROVEMENT CONTRACTORS GET IT WRONG

The initial thing they do is;

Choose a bunch of keywords and bombard them into an ad group.

Roofing Contractors Murfreesboro“…. I will add that.
Roofers Murfreesboro,” yes, I include that in my ad.
Roof installation Tennessee” yep, why not? Let us drop that here too!

This may seem innocent, but listen when we say this….

This is the most specific and fastest way to become the next pauper in town!

Terrible concept….1-star. Total crap. It is not recommended.

So, what precisely should you be doing? What is this “noble idea”?

Don’t fret, you a little greedy truth seeker.

Here it is, and it’s known as SKAG

Single Keyword Ad Group

And it’s where you put one keyword in an ad group.

Then craft a super-targeted ad for that particular keyword.

It’s a bunch of work, but such puppies can drive Google insane!

And make them hotter than a hotel room.

Why?

Well, this is what Google is optimizing for

They offer their browsers (your potential clients) the best experience.

Since they…..

OFFER WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR ONLINE.

They convert better and are laser-targeted.
Besides,

It gives you a higher quality score on your adverts.

Google then (effortlessly) hands over.

Cheaper clicks, high intent traffic, and excellent ad placement.

Which = more $$$ in your bank account.

More rainbows, fun coupons, baby giggles, and sunshine.

Seriously.

But there’s an issue. A huge one…..

Listen when we say this….

Many ad agencies are “okay” with their actions, and some are “good.” But a select few are… elite.
So that’s what the kind of job they do….. “Okay”

Their campaign structure is okay, keyword research is Okay, and the kind of bid is Okay.

And their ad copy is alright. You got it right.

But here is the deal.

“Okay,” I can’t cut it anymore as it used to when clicks were charged at $0.20 each.

But now, there is too much competition online.

You should be a stone-cold killer to make your ad campaigns profitable.

Which drives us to the next step

This is another area where all contractors get it wrong all the time.

They don’t understand how to craft an ad.

Most of them don’t even know the purpose of an ad.

THEY TRY AND SELL PROPERTY OWNERS ON THE AD ITSELF

But it’s hard to do that ….

Property owners can’t schedule a service from the ad (yet)

So why do it in the first place?

You see, your ad has just one primary objective, that of getting people to CLICK.

Your Ads should demand attention.

That should be irresistible for your potential client to click (not schedule jobs)

And with most online searches conducted on smartphones.

Your prospects are now distracted more than ever…..

They are typically one click away from their Facebook newsfeed =half-naked slay queens on Instagram and dogs wearing hobnailed shoes.

Don’t be boring, because boring doesn’t solicit attention and stand out!

Boring Kills Your ROI

So that implies no more Ad copy that reads,

“Established in 1867.”

“We’ve got the best prices and biggest range.”

“Talk with our team of professionals or experts….”

*Yawn*

That’s a snoozer.

And listen to us close when we say this…

Step Three

ON GOOGLE, ONLY 2% OF SERVICE CONTRACTORS GET 50% OF THE TRAFFIC.

Simply put, Google Ads is a winner takes all rat race game.

And this drives us to the third step.

This is not about the Ads themselves.

But the relevant landing page you send property owners who click on them
Now listen close. Selling your home improvement services is like seducing a beautiful girl.

It is not about the method you use when you close the sale, and it’s about time you request it!

And most business owners go straight for it on their landing page or ads.

This is like approaching a stranger and requesting them to marry you.

And that strategy is about as effective as a shelter in a sandstorm.

But again, they wonder why they can’t get their Google or Facebook ads to work.

AND THEY WONDER WHY NO PROPERTY OWNER IS SCHEDULING JOBS

You see, just like in a romantic relationship.

You must take a potential client through some steps to persuade them to purchase.

But most home service contractors are more obsessed with attempting to close a sale and the entire “closing the deal” part.

They completely ignore the steps it takes to transform a stranger from a click into a paying customer.

“We’ve got the best service and biggest range.”

“Come and book our services.”

“Get a free quote,” “Talk with our professionals,” “BOOK, BOOK, BOOK NOW”!

Instead, you’ve got to begin with something that’s not threatening.

(Don’t trust us? Check your conversion rates *wink*)

Since you require a little romance

And from what we have observed (from spending millions of dollars on ads) is that the most reliable way to achieve that is by leveraging something known as

A High-Value Content Offer

This makes your potential client raise their hand in a sea of browsers to say they are interested in your offer.

Look, this page is getting too long.

And these are some steps we use to unlock some hidden pockets of profit from any Google AdWords Account.

And scale them to the sky!

Wanna view all these simple steps?

(See what we are doing here)

Then we have some excellent news for you today.

Since we’ve just compiled a new report that reveals ….

The report will reveal hidden secrets from running countless campaigns for our clients and spending millions of dollars on paid adverts.

(And BOOM, that’s how we do it we swallow our pill)

Here are some of the hacks you will discover:

You are making the costly, and dirtiest Facebook or Google Ads mistakes right now.

How to bid on specific keywords that result in not just conversions but sales

How to unearth hidden pockets of insane profits from any campaign, of course, with minimal effort.

The little-known Google Ad secret that can boost your conversions by over 400%

How to dominate your market share, even if you have a limited marketing budget

How to know how incompetent or competent your paid search advertising agency is.

And much, much more.

This report is free, and you need to enter your details and hit the “send my report” button below.

HOW TO FINALLY EXPLODE YOUR SALES BEYOND IMAGINATION

We have re-opened our doors to accept new home service contractors, and if you are reading this, it implies that we have a few slots remaining.

And for the coming few months, we offer your region service contractors a FREE one-hour strategy session.

In this session, our growth coach will show you how to truly explode your sales beyond all imagination with Google or Facebook ads.

But listen
This is not just another sales pitch (*coughs* strategy session) from self-proclaimed gurus who understand nothing about running a successful ad campaign.

We will give you this guarantee.

WE’LL OUTRANK YOUR BEST CAMPAIGNS, OR YOU DON’T PAY US

Yes, you heard that right… (or if you are doubting, read that again, we are waiting for you)
Our strategy session will help you understand a customized breakdown of our system for growing home service contractors at breakneck speed.

Talk soon.

 Claim Your FREE One-hour Strategy Session now

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do you require a home service advertising agency to run your Google or Facebook ads? 
Blackstorm Design +Marketing is here to assist with our revolutionary advertising strategies if you want to maximize your ROI and boost your revenue.

Google or Facebook are great platforms to promote your home service business, and at Blackstorm, we specialize in crafting ads that drive insane profits and reach more of your valuable clients.

Facebook or Google Ads marketing can be extremely tough. Still, unlike other service contractors, we focus on crafting ads that expose your brand online and bring lifelong clients.

Our hacks have helped countless contractors double and even triple their revenue due to massive leads from their advertising campaigns.

When you sign up with our home service advertising agency, our growth coaches will share some fantastic tricks and tips that we have learned to maximize each dollar you spend on ads.

What is the benefit of Facebook or Google Ads for getting clients?
Google or Facebook ads are the fastest way to obtain new clients or sales for any home service company. You can target potential clients looking for an answer to their challenges and be laser-focused, only displaying ads to these wallets’ ready-to-purchase prospects.

Display your ads in times that matter, whenever your potential customers are looking for a solution to their challenges/problems or using content across YouTube, websites, Gmail, and Google.
Unlike contractor SEO which can take months or even years to see any noticeable results. Google ads can begin delivering traction for your home service business from the first day because they show organic results for your industry’s key search terms.

Google advertising is the perfect sales-generating machine with different campaigns to suit most home service businesses, from shopping, display, video, and search campaigns.
At BlackStorm Design + Marketing, we use direct response copywriting techniques and conversion-oriented landing pages to make these traffic channels work for your home service company daily to assist you in aggressively growing and scaling profitably.

How Can you Choose the Right Facebook or Google Ads Agency? 
Look for a home service advertising agency that guarantees results! It’s that easy….
Here at Blackstorm Design +Marketing, we guarantee we can outrank any other PPC agency, traffic expert, or marketer under the sun! We will boost your results by at least 30% over what existing paid traffic and web project are currently getting, or you don’t pay us a single cent!

Ask any home service Ads agency to match our guarantee; sit and watch them retreat.

Is Blackstorm Design +Marketing a qualified Google partner? 
Yes, BlackStorm Design +Marketing is a premier Google partner. We will help you obtain the highest level of support, and we have access to exclusive reporting and betas to help our customers succeed.

Is it advisable to outsource in-house or an agency for Google or Facebook advertising?  
This is how we perceive it:
When you hire in-house, you get one professional with one skill set to perform one of the most complex tasks; Google or Facebook advertising. Sure, you can micromanage everything you need, but you must begin from scratch when those professionals leave your business.

When you partner with an agency like BlackStorm Design +Marketing, you bring an entire team of professionals with several skills across the home service marketing niche, coupled with many years of experience running Google or Facebook ads. At Blackstorm Design + Marketing, we are process-driven, implying that our systems can be used in any home service niche.

Categories
Google Advertising Plumbing

Google My Business Optimization Guide For Plumbers

If you operate a local home services company, like plumbing or HVAC, you already know how competition can be tough or challenging. Single-man operations, established plumbers, new start-ups, and national franchises are all eyeing to get in front of a property owner when they require assistance.

While investing in a paid advertisement, using local service ads, and building a conversion-focused plumber website are crucial elements of an internet marketing strategy, many plumbers overlook the importance of Google My Business listing. The sad reality is that plumbers that do not have a Google My Business profile risk losing tons of leads to your competition.

Plumbing contractors that offer their services in a specific location usually use Google My Business as one of the effective ways to establish a vibrant online presence and generate new business. Google My Business is about making your plumbing company visible to prospects looking for your services online. If you don’t know what Google My Business is, read on to know the essentials of Google My Business for plumbing contractors in 2021 and beyond. 

 

What Is Google My Business For Plumbers? 

Google My Business is a powerful, free tool for home service contractors like a plumber that promotes your company listing on Google Maps and search results. By claiming your GMB listing, you can showcase client reviews, post updates, and rank in the coveted local map3 for relevant plumbing keywords.

 

Why Is Google My Business So Important For Plumbers? 

A common question from the conventional plumber is, why should you take your plumbing business online? Not all plumbers know what Google My Business is and how crucial it is in the modern digital environment.

 

If you are one of these traditional plumbers, you miss out on many potential customers online. So, let’s dive into how Google My Business strategy can benefit your plumbing business. Here are the top benefits of having Google My Business for plumbers: 

 

1. Get Your Plumbing Business on Google’s Local 3-Pack.

If you have used Google local search results lately, you might have realized that only local listings to show the above organic search results in first-page reviews are in a simple 3-pack format. Most plumbers don’t know that by claiming a free Google My Business profile, you improve your local search rankings and boost the odds of being included in the coveted local-3 pack.

 

The benefits of being included in the local map 3-pack listing? Not only does such listing show your prospects where your company is situated on Google Maps, but they also show up higher in the search engine results pages, providing a significant impression share. 

To better understand how GMB is crucial from a business perspective, plumbers that appear on Google’s local 3-pack get over 700% improvement in clicks over those that don’t.

2. Google My Business Increases Traffic and Sales

 While a quick Google search can help narrow your options, particularly for clients on mobile devices, more than 80% of people use Google Maps to locate nearby plumbing contractors. When it is more appropriate for clients to come to your plumbing business, you are likely to make a sale if they realize you are close. 

 

Plus, homeowners who find a plumbing company through their Google My Business listing are up to 50% more likely to close a sale. Simply claiming a Google My Business listing and finishing the verification steps, your office location will also start to show up for local searches on maps.

 

3. Google My Business Listing Earns Trust From Clients

One of the hurdles clients face today is building sufficient trust with a plumbing business to make a purchase confidently. As a plumber, one of the steps you can take to assist in offering them your location on your Google My Business profile. 

 

Plumbers that appear on Google are almost three times deemed reputable by the client.

This is mainly because of the legitimacy of the Google My Business verification process. Since its known plumbers must go through specific steps to appear for a local search, Google is a trustworthy platform that users can depend on. 

 

4. Rank Higher in Organic Search Results

By listing your plumbing business on GMB, you increase your chances of showing up when homeowners search for keywords related to your company (e.g., Murfreesboro plumbers). Google wants to tell users (clients) about your company since it intends to offer valuable information to searchers. The more Google knows your plumbing company, the higher it will rank in the search engine results and maps. Your Google My Business listing is the best way to give Google information so that it can satisfy your user’s intent.

 

5. Reach and Engage With Your Target Audience for Free

There are various ways to promote your plumbing business and put it on the first page of Google. One method is to run a Google Ads campaign, but you should allocate a hefty budget. The other tactic is to enhance your plumber’s SEO, but it takes time to establish authority and improve your ranking. But, a GMB listing provides a cheaper and faster way to gain targeted exposure on the major search engines. Creating, verifying, and claiming your Google My Business listing doesn’t cost you even a dime and takes less time to optimize your listing.

 

Google My Business listing puts your company in front of many wallet-out clients and gives them quick access to your direction, operation hours, and website, all without paying a dime! So, having an essential resource without incurring any cost allows you to invest your resources in other aspects of your plumbing company.

 

6. Improve Your Appeal Among Potential Clients with Reviews

Online reviews are influential when homeowners want to make a purchasing decision. Over 90% of clients first read online reviews to evaluate the quality of a plumber, and most property owners always choose a plumber with the highest number of positive reviews.

Google My Business profile is handy as it allows clients to review your plumbing company and leave feedback. This improves your appeal to prospects and gives you an honest analysis of what you are doing right and where you need to improve. 

 

Reviews also establish confidence and trust among customers. According to a local client survey, over 80% of customers trust online reviews, and they carry the same weight as personal recommendations. Online reviews are also a ranking algorithm factor utilized by Google to know where to put your company on organic search results. According to a study by Moz on local organic search rankings, online reviews contribute up to 10% of how search engines determine their organic rankings. 

 

7. It Shares Appropriate Information With Your Potential Clients

Google My Business listing helps you share information about your plumbing business, including your contact information, operating hours, and contact details. It also lets you share updates, news, offers, and announcements. These posts appear on Google Maps and Search, helping you keep in touch with prospects and update them.

 

But, before posting anything, it’s crucial to consider what you want to achieve. Do you want to increase awareness about a new service or new company? This will help you to craft the post with that goal. Besides, add a call to action that compels prospects to take action, like calling your business for a quote.

 

How Does Google Determine Local Organic Rankings For Plumbers?       

For the large part, Google ranks local plumbers organically based on the following metrics; 

 

  • Relevance

Relevance refers to how well a local plumber matches what a homeowner is searching for. When you include detailed information to your GMB profile, you give Google more details to match your plumbing company to searches it may apply to.

 

  • Prominence

Prominence denotes how well-known your plumbing business is in the area. Sometimes, Google will consider some offline factors to evaluate your distinction. For example, famous museums, landmarks, or well-known plumbers are likely to appear in the local organic search results. 

 

  • Distance

Distance evaluates the distance of each prospect’s result from the location used in online searches. If a homeowner doesn’t specify a location, Google will utilize what they know about a potential client’s location to calculate the distance.

12 Ways To Optimize Your Google My Business Listing & Get More Plumbing Clients In 2021

Optimizing and claiming your Google My Business listing is one of the simple ways to get organic traffic and clients. To that end, there are several ways you should consider before diving into claiming and optimizing your plumbing contractor on Google.

Optimizing your Google My Business is one of the simple ways to reach new clients, but you should ensure that you follow the best practices to get the most out of your listing:

Google My Business For Plumbers Checklist

1. Ensure that You Qualify for a Google My Business Listing

The initial step in optimizing your GMB listing is to ensure that you qualify for a local plumber listing on Google. Not every plumber will qualify for such a listing. To clarify, you require a physical location to verify your plumbing business on Google.

Businesses or homeowners should be able to walk in or meet your representative. However, there are some exceptions, but primarily Google My Business is for an offline, conventional plumbing business.

2. Verify Your Plumbing Business’s Information

One of the fundamental steps when creating a profile is verifying your Google My Business listing.

Verification implies that you sign in with a Gmail account associated with your plumbing company. 

The various method of verifying your Google My Business include a phone number, email, or postcard. Furthermore, you can use the Google search console to prove this, particularly if you have a plumbing website already. Verification using a postcard is the most common method to verify your plumbing business, and you will require a physical location to which Google can send the postcard.

3. Select the Best Category to Describe Your Plumbing Business

 This is one of the most crucial steps toward optimizing your plumbing company’s Google My Business listing.

Google My Business allows you to select one primary and the other nine categories. The concept here is to state your plumbing business industry in simple terms, and you should pick the best primary category that accurately describes your plumbing business. 

For example, a plumber is the best category for a plumbing contractor, and a secondary category might be the drain service category. Avoid the temptation of stuffing your listing with irrelevant categories unrelated to your plumbing business.

Accurate details matter on your Google Business listing; relevance is undoubtedly everything.

 4. Complete Every Section

As a plumber, one of the most crucial things you can do is to fill out each section on your Google listing to ensure that Google knows more about your plumbing business and understands what is appropriate to display across the web. Such details include:

  • Business Category
  • Business name
  • Phone number
  • Plumbing website
  • Operation hours
  • Question and answers
  • Photos 
  • Description
  • Address

The details displayed for your plumbing company must be accurate and match what is said across other platforms online. Be thorough with each detail, as Google will favor listings with more details and higher rankings on the search engine results pages.

5. Get More Online Reviews

Online reviews can break or do your plumbing business in the modern digital business landscape. They are like word-of-mouth recommendations to new property owners considering scheduling service appointments with your plumbing company. Furthermore, online reviews can help you make an excellent initial impression, but they can also help your website rank higher on the search engine result pages. The more positive online reviews you have, the more prospects will want to book plumbing jobs with you. That said, it is crucial to be generating online reviews daily to keep your plumbing business afloat.

Here are some surefire tips to help you obtain more online reviews:

  • Request for them

Asking for online reviews is the easiest way to obtain reviews daily. 

When one of your technicians is on the job site with a happy client, request that the customer give you an excellent review on your plumber’s website. Mostly, the homeowner will be willing to leave a review on the spot but would have forgotten once you left the site.

  • Follow-up with Emails

Develop a viable online review management strategy. Always reach out to clients and ask them to leave reviews or leverage tools that automatically make such requests to your customers. Use email campaigns that follow up with customers, politely requesting if they can give a review or send reminders to vendors and clients on the Google My Business listing. Include survey links in your listing and describe how they will support your plumbing business, and tell them it will take less than five minutes to finish the survey.

  • Monitor Reviews

Only go for the legit plumbing reviews, and this is because Google will detect fake reviews and spammers and penalize your website. Avoid trying to trick the system because Google only selects online reviews that are honest and unbiased. So, utilize natural tactics and offer exceptional client service to get glowing online reviews.

Besides, focus on quality as opposed to quantity. Also, remember to respond to all reviews. This shows clients that you listen to them and appreciate the effort and time they take to review your plumbing business. Plus, this lets the Google algorithm know that your plumbing company is engaged, responsive, and actively using the GMB platform. Focus on creating custom, meaningful responses that showcase your unique selling propositions.

6. State Your Plumbing Business Hours

You would assume that most plumbers would ace this crucial step. Unfortunately, most don’t.

The idea about Google search rankings is that they require regular attention. Some plumbing contractors start with ambitious plans and extend their operating hours. 

 However, your plumbing company can shorten operational hours for various reasons. Of course, no plumber would want a great client to show up when no one is around to serve them. Stating accurate business hours prevents that from occurring. 

7. A Thorough Description of Your Plumbing Business

The description section of the GMB listing can be utilized to introduce your plumbing company to a prospective client as the most effective solution to their problem. 

Your description should incorporate your plumbing services, experience in the plumbing industry, the advantages of hiring your company, and a compelling call to action. To optimize your plumbing company description, always include some hiring intent search terms for your plumbing specialties and services

Here is a simple formula you can use to describe your plumbing business in the Google My Business listing:

{Name of the business} provides professional {list your plumbing services}in your { Your City}. {Offer some background information about your plumbing company and why clients hire you} Call {phone number} now. Our technicians will be there in less than one hour!

 8. Add Relevant Videos and Photos to Your Google My Business Listing 

Did you know that including more than 100 photos on your listing increases the likelihood of getting found by prospects online? It’s true but doesn’t just go stuffing your profile yet. The videos or photos should be high definition and relevant to your plumbing business.

First impressions can make or break your plumbing business. Thus, uploading high-definition videos and photos shows search engines like Google or Bing that you care about your plumbing company and how to attract new clients. 

Pro tip: Ensure your plumbing company logo is prominent on your main cover photo.

Upload new photos or videos regularly. This will improve user engagement and skyrocket your organic rankings. Many plumbers forget about the GMB listing once it is finished, but you should periodically update the videos or images to make fresh materials available to users. Check your photo/video engagement statistics, and you will note the positive impact.

9. Include the Plumbing Website in Your GMB Profile 

 

Your plumbing website is essential for internet marketing; it is a platform where homeowners learn more about your business, meet your crew, and know if you provide the plumbing services they are searching for. Plus, your plumbing website and your GMB listing rank higher on search engines. 

According to recent studies, 60% of plumbers link to their websites via the GMB profile. But if you don’t have a plumbing website, you can still use your Facebook page or set up a free Google Business page.

10. Point Clients to Your Appointment URL

An appointment URL is another method of contacting your Google My Business profile. It is visible to your clients, who can use any appointment system or leave a message through the contact forms. 

11. Ask Questions & Provide Answers

Have you ever realized that on Amazon, besides giving customer reviews and product descriptions, there is a section for answers and questions? Google offers the same features in your Google My Business profile.

GMB allows clients to ask questions about your plumbing business. Answering such questions may be the impetus a client needs to schedule a service appointment with your plumbing company. 

Go to the “knowledge tab” of your GMB dashboard, and you will see a tab for questions and answers. Complete it with questions that clients might have about your plumbing business and provide detailed answers to ensure that property owners view the most accurate information possible.

12. Pinpoint Your Service Areas 

A service area denotes the distance you are willing to go to service a customer. Every plumbing business is unique, so you may only offer services at your client locations. 

Independent plumbing contractors commonly experience this problem. This is because they provide plumbing services in person but not necessarily in one location. 

In such a case, you should add a service area, not a direct physical address. Google doesn’t want property owners to show up where they can’t utilize your plumbing services. Service areas have a direct impact on your client’s experience.

Expert Google My Business Services For Plumbing Contractors

As a plumber, you want local businesses or homeowners to find your GMB profile when they quickly search online. Google’s new algorithm updates have put more emphasis on local search, which implies it is more crucial than ever to emphasize Google My Business optimization strategies. It has little-known features that allow plumbing contractors to boost their organic rankings and obtain more traffic.

Every plumber wants their business to get listed on the first page of Google to obtain more clients/leads for free. The problem comes when there are only ten listings on every page to claim the top spot on Google. But with a properly optimized Google My Business profile, it can be a potent advertising tool for your plumbing business. It helps your plumbing company appear greatly when property owners conduct local searches, boosting your conversion rates and landing more plumbing jobs. 

Blackstorm Design + Marketing has helped many home service contractors, including roofers, HVAC, and plumbers, get their companies to show up on Google for relevant business keywords by leveraging and optimizing their Google My Business profiles. 

Creating a Google My Business profile is the initial step in establishing a vibrant local SEO strategy for your plumbing business. This is because it allows plumbers to manage their online presence, which can significantly impact how well you run on Google or Bing. 

 Plumbers with a physical location, which draws local clients, can be found through a quick Google search, Mobile search, Google Maps, and Google Earth, respectively. By claiming or creating your GMB listing, you can include additional details about your business, including your phone number, business hours, address, and plumbing services.

Why Choose Us? 

At Blackstorm, we don’t just make empty promises; we deliver accurate results!

With our optimized Google My Business profile, your plumbing business will be able to:

Show Up On Google Maps

We create a particular location and keyword-optimized content for your Google My Business listing. We optimize videos and images and publish posts consistently.

We Get Your Plumbing Business More Google Reviews

Our experts will manage your online reputation by soliciting positive reviews and handling negative reviews like an expert, offering your business more success and exposure.

We Promote Your Plumbing Company Rightly

 We keep you updated and monitor your local ranking on the SERP results by measuring maps, organic and mobile rankings on Google maps, Google, and more. 

And the list continues……

As a plumber, you must follow our post to ensure these tips for claiming and optimizing the Google My Business profile. 

So, what next? 

Contact Us For Google My Business SEO Consultation 

Regardless of the current status of your Google My Business profile, Blackstorm + Design Marketing professionals are here to help. Our team of SEO professionals can help you achieve your plumber marketing goals.  

Schedule a free strategy session with one of our Growth Coaches to help you create, claim and optimize your Google My Business profile today.

 

Categories
Google Advertising Plumbing

How to Make the Most out of Google Ads for Plumbers on a Limited Budget

Let us face it. Most homeowners don’t think plumbing is a big deal unless their water systems have a serious problem. So to speak, they don’t require a plumber unless their water system breaks down, which doesn’t happen daily.

As a plumbing contractor, it can be overwhelming to market your plumbing services on your own. Obtaining new business or leads might be daunting unless you seek the help of a professional marketing agency.

There are tons of plumbing marketing options out there from Facebook ads to Yelp reviews and more. Google Ads for plumbers is a great option for many companies because of its targeting options, flexibility, and reach. Currently, plumbing Google Ads has increasingly become crucial to booking more jobs and increasing sales.

When a homeowner has a plumbing problem within your target market, your company has a chance to show up as the #1 result in their search engine results pages for “plumber near me!”. Google operates on a pay-per-click model that offers the ability to select the keywords that you want to rank for within Google – these are search terms that prospects are utilizing to find you. You can bid on these keywords and display ads for them.

For instance, “Emergency plumber near me,” “local plumber” and “plumber in Y city” are all keywords your prospects are using to look for your plumbing business. With Google Ads, your clients can find your plumbing business with just a simple search on Google, whenever they are.

Google ads for plumbers can be overwhelming to first create and manage. Luckily, this post will guide everything you require to know, from developing a stellar Google Ads strategy to optimizing your campaigns to increase your chances of booking new jobs and skyrocketing your sales online.

Without further ado, let us dive into our post!

5 Reasons Why Google Ads for Plumbers Is Important

The plumbing marketing world has changed dramatically recently; Google Ads is one of the platforms that are in charge of this major transformation. Indeed, Google Ads for plumbers is one of the best and most effective tactics of internet marketing.

Here are some reasons why you should consider using Google Ads for plumbers in your business:

1. Google Ads Increase Customers and Leads

Female homeowner shaking hands with plumber

When your prospects or clients notice that your plumbing ad consistently ranks at the top of the search engine results page, they will start to associate your brand with dependability and excellence.

This means that you will be the first business people think of when they need a reliable plumber to offer quality plumbing services. You can monitor this using Google Analytics and Google Business Profile.

2. You Obtain High Results on Investment

ROI gif

Unlike other plumber marketing strategies, Google Ads helps you to only pay for ads prospects or clients click on. After optimizing your Google Ads campaign, you can get a higher return on investment, which may not be possible with other advertising strategies.

However, this takes effort and time, you have to find the approach that suits your plumbing business. To get an overview of what campaigns will generate the best results, you have to monitor and test your campaigns regularly. Google Ads for plumbers is perfect for this since it’s transparent and the details you require are available.

When you pinpoint areas of your campaign that offer a good return on investment, you concentrate your budget and efforts on such areas. If there are some parts of your campaign that are costing you money, discard them. Invest that money into successful campaigns, and such campaigns will test you in the future.

3. Google Ads Help Build Your Reputation Online

Online reputation

Your plumbing company’s online reputation is important in the modern digital world. Prospects or clients look at more than just a professional portfolio or quality work.

Google search ads can assist in establishing your online reputation as a reliable plumbing service company.

Essentially, Google Ads is more effective than promoting your plumbing services on social media (for instance, Facebook ads for plumbers) because Google has more credibility for getting legit local plumbing services in an area.

4. Google Ads for Plumbers Give Transparent, Fast Results

It is easy to monitor the progress of your Google Ads

Google ads have a reputation for delivering quick, transparent results and reports of your digital marketing campaigns. It is easy to monitor the progress of your Google Ads since the dashboard offers you all of the details related to every campaign, like the ads clicked, the search terms (keywords) that prospects or clients entered, and the cost of clicks.

These features make Google Ads for plumbers an extremely intuitive and transparent system.

5. Unique Targeting Capabilities

Target market

As a plumber, you know the essence of quality plumbing leads. At the end of the day, your Google Ad campaign should attain the goals of your plumbing brand. With Google enhancing its algorithms on a daily basis, you can be guaranteed of reaching your target market.

You can opt to bid for particular long-tail keywords or even short ones. While the former allows you to target prospects with high search intent, the latter may help you obtain higher traction with fewer plumbing leads.

Types of Google Ads for Plumbers

No two Google Ads campaigns are created equal, though they are distinct types of ads that you can leverage:

  • Search Network Campaign: Through a Search Network Campaign, your ad will show up on not just Google Maps and Search but also hundreds of other Google partners, including Google Shopping and YouTube. On any of these websites, when prospects or clients look for a keyword for your Google Ad campaign, they will come across your ad.

Google Search Network Campaign

  • Google Display Network Campaign: This kind of ad helps you to showcase your visual ad in front of prospects using Google Display Network products, including YouTube and Gmail.

Google Display Network

  • Video Campaign: Here, your plumbing service company will be displayed on YouTube and other Google Display Network properties.

YouTube gif

Pro tip: No matter what type of Google Ad campaign you select; it will incorporate more than one ad group. Every ad group may represent a different service you may want to market to the same target audience, and each ad group might have a unique plumbing keyword set.

Winning Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Google Ads for Plumbers Campaign Account

If you are a plumber just getting started with Google Ads, all the options and functionality can seem a little challenging.

There are a lot of features to explore and settings to fix or adjust, which can be both frustrating and time-consuming. You may even come to know that you are spending a lot of time looking for information on Google Ads help forums.

If this sounds like you, you are not alone. We all want as many controls and tools as possible, but not at the expense of losing control over your Google Ads campaign.

So here are our winning tips for obtaining more of your Google ads account for your plumbing business:

Create a Google Ads for Your Plumbing Company

Google Ads website

Setting up a Google Ads account is easy and simple. For this post, we will utilize a fictitious plumbing business as the main example. Click on “Start Now” at the upper right-hand corner or on the left side of the main page. You will be then being requested to sign in with your Gmail account.

Google will then request you what your main advertising objective is, and you can click on any of these three options offered. For instance, I select to “Get more sign-ups or site sales.”

Before you continue to the next page, it is crucial to scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Switch to Expert Mode.”

You will then be directed to another website requesting you to set your goals relevant to your campaign. Google Ads campaign is comprised of ad groups that focus on attaining goals like increasing client conversions for the business. Every campaign has its targeted location, set budget, and targeted audiences. A Google Ads account typically consists of multiple campaigns which target different objectives for the business in its internet marketing.

For the purpose of this page, go ahead and click “create an Ads campaign without an objective’s guidance.” This will help you have more control over your Google Ads campaign tactics, thus limiting Google’s input.

Next, you should choose “Search” as your type of campaign. It will then request you to select which results you want to see from the digital campaign. Proceed and click “phone calls” and “website visits.”

Configure General Settings

campaign settings

After clicking “Continue” from the previous page, the type of campaign will be taken to the general settings for your campaign. Here you will be requested to give the name of your campaign, and so we put “Plumbing.” Next, you want to unselect “Display Network” while you may keep or not keep “Search Network” selected based on your budget.

Take Time to Understand and Set Your Google Ads Campaign Goals

Set up your Google Ads campaign account

When you initially set up your Google Ads campaign account, you will instantly begin operating some ads. You may even think, “this is not too bad,” and decide to leave your account alone to generate desired results.

However, you will begin seeing less and less organic traffic, and your return on advertising spend and conversion rates will drop!

This occurs because we normally skip the most crucial step of setting your Google Ads account: understanding our plumbing business goals. If you don’t set clear objectives, you won’t understand how to tweak your ad settings. And even if you identify your goal, without understanding the right level of traffic to focus on, you may end up spending more money than necessary.

Choose the Right Keywords

Google Ads operates on keywords.

One of the most crucial resources available to any digital plumbing marketing strategy is Google Ads. This is because they put your ad directly in front of your target client as they search precisely for what you provide. However, choosing the right Google Ads is not always easy. Numerous factors have to be considered, and if you don’t know the best practices for Google Ads, it may be a significant waste of money and time.

Google Ads operates on keywords. These keywords trigger your ad to show up on the search engine result pages. This needs you to perform keyword research. You can use multiple research tools to assist know the search terms to use in your campaign. As you look for various keywords, you need to focus more on long-tail plumbing keywords.

Related: The Ultimate Plumbing SEO Guide: Best Practices and Tips to Get Clients Online

These are search terms that contain three or more words. Long-tail plumbing keywords are more specific and targeted to one business. A generic plumbing keyword like “plumber” will be hard to rank for in the search engine result pages.

Instead, try something with your neighborhood, city, or even your postal or zip code. For example, “plumber in Murfreesboro TN” or “Murfreesboro plumbing contractor.” Long-tail plumbing keywords generate quality traffic for your advertising campaign because they are more specific and will drive qualified leads who want to get the most accurate and relevant results. By researching long-tail plumber keywords, you will attract leads that are more qualified and more likely to book a job.

This will assist you to get more conversions for your plumbing business.

So, how can you select Google Ads keywords that will support your company’s growth without breaking your bank account? Here are some pointers:

  • Understand your target audience
  • Develop their personas
  • Figure out what they are searching for
  • Make a list of common keywords that people use
  • Use long-tail keywords to increase your ad visibility online
  • Use keyword research tools like Ahrefs and Google Keyword Planner to identify search terms relevant to your plumbing business.

Check The Quality of Google Ads and Ensure They Appear, Professional

Man fixing leaking tap in kitchen

There is nothing so frustrating than seeing Google Ads for plumbers that don’t appear professional. When you utilize Google Ads, you will need to create effective professional ads. This may seem like a common thing, but it is an important part of your advertising campaign. You should create Google Ads that will get your target audience to click on them.

First, you will want to include your keywords in your ad copy. This will make sure that your Google Ad is relevant to their organic search. After that, you will need to create a compelling headline.

You need to create an eye-catching and interesting headline that will make your target audience click on your plumbing Google Ads. Lastly, show your audience what you need them to do after coming across your ad. Include a compelling call to action in your Google ad to help them to take the desired action and convert them into a paying client.

Add all these elements to create an effective ad for your marketing campaign. You will get more clicks on your ads by creating better ads that grab the attention of your leads.

Use Negative Keywords to Avoid Wasting Your Advertising Dollars

Negative keywords

Google ad for plumbers also provides the option to include negative keywords; words that you don’t want to be associated with.

For example, if you offer emergency plumbing services but not selling dolphin keychains, you would not want to show up for the search results to the latter. To know how prospects or clients are accidentally looking for you, check your Search Terms report. Here, you will be able to pinpoint irrelevant queries that are leading people to your business and include them in your list of negative keywords.

Set Your Google Ads Budget

Google Ads Budget

For Google Ads for plumbers, you can only set your budget on a daily as opposed to a weekly or monthly basis. A good strategy to follow when allocating your budget is to be a little conservative in spending. It is fairly simple to use lots of advertising dollars quickly, so that’s why you need to optimize your ad budget spending. Kindly note, your daily ad budget should reflect the amount you are willing to pay for the campaign.

Make Google Ads Stand out with the Right Extensions

Google Ads Extensions example

Extensions are a great way to generate more revenue from the same ad spend.

In fact, extensions can generate up to double the revenue compared to ads without extensions. A lot of Google Ads for plumbers focus mainly on the paths, headlines, and descriptions of your primary ad.

However, Ad extensions are an important part of the client experience and can offer your ads a great performance boost.

Google Ad extensions can assist you to tell your plumbing brand story better while providing valuable details to your clients.

There are numerous ad extensions to select from, but here are the ones that are mostly used:

  • Sitelinks Extensions: These are extra links your clients may find important that direct them to unique landing pages on your plumbing website.
  • Callout Extensions: Use these to establish trust with prospects or clients by incorporating entries such as “Peace of Mind Guarantee” or “Professional Fast Service.”
  • Structured Snippets: You can include these to offer more details about the features provided. They are based on particular categories, so be sure to select an important category as you create your ad extensions.
  • Call Extensions: This will assist you to pull your company phone number into the listing.
  • Location Extensions: If you have a brick-and-mortar office, you can link your Google Business Profile to your Google Ads campaign account. Activating this extension will pull in your phone number and address to your ads for prospects to understand your location easily.

Organize Keywords into Ad Groups

Keyword organizer

Sending prospects or clients who click on your ad to a plumbing landing page that discusses the same topic as the keyword in your ad groups will result in a higher quality score.

This implies that you will be charged less for every click and your ads will be displayed more often. This is because Google wants to show ads that are relevant to their target audience, and increasing your quality score may sound like a no-brainer.

Yes, as the ad copy for plumbing services becomes more specific, you will be tempted to link the ad to pages that are already existing, instead of developing new ones.

This is where many plumbers go wrong. They fail to customize their Google ad copy to match their landing pages in an effort to minimize work on their team.

If your ads are not related to the landing pages, your prospects are unlikely to convert. Outsourcing your PPC marketing to a professional plumbing Google Ads management company implies you will obtain the insight and attention you require to optimize your campaigns to obtain the most out of your advertising dollars.

Bid on Your Competition

An ad mainly focuses on keywords of rivals is known as a competitor bid.

There is no better way to attract your rival’s clients if your niche is competitive like roofing or plumbing than putting a bid on their brand names in Google Ads. As a tried and proven strategy that generates great results.

An ad mainly focuses on keywords of rivals is known as a competitor bid. With quality links pointing back to your plumbing website, it regularly has an identical or similar appearance to the actual plumbing website.

This strategy has become famous as more and more plumbers use Google ads. Now is the time to use this strategy, leading to your plumbing company’s success.

Setup Conversion Tracking

Conversion action

The best way to enhance your ad campaign is to check the statistics and know which ads, keywords, and placements are working and which are not generating desired results. Then optimize the ones that are not working.

This way, you will stop wasting money and time on things that are not generating results and on content that is not attracting your target audience.

Without conversions tracking, running Google Ads for plumbers is essentially a waste of your advertising dollars. To know whether your Google Ads are effective, tracking conversions is important. Without it, you can only operate on speculations.

Get Specialized Help with Your Google Ads for Plumbers with Blackstorm Design + Marketing

Adjustable wrench

Google Ads requires a specialized approach from experts with relevant experience, like those at Blackstorm Design + Marketing.

When a homeowner needs a “plumber” and looks for one online, they don’t simply search for the first result. Before they make a decision, they click on a few of the initial links that show up on the search results, read some reviews online and assess rival plumbing businesses.

If you are a plumbing business owner, you understand how competitive the industry is. And you have undoubtedly thought of utilizing Google Ads as a strategy.

But have you thought of hiring a knowledgeable team to assist in getting the most out of this plumbing marketing strategy?

If used wisely and carefully, Google Ads for plumbing contractors can be a great tool for growing your business. However, many plumbers lack the knowledge or time to effectively manage their Google Ads campaign. They regularly find it daunting to compete with nearby plumbing companies with huge advertising budgets.

We can assist with that. Blackstorm Design + Marketing is a team of experts with years of experience in Google ads for plumbers.

We understand how to make Google Ads work effortlessly for your business, bringing in more customers without costing you more than your competitors do in advertising.

If you need specialized help to run Google ads for your plumbing business, schedule a free profit session with Blackstorm Design + Marketing today.

Categories
Google Advertising

Sitelinks & Extensions

Google Adwords owes its popularity among digital marketers to its myriad features. One such feature is ad extensions. Ad extensions allow users to add pertinent information about their business to a google ad. Adwords offers a variety of extensions, such as review extensions, sitelink extensions, callout extensions, and location extensions. This article aims to elaborate on two of these available extensions: sitelinks and callout extensions.

How Are Sitelinks and Callouts Different from Each Other?

the difference between sitelinks and callouts

Most people presume that sitelinks and callout extensions are actually the same things. The fact that both sitelinks and callout extensions are texts that can be added to google ads appearing at the top of a search page may have something to do with this confusion. However, these two extensions are very different from each other and serve different purposes.

While callout extensions are actually just descriptive text, sitelinks are clickable and include a link to a specific page (as is also apparent from the name). Also, since sitelinks include a link, they appear in color blue, whereas callout extensions appear as just plain grey text.

Why Are Sitelinks Not an Ideal Option for B2B Businesses?

Sitelinks

With sitelinks comes a hidden clause — the link added to a sitelink must not be the link to the advertiser’s target URL. For instance, if you are a shoe retailer, the link provided in the sitelink must not be the link to your landing page for shoes. You could add sitelinks to a different page. For instance, a link to the page that outlines the different accessories you sell. Advertisers can also create sitelinks for various promotions or deals. This is one of the most important reasons why sitelinks are not a potent feature for B2B businesses. Most B2B businesses operate with only one landing page and in such a case, creating sitelinks becomes problematic.

It’s important to decide how and when you want to use sitelinks. Creating sitelinks to pages that won’t serve any purpose is useless since, in the digital marketing world, one must pay for every click. In such a scenario, sending a potential client to a page that will not help you convert them won’t serve any purpose.

Are Callout Extensions a Better Option for B2B Businesses?

Callout Extensions

For B2B advertisers, callouts are a better option. Callouts can be effectively used to add powerful slogans or taglines, provide information about different products or a business, or add any other information that might help businesses convert potential customers. Callout extensions also allow marketers to avail extra space, thereby allowing them to add more goal-oriented text.

However, callouts should be used smartly. For instance, asking a potential client to register with your website using a callout extension is useless as callouts do not use any links and thus, the client will be at a loss for where to go to register. This not only leads to a bad user experience but also a wasted opportunity. An important thing to remember is that callouts are limited to only 25 characters. Thus, one must use them effectively to convey as much information as possible in only a few words.

What Are Your Thoughts?

Your Thoughts

We would love to hear how you use callouts and sitelinks to increase traffic on your website and which of the two is your favorite.

Categories
Google Advertising Plumbing

6 Little-Known Ways that Hiring a Google Ads Management Agency for Plumbers Can Help Your Business

If your plumbing company is searching for an online marketing tool to promote your services to the next level, you must think of using Google Ads for plumbers. Google ads, formerly known as Google AdWords, represent the plumbing industry’s most frequently used paid search marketing platform. Most plumbing contractors we have partnered with over the years devote part of their marketing dollars to it.

And if you are looking for ways of reaching your target clients, then Google Ads for plumbers is something you want to try. If you are still on the fence about whether to use Google Ads to promote your plumbing services open. This post will help you with reasons why your plumbing company should be using Google Ads.

6 Reasons Why Google Ads Management Agency for Plumbers is a Top Pick

Google Ads Management Agency for Plumbers

There are many advantages to using Google Ads for plumbing businesses. Here are some of them:

1. Leverage Vast Google Reach

Using Google Ads for plumbing contractors is another huge thing

Because Google is the most used search engine across the globe, using Google Ads for plumbing contractors is another huge thing. With millions of web users looking every time via Google, even their demand for a plumber may be conducted on Google.

This type of scene opened doors for Google Ads to assist you to convince them or promote your great plumbing service offerings. Prepare your best ad and wait for phone inquiries and calls to your plumbing company. It’s all courtesy of Google ads for plumbers.

2. Increase Online Visibility

plumber using a gadget

With Google Ads, you can ensure that your plumbing website ranks among the local top search results. This will greatly improve the chances of homeowners finding you while they look for the plumbing services you provide. Additionally, prospects will become more familiar with your plumbing company when they see your ads repeatedly.

3. Faster Results

plumbing SEO

While plumbing SEO is a huge factor in the amount of traffic that comes to your plumbing website and how search engines perceive your site, it takes time and effort to rank higher on the search engine results page. One of the advantages of utilizing Google ads to target and attract clients, however, is that the results of your marketing campaign are going to be instant. You don’t have to wait for your website to be indexed, instead, you can start seeing the results as you begin the campaign, and you can make changes and tweaks as you go.

4. Learn More About the Market

Google Ads for plumbing companies

Google Ads for plumbing companies isn’t about just advertising. In fact, it can help you get in the minds of your esteemed clients.

Google Ads offers transparent, quick results and monthly reports of your marketing campaigns. It is easy to monitor and analyze the progress of your campaigns because the dashboard gives you all the information related to every campaign.

With this, you can understand the search terms they normally use to identify a website. And every other information other than including the time and date, and locations, they have looked for a keyword.

So, you can use such details to improve your services and refine your plumbing marketing strategy. This would assist you to avoid wasting dollars on people who are not interested in the plumbing services you provide.

5. Controlling Your Budget

Google Ads is one of the effective ways to obtain new clients as a plumber

One of the great features of Google Ads is that you can have control of your budget, and you will never pay more than you had budgeted for because an advertising campaign “went over.” You can set up your budget when you start your campaign and when you have used that budget up, your ad campaigns stop until you are ready to start again. Why should we care? It matters as a small plumbing business owner; you can’t afford those little added expenses when marketing campaigns run over. Those minor expenses pile up instantly and become huge expenses we all understand that big expenses and small plumbing businesses don’t gel.

All in all, Google Ads is one of the effective ways to obtain new clients as a plumber. It is also free to use if you want to adjust your bids from time to time and always track what works and what doesn’t work to keep your ad spend low. Knowing how customers find your ads assist you to determine which search terms should be used in conjunction with others who are performing well at low costs per click.

Should You Manage Google Ads Yourself or Hire a Google Ads Management Agency for Plumbers?

Manage Google Ads

With more than 86% of clients using the Internet to find a local service business, there is no doubt that you should appear on relevant search engine result pages.

To dominate the first page of search engine result pages, you must implement a combination of Google Ads and SEO strategies to skyrocket visibility and grab your potential customer’s attention.

If you are like most local plumbing company owners, you have considered running Google Ads. But, what’s the best way to go about it?

Should you go the DIY route or hire a Google Ads management agency for plumbers? However, there are cons and pros to each option.

To know what the right decision for you is, you should understand the advantages of outsourcing the management of your Google Ads campaign are going to be. This will help you weigh them up against DIY (do it yourself) and clear answer forms-which in most cases is going to be hiring a Google Ad agency is your best choice.

So why outsource your Google Ads campaign to a plumbing PPC agency?

  • Experience

Experienced plumber marketing firms

Experienced plumber marketing firms can provide you the advantage of their best practices and lessons they have learned through various campaigns, and you will not be able to match the performance a reputable plumbing PPC company can offer. If you have never done a Google Ad campaign before, you are bound to make blunders, just like the newbies. While this is nothing to be ashamed of, such mistakes are expensive when it’s your plumbing company on the line.

 The experience will allow the Google Ads agency to manage the entire process as efficiently as possible. This efficiency will apply in everything from the search terms that you utilize to tracking, reporting, and conclusion of the campaign and everything in between. Ultimately, this contributes to a more effective campaign that will generate insane amounts of traffic than if you try to do it yourself.

  • Value for Money

Tapping into the expertise that a professional marketing agency like Blackstorm Design + Marketing has to provide is worth the expense of admission alone.

It might appear counter-intuitive to consider outsourcing as a money-saving scheme or proposition-how can you save some bucks when you are spending dollars on something? When you outsource the management of your Google Ads campaign, you will obtain a professionally managed campaign that yields great results than if you did it on your own.

The investment is nominal when you figure out the advantages of outsourcing. Tapping into the expertise that a professional marketing agency like Blackstorm Design + Marketing has to provide is worth the expense of admission alone.

  • Time Savings

waste no time

Managing a Google Ads campaign is going to snatch time out of your schedule if you are going to do it correctly.

It is not rocket science, but you do require to invest your time to learn the ins and outs of the campaign by booking a Google Ads training course to make the most out of your advertising budget. Outsourcing your Google Ads agency to a professional implies that you obtain the peace of mind which comes from learning the campaign is managed professionally, without you requiring to allocate hours of your day to it.

Benefits of Hiring Google Ads Management Agency for Plumbers

Google Ads Management Agency for Plumbers

Do you want more booked jobs and leads for your plumbing business? If you are not investing and testing Google ads for plumbing companies, then you are losing out. Plumbing contractors and savvy plumbers know that the key to obtaining more booked jobs and more leads from the Internet is to get your web page on the first page of search engines like Yahoo, Bing, and Google.

Here are some of the things that a plumbing Google Ads Management agency like Blackstorm Design + Marketing can help you do:

1. Plumbing Keyword Targeting

right keywords for your business

One of the most crucial things a Google Ads agency can do for your plumbing company is keyword targeting. Keyword targeting is the process of researching search terms related to your plumbing company to create more targeted ads that will generate traffic to your plumbing website without maxing out your Google Ads budget.

When targeting keywords, an ads agency will utilize a number of unique tools to perform keyword research. This research assists to know the best investment for your ad spend by identifying search terms that are regularly searched (this implies traffic) but that are cheaper (this reduces your expenses) while also having low competition (this implies better exposure and lower budget)

2. Budget Management

As a small plumbing business owner, budget is everything.

As a small plumbing business owner, budget is everything. Your business is still small which implies that your budget is limited, and you require to obtain the most out of each penny. An experienced Google Ads agency can assist you to stick to a limited budget through routine monitoring of Google ad campaigns.

What does tracking imply when it comes to plumbing Google Ads? Monitoring doesn’t just mean tracking your return on investment, it also implies….

  • Tracking search trends to make sure that your keyword selection for ads is making the most out of your budget.
  • Analyzing keywords regularly to ensure that keyword competition has not reduced and increased your purchasing power.
  • Performing adjustments to your ads campaign as required to maintain a consistent flow of traffic, remain within your budget and ensure that you are obtaining a huge bang for your buck.

3. Ad Testing

Ad testing is really what it looks like-creating different ad campaigns to experiment how well every ad performs.

Ad testing is really what it looks like-creating different ad campaigns to experiment how well every ad performs. This kind of testing is what makes it easy for you to improve your return on investment by choosing only ads that are proven to generate more leads while staying within any parameters you may have.

For instance, through research, your Google ad agency can create a profile of your ideal client to find out what kind of marketing campaign is likely to respond to. This information can be refined by building multiple test ads to determine which will likely generate the most revenue.

4. Campaign Maintenance

There are so many factors that can dime that proper campaign maintenance and management is crucial.

Once your Google ads campaign is created, there is no warranty that the same targeted keywords or ads are going to continue to be successful a few months or weeks from now. Surfer habits change, trends change, and your competition changes. There are so many factors that can dime that proper campaign maintenance and management is crucial.

Without good campaign maintenance, you can quickly exceed your ad budget for the whole month in just days. That implies that for the rest of the month, your ad budget is zero, and to continue generating traffic and maintaining Google Ads income is going to be impossible!

5. ROI Analysis

return on investment

Another crucial aspect of plumbing Google Ads management is monitoring your return on investment. As a plumbing company owner, you require to make each penny count, which implies that you have to stay on top of your existing ad campaigns.

Through regular tracking, a good Google Ads management agency for plumbers will always make sure that you are making the most out of your return on investment when buying ads. Much of this pivots on regular and thorough keyword research, but it also involves monitoring your competitor’s ad campaigns as well.

6. Save You Time

Maintaining, building, and tweaking ad campaigns can be a full-time job-particularly if you are not sure what you are doing.

Maintaining, building, and tweaking ad campaigns can be a full-time job-particularly if you are not sure what you are doing. Unfortunately, this is time that most plumbers don’t have. As a plumbing company owner, your priorities lie in creating a successful company, and that leaves less time for anything else like Google ad management. Hiring a professional to manage your Google ads ensures that you have the time you require to obtain new leads to a point of stability and establish your plumbing brand in the market.

Do You Need Help with Google Ads for Plumbers?

Google Ads for Plumbers

Do you require help managing Google Ads for your plumbing company? Do you need help starting Google Ads for your plumbing business? Whatever you require, the Blackstorm Design + Marketing team PPC team can help.

Schedule a free discovery call with Blackstorm Design + Marketing to learn how we can help you grow your online presence with Google ads today.

Categories
Google Advertising Roofing

Roofing Google Maps Listing E-Book

12 Steps to Rank Your Roofing Business Higher on Google Maps

Put your roofing business on the map, get discovered by clients, outrank your competitors, and secure more clients- all for free. Follow these top 10 ways to improve your visibility on Google Maps.

Let’s imagine…

You are looking for a roofing contractor in your area, and you need them for a leaking roof.

Where do YOU begin your search?

If you answered Google Maps, you are not alone.

These days, many people are turning to Google Maps to discover local service businesses like roofing, heating & air, or plumbing and make more informed purchasing decisions.

So how can your local roofing company rank higher in the place prospects are increasingly searching to book your roofing services?

Your Google Maps listing is an important roofing marketing tool for your company. 

It can assist you in getting discovered by new clients, generate more business and stand out above the competitors for FREE. But these advantages are only achievable if your listing has great visibility, and just because your roofing company is listed in a specific service area does not imply that Google will instantly rank it higher for organic searches in that area.

Google Maps

In fact, proximity is only one of the numerous factors that Google Maps uses when ranking your business listing. In this article, we are going to discuss 10 strategies/tactics to get your roofing business Google Maps listing to rank higher in organic results and reap all the advantages.

We are going to teach you on:

  • How to claim, verify and optimize your Google Maps listing if you have not already done so,
  • How to offer supplemental information that increases your rank and boosts your rank.
  • Additional action steps you can do on your roofing website to further boost the rank of your Google Maps listing.

Without further ado, let us dive in!

Why is Ranking Higher on Google Maps Crucial for Your Roofing Business?

These days, Google is the go-to for local searches, and with more than 50% of all searchers having a local intent, your roofing company needs to appear in Google Maps searches.

To outrank other roofers in such a competitive environment, you can have your listing through the Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business).

This will ensure that when prospects look for “roofing companies near me,” they see only the relevant details about the roofers, including availability and address, amongst others.

Optimizing your Google Business Profile will give you a competitive edge over other roofing companies and help you close more sales. Many advantages come along with ranking your roofing business higher on Google Maps.

Ranking Higher On Google Maps Increases Your Visibility Online

Research shows that Google Maps is the most preferred navigation app for more than 60% of internet users. And with users rarely searching past the first few results when searching for a place to go, it is important to ensure that your Google Maps listing is claimed, verified, and optimized to appear for relevant organic searches.

Google Maps listings provide an effective way to get your roofing business in front of ‘wallet out prospects’ or clients. The initial things that appear are Google Ads advertisements and local 3-pack, followed by organic results for the searched roofing service or product.

Visibility

When you create a roofing Google Business Profile, it will improve your company’s visibility online. 

You stand a great chance of obtaining more roofing leads by ranking higher on the maps.

Your roofing business will be perceived as an expert in the field because it is ‘preferred by Google. This will incline prospects searching for new roofs are likely to come across your website or business.

Listing Your Roofing Company on Google Maps Helps You Share Crucial Information with Your Prospects

Your roofing Google Maps listing is crucial for remaining in touch with your customers and updating them on the latest news.

You can share essential information about your roofing company, such as contact details, address, or working hours, to help potential clients learn more when they look online! More so, they will be able to call you if there are any concerns or problems around their home remodeling project.

Ranking Higher on Google Maps Will Help Your Roofing Business Earn Trust from Customers

It is a challenging job being the roofer of choice for customers, and you should win them and establish sufficient trust before they choose to work with your roofing company, which can be hard when there are so many other roofers out there.

From the time a prospect first contacts your business, you should earn that trust and prove to them that their roofing needs are priority enough for you to take care of.

Outranking the Competition

Your roofing Google Maps listing gives you a chance to stand out from other roofers in the industry. It offers a brief description that will help prospects identify what roofing services you provide, which may be vital for them if they have been searching all over the internet.

The last reason why you need to rank higher on Google Maps is that it will improve the quality of your listing and include several ways for clients to engage with your roofing business. With 86% of clients utilizing Google Maps to search for a local service business like plumbing or roofing, this opens a lot of opportunities to increase your engagement.

A Google Maps Listing for roofers has multiple advantages worth noting. Don’t let this chance slip away, so ensure it is correctly set up before another person captures it.

How to Get Your Roofing Business Listing Rank Higher on Google Maps

So how do you get your roofing company to show up higher in Google Maps?

Just like there are off-page and on-page optimizations for local roofing SEO, there are off-listing and on-listing factors for Google Maps. 

But first, you need to have your roofing business listed on Google Maps and claim your listing, which we will be discussing below.

1. Add Your Roofing Business to Google Maps

Of course, you can’t perform a successful roofing Google Maps marketing or rank higher if you don’t have an existing Google Maps listing somewhere. If you have an existing listing already, you can skip this part.

However, if you don’t have a listing, follow the crucial steps below to add your roofing company to Google Maps:

  1. Head over to Google.com/maps or go to the Google Maps app on your phone and look for your roofing business name.
  2. If your business shows up in the drop-down menu with a location alongside it, then your company is already listed. Head over to the next section.Steps to add your roofing company to Google Maps
  3. However, if your roofing company doesn’t appear, you will notice an option in the drop-down menu to add a missing place.Steps to add your roofing company to Google Maps

After you click on that, a prompt will come up asking you to input your location, category, and name.

Location, category, and name

Anyone in the world can add a roofing business to Google Maps. So, even if you haven’t claimed your business, we highly recommend that you check to make sure that your company listing doesn’t already exist. 

Don’t fret because the person who adds your roofing company to Google Maps doesn’t control the listing. Only the person who claims the Google Maps listing by proving ownership of the company has that control, which leads us to our next point.

2. Claim Your Roofing Google Maps Listing

The second step in getting your roofing company to rank higher on Google Maps is to claim your listing. If you want to reach higher positions in your roofing Google Maps listing, you need to prove to Google that you are the real owner of the business.

When you create the listing, all you will be able to offer is the category, location, and name.

But when you claim your listing, you will be able to provide many more details about your company.

The more details a roofing business listing offers, the higher it will rank on Google Maps.

Plus, you cannot proceed with any other steps in this book if you have not claimed your listing.

Having a free Google Business Profile is a prerequisite to claiming your roofing business on Google Maps.

If you have an existing GBP already, just pull out your Google Maps Business listing, choose the option that says “claim this business” or “Own this roofing business?” and later follow the prompts. 

Claim Your Roofing Google Maps Listing

Unclaimed

3. Add Complete  Details to Your Roofing Google Map Listings

By now, you have a Google Business Profile and a Google Maps listing attached to it; you are ready and armed to optimize it for higher ranking in local roofing search results.

As we stated earlier on, the more details your listing offers, the higher it will rank in organic search results.

To include more information in your listing, sign in to your Google Business Profile account. (google.com/business)

Here you will come across a dashboard with multiple tabs down the side.

Google My Business account dashboard

Choose the “info” tab, which includes your category, service area, address, name (where applicable), special hours, website, attributes, description, and phone number.

Here are some strategies for optimizing these Google Business Profile sections to achieve higher rankings on Google Maps:

Use Consistent Name and Address Citations

Google Maps ranks roofing companies it can trust, and one element of your trustworthiness is the consistency of details about your company across the web.

For instance, say you have a business called “North Shore Roofing Company.” Ensure your roofing business name in your Google Business Profile dashboard is precisely that and not a minor variation, like N. Shore Roofing Business or North Shore Roofers ltd. 

Also, make sure that your business name is the same (identical) across all your other online properties, such as your roofing website, Facebook profile, Yelp listing, and more. The same applies to your address information (for instance, using “St” vs. “Street”).

Use a Local Phone Number

Google doesn’t pay much attention to toll-free (800 and 877) numbers since these kinds of numbers are regularly utilized for spam. 

Use a local phone number together with the area code of your location.

This will assist you in ranking your roofing business higher in Google Maps, and it will also verify for searchers that your roofing business is situated in that area.

Include Your Main and Tracked Number

If you utilize a phone call tracking system, utilize a tracked number for your primary roofing business number and your main number as a secondary number.

This will help you to receive most of your calls coming in through a tracked line so you can understand the efficiency of your listing; however, with the main number available in your listing, Google can later match your number with the other listings and your roofing website.

Keep Your Operating Hours Updated

Google Maps roofing company listing tells browsers if your business is closed, open, closing, or opening soon. (And during the Covid-19 pandemic, whether it is closed temporarily- thus making it a crucial roofing SEO tactic).

Keeping your operational hours properly updated tells Google that you are active and, so, trustworthy, and this will assist you in ranking higher.

Operating Hours

This will also prevent clients from driving all the way to your office only to find that it is closed or closing, which can cause them to leave a negative review (which adversely affects your rankings on Google Maps).

Write a Clear Roofing Business Description

The description on your roofing Google Maps listing should offer an overview of your company to assist orient visitors, as well as unique attributes that compel searchers.

You should write your roofing business description in a tone that resonates with your brand to help build a better connection.

Make sure that you include your keywords in the roofing business description, as this will assist your business listing on Google Maps to rank for searches that contain your company name but for searches related to your roofing services and products as well.

Choose the Right Category for Your Roofing Business

When it comes to ranking higher on Google Maps, the category in your roofing business that appears on Google Maps is very crucial.

The primary category is going to be important in ranking your roofing business.

You would want to choose the primary category as the one that accurately describes your roofing business. You can also add secondary business categories as well.

Remember that you cannot add custom categories, but if you start typing your main offering in the box, you will see a drop-down menu of possible categories to select from.

4. Add Photos to Your Google Maps Listing

Adding photos to your Google Maps listing is a great way to show your clients more about your roofing business and show off your roofing services.

Google loves it when you upload quality photos to your map listing. 

First, it shows that you are an active listing to rank higher in organic search results. 

Second, Google’s photo recognition is progressing, and Google is beginning to show images in the local search engine results. 

Thirdly, the roofing SEO rule of thumb is that Google loves what clients love, and clients love photos. 

Plus, if you don’t include photos in your map listing, it will display a generic map image like the one below:

So, to enhance your Google Maps ranking, add compelling and high-quality photos to your company listing that catch what it is like to be in your roofing business.

You can do this by heading over to the “photos” tab in your Google Business Profile dashboard and clicking on the blue circle that has a white plus sign. From here, you will be able to drop and drag several videos and or photos at once. Ideally, you should try to add at least one photo daily.

5. Encourage People to Leave Reviews on Google

Google loves what clients love. You should not be surprised that Google Maps gives higher rankings to roofing business listings with stellar reviews on Google. 

So, how do I obtain more reviews on Google? 

Well, when you create a Google Map listing, this instantly opens your roofing business up to Google reviews.

Google reviews

But that doesn’t imply that you will receive them. 

As a roofer, you will need to be proactive in requesting reviews, and you will also be required to respond to them. 

Responding promptly to Google reviews encourages more of them and reduces the damage of less-than-stellar reviews. Plus, your responses show other potential clients how attentive you are to clients and how well you resolve problems.

Google reviews can be scary, but unless your roofing service is atrocious, negative reviews tend to be far and few between. Plus, as long as you answer properly, you can reverse and mitigate the damage of a negative review.

6. Consolidate Your Duplicate Google Maps Listing

Whatever you do, you don’t want several roofing businesses listed on Google Business Profile for the same phone number, location, and other details.

Google will discredit businesses with multiple locations or phone numbers listed for one real business.

When this occurs, you are impacting your organic rankings negatively for all these related map listings, as it is confusing to both your customers and Google.

Weed out duplicate roofing Google Maps listings and superfluous details to make sure your one real listing will rank.

7. Regularly Publish Quality Posts to Your Google Maps Listing

Like Facebook, you can create and publish quality content that shows up right on your Google Maps company listing. 

Regular posts like this tell Google that you manage your listing proactively, which is a major factor they look at when awarding rankings.

In addition, when clients are on search engines like Google, they have high intent, so via Google posts, you can obtain offers in front of a ready-to-engage target audience.

Create and publish quality content

How to Use Your Roofing Website Rank Higher on Google Maps

Apart from taking action directly from your Roofing Maps listing, there are some optimizations you can perform on your website to rank higher on Google Maps.

8. Make Sure Your Roofing Website is Responsive

The first step is to ensure that your roofing website is responsive, which implies that it operates optimally across any screen size or device.

This is because Google Maps listing has a link to your roofing website, and more than 60% of Google searches take place on mobile devices.

So if your listing directs searchers to a roofing website that needs zooming and pinching, has lots of broken links, or loads at a tortoise pace, your roofing Google Maps listings will be adversely impacted.

9. Optimize Your Web Presence by Using Local Keywords

If you want to rank higher on Google Maps, you should make sure that your online presence, including your external content and roofing website, is optimized for your local target market. Of course, this will assist your roofing website to rank higher in Google’s organic search, but it will also affect how high or low your Google Maps listing ranks.

So make sure that you include location-specific keywords on the major pages of your website, like the about us page, contact us page, blog posts, and even service pages- not just on the title of your pages, but also on the body text, image tags, captions, URLs and headings.

This shows Google that your roofing website is well known or prominent in your local service area, which can make the giant search engine feel more obliged to rank your company higher on Google Maps for that specific area as well.

10. Embed the Google Map on Your Roofing Website

Another way to rank higher on Google Maps is to embed a Google map on your roofing website, which most roofers do on the contact us page.

Adding a Google Map right on your roofing website is a great way to help Google connect your company with the location.

This is another way of telling Google that your company is actually situated where your listing says it is.

Utilize the same address that you have on your Google Maps roofing business listing.

To add a Google Map to your roofing website, look for your business name in Google Maps. Click on “share” in your listing and choose the “Embed a map” tab. Copy and paste the link on your roofing business’s contact us page.

11. Use Local Roofing Business Schema

When it comes to structuring your roofing website content, and particularly business details, Google and Bing prefer standardization- which has led to the invention of schema.

Local Schema helps roofing businesses to wrap code around the content to make it easier for Google to index and crawl your website.

The local roofing business schema covers most of the same company details captured in a Google Business profile, which will be cross-referenced by Google.

The easier it is for Google or Bing to validate your business location, the more likely your roofing business is to rank prominently in Google Maps.

12. Create Local Backlinks

Inbound links or backlinks are regarded as an extension of your NAP strategy, whereby you search for relevant, local third-party websites that link to your roofing website pages.

Backlinks can validate your roofing business from both service and local perspectives. If you maintain listings with links in local business directories, you will want to make sure those listings are in the good categories if category options are provided.

Generally, these links to your roofing website are “follow” links, which implies Google will recognize and follow the source of the link to your website content.

Most online business directories understand the importance of “follow” links and so charge for inclusion, but you should search for opportunities to get links from other non-paid sources such as service organization sites or industry-relevant partners.

Leverage the Advantages of Ranking Higher on Google Maps

We bombarded you with a lot in this article, so let us recap on how to rank higher in Google Maps:

  1. Create and claim your roofing Google Maps business listing
  2. Complete each section of your Google Business Profile dashboard
  3. Keep your NAP (Name, Address, and local Phone number) consistent on the web.
  4. Properly categorize and describe your roofing business.
  5. Add posts and photos to your Google Maps listing
  6. Obtain more Google reviews
  7. Consolidate duplicate listings
  8. Make your roofing website responsive
  9. Target your roofing website for local keywords
  10. Add a Google Map to your roofing website
  11. Use local business schema
  12. Build local backlinks

Roofing business listings on Google Maps are slowly becoming more advanced, helping clients to instantly obtain the information they require and make educated buying decisions. 

Follow the tactics in this book to get your roofing business showing up higher on Google Maps, and you will get the increased engagement, revenue, and visibility that comes along with it.

Categories
Google Advertising Plumbing

The Definitive Google Business Profile (GBP) Guide for Plumbers (Stand Out and Schedule More Appointments)

Discover Our Proven Bag Of Tricks For Using Google Business Listing For Plumbers To Attract Qualified Local Leads And Improve Your Online Visibility

Google is estimated to have a whopping more than 95 % of the search engine market. This implies that with more and more people looking for plumbing companies like yours online, Google can become an important marketing tool for your plumbing business.

If you’re a plumber, you already know that internet marketing is essential to reaching new clients. And one of the best ways to get local clients is through your Google Business listing.

optimize GMB profile

However, if your plumbing company doesn’t have a business profile on Google when homeowners type your business name into the search bar, nowadays they would say that you don’t exist. If your plumbing website can’t be found online, you can kiss goodbye to the prospects of booking service appointments with them. Whether you are offering residential or commercial plumbing services, you could be missing a huge chunk of your target market to the competition.

If you want to rank higher on Google and appear more in local searches or Maps, keep reading to know everything you need to generate consistent qualified leads and rank higher in local searches or Maps with a free Google Business Profile for plumbers.

What is a Plumbing Google Business Profile?

Google Business Listing or Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is a digital tool built by Google to help local plumbing companies like yours manage their online presence on Google Maps and Google Search.

Google map with red pin

When a homeowner searches with a local intent (consider plumber + city or town name, plumber near me), Google will give them a map with red pins on it. Below the map, you will see the list of plumbing contractors with contact details and stars.

The map is part of Google Business Profile, a free tool by Google that helps local plumbing businesses get found by prospects or clients online. Your plumbing GBP listing appears in search results when people are looking for plumbers in their area, and it provides them with important information about your business, such as your phone number, address, hours, reviews, and more.

Why Does Your Plumbing Company Need a Google Business Profile?

Google My Business

Your plumbing business must be found when prospects or clients search online. Using traditional media to market your company has benefits, but that should be your secondary strategy, not your primary one.

Online visibility is the king in today’s plumbing industry. A professional plumbing website is a great place to begin, but it can be easily lost in the sea of other countless options. When homeowners look for terms like “plumbing contractors in (city) name or “plumbers near me” online is your business showing up at the top of the search results? If not, your competitors may have a vibrant plumbing local SEO strategy, implying that your website is buried on the second or third page of Google (where no potential clients look).

Getting your plumbing business registered on Google Business Profile is a simple way to get found when homeowners are looking for your services online. Here are some of the few advantages of setting up your Google Business Profile:

  • Manage Your Business Information

Business Information

When prospects or clients are looking for your plumbing company in Google Maps or Searches, you can rest assured that they will be able to access your address, website, hours, phone number, and more. A Google Business Profile makes managing details about your plumbing business easy! For example, you can change hours, list popular services, add photos, and more. Such Information will pop up on Google Searches and Google Maps, so make sure that they are accurate!

  • People Search Locally Everyday

man searching on laptop

According to a recent study, more than 85% of prospects or clients conduct a search on a smartphone or tablet before making a purchasing decision, and 46% of all Google searches are local searches. This implies that homeowners normally use search engines like Google or Bing to find information that is relevant to their plumbing services needs in their area. By claiming your profile on Google, you will have a higher chance of showing up in the local search engine results. So if a homeowner searches for a “plumber near me” and your company is claimed on Google, you will have a higher chance of getting a new client.

  • GBP gives you a Competitive Edge in the Market

get superiority over competitors

Whether you are a commercial or residential plumber, your competitors have likely already registered their Google location profile. As stated above, claiming your GBP can improve local search results visibility. This implies that you will likely pop up at the top of search results with other plumbers in your area simply by claiming your profile. This will help your company get more visibility over other competitors who have not claimed.

  • Collect and Respond to Reviews

Reviews

Google Business profile makes it easy for users to leave Google reviews. Establish trust with new and repeat clients by responding to such reviews properly. As with any home service contracting business, online plumbing reviews help to boost your plumbing sales and generate more qualified leads.

  • GBP Makes Your Plumbing Company Highly Visible Online

website visibility

Google’s Local pack occupies a huge portion of the first page of the search engine results and is typically the initial thing a prospect will see when they type in their search query. A Search Engine Result Page (SERP) shows places related to your search.

It helps browsers to see the information they require at a glance.

The Google Local Pack also includes a host of other relevant information that any prospect may want to access including but not limited to where it is situated on the map, your business phone number, opening and closing hours, and star rating of your business. It is important and convenient for customers and plumbing business owners as well.

According to Moz, GBP is the greatest determining factor of Google Local pack rankings. So, if you want to connect your target market in this case, the homeowners or property managers who are within your service area-claiming, verifying, and optimizing your online details through your plumbing Google Business Profile can help.

  • Get Insights That Offer You Helpful Information

insights

Google Business plumber listing will help you understand how people search for your services and the areas they are coming from. For instance, you will be able to get information about the number of views or clicks obtained, search queries, engagement, or audience.

How to Create a Google Business Profile for Plumber in 5 Simple Steps

Claiming and managing your Google Business Listing is free and easy. Here are some simple steps you can follow to get your plumber business listed on Google:

Step 1: Visit the official Google Business listing page

Google Business listing page

https://www.google.com/business/. Click the “Manage now” button. If you have not signed in to your Google account, it will ask you to do so. Make sure you sign in with a Google account that you want to be associated with your Google Business profile.

Step 2: Setting the Name of Your Plumbing Business

Name of Your Plumbing Business

Once you get signed in, if you hadn’t set up a profile in the past, it will ask you to enter the name of your plumbing company.

Go ahead and type your name in.

If your plumbing company name doesn’t appear, click on the result under your business name that says:

Create a business name and enter your company details.

Step 3: When prompted, enter the correct information about your plumbing company

GMB profile

Step 4: Click “Submit.”

Submit button

How Do You Verify Your Plumbing Business with Google?

The most crucial reason you need to verify your plumbing business on Google is dead simple: You won’t be able to manage your company information in Maps, Search, and other Google properties unless you verify it. Google has to check the actual physical location of your business and confirm whether you are authorized to own a listing.

Here are some of the ways that you can verify your plumbing company listing on Google:

Option 1: Verify Your Plumbing Business Through a Postcard

Choose a way to verify

Getting your company verified by mail involves Google sending you a postcard within two weeks with a verification code attached to it. Before requesting such verification, ensure that your GBP listing address meets all the Google guidelines. Otherwise, your postcard could be delayed or arrive in the wrong location.

To begin the process, simply sign in to your GBP account and click the Verify now option on your profile. When you obtain the postcard request pop-up, ensure that the address is correct before clicking on the “Send Postcard” button.

Once you get the verification code attached to your postcard, follow the steps below:

  1. Sign in to GBP and select the specific location you wish to verify.
  2. Click “verify location” or “Verify Now” and type in the 5-digit code on your postcard.
  3. Click “Submit.”

Option 2: Verify Your Plumbing Business By Email

get verified in Google My Business

You can select the email option as your verification method if available. You should then get a message in your inbox with a verification code. Type in that code in the GBP dashboard, or you can click verify button in your email message.

Option 3: Verification by Phone

type the code and click submit to verify your plumbing company.

If this option is available, Google will send a text containing a verification code to the plumbing company phone number. You will later type in this code and click submit to verify your plumbing company.

Option 4: Instant Verification

GMB instant verification

A great option that most plumbers fail to leverage is instant verification. As Google clearly states that if your plumbing website is verified in the Google search console, you qualify for instant verification. However, ensure that you sign in with the same Google account that you utilized in your Google Search Console account.

11 Google Business Listing Optimization Tips for Plumbers Seeking to Get Found Online By Prospects Searching for their Services

Is your plumbing company’s Google Business Profile optimized for success? GBP listing is an effective way to promote your plumbing services online, but only if it’s properly done.

Local marketing is an important element of an effective digital marketing strategy. A conventional SEO approach will not be sufficient for a plumber with multiple locations or searching for more local customers. In fact, advertising to your local target market calls for a unique set of marketing strategies.

When done properly, local internet marketing helps plumbers enhance their branding, engage with their local community, boost customer loyalty and achieve impressive conversion rates.

Without further ado, here are our optimization strategies for plumbing contractors seeking to get found online:

1. Get the NAP citations on Your GBP Listing Accurate & Correct

NAP are abbreviations for Name, Address, and Phone Number for your plumbing company, and getting them correct is important to optimizing your listing on Google.

That sounds straightforward, but keep in mind that the company changes over time and has had different addresses in the past.

As a plumber, you need to ensure that all your citations are accurate and consistent with the ones you incorporate as part of your GBP.

2. Choose the Right Primary Category and Subcategories of Your Plumbing Business in the GBP

Google My Business categories

This is a crucial part of local plumbing SEO; you should get it right. Google allows plumbers to add categories in their GBP listings, which tells Google what kind of plumber you are and the type of services you provide to clients.

For example, if you offer plumbing services, you may select “plumber” as your primary category so prospects looking for “leak repair services” can find your company in local searches.

The subcategory is also crucial if your plumbing business does more than one thing. For instance, your plumbing business may be offering repair services, in which case “leak repair” would be your subcategory or secondary category.

Choosing the right category and subsequent secondary categories can be a determining factor in helping your plumbing company outrank the competition.

3. Write a Compelling Plumbing Business Description

Business Description

To describe your plumbing company, Google gives you 750 characters, so make each word count. Don’t add any promotional talk in your plumbing business description (Google may penalize you for that) but tell prospects about your plumbing services and what sets you apart in all you do. We highly recommend adding something about your company’s history and mission.

4. Focused Plumbing Marketing: Choose Your Service Area

Business Service Area

The good news is that GBP allows your plumbing company to choose a service area by entering the cities or Zip codes you serve. To achieve this, sign into GBP, navigate to the “Address” section and select “Yes” next to “I deliver services and goods to my clients at their locations.”

However, keep in mind that Google will identify a center point of the areas you enter and draw a radius from there, so if you enter too many cities may appear like what you want.

5. Add High-Quality Photos to Your GBP Listing

Quality photos are an important part of any business listing, it will help prospects see what you are all about and offer them a sense of your plumbing company. The quality of the photo can make all the difference in persuading clients to visit your business.

According to Google, plumbing business profiles with photos obtain 40% more requests for showing driving directions to their location from browsers on Google and more than 30% clicks through their sites than plumbers who don’t have photos. Photos will help improve engagement with prospects and boost your online presence on Google search.

6. Leverage the New Google Posting Feature

Google Posting Feature

Google launched a new feature of GBP called posts. Just like social media, plumbers can now share updates, photos, or promotions directly to your GBP listing. This will increase your client base and engage repeat clients, and your posts will show up on your business profile on Google. You can leverage such posts to direct prospects to take particular actions, like signing up for your newsletter or requesting a plumbers estimate.

7. Include the Right Plumbing Keywords

Plumbing Keywords

The right keywords are very crucial in improving relevance and will assist your business rank higher in Google Maps or Searches. Make sure you incorporate the most common frequent terms used to look for your plumbing business into your description naturally, this will assist your plumbing business to Google.

The keywords you utilize should be relevant to topics on your listing, stuffing keywords can make Google penalize your plumbing website or hurt your organic search rankings. But using the right phrases and keywords will help you rank higher in organic search results and include search terms on all your listing attributes.

8. Request and Respond to Online Reviews

online reviews

On average, prospects or clients read at least ten reviews before they trust any plumbing business-and they trust online reviews more than word-of-mouth recommendations from family and friends!

So, it’s not sufficient to wait for clients to write reviews. As a plumber, you need to be proactive with a stringent process to ask for them. Online reviews are a crucial element in obtaining higher visibility in local organic searches.

Take your plumbing marketing to the next level by leveraging online reviews. Google takes such reviews very seriously in its local SEO ranking process. We recommend that you create a link that clients can use to leave a review for your plumbing business.

It’s against the rules to offer incentives for clients to review your plumbing business. But, giving your happy clients an easy way to write a quick positive review can skyrocket your rankings greatly. And once you get reviews, ensure that you engage with clients by responding to their reviews.

9. Pay Attention to the Q & A section

Q&A section

The question and answer is Google’s community feature that pops up directly under your name, phone number, and address. It helps any Google user to ask questions about your plumbing company or answer them. And since you are an authority in the field, you should be answering each question that’s asked.

Questions can receive numerous responses, but the answer with a high number of “likes” will appear as the primary answer. Then prospects can click the link to read more answers if they wish.

The ability to ask questions and have them promptly answered may be the determining factor in whether a homeowner chooses your plumbing company over a competitor. You must keep an eye on the Q&A section since anyone can give answers to the questions asked.

While there is no proven way to switch off the Q&A feature of your business listing, there are a few things you can do to stay ahead of the curve including:

Set up alerts: This will help you get notified each time someone asks a question, thus making you the first one to provide an answer.

Create Your Own Questions and Answers:  You can post some of the commonly asked questions in the plumbing industry and provide answers. You can then upvote the answers in your profile.

10. Setup Messaging System to Help Clients Request a Quote Online

messaging system

The Google Business Profile messaging feature helps searchers directly send a direct text message to your phone directly from your business listing. This is a unique way to demonstrate your commitment and responsiveness to customer service. You can activate this messaging feature from your Google Business profile dashboard. Read more about the guidelines for using your business listing messaging feature.

11. Delete Duplicate Listings on Google

remove duplicate gmb listing

Lastly, but most crucial, identify and remove any duplicate listings for your plumbing business. Generally, Google allows only one listing per business. Duplicate listings can cause confusion for both customers and search engines. If you have two listings and reviews split between the two, you will note that neither profile will have an impressive record. Such inconsistencies can hurt your local search engine rankings. And you can figure out how fast prospects will click off to the next plumbing business.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQS)

FAQ

Does my plumbing company need a Google Business Profile?

Yes. Any plumbing business trying to maximize and boost visibility online should claim or create an optimized Google Business Profile.

How do I get my plumbing business on Google Maps?

You can get your plumbing company on Google Maps by creating a Google Business Profile listing and following prompts to offer your company contact details, including your address. After creating the profile, you will be asked to verify it, and then later, your business can be featured on Google Maps.

Is a plumbing Google Business Profile free?

Yes, it is free to create a Google Business Profile listing for your plumbing company. You can use the profile to showcase your business photos, reviews, contact details, questions and answers, posts, and reviews. You can also obtain analytic reports to know how your customers interact with your profile.

Google Business Profile Optimization Services for Plumbers from Blackstorm Design + Marketing

Grow your business

Drive more qualified leads to plumbing business with our local SEO experts.

How do you expand your footprint and plumbing service area?

Formerly Google My Business, a fully managed plumbing Google Business Profile listing is crucial to compete in new areas in the modern digital world. It has become the most impactful digital marketing service we offer at Blackstorm Design + Marketing.

Things change each day with Google, so if you fail to manage your GBP listing full-time, your company’s online presence is likely to dwindle or become stale. Google strives to give authentic, knowledgeable, and trustworthy results in their top results. A well-managed Google Business Profile helps your plumbing company take prime spots in a Google search or Maps as your company becomes their best-searched option.

How do this happen? Our fully-managed Google Business Profile Service gives your plumbing business:

  • An optimized business listing for the best categories and images
  • An improved online reputation by closely monitoring your reviews, profile, and competitor spam
  • Positive answers and responses to reviews and questions to your plumbing company online.
  • Better brand representation by enhancing client engagement.
  • A revamp or setup of a Bing place listings.

With our help, you will take advantage of your local online marketplace. With customized strategies offered by Blackstorm Design + Marketing, Google will recognize your plumbing business as a trustworthy, authentic source for its users. Our fully-managed plumbing GBP along with local SEO services from Blackstorm Design + Marketing will take your business to the next level.

Ready to Double or Triple Your Plumbing Leads with an Optimized GBP listing?

Without an expert at the helm of your Google Business Profile, your company will lose business in the online arena. Let the team at Blackstorm Design + Marketing double or triple your qualified leads with fully managed Google services.

Schedule a free discovery call with our Google experts to grow your plumbing business today.

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Google Advertising Plumbing

The Ultimate Guide to Google Business Profile for Plumbers

Learn how to claim and use a free Google Business Profile to get found by prospects and outrank your competitors online

Are you struggling to outrank other local plumbers online? If so, learn from thousands of plumbing contractors across the United States to know the surefire hacks to rank #1 on search engine results pages. Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business) is the primary hub for local SEO for plumbers. As a plumber, you understand that you rely on local clients to make your plumbing company a success.

Google Business Profile

Google Business listing is all about making your plumbing company more visible online. That’s why we have created a definitive guide for plumbing contractors who want to make the most out of their business profile on Google. Keep reading to see how you can use Google Business Profile to get ahead of local competitors and obtain more qualified leads.

What is Google Business Profile for Plumbers?

Formerly known as Google My Business, Google Business Profile is a free tool built by Google that helps you promote your plumbing services as well as your site on Google Maps and search results for free. By claiming a GBP listing, plumbers can showcase reviews, post updates, and rank higher in the Local Map 3-pack for keywords related to their business. This platform helps you list your plumbing company on Google Maps and regulate what details prospects will see in Google search results.

Get listing on Google Business Profile

To make sure your plumbing company has a good chance of ranking higher on local search results both on traditional organic and Maps, you must optimize your Google Business Profile listing. That incorporates everything from NAP information, Google posts, and the Q&A section.

Google Business listings pop up when a homeowner conducts a local search (“plumber [city name] or “plumber near me”) or performs a search on Google Maps. Your plumbing company’s GBP listing can show up when a prospect looks for your brand, appearing on the right side of search results on laptops/desktops, and at the top of search engine result pages.

Why is Google Business Profile Crucial for Plumbers?

Why should you care about Google Business listing as a plumber? Because a large portion of the population is using Google, it implies a huge audience can access and view your profile. The more visible your plumbing company is the higher your chances of drawing prospects’ attention to your business.

Google Business listing is no longer optional-it is an important part of any plumbing company’s web presence and is typically the first place clients look for updated information about your business. If your clients want to find new opening hours or want to contact your business and inquire about something, you can bet they are not going to flip through the Yellow Pages. Here are some of the benefits of having an optimized Google Business Profile in your plumbing company:

  • GBP Helps Your Plumbing Services Get Discovered for FREE in Google Maps and Search Results

Google Business Profile on Google Maps

While content marketing strategies (like optimizing your website copy pages and SEO blogging) can improve your search visibility, a Google Business Profile is the most effective hack.

Whether you want to boost sales, improve brand awareness or increase booked jobs, a GBP is an effective way to get your plumbing company in front of wallet-out local clients. You can get your plumbing company listing in front of high-value online browsers by claiming and optimizing your business profile with the proper address, business category, and keywords. This listing can improve your presence in the local search engine results and make it likely for prospects to discover your plumbing company.

Unlike paid Google or social media ads, a Google Business profile is ultimately FREE and offers your company priority in the search results to increase inquiries, interest, and even sales.

  • Enhance Your Local SEO by Integrating Google Maps

Google Maps

If you offer a plumbing service in a particular local area, you want to ensure your plumbing company information pops up front and center for potential clients.

That’s why a Google Business listing can be one of the efficient ways to reach warm plumbing leads when they are ready to convert.

By claiming, verifying, and optimizing your Google Business Profile, you can make sure that your plumbing company shows up when interested clients are looking for the services you provide in your locality. Whether a client conducts a direct search on Google or even via Google Maps, your plumbing services will show up at the top of search results.

  • Control Your Plumbing Company Online Presence with a GBP

Optimize your Google Business Profile

On mainstream marketing platforms like social media, plumbing companies like yours should play by the rules of big brands. The algorithms decide who discovers your plumbing company online and what impression they have about your brand.

But with a Free GBP, you can curate the kind of experience prospects will have with your plumbing company. From updating your operational hours to showcasing your contact details, you can give each prospect the superior experience possible with your plumbing company.

Best of all, by knowing how to optimize your Google Business listing, you can increase the chances of your plumbing business information showing up at the top of the search engine rankings. This offers you the greatest potential to impact purchasing decisions of searchers who come across your brand.

  • GBP Offers an Easy Way for Your Clients to Find Your Physical office

GBP helps customers find your business

Your GBP listing has seamless integration with Google Maps as we stated earlier. Along with assisting your plumbing company to improve its visibility on Google, such integration also helps clients to navigate to your physical office as well.

With Google Maps integration, prospects or clients can discover directions to your physical office with a single tap. Besides, they can access your business operating hours and crucial contact details (such as your plumbing website, email address, and phone number) to make it seamless for people to contact your business.

The easier it is for your new clients to reach your plumbing service company, the more likely they will have a positive experience with your company. It is all about providing a seamless online experience that converts browsers into paying customers.

Get started Google Business Profile for Plumbers in 5 Simple Steps

Getting started with a Google Business profile is relatively easy, and the setup process takes a very short time. An important initial step in the local SEO strategy for plumbers is claiming, verifying, and optimizing your Google Business profile. You will be surprised to know that Google Business Profile is a FREE platform.

Google Business Profile Management

Google Business Profile doesn’t come with a paid version, and as soon as you register and confirm your plumbing company, you can access all the features and tools that the platform has to offer. While setting up is relatively simple, here are some hacks to make sure that the process goes seamless for the first time. Here are some strategies that will help you get started with plumbing Google Business listing:

  • Add a Location

Business Address

The initial step towards claiming your Google business profile is to add a location. Including a public address depends on your preference, but it helps create transparency if you put your company address in the public domain.

  • Service Area

Add areas where your business provides deliveries or home and office visitsA service area typically depicts how far your business is willing to go in order to serve a client. You can set this area as a perimeter around your physical office, or you can select the service area to be relatively small.

  • Add Correct NAP citations

we cannot overemphasize this enough. Your GBP will request your plumbing website URL and phone number. Ensure that you enter these details properly or else you will lose an opportunity of booking new jobs.

After ensuring the above three crucial information is entered correctly, follow the steps outlined below to claim or register your plumbing business on Google:

  • Step 1: Head over to https: //business. Google.com/ add.info/
  • Step 2: Search for your plumbing company by address and name
  • Step 3: If your business doesn’t appear. Click “No”, these are not my businesses
  • Step 4: When prompted, enter the correct information about your plumbing company
  • Step 5: Click “Submit”

Among the areas your plumbing company can show up include Google Maps, Local 3-pack, conventional organic results, and knowledge graph. Registering or claiming your plumbing business on Google Business listing is typically the initial step of a process of ranking at the top spot for plumbing keywords in your service area. But a properly optimized plumbing company GBP increases your chances of ranking #1 on Google.

How to verify Your Plumbing Google Business Profile

Your free plumbing Google Business Profile can do more than you think. When optimized properly, it can showcase your best traits and make it hassle-free for clients to discover, learn more about and even call your business. But for it to do this, you should verify your listing with Google to show that you are the plumbing company owner.

Google offers various options to help you verify your plumbing business Google Business Profile as outlined below:

Verify your GBP via Email or by Phone

Verify your GBP via Email

The most common way to verify your Google Business profile is through a regular email. However, before you request verification by email, ensure your business address complies with the address entry guidelines. To request your GBP verification by email, follow the steps below:

  • Sign in to your Google Business Profile and choose the company you want to verify
  • Among the options offered, choose to verify by email
  • Tap to verify. When you get an email in your inbox, follow the steps outlined to complete the process.
  • Remember to check whether you can access the email you want to use for the verification process.
  • Verify Your GBP using a Postcard

This is the most common method. Google will send your plumbing business a physical postcard (normally via a snail mail). You will then use the code in the postcard to verify your Google Business Profile.

Verify Your GBP by Phone

If you choose this option, Google will send a verification code to your plumbing company phone number. You will then enter the code to verify your plumbing company on Google. This will be instant and will help you enjoy the benefits of your Google Business Profile faster.

Google Business Profile Optimization Tips for Plumbers to Rank Higher in Local Search

Any plumbing business today requires targeted and higher visibility on Google. Most plumbers know that this needs optimizing their Google Ads and website, but what they fail to understand is that there is a third entity that should be optimized; their Google Business Profile. When properly used, your Google Business Profile can assist your business to generate new plumbing customers and leads. Consider it this way, right now homeowners are searching Google for plumbing services, and they will either find your business or your competitors.

To improve your chances of being found by prospects or clients, this post will discuss proven tips that will boost your visibility on Google. Without further ado, let us dive in.

Use Your Legal Plumbing Company Name

Name of your business

Your company name is one of the most crucial aspects of Your Google Business Profile. It is highly recommended that you strictly follow Google’s guidelines when it comes to the company name that you want to use in your Google Business Profile.

There are multiple ways you can attempt and trick the system for higher visibility and rankings. Don’t do them. One thing plumbers try and do is place their geographical location in the name on the GBP. For instance, Bryan owns a plumbing business and the legal name of the company is Bryan’s Plumbing. Bryan services Murfreesboro, TN area. The name he should use in his Google Business Profile is Bryan’s Plumbing, not Bryan’s Plumbing Murfreesboro.

If the name of the region or city you serve is part of your legal company name, then go ahead and include it. But, if your legal business name doesn’t have the name of the region or city, don’t add it to the name in your Google Business Profile. This is a strategy that might give you short-term results but can also make your profile to be suspended by Google.

Choose the Right Primary and Second Categories

Categories

Selecting the right category is a must for optimizing your plumbing Google Business Profile. This is because the categories you select for your GBP can assist Google to connect your plumbing business to customers based on what they are actively looking for. There are two kinds of categories- a primary category and numerous secondary categories, and you choose your secondary categories and primary category from a predefined list.

We highly recommend that you choose the right category. In our case of a plumbing business, the primary category you choose should be “plumber.”

If you provide more services other than plumbing, for instance, electrical and or/HVAC, you can include these as secondary categories- “Electrician” and “HVAC Contractor.” You may add other categories depending on the services you provide accordingly.

Focused Plumber Marketing: Define Your Service Areas

A service area depicts a geographical area or perimeter where you can deliver your plumbing services. You can choose up to 2 service areas where you offer plumbing services. Service areas can be defined by cities, postal codes, or by provinces. It is important that you choose the right service areas because the service areas you select will determine how your business appears on the search results when prospects search a geographical location.

For example, if you provide plumbing services throughout the Middle Tennessee area, you may want to choose Murfreesboro, Franklin, Manchester, Nashville, Smyrna, and more. Choose all the areas you serve (up to 20). If you only serve five areas, then choose those five-no more.

Set Your Operating Hours Generously

Hours of operation

Spelling out your business operating hours helps Google inform customers if you are closed or open. If your plumbing company is closed, then Google can alert customers when you shall reopen for business. Besides, setting your normal business hours, you can also indicate your special hours for public holidays like Christmas or Easter.

Give Your Correct Phone Number

Set up Google Business Profile

One of the crucial elements of your Google Business Profile is your company’s phone number. Your number will prominently have displayed on your Google Business profile and helps customers to contact you directly from your profile without necessarily having to visit your plumbing website. This is particularly applicable if customers are accessing your GBP on a mobile device like a smartphone.

All they need to do is click on the phone number to contact your plumbing company. It is convenient and faster for customers. The reverse is also true, it can be overwhelming as a client if you are trying to contact a plumbing business but you cannot easily and quickly locate their phone number. You can give a secondary and primary phone number in your Google Business Profile.

Use Google’s Appointment Booking Function in Your Plumbing GBP

Google’s appointment booking

Google’s appointment booking button can help your plumbing company outrank the competition. If your plumbing company requires clients to schedule appointments and you utilize built-in scheduling software, clients can book appointments with your business right from your Google Business Profile. This can make it hassle-free even to attract new customers they don’t have to click off from Google to book an appointment with your plumbing business.

Using your appointment booking links, clients can easily book your offer anywhere can find your business. Plus, you can also share your appointment booking URL link on Yelp, Facebook pages, and Instagram Profiles. Take advantage of this feature of Google Business Profile when you hire booking providers to get new clients.

Add Attractive but Real Photos and Videos to Your Plumbing GBP

Manage photos or videos to your Plumbing GBP

Sharing videos and photos of your plumbing company and those tagged by your clients is an effective and easy to boost engagement and traffic to your site and place of business.

To leverage the benefits of this feature, use good-quality photos, ensure high resolution, and upload new photos regularly-don’t use stock photos. Real photos help Google differentiate your plumbing company and thus represent your brand.

As one of the hacks here, we highly recommend taking quality photos of your office, photos of your staff at work, and the before and after photos of completed projects. Such photos and videos can help to increase trust and build brand awareness in your target audience.

List Your Plumbing Services

The services section of your Google Business profile helps you list all the services you provide. You can add the service name, a description, and a price for every service.

Unlike products that are shown up as part of your GBP, services are normally visible on mobile devices. On such devices, a service tab is shown along with your listing. When a client clicks on the tab, they will have a chance of viewing all the plumbing services you offer.

Including your plumbing services is an efficient way to differentiate your plumbing company from the competition and may help to skyrocket your local search rankings.

Add a Questions and Answers Section in Your Plumbing GBP

Questions and Answers Section

Google Business Profile help prospects or clients to answer a question about your plumbing business. It is advisable that you answer such questions preemptively on your own. Go to the knowledge tab of your Google Business Profile, and you will come across an option for “Question & Answers.” Fill it with potential questions that clients may have about your plumbing company and answer them in advance to make sure that they have accurate information about your business.

Add Attributes

Attributes

Highlights or attributes help you share with the world about specific attributes or services of your plumbing company, and including them can assist you to stand out from your competitors. To know what attributes you can add to your GBP listing, click on the “info” tab in the dashboard of your listing. By clicking the pencil icon, you will know the kind of services or attributes you can add to your plumbing company.

Accurate Description of Your Plumbing Business

Your plumbing business description is one of the crucial places you can utilize to target the “business or money keywords.” But you should not overdo it- keep your customers in mind and highlight the best things about your plumbing company.

In business for more than two decades? Your clients will no doubt love this.

Veteran-owned? Make sure to include it.

Before you go ahead and write your plumbing business description, be sure to read Google’s business description guidelines.

Get Online Reviews for Your Plumbing company

Online Reviews

Before a homeowner contacts you for a plumbing repair or service, they will first go through your reviews on Google. Even before that, they will have made up their mind on whether to choose you or your competition based on the quality and quantity of your online reviews.

One of the most crucial things you can do to help your plumbing company rank higher in local searches is to ask for more reviews on Google. Customers’ reviews are great for improving your social proof, and they make it easier for prospects or clients to trust your plumbing business. You can add as many client reviews as possible to your Google Business Profile.

Review Your NAP Information

NAP Information

The initial thing to do is go through the “info tab.” Make sure that you review your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone number) citations on the tab.

First, review your plumbing company name. Is your name listed correctly? Is it consistent with other review platforms such as Yelp? If you note any errors, update the information here properly. Check also that your address is entered correctly in your Google Business Profile.

Lastly, review your business phone number. Ensure everything is correct and that you are using your plumbing company’s primary phone number. If your company has multiple numbers for employees, make sure to utilize the main phone number for your office.

Use the Google Posting Feature to Grab More Eyeballs

Google Post

Regular posts are like free display ads for your plumbing company. You should post promotional offers since browsers can see posts before they land on your plumbing website.

Posts display a brief description and a thumbnail image that shows up to a full-size image and more information when clicked. They are displayed at the bottom of your Google Business Profile on desktop and in a dedicated tab in the Google Maps app.

Frequently Asked Questions about Google Business Profile for Plumbers

Question mark

1. Is Google Business Profile for plumbers free of charge?

Yes, Google Business Profile is absolutely FREE. This means any plumbing contractor can claim, verify and optimize any listing Free of charge.

2. How can I get my plumbing business to show up higher on Google search or Maps?

here are some steps you can take to ensure that your plumbing company shows up on Google as illustrated below:

  • Step 1: Go to Google Business Profile
  • Step 2: Find your plumbing company
  • Step 3: Add or select your plumbing business
  • Step 4: Choose your category
  • Step 5: Verify your plumbing company
  • Step 6: Set up a connected Google Plus Page
  • Step 7: Request Google reviews

3. Does my plumbing company need an optimized Google Business Profile?

Yes, your business should be taking advantage of the power of an optimized Google Business Profile customized for your company. By offering your opening and closing hours, services, reviews, address, and latest business address, you will be able to successfully manage your online presence across Google properties from its local maps to its search engine.

Let Blackstorm Design + Marketing Team Manage and Market Your Plumbing Company on Google Business profile

A well-optimized Google Business Profile is an important component of a a winning local plumbing SEO strategy. Knowing how to claim, verify and optimize your Google listing as a plumber can help boost Google rankings and assist you to reach potential clients on a local level.

We trust that this definitive Google Business Profile optimization guide for plumbers will assist you.

Talk with an expert

But if you are still unsure of how to claim, verify and optimize Google Business listing as a plumber, we got you covered.

At Blackstorm Design + Marketing, we specialize in helping plumbing businesses of all sizes optimize their local SEO and outrank their competitors. We achieve this by helping you claim your Google Business Profile. We are a team of internet marketing experts dedicated to helping you skyrocket the growth of your plumbing services company.

Schedule a free strategy session with Blackstorm Design + Marketing to learn more about our services and how we can help you grow your plumbing company online.

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