Category: SEO

SEO

What Would A SEO Specialist Do for Your Plumbing Website?

Post author By BlackStorm Home Service Marketing
Post date June 20, 2022

The introduction of the Internet has changed the lives of people. Today, no one prefers to walk to the store to buy things or meet somebody in person to chat. Instead, people love carrying out their chores right from their computer desk or Smartphone. While this has offered the much-desired convenience, it has opened avenues for businesses to tap customers. However, online marketing is extremely daunting, thanks to the ever-increasing competition. In such a situation, you need someone who could promote your venture online. It’s here an SEO specialist comes into the picture.

What do SEO specialists do?

Some newbie marketers and business owners never give thought to the services of an SEO expert. They surf the net to learn SEO (search engine optimization) techniques. After getting familiar with some tactics, they employ those strategies to win customers. Sadly, a majority of these business professionals register a huge failure. Why? The reason – employing effective SEO strategies isn’t a cake that you pick up and gulp it down. Rather, SEO happens to be one of the most demanding jobs. You ought to hire an SEO specialist to take care of the online marketing aspect.

Increases your visibility online

A reliable SEO professional increases your online visibility. You won’t make a sale if you’re not visible to your desired customers. It’s that simple. Let’s understand this point with a simple example. Suppose you wave your hand to someone on a dark night. You know what you’re doing. However, the other person doesn’t know. Why? You aren’t visible to him.

That’s what exactly happens when you promote your venture without hiring an SEO expert. A reliable SEO specialist sees to it that your website (your venture) is visible to your intended prospects. Once your site is visible to your desired prospects, they might probably check your outlet and make a purchase. This happens to be your main aim in hosting your website.

Drives prospects

You may wonder what the difference between online visibility and driving prospects is. If your site is visible, it’ll be visited by prospects. Right! It’s not that easy. Many sites come up on the first page of search results. However, not all of them get the same number of visits. Only some sites manage to get the desired number of visitors. Why and how?

Let’s take an everyday example to understand this point. Suppose there are five ice cream shops on a road. Some individuals walking by the road wish to buy ice creams. Which store will get the maximum number of customers? Your obvious answer will be the first store. What if the second or the last store gets maximum customers? If this is the case, you may want to know the reason.

Well, the second or the last store (as the case may be) is unique in some respects. It stands out in the crowded ice-cream shop market. An SEO specialist does exactly the same thing. Even if your site comes up on the top page of search results, it may or may not get the required number of customers.

To ensure you get maximum prospects, the SEO expert will use eye-catchy words within the title, description, and Meta Tags. By checking those enticing words, users are likely to pay a visit to your website. Once visitors are on your site, you may motivate them to buy your services or products.

Optimizes your site for users and search engines

Although offline and online marketing fundamentals are the same, there’s a big difference between the methods and techniques. No matter how expert you’re with offline marketing, you’ll lose online if you don’t know the basics and depth of online marketing. As a business professional, you ought to rank higher in search results and motivate customers when they visit your outlet. For that, you need to optimize your website for search engines and users.

A reliable SEO specialist does these two important jobs. First, he’ll optimize your website according to your business needs and search algorithms. To do that, he’ll use high-traffic keywords, and Keywords are search terms used by people to find anything online. If you sell pens in New York, the SEO professional will use keywords such as affordable pens in New York, best pens in New York, or quality pens in New York.

Next, he’ll position those keywords within your web content in such a manner that the keywords look natural. The expert will maintain an optimum keyword density to secure a high page ranking. Not just that, the online marketing specialist will place those keywords within your pages’ titles and the posts’ headings.

Additionally, he’ll see to it that your site contains relevant but minimum images. All these things will make your site search engine-friendly. Once your site becomes search engine-friendly, it’ll get higher rankings and may likely come up on the top of search results for your targeted keywords.

Many website owners report a higher bounce rate. What does that mean? It simply means that visitors move away from their site quickly without taking any action. Why do visitors move away? Most sites are cluttered and difficult to navigate. As such, visitors get annoyed and move away. A reputable SEO specialist helps you get rid of this problem. The SEO specialist will make your website user-friendly.

To do that, he’ll make your content organized and enticing using suitable headings, text fonts, and colors. This, in turn, will induce the visitors to read the content. Not just that, the SEO expert will ensure that your site is easy to navigate and important links, call to action words are placed at the right locations. All these things will compel even the most undecided customer to buy your products.

Link building and social media promotion

The more the number of links pointing to your site, the higher the rankings will be. A reputed SEO specialist understands this vital point, and he works to get backlinks from authoritative sites. Once your site gets quality backlinks, its search rankings will increase.

In addition to this, the expert will promote your site on popular social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. He’ll create an appealing profile and post suitable content with call-to-action words at the right time. That will get you quick and targeted traffic within no time.

Google listings

Google listings let you get instant search rankings. An experienced SEO professional will send your business address to Google and verify it. Within no time, you’re visible to local customers on Google maps.

Bottom line

Getting customers online is extremely difficult. You need the professional expertise of a well-known SEO specialist to combat the competition and win customers. You’re all set to record the desired success online with a professional digital marketing specialist.

Plumbing SEO

How to Get More Yelp Reviews for Your Plumbing Business

Post author By BlackStorm Home Service Marketing
Post date June 20, 2022

Yelp is one of the most famous directories for people to research and review companies. Many property owners utilize it as one of their initial tools when searching for a plumbing contractor. If you have not optimized your Yelp listing, that should be on your to-do list right now. After widespread storm damage, many property owners’ initial reaction is to instantly go online and research professional plumbers to evaluate their property. They find that the plumbing company is based on recommendations from a trusted service-related review directory like Google My Business or Yelp. Such directories give a first-time glance at your plumbing company to customers.

Yelp is a review tool that has increasingly become powerful in recent years. This post will discuss how plumbers can get more Yelp reviews and make the most of word-of-mouth advertising. Keep reading to find the expert-approved tips you have been searching for.

Create a Quality Yelp Profile

The first step you need to take is to create a quality Yelp profile for your plumbing company. After all, this is a tool for helping prospects discover your company as easy as possible.

Simply put, your Yelp profile is your brand’s face when property owners search for plumbing products or services. Note that this process does not have to be expensive or tedious. You only need to use high-quality images and a clear description that promotes your services.

Learn about Yelp’s Advanced Features

Yelp has lots of features that can assist your business in attracting potential customers. Thus the more you educate yourself about how to navigate and use them, the more chances you will have of driving relevant traffic to your plumbing business. For instance, you can provide Yelp deals, collect payments, or create prepaid vouchers.

Provide the Best Plumbing Service or Product Possible

This one may sound obvious because it is vital to operating a successful plumbing company and taking your profitability a notch higher.

In other words, the best approach to increase positive Yelp reviews is to provide the best service or products possible.

After all, it is no secret that word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing. Prospects get excited when they learn about something they love and spread the word to their family and friends.

When clients have an excellent or poor experience, they want to inform others about it. Yelp has developed an ideal tool for clients to share this type of detail so prospects can know which plumber to support or avoid.

Encourage Your Clients to Leave Yelp Review

When interacting with your clients, never hesitate to request them to leave a review on Yelp. This is particularly crucial when they tell you how much they loved your service or product. You don’t have to be pushy, but a polite request to rate your plumbing company online is generally acceptable.

Engage with Clients Online

Yelp also helps your business engage with customers online. Thus, you can build friendships and relationships with faithful clients and know those who are yet to visit in the future. Online interaction is a useful tool that should not be taken for granted. Besides, it is fun listening to positive experiences from your previous clients.

Never Pay for Reviews

As a plumber, you might be tempted to pay some of your clients to leave a positive review on Yelp. It might seem a quick and easy way to get glowing reviews for your business, but that’s a bad idea as readers can tell when something does not smell right so this tactic will produce unfavorable results.

How to Optimize Your Yelp Listings

Here are some things that you can do to make your Yelp Listing better:

Check All Your Business Details on Yelp: There might be missing or incorrect business details on your listing; therefore, ensuring that all the information is accurate and cleaning it up should be your initial step. This means that you check the phone numbers, business names, hours of operation, addresses, and websites.
Add a Relevant Project Image or Your Logo as Your Profile Photo: If you don’t brand your company correctly on Yelp, it will be easier for prospects to forget you. Include a logo so that people can have something that they can associate you with.
Add Photos: People respond well to visuals than texts. Upload quality photos of your completed projects, team photos, pictures of your office, or something people would like to see.

Handling Negative Yelp Reviews

If you are like most plumbing contractors, the mere thought of getting a 1-star review can be worrisome and intimidating, but if you understand how to handle negative reviews on Yelp, you can somewhat turn them into something positive.

While you cannot control clients who leave a bad reviews, you can reduce them by exercising precautions and professionally responding to them. Such precautionary measures include maintaining positive interactions with clients and generating as many reviews as possible. Responses should be solution-based and should paint your company in a positive light. It would be best if you did not use an argumentative tone or profane language when responding to a Yelp review.

Final Verdict

We cannot overstate the importance of online reviews to your plumbing company, which separates successful plumbers from the average ones. As a plumber, you should focus on getting reviews from the three significant directories like Yelp, Google, and Facebook.

If you need any help managing your plumbing business’s online reputation, kindly schedule a free strategy session with our growth experts today.

Plumbing SEO

How to Build a Successful Plumbing Company from Scratch

Post author By BlackStorm Home Service Marketing
Post date June 20, 2022

If you have ever thought about building and running a successful plumbing business, you are not alone. Having a flexible schedule, being your boss, and enjoying more financial rewards that come with plumbing company ownership are excellent reasons to build your own plumbing company.

Every successful plumbing company started with a passion and drive. Even business moguls like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos began building their businesses from zero. It’s one thing to work in a profession you enjoy, but it is a whole different story turning that profession into a successful plumbing company that supports your employees, you, and your family.

Running a successful plumbing business can be daunting. And that explains why so many plumbing companies shut their doors even before they get started. Yet, running a successful plumbing company is not challenging when you can avoid and spot the pitfalls.

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Start a Plumbing Company from Scratch.

Building a plumbing business from scratch does not have to be complicated or hard, but it requires some work and planning. Here are the most crucial ten steps to follow when building a plumbing company from scratch.

Step 1: Research Your Target Market

As a new plumber on the block, you need to research your market carefully. Try as much as possible to discover the level of demand for your plumbing services and how your rivals are trying to satisfy that demand. Knowing what your competitors already know won’t cut it. Dive into your target market and analyze it like a pro. Search for keywords that are related to the plumbing industry. Don’t fret if your target market seems flooded. You can use this as your competitive advantage. It implies that if it works for other plumbers, it can still work for you. It also means that there is money to be made here.

Step 2: Write a Plan for your Plumbing Business

I know this is not the “most fun” part of starting your business but a crucial step in building a successful plumbing company. A clear business plan is vital for success as a plumbing contractor, and it will assist you to discover the specifics of your plumbing business and unearth some unknowns. Here are some questions that you need to answer in your business plan.

What Are the Costs involved when starting a Plumbing Company?

Though you can start your plumbing business in your compound, extra space will be required as your business grows. Storage space to keep your plumbing materials must be available. Additional expenses include renting/purchasing an administrative office to paying for high-speed internet, labor, and utilities cost. Workers and liability insurance costs must also be paid. Other recurring expenses include employees’ salaries, office supplies, and internet costs.

Is the Plumbing Business Profitable?

Yes, plumbing is a lucrative venture where you can make a six-figure profit after a few years of operation. Plumbing contractors who have been in business for several years can make thousands of dollars in profit every year. Expand across states, the nation, and counties, and your plumbing business will make millions of dollars in profits each year.

How Will You Make Your Plumbing Company More Profitable?

The key to increasing your plumbing company’s profitability is to reduce the cost of material and labor while securing a stream of new leads/clients. Establish your offline/online reputation as a high-quality plumbing contractor, and you will start to charge more than your competitors for the same services. Experienced plumbing contractors have a lot of knowledge and skills that property owners are willing to pay for. If you have a dumpster that you don’t use all week long, you can consider renting it out to another plumber who does own one. If you have a storage/office space that you don’t use in full, consider renting it to another business owner.

How do you choose a Name for Your New Plumbing Company?

Naming a new plumbing business can feel as daunting as naming a newborn or a puppy. Fortunately, we have already published a guide on choosing a plumbing company name that can help you along. In the meantime, keep these tips on how to name your plumbing business in mind:

Avoid names that are too long and difficult to spell.
Make sure your preferred name is not used by other plumbers online or offline.
Think of how your name will appear on your website URL and social media platforms.

It would be best if you considered your business plan as an outline of your company. A good business plan should contain the following information:

Executive Summary: This explains your plumbing business services and the problems it solves for the consumers.
Market Evaluation: This should discuss the market you are serving.
Marketing strategies: How will you dive into the market and sell your plumbing services/products?
Operational plan: this outlines the day-to-day operations of running your plumbing business.

Step 3: Form a Legal Entity

You need to establish a legal business entity like LLC, which prevents you from being personally liable when your plumbing company is sued. You can opt to choose several plumbing business structures, including partnerships, corporations, sole proprietorships, DBAs, and LLCs. Your accountant or financial adviser will select the appropriate one for you.

Step 4: Register for Taxes

The IRS website is the best place to understand the various state and federal taxes affecting your business if you are starting a plumbing company. Start by checking with the IRS’s Small Business and Self-employment center. Furthermore, you need to check the tax obligations required by your respective state.

Step 5: Open a Separate Bank Account and Credit Card for Your Plumbing Business

Opening a separate credit card and bank account for your business is crucial for personal assets protection.

When your business and personal accounts are mixed, your valuables (such as your home or car) are at risk if your plumbing company is sued. This is what is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Step 6: Get the Necessary Permits and Licenses

Failure to obtain necessary licenses and permits can lead to hefty fines or the closure of your plumbing business.

Local and State Business Licensing Requirements

Specific state licenses and permits may be required to operate a plumbing company. Learn more about licensing in your state by visiting SBA’S reference to state licenses and permits.

Service Agreement

Plumbing contractors must request their customers to sign a service agreement before they begin a new project. This agreement spells out customer expectations and reduces legal disputes by spelling out payment conditions and terms, intellectual property ownership, and service level expectations.

Certificate of Occupancy

You can operate your plumbing company out of a storefront, and a plumbing business that operates out of a physical location needs a certificate of occupancy. This certificate confirms that all zoning laws, government, and building regulations have been satisfied.

Step 7: Get Insurance

Just as with permits and insurance, your new plumbing business requires protection to operate safely and lawfully. There are various kinds of insurance policies created for different types of companies to cover unexpected risks. If you are not sure about the kind of risks your business may face, you need to start with general liability insurance. Another notable insurance policy associated with plumbing businesses is worker’s compensation insurance. If your plumbing company has employees, then most probably, your state will require to have workers’ compensation coverage.

Step 8: Market and Promote Your New Plumbing Business

Why should a property owner select you to install or replace their water pipe?

That’s a significant question if you want to build a successful plumbing business. And the answer lies in your plumbing marketing. But if you are just starting your plumbing business, it can be daunting to know where to start. Fortunately, this post will discuss crucial plumbing marketing strategies that will help your business nurture trust, generate referrals and earn more clients.

Create a Stunning Plumbing Website to Market Your Business 24/7.

Your plumbing website should act as your virtual sales representative 24/7/365 and generate a stream of qualified leads. How you create and use your site will influence your plumbing marketing activities-but just building one will not skyrocket your plumbing sales automatically. If you want your plumbing website to market your business online, it needs to have these four main things:

It needs to be super-fast: The average client expects your web page to load in less than three seconds.
It must be Functional: Plumbing websites should be appropriately coded for SEO, which implies adding structure to the site with metadata like optimized images, schema, Meta, and title tags.
Your plumbing website needs to be mobile-friendly: Over 50% of overall U.S. traffic comes from tablets and smartphones.
It must be secure: More than 40% of all plumbing websites that appear on the first page of Google are HTTPS, which is why Google has confirmed that it favors secure sites over unsecured ones.
It needs to provide helpful Quality Content: A significant ranking factor lies in the quality over your website’s quantity.

If your website is missing any of the above features, you need to partner with a reputable plumbing website design agency like Blackstorm Plumbing Marketing.

Boost Your Plumbing Website Conversion Rate with a Redesign

One of the best ways of increasing your plumbing website conversion rate is by requesting a website redesign from our experts. Our experienced web designers will work round the clock to ensure that your websites generate more qualified leads and skyrocket your plumbing sales.

Maximize Your Reach on Google

To get more plumbing clients/leads, your business needs to appear on top of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

Here are some tips that will help you to stay off Google results:

Use keywords strategically
Incorporate featured snippets
Get quality online reviews
Make sure that your Google My Business Listing is accurate and complete
Stay on top of Google Algorithm updates
Leverage Local service ads.
Create profiles on directories like Yelp, Angie’s List, or Thumbtack.

As a plumber, we understand you are busy managing your employees and sourcing materials, making it daunting to optimize your plumbing website for search engines on your own.

The good news is that Blackstorm Plumbing Marketing has a team of experienced SEO professionals who can help your plumbing website rank on the first page of Google and outshine your competitors online.

Invest in Paid ads to Increase Booked Plumbing Jobs

Pay per Click advertising allows plumbing businesses anywhere to be found on the first page of the Google search results. It is digital marketing where plumbers display ads and pay the advertiser once their ads are clicked. The two significant advantages of PPC are controlled relevance and visibility.

Use Social Media Marketing and Remarketing

Once you have created your plumbing website and started getting some traffic, make sure that you remarket your plumbing services to potential clients who did not contact you. This implies that showing them ads even after they have navigated away from your site. This is important because most prospects will not contact you on their very first attempt.

Social media marketing is also a great option. With a combination of internet marketing and some local service ads, you can target a customer directly with a new client offer.

Manage Your Reputation Online and Offline

When it comes to selecting a plumbing company, reputation plays a critical role. After all, no property owner wants to work with a plumbing contractor who does a shoddy job, does not meet deadlines, or does not stand behind their promises.

Word-of-mouth recommendations are still a significant factor in how commercial and residential clients select a plumbing contractor. To take advantage of these positive recommendations, ask your happy clients to refer you to their relatives and friends.

Online reviews are critical too, and you need to make sure that you earn more Google reviews and respond to the reviews you obtain. If that sounds too hard for you to do, make sure that you partner with Blackstorm Plumbing Marketing to manage your plumbing company reputation offline and online.

The Bottom line

If the above tips seem so hard to implement on your own, don’t fret because you are just other plumbing contractors we have helped over the years. Your primary focus should be on running your plumbing business and leaving the rest to us. If you need help getting more leads and sales from your new plumbing business, kindly schedule a free strategy session with our growth experts for assistance today!

Plumbing SEO

How to Win More Plumbing Clients Using Voice Search Optimization

Post author By BlackStorm Home Service Marketing
Post date June 20, 2022

Have you ever posed a question to Siri?

How about other voice assistants like Google Assistant, Alexa, or Cortana?

Whether you have answered or not, the sad reality is that;

Most of your potential clients have spoken a question or command to any of these online assistants.

They have asked questions like:

“Siri, where can I find the best plumber in Tennessee?”

“Alexa, is it going to rain tonight?”

Research shows that among customers who use voice search, almost 50% use voice assistants to find a local business.

So what does that mean for your plumbing business?

Your plumbing business cannot ignore voice search and expect to win more jobs online.

Every plumber who operates a plumbing website understands the value of search engine optimization. For years, plumbing marketers, hoping to popularize their blogs, would research keywords and use them sparingly throughout the content to rank #1 on Google search results when prospects look for them online.

What is Voice Search Optimization and How Does it Work

Voice search optimization refers to the process of optimizing your plumbing web pages to appear in voice searches. Voice search is any search a prospect performs on the web using a voice command instead of text or typing.

But how does voice search work? Here is a breakdown of how things work in voice search in four simple steps:

A prospect/client initiates a voice search by addressing the device voice assistant using pre-programmed voice command (“Hey, Alexa,” “Hey Siri,” or “Hey Cortana”)
The prospect/client gives authority or asks a question: “where do I find the best plumbing contractor over here?” Or “SEO movie release date.”
Based on the kind of technology that the voice search uses, it will collect the packets of sounds as syllables, phrases, or sentences.
Finally, the voice search system will translate the sounds’ units to text and initiate the search process.

Whew! Fortunately, we don’t have to worry about that too much. But isn’t it refreshing to understand what goes behind the scenes?

What is the Role of Voice Search in SEO?

SEO is one of the most crucial marketing tools used by plumbing contractors all over the world. Since its inception, SEO has undergone various changes, most of which come from the search engines’ limitations. Voice search and artificial intelligence will affect your plumbing business progression with SEO. Plumbers will now have to align their keywords to take advantage of this new technology to drive more demand and income.

Voice search will affect how plumbing website content is written and narrow down to the target market more precisely within a short time. It will also assist offer relevant feedback after sieving through a massive amount of information. This will give your plumbing business a competitive edge as it will concentrate more on the target audience. Furthermore, artificial intelligence can be used to analyze layouts, marketing content, and UI graphics.

Experts believe that voice search will eliminate the possibilities of black hat SEO, as it will help them detect false keyword stuffing in the coming days. Be it a personal computer, laptop, or mobile, voice search makes it easy for people of all ages to find local plumbers by speaking to their gadgets. This ease of use in daily life will help voice search to grow in the coming days.

Why Do Plumbing Contractors Need to Invest in a Voice Search Optimization Strategy?

A voice search strategy is essential for your plumbing business. With more clients/prospects using voice assistants like Google Assistant, Alexa, or Siri, you need to invest in this strategy to reach them, mainly if you operate locally. More than half of voice searches are used to identify a local business.

Here are some of your plumbing business benefits of implementing a comprehensive voice search optimization strategy:

Increased plumbing website traffic
Raise your brand visibility and awareness
Enhances client engagement
High scope of plumbing sales and conversions.
Drives more prospects to your plumbing business.

How to Win More Plumbing Clients with Voice Search Optimization

Now that you have understood the ins and outs of voice search technology, it’s time to know how to use the information gained to generate more plumbing conversions and draw potential clients with voice search.

Create an Easy-to-Read Site Map

Your sitemap is how Google recognizes your search terms and their relevance to the prospect’s or client’s search. When creating a new plumbing website, consider the keywords you choose and how they will rhyme with what your clients are searching for online.

If your map is organized and clean, Google will instantly recommend your plumbing website if a web user performs a voice search for a proper phrase or keyword. It is also highly recommended that you revise your old content to see if there are revisions that you can make in your URL link. This small tweak will help your business reach more clients searching for information related to your niche online.

Re-evaluate your Keywords

It is estimated that by 2022, more than half of American households will have a smart speaker. Combine that with the fact that every adult owns a smartphone with voice search capabilities, and it is easy to see why plumbing contractors need to rethink their keyword research strategy. We need to think about how an average homeowner would initiate a search and concentrate on those keywords.

How to Prepare Your Plumbing Business for Voice search Revolution

Speech recognition and voice search software are on the upward trend like never before. If you have not been affected by the voice search yet, then know that it is around the corner, and over time everyone will be swept by the marvels of voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant.

It is estimated that by 2020, almost half of the total online searches will be voice-activated (source). Voice search is the new wave of a technology revolution that plumbing contractors must adapt to. But the question is, how can you prepare your plumbing company for this bleeding-edge tool? This post will discuss how voice search can be utilized and how it will change your business and the plumbing industry in general.

Here are some of the things you can do to get your plumbing business ready for voice search:

Improve Page Speed

Prospects/clients expect fast results for their voice searches. Most voice searches are performed over mobile and devices like Amazon Echo. And plumbing website loading speed is an essential aspect of cellular search ranking signals. It was found out that the average time for a voice search results was 54 seconds. If you want to increase your chances of showing up in voice searches, make sure your plumbing website loads faster.

HTTPS and SSL Certificates

HTTPS prefix and an SSL certificate validate your plumbing website security. Google had announced that in 2014, HTTPS would be considered a priority ranking factor, and this would apply to voice search as well. This shows that securing your plumbing website with an HTTPS certificate will help your site to appear in voice searches.

Informative, easy-to-read, and long-form quality content

Contents that are easy to read and have a 2000-3000 word count stand a high chance of ranking high in voice search results. However, stuffing your posts with meaningless words to appear in voice searches is not the ideal method. Google selects content quality over quantity, and if your post meets quality content guidelines, then Google will consider it the best pick.

Content engagement also plays a vital role in voice search rankings. Though Google does not consider social media signals when ranking plumbing websites, it has been observed that highly engaging content tends to rank high in voice searches.

High SERP and Featured Snippets

Domain rating is more preferable than your page authority. Hence, a plumbing website with more quality backlinks will be superior to one with an excellent backlink ratio. A plumbing website with a higher domain rating ranks better in the search results.

Another factor you need to consider is the featured snippet section. Snippets are regarded as the ideal results of voice searches. More than 40% of voice search queries are answered in these featured snippets, and they contain precise answers to users’ questions in a concise format. But you need first to make sure that your plumbing website gets on top of the search engine results. Only pages that feature in the first page results of Google will appear in the featured snippet section.

Mobile Optimization

Do you know that 1 out of 5 adults in America uses voice search at least once every month? A better mobile experience has become an essential factor in voice search optimization. Furthermore, Google has already announced that it will reward mobile-friendly plumbing websites with a higher ranking.

Strengthen Your Plumbing Marketing with these Voice Search Optimization Tips

Use Natural Language to Appear in Voice Search Results

Prospects use more conversational queries when performing a voice search. For instance, they are more likely to inquire, “At what time does plumber x open today?” or “Plumber x office hours.” So make sure that you try to include as many conversational keywords as possible. Such kinds of queries are also known as long-tail keywords, and they are usually longer and tend to take the form of questions and phrases. Voice search results are generally delivered on the 9th-grade English level, so make sure that your content is presented well and easy to understand.

Device

Check the kind of devices your prospects are using and optimize your plumbing website for such devices. While voice assistants are found on smart speakers, research shows that most of these searches are performed on handheld devices such as smartphones and smartwatches.

Locale

Prospects searching for something local (such as a local business) are three times more likely to perform a voice search (particularly on a mobile phone) than a text-based query. What does that mean for your plumbing business? It means that you need to be on top of your internet marketing game (like your online reputation and local SEO) if you want your plumbing company to get found on voice searches.

5 Voice Search Strategies that you can apply today

Strategy #1: Focus on giving answers directly

If you want to get the most out of your voice search strategy, begin by answering questions directly.

Did you know that over 50% of voice searches rely on featured snippets?

Such featured snippets answer questions from prospects directly.

Prospects normally perform voice searches in the form of questions.

(“Siri, how do you find an experienced plumber here?”)

(“Alexa, is it raining today?”)

As a plumber, you need to start posting your content on the FAQ page for the most common questions prospects ask, making it easier for your plumbing website to get found in the voice search results.

To boost your visibility, keep your answers brief.

Strategy#2: Make your Content Easy to Read

When Google gets results for voice searchers, it attempts to locate content that an average customer can read and understand.

Don’t try to show off your plumbing website using all the technical jargon you know.

Keep your website content simple so that it can be understood by ordinary people so that your sites get found on voice search results. Also, make sure that your site can be followed by all visitors who interact with it.

Strategy#3: Follow SEO Best Practices

Did you know plumbing websites that rank high in desktop searches have the same chance of getting found on voice searches?

The reverse is also true.

If you have not optimized your plumbing website for SEO, you will not get found on voice searches. But there are several things you can do to make sure that your plumbing website gets found on top of search engine results, including the following:

Speeding up your plumbing website
Integrating keywords on your plumbing pages
Make your plumbing website mobile-friendly.

So, you must re-evaluate your SEO strategy to appear prominently on voice searches.

Strategy #4: Make Business Details Accessible

Consider the kind of information that prospects might want to know about your plumbing business when thinking of using your products or services.

They might want to know your:

Business hours
Address
Phone number
Customer reviews and ratings.

And virtual assistants such as Siri are the convenient and fastest way of getting such details. Therefore make sure that these details are readily available on your blog, plumbing website, and online business listings (like Google My Business and Yelp).

Strategy #5: Invest in Local Service Ads from Google

Besides the regular pay-per-click ads, Google currently offers local service ads on top of its search engine results.

Local service ads help potential clients learn about local, Google-verified plumbing businesses and even book jobs directly from the ad.

If you have invested in these ads currently, the good news is that you will experience improved voice search visibility. If you do not use local service ads, you need to invest in them, giving you more leads in text-based and voice searches.

Boost Your Plumbing Sales with Voice Search Optimization Now

Voice search optimization will assist you in generating more leads for your plumbing business and earn more sales. Implementing the voice search optimization tips discussed in this post will drive more voice searchers to your plumbing company.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by implementing these voice search optimization strategies in your business? Don’t fret, as the Blackstorm Plumbing Marketing team is ready to help optimize your plumbing website for voice search. We have a team of experienced SEO specialists who will ensure that your business appears on top of voice search results.

Don’t miss out on potential plumbing jobs because you don’t have a voice search strategy.

Ensure that your plumbing business is visible regardless of the device your prospects are using-whether it is Alexa, Siri, or desktop using text searches.

If you want your plumbing business to be found on voice search results and don’t know to start, kindly schedule a free strategy session with our experts to win more plumbing clients today!

Plumbing SEO

Slow Plumbing Websites Doesn’t Work: Tips On How To Speed Up Your Plumbing Website

Post author By BlackStorm Home Service Marketing
Post date June 20, 2022

Increase Prospect Engagement And Conversion Rates, And Book More Jobs With A Faster Plumbing Website.

Are you wondering why your plumbing website loads so slowly? Or are you searching for tips to help your plumbing company website load faster? Does the speed of your site affect conversion rates and SEO?

These are concerns that plague the minds of our prospects and customers. Website visitors today have become more intolerant of slow-loading websites, and even search engines like Google are rewarding faster-loading plumbing websites with a higher ranking than those without.

So if you want to stay ahead of your competitors, you must take advantage of the abovementioned situation. Fortunately, this post will discuss crucial tips to speed up your plumbing website and improve conversion in 2022 and beyond.

If you are dealing with a slow plumbing website, keep reading for more information on fixing it.

Why Does My Plumbing Website Load Slowly?

You might have come across the old age cliché that says “slow and steady wins the race,” but when it comes to your plumbing website’s overall performance, that is undoubtedly a direct ticket to failure.

Improving your plumbing website’s loading time is a win-win approach to keep the web users of your site happy and increase the revenue generated by your plumbing business.

Here are our top reasons why turtles are moving faster than your plumbing website:

Non-Optimized Images

An image is considered unoptimized when it has a large file size, undescriptive file names, and the site with no alt tags, which ultimately slows your plumbing website’s performance.

Images created using software like Photoshop are saved as large files. Even though they contain a substantial amount of quality and detail, they can slow down your plumbing website because of that excess detail.

Besides, Google does not see your images. Instead, Google reads the three or four-word descriptive terms to understand what the icon is all about. But without that description, Google does not know what your image is all about.

Excessive Usage of Ads

Google AdSense can be an additional revenue source for your plumbing business, but it can also slow down your website.

The most apparent effect of overloading your plumbing website with adverts is more HTTPS requests that make your website unresponsive.

Mainly the rich media ads such as auto-downloads, pop-unders, and interstitials may create hundreds of such requests, making your plumbing website slow down its speed.

Failure to Use a Content Delivery Network

If you don’t use a content delivery network, then your plumbing website will load slowly.

Content Delivery Networks (CDN) makes sure that your plumbing website is served to a user from a nearby location. That helps your plumbing website load faster because the data travels a shorter distance between your user and the server.

High Plumbing Website Traffic

A surge in plumbing website traffic is another reason for the slow loading website.

Even if the information is conveyed super-fast, a plumbing website can only hold a certain number of users each time.

Bandwidth is a technical terminology used to refer to the information an internet connection can handle at any given time. Broadband (large bandwidths) deliver information very fast and accommodate more users. “Mbps” refers to the amount of data that can be transferred per second.

Inefficient Web Hosting

You need to have a web hosting provider to display your plumbing website online.

A web host is synonymous to a vacant unit in real estate – It is the space where you create your plumbing website.

When a prospect types your plumbing website’s name into their browser, the web host serves your plumbing website from their server.

Some web host providers are better than others. If you choose an inefficient and cheaper web host for your plumbing website, you will lose valuable clients because of your slow-loading website.

Use of Unclean Code Slows Down Your Plumbing Website

Unclean coding is another common culprit for the slowness of your plumbing website. When you create your plumbing website, inline stylings, excessive new white spaces, unnecessary comments, and empty new lines can make your site’s stylesheet bigger, thus hampering its loading speed.

Your Plumbing site CSS is not Optimized Properly

Like Javascript, CSS is responsible for styling its pages and can delay it if left unoptimized.

Excess Social Sharing Buttons

It is crucial to let your prospects/clients quickly share your pages on social media; it can reduce your page loading time if you have too many social sharing buttons.

For such buttons to correctly do their job, you need to add them as plugins to your site. Such plugins will require retrieving data from their respective social media pages every time they are used.

Javascript Issues

JavaScript is the code that makes your plumbing website interactive and functional for users. Without it, your plumbing website will be so dull. However, if not appropriately optimized, JavaScript can slow down your site’s loading when prospects try to load it in their browsers.

When a browser attempts to display your plumbing website, it must stop and first load the JavaScript files it comes across. Render-blocking JavaScript slows down your plumbing website loading speed.

Numerous elements on your Plumbing Web Page

Your plumbing page’s size is affected by various factors, including HTML, stylesheets, scripts, images, videos, and other items that may be on your website pages.

When you have lots of elements on your page, the page will load more slowly, which leads to a slow plumbing website overall.

Too Much Flash Content

Although flash is an excellent tool for making your plumbing website more interactive, it is more likely to slowly build your website load. Flash content usually is bulky in size and thus will make your plumbing website load slower than usual.

What is the Ideal Loading Time of a Plumbing Website?

That is acceptable if your plumbing website loads in less than 3 seconds. However, anything beyond three seconds will make your bounce rate increase sharply.

If your plumbing website loading time exceeds 3 seconds, you must make speeding up your website your priority. But before you start this process, you must measure your current plumbing website loading speed.

How to Speed up Your Plumbing Website in 10 Simple Steps

Optimize all Images used on Your Plumbing Website

With a vast selection of free photo tools available online, optimizing images found on your plumbing website can be a breeze.

To optimize your website images, you need to compress them first.

Large images are often very bulky, and as a consequence, they load slowly.

The compression of such images helps lower the bandwidth of those images, consequently reducing HTTPS requests.

Check Your Web Hosting Provider

Your web host provider can have a significant impact on your plumbing website speed. You need to select a web host provider with servers near where your prospects/clients are. If you are an American client having to access your site via a server in Northern Europe, that will affect your site speed.

Many plumbers opt for cheap web hosting after starting a website or blog, so they select shared hosting. Over time, they publish more content, and their website grows, thus slowing down their websites. In such a case, they can upgrade their hosting plan and boost the speed of their website. Be sure to select the best hosting Service Company for your plumbing company website.

Enable Browser Caching

Enabling caching improves your plumbing website speed significantly and gives your prospects a more rewarding user experience. Caching usually involves the storage of static files like HTML documents, media images, and JavaScript and CSS files for faster and easier access. The database does not have to retrieve information every time there is a new request. The more applications loaded on your server, the more time it will take for your plumbing website to load.

Remove unnecessary plugins

Every plugin you add needs resources to run effectively. However, more resources mean a slow-loading plumbing website. If you have unnecessary or unused plugins on your site, you should delete and deactivate them to give your website speed the required boost. Removing unnecessary plugins can enhance your page loading time and, consequently, your plumbing website’s speed.

Reduce HTTPS Requests

Plumbing websites can be slow because of excessive HTTPS requests. When potential clients visit your plumbing website, they ask for specific files, and their browser requests such data from your server using the HTTP protocol. These files include CSS, HTML, and JavaScript files. If you have a lot of HTTPS requests, the performance of your plumbing website will get slowed.

You can minimize such requests by:

Combining JavaScript, CSS, and HTML files.
Use CSS instead of images where possible.
Minimize the number of elements per page.
Add a caching plugin.

Only use Social Media Platforms that Perform the Best

If you know that your posts don’t get shares on Reddit or Pinterest, you can delete those buttons from your plugins. Reduce the number of social sharing buttons to three or four per page. That will help you target high-value social media networks like Twitter and Facebook without overloading your users. It will also save your site from loading pages that are barely used. Your clients will not even miss them!

Reduce or Eliminate Third-Party Advertisers

If ads cause your clients to bounce back from your site and reduce the loading time, you will lose valuable clients who are far much worth than your ads revenue.

If ads are your primary income source, you stand to lose clients by placing too many ads on your plumbing website. Limit your ads to one or two per page and increase your plumbing website speed. That will help keep your prospects glued to your plumbing website for an extended period.

Reduce the number of elements per page

To minimize the load on your plumbing website:

Reduce the quantity and size of items on your plumbing website.
Consider whether you can attain the desired outcomes with few photos, details, or videos overall.
If you want to know whether you have too many elements on your page, perform a heat map test to understand what your clients/prospects are clicking and clicking.

Increase Bandwidth to Cater to an unexpected Traffic Surge

High traffic is an excellent problem-every plumber should welcome it.

But to keep your plumbing website loading faster, you need to increase your bandwidth.

It is a pretty straightforward process as you only need to call your web host and instruct him or her to increase your bandwidth.

Use a Content Delivery Network to speed up your plumbing website

A CDN hosts your plumbing website’s static files to deliver them effectively and minimize your server load and bandwidth. With a CDN, the requested content can be achieved much faster since the server will be closer to the target end-users. As a result, there will be no latency, but your plumbing website will load much faster. So, using a CDN will save a lot of bandwidth and significantly improve your plumbing website’s speed.

Hire a Professional to Optimize Your Plumbing Website Page Speed Today!

Various factors make your plumbing website load slowly, and this implies that several steps can help your site load faster, as expected by clients. As a plumber, you don’t have enough time to run your business and speed up your plumbing website.

Hiring a seasoned plumbing website design professional is an easy way of making your plumbing website load faster. Professionals have the resources, expertise, and time to ensure that your plumbing website loads in no time.

If your plumbing website loads slowly, Blackstorm Plumbing Marketing can help.

We have an experienced team of web designers who are committed to optimizing your plumbing website’s speed and helping you enjoy the best loading times ever.

Schedule an appointment online with one of our growth experts to learn more about our website speed optimization services.

Plumbing SEO

“Plumbing SEO is Dead” & Other Lies

Post author By BlackStorm Home Service Marketing
Post date June 20, 2022

As a digital marketer, you know the importance of SEO (search engine optimization). SEO is essential for online marketing campaigns, and every business owner with a business website needs it. Unless you keep up with the times, you might end up being left behind in this ever-changing environment.

SEO is very important for a digital marketer. It’s used for digital marketing to increase leads and traffic, generate organic SERPs (search engine result pages), and improve trust among clients.

Since SEO involves keywords, rankings, tags, media, coding, algorithm, and links, it’s difficult for non-digital marketers to understand. Alongside the fact that the search engine optimization practice is always evolving that sometimes even expert digital marketers fall behind, it’s is no wonder that common misconceptions and lies began to form over different methods of optimizing your website.

It’s important not to get stuck on old practices and misconceptions about this search engine optimization as it can potentially harm your website, which you’ve put so much effort on. There are immense benefits gained from using SEO or search engine optimization in your business if appropriately practiced.

Is search engine optimization or SEO dead? Is there any truth to this, or are they a lie? This article will discuss the biggest misconceptions and untruths about SEO.

IS SEO DEAD?

The death of search engine optimization is greatly exaggerated and a misconception that confuses most digital marketers. According to statistics, 65.25 billion dollars was spent by companies in 2016 on SEO tactics. The number increased to 78 billion in 2018, and by 2020 it’s estimated that companies will spend 79.27 billion dollars on search engine optimization or SEO.

Even though a website does not have top ranking on search engine optimization, 32.5 percent of all generated organic traffic is obtained from a keyword search. You have a pretty big impact on the bottom line since keywords and high volume is relevant to some users.

If SEO dies, it’s taking a lot of money down with it because if your website is working just fine, 40% of revenue gotten from generated traffic should put this amount of money into your bank account. Considering these few facts, we can say that search engine optimization is very much alive and is working just fine. While SEO is not dead, some processes have evolved into something new, and when outdated tactics are still used, it can actively drop your rankings in SERPs, thus making some business owners confused and believe the lie that SEO is dead.

Some lies and misconceptions regarding the death of SEO

All that matters is to build up links: Building links are very important, and SEO remains Google’s number one top-ranking factor. Although just a few years ago, building as many links as you can to your site boosts your SERPs ranking. Things don’t work that way anymore. What matters right now is the quality and relevance of your links, not just the quantity. Though inbound links are still important, large quantiles of spammy links posted over a random digital website can harm your rankings because Google and other SERPs have shifted their focus from quantity and now emphasize more on quality.

Hyped up about dominating the number one spot: Be cautious of any SEO firm or agencies that guarantee you the top ranking on Google. No one can hype your rankings on any search engine except Google. So many websites fall for such tricks because they tend to focus more on snagging the number 1 ranking on Google but what they fail to understand is that ranking number one may not have strong correlation traffic it used to have. Your website could rank number one but still be buried deep since most search results are filled with ads, question boxes, etc. So web crawlers usually search in deep to get what they want. Rather than emphasizing getting the number one rank, your point of focus should be on increasing your click-through rates.

Overemphasizing keywords: As search engine optimization or SEO is constantly changing, various search engines have evolved and have adopted more effective means to show what your page is talking about. In the past, keywords played a very vital role in SEO as links. Anyone could get a better ranking on SERPs, creating low content articles, and fully stuffing your page with keywords. Now, instead of using a particular keyword to fill your page, which can wrongly phrase sentences and paragraphs inhibiting user experience, it’s more important to optimize your content for great user experience and readability fully. Google’s main focus is to understand the purpose behind keywords and not just the actual keywords themselves. Your posts should be according to quality and user experience, and if the content is good, keywords will blend in well. Rather than sacrificing a good article just for keywords density, focus more on the topic in general and contents so your post can satisfy the user demand. If your client decides to build content, advise them on how to do it the right way because content that are not fully optimized with spammer keywords post a great threat to web marketing.

More pages and posts increase ranking: One thing you need to know is that Google generally doesn’t rank websites, and it only ranks individual web pages based on how the page relates to a search or keyword. Rather than creating more web pages and posts, creating content that has the information your user needs by bringing out key points on a topic on one page would be best. If your content is long and valuable, it can rank for many different keywords search and queries. Though this does not mean your whole website and its content should be on one page, creating sub-topics would create links back to the main page, improving the overall search engine optimization of the page.

These misconceptions and lies make people believe that SEO is dead, but it is pretty much alive. The key is moderation. There are still some standing principles you can adopt, and when you follow these principles and identify the lies regarding SEO, you’ll improve your leads, traffic and generate more conversions.

Plumbing SEO

How To Make Plumbing SEO and PPC Work Together?

Post author By BlackStorm Home Service Marketing
Post date June 20, 2022

In today’s world, the internet is the biggest marketplace under the sky. Literally, everything can be found and purchased online. Some companies do their business strictly on the internet, but no company in the world doesn’t present their business on the internet. Both sellers and users of products and services search for what they need online – users to find what they need and sellers to find buyers for what they offer. Websites are created as the best marketing tool there is. But advertising products on your website is not enough. Some tools can help both groups find what they are looking for much faster and more efficiently. The most successful tools are SEO and PPC.

How do search engines work?

Search engines are the most helpful tools for internet users. If you are looking for something on the internet, you will use search engines to find that. You will type words that explain the product or service or information you are looking for the best. A search engine will use your words to find content on the web related to your search. Words you use are called keywords, and search engines use those to detect all sites that have content relevant to your search. Since there are many websites to browse, search engines look for those sites that match the best keywords. The sites that have such content are shown on top of search results, and they attract most customers.

What is SEO, and how does it work?

SEO is a tool that helps a website gain better rankings on major search engines. A website can be looked upon as commercial. A good commercial does not just say: this is the product, it is used for that, buy it. Good commercial tries to attract potential buyers by using the best tools to explain how the product is different from similar products, why you need that particular product, what you will gain by getting it, and how it works. At the end of the commercial, the buyer has a feeling that he or she knows everything relevant to the product and is aware of why it is worth spending money on. SEO acts as a director of a great commercial. Search engine optimization helps the website become interesting for a group of customers it appeals to. This means that the site can be optimized to be shown in top search results for that product or service. This is done by changing content to look more reliable, more available, and more trustworthy.

There must be a good strategy of how the content of a site will look – with plenty of information, relevant links, good web design, frequent adding of new content, making the search of the site easy and clear, making traffic and loading of content faster, and so much more. A good SEO will help a site become more visible and top-ranked on free or organic search results.

What is PPC, and how does it work?

PPC means Pay Per Click. Pay-per-click has the same role as SEO: to attract customers to your site, except PPC is not free. PPC means that there are paid advertisements on search engines that will lead customers to sites advertised by them. They are displayed on a search engine and also use keywords as guidance for search engines. But the advertiser only pays for these advertisements when a customer clicks on them (and is directed to a site in question). Pay-per-click ads usually cost very little and have an enormous impact on website traffic. They are displayed when keywords are entered. PPC can provide good attendance to the website and help a product or a service be more visible. Still, the price you pay for PPC can vary from very cheap to more expensive, depending on which keywords you use. Competition on the internet is enormous, and some keywords are more frequently used. Those keywords cost more if you want your website to appear in the top search results.

How do SEO and PPC work together?

Even though it sounds that SEO and PPC do the same work but in different ways, and one is free while the other is paid for, they don’t cancel each other. They can do wonders when paired with a job to boost website visits. You may be asking yourself, “why pay for something you can get for free?” the answer is – you don’t. Even if SEO and PPC do the same thing, they are separate marketing tools, and each has a unique purpose. But when put together, they can help each other do the best job for your needs. Both SEO and PPC use keywords. If you use different SEO and PPC keywords, people who are seeing your SEO search results don’t see your PPC, as keywords do not point in the same direction. SEO is free, but SEO does need time to start doing its magic. You must earn your spot in the top search results. If you use PPC as well, it will begin to attract visitors to your site right away. PPC can help you work out SEO strategy the best way. PPC can show which keywords are most searched for, so you can optimize the content of your website to match that. Using SEO and PPC simultaneously helps better visibility of the search engine’s results. The top three spots on search engine results are usually PPC. If SEO brings your site to top visibility for organic searches, that means the site dominates both free and paid search results. Remember, organic search results and paid ads are not the same. Most search engines display paid ads in different fields than organic ones, which is why search engine optimization and pay-per-click work so well together.

Today’s business is not the same as it was only ten years ago. New technologies and shifting the focus of marketing to the internet demand new ways of attracting customers.

SEO and PPC are modern business tools; using them together can give the best possible results.

Plumbing SEO

Why SEO Is Better Than PPC For Plumbers

Post author By BlackStorm Home Service Marketing
Post date June 20, 2022

The debate continues: Which is better, SEO or PPC?

More users trust SEO search listings over PPC listings.

Studies have shown that more users trust organic search listings over paid advertisements. Research has shown that around 70% of internet users click on organic search results (SEO) as opposed to only 30% clicking on paid search results (PPC). Most internet users distrust paid advertisements. Most of these consumers are well aware that PPC is an advertising tool. This results in a lot of users bypassing paid advertisements and clicking organic, natural results instead. And to make matters worse, some users that have clicked paid ads don’t end up finding the product or service they are looking for. Thus, businesses that use SEO are better able to provide consumers with more interesting and valuable content.

SEO is very cost-effective and gives greater value for money.

Both SEO and PPC naturally have costs for initial set-up and hiring PPC specialists or an SEO company to come up with a digital campaign exclusively for your business. But if you use an SEO campaign, there is no need to pay for every individual click or visitor, but you will only pay for the services that your SEO team or vendor renders. With PPC, constant investment is required. If you stop paying, your ads will stop, and your lead generation will be discontinued.

SEO can build and keep an advantage over your competitors.

It isn’t easy to build an advantage and keep it with PPC. If you are already making profits based on clicks you pay a certain amount for, then it will not last if a competitor bids a higher price for the same product. If your competitor has some venture funding and decides to use it on PPC, it can drive the average cost of a click higher, and your profits will be driven downward. An investment in SEO is much more challenging. You strive to make your search engine results higher for relevant keywords. You come up with great content that is of great value to consumers. You generate inbound links. And your links show up on high-quality websites in your industry. Soon, your rankings will start rising, and with this, traffic and leads generated through search will increase. It takes time to accomplish this. You may have a higher initial cost, but the clicks are free. This investment, however, gives you a more sustainable advantage over PPC. Your competitor will find it more difficult to take this advantage away.

SEO gives better ROI than PPC advertising.

Based on a four-year study of profit generation for both SEO and PPC, it has been shown that SEO that creates organic traffic generates $2.74 in profit for every dollar spent in that year. In 3 years, SEO’s average profit is $4.58 for every dollar spent in one year. Comparing this with the profits garnered from PPC advertising, it was shown that for every dollar spent on that year, the average profit is -$0.95. While over three years from the dollar spent in one year, the average profit is -$0.85. This means that for every dollar spent on both SEO and PPC, SEO will yield an additional profit of $2.75 but PPC losses -$0.95. Thus, SEO gives better ROI than PPC advertising.

SEO has more effective promotion results.

Applying SEO to your website may take around three to six months before your website will appear on search engine results. This is because indexing and ranking a website takes time for Google to do. But over a long time, SEO leads to consistent traffic, whereas PPC only gives an initial boost to traffic. PPC can be beneficial if you have a brand new site that has not yet appeared in organic results. However, with a PPC campaign, traffic immediately stops when the budget is withdrawn. Thus SEO continues to shine. It is a more effective way of promoting your website in the long run.

Ranking #1 in search results will not happen overnight with SEO. But SEO has proven long-term benefits. The reasons given above why SEO is better than PPC should prod you to invest more of your time and resources focusing on SEO rather than on PPC.

Plumbing SEO

Top 10 Reasons Why Your Plumbing Website Could Be Driving Prospects Away (And What You Can Do About It)

Post author By BlackStorm Home Service Marketing
Post date June 20, 2022

Know why Your Plumbing Business Isn’t Getting Desired Number of Leads Despite Having a Great Website

Your plumbing website has been live for years now, but it doesn’t seem to generate the number of leads you desire. Your email and social media advertising campaigns are bringing in lots of traffic, but nobody is taking the next step of calling your business. So, what’s the issue?

As marketing strategists for trades and home service contractors, we have met many plumbing contractors struggling to grow their businesses. Some were larger plumbing companies with great websites, and some had simple websites. But no matter the size, they all had a similar problem. Their plumbing websites were driving prospects or clients away.

Plumbing websites are meant to generate leads, not just sit around and look pretty. Your site should be generating leads.

Do you feel your plumbing website isn’t generating as many leads or clients as it should?

Are you frustrated that you have to spend countless hours every week waiting for your phone to ring?

You may think that your plumbing website doesn’t obtain sufficient traffic to bring in the leads your company requires, but there is a high likelihood that you can skyrocket the number of leads your site generates, from the same traffic, by fixing these 10 problems.

When it comes to plumbing websites, it’s easy to say “good enough” about functionality and design. After all, “if it’s broken, why fix it?”. But becoming complacent with your plumbing company website is a risky mindset. If you are not continuously enhancing your webpages and appropriately updating trends change, you could be driving potential clients away in droves. Here are the ten blunders that make the prospects on your plumbing website cringe.

1. Outdated Plumbing Website Design

First impressions are important. If the initial impression your website offers is that it has not been updated for some months or years now, you are in for a rude shock. An outdated plumber website will cause new prospects your company is closing soon. Always work with a professional plumbing website designer to assist you in building your site with digital marketing best practices in mind.

2. Complicated or Confusing Navigation

Don’t provide your site visitors with too many options in the main navigation menu. Figure out what needs to be promoted and what can be done on the inside page. Lots of options appear not only sloppy but also confuses new site visitors. If your potential clients cannot easily find what they require, they are going to click off to other plumbing websites.

One of the numerous reasons your plumbing website or landing page requires a simple design is because a confusing or complicated layout can distract your prospects’ eyes from crucial information. Recent eye-tracking studies have shown a tendency to scan a site instead of going through each letter.

3. No Compelling Call to Actions (CTAs)

In sales and marketing, we always use the term “ABC” before closing. The equivalent to that in plumbing websites is to always include a call-to-action. Generally, your plumbing website offers a lot of information on the company’s service or product and later says, “for more details, contact us.”

That’s great, but your site visitors require direction. Your plumbing website needs to be more specific in telling them how to reach you, which needs to be easy.

A call-to-action in your plumbing website needs to be into two major forms. The initial is your call to action within the text of your website, and it should state for instance “To learn more about our custom plumbing repair offering, fill out our contact form or call us at 619-555-1312 for immediate assistance today”.

If you fail to give website visitors a clear direction on what you want them to do after landing on your site-in simple terms –a compelling call to action-they won’t stay on your website for long but will click off to another plumber’s website.

Be clear about what you want prospects or clients to do when they come to your plumbing website. Tell them “request a quote now” or “subscribe now if you want to gain more email newsletter subscribers.

4. Misaligned, Poor Quality, or Insufficient Content

Consumers go online to assist respond to their questions and make a decision to book a job with a local plumber. If your plumbing website doesn’t have a blog, client testimonials or service demos, etc., you can kick those client’s goodbye. Being helpful and transparent are important to establish trust with your leads and eventually their business. If your plumbing website only promotes your business and doesn’t contain content to educate your buyers, then they will go to another website that is committed to solving their problems or concerns.

You only have a few seconds to convert a potential lead into a client and even less time to create a great first impression. If the content doesn’t resonate with the visitor, either in content or tone, they won’t feel it was focused on them.

The impression created by vague content or poor grammar and spelling is even worse. Don’t allow poorly written content to drive away your high-value leads. When describing your plumbing service or product, show it as a solution to the challenges potential clients are facing.

Proofread and edit your content before publishing or hire a plumbing SEO content agency to do it for you. When your content resonates with prospects or clients, they will feel more engaged with your business and as a consequence, are likely to want to read more.

5. Your Plumbing Website is Not Responsive/Mobile-Friendly

Nowadays, people are spending more hours on their mobile devices than ever before to search for local service businesses like yours. If your plumbing website is not responsive on devices other than a desktop computer, then you are driving potential clients away.

Some prospective leads want to book jobs with your company, but they cannot since they are attempting to access a desktop site from a mobile device like a Smartphone. More and more clients and plumbers are utilizing their mobile devices to read the news, shop, and contact other service providers, and that implies your lead generation efforts should follow suit.

Instead of waiting for prospects to go away and access your plumbing website from their desktop computer, a mobile-friendly strategy will assist you to reach them and convert them, wherever they might be.

6. Your Plumbing Website Doesn’t Provide Anything to Potential Clients

How can you obtain leads if you don’t have anything valuable to provide your prospects?

Your plumber website should contain helpful (not salesy) resources, content, and provides that prospects are itching to put their hands on. Think of white papers, e-books, slide decks, consultations, guides, and more.

You want to have a variety of content that will appeal to prospects depending on where they are in their buying journey. For instance, a “getting started” guide works for a prospect who is still exploring all of their options, while a free consultation or demo is ideal for someone who is ready to book a job with your company.

7. Slow Loading Speeds

Modern browsers are becoming accustomed to fast-loading plumbing websites. This implies that you are testing your prospect’s patience when your website loads in more than three seconds. In most instances, they will click off to another plumber’s website instead of waiting for your website to load.

A recent study found that slow-loading websites can frustrate your prospects or clients. Having such a website can lower your search engine rankings, as Google considers page loading speed in their search engine algorithm.

Simply put, your plumbing website must load faster and cater to their great swift internet connections.

8. Unprofessional or Poor Photography

Your plumbing website, in many cases, is the initial impression a client obtains of your company. Yet many plumbers skimp on photography. Stock photos don’t work nowadays. If you are utilizing stock photos, you will be able to tell and make your site feel cheesy,

Using quality images (probably of your team performing some work) is an effective way to build a more emotional experience for your visitor, but ensure they are unique and of high quality and showcase your real business or plumbing services.

9. Too Much Clutter

When it comes to designing your plumbing website, little is always preferred than more.

Although it can be tempting to hit your prospects or clients with everything at once and add interactive widgets, this can cause them to be overwhelmed by too much information. Consider your prospect or client each step of the way and build your website with an intention of offering the best user experience for them.

By taking the time to correct the flaws above, your website will begin to achieve higher levels of traffic and higher engagement levels across the board.

10. Crazy Scrolling and Pop-up Ads

If your plumbing website has tons of unnecessary pop-ups, scrolling that your prospects can’t scan or read your content, that is a great turn-off for modern browsers. Call to action is awesome, but spammy and annoying links will drive traffic to your rivals.

Improve Your Plumbing Website Design to Generate Leads Consistently Every Month on Autopilot

Getting new clients for your plumbing business requires many strategies, and almost all of them hinge on online interactions.

The most crucial digital marketing asset you have is your plumbing website. Your plumber website design should incorporate several best practices, such as the ones we have highlighted below. When you implement them, you can generate more conversions/leads.

Your Plumbing website should be responsive/mobile-friendly

Many people looking for plumbing services do so on their smartphones. In most instances, they require urgent help, so they utilize the most convenient tool. If clients find your plumbing business online and land on your website on their smartphone, they anticipate your site to load within three seconds and adapt to their device. Thus, it is important that your plumbing company site appear and display perfectly on mobile.

Your plumbing website should include social media links

New clients want evidence that your business is trustworthy and reputable. The effective way to showcase this is through social proof. That could include testimonials, customer service awards, reviews, and ratings. Ensure these things are prominently visible on your plumbing website so that potential clients can conduct due diligence and ensure that your plumbing company is legit.

Your Website should describe what you do and the clients you serve

While plumber services, in general, are the same, you want to be candid and clear about what you provide and who your ideal clients are. If you offer any specialized plumbing services, ensure that such pages are separate on your website, and this can improve your organic search greatly. Beyond services, you should not indicate if you work in the commercial or residential market or both.

Your Plumbing Website Should be easy to navigate

Don’t make it difficult for prospects to find what they require. Make sure your menu is easier to find and resonates with the hierarchy. If prospects land on your plumbing website and find it easy, they may connect with you faster.

Your Plumbing Website Should Have a Professional Design

Your website typically represents your company, so don’t go it alone. Work with a Professional plumbing website design agency that has experience in your industry. By so doing, you will get a website that works and looks well.

Invest in Your Plumbing Website, and It Will Give Back in form of Qualified Leads

Making these upgrades to your site user experience and navigation will require an investment of time, but every hour spent improving your website will save many hours wasted manually chasing leads.

There you have it, ten factors that could be driving prospects away from your plumbing website. If you don’t have the time to implement these changes to create a consistent sales funnel that will generate high-value leads every month, our web designers can help with that.

Schedule a free discovery call with BlackStorm Design + Marketing to learn more about plumbing website design services today.

Plumbing SEO

Why Your Plumbing Business Needs More Google Reviews (And How To Obtain Them)

Post author By BlackStorm Home Service Marketing
Post date June 9, 2022

10 Simple Ways to Get More Google Reviews for Your Plumbing Company

Testimonials, referrals, and online reviews (particularly Google reviews) are crucial to growing the plumbing business. In fact, Google reviews are the foundation upon which a plumbing company can establish a good working relationship with their community. Google reviews are incredibly crucial-more 80% of customers trust online reviews just like they do with personal recommendations, and 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a plumbing business.

More positive reviews = more qualified leads, higher search rankings, and increased revenue.

If you are struggling to enhance your online presence, read on, in this post, we will give you 10 ways to obtain more Google reviews and practical strategies on how to pull off negative reviews.

Without further ado, let us dive into our post!

Why Do Google Reviews Matter in Your Plumbing Business?

While the possibility of opening up your plumbing company to Google reviews can generally be daunting, it’s something that should not be overlooked. It’s true that you never understand how clients feel about the plumbing services you provide. However, it’s crucial to remember that people will review your plumbing company online regardless.

If you are hesitant to take the plunge and begin engaging with clients on review websites such as Yelp, consider this. Oftentimes, Google reviews found online can sway opinions, and they can lead to new clients that you may not have otherwise had-or they can turn people away and give your plumbing business a poor reputation. As a plumbing company that probably depends heavily on word of mouth, Google reviews are an important aspect of your online presence.

Here are three reasons why you should enhance plumbing company online reviews:

Google Reviews Impact Your Client’s First Impression

Prospects or clients tend to perceive online reviews as a good indicator of how well your plumbing company has performed in the past. If your plumbing company has mostly great reviews, the one who reads your review sees that you have satisfied clients and is probably more likely to contact your plumbing business. Plus, if you have a higher star rating than other plumbers on a review website like Yelp, the user may instantly assume you offer better service.

Let’s face it: if you had to select between two similar plumbing businesses and one had a 3-star rating and the other had an average of a 5-star rating, which would you select? Probably the one with a higher star rating.

Google Reviews Impact Your Paid & Organic Rankings in Search

Do you know your online reviews actually affect how visible your plumbing business is at the top of the Google search results page? First, let’s examine the local map results. When you Google a plumbing service in a particular city, you will come across a map on the SERP with the top three locations. These listings typically the number of Google reviews and a high star rating based on your user experiences.

The better reviews your plumbing business has, the more likely it can be featured on the top of coveted three listings-as online reviews are a crucial ranking factor for your local SEO.

Google Reviews Help Attract New Clients

Once clients have clicked through your page, you are almost near the main goal. Prospects or clients who come to your plumbing website should be enticed to book jobs with your company. While a user-friendly website experience is crucial, Google reviews can be powerful alone to increase your conversion rates alone. For this reason, any plumbing company with a strong rating should be showcasing that review all over their website. This review will increase client trust even if they have never come across your reviews online.

Proven Ways to Get More Google Reviews and Rank your Plumbing Business Higher in Local Search

Any local plumber will tell you that launching and growing a plumbing company is hard work. Creating a unique plumbing service is challenging enough, but then comes the job of spreading the word about your plumbing company and building a client base. Word of mouth recommendations remains one of the best methods of plumbing marketing today.

The major difference today is that word about your plumbing business spreads faster through client reviews, and the most famous review website in the world is Google-particularly for local home service businesses like roofing or plumbing. The more positive Google reviews your plumbing business has, the higher you will rank in local searches. That said, getting online reviews is not easy, so read for the effective ways to get Google reviews that actually work.

Without further ado, let’s look at the proven tips for boosting your number of positive reviews on Google.

1. First, Understand the Process

It takes a few seconds for a client to write a Google review. Simple enough, right? Well, there is a process to get here. The client has to:

Open up Google Maps
Look for your plumbing business
Click on it to showcase your Google Business Profile
Scroll down to the reviews section on your profile
Click to leave their review

Homeowner: You have been amazing. How can I review your plumbing company online?

Would you rather say: A Google review would be awesome! Just head to our plumbing website, and there’s a link right there to help you leave a review.

2. Ask and You Shall Receive

It is easy for clients to forget, especially in this modern and hectic world, so even a superior service doesn’t warrant a positive review on Google. They may leave smiling after service, but once they are out of your door, they have mentally moved on to other things. Find those clients who simply forgot how wonderful you are by reminding them.

A good plan starts by asking previous clients to review your plumbing business. This is normally achieved through an email in which you offer a direct link to your Google My Business listing. Keep the process as simple as possible, and the client will be likely to follow through.

To get more Google reviews going forward, figure out setting up an automated thank-you email to be sent to your clients three to five days after completing your plumbing project.

3. Add Your Google Review Link to a Business Card

One of the best ways to ensure your clients know they can review your plumbing business is through a business card. You can post the direct link, but it is highly recommended that you create a separate page for online reviews on your plumbing website, and it will be easier for clients to type in the address.

4. Claim, Verify and Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Google Business profile helps obtain more reviews but also makes those reviews public. GBP is one of the most visited review platforms on the internet just by the virtue of being a Google service. Because Google owns a major share of the search engine market, more prospects or clients see Google Business Profile and normally read Google reviews more than other review platforms.

If you have not claimed your plumbing company on Google Business Profile, you should register for it ASAP. To help your business get more reviews on Google, ensure that you retrieve your Google review short link and add it to your email correspondence. Include it on your plumbing website and social media ads or posts as well. Visible links will make it easier, and more probably that people will leave a Google review.

5. Add a Review Button to Your Plumbing Website

Most clients expect your plumbing business to have a professional website. So, one of the good places for a Google review is your plumbing website. Simply login into your Google My Business and click on the button to display your review link. Copy that link, and then include a button on your plumber’s website.

6. Respond to Reviews

Homeowners will be more responsive to plumbing companies that value their input. To obtain more plumbing reviews, make sure you reply to the reviews you already have. Replies will help gain the trust of more new clients, generate qualified leads, and earn new clients who can, in turn, offer your company more reviews.

Don’t just respond to the positive reviews, either, and replying to negative reviews is as, if not more essential.

7. Ask for Google Review By Email

Another way is that you can wait until you finish the job and ask for the Google review through email at the end of the day. Ensure your email request consists of links directly to the Google Business Profile and or your Facebook page reviews section.

The email is probably going to be less effective since you don’t have that interpersonal exchange with the client, and you didn’t obtain a commitment to write a review. Besides, emails are easy to park or ignore.

8. Post Your Review Link to Social Media Pages

Social media is a great way to interact with your clients. Whether you are using organic social media (aka free) or using paid social ads (such as Facebook ads), utilizing social media posts to request feedback is an efficient way to obtain more reviews on Google.

9. Make it Easy for Customers to leave a review on Google

No matter how wonderful your customer experience is, making the Google review process easier will generally improve your chances of success.

Make the process of writing Google reviews as easy as possible.

10. Obtain Google Reviews from Partners and Vendors

Partners and vendors may not be clients, but they can attest to what it feels like to work with you consistently. They also may be more willing to leave a Google Business review if you leave one review for their business first.

Frequently Asked Questions About Google Reviews for Plumbers

What is the best way to obtain Google reviews for my plumbing company?

Let your Google reviews bring in new clients while you operate your plumbing business. Blackstorm Design + Marketing will instantly generate new Google reviews from those new customers. Do this before your competition.

How do you get clients to leave Google reviews?

There are a few ways to get clients to write a review on Google but the simplest one is to:

Utilize an email campaign: send out emails to clients after you have completed a project, requesting them to leave a review on your Google Business profile.

How do I get negative Google reviews removed?

If you have a negative, defamatory or fake review on your Google Business profile, you can also attempt to have it eliminated:

Request the reviewer to remove it themselves
Requesting Google to eliminate it
Reporting it as spam

How do I get more Google reviews?

There are multiple ways you can encourage clients to leave reviews, such as:

Ask them outright in person
Send out regular follow-up emails
Include review links on your plumbing website or in email signatures
Running Google Ad campaigns
Create social media posts

Increase Google Reviews with Blackstorm Design + Marketing

Your plumbing business can benefit greatly from Google reviews. Such reviews not only inspire new and repeat business but also improve your search engine results and SEO. More positive reviews on Google will drive your plumbing company to the top. However, the process of creating a steady flow of Google reviews in your plumbing company isn’t easy. That’s why we highly recommend that you partner with a reputable online reputation management agency like Blackstorm Design + Marketing.

The more proactive you become towards collecting more Google reviews, responding to reviews, and also deal with negative reviews, the more confident your team will be in handling this crucial aspect of internet marketing.

If you would like to leave your Google review generation to experts, our team at Blackstorm Design + Marketing is here to help. Schedule a free discovery session with Blackstorm Design + Marketing to learn more about our wide range of internet marketing services designed to help plumbing companies like yours obtain as many qualified leads and sales as possible.

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What do SEO specialists do?

Increases your visibility online

Drives prospects

Optimizes your site for users and search engines

Link building and social media promotion

Google listings

Bottom line

Create a Quality Yelp Profile

Learn about Yelp’s Advanced Features

Provide the Best Plumbing Service or Product Possible

Encourage Your Clients to Leave Yelp Review

Engage with Clients Online

Never Pay for Reviews

How to Optimize Your Yelp Listings

Handling Negative Yelp Reviews

Final Verdict

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Start a Plumbing Company from Scratch.

Step 1: Research Your Target Market

Step 2: Write a Plan for your Plumbing Business

What Are the Costs involved when starting a Plumbing Company?

Is the Plumbing Business Profitable?

How Will You Make Your Plumbing Company More Profitable?

How do you choose a Name for Your New Plumbing Company?

Step 3: Form a Legal Entity

Step 4: Register for Taxes

Step 5: Open a Separate Bank Account and Credit Card for Your Plumbing Business

Step 6: Get the Necessary Permits and Licenses

Local and State Business Licensing Requirements

Step 7: Get Insurance

Step 8: Market and Promote Your New Plumbing Business

Create a Stunning Plumbing Website to Market Your Business 24/7.

Boost Your Plumbing Website Conversion Rate with a Redesign

Maximize Your Reach on Google

Invest in Paid ads to Increase Booked Plumbing Jobs

Use Social Media Marketing and Remarketing

Manage Your Reputation Online and Offline

The Bottom line

What is Voice Search Optimization and How Does it Work

What is the Role of Voice Search in SEO?

Why Do Plumbing Contractors Need to Invest in a Voice Search Optimization Strategy?

How to Win More Plumbing Clients with Voice Search Optimization

Create an Easy-to-Read Site Map

Re-evaluate your Keywords

How to Prepare Your Plumbing Business for Voice search Revolution

Here are some of the things you can do to get your plumbing business ready for voice search:

Improve Page Speed

HTTPS and SSL Certificates

Informative, easy-to-read, and long-form quality content

High SERP and Featured Snippets

Mobile Optimization

Strengthen Your Plumbing Marketing with these Voice Search Optimization Tips

Use Natural Language to Appear in Voice Search Results

Device

Locale

5 Voice Search Strategies that you can apply today

Strategy #1: Focus on giving answers directly

Strategy#2: Make your Content Easy to Read

Strategy#3: Follow SEO Best Practices

Strategy #4: Make Business Details Accessible

They might want to know your:

Strategy #5: Invest in Local Service Ads from Google

Boost Your Plumbing Sales with Voice Search Optimization Now

Increase Prospect Engagement And Conversion Rates, And Book More Jobs With A Faster Plumbing Website.

Why Does My Plumbing Website Load Slowly?

Here are our top reasons why turtles are moving faster than your plumbing website:

What is the Ideal Loading Time of a Plumbing Website?

How to Speed up Your Plumbing Website in 10 Simple Steps

Optimize all Images used on Your Plumbing Website

Check Your Web Hosting Provider

Enable Browser Caching

Remove unnecessary plugins

Reduce HTTPS Requests

Only use Social Media Platforms that Perform the Best

Reduce or Eliminate Third-Party Advertisers

Reduce the number of elements per page

Increase Bandwidth to Cater to an unexpected Traffic Surge

Use a Content Delivery Network to speed up your plumbing website

Hire a Professional to Optimize Your Plumbing Website Page Speed Today!

If your plumbing website loads slowly, Blackstorm Plumbing Marketing can help.

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