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Google Advertising Roofing

Roofing Google Maps Listing E-Book

Put your roofing business on the map

12 Steps to Rank Your Roofing Business Higher on Google Maps

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

Let’s imagine…

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

Where do YOU begin your search?

If you answered Google Maps, you are not alone.

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

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

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

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

Google Maps

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

We are going to teach you on:

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

Without further ado, let us dive in!

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

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

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

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

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

Ranking Higher On Google Maps Increases Your Visibility Online

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

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

Visibility

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Outranking the Competition

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Add Your Roofing Business to Google Maps

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

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

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

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

Location, category, and name

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

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

2. Claim Your Roofing Google Maps Listing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Claim Your Roofing Google Maps Listing

Unclaimed

3. Add Complete  Details to Your Roofing Google Map Listings

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

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

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

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

Google My Business account dashboard

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

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

Use Consistent Name and Address Citations

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

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

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

Use a Local Phone Number

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

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

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

Include Your Main and Tracked Number

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

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

Keep Your Operating Hours Updated

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

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

Operating Hours

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

Write a Clear Roofing Business Description

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

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

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

Choose the Right Category for Your Roofing Business

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

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

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

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

4. Add Photos to Your Google Maps Listing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. Encourage People to Leave Reviews on Google

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

So, how do I obtain more reviews on Google? 

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

Google reviews

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

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

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

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

6. Consolidate Your Duplicate Google Maps Listing

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

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

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

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

7. Regularly Publish Quality Posts to Your Google Maps Listing

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

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

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

Create and publish quality content

How to Use Your Roofing Website Rank Higher on Google Maps

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

8. Make Sure Your Roofing Website is Responsive

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

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

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

9. Optimize Your Web Presence by Using Local Keywords

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

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

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

10. Embed the Google Map on Your Roofing Website

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

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

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

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

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

11. Use Local Roofing Business Schema

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

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

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

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

12. Create Local Backlinks

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

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

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

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

Leverage the Advantages of Ranking Higher on Google Maps

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

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

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

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

Categories
Marketing Plumbing

Don’t Throw Your Money on The Following Types of Marketing

Plumbers have to market themselves so that they can stay ahead of their competitors.

Like most people in business, plumbers are always looking for work they can do. If a plumber is lucky, he may get a referral from past satisfied customers, which may translate into more work. However, in today’s competitive world, plumbers have to market themselves so that they can stay ahead of their competitors. Clients are always looking for experienced plumbers in their location with a good track record. If a client can Google plumbers in your location and find your business, it can translate to leads or even customers. Therefore, it is always important you know the most effective home service marketing strategies you can use to attract customers to your business. With the right home service marketing strategies, plumbers may end up with a steady flow of work. When there is more work, it means you are making more money. However, there are times when you may end up throwing away your money on the wrong plumbing marketing ideas.

Google Ads

google ads

The thing about Google Ads is that it works for some people but not all. As a plumber, if you keep spending your money on Google Ads which has proven to be ineffective to 90 percent of plumbers, you might end up throwing away your money without too much success. The thing about Adwords is that it is a complicated marketing tool to be used by people with no prior knowledge about it. In case you decide to learn how to use Ads, you will have to pay from your credit card. Therefore, whether you know how to use Google Ads (formally known as Adwords) or you are learning, you will still be charged. When you click on Google Ads, it will direct you to the company’s homepage. If you are an experienced Google Adwords user, then you should know that you are supposed to direct your customers to the landing page and not the homepage. Your customers want to see call-to-action buttons that they can use to reach you. If they have to click through many pages so that they can see your CTA, you might end up losing some leads. When your Adwords is optimized so that it directs your visitors to the landing page, you will end up getting up to 5 times more leads without blowing your budget.

Paying to be listed on Directories

Directories

When you think about business directories, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Yellow Pages, right? Well, paying for directories these days seems to be a thing of the past because there are other cheaper and more effective digital marketing techniques. Don’t get me wrong, you can still use directories to list your company’s name, location, and contact and get good leads. However, paying to be listed on Yellow Pages, especially the book, is a big waste of money. This is because premium listings on directories like Yellow Pages can be expensive for businesses. Besides, customers don’t have the time to waste perusing the pages of a book to look for a business when they can just type in the keyword and find instant results on search engines. Instead of wasting money on paid directories, you can list your home service company on free online directories such as Angie’s List, YP.com, Google My Business, or Yelp.

Purchasing leads from Home ServiceAdvisor

HomeAdvisor

You might have heard that leads can be turned into customers, which may lead to increased revenue for your business. However, purchasing leads from Home ServiceAdvisor does not mean you will get the same success. This is especially true when the leads you buy are also sent to 4 other competing plumbers. So what you are doing is spending money to buy leads where the homeowner you are trying to convert into a customer has several plumbers calling him, and you have a smaller success in getting him on board. Rather than wasting your money on purchasing leads from Home ServiceAdvisor, you can use the money to generate your own leads. Hiring the wrong search engine optimization company. There are so many benefits associated with hiring an SEO company. An SEO company can help your business be discovered online by customers, which can generate more leads. The problem comes in when you hire the wrong SEO company that is only interested in your money and not helping your business. To avoid this, it is important you work with a reputable and experienced SEO company that works with home service companies.

Categories
Electrical SEO

3 Biggest Trends in Electrical SEO

The Fundamental Electrical SEO Plan For The Future

Performing a random search on google reveals how much online marketing has dominated the internet. Search Engine Optimization, popularly known as SEO, significantly impacts today’s e-commerce.

Are you looking forward to growing your electrical business online? This article gives you the perfect head start. Read on!

Will SEO be significant in the future?

SEO

The increasingly conspicuous Google Ads are among the numerous changes in the internet marketing world. If you perform a random search today, the chances are such that a Google Ad will appear at the top. This most certainly, has gotten you wondering if you need SEO.

SEO’s future is still intact. This is because 71% of all electrical-related searches will return organic search results among the top three map listings. Interestingly, the top 5 organic listings constitute 65% of all the searches related to electricity.

Additionally, statistics have shown that only 14% of people click on the Ads, while the rest scroll down to the organic listings. For these reasons, SEO’s future is still intact, and this article looks at the functionality of SEO now and in the future.

What is the Electrical SEO?

electrical SEO

Electrical SEO is simply the optimization of electrical websites and pages to boost organic search listing on prominent search engines like Bing and Google without paying for Ads.

Significance of SEO to your electrical business

SEO for your electrical business

The online world is closer to anyone than the real world. If you want to buy something, studies have suggested that you could be among the 94% who opt to perform an online search first. People will click on the websites listed at the top as these appear as more pertinent to the search and thus better trusted.

For the above reason, if your website does not feature at the top, you may never reach your customers online. The SEO marketing strategy will help your electrical website rank above many other electrical websites based on specific keyword searches.

Since the search engine collects information about every site and ranks the pages, you must get to know all elements that earn your website a higher score.

Text, content, and links, among other relevant information incorporated in your webpage’s HTML code, are the focus of SEO. In response to a search, the search engine looks for the searched word in these first. Robust SEO approaches are necessary to guarantee your website a slot at the top, and this article tells you how.

3 Biggest Trends in Electrical SEO

1. Elaborate and expressive content is significant.

Proper product and service listing are crucial for your electrical company. You should create an individual page for every service/product that you have. If you’re an electrical and do such disconnecting electricity, have a separate page for it, and don’t forget to indicate your geographical location.

SEO content

If you do several types of electrical or somewhat different electrical solutions such as electrical wiring in a building, installing electrical equipment into an installation coupler, or any other electrical repair, make a page with information about each service.

As this is for boosting your website’s SEO ranking, a page of content is necessary for each page you create.

A page of content should not miss any of the following:

  • What the service is?
  • What the customer gains from the service?
  • Audio-visual (video, image, and sound) presentation of some work you’ve
  • Other stuff that boosts your service

An electrical company will usually cover a span of up to 50 miles, which could include several towns or cities. To market your electrical company across these cities, you could make each page unique in some way. The difference could be as simple as having different reviews to a more complex task, like placing a video focusing on the site’s target area.

Targeting individual neighborhoods will also stand your electrical website a better chance of being ranked high. It is particularly useful in cases where people want their wiring fixed urgently and so would want a local electrical company to do the job.

Finally, make sure to write captivating content for your site; otherwise, your website’s visitors will not want to go through your site, let alone consider your services. Nowadays, SEO is focusing on user optimization. That said, if people do not spend time on your website, Google is not going to be placing the site on top in the future.

2. To score high on ranking, have your content attractive to the prospective customer.

Poor quality & misdirected links redirecting to your website will scathe your rating The evolution of the digital world is so fast, and you need to keep pace. In just a few years, Google updates have seen a lot of change in SERP. For example, Google’s Penguin update, quality, and relevance of links are at the forefront. If a link you insert is not related to the electrical business, it will lower your electrical website’s score.

Monitoring the links that come to your website is of great help, ensuring that those links are appropriate and not spam. To do this, you can use the Search Console or have someone review them and purge the unwanted ones. The words contained in the anchor text are for your electrical website ranking. In this era, you will want to keep diversifying your link label.

3. Physical operating premises are necessary for a high rank, and a physical office for your electrical company will do good for your website ranking.

a physical office for your electrical company will do good for your website ranking

Without it, your business is unlikely to rank high. After Google Maps rolled out the Pigeon update, which focused on Local Maps Listing, persons who operated virtual stores or had fake addresses or those that employed UPS Store’s mailboxes had a massive slash down on their sites’ ranking. Virtual offices were also removed from Google Maps. Using a home address as your business (just like the majority of our clients) will not undermine your electrical business’s ranking on Google.

Other changes in SEO electrical

  • Years old SEO Techniques wok no more.
  • Google has fathered artificial intelligence. At this level, keywords and spam backlinks are a thing of the past.
  • User experience optimization is all!
  • The era of Panda, Pigeon, and such is almost over. With more focus on user optimization, Google’s engine is now focusing on what the user does on-site and with the search results.

What are the best new ranking considerations for the future?

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

CTR

CTR is when a user types in the name of a company, say ABC Electricians, scrolls and clicks on the first listing. If this listing they click is your website, it is treated as a click-through to your site. The more clicks, the higher the ranking for your company. We will look at how you can increase the CTR.

Scroll speed and time spent on a page are important

Scroll speed

Once a user is directed to your page via click-through, what they do on that page, whether scrolling down through your homepage or clicking that back button, affects your rating.

Watch your bounce rate

bounce rate

A bounce is when someone visits your web page, does nothing, and then clicks back to look at other such results. Bounce back is something to watch, and Google Analytics will help you monitor your page’s bounce rate.

Branding is a key to Google’s ranking

Branding

An offline brand is not equivalent to an online brand. Being cited by other local sites and authentic sites is a big boost for Google’s ranking.

Citation review

citation template

The number of citation reviews and other related links significantly influence your page’s ranking.

Let’s get started!

Come up with the best keywords compatible with your service, area of operation, and search volume. A keyword is a term a person will type into the search area to look for you. This can be something like: wiring installation in Denver or even electrician contractors in Denver.

There are three types of keyword-based on intent:

  • Awareness keywords: These are mostly used by people seeking information.
  • Research and comparison keywords: These are primarily used by people trying to make a comparison online. For instance- “the best electrician contractor near Denver.”
  • Buying intent keywords: These are used by customers ready to buy. One such keyword would be “Denver wiring installation.” For every keyword type, the choice of the right keyword makes the difference.

How to come up with the keywords

keywords

The easiest way is to visit the Google page and type something related to your electrical website. This appears simple, but it’s all you need to know what people around you are searching for. Making a list and typing those things on Google search is a good start.

You can also use tools such as Google Keyword Tool, Spyfu, or SEMrush to come up with keywords. These tools are very resourceful as they show you the monthly number of searches for that keyword as well as show you the intensity of competition for the keyword(s).

What are some of the keyword structures you can use?

  • [Your City] + Electrical Services
  • [Your City] + Electrical Companies
  • [Your City] + Electricians
  • [Your City] + Electrician Contractors
  • [Your City] + Electrical wiring installation experts

You can include add-on phrases to the keyword search, such as:

  • …in my area
  • …near me
  • …experienced
  • …affordable

Mobile-friendly websites are better

Mobile-friendly

Optimize your website so that it is accessible by gadgets such as smartphones and tablets. Nowadays, a website that’s not mobile-friendly will not feature at the top. You can check this by visiting the Google Mobile test site. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly before putting it up for electrical SEO.

Electrical SEO- On-site optimization

Building a robust website with valuable content and user experience

website's usability

Multimedia placed on your page will, by far, increase the on-page time, prompting google to reduce your bounce rate. Strategically placed videos of workers working are likely to boost your electrical page view time.

Stock images tend to spoil your ranking as people think they have been downloaded. Avoid them at all costs. Instead, skillfully made images will earn the trust of users who translate into customers.

A page for a service!

As seen earlier, a page for each service will help you be as granular as is required. You will need to optimize each of these pages by strategically placing the primary keyword in the title, header, and the rest of the page.

Main keyword in title and H1

H1

Use the main keyword(s) in the title and H1 (header 1) and the suitable keyword in H2 or H3. Something like “Electrical experts in Denver” along with other factors will give you a good score.

Widespread use of the keyword in the electrical website will help your site rank high, as more of the search keywords are contained in your website.

Meta descriptions

Meta descriptions

These are descriptions below each search result title, giving some little information on what the page or the post is all about. Use a meta description that is captivating enough to drive clicks. With increased CTR comes a better SEO ranking.

Name, address, and phone at the page bottom

NAP

Advanced tools like Schema are useful for adding a name, address, and phone number to your website. This scripting gives the search engine information about your company, and the information includes a physical location, services offered, and the nature of your company.

Blogging on trends

Blog

Updating your company website weekly is an excellent way of adding content to your site as well as explaining some electrical-related services you offer.

Electrical SEO- Off-site optimization

Optimize Google My Business Listing

Verifying your business location

Verifying your business location is an essential thing for electrical SEO. Once verified, respond to all user reviews on the Google My Business dashboard, and it boosts user trust as you appear to be active on the page.

Get high-ranking citations to promote your brand

Being listed by the major business directories has the effect of telling the search engine that yours is a significant brand and thus ranking higher.

Use the top leveraging tools for online reviews

online reviews

Bargaining chips such as Grade.us and building active online reviews will enable your electrical website to gain reviews on Google My Business or social media platforms.

Create authentic and suitable links that point back to your site from outside

build links to your site

Gaining a listing on websites such as Yelp is a great way to secure a listing with Google. These sites are also major directories.

The secret to securing a position at Google’s top 3 listing

position your company to rank well on Google

The main determinants of your electrical website’s ranking on Google Map are Google My Business and Getting Listed

Google My Business encompasses listing on major directories and social media platforms. Reviews on Google My Business play a very significant part in ranking. For this reason, amass as many Google reviews as you can.

  1. A Recap on the new electrical SEO Strategy for the future. Create a page for each of your services within your electrical website. Indicate the geographical area that you cover.
  2. Optimize your website for mobile accessibility.
  3. The keyword on your title and header will increase your site’s chance of being ranked.

High-quality and relevant content on each service’s page will be very appealing to the user, thus more on-page time.
Multimedia content makes your site more appealing, increasing the time spent on the page. Suitable images and videos increase the time spent on the page.

Google review is a massive boost for top listing. Get as many reviews as possible.

user reviews

  • Invest in a reputable citation.
  • Regularly update your website and service through blog posts
  • Build admissible local and relevant links related to your area of operation to aid you in the ranking.
  • Utilize paid search to help you gain leads rapidly.
Categories
Plumbing SEO

How to Get Your Plumbing Business Found on Voice Search

Voice search

Increase Your Website Traffic, Stay Ahead Of The Competition, And Boost Your Revenue With Voice Search Optimization

Voice search is not a marketing fad but a critical aspect of growing your Plumbing business online. Making sure that your Plumbing business is found on voice search puts you ahead of the curve. Analysts predict that half of all the online searches in 2022 will come from voice search. If you have not prepared your business for voice search, you might be losing leads/clients to your competitors.

voice search optimization

In today’s modern world, property owners have the power to find professional Plumbing services when they want it. With the increased use of digital voice assistants, getting noticed on voice search is essential to your Plumbing SEO success. This post will provide simple tips to help your Plumbing business get found on voice search and make more money in 2020.

So, the most crucial question is: Will your Plumbing business get found on voice search results in 2020?

Not sure? 

Here are the five essential strategies that will help your Plumbing business get found by prospects/clients on voice search results!

Strategy #1: Get Your Plumbing Business Listed in significant directories and be found in Voice Search Results

Getting your Plumbing business NAP (Name, Address, and Phone number) details listed on major directories like Yelp, Google Business Profile, and Facebook can improve the traffic and make your business visible on voice searches. You must ensure that your listings are accurate and consistent across all the directories.

Yelp, Google My Business, and Facebook

Here are some simple steps that you can take to ensure that your business is listed:

  • Make a list of all major directories and Plumbing-specific directories that you want your business listed on, and add a business to these listings.
  • Create a spreadsheet that outlines the kind of information you wish to include in these listings.
  • Write a short description that you can add to your Plumbing business listing.
  • Add unique photos to your Plumbing business listing.

Pro tip: You can also automate your business listing to improve your Plumbing business online presence.

Strategy #2: Collect Online Reviews to Get Found on Voice Search

If you were to conduct an online search of the best Plumbing contractor around you, you would notice that the ones that appear on top of Google search have four stars ratings and above. You can easily infer that the high number of positive reviews your Plumbing business has, the higher your chances of getting found on voice search results.

Review concept illustration

Here are some tips to generate more positive reviews for your Plumbing business:

  • Ask from clients. According to a study, more than 60% of property owners leave a review when requested. That said, you need to make sure that generating reports is not a cumbersome one.
  • Send a review generation pamphlet that directs your clients to leave a review on major review sites.
  • Automate your review generation system.

A local review schema is another crucial task that can help you make the most out of voice search results. Once you incorporate a review schema on your Plumbing website, you will let the search engine crawlers understand your website details and present it to Google as snippets. Your online reputation matters when it comes to getting found in voice search results.

This is what most Plumbing marketers will call position zero; your Plumbing business information will show up in the local three-pack. Voice assistants will utilize this information to find the best-suited voice search results.

Strategy #3: Optimize for Long-tail Keywords to get found on Voice Search

Long-tail Keywords

When researching your keywords online, make sure that you target the long-tail key phrases that property owners would use when searching for your services or products. Put merely, spoken search queries are more extended than text-based questions. For instance, if you are searching for a Plumber near you, you will just type “best Plumbing contractor Nashville City,” But if you are conducting a voice search, you can say, “Ok, Google, where can I get the best Plumbing contractor in Nashville?”

The difference in phrasing separates keyword applications for voice search and type search. Hence, you need to develop ways to optimize for long-tail keywords in your content. Besides using the long tail conversational keywords, you need to optimize your keywords for “near me” searches.

Strategy #4: Make Your Plumbing Website Mobile-first to get found on Voice search

If you want your Plumbing business to appear on voice search results, then make sure that your Plumbing website is optimized for mobile devices.

mobile-friendly websites

Here are the two crucial reasons why mobile-friendly websites get found on the voice search results:

  • Property owners are increasingly using their mobile devices to conduct voice search results queries.
  • Based on this, search engines like Google announced that their algorithms would include mobile versions of the Plumbing website as a ranking factor. 

To optimize your Plumbing website for mobile, you need to use a responsive design that will adapt to all sizes of mobile screens.

Here are some tips that will make your Plumbing website mobile-friendly:

  • Make sure that your content is optimized for smaller screens and especially for the fat finger.
  • You need to ensure that your site speed is not affected by elements like content that takes long to load or large images. Ideally, your Plumbing website should load in less than three seconds.
  • If your website has both adaptive and responsive design, then make sure that you have content for both styles.

Strategy #5: Leverage Featured Snippets to get found on Voice Search Results

Featured Snippets

A featured snippet is synonymous with a clipping from a magazine or newspaper. It highlights specific details from an organic search result in a list, table format, or paragraph, and most marketers will call it to position zero. Besides, a featured snippet contains a page title and a link to the page.

Why Does Getting Found on Voice Search Matter to Your Plumbing Business?

Voice Search Matter to Your Plumbing Business

With over one billion voice searches conducted monthly, investing in a well-crafted voice search strategy is important for your Plumbing business. Here are some compelling reasons why you need to invest in getting found on voice search results:

Voice Search SEO Improves the Online Visibility of Your Plumbing Business

Online Visibility

The search is crucial to growing your Plumbing business in today’s digital world. More than 80% of clients first conduct research online via Google, Bing, or Yahoo before they buy your Plumbing service or product. That’s why, if you want to reach prospects, prioritize search in your Plumbing marketing campaigns.

While voice search concentrates on position zero rankings, that position requires that you rank on Google’s first page. For example, a study by Ahrefs showed that over 70% of featured snippets come from the first three websites in the search engine results.

That is why our experienced Plumbing marketers optimize your website to earn a featured snippet and rank on Google’s first page. This technique increases your online visibility in different ways.

Once your Plumbing website gets ranked at position zero, you can increase your online visibility to clients who use voice search. This has a triple effect on your business, from receiving countless clients’ calls to booking more Plumbing jobs.

Getting found on voice search increases your Plumbing website traffic

website traffic dashboard

While featured snippets dominate voice search, so do long-tail keywords. For example, a study by Ahrefs showed that more than half of featured snippets appear for long-tail keywords, not short-tail keywords.

That implies that there is a high chance of voice search driving relevant traffic to your Plumbing website. If your featured snippet responds to a user’s question, they will click on the snippet to learn more about your service, product, or topic- depending on their voice-enabled device.

In most cases, these are people in your target audience.

Once a prospect arrives at your Plumbing website, you can try to keep them engaged through content marketing. By ranking at position zero across several keywords, your Plumbing business then increases its traffic potential.

Getting Found on Voice Search Improves Your Conversion Rates

Conversion Rates

With over 80% of Americans owning a smartphone, it is becoming a trend for clients to search while on-the-go. This trend has positive benefits (making partnering with a reputable Plumbing SEO agency a must). Local Plumbing searches mostly conducted on mobile devices have a conversion rate of over 80%.

In this case, the advantage of your voice search optimization is that the Amazon Echo, Siri, or Google Assistant will reference your company when a prospect asks about a Plumbing contractor near them. In such a scenario, these devices will pull up your Google My Business listing, and this can lead to more booked jobs.

Our voice search optimization services can help your Plumbing business improve its conversion rates. If you want to create a subscriber list for your email marketing campaigns, like getting featured snippets in the search results can result in a conversion.

For example, your ultimate guide on Plumbing may include a clear call to action that requests users to become part of your mailing list. Many readers will probably register to get more content from your business based on your content’s quality. 

Your content marketing, voice search optimization, and email marketing work together in this scenario.

That kind of integrated internet marketing strategy is critical, and it is also one reason why most Plumbers partner with full-service digital marketing agencies like Blackstorm Plumbing Marketing. We strive to deliver personalized performance-oriented online marketing services to Plumbing contractors.

Getting found on Voice Search Drives Revenue to Your Plumbing Business

Voice Search Drives Revenue to Your Plumbing Business

There is no doubt that the voice search creates income for your Plumbing business. In some cases, it collaborates with your other online marketing services to achieve that.

For instance, it can generate a new client/lead through an email newsletter registration.

Your email marketing strategy can then guide the prospect down to the buying funnel leading to a conversion.

When it comes to our Plumbing marketing services, from reputation management to voice search, it is crucial to our experts that you get a good return out of your investment. That’s why you can rely on our experts to develop a voice search optimization strategy that will improve your Plumbing sales.

Getting Found on Voice Search Improves Your Plumbing Brand Awareness

Brand Awareness

With voice search, you can also strengthen your Plumbing brand awareness campaigns. Improved brand awareness among your prospect can lead to other advantages like more sales and conversions for your Plumbing business. 

Clients who use voice search on their phones see the featured snippet provided by Google Assistant or Siri. That featured snippet contains particular details about your business, like your Plumbing website URL.

In most cases, your URL includes your business name. As prospects continue to conduct voice searches around a specific topic, your Plumbing website will continue to pop up in those voice searches. That portrays your Plumbing business as a trusted resource for matters related to Plumbing.

As your brand awareness grows, clients will come to trust your business and hire you for services.

Why Choose Blackstorm Plumbing Marketing Voice Search Optimization Services? 

For many years, Plumbers across the United States have trusted Blackstorm Plumbing Marketing for their internet marketing needs. With a team comprised of Plumbing marketing experts and proven strategies, we are a performance-driven agency focused on growing your Plumbing business online.

Learn more about what makes us different from other Plumbing marketing agencies:

We are Knowledgeable and Certified

Blackstorm Plumbing Marketing for their internet marketing needs

With more than ten years of experience, we understand how it can improve your Plumbing business’s online presence, boost traffic, and drive revenue. All our team members are certified and remain abreast of the Plumbing industry’s latest changes to deliver exceptional results to our customers.

Unparalleled Satisfaction

We do provide more than result-oriented strategies for our clients. We offer personalized services dedicated to our customer’s goals. That’s why we have a customer retention rate of more than 90%, and our recommendation score is 500% higher than the Plumbing industry’s average.

Data-Driven Strategies

implement data-driven strategies

As a marketing agency driven by results, we concentrate on creating customized voice search solutions for your Plumbing business. Our team can help craft and implement data-driven strategies to meet your Plumbing business goals.

Ready to partner with Blackstorm Plumbing Marketing? 

Competitive Strategies

If you are searching for voice search optimization services to help you generate more revenue, trust Blackstorm Plumbing Marketing. With hundreds of satisfied customers and more than ten years of experience, you can rely on our experienced team to deliver the best results for your Plumbing business. Schedule a free strategy session to know how we can help you get found on voice search results today!

Categories
Plumbing SEO

How to Get More Yelp Reviews for Your Plumbing Business

Yelp

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

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

new Yelp business 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

plumber in uniform and female customer

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

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

engage with your customers

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

don't pay for positive 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

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

negative 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.

Categories
Google Advertising Plumbing

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

search engine

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

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

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

optimize GMB profile

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

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

What is a Plumbing Google Business Profile?

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

Google map with red pin

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

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

Why Does Your Plumbing Company Need a Google Business Profile?

Google My Business

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

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

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

  • Manage Your Business Information

Business Information

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

  • People Search Locally Everyday

man searching on laptop

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

  • GBP gives you a Competitive Edge in the Market

get superiority over competitors

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

  • Collect and Respond to Reviews

Reviews

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

  • GBP Makes Your Plumbing Company Highly Visible Online

website visibility

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

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

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

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

  • Get Insights That Offer You Helpful Information

insights

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

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

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

Step 1: Visit the official Google Business listing page

Google Business listing page

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

Step 2: Setting the Name of Your Plumbing Business

Name of Your Plumbing Business

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

Go ahead and type your name in.

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

Create a business name and enter your company details.

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

GMB profile

Step 4: Click “Submit.”

Submit button

How Do You Verify Your Plumbing Business with Google?

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

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

Option 1: Verify Your Plumbing Business Through a Postcard

Choose a way to verify

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

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

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

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

Option 2: Verify Your Plumbing Business By Email

get verified in Google My Business

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

Option 3: Verification by Phone

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

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

Option 4: Instant Verification

GMB instant verification

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Google My Business categories

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

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

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

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

3. Write a Compelling Plumbing Business Description

Business Description

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

4. Focused Plumbing Marketing: Choose Your Service Area

Business Service Area

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

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

5. Add High-Quality Photos to Your GBP Listing

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

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

6. Leverage the New Google Posting Feature

Google Posting Feature

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

7. Include the Right Plumbing Keywords

Plumbing Keywords

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

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

8. Request and Respond to Online Reviews

online reviews

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

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

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

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

9. Pay Attention to the Q & A section

Q&A section

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

messaging system

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

11. Delete Duplicate Listings on Google

remove duplicate gmb listing

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

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQS)

FAQ

Does my plumbing company need a Google Business Profile?

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

How do I get my plumbing business on Google Maps?

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

Is a plumbing Google Business Profile free?

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

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

Grow your business

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

How do you expand your footprint and plumbing service area?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Categories
Google Advertising Plumbing

The Ultimate Guide to Google Business Profile for Plumbers

Google Business Profile

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

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

Google Business Profile

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

What is Google Business Profile for Plumbers?

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

Get listing on Google Business Profile

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

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

Why is Google Business Profile Crucial for Plumbers?

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

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

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

Google Business Profile on Google Maps

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

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

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

  • Enhance Your Local SEO by Integrating Google Maps

Google Maps

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

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

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

  • Control Your Plumbing Company Online Presence with a GBP

Optimize your Google Business Profile

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

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

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

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

GBP helps customers find your business

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

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

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

Get started Google Business Profile for Plumbers in 5 Simple Steps

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

Google Business Profile Management

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

  • Add a Location

Business Address

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

  • Service Area

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

  • Add Correct NAP citations

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

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

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

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

How to verify Your Plumbing Google Business Profile

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

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

Verify your GBP via Email or by Phone

Verify your GBP via Email

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

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

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

Verify Your GBP by Phone

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

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

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

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

Use Your Legal Plumbing Company Name

Name of your business

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

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

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

Choose the Right Primary and Second Categories

Categories

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

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

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

Focused Plumber Marketing: Define Your Service Areas

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

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

Set Your Operating Hours Generously

Hours of operation

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

Give Your Correct Phone Number

Set up Google Business Profile

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

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

Use Google’s Appointment Booking Function in Your Plumbing GBP

Google’s appointment booking

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

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

Add Attractive but Real Photos and Videos to Your Plumbing GBP

Manage photos or videos to your Plumbing GBP

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

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

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

List Your Plumbing Services

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

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

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

Add a Questions and Answers Section in Your Plumbing GBP

Questions and Answers Section

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

Add Attributes

Attributes

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

Accurate Description of Your Plumbing Business

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

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

Veteran-owned? Make sure to include it.

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

Get Online Reviews for Your Plumbing company

Online Reviews

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

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

Review Your NAP Information

NAP Information

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

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

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

Use the Google Posting Feature to Grab More Eyeballs

Google Post

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

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

Frequently Asked Questions about Google Business Profile for Plumbers

Question mark

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Talk with an expert

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

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

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

Categories
Plumbing SEO

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

women holding a golden star icon

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 google reviews

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?

Google review gif

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

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

Organic Rankings

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

Attract New Customers

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

Local SEO

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

Asking previous clients to review your plumbing business.

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

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.

Google Business Profile

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

Review Button

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

Replies for 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

Composing an 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

Review Link

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

Google reviews

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

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

Figure balances question marks

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

Digital 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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Marketing

Free Marketing Materials Included with #SmallThanks from Google

Free Marketing Materials Included with #SmallThanks from Google

Small and local businesses will have a lot to love regarding Google’s newest initiative, the #SmallThanks program.

What is Small Thanks?

#SmallThanks, developed by tech company Google, is a platform that gives businesses free marketing materials as a way for them to reach more customers on listings, review sites, and social media.
Some of these free materials include stickers, posters, social media images, window clings, and others. Most of the content will depend on the reviews businesses get within the Google platform.
How can you avail of the Small Thanks initiative? Easy. All you have to do is to pull up your business on Google’s listings within the MyGoogle Business platform and wait for the marketing material to be auto-generated based on the positive reviews of your customers.
In today’s online society, there’s no better marketing material than a positive review from a happy customer. People will often choose businesses that have great reviews on Google for what they need. Turning these positive reviews into a sort of “giving love back” can enhance your audience’s perception of your local business and lead to more sales and visits.
Google VP in Marketing Lisa Gevelber says that the #SmallThanks initiative is all about turning those “thank you” notes into something local companies can use to impact future customer decisions regarding their products, goods or services.

How To Get Started On #SmallThanks

Local businesses can get their #SmallThanks on by logging in their Google MyBusiness, then choosing from among the positive reviews within the platform. They can personalize the material further by enhancing it with a selection of layouts, styles, and colors according to the brand’s look or personality.
You can put up “Find Us On Google” stickers on your displays, registers, and other prominent places to encourage visitors to post great reviews. The #SmallThanks hashtag may also be used to spread the word on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram for audiences to connect and engage with your business.
Did you know that more than 70 percent of people will check up on a business’ rating on the internet before making a buying decision? Reviews do matter, and small businesses can now harness their efforts and hard work via the Google #SmallThanks program.
Small Thanks by Google can help you make more marketing material sourced from positive reviews online, which can fuel your reach and allow you to gain more customers.

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Google Advertising

Your Customers Are On Google Maps… Are You?

Your Customers Are On Google Maps… Are You

Why Small Businesses Should Register On Google Maps

Did you know that Google Maps is the undisputed navigation app of today?
It’s true! In a recent survey, about two-thirds of all respondents say that they prefer Google Maps over other options. Statistics have further cemented Google’s dominance in the navigation market- about six times as much as Waze, the second most-used app.
The numbers don’t lie- Waze only has a 12 percent adoption rate, while third placer Apple Maps only has 11 and MapQuest comes in at 8 percent.
What does it mean for small and local businesses? Mobile navigation is an essential part of acquiring more customers. Therefore, getting on the Map (Google’s, that is) is a must-have if you want your business to grow and thrive.
Interestingly enough, the survey from The Manifest showed that the 511 smartphone users use at least 3 unique apps each day. 72 percent of the total respondents are female. In groups, 28 percent of them are aged 25 to 34 and the least are people aged 65 and up (5 percent).

How People Use Google Maps

Navigation apps are meant to show you the route you can take on a turn-by-turn basis to your destination. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that more than 70 percent of participants say that they use navigation apps mainly to get from Point A to Point B.
Broken down further, 36 percent say they look up the directions before climbing in their vehicles, while 30 percent say they open the app while en route. 30 percent of respondents mention they use maps before getting into and while driving on their cars.

How Do Others Use Navigation Apps Like Google Maps?

Navigational tools like Waze, Apple and Google’s popular map aren’t just exclusively for drivers. As it turns out, people also look up directions while walking, riding a bicycle or as they head to the nearest public transportation.
Per region, the Northeast tops out the list by having up to 24 percent of responders using the app for non-driving reasons. In the West and Midwest, about 12 percent of responders say they use navigation for other things, while the figure is only 8 percent for the South.

Why Should Small Businesses Take Notice?

It makes total sense to put yourself on Google Map. Not doing so is missing out on all the opportunities it can present.
For instance, you can make your business discoverable by others who are looking for what you’re selling, whether it be electronic goods, services, food and others. The more people can see you on the internet, the better it will be in terms of reach and exposure.
As you may know, the more customers you have the greater the profits and possibility of repeat customers. Moreover, there’s also the power of word of mouth advertising, which can single-handedly give you the momentum in terms of returns, profits and reach.

Registering your small business on Google Maps only takes a few steps:

Step 1.

Claim your business. Head to the Google My Business section and tap on “Get on Google”, then fill up the fields with the necessary business information.

Step 2.

Add some additional info if you’d like.

Step 3.

Verify and complete the process. Done!
Keep in mind that you will appear on Google Maps even if you don’t have a website.

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