Local SEO for plumbers is crucial in connecting your plumbing company with potential customers in your area. With 4 out of 5 consumers using local searches before making a purchase, optimizing your online presence for local searches is vital to capturing a significant portion of your target audience. In this article, we’ll discuss the concept of local SEO and share five practical tips to enhance your plumbing business’s local search rankings. First, an unapologetic note from our team. We specialize in contractor marketing. Contact us by booking a time and date for a no commitment scan where we support you in being the gaps on your website optimization and Google Business Profile. No pressure, just knowledge.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO differs from traditional Search Engine Optimization by emphasizing the geographical location of your plumbing services. While traditional SEO strategies focus on ranking for generic keywords, local SEO targets location-specific keywords to help your business appear in Google Maps and other search engines when potential customers search for services near them. Examples of local SEO keywords include “plumbers near me,” “emergency plumber in [City],” and “hot water heater installation in [ZIP code].”
Optimizing your plumbing company’s local SEO can increase your chances of appearing in Google’s local pack (or “maps listings”), highlighting your business at the top of organic search results on desktop and mobile devices. Factors influencing your plumbing business’s local search performance include:
- Google My Business accuracy.
- Customer reviews.
- A well-built and SEO-optimized website.
- Backlinks from high-authority websites.
- Social media engagement.
Implementing these local SEO strategies for your plumbing business will ensure that your company stands out in online directories, maximizes its online presence, and effectively reaches potential customers in your geographical location.
Local SEO for Plumbers Tip #1: Enhance Your Website for Local Searches
To make the most of your local SEO for plumbers campaign, begin with what you can control: your website.
- Create a mobile-responsive website
Over 50% of all web traffic originates from mobile devices, so it’s crucial to have a website that looks and functions well on both mobile and desktop devices.
- Secure your website
Search engines like Google prioritize secure websites in search results. Ensure your website’s domain starts with HTTPS instead of HTTP.
- Audit and refine your metadata
Examine and optimize your web pages’ metadata, including title tags and meta descriptions, to incorporate target keywords and priority service areas for better rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs).
- Display NAP details in your website’s footer
Include your name, address, and phone number (NAP) consistently in the footer of every page to send strong local SEO ranking signals to search engines.
- Develop a content marketing strategy
Craft unique, valuable content optimized for local SEO to secure top rankings on Google and other search engines’ first pages.
- Implement click-to-call functionality
Make it easy for potential customers to call you by enabling click-to-call on mobile devices. Google provides guidance on how to do this.
- Gather more customer testimonials
Showcasing reviews on your website helps potential clients learn about others’ experiences with your team. Positive reviews on Google My Business, Facebook, and the Better Business Bureau can boost your local SEO performance.
- Incorporate schema markup language
Use specific tags to help search engines locate your website more easily.
- Establish links to other local websites featuring your business
Link to your Better Business Bureau profile, news articles, media mentions, and other local businesses you collaborate with to strengthen your online presence.
Local SEO for Plumbers Strategy #2: Refine Your NAP and Website Information
As a plumbing business owner, verifying that your business name, address, phone number (NAP), and website are accurate and consistent across leading online directories is essential. Inconsistencies may arise due to the following:
- Relocation of your business
- Misplaced business information by your marketing partner across directory listings
- Changes in your local phone number
- Multiple variations of your business name online (e.g., Rick’s Plumbing, Rick’s Plumbing Service, Rick’s Plumbing, LLC., etc.)
Why Do NAP Inconsistencies harm local SEO for Plumbers Campaigns?
Apart from customers possibly contacting the wrong company or phone number, inconsistent NAP information:
- This indicates to search engines that your business may not be reliable.
- Reduces your chances of appearing in localized searches, including voice search queries on Apple devices, Android devices, and smart home assistants like Alexa and Google Home
- This creates confusion for potential customers and search engines due to mismatched information.
Steps to Review Your NAP Details Online
- Develop a standardized NAP format for your business name, phone number, and address.
- Search the internet for all instances of your company across online directories. Utilize automated tools like Yext or Moz Local to streamline the process.
- Google Business Profile
- Bing Places
- Yelp
- HomeAdvisor
- Angie’s List
- Nextdoor
- Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Your digital marketing agency or SEO experts should be implementing these strategies on your behalf. If not, addressing this issue with them is crucial to improve your business profile, user experience, and conversion rate. With a strong online presence, you can enhance customer experience and achieve measurable goals through listings on directories, citation sites, and improved rankings in mobile searches.
Local SEO for Plumbers Tip #3: Boost Your Social Proof
To make your plumbing business stand out and rank higher in search engines, it’s essential to establish and maintain strong social proof and social media presence. This involves:
- Gathering reviews on Google My Business, Facebook, and other online directories
- Responding to every customer review across platforms
- Sharing video testimonials from contented clients
Take note of specific guidelines when collecting reviews:
- Yelp prohibits asking for reviews
- Google disallows offering incentives for reviews
Ensure you “play by the rules” to avoid jeopardizing your local SEO for plumbers. One efficient approach is to include a link to a review page (such as your Google My Business profile) in your standard post-service follow-up. Make it simple!
- Engage with reviews, both positive and negative.
- Graciously responding to praise is crucial. Express appreciation for your customer’s time writing the review and highlight specific aspects you valued.
- Addressing negative reviews is equally vital. Prospective customers will observe how you handle unfavorable feedback. Tactful and diplomatic responses to 1-star and 2-star ratings can still send positive local SEO signals to search engines.
- Direct clients to preferred review sites
- Focus on platforms most commonly used by your clients, with Google My Business and Facebook as top priorities.
- Share video testimonials
- Though requiring extra effort, video testimonials are powerful social proof. Provide guidance on recording high-quality testimonials using smartphones, and you’ll soon have authoritative content.
- Gain exposure in local news and media.
- Local media outlets are often receptive to featuring small businesses. Instead of merely requesting a feature, propose a segment or idea you can contribute to. If you’re organizing a community event, for example, news outlets will be eager to cover it.
- Local media outlets are often receptive to featuring small businesses. Instead of merely requesting a feature, propose a segment or idea you can contribute to. If you’re organizing a community event, for example, news outlets will be eager to cover it.
Local SEO for Plumbers Insight #4: Establish & Confirm Online Profiles
You might be surprised to find out that individuals have been sharing their opinions about your business on various review platforms, even if you haven’t yet claimed your own profile.
By utilizing powerful tools such as Yext or Moz Local (previously mentioned), you can promptly determine which business directory listings have been claimed and which require further attention.
Securing your business listings authenticates your company on each platform and sends favorable local SEO for plumbers signals to search engines, ultimately helping you achieve your business goals and rank higher on Google Business Profiles and other relevant searches.
Local SEO for Plumbers Strategy #5: Establish a Blog
Developing a plumbing blog enables you to produce fresh, engaging content highly valued by search engines. To ensure your blog effectively contributes to your local SEO for plumbers, consider the following tips:
- Integrate the blog within your primary website domain, avoiding subdomains.
- Incorporate local city and neighborhood names whenever possible.
- Address local concerns and requirements.
- Investigate relevant keywords and integrate them organically throughout your blog posts.
- Prioritize providing valuable information. Sharing your expertise for free might appear counterintuitive. Still, it establishes you as an authority in the plumbing industry, gaining the trust of potential clients who prefer professional services over DIY solutions.
- Implement internal linking to other pages on your website, including previous blog posts, not just service-related landing pages. This boosts authority signals for search algorithms.
- Connect to high-quality content on external sites, such as community blogs or services that complement your plumbing business. This can improve your plumber SEO and overall online presence.
By following these recommendations, your blog can significantly impact your keyword rankings, organic search traffic, and overall digital marketing strategy, helping you achieve a higher search engine ranking and attract more organic traffic. With a focus on relevant plumbing keywords, long-form content, and services like leak repair, toilet repair, and emergency plumbing services, you’ll optimize your on-page SEO and inbound links, driving success in the competitive local SEO world for plumbers.
Harnessing Local SEO for Plumbers
In summary, leveraging local SEO for plumbers is vital to attract local clients and elevating your plumbing business in an increasingly competitive market. Embracing these strategies can significantly contribute to your business growth by attracting organic traffic and increasing your visibility in local search results. A robust online presence is essential for success as the plumbing industry evolves.
Could Your Local SEO for Plumbers Use a Boost?
We understand that encountering such an extensive list of tips might seem daunting, but rest assured, you don’t need to implement them all immediately. Begin with one strategy, and gradually incorporate the others as you progress.
Are you feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about where to start? If you need assistance executing these strategies, consider partnering with Tipping Point Digital, a trusted plumbing SEO company. Our SEO specialists have extensive experience in developing effective plumbing SEO strategies that cater specifically to the unique needs of plumbing businesses. Contact us for professional SEO services to set your business on the path to local success.