SEO For Plumbers
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SEO for plumbers is essential to maximise your potential and increase your exposure to customers in today’s online world.
But, this is easier said than done, especially when you consider the volume of companies that are already well established within this field.
When someone needs a plumber, they’ll typically search on Google, so it’s essential to establish a presence online. Establishing an online presence can be achieved using Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), a process which can elevate your business to new heights.
SEO is a great way to optimise your website and achieve higher rankings in search engine results. Additionally, implementing adequate SEO practices ensure your website is user-friendly, easy to navigate and of a higher quality.
The modern consumer tends to choose a result from page one of a search engine, meaning SEO for plumbers is a crucial component of an effective marketing strategy. Search engines deliver listings to millions of users per day, many of whom are looking for solutions to their problems.
SEO can help you receive free targeted traffic from websites, which can be achieved via your website, blog or online store.
If you’re interested in getting your plumbing business to the top of Google, you’ll appreciate the advice offered throughout this article. You can even contact us for a free chat about your website and SEO. By the end, you’ll understand why SEO for plumbers is more critical than ever before, and how you can use the principles outlined to grow your business and get more plumbing customers.
Why trust Right Hook Studio? Well, we’ve worked with loads of successful SEO projects, checkout out our case studies for more info.
Before we look at some tried and tested strategies, let’s lay the foundation by looking at why SEO is so important:
Why Is SEO For Plumbers So Important?
When looking for local plumbing services, most consumers will jump to Google and type in ‘plumber’ followed by the area they live in. It’s common for people to ignore the paid advertisements and click on one of the top three organic results.
SEO is a significant driver for traffic, which is why companies tend to allocate up to half of their marketing budget to it. When assessing the importance of SEO, ask yourself whether you’ve ever bothered scrolling to page 2 of a search result?
SEO for plumbers will enable you to establish a presence in multiple areas, rather than just locally. Therefore, SEO is vital if you’re to diversify and expand your customer base.
Let’s say you live in ‘Essex’, but intend to service anywhere within a 10-mile radius of the area. By applying the correct SEO principles, you’ll appear in search results like ‘Plumber in Hertfordshire’ and ‘Plumber in Cambridge’ too, providing you cater to these keywords. Helping you attract significantly more customers.
Investing in SEO for plumbers is a long-term strategy, one which capitalises on a user’s preference for natural search results. Pay-per-click might position at the top, but this expensive approach will banish you once you stop paying.
I won’t lie, SEO takes much time, and initial work, but when executed correctly will leap long-lasting rewards. Fortunately, your site will remain in the top few results even after you’ve quit SEO, having enjoyed a higher click-through rate and impressive return on investment.
Now we’ve addressed why SEO for plumbers is essential, let’s get straight into the practical steps involved in getting your plumbing business to the top of Google:
Keyword Research
The first step to a successful SEO campaign is to research plumbing keywords you wish to rank. Using the earlier example, let’s say you’re looking to rank in search results for ‘Plumber in London’, ‘Plumber in Hertfordshire’ and other neighbouring areas.
Each keyword will generate different results, so it’s essential to determine which keywords will attract the most customers. Fortunately, there are free tools which outline the popularity of other search terms, so your keyword research will be effortless as you see what customers are searching for most.
For this article, we’re going to look at the Keywords Everywhere Plugin, though alternatives like Google Keyword Planner and Moz’s Keyword Planner work just as well. For more info on tools that can help your SEO, click here.
Once you’ve decided which tool you’re going to use, you should type ‘Plumber in (your local area)’ as a starting point. You’ll get the keyword volume, which will tell you how many searches there are per month for the plumbing keyword in question.
Anything from 10 to 1,000 is worth ranking for since you’ll have a reasonable number of people to market your business. Volumes of over 1,000 are generally too competitive, so are best avoided.
If your local town doesn’t have a big enough search volume, consider expanding your area to a bigger local city or your overall county. The chosen plumbing keyword won’t necessarily be the only keyword you rank. However, it will be your main focus before targeting other areas.
Once you’ve decided on your primary keyword phrase, you can focus on ranking for subsequent keywords, which are perhaps more specific. Here are some to consider using Essex as an example:
- Essex Emergency Plumbing
- Essex Bathtub Repair and Clog Removal
- Essex Drain Repair and Clog Removal
- Essex Faucet Repair and Clog Removal
- Essex Garbage Disposal Repair
- Essex Toilet Repair and Clog Removal
- Essex Sink Repair and Clog Removal
- Essex Shower Repair and Clog Removal
On-page SEO For Plumbers
Once you’ve got your main keyword, you should place it within the title tag and meta description of your page.
The title tag is the title you’ll see on Google, and the meta description is the description displayed below the title. Ideally, your title should be no more than seven words, while your description is 156 characters or less.
Here is an example:
If you need assistance with this, the Yoast SEO plugin is a useful aid.
Having completed this step, you’ll proceed to create an HTML and XML sitemap. These will comprise lists of pages Google uses to index your website.
Yoast is handy because it will automatically install your XML sitemap. Your HTML sitemap can be created by adding a new page and configuring the HTML Page Sitemap plugin.
Next, you should set up a privacy policy page because Google prioritises sites that follow their privacy protocol.
Another tip would be to add your physical address in the footer of your website.
The next step to optimise your page involves image-alt-tags. Google views images as long strings of code, so it’s crucial to describe the content of the image you use.
Find the image in the media gallery and add a relevant description under ‘alt-text.’
The final step to on-site success involves littering your keyword throughout your homepage. Naturally incorporate your keyword into the content on your website, alongside variations like the examples used earlier in this article. For example, the chosen keyword for this page is ‘SEO for Plumbers.’ You probably found this page using that keyword.
The text on your website should be at least 500 words. Google views content favourably, so the more you include, the better you’ll rank. Google’s content focused preference is one of the biggest reasons why companies create blogs, following the same guidelines that have been outlined throughout this section.
Content helps you rank higher, and you can also attract customers naturally if they encounter one of your blogs and are drawn to your service. Just make sure it’s of high quality to achieve authentic results.
Google My Business
Google My Business for plumbers is an easy step which will ensure you show up in the ‘map-pack’ section of Google, as seen below:
You can do this by executing the following steps:
- Visit: https://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/business/
- Click ‘Start Now’
- Follow the instructions displayed.
- Await a verification code received in the post (usually within 3-4 days)
- Verify your page with the code.
By including a good description and lots of photos of where you work, you’ll be perceived as a reputable, trustworthy plumber who knows what they’re doing. It’s essential to get as many positive Google reviews as you can, which will increase your SERPs and click-through rate.
Social Media
Social media platforms are highly influential, especially when you consider they’re where millions of prospective consumers spend their time. SEO and social media complement each other perfectly.
With the right plumbing SEO and social strategy, you can increase organic rankings and build your overall brand. Focus on creating pages on the following sites, which of course should link to and from your website:
- YouTube
- Google-Plus
Once you’ve set up these channels, you should establish an active presence on them. Focus on posting regularly on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn at least three times a week, since these are the main ones.
It would help if you grew your followers naturally, focusing on attracting people within your target demographic.
Now, if you want to make your website a powerhouse, focus on the next SEO for plumbers tip.
Citations and Backlinks
With the right plumbing citation and backlink strategy, you can become a force within your industry.
Citations
A citation is any mention of your business across the web. It’s easy to imagine the more places you’re mentioned, the more you’ll be recognised as a credible business. Citations are something that naturally boosts your rankings.
A great starting point is to focus on getting your business featured on the following sites:
- Netmums
- Yell.com
- Yelp
- Scoot
- Free Index
- Hot Frog
- Net
Having achieved this, you can focus on expanding further. Make sure you keep your information is consistent across all listings, using links back to your website when you have the opportunity.
Add images if the directory allows you to, to make your website appear more professional.
Backlinks
A Backlink is similar to a citation, but it is a mention on a website rather than a directory. This mention can be within a blog, news website or any other website that links back to your website.
Backlinks help you achieve industry authority since Google will see your website being referenced across the web. The more backlinks your plumbing website has, the more trustworthy you’ll be to Google, and the higher you’ll rank in its results.
Creating a blog is a great way to get people to start linking to your articles naturally, mainly when you deliver unique and refreshing content. Your blog is a vital business asset and will allow you to write about various compelling talking points within the plumbing industry.
When considering an SEO blog for plumbing, you can write tips, guides, tricks, industry news, advice and more. You should focus on submitting 500 – 2000 word entries, and use internal and external links to bolster your rankings further.
It’s great to link to other articles you’ve written while including your website as a natural link somewhere in the post. You can also naturally promote your plumbing service, providing this doesn’t seem too forced.
If you’re blog posts are not getting many backlinks to your articles, perhaps reach out to other bloggers and ask them what they think. Maybe they’ll link back to the article on their site – as long as it provides value.
Contacting your current network is a great way to receive backlinks. You can also discover other bloggers by typing in ‘construction bloggers’, ‘plumbing bloggers’, ‘DIY bloggers’ and other relevant terms.
Focus on writing blog articles which are backed up by keyword research. There is no point writing a fantastic post which no one will find on Google.
Pillar Pages and Content Clusters
These have risen in popularity in recent years, as they are a great way to help your website rank for core topics.
A pillar page will cover specific aspects of a topic relevant to your plumbing service, whereas content clusters are subcategories which cover keywords related to said topic.
Having created a blog of plumbing themed articles, you can then create a pillar page for your plumbing exploits, which will serve as an information hub that links to your blog articles.
If you’re a plumber who specialises in certain areas, you can create a pillar page that’s specific to this. It helps to identify several topics that relate to the core services you offer, creating subtopics which you can build content around.
The more high-quality content you internally link to, the more Google will consider you an expert in your field.
An excellent way to visualise a pillar page is as a book, where topic clusters are the chapters. The more information you have on a pillar, the more you’ll be able to link to your site, resulting in a significant SEO boost.
Here are some great examples to help you get started on your own.
Final Thoughts
Wow, you made it to the end. Thanks for reading this article!
By utilising this introductory guide, you’ll be one step closer to securing high rankings in Google for your plumbing business.
You can propel your business to new heights, so be sure to absorb these useful tips and see where they get you!
Feel free to checkout our SEO services and contact us if you need help with generating more sales online.
