Put Your Business On The Map With Home Services SEO

The home services market has been growing steadily over the last few years and reached a pretty significant level during the pandemic we shall not name.

However, this newfound growth also changed how people look for services. In the post-pandemic era, people are simply more inclined to turn to (and trust) Google, rather than asking their friends for a recommendation. 

To keep up with the times, businesses in the home services industry need to have a website. But simply having one is not enough to get new customers. Why? Because the local competition might be fierce, and your website is practically invisible if it’s not on the first page of search engine results.

The solution to this issue is home services SEO. 

With a proper strategy in place, you’ll have no problem sweeping the rug with your competition by shooting up to the top of search results.

Let’s take a closer look at home services SEO.

What Is SEO And Why It’s So Important

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of increasing organic traffic to your website by optimizing the content on it to reach the highest possible ranking in search results. 

There are two branches of SEO: on-page and off-page SEO.

The most important aspect of on-page SEO is the content that has to be engaging, unique, and optimized for particular keywords. Optimizing both on-page and off-page elements should be a cornerstone of any home services SEO strategy. 

On-page optimization also involves the technical aspects of your website. For instance, you should improve your website’s coding and structure to make it easier for search engines to find and crawl your website. Additionally, you also have to ensure it has fast loading times and that it’s mobile-friendly and secure.

Off-page optimization involves acquiring backlinks to your website from other authoritative sites. This process makes sure that search engines view your site as reputable, thus rewarding you with a higher ranking. 

Most Important Home Services SEO Practices

Some industries can be tricky to stand out in, and unfortunately for you, home services can be particularly challenging. Most customers have a hard time differentiating between you and your competitors, and they’ll simply go for the contractor who ranks better.

A home services SEO strategy can help you leverage this to your advantage. 

Nevertheless, thinking it only takes a few blogs and backlinks would be a gross misrepresentation of the complexity of SEO. If a strategy is to work, it has to include different tactics that work well in conjunction with one another. 

Here at Oamii, we’ve been doing this for a long time, and we discovered a combination of practices that work best for home services contractors. Here they are:

1. Keyword research

Keywords are phrases or words people use to find relevant information. By implementing the same keywords in your website, search engine algorithms will improve your ranking because your website’s content will relate to what those people are searching for.

However, not all keywords are created equal. For instance, you might not benefit from trying to rank for keywords with the highest search volume as you also need to take into account the keyword difficulty. Keyword difficulty is, as the name suggests, how hard it’s going to be to rank for a particular keyword.

This means that choosing a phrase with a high search volume and high difficulty won’t necessarily bring you the results you’re looking for right away.

To find the best home services SEO keywords, you have to do extensive research by determining which keywords your main competitors are ranking for and what search terms your target audience is using. 

2. Local SEO

In the home services market, local SEO is king. This is because most people usually search for contractors in their local area. 

Let’s say you’re operating in the Jacksonville area, but you keep getting calls only from smaller places around the city. 

Why is that?

Your website is most likely unable to rank for Jacksonville keywords so search engines don’t consider your website relevant to searches in those areas. 

Regardless of the service you offer, you’re not a retail business, meaning ranking nationally won’t benefit you that much since most customers will be in your local area. This is the main reason home services SEO strategies usually revolve around improving your local ranking since that offers the best return on investment (ROI) by far. 

However, local SEO is an art form of sorts since it involves more than just ranking high for local keywords. You need to be present on local business directories and social media platforms while also ensuring your business is visible on navigation apps such as Google and Apple Maps.

Finally, your Google Business Profile also matters. You have to put in a lot of effort to make certain you rank well on the sidebar that lists local businesses. 

Most people wrongfully assume that their Google listing is a set-it-and-forget-it affair, but it requires consistent management.

For instance, you’ll need to refresh the content on this page periodically by adding new images and creating new offers. The same principle applies to reviews on your Google Business Profile. You’ll need to generate them constantly and manage any negative feedback effectively.

Most people trust recommendations from online reviews as much as they trust their close friends, so you should never ignore this aspect in your local SEO efforts.

3. Content writing

While it’s important to have content on your website, such as service pages, that highlights your services in detail, you need to offer more value to modern customers. Quality content can help you connect with your audience and build trust and loyalty that will eventually turn a visitor into a customer.

Besides helping convert leads into customers, professionally written content can also help search engine algorithms identify your website as valuable to users. As a plus, addressing your audience's queries through engaging content can help establish your reputation as an expert in your field. 

Luckily, the topics are plentiful in the home service industry. 

Let’s say you own a plumbing business. You can give out weekly tips on how to maintain plumbing, troubleshoot minor issues, and even how to find the perfect plumber. The options are virtually endless.

Most importantly, this content will establish a high level of trust. Who knows, maybe the next time a customer who used your how-to guide to fix an easy clog will remember your business the next time they need a professional to solve a bigger plumbing problem.

4. Link building

Acquiring backlinks and internal link building is key in home services SEO. It helps you reach a wider audience, but you also receive a significant bump in your search result rankings. 

When you combine this practice with internal link building (adding internal links within your website to improve the user experience), new arrivals are more likely to visit other pages, increasing your traffic website-wide.

How do you go about acquiring backlinks?

You start an outreach campaign.

Unfortunately, it takes a lot of effort, resources, and connections to do it successfully. Many businesses don’t have the resources or time to acquire quality backlinks. Thus, an outreach campaign is a job best left to a professional SEO company.

Home Services SEO Is A Long-term Investment

Reaching new customers and getting to the first page of search results is something every business owner needs to do to stay competitive in the digital age. Without a doubt, home services SEO will help you achieve just that. However, you need to have realistic expectations.

At Oamii, a digital marketing agency specializing in home services SEO, we don’t believe in wild marketing claims and empty promises.

While SEO is one of the best ways to put your business on the map, it’s a long-term investment that doesn’t yield instant results. However, the benefits of this practice are cumulative, and within a few months, you will see all of your efforts come to fruition. 

The next step is finding a company that knows a thing or two about home services SEO and is familiar with the unique needs of your business. This is important because the best SEO strategies are custom tailored around the individual needs of companies.

If you need specialized SEO services from a digital marketing company with expertise in the home service industry, look no further than Oamii. Call us at 561-228-4111 or fill out our online contact form, and we can get to work crafting your fully customized home services SEO marketing plan!