CONTRIBUTING MEMBER:
AARON HOCKEL, PARTNER & VICE PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL MARKETING,
ALTAVISTA STRATEGIC PARTNERS
There are over 36,000 contractors across the US, and each of them plays a critical role in our society. These contractors supply equipment, materials and labor to complete manual projects. Without them, we wouldn't have sturdy or well-maintained commercial buildings. If you're looking to extend the reach of your contracting company, a top-notch digital marketing strategy is essential. Read on to learn why you need to invest in search engine optimization (SEO) services ASAP.
The Basics of Search Engine Optimization
About 90.63% of online content receives no clicks on Google. This is because they are unappealing to Google crawlers, the bots that index pages and determine rankings. The aim of SEO is to perform manipulations both on your website and in other areas of the web so that it's more appealing to crawlers.
Modifying your own website to get quality content ensures that consumers will remain interested in your services. This decreases your bounce rate and shows crawlers that your page brings value to your audience.
You also can include keywords that people enter into the search bar as queries. This will help you rank for the most relevant searches. HTML, image and video descriptions, your internal navigation system, and technical site aspects like load time can also be optimized.
Additionally, you can direct traffic to your site from other areas of the web. Getting mentions in reviews and shares on social media is excellent for SEO. This is especially true when people click on inbound links to your website and make them more indexable.
Heighten Your Visibility
But why does a contracting company specifically need to invest in top-notch SEO services?
Many other businesses rely on repeat clients to generate revenue. However, contractors provide large-scale services such as erecting and renovating commercial buildings. You may be called back for repairs or maintenance in several months or years, but repeat clients can't sustain your business long-term.
This means getting new clients regularly, which means that you need to be visible online. 76% of consumers, including commercial consumers, look online before deciding whether or not to use a business's services. Ranking high in SERPs means that potential clients will find you and become interested.
Engage Your Audience
Because you'll have higher visibility, you'll get more clicks. This gives you the chance to interest more potential clients in your contracting company and services.
You can then engage your audience with high-quality content. This may come in the form of blog posts that explain relevant issues and services to them. It may also take multimedia formats like the video and graphic content that modern consumers are looking for.
When you engage your audience and keep them on your site, you build your brand as reputable and interesting. You generate interest. You also keep people on your website long enough for Google crawlers to notice its relevance and push you up even higher in SERPs.
Engaging your audience also is a lead generation strategy. Keep them interested until redirecting them to your landing page or contact form.
Offer a quality lead magnet such as a promotion or a free ebook about construction and other contracting services. They'll give you their contact information so that you can follow up over email or social media.
Create Professional Connections
Digital marketing also helps you to establish and grow connections with others in your industry. Contractors can link to other sites within their content that do not compete with them.
These links can direct to services and products that supplement their own contracting services. This is called "backlinking." When you do this, you're essentially voting for another website to be pushed up in SERPs.
This boosts their visibility. In turn, you can contribute to their website via guest posts or ask them to link to your page as well.
This is a great way for contractors and other businesses to build each other up. Those with established professional relationships can also run joint promotions, market for each other, and communicate about how to reach shared target audiences.
Establish a Reputable Brand
Contractors often struggle to make a name for themselves. They don't have products to sell in stores or many repeat customers that spread the word. Additionally, since commercial contracting is such a niche service, the target audience is a small pool.
SEO is your main chance at branding. You're not going to find a specialized market with traditional marketing strategies. However, since you can target specific keywords and demographics online, you'll have a better chance of finding people within your niche.
A strong online presence helps you to create brand awareness among those in your small market. It's efficient, effective, and lets people know that your business exists.
Get Ahead of the Competition
Many of your competitors are likely using SEO services. About 63% of small businesses, including contracting companies, take advantage of these digital marketing services. Those that do not are less competitive due to a lack of visibility and interest.
If you want to overtake the majority of your competitors, it's critical that you look into getting SEO for your business. You'll find more clients, generate revenue and get reviews that contribute even further to your visibility.
Boost Your Contracting Company Today
SEO and related digital marketing services are critical to the success of your commercial contracting company. Now that you know how a solid SEO strategy can help you rise above your competitors, it's time to showcase your brand and services.
AltaVista Strategic Partners is committed to helping you create quality content, build backlinks, and make your site more crawlable. Contact us with any lingering questions and to get started with our digital marketing company.
About the contributor
A contractor marketing expert, Aaron Hockel has presented on a wide range of marketing topics at major trade shows and conferences, including the International Roofing Expo, International Sign Expo, IFMA’s World Workplace and the American Fence Association’s FenceTech, among others.
A full-service marketing agency and certified Google Partner, AltaVista’s expertise is working with commercial and residential contractors to grow and scale their businesses using targeted email marketing and digital advertising campaigns. Supporting more than 300 customers in 40 states, AltaVista helps turn searches into customers and interaction into leads.
Contact AltaVista to learn more about the company’s digital marketing and other services.
