Tag: Content Marketing

Effective Website Elements for Contractors

Posted on by Robyn Rivera

Imagine this: John, a local contractor, is frustrated. Despite offering outstanding services, his digital presence isn’t driving traffic. His competitor, Sarah, meanwhile, seems to have a flourishing online business. 

Curious, John checks out her contractor website design. To his surprise, it’s not just about aesthetics. It’s a combination of effective website elements that resonate with her audience.

Let’s dive into what makes Sarah’s website — and any successful contractor website — stand out.

Understand your audience first

Remember, a website isn’t just about looking good. It’s about meeting your audience’s needs. Before diving into design, consider:

  • Who is your target audience?
  • What do they need when they visit your site?
  • How can you provide a solution?

Let’s say your main audience is homeowners looking for kitchen renovations. Their needs might include quick quotes, portfolio images and easy contact methods.

Essentials of an effective contractor website design

  • Clear navigation: Ever entered a maze without a map? That’s what a confusing website feels like. Your navigation should guide visitors seamlessly through your offerings.
  • Engaging visuals: A picture speaks a thousand words, especially for contractors. Before-and-after photos, video testimonials and project galleries can significantly boost user engagement.
  • Credibility boosters: Awards, certifications and reviews should be highlighted. These foster trust and reassure potential clients of your expertise.
  • Mobile responsiveness: With more users accessing websites from mobile devices, ensuring your contractor website design adapts to various screen sizes is critical.
  • Strong CTAs (Call-to-Action): These guide users toward the desired action, whether it’s requesting a quote, signing up for a newsletter or calling your office.
  • Educational content: Blogs or articles that offer value can establish you as an industry authority. Topics could range from “How to choose the right tiles for your bathroom” to “Latest kitchen design trends in 2023.”

Hypothetical example: Emily’s enlightening experience

Emily, a homeowner, visits two contractor websites. The first one is cluttered, without clear service listings. She can’t find any customer reviews or project images. Frustrated, she moves to the next website.

Here, she’s greeted with an engaging homepage video that showcases a recent project. The navigation is clear. She quickly finds the service she’s interested in. Plus, a pop-up invites her to view the contractor’s recent award. 

Impressed, Emily clicks on the strong CTA that says “Get a free consultation today.” Guess who she’s likely to hire?

SEO: The unsung hero of contractor website design

Beyond the visual elements, SEO plays a massive role in driving organic traffic. Incorporate relevant keywords naturally, optimize meta descriptions and ensure fast load times. 

Regularly updating your content also signals to search engines that your website is active and relevant.

Wrapping up: Your website is your digital storefront

Think of your website as your online office. It’s often the first impression potential clients have of your business. With the right elements, you can ensure they stick around, explore and, eventually, reach out for your services. Inspired to revamp your website or start a new one? Learn more and sign up for your free trial. Your digital transformation awaits!

Roofer Marketing: How to Build a Strong Reputation

Posted on by Robyn Rivera

What makes a homeowner choose one roofing company over another? Reputation. It’s the cornerstone of trust. 

And in today’s digital age, a strong reputation isn’t just built on quality workmanship and word of mouth — it’s also forged online through savvy marketing strategies. 

Let’s dive deep into how you can boost your roofer marketing game and establish a rock-solid reputation.

The digital age of roofer marketing: A short story

Imagine John. He’s just moved to a new town and, after the first rainstorm, he realizes his roof is leaking. 

Instead of knocking on his neighbor’s door to ask for a recommendation (like in the good old days), John pulls out his smartphone and types in “best roofer near me.” 

He doesn’t just click on the first result he sees. Instead, he reads reviews, browses websites and even checks out some before-and-after photos on Instagram. He does all of this long before making a call.

This is the digital consumer journey, and understanding this can be the key to unlocking the potential of roofer marketing.

Uncovering the layers of roofer marketing

Let’s strip away the layers and reveal the nuts and bolts of building a reputation through roofer marketing.

Be visible: Local SEO for roofers

The foundation of any good roofer marketing strategy is ensuring you’re easily found when someone, like John, types in a search. 

This means optimizing your website for local searches, claiming your local listings and collecting positive reviews from satisfied customers. Ensure your business name, address and phone number (NAP) are consistent across all platforms.

Engage with the community: Social media and beyond

Remember those before-and-after photos? They’re gold. Share your success stories, showcase your work and interact with your followers. 

Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn can be instrumental in giving your roofing business a personality and building trust with potential clients.

Establish authority: Content is king

Share your knowledge. Write blog posts about the different types of roofing materials, the pros and cons of each, maintenance tips or even the latest roofing trends. 

This not only positions you as an expert in your field but also improves your website’s SEO, making it easier for potential clients to find you.

Harnessing the power of reviews: Strategies that work

In the world of roofer marketing, having a bevy of positive reviews can tip the scales in your favor. 

Potential clients rely heavily on reviews to gauge the quality, trustworthiness and reliability of a business. But how can you increase the number of reviews for your roofing company?

Tap into the world of email marketing

Imagine you’ve just finished a roofing project. Your client is beaming with satisfaction, and you part ways with a handshake. But, your interaction shouldn’t end there. 

Send your customer an email thanking them for their business and gently request a review. 

The key? Make it easy. Embed a direct link to your Google Business Profile or Top Rated Local®, page and encourage them to share their experience.

But, here’s the trick: use email filters. Direct positive responders to public platforms like Google and Top Rated Local. If someone has concerns or is dissatisfied, direct them to a private feedback form. 

This way, you address issues directly and prevent potential negative public reviews.

Consistency is key

Don’t just send one email and hope for the best. Set up a sequence that includes a couple of gentle reminders. 

Timing matters, too. The best time to request a review is shortly after the completion of the project when the experience is still fresh in the customer’s mind.

Handle with care: Dealing with negative feedback

No matter how flawless your service is, there will always be that one customer who had a less-than-stellar experience. How you handle this feedback can make or break your online reputation. 

Always respond promptly, professionally and with empathy. Address the concern, offer a solution and learn from the feedback. This shows potential customers that you value feedback and are committed to continuous improvement.

Reputation at your fingertips: Enter the realm of software management

A strong reputation is the backbone of roofer marketing, and today’s tech-driven world offers tools to manage and cultivate that reputation with ease.

Meet the Marketing 360® Reputation app. Think of it as your digital command center for all things reputation-related. 

This powerful tool doesn’t just monitor reviews across different platforms, but it also allows you to respond to them in real-time. Whether it’s a glowing review or a critical one, being able to engage immediately is invaluable.

More than just a review tracker

Beyond tracking, the app offers insights and analytics. Want to know which platform yields the most reviews? Curious about the common concerns in negative feedback? 

The app gives you an overview of your reputation from across the web, enabling you to tweak your roofer marketing strategies for better results.

Conclusion

Building a strong reputation in the roofing industry today goes beyond just doing a great job on the roof. It’s about crafting a holistic roofer marketing strategy that establishes trust, authority and visibility in a digital age.

Are you ready to elevate your roofer marketing game and solidify your reputation in the industry? Whether you’re just starting out or looking to enhance your existing marketing efforts, we’ve got you covered. 

Learn more and sign up for your free trial.

Get Found With Local Pest Control SEO Tips

Posted on by Robyn Rivera

Let’s imagine you’re the owner of Bug Busters, a local pest control company based in Springfield. 

You understand that having a robust online presence is vital for attracting customers in the digital age. But how can you ensure your website ranks high in search results when someone types “pest control Springfield” into Google? 

That’s where our local pest control SEO tips come in handy. In this article, we will dive deeper into how you can optimize the Bug Busters website to increase its visibility, attract more customers and boost your pest control marketing efforts.

The importance of pest control SEO 

In the competitive world of pest control, ensuring that Bug Busters stands out in search results is crucial. 

A well-optimized website will rank higher on search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo, making it easier for potential customers in Springfield to find your business.

By implementing local pest control SEO techniques, Bug Busters can improve its online presence, drive more traffic to the website and, ultimately, generate more leads and sales. 

So let’s explore some effective tips to help your pest control company shine.

#1. Optimize your website for local searches

To reach your target audience in Springfield, you need to optimize your website for local search results. Here are some detailed steps to help you get started:

Include local keywords

Conduct keyword research using tools, like Google Keyword Planner or Moz Keyword Explorer, to find keywords relevant to Springfield, such as “pest control in Springfield” or “exterminator near downtown Springfield.” 

Incorporate these terms throughout your website’s content, meta tags and URLs to help search engines understand your business’s geographical location and show your website to potential customers in your service area.

Optimize your title tags and meta descriptions

Craft unique and compelling title tags and meta descriptions for each page on your website. Ensure they include local keywords and clearly convey what Bug Busters offers. 

For example, a title tag could be “Expert Pest Control Services in Springfield | Bug Busters.” A well-crafted meta description might read, “Looking for reliable and affordable pest control in Springfield? Bug Busters has you covered.”

Create location-specific pages

If Bug Busters serves multiple locations within Springfield, create separate pages for each area. This helps search engines understand your service areas and improves your local rankings. 

Each page should include the location’s name in the URL (e.g., bugbusters.com/pest-control-downtown-springfield), title tag, meta description and content. 

Additionally, provide unique content and testimonials specific to each location to avoid duplicate content issues.

#2. Leverage online reviews for Bug Busters

Positive customer reviews can boost Bug Busters’ credibility and online visibility. 

Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on platforms like Google Business Profile, Yelp and Facebook by sending follow-up emails or offering incentives, like discounts on future services. 

Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, can also help improve your online reputation and show potential customers that you care about their experience.

#3. Utilize Google Business Profile

Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile listing to improve your local search rankings. 

Include accurate and up-to-date information, such as your business name, address, phone number, hours of operation and a link to your website. Add high-quality photos of your Bug Busters team, your office and any pest control equipment to give potential customers a better idea of your business. 

Don’t forget to choose the appropriate business category (e.g., “Pest Control Service”) and add relevant attributes, such as “Licensed” or “Eco-Friendly,” to further enhance your listing.

Encourage customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile and make sure to respond to them. Regularly update your listing with new photos, posts and promotions to keep potential customers engaged and informed about your services.

#4. Create engaging, high-quality content

Producing informative and engaging content is a key component of any pest control marketing strategy. 

Use your blog to share tips, industry news and customer success stories that showcase Bug Busters’ expertise. 

Optimize your content with relevant keywords and phrases, such as “termite control in Springfield” or “how to prevent rodent infestations,” to improve your search rankings and attract more visitors.

In addition to blog posts, consider creating other types of content, such as infographics, videos or downloadable guides. 

This will not only provide more value to your audience but also increase the likelihood of your content being shared on social media or other websites, helping to improve your online visibility.

#5. Build high-quality backlinks

Acquiring backlinks from reputable websites can improve your search engine rankings and establish Bug Busters as an authority in the pest control industry. 

Reach out to local businesses, industry blogs and news websites, and offer to write guest posts or share valuable content in exchange for a link to your site. You can also look for local directories, community websites or business associations that are relevant to your industry and submit your website to be listed.

Additionally, participate in online forums, Q&A websites and social media groups related to pest control. 

By providing helpful advice and answering questions, you can demonstrate your expertise and build trust with potential customers. Be sure to include a link to your website in your profile or signature, as this can help drive traffic and improve your backlink profile.

By following these local pest control SEO tips, Bug Busters can significantly improve its online visibility, attract more customers and grow its business. Ready to take your pest control SEO and marketing to the next level, like Bug Busters did? Learn more and see our plans and pricing.

Tips for Creating Content More Consistently

Posted on by Robyn Rivera

Consistent content creation is an important part of the online reputation management puzzle

There are many things that go into an effective online reputation strategy. You’ll need to claim your listings and keep them updated, consistently check in on review sites for new reviews, and respond to your reviews on a regular basis — just to name a few of them.

However, reputation management isn’t just about exercising some level of control over what people are saying about your brand online; it’s also about controlling the results people find when they look up your brand online.

When someone googles your business online, are they inundated with negative reviews and bad press, or do they find your website, social media profiles, press releases, and more?

Ensuring that, when people google your business, they find what you want them to is all about SEO (search engine optimization), and when it comes to SEO, there’s almost nothing more important than creating content consistently.

Google recognizes businesses that provide their customers with content that’s original, high-quality, and valuable on a regular basis, but creating content consistently isn’t always easy. What do you write about every day? How do you come up with fresh, new ideas?

5 tips for creating content more consistently

#1. Share your own unique knowledge

As a local business owner, chances are, you have a lot of knowledge to share. Whether you’re a chiropractor, a plumber, or an arborist, you know a thing or two that the rest of us don’t, and that kind of knowledge makes the perfect content to put on your website and to share on social media.

When Google ranks sites, it’s not looking for who can regurgitate the same information the most over and over and over again; it’s looking for content that’s original and authentic. And, as an industry expert, you’re in the best place to provide that kind of content.

How do you figure out what kind of knowledge to share? Pull examples from your day-to-day. If you’re an arborist, and a lot of your clients have been asking how often they should get their trees pruned or why it’s important to get them pruned, share that information in a blog or on social media!

#2. Save ideas for future content as you find them

If you wait until you’re ready to sit down and start blogging to think of a topic to write about, it’s going to make the whole process a lot longer and a lot harder than it has to be. You’ll be a lot better off (and you’ll be able to produce content a lot more consistently) if you have a few ideas socked away for future topics.

Oftentimes, when you’re doing research or on a job, you’ll come up with a great idea for a blog or a social media post. Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of believing that you’ll remember it later. As a business owner, you have a lot going on, and the reality is that you’re probably not going to remember it.

Instead, take a minute to jot down any ideas you have in the moment, and keep them saved somewhere you can reference them later on. This way, you’ll always have something to write about.

#3. Let feedback guide you

There are all kinds of content that you could be creating for your audience, but not all of it will be effective or helpful for your brand. Luckily, you can use feedback on the content you’ve created so far to guide you when it comes to the type of content you’ll be producing in the future.

There are many places you could go to get feedback into the type of content you’re creating. One way to go about this is by using social analytics to find out which of your social media posts get the most engagement and clicks. On your website, you can keep track of how your content is ranking. It’s also a good idea to pay attention to feedback in any comments.

Another way to go about gathering feedback about your content is to simply ask for it. When you talk with your clients, it doesn’t hurt to ask them what they would like to learn or about any questions they may have that your content could answer.

#4. Outsource some of your content

No matter how much knowledge and experience you have, and how many sources of fresh topics you have at your disposal, keeping up on consistently producing content can be a lot of work. It can also get old quickly and easily become something that gets put on the backburner when your schedule starts to fill up.

But, there’s no rule that says that you have to produce all of your own content. In fact, if you are able to outsource some of your content to others, it will stay more fresh and interesting for your audience.

One great resource for content might be other businesses that you partner with. Ask them to publish content on your blogs in exchange for publishing content on theirs. This is also a great way to earn backlinks to your site, which will help with your organic rankings.

#5. Remember that there are many different types of content

Traditionally, when most people think of creating content, they think of publishing new blogs on their website or giving followers tips on social media. However, it’s important to remember that content creation goes far beyond text, and whether you’re sharing a video tutorial, an infographic, or even photos of your team volunteering or celebrating at your annual company party — it all counts as creating content.

If you limit yourself to text-based content, it’s going to feel like consistent content creation is an uphill battle. But, when you open yourself up to all kinds of content, it will help you tap into your own creativity and make it easy for you to consistently produce new content.

Consistently creating content is an important part of SEO, which is an important part of building and maintaining a strong online reputation for your business. And, the good news is that there are lots of things you can do to make creating content on a regular basis easier and less time-consuming.

Originally published on 1/31/20

Local SEO Made Easy

Posted on by Robyn Rivera

Being visible on search engines is important for every local business, and there are a lot of places your business can show up in a local search. From Google Maps rankings and Local Service Ads to search ads and organic rankings, you want your business to be visible in as many places as possible.

Organic visibility is an incredibly important part of long-term success online. Not only are organic clicks free, but there are always going to be some people who won’t click an ad. If you can rank organically, you can capture those leads.

Finding the right SEO software and services, like the Marketing 360® Content app, to help you get it right is key.

How to level up content marketing and SEO with Marketing 360® Content

Work with a professional content team

Gaining organic visibility takes time and consistency. It involves optimizing your website, social profiles and local listings for relevant, targeted keywords, as well as publishing content on a regular basis.

There’s no sugar coating it. SEO success takes a lot of work and time. That can make it almost impossible for a busy small business owner to do it all themselves.

Marketing 360’s content writers can help you set yourself up for organic success by laying the foundations with optimizations and by creating blogs, social posts, website content, videos, infographics, email marketing campaigns and more.

Let the Marketing 360 content team do the work for you, so you can focus on managing and growing your small business.

Keep a close eye on your organic performance

Whether you’re managing your own organic performance or working with a professional SEO team, you need to know if your efforts and/or your investment are paying off.

The Marketing 360® Content app makes it easy to keep a close eye on your organic performance, from impressions and clicks to rankings and conversions. Get the data you need to make intelligent decisions about your organic strategy and goals.

Plus, always be in the know about what your content team is doing and what your strategy looks like. See a detailed description of every SEO task that was logged on your account, as well as all of the available SEO services you can take advantage of.

Track your top-performing keywords and pages

Which keywords is your website currently ranking for? How many keywords is your website ranking for? Which keywords are driving the most traffic to your website? Which pages are ranking for certain keywords?

The Marketing 360 Content app makes it easy to answer all of these questions and more. Plus, you can keep track of an individual keyword’s performance over time. It’s the easiest way to monitor keyword rankings and keyword performance.

Monitor individual page performance

Which pages are driving the most organic traffic to your website? Which pages are ranking for the most keywords? How many people are seeing individual pages on your website? How has an individual page performed organically over time?

With the Marketing 360 Content app, it’s easy to get the data you need to gain a true understanding of the organic performance of each and every page of your website, in addition to website performance overall.

Take advantage of advanced, built-in SEO tools

A lot of SEO happens on the front end. It involves adding fresh content, including keywords in titles and headings, etc. It takes time and effort, but it’s also something most small business owners can do — even if they don’t have a lot of SEO experience or expertise.

Where a lot of people get stuck is the technical side of SEO. Things like Schema Markup, microdata and canonical tags are a little more complicated, and can be difficult to handle on your own.

The good news is that the Marketing 360 Websites platform was made for SEO success and has the built-in tools you need to tackle technical SEO.

Marketing 360 is a singular small business marketing platform that makes it easy to monitor and bolster your organic performance, and it has a whole host of other tools to help you manage and grow your business, too. See plans and pricing.

Content Marketing Tips for Local Businesses

Posted on by Robyn Rivera

With content marketing, you control the conversation online.

There are many aspects to a business’ online reputation — one of which consists of what people say about your business online, and the other has to do with what comes up when someone searches for your business online, which is all about SEO (search engine optimization).

You can’t control everything people say about your business online, and, in many cases, you probably won’t be able to get it removed or taken down — at least not without a good amount of effort on your part. But, through SEO, you have a lot more control over what people see when they look for your business using Google, Bing, or another search engine.

SEO can be intimidating, and a lot of business owners don’t even attempt to master it because they believe they don’t have the technical skill or know-how. But, if you had a chance to read our previous blog this week — Simplifying SEO for Local Businesses — then you already know that it really doesn’t have to be complicated. The basics of SEO are keyword research, content, and backlinking, and once you have those down, you don’t have to worry too much about the technical side of things.

Today, my focus is on just one aspect of those SEO basics, and that’s content.

We’ve said it many, many times before in past blogs, but it bears repeating — when it comes to SEO, content is king. But, it’s in producing that content that many business owners get caught in the weeds.

5 Content Marketing Tips to Help You Get Started

#1. Know your target audience.

When you’re creating content for your brand, it’s important that you always do so with your target audience in mind, which means that, before you start creating content, you need to know who your target audience is.

Take a few minutes to think about the customers you have, as well as the ones you’re trying to reach. Do you work mostly with homeowners, or do you work with other businesses? Are your services geared toward a specific gender or age group; what about a specific socioeconomic group? Do you want to target people within so many miles of your shop, office, or warehouse? Are your services designed for married couples, or are your services most useful for people with certain kinds of lifestyles?

Your target audience can be as broad or as narrow as you want it to be, but before you start creating content, it’s essential that you define what it is. Once you do, you’ll be able to start creating content specifically for them.

#2. Don’t limit yourself to a content type.

Too often, when business owners think of creating content, they think of writing blogs. And, while blogs are certainly a powerful form of content that you should absolutely utilize as a part of your SEO strategy, they aren’t the end-all-be-all that they are made out to be.

There are so many different types of content that you could create for your audience, including videos, images, articles, and more — all of which can be incredibly effective when used correctly. The type of content you choose to produce will depend on what the message is that you’re trying to get across, as well as where you’re trying to get that message across.

For example, let’s say you own an HVAC business. Your blog may be the perfect place to share tips and advice for choosing the right furnace for your needs, but if you’re looking to share that information on Facebook or Instagram, you’ll have better luck if you do so with an infographic or a video.

#3. Think about your keywords.

Knowing which keywords you want to target is another important aspect of content marketing (be sure to read more about it in our previous blog — Finding the Best Keywords for Your Brand). And, once you identify which keywords you want to target, you need to start using them!

Whether you’re writing blogs, social media posts, or creating descriptions for your YouTube videos, you should always keep your keywords in mind. The most important thing about using keywords in your content is that you use them naturally. If you try to stuff keywords into awkward places, Google can actually penalize you for keyword stuffing, which can hurt your website’s ranking in the SERP.

You also don’t have to worry about using your keywords exactly. While exact-match keywords are great, the most important thing is still that keywords are used naturally, even if it ends up being a variation of a keyword.

#4. Include a call to action.

When creating content, it’s important to take the time to think about what you want the end result to be. Are you hoping to convince people to buy a product or use a service, or are you just hoping to establish yourself as an authority in your field? Once you identify the result you’re looking for, create a CTA (call to action) to support it.

Whether your goal is to earn more followers on Facebook, get people to visit your store, or to subscribe to your monthly newsletter, direct your audience toward it by including a CTA in your content.

Be sure to test out your CTAs, the wording, the placement, the format — everything. You may think you know what kind of CTA will get you the most engagement, but there’s no way to know unless you test it.

#5. Get help!

The thought of being the one person managing and producing all of your own content can get overwhelming quickly. And, you’ll be glad to know that you don’t necessarily have to do it on your own.

Collaborating with others is a great way to keep your brand content fresh and original, and it automatically leads to a bigger audience, as the person you’re collaborating will likely want to share it, too. If that person links back to your website, that will also help to improve your rankings in the SERP.

Who should you collaborate with? Industry associations, your local chamber of commerce, and businesses that are related to yours (but are not your competitors) are all great options.

Content marketing is one small aspect of your business’ online reputation. Learn how to take control of your online reputation today by signing up/claiming your Top Rated Local® listing!