In the home improvement industry, search engine marketing has become an important way to connect with prospects on the internet. It’s an area of digital marketing that requires optimizing content on websites for various ways someone may search for home renovation. Whenever a kitchen remodeling contractor opts to take part in search engine marketing, his or her goal is to have the company Google My Business (GMB) listing or company website featured on a search engine results page (SERP) for certain keywords and also to know how your customers are looking for you, be it by talking to their phone or by text based searches..
There are several reasons why home improvement contractors may want to invest part of their marketing budget into digital marketing, but at the end of the day, it really comes down to 2 things:
- Profitability: According to 99firms, businesses make an average of $8 profits for every $1 they spend on Google Search and Ads. Many home remodeling contractors are motivated to invest in the search engine marketing because of the potential of getting a solid return on their marketing investment.
- Higher click-through rate: Research has proven that marketers who combine organic SEO and pay per click, (PPC) ads are likely going to see 25% more clicks to their landing pages than their competitors without utilizing search engine marketing strategies.
It goes without saying that there is a great deal of competition in any home improvement niche, be it redesigning bathrooms, finishing a basement or kitchen remodeling due to high ticket items and customized services. Because of this fact, more and more business owners within the industry will need to continue to invest in search engine marketing and continue to learn how Google works so they can outpace their competition.
Google is the most popular search engine on the internet today. Every day, billions of people use it to answer a question that they have or find a service they need. Homeowners typically only engage with the first set of results Google provides to them. Such a level of engagement has made first page results an important aspect of any marketing analysis. This is why it is so important for local businesses to ensure searches for their services with a geo-modifier such as “near me” or one of the towns a business services returns the business website and Google My Business page in those first results. So, anyone aiming to secure a space on Google’s SERPs can utilize a combination of local map placement, organic long-term search engine optimization strategies or pay per click (PPC) advertising to jump in front of the pack.
LOCAL SEO BENEFIT
Local SEO has been identified as a major contributing factor to increased sales. As mentioned by Lyfemarketing, 61% of people who performed a local search ended up calling the business. Such an analysis implies that a business who ranks better in local search without having the “sponsored” tag on their listing can more easily earn a call from a potential customer. So, if a business can weave local SEO strategies into its online marketing plan, the chances of acquiring new customers are higher.
GMB BENEFITS
Google Local Pack (GMB and Google Maps) are another crucial aspect of local SEO, especially for home improvement contractors. According to thinkwithGoogle.com, 4 out of 5 consumers use search engines to find local information. With GMB (Google my Business), home improvement contractors can easily be discovered by customers near them, which is important, as home improvement contractors typically have a limited geographic area they can service.
GOOGLE ADWORDS
This is a paid way of ensuring a website will come up when a keyword is being searched, particularly inside a preset local area. The result normally appears at the top of a SERP or to the side, and increasingly look more and more like organic results. Currently, Google places a small green ‘Ad’ label on AdWords optimized searches. It can help businesses who can’t opt for local SEO earn more click-through rate.
AdWords vs GMB optimization vs. Local SEO
Local SEO doesn’t bring an anticipated result overnight. It takes an average of 3-9 months for the result of such a strategy to manifest. However, it can provide for a massive number of organic traffic.
Since more people are using maps for finding local service providers near them, GMB optimization can help local home improvement contractors earn more visibility. It is also important to remember that many local searches are done using voice search on a smart phone or Alexa device, so you need to consider what questions homeowners are asking. We will discuss how to optimize for local SEO a bit later.
Though AdWords doesn’t guarantee a significant amount of organic traffic, it’s a faster way of gaining the attention of many eyeballs on search engines.
Indeed, the home renovation niche is highly competitive. It favors brands that can innovatively attract internet users to its website GMB listing. To reap the benefits, search engine marketing is a must. The key is to understand what you as a business owner can do to improve your chances of getting that first page result and how to sustain it over the long-haul.
If you found this information intestesting, you may want to check out our podcast on digital marketing tip and strategies of kitchen and bath remodeling contractors.
