As a local roofing company your best customers may be your neighbors. In order for them to find you, it’s crucial to have a dynamic presence online. While your website, word-of-mouth and personal referrals give you a leg up when it comes to drumming up business, online searches are one of the most common ways homeowners find your company.
Local SEO refers to search engine optimization for local search. In essence, when people in your area type “roofing company” into Google, you will show up in the results — if you’ve taken the right steps. It’s a simple but effective way to get the search engine to favor you over other companies offering similar services.
1. Claim and Update Your Google My Business Listing
If you’ve ever looked for a new restaurant, spa, dog groomer or indeed any local company, you’ve probably noticed Google will give you a list of the top three businesses offering that service in your area. Setting up a My Business listing with Google won’t automatically get you in this three-pack of roofers, but it’s an essential first step.
You’ll enter your operating hours, name, address and phone number, choose a category for your business and have the option to upload some photos. Fill out this information as completely as possible, as it’s what your potential customers will see first when they search for roofing services. Make sure your contact info is the same on your website and online listings, so the Google robots don’t get confused. Watch our video on setting up a My Business page here.
2. Claim, Create and Update Online Directory Listings
Google also looks for business listings on common online directories like Yelp and Merchant Circle. Also get your company on other major listings like Apple Maps and Bing Places. Aggregator sites, like Localeze and Infogroup, also increase your online presence and make sure your information is accessible to people looking for a roofing company.
Once you’re signed up, keep a list of the directories that have your information and the last time you reviewed the listing. Any information discrepancies — maybe you used a cell phone number on one listing and an office line on another — make it tough for the search engines to decide if your company is legitimate, which works against you for search.
3. Get More Customer Reviews
Probably one of the first things you’ll notice about the Google three-pack is the star rating. This is an aggregate score based on user reviews of a company which is added to the Google listing. You might be uncomfortable asking customers for reviews, but it’s one of the best ways to get people to choose your company.
You can simply add a brief note asking customers to “Review us on Google,” or “Want to share your experience? Review our company on Facebook.” A greater number of reviews may add to your company’s relevance when it comes to local search, increasing your odds of sitting at the top of the search results.
More and more businesses are finding the old ways of selling their services aren’t working in an increasingly mobile-driven world. Think of local search as a way of improving the Yellow Pages ads of days past. With the right information and support from valued customers, your roofing company can stand out above the rest.