Contractor SEO: A Definitive Guide to SEO for Contractors

When you build a nice house, you want people to see it. That’s easy to do when you’re on the corner of a busy street, and plenty of people walk by. But, if the house is tucked away and hidden behind a long driveway, not as many people get to admire your hard work. 

SEO, or search engine optimization, works the same way. When you build a website, SEO helps people discover it on Google and learn about your business. It’s incredibly valuable for contractors because it helps you attract new clients and book more appointments online. 

In this post, I’ll teach you everything you need to know about contractor SEO. I’ll explain how search optimization works and share local SEO tips to help you grow your business.  

Let’s get started. 

Local SEO Tips for Contractors

Search engine optimization means making your site more discoverable by search engines like Google. Most people use Google to research local businesses, so appearing at the top of the SERP or search engine results page is important.

There are a lot of factors that go into SEO. If you’re looking for an in-depth guide, I recommend checking out this one. 

But if you’re looking for some quick ways to improve your online presence, below are seven local SEO tips for contractors. 

1. Claim and optimize your business listings.

When you Google “best contractor near me,” you’ll probably see a map of results like this one: 

These are called online listings, and the ones above are Google Business Profiles. If you haven’t, create or claim your company on Google Business Profile. Add as much information as possible and keep this data accurate over time. This makes it easier for Google to find you when people search for contractors. 

Other sites will also create profiles for your business. These are called directories, and there are dozens, if not hundreds, of them for small businesses. 

You should add your business to as many as possible to maximize your online presence. Here’s where you’ll need an online listings tool to manage your listings in one place. It can add your business to new directories and update your information all at once without switching between apps.

Tip: Check out this Google Business Profile Guide to learn how to optimize your profile for SEO. 

2. Do keyword research to grow your site.

When people talk about SEO, you’ll see the term “keyword research” thrown around often. Keywords are words or phrases that people search for on Google. For example, “best contractor near me” is a keyword. If you know which keywords your customers are searching for, you can update your website to target those searches. 

Here’s an example from a local construction website:

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These pages tell people what services they provide. When customers search for those phrases, Google knows this business provides those services. It’s good for customer experience and helps you rank higher in searches. 

Tip: Here’s a guide that can teach you how to do keyword research. 

3. Create location pages to show where you work. 

Like service pages, location pages help you appear in local searches. Local searches are keywords specific to areas, like “best contractor in Arizona.” 

You can rank for these keywords by creating location pages that explain where your company operates. Let’s go back to that last example: 

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This website lists the different locations where the company works. Each option has a link to an individual page that tells you more about that service area: 

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This helps the brand appear in location-based searches within its service area. 

Tip: Website builders have customizable templates you can use for location pages. 

4. Get (good) online reviews. 

Online reviews play a big role in local SEO. Brands that appear at the top of search results typically have many good reviews. They also respond to negative reviews, which shows Google that they’re active on their profile.

You can (and should) ask customers for reviews. When you complete a project, email your customers a link to your Google Business Profile. You can use marketing automation to follow up with each customer automatically. Whenever an invoice is sent, your system will send a follow-up email after a few days.

Tip: Use this free Google Review Link Generator to direct people to your Google Business Profile. 

5. Review your on-page and technical SEO.

When creating content for your website, there are a few SEO best practices to follow. These details will make your site easier for Google to read and analyze, giving you a better chance of ranking for different keywords. 

This is where things can get pretty technical. To keep it simple, here are the basics to pay attention to when creating site content. 

• Quality: Google’s job is to provide high-quality search results. If you want to outrank your competition, your website’s content must be as good as your handy work. Add images, links to relevant resources, and videos of your business helping customers. 
• Page Structure: You should use headers (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to organize content into different sections. That will show Google what to prioritize on your page.
• Titles & Meta Descriptions: Your page title should feature the keyword you want to rank for. You should also add meta descriptions to provide context about the webpage.
• Site Speed: Webpages should load quickly. Avoid large images and files that take time to load on your screen. These delays will affect your search rankings. 
• Coding: Google doesn’t see web pages like you and I do. It reads the code behind your page to see what’s on your website. Ensure your code is clean and includes proper labeling, such as alt and title tags.
• URL Structure: The URL or web address for pages matters a lot. Make sure they include your target keywords like “www.website.com/remodeling-services” 
• Mobile-Friendly: Your site should automatically reformat for different devices so that people can read it on the go. 

Tip: SEO tools can help track the performance of your site.

6. Partner with other local businesses.

Your site will be much more credible if you have links from other websites pointing towards it. This is called “backlinking,” and it’s very valuable for SEO.

Backlinking is one of the tougher things to do online, but here’s what I recommend:

1. Partner with other local businesses. Find ways to trade links on your sites that it benefits both your customers. 
2. Add links to your site on different profiles. Think social media, directories, events, and review sites. Even if no one clicks them, those links still matter.
3. Create awesome content. If you create cool and compelling content, people will share it online. 

Tip: Consider cross-promoting deals with other businesses to improve your backlinking strategy. 

7. Track your performance over time. 

SEO expert, Michael Brazile, compares SEO to a cruise ship. It doesn’t move as fast as a motorboat, and it’s not nimble like a jet ski. It’s slow and powerful, but it can take you a long way if you point it in the right direction.

How do you know if you’re going the right way? You have to track performance over time. SEO tools can help you monitor keyword rankings, traffic from Google, and backlinks pointing to your site. They help you measure growth to ensure your SEO strategy works.

Best SEO for Contractors

The best SEO strategy for contractors is to focus on local searches. Prioritize location-based keywords and research terms that best describe your services. SEO tools are a valuable resource. Leverage them for your business correctly, and you’ll build a site that organically attracts customers to your business.