How Local Home Improvement Contractors Can Get Found on Google

The Three “C’s” of SEO for Contractors (or any business)

“How do I get found on Google?”, is one of the most commonly asked questions by local contractors.  It’s a great question that has many layers, so we sat down with our digital partner Josh Eliseseon, CEO of Jubilant Digital, to help break it down.

So, how do contractors get found on Google?

We try to explain this in terms of the “3 C’s” of SEO, or better known as “Getting found on Google. 

“C” #1:  Code

Local contractors must make sure they have search engine friendly code on the site.  Think of it in terms of a lighthouse that signals a vast sea.  Your website is the lighthouse sending that signal into the great expanse, telling Google “We talk about this topic!  We can help this person!”  Weak code can dim the bulb.

Where there tends to be confusion is when SEO providers sell some sort of “magic code” and suddenly Joe Plumber thinks he is going be #1 right away.  However, while important overall, code is probably the least important ranking factor to consider. Now, Google ignores a lot of code flaws, unless there’s a big problem, like a lot of broken links. 

But sometimes there are missed opportunities with code.  For example, if you don’t have any meta descriptions. While that’s not going to necessarily hurt your ranking, it’s sure not helping you to not have any copy that reflects what the page is about.  Our take is that the code piece is probably the least important of the three CS.

Example of a Meta Description – Notice the wording underneath the headline that describes a page’s content

“C” #2:  Connections

In the most basic sense, connections center around link building, or in English, getting other websites to link to your website.  Generating ethical links from referring websites will help your prominence in the eyes of Google.  Links may be to a blog you wrote, a directory in a Chamber of Commerce, or Local Charities you’ve donated to.  Make sure to exhaust all partner avenues to help in this link building effort.  Sponsor your kid’s baseball team?  Ask if the league’s website has a sponsor section where your logo can link to your site.  

Keeping your name, address, and phone number consistent across the web falls under the connections bucket.  Always referred to as “citations,” it’s important, but some experts have argued this is becoming less important as Google gets smarter.  Software, such as YEXT or MOZLocal, can greatly help in this effort, saving many hours of mundane work that requires reaching out directly to hundreds of directory sites to ensure your business name address and phone numbers are consistently correct.

“C” #3:  Content

The most important “C” is content.   Keyword oriented content is what Google is looking for.  Google wants the search results on a topic to maximize the user experience.  So, if you want to rank for plumbing in Kansas City, Google searches for the website that has the most authority on that topic.  The way you prove to Google that you have the most authority creating a lot of content around that term.

Proving this to Google depends to what extent a business talks about the keyword/topic.  That’s the first step.  If the content is really good, it can generate links from other websites or social media, impacting the second “C” of Connections.  Google sees these links and your website authority is improved.

Thanks, Josh, for the high-level take on how local home improvement contractors can get found on Google.  The tactics seem straightforward, but consistently staying on top of it is the ongoing struggle.