The Ultimate Roofer SEO Guide: SEO for Roofing Explained
You’re most likely here for a simple reason. You’re part of a roofing company, and someone has, at some point, said the phrase SEO to you. Whatever has brought you here today, what follows is the ultimate roofer SEO guide.
In this ultimate roofer SEO guide we’ll help you climb the ranks of Google, bring in more and more leads, and ultimately make your business more profitable.
Let’s start simple. What is SEO? In fact, what does SEO even stand for? SEO means Search Engine Optimization. It is, essentially, the process of making sure that a website is formatted in a way that it has the best chance of ranking highly on search engines such as Google.
SEO is the answer to the big question that many trade businesses ask, “How can I get higher on Google?” Everyone knows that the majority of web traffic goes to the coveted number 1 spot, with a decent amount also going to the top 5 results. Below that, some traffic, and from page 2 onwards we’re talking less than 5% of total traffic. SEO is the process that leads to higher ranked pages on Google which, in turn, leads to more visibility for your business.
Why SEO is Important for Roofers
It’s fairly typical in the trades industry to rely on word-of-mouth recommendations. As long as people are recommending your services, then work will keep coming in. And it’s true. Word of mouth recommendations are some of the easiest to convert and by far the lowest cost leads. But for businesses hungry to grow, keen to future proof and protect themselves against tough times, and looking to build a reputable brand, word of mouth just isn’t enough.
When you look to purchase a product, one of the first things that you’ll do is turn to Google. The same can be said for the majority of people worldwide. It’s not just product purchasing either, it’s for research, for comparison and for information. Even when someone recommends a company providing a service, one of the first steps the potential customer will take is to Google the company and see whether they are legit or not.
Making sure that your business is visible on Google is tantamount to success. If you’re not visible then, frankly, you don’t exist in many people’s eyes. In Google terms, it’s anything beyond the first page, possibly the second page.
When you have a respectable presence on Google, and you’re within the top results, you’re putting your business right in front of customers at the very moment that they’re genuinely interested in looking for a service. Chances are they’ve typed in something like, “tiled roof repair” or similar, if your business is one of the top results there’s a very high chance that they’ll click through to your website.
The major benefit is that you’re there when they are actively looking for information. This is a gigantic step above traditional advertising means. Take for instance a newspaper advert, a billboard, or even a radio/TV advert. These are what we’d call intrusive adverts. They pop up and try to sell something to you when you’re not thinking about it. If you’re driving home after a long day at work, chances are you’re not ready to decide on who mends your leaking roof. Whereas in order to get potential roofers on Google, the user has to actively go to Google and type in a search term. This means a far higher conversion opportunity.
SEO is an important marketing opportunity for two core reasons. On the face of it, managed SEO services can seem fairly expensive, especially when you’re paying out on a monthly basis. That can be true, but SEO is a hugely cost-effective solution when you consider the cost per lead. Once a high rank has been achieved and leads are flowing in, you are looking at fractional cost per lead compared to traditional roofing marketing methods.
Furthermore, the leads that do come in are often the highest quality. Most people who come through to your website via Google rankings achieved by SEO have typed in a particular location or a very specific set of keywords. You can assume that they’ve come to your website because you offer the particular service that they offer. Therefore, when they request a quote or get in touch, you already know that some quality assurance has already happened on the lead before you even look at it.
How to Do SEO for a Roofing Website
SEO is divided into 2 core categories: On-Page (Onsite) SEO and Off-Page (Offsite) SEO. They can loosely be defined as items you’re in control of on your own website vs items on other people’s websites that contribute to your rankings. In this section, we’ll go over a list of tasks you can complete to optimize your website for search engines, but also for those using your website who aren’t robots, real humans.
On-Page SEO
Mobile First
There’s no hiding from the fact that the majority of web traffic now takes place on handheld devices. In order to succeed, your roofing website design has to be mobile-friendly. That means that it is optimized for the screen size, it loads quickly on mobile data, and it looks great on mobile. Mobile used to be an afterthought, now you should avoid it at your peril.
Optimize Tags And Meta Description
Every page on your website can be tagged with certain phrases or keywords. Look to optimize these by adding tags to each page that you are keen to rank. This means including your state, city, or area that you’re looking to target in title tags, meta descriptions, and in the text that’s on the page itself.
HTTPS
HTTPS essentially means that your website is secure in so much that information transferred is encrypted by using a security certificate. If you only see HTTP in front of your website address when visiting it, it means you don’t have an SSL certificate or it’s not applied correctly. Have a word with your hosting provider to have one added.
Implement Schema Markup
One of the more complicated tasks to complete for someone new to SEO. Schema is a set of blueprints that tells Google how to show your website in the search results. To add schema you’ll add certain tags to pages in a specific coded format. You can learn more about schema markup here, or we’d recommend seeking professional SEO help.
Add Useful Tools – Like Quotation Tools
Adding tools to your website is useful in two core ways. First of all, they provide a great resource for the customers browsing your site. They can assist the early stages of research and can even turn slightly interested into a quotation request. Secondly, they hold visitors on your site and increase their dwell time, which is a significant factor in Google ranking. The longer a person spends on a page the more useful Google deems it to have been.
Optimize For Image SEO
Images are heavy files, they can be multiple megabytes per image and these levels of data can grind your site to a snail’s pace when loading. Instead, look to optimize your images by compressing them (there are plenty of free online tools) and then uploading them to your website. You should also ensure that you add alt-text to each image, these words tell Google what the image is and therefore helps Google place it in Google Image Search.
Fix Broken Links
When Google sees 404 errors on your site it sees it as a broken user experience. This can in turn detrimentally affect your rankings. Check your site regularly for broken links and fix them where you can.
Off-Page SEO
Get Listed On Other Citation Sources
Citation websites are those such as local directories, newspapers, classifieds, etc. Each of these local links is a boost to your local off page SEO. When Google sees respected local websites linking to yours, it is far more likely to rank your site.
Write Blogs For Other Related Companies
Chances are you know some other trades who aren’t in direct competition with you or are a partnered trade, or even a local supplier. Each of them is likely to have its own website, if you offer to write them a guest blog (eg, Tips on Roof Maintenance), and include a link back to your site.
Build Up Online Reviews
Online reviews are an indicator to Google that you’re an active and recommended business, but also massively attract customers who are browsing for services. It’s only natural to look at a company that has hundreds of star reviews near 5 stars vs a company that has a few 3-star reviews.
Local SEO for Roofers
Google Business Profile
Google My Business is a powerhouse of local SEO. It allows you to take online reviews, allows customers to communicate with you, and gets you a pin on Google Maps. It’s a no brainer, if you don’t have an account then get one!
Add Location Across Strategic Parts Of The Site
Be sure to include the location of your service offerings across your site, that means consider including them in:
- The headings
- The body copy
- The title tag
- The meta description
- The footer
Keep your NAP Up to Date
NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. Seems obvious that you should keep this up to date, but it’s easy to miss and when Google sees conflicting results on the web it tends to avoid ranking sites so that customers aren’t confused or unable to access services.
It’s important that your NAP is consistent everywhere your business is listed online, including your Google My Business profile and any other business directories you belong to.
What to Expect with Roofer SEO Services
Results Take Time
Results are measured in 3 core metrics: impressions, clicks, and conversions. Impressions are how many times your page has been viewed, clicks are how many times someone has clicked on your site via Google and conversions are a percentage-based metric looking at, for example, how many people clicked vs how many saw the site.
These results, especially positive ones, take time. SEO is not a quick fix, it’s a long game that never actually ends. It can, especially with new sites, take months before you see much movement, especially if you’re in a competitive area or service where others are already investing in SEO. It’s certainly not too late to start, but you shouldn’t expect results overnight.
You should also remember to focus on metrics like conversions rather than looking at things like impressions in isolation. You’ve got 1,000 impressions? That’s great! But how many clicked? How many got in touch? If those metrics are low, then something is amiss.
New Roofing Leads Every Month
Successful SEO means that your website is there whenever someone searches, at any time, on any day, or whenever someone is looking for services. If you get to a top 3 position then you’ll see leads consistently, even if your site is lower on page 1, you’ll see results. If you achieve the top of page 1, then you’ll get the most traffic and leads of anyone in the search results.
PPC vs SEO
SEO is consistent. Once invested in (both time and likely financially) you’ll only stop getting leads if someone else outranks you or you drop in rankings. This tends to happen when you stop working on SEO, or someone puts in more work than you. Roofing PPC advertising (pay per click – think Google Ads) is only there for as long as you’re paying for it. As soon as you stop putting a budget behind ads then they won’t be shown anymore, and the leads stop instantly.
Roofer SEO Deliverables
So what sort of deliverables can you expect from SEO as a roofer?
- New website content like blogs or informational pages
- Fixing and optimizing your existing content
- Citations in business directories
- Backlinks to your site from guest blog content
Why You Should Invest in Roofing SEO
Increased traffic
Higher ranked sites get more clicks, more clicks mean more people coming through to your site.
Better Quality Traffic
And not only more traffic but better traffic. Quality SEO means that you’ve targeted the correct keywords via your site, keywords on services that you offer in specific areas that you serve. It stands to reason that people clicking on your site after using those specific keywords are going to be looking for your services. It’s better quality traffic that is far more likely to convert.
Increased Brand Awareness
If you’re ranking highly on Google, even if someone doesn’t click onto your site, they are seeing you there and seeing you being competitive for that phrase or service that they’re searching for. This, therefore, increases your brand awareness.
Key Takeaways
SEO for roofers is a no-brainer. If you’re looking to grow your business to the next level, develop new leads and establish your brand in a specific area or service, then SEO is for you. Yes, it does take time and effort, but the payoffs are well worth it.
- Building a respectable brand on Google leads to more leads, more quotes, more work, and more profit.
- Ensure you develop on page and off page SEO tactics.
- Build into your local presence by focusing on location specific keywords.
- Be patient, SEO takes time.
Aaron R. - CEO
Entrepreneur with 20 years experience launching and managing successful web design and marketing companies. As seen in New York Times, Inc.com, Smashing Magazine, Home Advisor and other various mainstream media.
Passionate about #seo #marketing #webdesign #socialmedia #blogging #family #texasbbq
"*" indicates required fields
