Join Nolen and Jason from Plumbing Webmasters as they explore the critical differences between branded and unbranded SEO strategies for plumbers in 2024. This video is packed with insights and real-world examples, making it an essential watch for anyone in the plumbing industry looking to enhance their online presence.Key Highlights:Understanding Digital Branded Signaling: Learn about the shift from traditional SEO to digital branded signaling, which encompasses experience, expertise, authority, and trust and how it impacts your online visibility.The Role of a Website in Branding: Discover why a website is more than just a conversion tool; it's a crucial component of your discovery and branding strategy.The Power of DataPins: Nolen introduces DataPins, a proprietary software designed to boost your website's SEO through geo-tagged photos and job descriptions, enhancing both your Google Maps and organic search presence.Real-Life Branding Lessons: Hear a compelling story about the importance of branding over merely having a company name and how a lack of branding leads to poor conversion and recognition.Comprehensive Digital Marketing Services: Plumbing Webmasters offers a range of services, including website design, content creation, and management of Google Maps and organic rankings, all aimed at enhancing your digital brand.The Importance of a Holistic Approach: Understand why focusing solely on Google reviews and neglecting other aspects of your brand can hinder your online success.The Competitive Edge: Gain insights into how doing more than your competitors in terms of branding and digital marketing can significantly improve your ranking and visibility.Conclusion:This video is a treasure trove of information for plumbers aiming to dominate the digital space in 2024. Nolen and Jason's expertise shines through, offering actionable advice and strategies to elevate your plumbing business's online presence.Learn more about Plumbing Webmasters below:https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/

Join Nolen and Jason from Plumbing Webmasters as they dive deep into the world of plumbing marketing in their latest video. Ever wondered where the majority of your leads come from? Spoiler alert: It's still Google! In this enlightening discussion, our experts debunk common misconceptions about lead sources and emphasize the unmatched power of organic traffic from Google. From sharing real-life anecdotes to introducing our game-changing proprietary software, DataPins, this video is a treasure trove of insights for every plumbing business owner. Whether you're considering expansion or just looking to maximize your current market, Nolen and Jason offer invaluable advice to help you navigate the digital landscape. Don't miss out on these industry secrets – subscribe to our channel for more expert tips and tricks! #PlumbingMarketing #GoogleLeads #DataPinsYou can learn more about the process below:https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/free-plumbing-leads/(877) 388-9884

Join Nolen and Jason from Plumbing Webmasters as they dive deep into the world of digital marketing for plumbers. In this enlightening discussion, they shed light on the common pitfalls and misconceptions that have led many in the plumbing industry astray. Discover why many marketing agencies offer false promises and why organic search engine optimization (SEO) remains a cornerstone for genuine, long-lasting online success. Nolen and Jason caution against the allure of quick fixes and emphasize the pivotal role of high-quality content in ensuring Google recognizes and ranks your services. They also introduce DataPins, a game-changing proprietary software tailored for contractors. Designed to enhance organic optimization, DataPins allows users to seamlessly post job photos with captions and geocoordinates directly to their websites. Don't get sidetracked by fleeting marketing trends; focus on building a robust online foundation with insights from the experts at Plumbing Webmasters.Learn more below:https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/plumbing-marketing/

Part 3 of Plumbing SEO and A.I. Integrated SearchPart 3 of this podcast series from Plumbing Webmasters focuses on cutting losses with old-school SEO tactics that no longer benefit your rankings.Nolen and Jason discuss the changes in old-school SEO caused by AI-integrated search. They highlight the ineffectiveness of blog posts for contractors and the penalties imposed by Google for poor quality and AI-generated content. They emphasize the importance of proper digital signaling and good content, recommending the reduction of excessive pages and redirecting low-quality content. The agency experts also stress the need for distinct and well-optimized pages for specific service categories on a website. They discuss the impact of AI on search rankings and promote their software, DataPins, to improve website performance. Check out some of the critical points of the episode:Google now penalizes poor quality, bloated, and AI-generated content, making it essential to avoid using AI to generate content. They caution against trying to trick AI algorithms and emphasize the need for proper digital signaling and good content. They suggest reducing excessive pages and redirecting low-quality content for a quicker recovery in search rankings.Distinct and well-optimized pages for specific categories of services on a plumbing website are vital. A cluttered and low-quality website can result in penalties from AI-integrated search algorithms, leading to a loss in rankings. AI may have been integrated into search algorithms a few years ago, causing rapid and unpredictable changes in rankings. There is a need for high-quality and adequately written content created by reputable sources. DataPins helps contractors post pictures and captions of their work to improve their website's performance in terms of reputation, reviews, map placement, and organic keywords.Quality content and proper integration of AI are paramount in plumbing SEO. AI has made Google more capable of identifying good and bad practices, and it is crucial to have strong digital branding signals, such as daily coordinated pins and unique photos, to improve search rankings and map placements. The new AI-integrated algorithm rewards websites with good SEO practices while penalizing those with poor fundamentals and outdated spammy techniques. Rapid algorithm changes require staying current and focusing on providing the best user experience. Also, contextualizing information for clients and Google can improve visibility and fix online issues efficiently.Learn more at:https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/ai-content/Call us at: (877) 388-9884

Part 2 of Plumbing SEO and A.I. Integrated Search Part 2 of this podcast series, hosted by Nolan and Jason from Plumbing Webmasters and DataPins, discusses the integration of AI in SEO, specifically for the plumbing industry. They discuss the concept of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust), which Google has been emphasizing for the past few years. Google's algorithm has evolved to prioritize these factors, penalizing spammy or irrelevant content and rewarding content that provides a good user experience.The hosts highlight the importance of creating relevant and useful content for the user rather than trying to trick Google's algorithm with keyword stuffing or irrelevant blog posts. They also discuss the negative impact of having too many pages on a website that don't provide value to the user.DataPins allows plumbers to quickly and easily create content for their websites. With DataPins, plumbers can take photos of their jobs, write captions, tag the relevant service page and city, and send this information directly to their clients. This content is then automatically uploaded to their Google account and their website, expanding their keyword base and improving their E-A-T signals.They also discuss the future of AI and SEO, predicting that Google's algorithm will continue to become more sophisticated and harder to trick. They emphasize the importance of adapting to these changes and focusing on creating high-quality, relevant content. Learn more about how E-E-A-T Impacts plumbing content below: https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/resources/perfect-content/ Call us for an SEO analysis: (877) 388-9884

art 1 of this Plumbing SEO podcast episode series features Nolen and Jason discussing the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for plumbing businesses. Here are the key points:- AI integration in SEO is primarily a new presentation with a few new filters to determine what to show. It's still working off the same information as traditional SEO.- Google's search results page now features infinite scroll, making the "above the fold" content more important than ever. This might increase the value of positions 11 through 20 as users are more likely to keep scrolling.- Fundamental SEO practices should not be abandoned. Good SEO practices are still valuable, and bad ones are still detrimental. The definition of good and bad SEO has mostly stayed the same, but the focus has tightened on content.- Tools like DataPins can enhance web presence but can't fix a lousy web effort alone. Google is still judging your digital brand signaling and the health of the brand.- AI should not be used to write content, as Google penalizes AI-written content that is not properly edited and fact-checked.- Bing is gaining some traction due to ChatGPT, but it's still primarily an answer engine, not a marketing and advertising engine.- Old-school SEO, defined as black hat or trying to trick Google, has been taking a hit lately.- To rank well, brands must have their content just right, structured properly for their area, regular updates and changes, good quality practices, speed, SSL certificates, and professional SEO services.-The integration of AI in SEO is not expected to increase results for a plumber, but it might change who's getting the results.Contact Plumbing Webmasters for assistance with new SEO changes.https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/ai-content/

The emergence of artificial intelligence has changed the world and digital marketing in particular. ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and Google SGE (with Google Bard) will fundamentally change SEO for plumbers.Don't panic, as the premise of Google's algorithm will remain unchanged. Furthermore, your customers will still use Google to find local plumbing companies. The Google SGE will use AI to pull plumbing businesses from Google Maps (similar to the Google Map 3-Pack.)To retrofit your plumbing SEO strategy, you need E-E-A-T signals, the number one concept the AI-driven algorithms will evaluate. To achieve E-E-A-T, plumbers need a software tool called DataPins that converts their jobs into branded digital signaling called pins.While AI-driven search would seem to open the door for AI-generated content, it actually does the opposite. Google's AI-driven algorithm is designed to weed out thin and low-quality content and will include an expansion of September 2022's Helpful Content Update.Most AI content is cookie-cutter trash that algorithms can detect. While you can do significant editing to make it passable, the content still requires digital signaling (E-E-A-T)To learn more about plumbing SEO and A.I., check out the article below:https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/ai-content/

Nolen and Jason of Plumbing Webmasters discuss the basics of plumber SEO on this episode of The Plumbing SEO Podcast. The first step is understanding what NOT to do. First, DON'T SPAM your website with AI content, copied content, outsourced content, thin content, excessive blog posts, keyword-stuffed content, etcetera.The Basics of Plumber SEO include the following:Quality WebsiteRelevant ContentDigital SignalingLack of SpamThe goal is NOT to GAME THE SYSTEM (meaning Google); it is to produce content your target consumer can appreciate. For example, dropping a pin for a Rannai water heater installation in your city using DataPins is HELPFUL CONTENT for the end user.Google's algorithm is more intelligent than ever, making detecting illegitimate content, links, and other spam easier. Unfortunately, ignorance of Google's advancements is one thing you can't afford.Check out the rest of the podcast to learn more about Plumber SEO basics in 2023 and how you can generate plumbing leads on Google.Learn more here: https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/seo-for-plumbers/

Plumbing companies in small towns, city outskirts, and census-designated areas can have difficulty maximizing their online presence. In some cases, there are simply not enough people to make ranking #1 in your city a profitable achievement. So what should these plumbers do?Sometimes, plumbers in rural markets think that marketing is not worthwhile. This conclusion is false and will limit your business's potential in 2023. Small-town plumbers can dominate with Local SEO.In this podcast episode, Nolen Walker and Jason Landry of The Plumbing SEO Podcast outline the best Local SEO strategies for plumbing companies in low-population areas.For instance, some plumbing companies can optimize for a larger city nearby (within 15 minutes), while others can benefit from city pages (aka local landing pages) that allow them to cover a broader consumer base.One factor that certainly helps is DataPins, a tool that inserts geo-coordinates into your on-page content. So, for example, plumbing companies can validate jobs in a specific location along with mini-maps, images, and captions (the content comprising each pin).Listen to the full episode to learn every technique.You can also learn more at: https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/

E.E.A.T. stands for experience, expertise, trustworthiness, and authority. These are four categories Google has publically championed for local businesses. Of course, thousands of factors comprise each of these broad categories, but they provide insights into how to rank on Google.Plumbers can demonstrate experience by having an aged domain name and website content. They can showcase expertise through DataPins check-ins and service page content. Plumbing companies can prove trustworthiness through reviews on Google and highlight authority through expansive website content, years in business, and link building.Beating competitors on Google is easy in 2023 since most companies fail to demonstrate any E.E.A.T ranking factors. Most plumbers are content with an essential website with stock photos and thin content. You can easily beat these websites with fundamental signaling.To learn more about our ranking process, visit https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/

The phrase "SEO is Dead" is thrown out every single year. Of course, SEO is still alive, but many practices used to rank previously are obsolete. In addition, SEO requires constant adjustment as Google consistently updates its algorithms.For example, the 2022 Helpful Content Update targets content written to game the search algorithm, including AI-generated content, repetitive blog posts, and scraped city pages. Even though some higher-end AI content reads like a human wrote it, Google can still detect it and penalize your website.While unhelpful content can suppress your SEO rankings, the content itself is still important. That's where the marketing goldilocks zone comes in. You can't have too much or too little content; it must be just right.Your content must address your users' needs and provide unique and original information about your company and industry. You also need high-level signaling demonstrating your company's EEAT, expertise, experience, authority, and trust. You can earn these signals with unique photos, About Us sections, reviews, and quality links.To learn more about reaching the goldilocks zone for plumber SEO in 2023, listen to the full episode with Nolen Walker and Jason Landry of Plumbing Webmasters.Learn more at: https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/

Google's Helpful Content Update downgraded websites engaging in low-quality content production practices such as A.I. generated content, lack of content, poorly written content, and sloppy content.Unfortunately, for plumbers, plumbing websites are some of the most guilty of engaging in these practices. Part of it stems from bad actors in the plumbing marketing landscape, and other times it is ignorance.Some plumbing companies don't realize their website is written with A.I. generated tools since it reads like a college-educated writer produced the actual content. However, Google has the technology to detect A.I. will likely downgrade your rankings.In either case, these content practices can ruin your website and online presence in 2023. The following podcast episode dives into standard practices flagged by Google and how to create Google-friendly plumbing content in 2023.To learn more about writing high-quality plumbing web content, check out this resource: https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/resources/perfect-content/

Most people trust professional services like CPAs and lawyers to know more about the subject than they do. For example, you need a CPA because you aren't versed in every tax law, and you need a lawyer because you didn't pass the bar. However, with digital marketing, which is also a professional service, people tend to dismiss the expertise. And who can blame them? There are more bad actors in marketing than in most professional spaces. Furthermore, it's easier to "make stuff up" regarding marketing results.As a result, unlike accountants, lawyers, and doctors, plumbers will fire their digital marketing agency on a whim, falsely believing that they know more about marketing than the marketer. And plumbers can relate to this in their own business when somebody thinks they know more about a plumbing problem than you as a professional.So what should plumbers do about this in 2023? The key is finding a competent digital marketing agency with proven results. Once you find a marketing agency you can trust, you can allow them to do their job while you reap the rewards. While so much misinformation may pull you back into false narratives, sticking with someone you trust is essential.In the following podcast, Nolen and Jason discuss the problem of not knowing about digital marketing for plumbers. Whether you believe you can't rank or that ranking doesn't matter in 2023, we directly address false narratives currently floating around the plumber marketing industry.Learn more about our company here: https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/

Getting screwed by digital marketing agencies has become a right of passage for most plumbers. It's common that plumbing marketing agencies rope companies into spending $12,000 per month on PPC and SEM. Unfortunately, this package is a total ripoff.Your goal as a plumbing company (in many cases) should be to have zero ad spend. Once you're firmly cemented on "The Big Show," which means Google organic and Local Maps results, you can begin to generate consistent leads without PPC for plumbers.It's not the plumber's fault that most marketing agencies use hardcore sales tactics to rip them off. And as a result, it's understandable why plumbers hate digital marketing agencies. However, once they realize what they can get from "The Big Show," everything changes.This podcast episode dives into the sham that plumber marketing agencies have become and the tactics they are using to screw you into paying $12,000 per month for PPC and SEM. Nolen and Jason outline how to get out of this situation and invest in organic SEO.Learn more at: https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/seo-services/pay-per-click/Call us at: (877) 388-9884

Plumbers can often detect economic downturns before it becomes official. Increased prices and lower work volume are clear indicators.Since plumbing is an essential service, it's an excellent business to be in. However, the home renovation boom of 2020 is over, and those extra jobs are not readily available.So how should plumbers handle marketing during an upcoming recession? It's essential to stay consistent with your marketing campaign and perhaps even invest more in marketing if you've neglected it during booming work periods.A recession is a marketing opportunity since many contractors cut marketing costs at a time when they should probably increase them. Now is the time to overtake these competitors on Google search results (through organic SEO) and get all their traffic.To learn more about Plumbing Webmasters, check us out here:https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/Call us at:  (877) 388-9884

There's nothing wrong with buying plumbing leads. However, the most successful plumbing companies DON'T HAVE to purchase leads. Plumbers identifying as "lead buyers" have a root problem preventing them from generating consistent business. The lead buyer mindset is antithetical to sustainable business success. For example, we offered pay-per-lead plans, and plumbers had to pay 10x of our monthly fee and could not afford it. These companies could've generated all these leads for free with our monthly subscription.The key is getting into "The Big Show" of plumbing marketing which is non-paid Google results (Map 3-Pack and traditional organic results)Nolen and Jason of Plumbing Webmasters expound on why fixing the real problem will relieve you of the urge to buy plumbing leads --- because you won't have to.Learn more at https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/buy-plumbing-leads-ppl/

At Plumbing Webmasters, we are here to help plumbers reach their goals. However, the only way to dominate Google Maps rankings is to work within Google guidelines, not against them.In today's podcast, Nolen Walker and Jason Landry of Plumbing Webmasters discuss the intricacies of Google Maps rankings. You can rank in multiple areas if you have more than one legitimate location.However, it's important to understand that Google Maps uses a LOCAL algorithm. You have to be local to rank in Google Maps. You cannot rank across state lines from the same Google Business Profile.Listen to this podcast to learn how to dominate Google Maps rankings for plumbers.https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/resources/google-maps-for-plumbers/

Nolen Walker and Jason Landry of Plumbing Webmasters discuss plumber reputation, reviews, and rankings with the must-have Local SEO tool, DataPins. The Webmasters' team references Ahrefs recent Hidden Terms Study, which finds that nearly half of all clicks come from searches that Google cannot assign to a specific query. Typically these are long-tail keywords or private searches. Either way, DataPins helps you rank for these kinds of plumbing terms on Google.As part of a comprehensive digital marketing plan, accurate review management can help boost your company’s awareness and authority. Let our experts provide you with the plumbing content, web design, and reputation management your company needs to succeed. Our reputation management tool, DataPins, changes the local SEO game for plumbers and ensures prominent visibility and higher conversions.https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/seo-services/plumber-reputation-management/

SEO spam is a big problem for plumbing companies. For most plumbers, they fight spam from competitors who use black-hat SEO in an attempt to manipulate Google’s algorithm. Some plumbers, however, are

At HVAC-Plumber SEO Webmasters, we understand how to generate plumbing leads for companies. However, some contractors prefer to buy plumbing leads from 3rd-party vendors, which shall remain nameless. 

Every year some hotshot marketer poses the question, is plumber SEO dead? It’s a clickbait question to garner attention. Here’s the truth: SEO ethics, skills, and competence are dead, but the practice

At Plumbing Webmasters, every new client we speak with has been screwed by a digital marketing company at some point in their careers. Unfortunately, while there are a few good digital marketing agenc

The industry can be tough to navigate when it comes to plumbing contractor marketing. Plumbers are constantly bombarded with calls from marketing agencies offering new shiny objects in the form of whi

Strong brand signals increase conversions for plumbing companies in 2022. If you’ve ever wondered why SEO works for some people and does not work for others, the answer is in the brand. A well-known p

Nolen and Jason discuss user intent on today’s Plumbing Webmasters podcast. One of the most significant changes in Google’s algorithm has been user intent in the past decade. As a result, websites fro

As an SEO company that has served the plumbing industry for over a decade, Plumbing Webmasters has devoted its business to helping plumbers thrive. We’ve already written the ultimate guide for Plumber SEO based on our decade-plus experience working with plumbers, but we also understand that the SEO algorithms consistently evolve. With this in mind, here are five plumber SEO changes for 2022 and how to respond. 1) Quality Content Over Thin Blogs Google’s patience for thin content is growing ironically thin. In 2022, Google prefers not to index thin content or trash blogs from plumbing websites. Here’s the reality; most plumbing websites don’t provide great blog posts for their users. Instead, they publish short and ineffective posts with the idea of keeping their website fresh. This mentality is obsolete, and plumbers should avoid publishing worthless content. Instead, focus on creating service pages for each one of your services. Google prefers to rank service pages as individual pages rather than bullet points from a single page. So focus on creating great service pages for each one of your plumbing services in 2022. As for blog posts, only publish long-form blog posts that target high-volume keywords. While blog posts are unlikely to deliver customers directly, they can capture leads at the top of the funnel, which many eventually convert into customers. Additionally, long-form posts can strengthen your service pages with tactful interlinking and attract external links from reputable 3rd-party websites. 2) Reviews & Reputation Are Even More Important For years statistics have provided that reputation directly influences a company’s success online. For example, when users find a plumber, they want to verify their reputation from 3rd party review platforms like Google My Business and Facebook. In 2022, reviews and reputation are even more critical. As more companies put resources into acquiring reviews, customers have grown to expect a certain level of social proof. Software apps like DataPins and Podium have made showcasing feedback more manageable than ever before. DataPins, in particular, takes things a step further by allowing plumbers to publish geo-pins on their website along with schema markup. Showing that you’ve performed jobs in a specific location and having reviews and schema to validate those jobs is a great way to separate your plumbing company from local competitors. The reputation game has gotten support from apps and software, but it’s also more competitive. Plumbers must take their reputation seriously in 2022. 3) Auto-Changed Title Tags Google recently implemented a mechanism that auto rewrites title tags on particular web pages. For the longest time, title tags were the most important SEO factor, as they told Google what your pages’ topic was in 50-60 characters. While Google says they’ve only changed about 20% of title tags and still use the traditional title 80% of the time, the results have been controversial. Plumbers can ensure their pages display a solid title regardless by producing high-quality content with relevant H1 tags. In many cases where Google auto rewrites the title, they are taking the H1 and attaching the company brand name or website brand name.

A plumber’s marketing budget varies by location, goals, and philosophy. However, when it comes down to resource distribution, many plumbers are engaging in self-defeating behaviors. Spending $30,000 on paid ads is not smart when you understand the whole story of digital marketing. Reports suggest organic results get 75% of the clicks while paid ads get only 25%. So even though you think you’re ranking on top of Google, only 25% of the users are even going to consider clicking. That’s when you must re-think your marketing investments. Listen to today’s podcast to get a better understanding of where resources should be distributed for your company. Paid Ads Shouldn’t be Your Whole Budget Google Ads, formerly Google AdWords remains a top choice for plumbers marketing online. Paid ads can work if properly executed, but generally speaking, they are more expensive than their results would merit. We had a client who came to us with a $30,000 marketing budget. Their only investment was paid advertising. They didn’t pay for organic SEO and didn’t rank for any good keywords. They weren’t paying for leads either or working on branded signals through social media and other channels. While this type of setup might seem tempting, the results will disappoint you. Let’s take a look at other marketing channels that can provide better ROI for plumbing pros. Organic SEO Since reports indicate organic clicks are 75% of all clicks, plumbers should go towards the majority. Most users are going to click on organic (either map pack or traditional links) over paid ads. Furthermore, consumers who click on organic are typically better prospects. They’ve done more research and have a better understanding of their plumbing needs. For this reason, all plumbers should invest some budget in organic SEO services. There’s limited downside to organic SEO aside from it taking a while to show up. The money you lose on PPC will outweigh any delay in returns from SEO campaigns that focus on organic clicks. Web Design A website budget is often overlooked in today’s microwave society. Converting traffic into leads relies on proper calls-to-action and lead magnets. It also depends on the aesthetics and user experience that the website projects. Plumbers should look into website design services that include schema markup and click-to-call functionality. Mobile users will have the option to click on phone numbers and be connected to your cell phone. Obsolete designs discourage lead generation and damage brand image. Not all marketing is based on immediate results. Long-term and scalable solutions are the ultimate separator for successful plumbers. Branded Signals The most overlooked aspect of SEO is branded signaling. Since it’s a somewhat vague term, many contractors don’t fully grasp what it means. Word of mouth was always a great marketing tool for contractors but the same concept has now been digitized. Google can detect brand signaling through a variety of sources including online review platforms, social media, and check-in technology from software like BrandREVU. Essentially, Google wants to validate your brad’s credibility. The strategy of “tricking” Google no longer works, and it’s not something plumbing pros should aspire to do anyway. Long-term investments help grow your business into a force.

There’s plenty of misconceptions about content in the SEO industry. For one, the phrase “content is king” has been misused and misrepresented among the industry’s most arrogant and delusional participants. While content is very important for ranking on search engine results, the manner in which it’s outlined, written, and published is ultimately what determines its value. Word count alone no longer matters in plumbing SEO in 2020. What matters is user experience and the satisfaction of user intent. Working With Google, Not Against it Google wants to rank the best plumbers in a given area. Your job, our job (if you hire us) is to ensure that Google understands your credibility as a plumbing company. This is accomplished through different forms of content. Pages remain integral to ranking for various keywords, but text content alone is no longer enough to distinguish your website. New forms of content like jobsite check-ins are the most innovative way to rank in 2020 and moving towards 2021. Videos, images, and review widgets also help. Targeting Various Keywords Obviously, plumbers want to rank for the keyword term plumber near me. But you won’t rank for that keyword unless you established something known as topical authority. To do so, you need to understand the types of services you offer along with which keywords people search for when looking for them. You might think of services like pipe drain repair and water heater repair, for example. Each of these terms should have its own dedicated page of content so that Google can index each term on a page-level. Enriching Content With Check-ins Hiring a content writer to write about drain pipe repair seemed like a good idea 5 and 10 years ago. But today, that kind of content is formulaic and uninformed. The writer is unlikely to have hands-on experience with water heaters and therefore is incapable of providing the unique insights that readers are actually looking for. The answer to this problem is jobsite check-ins. If you use plumbing reputation management software like BrandRevu you can populate each page with check-ins from jobs that relate to the specific service. Not the content is enhanced by actual proof of service. Enhancing UX & SEO With Internal Links Menus help users navigate through the website, but for lesser visited pages, internal links are critical. For example, your water heater repair service page might make reference to drain pipes, in which case you’ll want to link to your drain pipe repair page. This helps the users navigate seamlessly throughout your content without having to consult with the menus and submenus each time. Furthermore, internal links strengthen pages on your website. You never want to have orphan pages which are pages that have no internal links pointing to it. Google may not find it because there is no crawl route towards it. Therefore, it won’t rank at all. Content Projections for 2021 SEO changes every year, so you can expect some different trends to arise in 2021. When it comes specifically to content, expect Google to further prioritize value and intent over word count and length. Many users look for websites to solve a problem quickly, not to spend hours looking for a solution. Instead of writing 1500 word pages about plumbing repair, you can get your point across in less than 500 words. This assumes you provide social proof through jobsite check-ins and review widg...

Some plumbers and HVAC contractors, we speak to believe that SEO is a magic trick. These people aren’t fools, they are just misinformed. There’s a point of view from people outside the industry that proper SEO requires some kind of magical formula. The truth is that SEO is very straightforward when done right. Furthermore, Google can’t be tricked in the way that it could be in the early 2000s. Stop trying to trick Google and focus on your users instead. If you track Google’s algorithm updates you know it’s their end goal to provide the best experience to searchers and to satisfy their queries or intent. Check out today’s plumbing SEO podcast to learn more: Don’t Try to Trick Google Trying to trick Google is a lonely road that ends with a penalty and potentially bankruptcy for your plumbing or HVAC business. It depends of course how reliant you are on organic traffic for leads, but it’s going to be very difficult to sustain success without any organic traffic. Aside from the possibility of a penalty, Google is away too smart to be tricked in 2020. Their algorithm updates have address every kind of shady tactic from link manipulation to low-quality content production. Steer clear at all costs. Google Values Credible Brands One of the primary reasons why Google can no longer be gamed by shady tactics is because they’ve increased the value of brand credibility. This value optimization allows Google to ignore tricks from SEO scammers who don’t work with credible brands. For example, a local plumber with no reviews or reputation can build thousands of inbound links, but never rank well. Why? Because Google knows that nobody cares about their brand. In fact, their brand may not even be legitimate in the first place. Google uses signals from 3rd party sources as well as their own search data to determine whether a brand is credible and engaging for local consumers. Brands are Built Through Engagement Building your HVAC or plumbing brand is a holistic process. Whether you have yard signs, newspaper ads, or simply a good reputation in local neighborhoods, you build your brand by performing great services. These offline behaviors are then translated online with the help of reputation management software like BrandRevu. It’s important that Google sees your reviews on your Google My Business listing along with other 3rd party platforms like Yelp, Facebook, and Better Business Bureau. As you build on your reputation, your SEO should improve even more than before. Responding to reviews is also a highly-suggested marketing technique going forward. Check-ins Help with Branding There’s some reputation management software for plumbers that supports local check-ins. Our favorites at HVAC – Plumber SEO Webmasters is BrandRevu. This software allows for local contractors to check-in at job sites and have those check-ins displayed on the appropriate page of the website. For example, you service a water heater in Dallas, TX, and take a picture of the tank. This picture, along with the other check-in information, is automatically populated on your water heater repair page. That’s the best SEO you can get. Forget about all this manipulative stuff and focus on actual work you do. Not only does Google prefer it but so do your website visitors. Do Digital Signaling We talked about reputation management software and how it can help build branding signals f...

Since the birth of SEO, link building has been one of the most polarizing topics. We know that links are an important ranking factor today, but that the quality of the link is now of much greater importance. When Google first launched, they could not distinguish a natural link from an unnatural one. With this in mind, SEO professionals used spam and schemes to get to a #1 ranking. Many plumbers think these tactics still work in 2020, but they’re very wrong. Google’s quality guidelines on links are quite clear. Furthermore, penalties are still being handed out, and Google has said publicly that paid links don’t help rankings because they are ignored. Check out today’s episode of the Plumbing SEO Podcast to learn more: Understanding Google’s Guidelines Google states “Any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site’s ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.” They really couldn’t have been more clear about their stance on links. Still, plumbers tend to ignore their advice and argue that links do in fact help sites rank high. While links are certainly one of the factors search engines use to determine credibility, the search engine has gotten much better at properly valuing links. So while links that are gained naturally through brand recognition and quality content are helpful, any type of deliberate link building violates Google’s guidelines and should be avoided by plumbing and HVAC companies. What are “Natural” Links? Natural links are those that are earned rather than built. So instead of begging your friend to link to you on their website, you earn the link naturally from your local Chamber of Commerce, who recognizes your plumbing company as a staple of the community. Links are intended to represent real-life connections. In other words, organizations that revere you in person can demonstrate that on their website. Conversely, unnatural links come from institutions that you are not affiliated with and have no good reason to link to you. Creating great content on your blog with independent research is another way to earn natural links since other websites will cite your blog post as a source, even if they don’t know you. Can Plumbers Use Guest Posts to Build Links? There’s been some confusion over the years about the validity of guest post links. Google has come out recently and re-stated that all guest post links should have the nofollow attribute, meaning they won’t pass full PageRank. So to be clear, guest post links are not the best method to get quality inbound links. After all, they’re unnatural because the person writing the post has the incentive to link to their own site, rather than to earn such a link in the natural manners we discussed previously. Any type of massive-scale guest post campaign you were running is not only worthless in regard to rankings, but it can also get you

When it comes down to the plumbing population, about 80% don’t take marketing seriously. These plumbers are satisfied with the status quo and don’t wish to grow their plumbing company and make more money. That leaves an additional 20% who aspire for a greater life, and business. These plumbers have made an important first step in the marketing process, which is a very personal one. It is the will to improve their lifestyle through digital marketing. They understand that without a deliberate intention to improve, nothing will ever change. With that being said, not every plumber within that ambitious 20% knows how to market. In fact, it’s only about 1 out of 100 of those ambitious plumbers that are running on all cylinders. Here’s what that type of plumber knows to do: Organic SEO Organic SEO is the best return for plumbers in 2020. Contractors with 15 trucks on the ground are dominating organic search results in their market. Not only do they show up on organic results for keywords like plumbing repair dallas tx but they also get plenty of searches of their brand name. Since they’ve been established in their community as a top plumber, people are seeing their yard signs, or hearing about them from neighbors and then searching them on Google. This is where reputation makes a major difference, which we will expand on more later. Local SEO For plumbers, in particular, Google’s Local 3-Pack is critical to lead generation. It is important that your business listing shows up for search queries like plumber near me and plumbing repair near me. The local SEO algorithm is separate from the organic one and is based specifically on proximity, relevance, and prominence. An effective SEO strategy is locally focused and involves optimizing GMB listings as well as company websites. Reviews are helpful to local SEO which we will expand on in our reputation management section for plumbing companies. Reputation Management We’ve already referenced reputation management twice, so it’s important to expand on the idea. Plumbers who succeed in 2020 have a positive reputation online. This is executed through review generation, specifically on Google and Facebook. Review software for plumbers like BrandRevu is the secret weapon to establishing credibility through reviews. The software sends SMS text reminders with review links to ensure the consumer can simply and effortlessly leave a glowing review of your service. The more reviews your listings accumulate, the greater your prominence score is and the better chance you have of ranking on the Local 3-Pack. Web Design Plumbers who succeed have an established website with proper design. We cannot stress enough that the best plumbing websites use schema markup, clean codebase, and user experience optimization. Site speed is a critical factor in 2020 and it is urgent that users can browse through your website efficiently. Call to actions through click-to-call functionality are equally important when it comes to web design. Mobile users should have the option to connect to your phone straight from theirs. Embedded contact forms that are mobile-friendly is also something to consider for new plumbing website...

For plumbers, lead generation and SEO are often thought about as separate services but in reality, the two concepts are fundamentally connected. You’ve probably thought about how you can buy plumbing leads without having a website, content, GMB listing, or any kind of search engine optimization campaign. While you will find companies that sell leads, you are unlikely to find what you are really hoping for from these lead sellers. Having worked with hundreds and hundreds of plumbers across the United States, we’ve learned that not all leads are helpful to your business. In fact, our experience proves that only leads that become satisfied customers, and oftentimes; repeat customers are worth generating online. These exclusive leads help your business grow each month, year, and decade which is how to grow a sustainable plumbing business. On today’s podcast, we discuss what you really need to achieve that level of lead generation, both in the rest of 2020 and beyond. Understanding Leads for Plumbers There are two types of leads plumbers pay for: shared leads and exclusive leads. Shared leads are typically dirt cheap because they are unlikely to result in an actual customer. A shared lead is a digital equivalent of throwing a piece of meat into a pack of dogs. Not only is insulting to you as a plumber but it is highly unlikely to help your business grow and evolve into a successful company. On the other hand, exclusive leads are far superior because the person inquiring about the plumbing job will only talk to you. That doesn’t guarantee a sale, but it certainly gives you a better chance. Shared Leads Shared leads are given to multiple plumbers in the same service area who ultimately compete for the same customer. Leads like these are seldom worthwhile for plumbers who want to grow their business over time. Not only do they often fail to convert, but the few that do are even less likely to come back as a repeat customer. Because of the inherently low value of shared leads, they are often sold for much cheaper than exclusive leads. Exclusive Leads Exclusive leads are superior for plumbers because you aren’t forced to compete against other plumbers for the same customer. Exclusive leads are more likely to convert and also more likely to become repeat customers. The ROI of exclusive leads is higher than those of their shared counterparts which is why 3rd party services sell lead exclusivity at a higher rate. For plumbers serious about growing their company, these leads are more appealing. SEO Produces “Super-Leads” We’ve established that exclusive leads are better than shared leads but if the lead doesn’t originate from organic search engine optimization or some other form of inbound marketing, it lacks optimal long-term value. The best exclusive leads come from your wong digital marketing campaigns which means throughout your website, branding, content marketing, social media, etc. Any lead that invests in your business, rather than just a simple job is going to be more invested in your company. This manifests itself through reviews, repeat clients, and long-term and sustainable growth for plumbers. Let’s examine why SEO produces the best leads for plumbing contractors: Branded Equity As is the case with any purchase, the client who invests in the brand rather than product itself is more valuable. When a customer invests in a brand,

You don’t want to just start a business; you want to kill it. You crave lasting, deep success for your plumbing business. The world has enough mediocre performers out there. Why not create something fantastic? Here at the Plumbing Webmasters, we’ve crafted a handy guide to launch your plumbing startup into the online marketplace with faster, more sustainable, and overall better results. It all revolves around one singular strategy: specialization. Listen closely as Nolen and Madison reveal how focusing your marketing efforts on one plumbing category can produce incredible revenue opportunities. Be sure to take notes and read the supporting guide below! Takeaways for Plumbing Professionals * Specialization produces operational and marketing efficiencies. * It’s faster and easier to rank up in a plumbing specialty. * Specializing doesn’t mean you can’t offer other services later on. Specializing for Success “How can I be successful in plumbing?” That’s a question that Small Business Trends tried to tackle back in 2018. In their guide How to Start a Plumbing Business, Small Biz offers a few tidbits on building a long-term plan for triumph in the industry. Step number 3 (after getting certified and apprenticed) involves discovering your personal specialty. Perhaps, you’ve discovered that the inner workings of residential water heaters naturally bend to your every whim. Maybe you’ve got a knack for repairing underground sewer lines without digging up the whole yard. Possibly, you’re the fastest pipe clog relief around. Some plumbers might see specialization as a limiter on their ability to make money, but the opposite is often true. You can take a focused skill and use it as a launchpad for your startup. Now let’s zoom in on the benefits of specialization, then show you how to get started online (which was Small Biz’ step number 8, by the way). Why Specialize as a Plumber? Why do we recommend anything in these sort of guides? To make your life easier and/or more profitable. Multiple areas of your business can benefit from a specialized structure, so let’s break a few of them down here. Operational Perks The first benefits you’ll realize when it comes to specialization are operational. If you confine your portfolio of services to a particular subcategory of plumbing, that means fewer tools to purchase and fewer individuals to hire. That, in turn, leads to fewer service vehicles and fewer driving demands. You could potentially earn as much or more revenue with three water heater specialists than you would with a generalized staff of five. Prospective customers will also view your brand and crew differently as a specialized group. Reputational Perks Any plumber can fix a leaky sink. Very few have what it takes to manage a slab leak repair project. Ask any homeowner if they would rather have a generalist or a specialist fixing the multi-thousand dollar ruptured pipe beneath their foundation. Ask them the same question for a busted water heater or a fractured sewer line. When you become the specialist for a given plumbing sub-category, the choice suddenly becomes clear for homeowners. Plus, experts generally enjoy higher pricing ranges for the same projects! Marketing Perks Let’s face it,

It may not seem like it but this pandemic is an opportunity for you as a plumbing contractor to solidify the professional relationships you have with your current customers, make sure they become recurring customers, and even gain new customers. But it all starts with outstanding customer service. Believe it or not, you can exhibit stellar customer service as a plumber in these challenging times.  And these times certainly are challenging for plumbers. Plumbing work usually entails moving around somewhat freely in the homes and businesses of your clients. But things are different now. People are skittish about having an outsider coming into their home and mince about the place. So in a sense, emphasizing customer service during COVID-19 has a lot to do with adapting.  But why is customer service so important during this time? Doesn’t everyone understand that things are different and that they should lower expectations? Despite what many businesses are doing, now is a great time to show your customers that you really care and emphasize customer service. The Benefits of Outstanding Customer Service During COVID-19 Demonstrating great customer service isn’t just about keeping your business afloat during COVID-19; it’s about making life-long customers. This is a perfect opportunity to show your customers that you are willing to go the extra mile for them when they need it the most. If you are able to provide plumbing services in a manner that exceeds the expectations of the customer during this pandemic, they will remember you when this is all over with. They will also be that much more likely to refer you to their friends and family who are looking for a reliable plumber.  The benefits of customer service stretch far beyond the here and now but it is a great time to “come to the rescue” of your customers and instill a lasting and positive perception of your services in their minds. And customer service is a huge part of the plumbing industry. As marketing experts specializing in the plumbing trade, we see that the most successful contractors are the ones that make customer service a priority at all times. If you would like to find out how you can grow your plumbing contractor business both now and on into the future, contact us here at Plumbing Webmasters.  Customer Service Tips for Plumbers Hopefully, now you have an idea of the potential benefits of maintaining a high level of customer service during the pandemic. But how you maintain exemplary customer service in a time that is so challenging in so many ways? Here are just a few customer service tips you can put into practice right now: Social Distancing Keeping the recommended 6 feet away from people at all times can be challenging as a plumber. But if you show your customers that you are committed to it, you will win their favor. If you are working in someone’s home or place of business, let them know the area in which you will be working. If you need to move from area to area, make sure your customers know that you will be moving. You can call out to them before you move to give them a chance to maintain a proper distance. It may take more time and effort, but your customers will really appreciate it. Stay Patient – As a plumber, you probably talk to multiple customers a day. And during these times COVID-19 dominates many conversations. Even though you may be sick and tired of talking about COVID-19, a little empathy goes a long way with your clients. Remain patient, lend an empathetic ear and try not to be short with your customers. Everyone is looking to vent a little these days and if you can be the plumber that can smile through tedious conversations, you will have won a recurring customer.

People don’t realize how much information Google requires to deliver qualified search results to consumers. The tech giant examines hundreds, sometimes thousands of businesses within your service area alone. Some of them provide plumbing solutions, while some only claim to. The plumbing professionals earning the highest ranks in local search are those that provide the most evidence of their activity. In a way, all search results are driven by evidence. Reviews, custom websites, and other plumbing SEO assets serve as proof to Google that your business is active and trustworthy. Today, we’re going to talk about a relatively new form of evidence that contributes heavily towards local SEO rankings, traffic, and leads. We’re going to talk about check-ins! Key Learning Points for Plumbers * Check-ins are only as effective as your company is consistent in using them. * Check-ins won’t replace reviews, but they heavily influence SEO results. * It’s a team effort! Train other team members to perform check-ins as needed. What is a Jobsite Check-in? A check-in is a type of post to Google that shares your location and what you’re doing. To help you understand the concept, try visualizing your community on the Google Map. Countless businesses and neighborhoods dot the landscape as you scroll from end to end of your service area. You can even see your home office address. However, what doesn’t show on that map are the countless locations where you’ve repaired toilets, installed brand new water heaters, and performed extensive pipe replacements. As we remind many professionals over the years, Google is not omniscient. It only knows what people tell it. In fact, the search engine only works as well as it does because hundreds of millions of people continually upload information for it to dig into. Check-ins provide Google with accurate, current, and useful data about your company’s activities. They’re your way of saying “Here I am! This is the work I’m providing. We are serving this community.” When you check into a location, it drops a pin on the Google Map. Keep this up, and pretty soon Google will see evidence of your team’s hard work across your entire service area. What Benefits Do Check-ins Offer? Higher rankings, greater volumes of traffic for your website, and (most importantly) leads. Very, very few businesses utilize jobsite check-ins in their digital marketing strategy. When Google has more detailed information about your company, the search engine is more likely to recommend your business over similar services with less information. Ever since Google’s Local Search Update of Q4 2019, local search rankings have grown more fluid. With the right optimization, plumbers who previously struggled to rank can now earn premium map pack listings for exceptional traffic boosts. We’ve seen check-ins allow brand new plumbing companies to capture these positions in a matter of months. That represents an astounding marketing success, producing qualified plumbing leads in a very short period of time. Whether you run a seasoned company or a brand new service, check-ins can greatly benefit your business! What Check-ins Look Like While solutions and methods vary, this is what a typical check-in might look like. It starts with pulling out your phone at the very end of a job. You snap a picture of the water heater (or toilet, etc) you just installed. You go to a special website, pull up a form, and fill out information about the project. You tap “check-in” and BOOM! You’ve just performed a check-in.

We all love to hear underdog success stories, especially when the underdog is a startup plumbing company! In today’s True Client Story, we explore the shocking rise of a water heater specialist who began with no brand or online history to speak up, and ended up a top ranking dynamo with outrageous success! The best part: This plumber did it all in less than six months. Jason and Nolen share how this clever professional managed to top local search results in such a short time. If you’ve been struggling to break into page one search results – you’ll have to be willing to work a bit – be sure to listen in! Let’s get started. Key Takeaways From This Podcast:  * Local search results are more fluid than they used to be, thanks to Google updates. * Geotagging can quickly elevate your brand above surrounding competitors. * Google My Business (GMB) is essential for local ranking. * Righteous Reviews only works if you use it. A Chattanooga Plumber Story One day, a fresh-faced plumber – We’ll call him “Rob” – came to us from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Bob shared his dreams of opening up a plumbing business that specialized in water heater services. Chattanooga was no small town, so he would be facing quite a few established competitors in his local search arena. In fact, when we took a look at Bob’s local community, we discovered a veteran company with hundreds of glowing reviews. This Chattanooga plumber had his work cut out for him! Less than six months later however, Bob’s water heater service company ranked in the local map pack for almost all of his top service keywords. That’s right! A brand new plumbing business was beating out long-time champions to dominate the local market. With the power of exceptional search marketing and geotagging, this plumber quickly found himself swimming in business for a premium plumbing service. Let’s dig into how Bob did it… Step #1: He Optimized His Website Given the substantial revenue potential of water heater services, our Chattanooga plumber faced substantial competition entering the market. Bob’s decision to specialize however, actually made it easier to thoroughly optimize his website. Instead of a handful of pages getting optimized for a handful of generic terms, Bob’s website exclusively optimized for a wide variety of water heater keywords terms from his local area. When we wrote the site, our team also made sure to tailor the service pages specifically to Bob’s target city. A lot of plumbing contractors make the mistake of targeting a massive area (such as the entire state) before they’ve managed to gain a foothold in their immediate community. We made sure that all of Bob’s service pages specifically contained the Chattanooga, TN keyword tail, which makes it so much easier for local consumers to find his business. Once we mixed in these localized keywords into the conversational writing and engaging photos, Bob’s site was ready to start kicking butt. But there was still more work to do beyond the site. Step #2: He Optimized His GMB Google My Business plays an integral role in local search. Once claimed, filled out, and verified, this free listing service identifies your industry for consumers in your community. Google Maps listings heavily depend on GMB accounts to provide the best possible results for local homeowners. In other words: if you haven’t claimed your GMB account yet, you’re missing out on free traffic! We gladly handled Bob’s GMB account optimization, making sure his company was specifically designated...

Have you ever been on a kids roller coaster? As a child, the thrill of moving easily keeps us entertained. As an adult however, that thrill changes to irritation as we long to progress to loops, sudden drops, and rapid turns. A kids roller coaster simply goes nowhere, fast.  When it comes to plumbing companies, lead sellers are the new kids roller coaster. There’s a real thrill of feeling your business gradually move with each incoming lead. As your company brand matures however, it becomes clear that you’re paying a frustrating sum of money to essentially spin in circles. Very little brand growth occurs, and you’re left none the richer from your investment. Today, we’re going to talk about that frustrating ride. More importantly, we’re going to reveal how to get your business off the tracks and into some real long-term growth. Be sure to listen in as Jason and Nolen share real-life stories from plumbing companies. Key Lead Generation Lessons & Plumbing SEO * Continually paying for leads slows down your brand development and customer base growth. * Even when you pay a seller for a lead, you may still have to compete with other local businesses. * Paid leads are simply way more expensive, both in the short and long term. Buying Your Way Into Oblivion Another day, another frustrated caller talking about expensive lead sellers. But what is it about buying leads that plumbers find so frustrating? At the Webmasters, we’ve heard all kinds of stories about people’s experiences with these services. Most boil down into a handful of common complains… Top Problems With Buying Leads * They get really, really expensive! * When you pay for a lead, you still compete with other listed companies in your area. * Some “leads” are just people looking for quotes, not interested would-be clients. * It discourages SEO for plumbers, and other forms of lead generation. * Buying leads encourages return visits to your lead seller, not your company website. The Eye-Opening Secret of Lead Sellers Everyone wishes they could cut out the middleman and earn their leads at cost. After all, that would mean saving thousands (maybe tens of thousands) of dollars every year! It’s clearly possible; not everyone pays for lead sales. How do they do it? The real question you should be asking is: Where does your seller find their leads? 95 times out of 100, lead selling companies source their leads directly from Google Search! Not only do lead sellers pay next to nothing for each lead (even when you factor in long-term marketing), they add a massive upcharge to leads you could have earned for free. How does that make you feel? In the picture above, you can see one of the frequently-used tools of lead sellers for acquiring new customers. National level brands like to use localized “top plumber” lists to try to capture consumers. However, they actually have to work very hard to secure these listings, because Google prefers to list local businesses over national organizations. That’s why an independent contractor can earn a second place organic (free) in the same results page as two huge lead generation companies!  Not only is it very possible compete with these household name lead sellers, Google will practically help you do it. If you’re tired of spending lots of money paying for leads, why not invest in making your own leads like this plumber? How to Generate Leads You’ll need two major tools to start generating your own leads: a Google My Business account and a company website. Some businesses try to get away with only one of the two; it just doesn’t work well. Now you might be thinking “Bah!

Family holidays are a fantastic time for residential plumbing professionals. With all the festive meals and grease goop going down the drown, it’s no wonder that homeowner calls shoot through the roof! In fact, it’s estimated that “Brown Friday” (the day after Thanksgiving), produces a 50 percent increase in plumbing leads for garbage disposals and sink clogs. Not every plumbing professional however, is in a place to take advantage of that surge in leads. If your website and GMB account haven’t been properly optimized, you could be missing out on thousands of dollars in service calls throughout the holidays! Thankfully, that’s what we’ll be covering today in our latest podcast. Listen in as Jason and Nolen explain how to capture more leads through the season. Key Plumbing SEO Lessons * Make sure your GMB profile covers each of your major services. * Keyword-optimized services pages will almost always outperform simple service lists. * Talk with your marketing service company about optimizing for seasonal surges. * Make sure your PPC ads each link to a related service page. Seasonal SEO Opportunities As with many home service industries, plumbing experiences seasonal spikes in demand. That’s especially true during family holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Because this season represents such a considerable windfall for plumbers, it’s also a period of strong online competition. The winners earn premium placement in local map packs, plus the traffic that comes with it.  So how can your business work towards earning these exceptional local listings? It all starts with plumber SEO, your website, and your GMB account. We’ll dig into some of the most impactful tools to enhance your online marketing performance, both now and in the coming 2020. Ultimately, we’re looking to create a sustainable strategy that offers big dividends for years to come. The Tools You’ll Need A Strong Keyword List What’s the first task you think about when developing a high-performance page? A strong, diverse assortment of keywords not only makes it easier for Google to rank your content, it also creates a better user experience for your site visitors. Each service page should have a high volume primary keyword mixed in with a variety of similar phrases and synonyms. Where you can you find these premium keywords? * SEMrush * Answer the Public * Moz Keyword Explorer * Ubersuggest * People also ask (Google SERP feature) * Blue phrases at the bottom of search results A Completed & Verified GMB Listing Considering how crucial the listing is to your local search, it’s remarkably easy to claim, complete, and verify your Google My Business account! If you haven’t done so already, take an hour. Fill out everything and request your postcard verification. Upload those pics and videos. Neglecting your GMB account only hurts your business, so don’t put it off! Moving forward, make sure to check your GMB on a monthly basis for potential updates. The address you pick for your GMB should match the one you use for all your other citations, including abbreviations. Google continues to update the listing program with additional service categories, so be on the lookout for ones fitting your plumbing solutions. A Google Ads Account PPC advertising is a great channel for supplementing your organic leads. They also enable your business to quickly adapt your marketing tactics for seasonal opportunities. While Google Ads is the most recognized and comfortable advertising option for many plumbers,

Plumbing contractors often underestimate the value of personalized design. With all the trucks, fancy equipment, slogans, advertisements, and websites out there, it’s easy to forget that the most important brand asset for your company…is you. Your face (and your employees’ faces) play a huge role in website performance and local SEO! In this interconnected age, now’s not the time to be shy. Now’s the time for high quality photography with big smiling faces. You’ll be amazed just how big an impact the human touch will make for your business! In today’s podcast, Jason and Nolen share why personalization creates stronger connection with both your customers and Google! Key Lessons for Plumbing Professionals * Content goes beyond text. Even your page photos are considered content. * Personalized photos create a deeper reserve of trust in your brand. * Both Google and people can spot stock photos, and they don’t perform as well as custom. Original Website Images Matter! We all know how a well-timed shot can make us feel so strongly, but photography also serves as a more social medium. It brings us together and allows us to empathise. In business, the right image can make or break a sale, especially in a home-centered industry like plumbing. SEO for plumbers relies heavily on image optimization. This isn’t rocket science, or even highly technical SEO. Frankly, it’s easy to stand out from the crowd when so few companies take the time to produce original photos! Building Stronger Connections and Listings “But why bother?” you might ask. What does original imagery have to do with search engine optimization? After all, digital marketers aren’t in the business of enhancing your website simply so it looks really fresh (that’s a bonus). We have to drive measurable key performance indicators like page views and conversions. The answer is simple: high quality, optimized imagery can greatly increase your volume of search traffic and average time on page. They also increase the likelihood of someone calling your business. Does more business revenue sound worth it to you? Expect these sort of benefits when you add personalized photos to your plumbing website. * Immediately stronger connections with visitors * Longer time on pages (deeper engagement) * More page views per visit * Stronger plumbing keyword performance (more on this later) * Better conversion rates, meaning more calls Crafting the Perfect Images Obviously, performance-driving photography doesn’t just appear by itself! You can simply drop them into your pages either. There are two key parts to getting the most out of your website imagery. Tip #1: Take More Photos (With Employees in Them) Don’t get us wrong: we’re all about photos of pipes and busted sewer lines. However, we (and your clients) would rather see the smiling faces of your friendly employees. So the next time you stop to take a photo of a newly installed sink, get yourself in the photo and take a selfie! It’s worth it. So many businesses spend dozens of hours uploading their latest team photos to Instagram and Facebook and never put them on their website. Gather all your team together and empower them to take selfies after a job well-done. Better yet, hire a professional photographer to get pictures of your plumbers, office staff, your family, and even your trucks! Tip #2: Optimize Your Image Attributes Did you know that your images can be optimized for stronger keyword performance? At Plumbing Webmasters, we’ve found that three key elements provide great SEO power for your page. Obviously, captions work very well for communicating quick fac...

Plumbing SEO changes year after year. In fact, the industry shifts so much, we go to conferences to stay on top of all the latest news and practices! In this latest podcast, Jason and Nolen share some of the juicy tidbits they picked up from their latest SEO conference. Look for key changes GMB management, online brand development, on-page optimization, and more! If your website has struggled to break into premium rankings, be sure to listen in. Helpful Lessons for Plumbing Professionals * Keyword strategies must incorporate synonyme usage. Variety creates healthier optimization. * Remember the big four: Google, BBB, Facebook, & Yelp. You need reviews from all of them. * Continue to monitor your GMB account, including your Q&A section in the Knowledge Graph. * Keyword optimization and mobile friendly optimization are basic essentials. What’s Changing in Search Marketing? Let’s start by analyzing some of the key industry updates that your business will need to keep on top of. In 2020, your Google My Business account will become even more important to your success in local search. The search engine continues to add new functionalities to the listing service, including new ways for potential customers to interact with your company. Thanks to the Knowledge Graph, people can check reviews, operating hours, location, and contact information without ever interacting with your website. While that might seem like an intimidating prospect for some plumbing SEO professionals, these changes could mean great things for your business in 2020. For one, clients who direct search your name won’t need to dig through your site to find a phone number or determine if you provide emergency services. This increases the chance of people calling your business. Showing Up in Google Maps Listings In search marketing, visibility equals success. That’s especially true in the case of Google Maps listings, whose top ranks generate some of the most impressive traffic. Apart from the usually website optimization (more on that later), we’ve seen GMB play a larger role in these search listings. Since Google only awards this premium search real estate to dependable businesses (as best they can), it’s essential that your GMB data is continually checked and re-checked for accuracy. Reviews also serve as a make or break criterium for Google Maps listings. Lately, Google has emphasized diversity in review sources as a healthy indication of trustworthiness. In other words, don’t put all your rating eggs in one basket! While there are hundreds of rating websites to choose from, start with these four: * Google Reviews * Facebook * Better Business Bureau * and Yelp These four feedback sources are considered by many to be the most essential citations for plumbers. If you want even more plumbing SEO power from your client reviews, we’ve seen a rising trend in geotagging. That’s the tagging of reviews with GPS location data. It provides stronger evidence to Google’s search engine that you provide services in tagged locations, giving them more reason to rank your site over competitors. Breaking Digital Language Barriers With the release of Google’s BERT update still fresh in our minds, the search giant continues to advance towards a deeper algorithm understanding of human speech. With latent semantic indexing (LSI), keyword optimization has gone beyond the simple “3% focus keyword formula” – no more flooding pages with unnatural keyword volumes – to create a more human reading ex...

Do you ever feel frustrated buying leads from another company? Not only do thousands of plumbing businesses purchase their leads from online services, they’re forced to share them with local competitors. That’s a hard pill for any professional to swallow, especially when competition is so fierce! Yet many businesses feel trapped into perpetuating the lead-buying process. How can you break free of the cycle? Today, we’re going to explore the process of improving your local search performance and generating your own leads. While we talk with plumbers with all kinds of backgrounds and stories, this strategy can help practically any business develop more traffic and higher quality plumbing leads. Let’s get started! Interesting Tips for Plumbing Professionals * You need to be active in asking for reviews, especially if you average a 3.5 rating or lower. * Always test your website content with Copyscape to spot copied content. * Service pages tend to perform better than landing pages. * You need quality SEO to allow your PPC campaigns to convert. The Same Old Story Most of the plumbing professionals listed online experience some form of lead sales. Some buy leads through large household brands, while others purchase them via Google Ads. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with supplementing business with additional work from these sources. However, depending on these channels as your sole sources can severely limit the quality, scale, and effectiveness of your lead generation. This also limits your ability to grow the reputation of your brand. If you want to start growing your own sustainable, affordable leads, you’ll need to invest in the right channels. One of the easiest paths to lead growth is local SEO (search engine optimization), which focuses on making your business more visible to consumers in your service area. While it may require some continued effort on your company’s part, this channel offers a very dependable supply of customers and brand growth. Why Choose Local SEO Over PPC? First of all, SEO vs PPC is not an either/or choice. You can easily use both types of search campaigns to generate even stronger performance for your brand. However, SEO proves time and time again that it offers more dependable results than PPC. As a matter of fact, PPC campaigns have a very difficult time converting leads into customers without an organically optimized website to support them. If you click on an ad but the resulting website doesn’t make sense, will you buy from that site? A website optimized for search will also provide a more pleasant user experience. If you’ve felt the 5-star user experience on a site before, you’ve already felt the effects of local SEO. An optimized website also delivers fresh, insightful content that encourages more meaningful relationships with the associated brand. To put it simply: SEO is cheaper, more reliable, and contributes directly to your brand’s growth. That’s a winning combination that lead sales and PPC can’t provide. So why not invest in a channel that’s better for your company’s long-term success? Key Factors in Local SEO There are four crucial factors when it comes to local SEO: * Content * Web Design * Reviews / Recommendations * Citations Content and Web Design Like any other marketing activity, SEO requires a solid foundation. For most, that foundation is a well-crafted website design with structured service pages. While a PPC management company might try to bypass this requirement with short,

What’s more powerful than a name? Your plumbing company name not only establishes your identify to potential clients, it communicates who you are to search engines as well. That’s why originality, clarity, and conciseness are so crucial when it comes to choosing your brand name! In our latest discussion with Jason and Nolen, they’ll explore some simple guidelines on choosing a brand identify that’s optimized for search. Following these guidelines could be the difference between steady traffic and none at all! Be sure to listen in if you’re rebranding or kicking off a new plumbing business! Helpful Tips on Naming Your Business * Pick a name that’s very memorable! * Generic names do not rank well in local search. * Avoid using your city in the name. * If you have an interesting personal name, consider using it for your company. Purple Monkey Plumbing What do you say: is “Purple Monkey Plumbing” an effective company name? Believe it or not, your answer says a lot about how much you understand local search marketing! We’ll reveal this name’s effectiveness at the end of this short blog. Before we get there, let’s run over a few facts about your company name. The Purpose of Your Company Name No, it’s not just to sound cool! Your company name helps people identify your services and stand out from other businesses. Think of the dozens of contractors that operate in your city alone. In broader metropolitan areas, your business could be competing against hundreds of other trained professionals. When a local homeowner’s water heater breaks down and needs repairs, will they remember your brand name? Despite the size and prevalence of the search engine, even Google can have a challenging time telling businesses apart! Your company name allows the hardworking Google Search algorithm to separate your brand from other nearby players. Choose wrong however, and your website may never receive the traffic you need to earn leads. How to Pick a Company Name There are two key qualities your brand name needs to succeed in local search: distinctiveness and memorability. While there are a host of other traits that could aid your other marketing activities, these two qualities are non-negotiable. What do these two terms mean? First, a company name should stand out from the crowd. We hate to say it, but “5 Star Plumbing” isn’t going to be easy to remember (for consumers or Google). Steer clear of generic terminology that could get your brand confused with another professional’s! A memorable company name also increases the likelihood of past clients searching for your brand directly in search. Direct searches enjoy a higher chance of converting into actual sales. The Classic Naming Mistake Ten years ago, it was common practice to take a common search term, such as “Plumbing Company in Dallas, TX” and adopt it for your business name. This practice was enormously successful, so everyone and their grandmother started choosing generic names for their plumbing companies. Then Google stepped in with an algorithm update. Countless professionals started dropping off the map. Today, choosing an (Insert City) Plumber company name makes it almost impossible for people to find your business. Even if someone searched your name directly, Google would think the consumer was looking for a list of plumbers in your service area. Your business profile won’t even show up! Bottom line: stay away from generic brand names, even if they are optimized for your city. Other Important Steps for Your Business Once you’ve decided on a quality company name, there are still a few steps to take to start ranking in local search. First, you’ll need to register a domain that closely matches your new name.

What’s the mark of a successful plumbing company? Determination, adaptability, and earnestness. All these qualities make for a fantastic business, no matter what industry you operate in. When it comes to spreading your brand in search engine marketing, these characteristics will help you keep at it while those sweet, sweet leads start to trickle in. Today, Nolen and Jason talk about what separates the top ranking plumbing companies apart from the rest. If your company doesn’t quite earn the rankings you’d like, be sure to listen in. Key Lessons for Plumbing Professionals * Your top competitors work hard to earn their rankings in search engine marketing (SEM)! * Online success takes time and money, but anyone can win. * There’s no secret weapon to succeeding on Google Search. Plumbing Search Winners You know them well by this point: the top performers in your local market. Every time you run a Google search to see where your brand lands, these plumbing companies sit comfortably in the top positions on the front page. What do they do different? How did they get so lucky? Search engine marketing champs don’t win by luck! They win because of determination. So many plumbers break into the industry just to give up early in their online marketing efforts. Those top companies in your market however, kept at it and are reaping the rewards as a result. So what sort of qualities can they inspire to help you rank up? Quick Tip #1: Keep at It! Trial and error courses through every discipline of marketing, and business management in general. For plumbing professionals just getting into local search, earning high quality rank positions may feel like a daunting task. Keep at it!  Practical Applications While your brand needs some time to start ranking for those primary keywords and phrases, you can use secondary keywords to supplement your leads. Keep producing that content that’s enriched with multiple keyword combinations. Some of our clients at Plumbing Webmasters are listed for over a thousand different words and phrases. If you stay determined and continue to release quality material, your overall brand ranking is sure to rise. Quick Tip #2: Adapt as Needed Finding success in online search engine marketing is something almost anyone can accomplish, with the right strategy. Staying at the top however, requires a continued commitment to studying and adapting that strategy. As Google releases, new algorithmic changes and/or new search-related products, learn to experiment with the changes. Practical Applications Moz, Search Engine Land, and Search Engine Journal are three great sources for hot industry news and strategies. Try taking a few hours each month to see what’s new in search engine marketing. You may find fresh opportunities to improve your rankings in local search, such as the rise of featured listings in SERPs (see our guide on Ranking #1 in Google). Quick Tip #3: Get Invested Marketing is simply a part of doing business these days. Traditional methods of spreading brand awareness – we’re looking at you, door knocking – simply don’t provide the same results they did a decade ago. That’s why search engine marketing is more essential than ever before for driving people towards your business and creating leads. Successful marketing requires investment: time, effort, and money. Practical Applications Learn where to invest your resources for maximum impact. While lead gen companies and PPC campaigns provide a more immediate return,

Congratulations! You’ve just started your professional plumbing company. You’re also dirt poor and have no marketing budget to speak of. We’ve all been there. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to start earning brand recognition online, without breaking the bank. Today, we’ll discuss a number of free to cheap activities that anyone can handle. If you’ve been worried about getting noticed in local search, be sure to listen in! Key Insights on Plumbing Marketing (on a Tight Budget) * Register a domain under your name! Make sure it’s distinct from common industry terms. * Set up your Google My Business listing and submit your address. Complete the free forms. * If you don’t have money, try a cheap service like WIX and GoDaddy. * Stay away from digital marketing services in the mid-hundreds. You’re better off going DIY! Starting Fresh in Local Search Normally, our team at Plumbing Webmasters likes to steer the conversation away from other web design companies. We may also go the opposite direction and show just how many people get royally screwed by other SEO companies. But we’re going to do something different today, because sometimes you just need a place to kick off your marketing plan. If you have no marketing budget to speak of, starting up your out-of-home plumbing company can be a real challenge! With so many established businesses in the community, how can you start making a name for yourself? It all begins with a domain name and a company website. Without an established budget, there’s only one solution left: go DIY (do it yourself)! A 3-Step Starter’s Guide While many marketing activities can help you cultivate clients, three are absolutely mandatory. Without these three steps, your plumbing SEO has almost zero chance of taking off and earning clients for your business. Your Three Essential Steps * Step #1: Claim Your GMB (Google My Business) Listing. * Step #2: Register a Unique Domain Name. * Step #3: Create and Launch a Starter Website. Google My Business Account Among the numerous qualities it has and the benefits it provides, your Google My Business listing is absolutely free. It’s Google’s way of getting to know your business location, basic service category, and operating hours. Fill it out as much as possible, and regularly come back to it as you gain more information. Your GMB listing helps you start showing up in local search queries. Then there’s the crucial ability to gather Google Reviews! Be sure to use the same physical address for all your citations as your business grows. This makes the Google Search algorithm more confident in your operating area, increasing your chances of showing up for localized searches. When business booms, your marketing budget expands, and your company grows into an office, you’ll need to change the name for all of your citation listings (BBB, Angie’s List, Yelp, etc.). Choosing a Domain Name Your domain name isn’t just a web address. It’s also part of your brand identify, and it heavily impacts people’s ability to find your company online. Choosing a smart domain and guarding it carefully will help your business grow consistently over time. Domain Name Examples * Great: purplemonkeyplumber.com * Poor: americafirstplumber.com * Great: pipefighter.co * Poor: seattleplumbingcompany.com * Great: rooterrex.com * Poor: bustedpipestx.co What makes an ideal domain name? Memorability and uniqueness. Thousands of businesses shoot themselves in the foot by picking what ...

Does your marketing company have a vested interest in seeing you succeed? Are they working hard to produce outstanding growth for your business, or just hard enough to earn another 12 month contract? Having a marketing company with skin in the game can make all the difference for plumbing contractors, as Jason and Nolen discuss in our latest podcast. Helpful Tips on SEO for Plumbers * It’s getting harder and harder to compete without an established presence in local SEO. * Make sure your digital marketing company provides direct Google Ads reporting for PPC. * PPC budget and reporting should be kept separate from organic SEO. * Results for plumbing SEO usually take 2 to 3 months after launching a new website. * Research your top competitors’ websites. * See how well your marketing company ranks in organic search! Overcoming the Past You’ve been hurt before. Based on the number of angry, confused plumbers we’ve talked to over the years, odds are you’ve been taken advantage of by an untrustworthy digital marketing agency. In fact, you may have gone through the same situation multiple times now. Naturally, this leaves you hesitant to trust again. We understand! However, you’ve also know by now just how essential local search is to finding clients. There’s no getting around it. If you don’t have the talent inside your team already, you are going to have to find a company who understands SEO for plumbers. That’s where the Plumbing Webmasters come into play. Learning to Trust Again Instead of immediately jumping back into the online fray, why not take a day to reexamine what it means to succeed in Google Search? Take a day to research the different ways to rank #1. Better yet, take a look at your most productive online competitors to see what they’re doing different! You’ll probably find them at the top of search results in a Local Pack (see the picture below). Since organic search champions earn the lion’s share of website traffic, it pays to understand what they’re doing to be successful. Do some research! Spend a little time digging through their websites and exploring their service pages. Critical Research Questions on Competitors * How good is the content on their service pages and homepage? * What sort of service page structure do they have? * Which keywords are they using to get noticed by Google? * Do they write blogs? How often are they posting? * Are they using stock photos? * What sort of calls to action (CTAs) are they using? * How many reviews do they have on their Google Search listing? * How good is the overall design of the website? Just remember: to outrank these professionals, your website and related internet marketing must be better than the current champions. If you only match their website quality, you’re unlikely to outrank them (especially if they’re older companies). Find a Winning Team Emphasis on “Winning”. For all the technical expertise and fancy service packages a marketing company may provide, do they produce successful clients? If you Google Search “plumbing contractors in (insert city, state)”, you should be able to find their customers listed there! Here’s another important question: How many keywords do their clients rank for? Big name companies like to advertise front page rankings for five, ten, or thirty keywords. An experienced marketing company can get your plumbing business ranked for hundreds of keywords (wit...

Does it ever feel like your plumbing SEO company is trying to hide something? Unfortunately, too many plumbing businesses get cheated by their digital marketing agency. That doesn’t have to be you! Thankfully, there are many red flags that can help you steer clear of shady marketing practices. Be sure to listen closely as Jason and Nolen discuss real industry stories that should serve as a word of warning. Helpful Tips on SEO Services for Plumbers * Watch out for bundled deals! These tend to cover up shady reporting practices. * Many digital marketing rely heavily on PPC to markup their services. * Month to month SEO services often work the hardest to produce results. * SEO for plumbers should only require a couple months to start producing results. Discovering the Tough Truth “Bob” is a local contractor who relied on the same marketing service for two years. Despite his significant investment into online marketing, Bob noticed a suspicious lack of phone calls coming into his office. With growing concerns, he reached out to the agency that handled his PPC and SEO service bundle. As always, he heard the same old sales runaround that had grown less and less reassuring. So Bob decided it was time to consult with another marketing team. After running a brief search of some of the top ranked SEO companies in his area, he arranged a one-on-one consultation with our team at the Webmasters. Pretty soon, Bob realized his nagging concerns were justified. Not only was his current provider using confusing reporting practices to hide their lack of organic SEO activity, but it was clear they were spending very little of the money they had allotted for PPC campaigns (and pocketing the rest). In other words, Bob had been royally screwed for almost two years. A Common Trend in Digital Marketing Bob’s story is one we hear all to often. As an experienced contractor in a modestly-sized, non-competitive market, he should have been a rockstar in local search. But his digital marketing company had done literally nothing to optimize his website or his company Google My Business listing. This trend fits many SEO services for plumbers: using flat fee bundles to hide inactivity and mark up prices. Bundling paid search and organic SEO services together is almost always a bad idea, especially if the bundle is tied together with a long-term contract. Since contracting professionals see this sort of pricing all the time however, they think nothing of it. Frankly, digital marketing companies do a fantastic job of selling these services. Here’s what happens when a plumbing contractor steps into a long-term PPC/SEO bundle deal. Part #1: They See Results (for a Time) Most plumbers start seeing results, but not quite the quantity they expected. That’s because paid search campaigns start producing leads almost immediately. The initial influx of business is usually enough for most plumbers to grudgingly continue without contacting their marketing agency. Those that do speak out end up hearing the same familiar line: “We’re working hard on your organic SEO, but it always takes 6 months to a year to start seeing results.” Part #2: They Experience the Runaround When leads begin to slow down, most plumbing contractors naturally start to wonder what’s going on. That’s when the confusing reporting comes out. Some marketing agencies appear more trustworthy by pushing their numbers through a third party reporting company. On a side note: this is why you should always have your PPC campaign spending issued directly from...

Apart from employees and equipment, your brand is the most important company asset. Effective branding separates fledgling companies from industry champions. Despite this, thousands of plumbing contractors continue to neglect branded SEO online. Below, Jason and Nolen discuss how to unlock your brand’s potential in organic search. They’ll also point out some disastrous mistakes that hurt local businesses. If you desire stronger online lead generation, be sure to listen closely! Pro Tips for Plumbing Contractors * Never abandon an established brand name or URL, unless you absolutely have to. * Treat your digital brand with the same respect as you would your physical brand. * Don’t try to “game the system” using your GMB account. It could cost you! * Negative reviews lose their impact when surrounded by a host of positive feedback. * Make sure your website is optimized for local search. What is Branded SEO? Branded SEO refers to optimizing your online assets in a way that makes your brand more recognizable and trusted by Google. Just like developing trust with someone takes time and effort, so does establishing your trustworthiness with the world’s most popular search engine. As you prove your company’s reliability, local search rankings almost always rise as a result.  Why Trust Matters Google Search strives to provide finely tuned results for all of its user base. If you want to buy tickets to a football game or purchase a gift for a family member, the search engine wants to make sure the results you see not only match the keywords you typed but that they bring you much closer to your desired service/product. If they believe a website won’t provide dependable results, that site will never see page one rankings! In other words, Google needs to know that you’ll provide the quality services you claim to. Any plumbing company can say they provide “professional water heater repair in San Antonio, TX”, but only a handful get listed. How do these businesses achieve such fantastic success? Let’s break down that process. Strategy for Successful Branded SEO Complete Your GMB Listing Everything starts with your online company listing! Google My Business (GMB) provides a free, convenient way to get your plumbing business listed. Without claiming and completely filling out this profile, it’s almost impossible to achieve top rankings in local search. Then again, businesses that take full advantage of GMB tend to enjoy higher rank and website traffic! If you haven’t already, make sure your business listing has been claimed and finished. Again, it’s free and from Google. That alone makes GMB worth the minimal time investment! Just make sure that the address you register with Google is the same one you use for all your other citation sources (such as Yelp and BBB), and vice versa. Even differences in abbreviation can make Google suspicious. Optimize Your Website We could spend hours talking about what makes a website appear more trustworthy to Google. The company website is an integral part of branded SEO. Google Search regularly combs through your site, searching for new pages and content. If its crawlers (bots used to examine a site) discover these elements, it’s much more likely to judge your company favorably. * Service Pages * A Company Blog * Clearly Visible Branding (Logo, Contact Info, Etc.) * A Sitemap * Applicable Keyword Usage * Professional Content Formatting * Optimized Imagery * Schema Coding

The way online marketing is progressing, plumbers will likely be forced into one of two paths: start developing your own company branding strategy, or pay another brand to feed your business with leads. It’s a tough situation to be in, but there’s still plenty of opportunity to grow your company online. In our latest podcast, Nolen and Jason discuss what company branding means today, and how to make the most of local search. If your plumbing business has struggled with slow growth online, be sure to listen in! Important Lessons for Plumbing Professionals * Online company branding requires dedicated SEO. * It takes more than a website to show up in local search. * You can start earning leads, or pay someone else for them. Modern Company Branding As a whole, marketing in the United States has shifted dramatically from its roots. While it changed only gradually over hundreds of years, the modernized internet causes tumultuous industry changes even in just a five year period. 5 years ago, any company with a decently written website could expect a favorable ranking on Google Search. Today, “decent” just doesn’t cut it. Google expects exceptional branding towards its search engine and towards potential customers.   What is branding when it comes to marketing your business online? As a plumbing contractor works to establish their company identify with Google, they must add several more branding elements into the mix. These include: customer reviews, NAP listings, and content (just to name a few). Such elements create a general profile that helps the search engine understand who you are, where your business operates, and what sort of services you provide. Crafting an online image might seem like a mundane task, but everything makes a difference in a world where the vast majority of consumers search for essential services online. To be successful, we ultimately must distinguish the things that shape consumer perception from those that shape Google Search’s perception. That’s where the “E-A-T factors” come into play.   The E-A-T Factors E-A-T: expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. The world’s number 1 search engine works hard to create dependable results for its user base. That’s why it only lists contractor websites it believes conveys these three attributes. What sort of activities and materials does Google use to gauge these qualities? Measuring Expertise in Branding Think of the expertise factor as an industry qualification process for your company branding. To convey expertise, you need to provide insightful content specifically tailored to address popular consumer problems and questions. Flaunting your plumbing certifications also helps establish your expert status. Below are some company branding tasks that help build your online industry expertise. * Writing well-structured (and organized) service pages * Consistently releasing insightful blog posts on popular questions * Earning featured listings for frequently searched plumbing topics * Producing social media posts with homeowner or business tips * Displaying your credentials on your website’s front page * Crafting FAQs and answering questions in your GMB account Gauging a Brand’s Authority While expertise is proof of your right to join the plumbing conversation, authority determines your place in the pecking order. Do other plumbing companies reference you content in their websites? Do consumer websites link back to your blog posts when diving into the hottest homeowner topics? If so, you likely have a fantastic authority rating. New businesses may start out with a very low authority website score, but they don’t have to stay that way. Below are some popular ways to enhance your company branding for better per...

Out of all the activities that our plumbing SEO specialists recommend, getting reviews clearly offers the greatest benefit for businesses. Not only do they draw more attention to your brand, they knock down the psychological walls that stand between you and potential clients. In our latest podcast, Jason and Nolen discuss the amazing results that feedback produces for your plumbing company, plus how our custom-made software makes getting reviews ridiculously easy. Be sure to listen in if your business has struggled with local map ranking in the past. Key Points to Listen For * Getting reviews from multiple sources makes your company appear more trustworthy. * Righteous Reviews makes it much easier to ask for and collect reviews. * Our software also provides geotags for reviews and check-ins, supercharging your SEO. The Typical Process of Getting Reviews Did you know that no one is quite so effective at getting reviews for your business as you? “Ask and you shall receive” certainly applies here, but not everyone has the same skill at soliciting feedback from their customers. In fact, some plumbing contractors are downright terrible at asking for reviews! That’s too bad, because customer feedback plays a huge role in SEO for plumbers. When Google crawls (examines) a website to judge its content, the search engine looks for three key characteristics commonly referred to as the “E-A-T factors“: * Expertise * Authoritativeness * Trustworthiness When Google examines a company and sees a hearty collection of 4-5 star reviews, it interprets those reviews as a signal of trustworthiness. In other words, the search engine believes it can trust your business enough to direct people to the company website for your given service category (ie: plumbing). Getting feedback on Google Reviews isn’t enough, however. It’s best to procure them from a variety of resources. The Problem With the Normal Reviews Process Not all plumbing contractors faithfully collect reviews for their business. There’s just enough active plumbers however, that trying to compete on basic reviews alone won’t produce the premium search rankings that your business craves. When Google takes two companies with outstanding reviews and stands them side by side, the oldest local business typically wins out in search results. That is unless your company displays better plumbing SEO practices. We talk a lot about organic search engine optimization at the Plumbing Webmasters, especially when it comes to aligning your website with Google preferences. In the past, we noticed that most businesses don’t know how to effectively tie in their client reviews into their website performance. It’s not the fault of plumbers or their marketing team! There simply weren’t many great options for posting reviews on the official company website (again, effectively). Since WordPress widgets and tacked-on solutions weren’t cutting it.  So our team produced a completely new tool that not only greatly simplifies the process of collecting reviews, it also supercharges them for the purposes of SEO. We call this in-house developed solution Righteous Reviews. 

Many plumbers swear by their PPC company, while others complain of lackluster results. No matter what sort of strategy you have in play for pay-per-click, there’s a chance you’ve been missing out on valuable business opportunities. This week, Nolen and Jason discuss the real story of a seasoned plumber who grew disillusioned with their PPC company. Be sure to listen closely if your campaigns have started to stagnate! Key Points to Listen For * PPC offers dependable, but frequently diminishing returns for businesses. * PPC companies generally have no incentive to improve your organic SEO efforts. * Paid ads work best when partnered with a solid plumbing SEO foundation. The Story of Pay-Per-Click Bob Recently our team at the Plumbing Webmasters received a call from a frustrated plumber in the Northeast. His name was Bob, and you could hear the subtle, but certain anger in his voice. Bob’s business has supported his local community (a sizeable metropolitan area) for over a decade. He has very little discernible organic presence online. Instead, he pays a PPC company to run his online advertising for him, primarily out of Google Ads. Here’s the kicker: Bob pays up to $12,000 a month for his PPC work. To be fair, Bob informed us that the advertisements from the PPC company are producing very consistent results each month. However, the prices of his keywords seem to be rising (sometimes going as high as $100 per click). He also noticed that the rate of return for his PPC efforts also seem to be slowly dropping each month. Any plumber finding themselves in the same situation would have real cause for concern, so we agreed to take a look at his website analytics. A Disappointing Situation We found Bob had more reasons to be disappointed in his PPC company than he realized. They had almost completely neglected his website, diverting all their attention to managing the pay-per-click campaigns. The PPC ads simply directed Google Search users to custom landing pages, which didn’t really help the rest of his site metrics. Granted, the advertising efforts seemed to be producing real business for Bob’s plumbing business, but even those returns were diminishing. Since Bob had been in business for so long, any sort of organic plumbing SEO on this marketing team’s part could have produced some outstanding results and cut down his monthly costs. But our findings clearly indicated that was not a priority to this PPC company. What was the ultimate summary of our analysis? Bob was missing out on serious lead opportunities, and (quite literally) paying for it. Key Lessons for Your Marketing First of all, we need to make something clear. Bob isn’t a bad guy. His PPC company isn’t evil, but there is widening gap between Bob’s potential growth and where he is now. Let’s explore some facts that could help explain this situation. Be sure to read closely if Bob’s situation feels all to similar to your plumbing SEO situation! Lesson #1: PPC Isn’t the Problem… Advertising gets results. While it may not produce the long-term results and branding benefits of SEO for plumbers, PPC offers fairly consistent results. The reason Bob continues to spend thousands of dollars every month is that he can easily see their return. When it comes to PPC platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads, accountability plays an instrumental part in their success. Every campaign operates on a set budget, geographical area, and a target market. SEO rarely offers such precision,

Have you ever been ripped off by a plumbing SEO service company? With so many businesses out in the market, separating the wheat from the chaff can be a tough challenge. Today, Nolen and Jason talk about how to separate shady web companies from legitimate SEO services. They’ll also explain the differences between our team at Plumbing Webmasters and other digital marketing services. Listen in and check out our guide below, especially if you’ve been frustrated by web companies in the past! Key Points to Listen For * SEO results usually take a few months after starting out. * Some SEO service companies use deceptive metrics. * Mixed-match online solutions often produce poor results. * Pretty websites don’t always perform. Finding Your SEO Service Company So you want to take your budding plumbing business online and pursue new clients? Great! Now you just need to find a dependable SEO service company to guide your digital marketing strategy. There’s just one question: Who do you trust with your company’s online development? Finding your perfect online marketing partner isn’t as simple as Google searching “SEO for Plumbers” and picking the first organic result. Admittedly, the Plumbing Webmasters team would be very happy if you did, but that’s besides the point. With multiple quality solutions available on the market, and a long list of poorly performing services, you’ll need to do some careful research. SEO Service Qualities to Investigate * Familiarity with your service industry * Content writing quality * A service’s own SEO rankings * Typical time requirements (production & search results) * Pricing and results policies As you cultivate a list of potential prospects, you’ll inevitably come across both winners and losers. Examine each solution carefully, especially when it comes to included services and promised results. Below we’ll explore some of the crucial qualities to hunt for in your SEO service company, and which ones to avoid like the plague!  Great Qualities in Your SEO Service Company Look for the same qualities that Google demands from its listed companies: expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T, for short). Try to cultivate a list of at least 5 premium candidates for your plumbing SEO service company. Here’s what those characteristics may look like for such a business: * Expertise: Years in Business; Certifications; High Search Rankings * Authoritativeness: Extensive Content Production (blogs, videos) * Trustworthiness: Great, Uncensored Reviews; Listings in BBB This certainly isn’t an exclusive list. The team you want heading up your plumbing SEO should at least be able to rank in the front page of their own primary keywords. Also, you should desire a company that shows clear knowledge of the search industry in their writing. Finally, great companies crave transparency. They’ll happily show you all their reviews, both positive and negative. Red Flags For Plumber SEO Reducing your negative options is just as important as collecting your top 5. For this, you’ll need a list of serious red flags that should automatically disqualify (or at least devalue) potential candidates for your plumbing SEO service company. Avoid These at All Costs * Intentionally deceptive or misleading claims * Salesmen that try to exploit your inexperience with SEO * Overly narrow marketing services * Companies with no reviews in search or on their website

Reputation management encompasses multiple aspects of your plumbing company marketing, including reviews, content creation, and social media. In today’s podcast, Jason and Nolen dig into the subject and explore how plumbing contractors can make their reviews, service pages, and city pages work much harder for their businesses. If you’ve been struggling to improve your local rankings, even if your company has plenty of reviews, be sure to listen in! Be on the Lookout for These Key Points * Do reviews alone improve my local search engine rankings? * Should new plumbers focus on reputation management or social media marketing? * Is there a way to coordinate reviews across different platforms? * Are city pages worthwhile? Managing Your Company Reputation In a way, reputation management revolves more around the perception of your plumbing company than anything else. Along with the obvious consumer perceptions created through reviews, your site’s graphic design, and navigation, there’s another crucial aspect that all too many plumbers forget about. How does Google perceive your business? In the past, we’ve talked about the crucial E-A-T factors: expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. When Google spiders (re-examines) an existing plumbing contractor website, it attempts to identify data elements that show your site, content creators, and business possesses these qualities. Where Google Looks for E-A-T Factors * For Expertise: Content creator bios, content organization and quality. * For Authoritativeness: Content, creator bios, reference sites, keywords, & web design. * For Trustworthiness: Reviews, geo-tags, check-ins, images, navigation, and link profiles. These character traits impact both Google and customer perception of your business. Of course, that also means you can expect two-fold benefits when you nail all three elements! Below, we’ll dig into three of the most crucial aspects of reputation management. Review Management Reviews can make or break a plumbing business. While almost any plumber could tell you they need reviews, many don’t know how to collect them effectively or what to do with them once reviews start pouring in. While they certainly contribute to a company’s perceived trustworthiness, reviews don’t automatically cause your site to rank higher on google.  So how can you get the greatest value from your customer testimonies and all those 5 star ratings? First, make sure your reviews come from a variety of sources. In other words, don’t put your eggs exclusively in Google Reviews, Facebook, or Angie’s List. While Google once prioritized recommendations through their own platform, the search engine now prefers a more diverse collection from multiple sources. Second, be sure to take time to display customer reviews inside of your website! Not only does this please Google, but potential customers will also feel more confident about using your services. It may take a bit of research to find a widget that presents reviews in the way matches your tastes. At the Plumbing Webmasters, our team actually uses our own special platform called Righteous Reviews which convenient pulls recommendations from Facebook, Google,

Lately, we’ve talked with a lot of plumbing companies about highly technical services that marketing agencies try to sell them. In today’s podcast, Nolen and Jason talk about the dangers of single-service “cure all” solutions. To help you understand some of these crucial terms, we’ve also provided a short terminology guide at the bottom. If you’ve struggled to determine what your plumbing company needs to succeed online, be sure to listen in! Look Out for These Key Points * Can a singular service improve my rankings online? * Is a low-dollar service package a good deal? * What do these online marketing terms mean? Confusion Regarding Online Marketing For roofing contractors, explaining concepts and processes to homeowners is a crucial portion of the job. Not only do you manage expectations better this way, you also enable your customers to make informed decisions based on their needs. Now imagine a homeowner that claims they need a particular service (which you know to be unnecessary) because a shady roofer said so. Naturally, you’d want to guide your client towards the best solution, and steer them away from potentially wasteful suggestions. When it comes to online marketing, plumbing contractors often rest at a significant disadvantage to the professionals within the marketing industry. That’s because marketing experts spend countless hours researching the latest trends in online search. Most businesses use this information to better serve their current and future clients. Unfortunately, some marketing companies try to exploit this knowledge gap for the own ends. That’s where we see the rise in buzzword marketing, promoting a technical service in a way that sensationalizes both the function and the results of the solution. In buzzword marketing, an agency salesman often takes a service out of context with the rest of search engine optimization (SEO), making it difficult to understand its purpose. Of course, the sales pitch usually comes with dramatic claims of soaring site traffic and customer leads. Be Careful of Cure-All Solutions Plumber SEO is influenced by hundreds of different factors. Many rest within the confines of your commercial website and how well it’s optimized for search. Other external factors include your business’ reviews, the completion of your Google My Business listing, and your social media marketing activities. All of these points contribute towards your overall online marketing success. If a business struggles with low rankings, slow traffic, and poor lead generation, it’s almost never because of one factor. So when a marketing firm comes along and promotes a singular service to turn everything around, plumbing contractors should automatically be suspicious. If a company approaches you with a brand new, highly complex solution, take it with a pound of salt! Taking a Full Health Approach The most successful (results-producing) marketing companies always examine their clients from a broad point of view first. Our team at the Plumbing Webmasters examines hundreds of data points whenever we take on a new client. That’s because your search engine marketing (SEM) success depends on your success in several key areas. Crucial Factors for Success * Factor #1: Your Company Website – Coding, Keywords, Content, and Management

The Google Sandbox is an old school SEO term that refers to either an algorithmic penalty or the confinement and suppression of a search result for violation of Google’s guidelines. Despite some disagreement over whether a sandbox ever existed many believe their websites continue to fall victim to Google’s constraints. As a digital marketing agency that helps Plumbers succeed online some of them ask us about being sandboxed prior to investing in our service. Our response if the same to everyone. SEO is not the same as it used to be. Prior the the Penguin algorithm update in 2012, lots of black hat tactics were engaged in regularly by SEO agencies. When Google started to drop the hammer on websites that benefited from them, terms like sandbox were thrown around quite often. Things like hidden text and 500 word title tags were examples of tactics that became subject to the wrath of Google’s newfound idealism.   In 2019 penalties are more rare. First, most websites that engage in old school black hat tactics no longer see benefits. Second, the website’s that are “supposed” to be in the top 10 are now usually placed there. So there’s no reason to knock a website down 20 or 30 spots because it was never high enough to warrant consideration in the first place. Second, Google now has a better grasp on how to rank websites for their positive qualities. Things like clean code, schema markup, and quality content can now be interpreted by Google and used as a ranking consideration. Despite this advancements in the search engine algorithm many plumbers remain frustrated with their rankings of lack thereof. Plumbing Webmasters can help you determine what factors are limiting your existing website and what can be done to reverse course going forward. Here are 3 reasons why your plumbing website could be sandboxed: Hacked Website If your website has been hacked a giant red notice will appear to all visitors. Needless to say this is bad for SEO purposes and it can be a reason why Google would dismiss you from search results. One of Google’s duties is to protect its users from viruses or unsafe web interactions like phishing. A website that has been flagged for being hacked will never perform well online. Even if some users do reach your website they won’t stick around. While hacks are not assuredly a “sandbox” penalty, they are unequivocally detrimental to your plumbing company’s web efforts. Lack of Reviews Being sandboxed on Google Maps can be a result of reviews or lack thereof. While you might have hundreds of reviews on Angie’s List and HomeAdvisor having zero on Google is a bad look. That’s not to say you get no credit for other reviews but having at least some on Google gives you far more credibility, particularly when it comes to Google Maps rankings. Competitors with more reviews than you may rank higher on Maps even if you feel their plumbing services are inferior. They may be horrible at plumbing but if they have a good reputation, it’s irrelevant. Poor Site Quality Most ranking problems can be traced back to poor website quality. This can be from the perspective of content, design, and most commonly; a combination of both. Most plumbers who call us for help have a template website that they mistakenly believe is custom. These sites are not custom folks. They are templates that have been duplicated repeatedly with slight tweaks to put your logo and contact information up. Google prefers custom codebase with schema markup so it better understands what a website offers. Plumbers should invest in custom. Is The Google Sandbox a Myth? The possible “sandbox” penalties we’ve listed can be attribute...

Google AdWords (now Google Ads) can be highly effective for plumbers. Creating a successful ad starts with following Google’s criteria for advertisements as well as targeting the correct keywords and demographics. Not all ads are the same on Google. Some have sitelink extensions and calls to action while others are simple lines of text without much depth. The highest bidding advertiser is not always the one whose ad will show up first. Google takes several things into account including the quality of the ad which is something they measure through their own metric called Quality Score. Here are some of the things that influence ads: Consumer Targeting Plumbers who profit the most target the right consumer base. As you know, some plumbing jobs pay way more than others. Going for specific terms like slab leak, water heaters, etc. can help maximize your ROI on advertising. General terms like plumbing, plumber, etc. will lure in all types of jobs many of which don’t pay big coin. Targeting also involves geographic locations making it important for every plumbing company to define which zip codes they can service. Negative Keywords Not every keyword is worth pursuing as a plumbing company. For example, lots of searchers are looking for resources on how to fix plumbing issues on their own (DIY style). You wouldn’t want your ad for your plumbing services to show up on these kinds of keywords because the clicks would be worthless as the user is not looking to spend money. Negative keywords make sure these kinds of queries are eliminated for your ad so it maximizes its clicks with relevance. Sitelink Extensions The more information the user has the more likely they are to click on the ad. When an advertisement has sitelink extensions it has expanded lines of text that include links to individual pages on your landing page (your website). These specific pages are often the ones that peak the interest of the searcher and have a greater tendency to receive clicks than more basic ads. Google recommends using sitelink extensions especially for ads that target a certain consumer. Connecting Google Ads to Google My Business As you likely know from your own experience on Google, the Local 3 Pack is one of the most important spots for a plumber to show up. This Map Pack pulls the top Google My Business profiles in the area and showcases them to nearby searchers. While this is primarily earned through organic optimization, there is now an advertisement spot within the Local 3 Pack. Obviously this changes the definition of the 3 Pack since it can now be 4 but it is another opportunity for your plumbing company to generate clicks for its business. Connecting your GMB and Ads accounts won’t guarantee you spot on the Map Pack but it will certainly increase your chances. Out of all the ad spend forked over by companies throughout the year, 80% of it goes to Google and Facebook. Google recognizes their dominance over the advertising industry and has began to create new spots on which ads can show up. The Map Pack is an example of this. Remember, AdWords was originally meant to emulate an organic search result. As users have become more aware of the difference between ads and organic results, the percentage of ad clicks has gone down. The emergence of Map Pack ads helps combat this phenomenon at least partially since its freshness has shielded it from some of the pitfalls of traditional Google search ads. PPC’ing Your Plumbing Company Name PPC management services are infamous for their trickery. Many of them lure clients in by promising them lots of clicks.

As a plumbing contractor you like to keep your business fairly simple. When a homeowner has a problem with their plumbing system you explain to them what their options are and how much it will cost them. Web marketing agencies are not as humble. The vast majority of them behave as if they are on a superior intellectual level to their clientbase. Just because they know more about search engine optimization does not make them a rocket scientist. Common logic still applies to SEO just like it does with plumbing and any other kind of service industry. The arrogance of marketing companies in 2019 can be known as web geek cocky. Marketing Companies vs The Common Man It’s part of their schtick to be arrogant. It’s almost like a defensive mechanism. They understand that the work they are doing is nothing special and so they have to oversell it to make it seem more valuable. You might think that using big words that don’t really meant anything will not impress a plumber or any business owner for that matter. But people can be swayed by the illusion of expertise. When marketers appear as if they possess rare knowledge they are sometimes able to convince a client to buy in. It’s not the fault of the client if they fall for the trick but it something that plumbers should be aware of when they are looking for help with website design or SEO. Marketing is Not Rocket Science Just like plumbers won’t act as if they are the only person on earth who can perform the service, SEO experts should follow suit. There’s a culture of talking down to clients especially those who work in the home service industries. These marketers try to pretend their work is unattainable by the common man. While web design and SEO do take specific skill sets at the end of the day it is merely a service that a bunch of different companies can offer around the country. Plumbers Need a Straight Shooter In an age where plumbers are looked down upon by arrogant fools in the marketing industry, a straight shooter becomes a breath of fresh air. What if someone who could relate to your business challenges was also the person creating and implementing your marketing campaign? That is the case with Plumbing Webmasters. Owners Nolen & John come from humble beginnings and were once home service providers themselves. They started their own web company after being talked down to with web geek cocky nonsense. Identifying Web Geek Nonsense If you are a plumber currently looking for SEO services there are some red flags you should consider during your research. If a company starts speaking in empty language (using words that don’t mean anything) you know you’re in trouble. This web geek is probably cocky. They think they can trick the common man into overspending on services they don’t need. Many such marketers will get you involved in the shell trick scheme where they take SEO money and use it on PPC. Steer clear of these egomaniacs. They have done enough damage to the country already. Especially the common hard working American who is the foundation of our economy. Plumbing Webmasters: The Exception Plumbers can relate to the owners here at Plumbing Webmasters because they lived the same experience. Having once been a home service provider company themselves they transitioned to SEO work because they couldn’t find another company that wasn’t unpretentious. It’s almost like shopping for a doctor. They are mostly arrogant people who think because they went to medical school that they are a God like figure. The problem is even more absurd with web geeks though because the work is not dependent on a decade of high-level schooling. At the end of the day, Plumbing Webmasters is a web marketing company run by relatable people.

Today’s podcast episode discusses how to start a successful plumbing company. Plumbing Webmasters is a digital marketing agency so our advice will heavily favor marketing strategies. We will not delve into the specifics of legally starting a business including the necessary tax considerations. Depending on your location, your tax considerations will vary. To learn more about starting a business from a legal perspective, check out the Small Business Administration. Our expertise, which is marketing for plumbers remains the most important element of starting a successful business in 2019. Content Rich Website A website with deep dive content and service pages has a great chance to optimize online both on organic results and Google Maps. Furthermore, visitors who reach it have a great chance of converting into a paying customer. A website serves as the digital representation of your plumbing company and can help it maximize your potential. Deep dive content that goes for specific services like hose bib repair can have you ranking quickly. Every business needs leads to grow and plumbers can get them through long tail keyword searches on Google. Volume may be lower at first, but as your site ages, you will begin to rank for the more competitive keywords. Google My Business Optimization Get yourself listed on every business directory of note. None is more important than Google My Business which serves as the central hub of your local SEO efforts. Through connection with your Google Maps listing, you will begin to show up on the Local 3 Pack for relevant keyword terms and earn trust from consumers with your aggregate star rating. Few if any local customers will do business with a plumber who does not have an established reputation. Generating more reviews is a process in itself, so you should plan to market your business in that way as well. Google My Business is imperative to SEO success for plumbers. Market All Day, Every Day The best thing a brand new plumbing company can do to get started is market all day, every day. Even if that means doing door knocking for several hours per day or leaving business cards in mailboxes. There’s only one way to grow a plumbing business and that’s with leads. By attracting new clients you will start to build a customer base at your foundation. From there you can invest more into marketing and focus on higher end promotion that will take you to the next tier of plumbers in your area. Tenure is important online and in the real world so the process of establishing trust and authority should be progressive.

Check out our top 50 plumbing keywords for primary targets. Today’s episode will discuss how lower volume keywords can still yield significant ROI while straightening the overall health of your website and supplementing your top keywords. Many plumbers question whether pages for services like hose bib replacement are worth their while. Even more common services like toilet repair seem to be met with skepticism by plumbers as it pertains to publishing a webpage exclusively about that service. The truth is that these pages can convert well and yield a great return on investment. They are particularity valuable for websites that are recently launched, as ranking for main terms will take longer than most are willing to wait. Lesser known keywords will rank quickly and can get you plumbing jobs while you wait for SEO to take its full effect.

1) Facebook Pixel Tracking Americans spend more time on Facebook than they do eating. It is estimated that most U.S. residents check Facebook 15 times per day on average. Facebook pixel tracking allows your website to advertise to users who’ve already visited your site as they browse Facebook. Cookies are stored in their browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) when they visit, and then are pulled when they log onto Facebook. Pixel tracking typically improves conversion rates from around 3% to around 15%. Best of all, pixel tracking is relatively inexpensive but highly effective. 2) Google Remarketing Ads Like Facebook, Google allows for advertisers to track and then follow visitors of their website. Remarketing ads from Google are the same fundamental concept as Facebook pixel tracking and are even less expensive. Why? Because Google doesn’t actually charge a fee until the remarketed ad gets clicked on. Remarketed ads appear on all kinds of platforms in Google’s display network. It could be anything from Accuweather to a tutorial blog post. Let’s say that a potential customer thinks they can fix the plumbing job themself, but then finds your ad on the how-to manual. They might reconsider. 3) Google Ads Once known as Google AdWords, the now named Google Ads is still one of the most effective ways to advertise your plumbing business online. Because it can be expensive and requires a level of expertise to properly maximize, there are some who have grown frustrated with it as a platform. Still, if ads are properly targeted and campaigns are managed by experts who have an understanding of demographics, targeting, and ROI, plumbers can really clean up with Google Ads. Depending on what city you are looking to target for plumbing jobs, Google Ads may be less expensive than you think. In any case, make sure you hire an AdWords certified manager. 4) YouTube Ads Like Google Ads, YouTube ads can target specific demographics. As the number one platform in the world for streaming video, YouTube is unsurprisingly a highly frequented domain. Investing in plumbing ads on YouTube can ensure that video watchers in your target area see your company promotions on relevant videos. While the ROI is typically less significant than that gained through Facebook and Google, it is still enough to pursue the venture with open eyes. What can enhance your ability to advertise on YouTube is by creating a video channel for your brand and even posting video content. 5) Search Engine Optimization SEO remains the most efficient way to advertise a plumbing business online. Some would disagree with this sentiment and for good reason. These plumbers have been screwed over by shady SEO firms who overpromise and underdeliver. This unfortunate combination has given the SEO industry a negative connotation amongst many in the service industries. The facts are unbothered however. SEO is affordable and sustainable which are the two most important components of any advertising campaign in 2019. Make sure you invest in a trustworthy SEO company and one that specializes in your niche, which for you is plumbing. 6) Website Design Design is important for conversion and personalization. Plumbers advertising campaigns don’t end until a visitor is actually converted. Design goes a long way towards making that happen. From clean codebase and pertinent calls to action, design elements can close the deal on behalf of plumbing companies. Web design also ties in with SEO so it can actually help generate more leads which makes it even more potent from an advertising standpoint. Aesthetics are a big part of trust building, so make sure you website is visually appealing. 7) Codebase Part of strong design is clean codebase. Template websites use obtrusive elements that bog down site speed and hinder SEO potential.

We are the top digital marketing agency for plumbers but even in our case, there are certain things clients can do better than us for internet promotion. One of those things is review generation. We can provide the tools to make reviews convenient for your customers but you have to ask for them in person. Learn about the other things that you as a client can do better than us. If we work together, you can dominate SEO for plumbers in 2019.

Why 6 Months of SEO is Not Enough

Summary: Nolen of Plumbing Webmasters discusses how plumbers can succeed in 2019 with digital marketing ventures like SEO, Website Design, PPC, Social Media, and more. Having worked with hundreds of plumbing clients,

Website Layout Tips for Plumbers

How To Track Digital Marketing Success for Plumbers

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