Every business wants to rank on the first page of Google. But for local home service businesses competing against the big guys, that can seem like a huge challenge.
But here’s the secret. Local Google search results include Google’s Map-Pack, also known as the 3-pack, and your Google Business Profile listing powers it. One of the best ways to compete in local Google search and dominate search engines is to rank in this pack. The map-pack accounts for thirty to forty percent of all clicks on Google. And you, as a local contractor, may have an advantage over the larger companies because your business has one or more local locations and an optimized business listing.
Seventy-six percent of consumers who conduct a local search contact a business within 24 hours, and twenty-eight percent of those searches result in a service purchase. In a world where people want answers right now, searchers are becoming increasingly “lazy,” for lack of a better term. And this need for ease and immediacy of solutions applies to the home service industry.
It’s 95 degrees outside, your A/C isn’t working, and you don’t want your living room to be as sweltering hot as it is outside. What do you do? Most people pull out their smartphones and search “A/C companies near me.” You spot a business in the map-pack at the top of Google Search, and you click-to-call from your smartphone.
These “near me” searches increased by over 900% in the past two years. The nature of the home services industry is that you solve consumers’ home problems, and these problems are, more often than not, time-sensitive. Google Business Profile visibility is key to success in your local SEO efforts and being the company customers click-to-call.
All of your physical locations should be claimed and verified. And make sure your Google Business Profile is optimized correctly for proximity, keywords, and NAP (Name, Address, Phone number consistency). In addition, make sure that the address and phone number on your website is an exact match to the address on your Google Business Profile listing.
Online reviews play a significant role in where you stack up in the 3-pack. And as customers are deciding which business to use, they look for social proof that a company will provide the customer service and results they seek. Encourage your technicians to ask for reviews when they’ve completed a job well done. You can also email your customers satisfaction surveys conveniently linked to your Google Business Profile listing to ask for reviews. Or you can integrate an automated review solicitation program into your back-office software.
As a business owner, responding to those reviews can be as important as generating them. Designate someone in your company to read and respond to these reviews. Check out Google Business Profile Help for tips on reading and replying to these reviews.
Create pages on your website that speak to the markets your company serves. For example, if you serve the greater Atlanta, GA market, build out pages on your website for the multiple suburbs outside metro Atlanta that fall within your service area. This process may help influence to expand the geographic reach of your Google Business Profile, which may provide the opportunity to serve your company up in the map pack when a potential customer is searching for your services in that particular location.
Ranking in the map pack happens organically over time. But keep in mind that it’s also a competitive space — you and your competitors all want to be there but simply can’t be at the same time. If you occupy a map pack position, that’s one less spot for the competition.
You have to roll up your sleeves and put in the time, energy, and effort to show Google that you are a relevant business online. If you can do that, the leads will come! Your customers nearly always have a computer or smartphone at their fingertips. When a problem arises, they go to Google and call someone to fix it.
Make sure customers can easily find and call you over your competition. And if you need help, reach out to a digital marketing agency. Our team at High Level Marketing specializes in Home Services, and we help contractors like you every day gain new business through search.