In conditions where most hvac companies and appliance repair businesses feel the pressure to keep their marketing costs down, keeping a sharp eye on your return on investment (ROI) is vital. Focusing on digital marketing efforts that deliver strong ROI is smarter than ever. Local SEO can be one of those that offer a high rate of return, when it is done right.
Google’s data shows that 50% of consumers that search for a local business will produce a visit to that business in the next 24 hours. More than half (56 percent) of local searches are executed via mobile devices, such as smartphones. Finally, more than three quarters (78 percent) of local mobile searches produce an in-store purchase.
Wouldn’t it be nice to tap into those statistics to get more ac repair or appliance repair customers?
Do the right kind of local search engine optimization – and do it well, according to best practices for seo – and the marketing dollars you spend can reap huge rewards in scheduled jobs.
Running a local heating and cooling company or appliance repair business makes you intimately familiar with how important local marketing is. Taking your campaigns online with local SEO can be a huge business booster when you do it with a cohesive and effective plan. Getting a full return on your local SEO investment requires you to stay on top of all current best SEO practices. You also need to have a full range of analytical tools and skills available to track the results of your efforts.
Of all the different types of digital marketing, local SEO can be the most important for air conditioning repair or appliance repair companies that rely on generating patronage within their community. Good local SEO both makes your air conditioner repair company or appliance service business show up better on the search engine results page and fosters more awareness of the ac repair or appliance repair services you have to offer.
This is a skill that needs constant refinement. Search engine optimization practices change constantly, and that means effective marketing strategies for local SEO need to change as well. The algorithms used to rank results by Google account include more than 200 factors when judging which websites they want to rank at the top of their search engine.
Best Practices For Local SEO
Google updates its search algorithms as much as 600 times a year. Many of these changes are minor tweaks – but some are game-changers. Keeping your SEO skills up-to-date will ensure that your marketing efforts remain fully effective and in full compliance with the industry’s best practices.
Local hvac company or appliance service business owners need to pay attention to the following key local SEO topics in 2020:
* On-Page SEO: Taking internal steps to make your web pages rank higher.
* Off-Page SEO: Strengthening the external references pointing to your site, i.e. inbound links and citations (local directory sites like Yelp and Yellow Pages).
* Local Search: Providing consistent and complete contact information for your ac repair company or appliance repair business everywhere it’s mentioned online.
* Comprehensive Mobile-Friendly Design
* Social Media Engagement
* Cultivating Positive Reviews
The marketing steps you take in the immediate future can have a dramatic positive impact on your business’s visibility and attractiveness to local customers.
5 Local SEO Investments That Provide Excellent ROI
In a lot of cases, strong SEO performance is a matter of patience and consistency. But when it comes to local SEO, you can reap immediate positive rewards by implementing basic steps today. Make this a core plank of your digital marketing platform; a lot of the tools you need to get started are free.
1) Make Sure Your Google My Business Profile Is Optimized
This may well be advice you’ve already heard, even if you’re just getting started with local SEO. A solid Google My Business listing is a foundational part of your local search engine presence.
The reason why it is easy to understand: Location is a top criterion for ranking search results when users go looking for an air conditioning repair company or appliance repair business. This is generally true and even more important when searches are being executed on a mobile device.
Setting up a profile on Google My Business is an easy and effective way to launch yourself into local SEO. Your listing should include useful basic information for potential customers. This includes contact information, an accurate location that can be mapped out, your hours of operation, and a basic rundown of the services you provide.
2) Actively Manage Your Online Reputation
Not all of the factors of digital marketing are revolutionary. The ancient maxim “reputation is everything” is just as important online as it is in face-to-face business. In the same way that you have limited funds to allocate to your marketing efforts, your customers only have so much money to spend.
Before they commit to do business with a local hvac business or appliance service company, they’re going to do everything they can to confirm that the company is trustworthy. Your digital marketing can be a powerful tool for assuring consumers that you care about their patronage and are committed to delivering the best air conditioner repair or appliance repair services.
The actual quality of your services can easily be discounted if your online reputation is sour. Negative reviews and smear campaigns can warn potential customers away and depress your business’s profits. Managing your online reputation isn’t just a useful way to promote your business; it can be a vital safeguard standing against absolute catastrophe.
Good online reputation management tools allow you to spot potential problems and correct them quickly. Key features include:
* Real-time monitoring of online reviews that notify you when new reviews or comments appear
* Fostering more positive reviews to keep your reputation strong
* Dealing with bad reviews directly and effectively.
Online reputation management is your chance to interact directly with your customers online. Responding effectively and proactively can do wonders for your ac repair or appliance repair business’s trustworthiness and your customers’ loyalty.
3) Build Good Links To Demonstrate Authority
If you’re wondering what key features set certain websites ahead of competitors when it comes to search attention, it’s hard to overstate the importance of authority.
Search engines gather a huge range of data about a given site before assigning it a rank to show its relevance to a given search query. It’s not just data within your website that gets examined, either. The search engines will also look for any mentions of your business (its name, street address, and other contact information) on other websites across the web.
And the search engines will look for links that point at your site.
Engage in organic link-building so that other trustworthy websites make relevant links to your pages. This can do a great deal to increase your search engine (and therefore customer) visibility.
4) Don’t Neglect Security
The number of cyberattacks executed every year is constantly rising. The latest figures show that some sort of malicious hack is perpetrated every 39 seconds. Nearly half of those attacks (43 percent) are aimed at small businesses.
Security matters for local SEO because it’s a fundamental part of establishing trust with prospective and current customers. You need to do everything you can to assure your visitors that any information they share with you (basic contact info as well as financial data) will be kept secure. A major part of this effort is ensuring that your heating and cooling company website or appliance repair website is hosted on a secure server.
What makes a server secure? All of the following points are important:
* SSL encryption.
* A fully-updated CMS (e.g. WordPress).
* A secure content delivery network (CDN) is very useful. A secure CDN (like Cloudflare) provides an extra security layer standing between your website and unauthorized manipulation.
The benefits of a CDN are often overlooked by small business owners. At an enterprise scale, the chief benefit of a CDN is faster page loading. But the significant security boost makes it attractive, even if your audience doesn’t number in the millions.
5) Cultivate Business Citations
As I’m sure you are aware, the internet has become a vital tool for consumer research when individuals and businesses are looking for a new air conditioning repair or appliance service provider. This means that they will likely investigate consumer reviews (like those on Yelp!, for example) before making a service choice. Don’t overlook the power of positive mentions that appear on more industry-specific sites! Devote some attention to getting your business and its website cited by blogs that matter in your industry and by other trustworthy businesses.
Conclusion
Local SEO is one of the most important forms of digital marketing for hvac companies or appliance service businesses. The role that online resources play in guiding customers to your business grows ever larger. The great news is that local SEO delivers an excellent ROI. The time and money you spend on improving your local visibility will lead directly to more ac repair or appliance repair leads and higher profits. Learn more with us about hvac seo services and the best practices.
