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SEO for House Painting Businesses: Let’s Talk About Good Search Engine Optimization Strategies for Your Painting Company

SEO for house painting businesses

Your painting company provides a wide range of valuable services to local homeowners and businesses as a painter. The problem is that you’re simply one of many comparable businesses. So, what distinguishes you from the rest of the pack? 

Customer service and high-quality products are equally as important as flawless execution. However, implementing SEO solutions to develop your organization is an equally crucial, if sometimes forgotten, component.

What is Search Engine Optimization for House Painters?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving your website’s visibility in search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, and so on, in order to attract more traffic to your site. Increased visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) means that you’re more likely to attract new and existing consumers. 

Unlike PPC advertising, which suck up a significant portion of any marketing budget, SEO may be done for a fraction of the cost. PPC results can be seen instantly, while true SEO advantages may take some time to show up. For most painting contractors, a combination of PPC and SEO is suggested.

Types of Search Engine Optimization Your Business Can Use

Although SEO appears to be a straightforward procedure at first glance, digging deeper reveals a considerably more nuanced process. The “mechanism” of SEO has several moving parts, including, but not limited to, keywords and content. 

There are two basic types of SEO elements – Onsite SEO and Offsite SEO.

On-site SEO is when you make changes to individual parts of your website to make it more likely to show up in search engine results. This includes things like keywords, formatting, navigation, URLs, load speed, on-site blogging, and responsive design, among other things.

Off-Site SEO is the work you do to improve your SEO by doing things that aren’t on your website. A lot of people think that link building is the most important part of off-page SEO, but it also includes things like business profiles on social media, articles, link building and more.

How Can You Get Started In SEO With Your Painting Company?

SEO is a lot more complicated than just researching keywords and putting them on your site. This is a good reason to pay more attention to it and not just ignore it. There are many parts of SEO that don’t cost anything but your time and effort, and they can be more effective than other marketing methods. 

Search Engine Journal says that inbound leads (like from SEO) cost 61% less than leads that have to be bought (like cold calling). It is also very easy to use tactics once you know how to do them.

So, let’s get started!

Social Media – It’s a good idea to post material from your website or blog on social media networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and so on to increase traffic to your site. Post often and engage with users in a professional manner to build a following.

Link Building – We’ve previously established that link development is a critical component of any successful SEO campaign. Google doesn’t care about the size of your painting company. By guest blogging, submitting your pages to relevant directories, and providing valuable material that other people want to share, you may utilize link building to establish your authority. 

On the other hand, anyone who uses black hat techniques, such as low-quality methods and spam, will be punished, no matter how big their business is.

Local SEO – Local SEO is the same as SEO but tailored to local search engine results. This implies that the material you generate and distribute should include information about your business’s location, city, or town.

Consumers and home service providers both benefit from Google’s preference for local content. When you have the right tools to target people in your location, your adverts and content will be more successful.

Understanding Local SEO

Here’s how MailChimp explains local organic search results:

After analyzing the behavior of users during trillions of searches, Google figured out that people seeking certain types of businesses need results from their immediate area. That’s why Google’s local search algorithm includes a proximity factor, which is a fancy way of saying that Google takes your location into account when you search for a local keyword (a query with local intent). This happens even when the searcher doesn’t include a city name or “near me” in their search.

Long-tail keywords have a large role in local SEO. To locate words that describe your painting company’s services and mention the location, you may use tools like Google Keyword Planner. Using these keywords in your article can help you rise in the ranks of search engine results.

How To Know If Your SEO Is Working

Measurability is one of SEO’s finest advantages. In order to learn more about your website’s visitors, including their origins, paths to your site, and activities while they’re there, you may use Google Analytics. Using this data, you can take advantage of the fact that a certain search phrase is directing users to your site and incorporate this keyword in your content.

How Can Local SEO Help Grow Your House Painting Business?

Let’s go a little further and see exactly what these services can achieve for your business.



Improve Your Online Visibility

Painting companies that get their name out there are more likely to expand and grow. You have the opportunity to appear at the top of search engine results by executing an effective local SEO plan. 

Even if customers don’t click on your links on your website, they will still notice your brand. As a result, your company’s name and products become more recognizable to them. This is a great approach to increase your brand’s visibility over time!

Boost Your Local Sales

The ultimate purpose of an SEO strategy should be to assist you in increasing revenue. In fact, this is exactly what local SEO can achieve for your painting business. Having a Google My Business account is one way to get your business in front of more local clients.

Outrank All Of Your Competitors

As a result of employing local SEO techniques, you’ll be able to outrank your rivals in the Google search results and attract clients who otherwise would have opted for your rivals. If people see your website first, they’re more likely to click through.

Generating Organic Traffic For Your Site

SEO for your painting business

Search Engine Watch conducted a study that arrived at some incredible findings: 63 % of people use multiple devices to find a local business.

Four out of five searches via mobile devices lead to a purchase, often within a few hours, the survey said. Compared with other devices, the mobile phone showed the highest conversion rate, with nearly 80 percent of mobile phone searches ending in a purchase.

When consumers in your area search for the services you provide, it’s critical that you show up in local search results. And the best way to achieve it is through a local search engine optimization approach.

You Need SEO For Business Success

In order to be successful and relevant in today’s business environment, Search Engine Optimization is a must-have. SEO is essential for painters. Even if you have a great service, you won’t be found online if you don’t have SEO. To put it another way, customers can’t discover you when they search for what you do online.

If you’re in the painting business, knowing your local customers better than anyone else might provide you an edge over your rivals in the home service industry. It’s an excellent chance for you if they’re depending only on outbound marketing or are simply hoping for the best with their websites. This happens more often than you think.

There’s no need to start off with a huge budget – start small and build up as your business grows. Keep in mind that SEO is a long-term process, not a sprint!

Is your website ready for the next Google SSL update and how will it impact your business?

Does your website start with “http://” or “https://”?

If it is the former rather than the latter, your website visitors (and your business) may have a large surprise starting October 1, 2017!

According to Google, “Starting October 2017, Chrome (version 62) will show a “NOT SECURE” warning when users enter text in a form on an HTTP page, and for all HTTP pages in Incognito mode.”

More simply put, if your site does not have an SSL certificate on October 1, 2017, Google Chrome will mark it as “NOT SECURE” if there are any text fields.

What does an SSL do for me?

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificates encrypt the connection between the web browser and the server where the website resides. This makes it much harder for someone to intercept the traffic and steal the information, which in turn leads to a safer browsing experience for the average web user.

This is the second step in Google’s plan to force users to employ an SSL certificate. Step one was implemented in January of this year. It marked sites as “NOT SECURE” if they did not have an SSL certificate and accepted personal data, like credit cards or PayPal. This step, implemented October 1, will mark any site with text fields as “NOT SECURE” without an SSL. The final step, planned to roll out soon, is to mark any site as “NOT SECURE” that does not have an SSL certificate.

Because it is so much more secure, Google would prefer to have all websites protected by an SSL certificate. They have reinforced this notion in their ranking algorithm as well, with SSL protected websites ranking more highly.

What does this mean for you?

Your business and your website traffic are at risk with no SSL certificate!

What should I do to avoid this situation?

Talk to your webmaster or the person that handles your website hosting about adding an SSL.

Don’t have an SSL or not sure where to start?

Contact Integrity First Technology Solutions, Inc. (412.559.7177 or si@iftsdesign.com) and let them take care of it for you.

Don’t miss this opportunity to upgrade your website. Protect your clients and your website’s reputation!

Google wants YOUR website to be mobile friendly right NOW…Is it?

Is your website mobile friendly?

According to Google’s Webmaster Blog, “To improve the mobile search experience, after January 10, 2017, pages where content is not easily accessible to a user on the transition from the mobile search results may not rank as highly.”

What does this mean for your business?  

If you want to rank highly on Google’s search results, your website has to be considered mobile friendly.

 

What does mobile friendly even mean?

When you open a business’s website on your phone and you have to pinch the screen to zoom in so that you can read it, that is indicative of a non-mobile friendly site.  The website does not distinguish how it shows up based upon the device on which it is being viewed.  If you make it more difficult for someone on your website to access information, they are much more likely to leave.

 

Why did Google do this?

According to Marketing Land, 60% of consumers time is spent browsing the internet on their mobile devices.  Additionally, 75% of people will search on their phone for a business that they want to connect with  (Google Partners).

Google wants to make browsing the internet as easy and as safe as possible for the average web user.  Therefore, they are going to return websites in the search results that they believe exhibit these traits.  If you are not one of these websites, your ranking position is likely to drop.

Even worse, if your competition IS one of those mobile friendly websites, their position is likely to rise.

 

What do I need to know about Google’s mobile friendly algorithm?

Important updates to be aware of are (Search Engine Land):

  • The new mobile friendly algorithm was rolled out in January 2017
  • It is an on or off algorithm, which means that you are 100% mobile friendly or you are not
  • It will be on a page-by-page basis

 

How do I know if my site is mobile friendly?

Google has released a tool where you can check your site for mobile friendliness: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly

 

If you have employed one of the following techniques, your website will be considered mobile friendly:

  1. Adaptive Design: Your website changes the content served based on the viewing device.
  2. Responsive Design: Your website has a fluid layout that changes based on the viewing device.
  3. Mobile-Only site: You have a separate mobile site that shows only on mobile devices.  This is no longer recommended because Google indexes your mobile site only.

 

What should I do if my website is not mobile friendly?  I want to be returned highly in the search results!

If you do not have a mobile friendly website, there are four options to explore.

  1. Additions to Existing Website:  You can make responsive additions to your existing website that will allow the site to account for the viewing device.
  2. Website Redesign:  You can redesign your website as a responsive website, which will ensure that it shows properly on all devices.  Additionally, you can add in other changes for other Google updates, such as the new SSL requirement.
  3. Create a Separate Mobile Site:  You can keep your site as is and have a mobile site that is served only to mobile users.  Again, this is not recommended because Google now indexes your mobile site only.
  4. Do Nothing: If you do not want to rank highly on Google’s search algorithm, then you can leave your site as is.

 

Need help implementing options one, two or three?  Contact IFTS, Inc. for more details.