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Category: marketing for painters

Important Stats About Google Business Profile For 2022

We wanted to end 2022 (and start 2023) with a ton of stats about Google Business Profile that you should keep in mind while planning your marketing for 2023.

We divided the stats into 3 Categories:

–       Fun with Numbers

–       Did You Know

–       Little Known Facts

So, without further ado… 

Fun with Numbers

  1. The number of searches containing the keywords “near me” have increased more than 200% over the last two years.
  2. 28% of searches that include the keywords “near me” result in a purchase.
  1. More than half of the interactions between customers and businesses in Google Business Profile result in a store visit.
  2. 76% of people who search for local businesses on Google Business Profile visit the business within one day to make a purchase.
  3. 88% of people who search for local businesses on Google Business Profile visit a business within one week to make a purchase.
  4. 60% of consumers contact businesses directly through Google Business Profile, using the “click to call” feature.
  1. In 2020, there was a 61% increase in calls from Google Business Profiles.
  2. 72% of local users visit a business within five miles after finding them on Google Business Profiles.
  3. There are almost 4,000 Google Business Profile categories to choose from.
  4. 84% of searches in Google Business Profile are ‘discovery searches,’ which means consumers were not looking for a specific business.
  5. Google, along with the many other platforms the tech giant owns, account for about 92% of the search engine market share in the United States.

Did You Know…

  1. 97% of consumers learn about local businesses online.
  2. 64% of consumers have used Google Business Profile to find contact information for a small business.
  3. On average, businesses listed in Google Business Profile receive 33 clicks per month.
  4. 16% of Google Business Profile listings receive more than 100 calls per month.
  5. Local businesses receive 94% of their Google Business Profile visits on weekdays.
  6. Over 5% of Google Business Profile views result in a conversion, and that number is increasing every day.

18.  Google Business Profile is completely free!

Little Known Facts

19.  Listings in Google Business Profile that include photos are twice as likely to appear as reputable to users.

  1. Using images in Google Business Profile has increased revenue for businesses by 17%.
  2. Local businesses have, on average, 11 pictures per Google Business Profile listing.
  3. Google Business Profile syncs with Google Maps to display the location of a business.
  4. Businesses can create a Google Business Profile listing even if they do not have a physical address.
  5. Complete Google Business Profile listings are seven times more likely to get clicks than those that are incomplete.
  1. With the increased usage of cell phones and smartphones, it is not surprising that Google Business Profile has more searches on mobile than desktop.
  2. 90% of searchers read reviews before making a purchase.
  3. 20% of consumers expect a response in a timely manner after leaving a review.
  4. The average Google Business Profile listing has 39 reviews.
  5. When higher-end products have reviews, the conversion rate increases by 380%. 
  6. When lower-end products have reviews, the conversion rate increases by 190%.

Data Sources

https://www.themediacaptain.com/25-google-business-profile-stats/ 

https://www.e2msolutions.com/blog/google-business-profile-usage-growth-statistics/

Need Help?

IFTS specializes in helping companies get found on Google.  For a free consultation on how we can optimize your profile, call us at 412.715.6266.

6 Signs Your Painting Business Website Needs To Be Updated

Remember when it was trendy to have scrolling banners, a website visitors counter, blinking text or Adobe Flash on your website?

Does your website still have those…or does it look like it was designed when boy bands were still cool?

If so, it is definitely time for an update.

Here are 6 more signs that it’s time to redo your website:

✅ Your Website Isn’t Responsive

Does your website look as good or better on a phone than it does on a desktop?

If not, it’s time for an update. 

Your website should adapt and look good on all devices.

Why?

Well, first of all, this could actually be hurting you in the organic search rankings.  Google has started to penalize websites that are not designed for mobile devices because they determine the rankings using the mobile version.  If Google prioritizes a mobile-friendly website, you should, too. Unfortunately, the vast majority of painting businesses actually do the opposite.

Secondly, your customers will think that you don’t care about them having a good experience.  

More of your customers are going to your website using their phones instead of a desktop than ever before.  If they have to pinch, zoom and swipe their way through a non-optimized website, there is a good chance they’ll move on to the next painting company quickly.

If your website was built several years ago, even if it is responsive, it may not be as user-friendly on mobile devices as it could be. There has been a shift in both best practices, loading time acceptability and user expectations. 

In order to determine whether or not your site is mobile-friendly, you can use Google’s own mobile-friendly test tool: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly

✅ Your Website Isn’t Easy For Your Target Market To Navigate

Can your ideal client easily navigate your website?

If not, it’s time for an update.  A client should be able to get to any page they want within 3 clicks.

3 clicks is what the average person finds acceptable while browsing for information.  In this increasingly fast-paced world where attention span is at a premium, prospects should find your website intuitive.

Typically, when business owners prioritize “pretty” websites over functionality and clever wordplay over straightforward descriptions, this is where you can lose people.

Some other common issues that we see:

  • Menu isn’t mobile friendly
  • Too many menu items
  • Too few menu items
  • Inability to navigate back a page or up a level
  • Blogs with no navigation
  • No site menu

If these are a problem on your site as well, you want to start thinking about a change.

✅ Your Website Isn’t Updated Regularly

When was the last time that you updated your website?

If you can’t remember, or if it was more than 3-4 years ago, it’s time for an update.  You want to make the best first impression you can, and that includes what people think of your online properties as well.  In fact, most people will judge a website within the first .05 seconds of seeing it.

An updated website is important for many reasons.

  • Aesthetic trends change, so a layout or graphic scheme that was popular before may not be popular now.  This can date your website.
  • Security protocols will update or change, which may leave you vulnerable to hacking.
  • Embedded code protocols from third parties (like YouTube or Rumble) will change as well, which could break the functionality on your website.

One way to evaluate your website is to compare it to your competition.  Look at the websites of 5 local competitors.  If all of them have nicer looking websites, it’s time to update yours.

Remember, people make assumptions about you based on what your website looks like.  If it looks old or sloppy with broken functionality, they may assume that’s how your business is run as well.

You might not give much thought to an out-of-date website, but it’s the digital equivalent of a high end boutique with bad lighting or a law office with holes in the waiting room upholstery. Putting in no effort to the appearance suggests that you don’t care about how you come across to others.

Customers and prospects want to be cared about.

✅ Your Website Doesn’t Convert Visitors Into Clients

When someone visits your website, do they normally become a client?

If you don’t convert a decent percentage of website visitors into clients, it is time for a website update.

Having a website is essential for any business today. However, merely existing online is not enough. Your website’s purpose is to promote your company.  It should be your BEST (and easiest to control) salesman.

A few ways that you can improve your conversion rate:

  • Be sure to have clear calls to action that stand out on every page
  • Be consistent in your messaging across all platforms
  • Provide helpful content about your business as well as why someone should work with you
  • Add your phone number and email address at the top of the website and make sure they are clickable
  • Adding a chat bot makes it easy to ask questions and helps a prospect decide to go with your services on the spot
  • A scheduler widget that allows a prospect to create their own appointment with you to accommodate a busy schedule
  • Ask for only a small amount of information so it’s easy for a prospect to fill out a form and submit.  The key is for you to get in touch quickly after the submission.

A good metric to look at if you have Google Analytics installed on your site is called Bounce Rate.

Bounce Rate tracks the percentage of first-time visitors that depart your webpage without navigating any further. While it’s normal for some pages to have a larger bounce rate than others, consistently high rates across the board indicate that something is wrong with your website.

✅ Your Website Doesn’t Follow Google’s Rules To Rank Well

Does your website play by Google’s SEO (search engine optimization) rules?

If you haven’t optimized your website in the past year or two, it’s time for an update.  Google constantly is changing/adding to their SEO rules.

SEO lays the foundation for having your website rank well and show up on the first page of results.  For more in depth information on SEO, check out this article from IFTS on “SEO for House Painting Companies”.

A few of the most important SEO rules:

  • Your website should have an SSL certificate
  • Load time for the site should be under 3 seconds
  • Popular keywords associated with your business should be used in the URL, page titles and headers
  • The meta description and page title field should be filled in
  • There are no bugs in the website code
  • There are no security vulnerabilities

While it is true that sometimes a combination of different approaches might solve these issues, if your website is more than a few years old, it is usually best to start from scratch. There is a limit to how many times you can fix a broken website by applying temporary fixes.

✅ Your Website Doesn’t Have Multiple Ways For People To Contact You

If I go to your website, are there multiple ways to get in touch with your business?

If you don’t have a phone number, a contact form and an email address easily available, it is time for an update.  Because people communicate and learn in different ways, it’s important to make it easy to contact you using multiple methods.

A great first step is to add the phone number, email address and social media property links to the top of your header.  These will be easily accessible no matter what page of the website a prospective customer is visiting.

A chat bot can be a valuable tool as well.  The easier you make it for prospects to get their questions answered and any fears allayed, the better chance you have of getting that person as a client.

Finally, a contact form on your website that can be navigated to easily (one click) makes the perfect trifecta of website communication.

🤔Thinking That Your Website Is Ready For An Update?

After reading this list, you may be convinced that a website redesign is in order and you are probably right!

Want help?

Using the newest responsive design trends, search engine optimization (SEO), and other cutting-edge features, our developers will craft a unique website for your company.  Call IFTS today at 412.715.6266 to get started!

Blog Post and Content Creation Tips for House Painting Companies

They say that when it comes to SEO that “Content is King”, but how exactly does that apply to house painting businesses?  

Well, you are about to find out!

Good website and blog content is a prerequisite for good online traffic, which should turn into leads.  But, how do you know what to write about?

FINDING THE RIGHT TOPIC

There are many strategies for choosing a relevant topic to write about.  We are going to cover 4 popular ones.

Strategy 1 for finding a topic - Check Answer The Public for popular topics

All you have to do is enter a keyword or phrase into their search box and it will return a bunch of popular ideas about your topic.

In the example below, we used “house painting” and look at all of the different subjects you could use:

Strategy 2 for finding a topic - Use Semrush

This is a tool (that has a free version) which will tell you how popular a search term is.  It will also give you common questions that people Google about your search term.  

Check out the example below.  We used the same term “house painting” and these are the free results that Semrush gives us about our topic:

Feeling stuck or not sure what to write?  The Semrush results also include the top 10 pages that rank for your keyword.  Open them up and do a little “spying” on your competition to see what they are writing about.

Strategy 3 for finding a topic - Use Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a tool that is very similar to Semrush.  You can find the popularity of a keyword, relevant questions that are on topic, competitor links and more.

Strategy 4 for finding a topic - BuzzSumo’s “evergreen score”

Buzzsumo’s evergreen score can show you popularity trends of a subject.  You can see if the content is long lasting or if it was short lived.  You may be able to grab some ideas from the longer lasting posts.

Once you have a topic chosen, you’ll need to decide how to present your information. 

FINDING THE RIGHT BLOG TEMPLATE

There are many common blog templates that you can use.

Blog Template 1 - Expanded List Post

The list posts template consists of a compiled set of tips/tricks that readers can implement in a variety of settings.  The only difference between a standard list post and an expanded list post is the adding of further information for each item on your list.

Here’s an example: Power Washing Tips & FAQ

Blog Template 2 - Case Study From Your Business

Your Case Study Post offers a solution to a challenge that the audience you are trying to reach frequently encounters. By showing that you can fix this problem, you are quickly regarded as a knowledgeable authority on the subject. There is just one caveat to this. You have to demonstrate that your solution is effective.

Here’s an example: Stain or Paint A Deck: Best Practices

Blog Template 3 - Tools We Use

This provides a rundown of several resources that can be utilized in a particular field. It is not restricted to tools; rather, it can be a strategy, a practice, or even a life hack in addition to a tool. As long as the list provides value to your user, you have latitude in what all in can encapsulate.

Here’s an example: Painting over and/or removing wallpaper: 3 Rules, 6 Steps

Blog Template 4 - The Ultimate Guide

It’s like having all of the answers for your reader in one place. This is the bible, the ultimate manual.  The user may get all the data in one convenient location. These types of guides are often used to get backlinks to your website.

Here’s an example: Grow Your Painting Business by A Factor of 10 With These 5 Steps

Blog Template 5 - The Complete List

A complete list is comparable to an ultimate list in that you just compile all of the information—every suggestion, item, tool, technique, strategy, example, and case study—into a single article.

Here’s an example: The Complete Guide to Online Reputation for Small Businesses: How to Grow Your Business, Improve Your SEO & Get Found Online

The last thing that you need to choose is your headline.  

CREATING THE RIGHT HEADLINE

Headlines are the most important part of your content because they get people to actually click and read the blog.

Some helpful tips for writing your headline:

  • make sure that it is no longer than 18 words long
  • include your main keyword in the headline
  • make it interesting by adding [brackets] or (parentheses) around a phrase
  • use “emotional” words to invoke a response (this includes things that will make the reader happy, sad, angry etc.)

Now that you have chosen your headline, topic, and template, it’s time to start writing that blog for your painting business!

Let’s start at the beginning, it’s a very good place to start (or so says Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music).

Your introduction should be short, catchy and to the point.  Common ways to pull people in are:

  • ask a question
  • make a statement contrary to popular belief
  • state a fact with a weird number in it

You’ll want to keep your introduction around 4-7 sentences.  Pull in the reader and tell them what they are going to learn.  To see an example of this, look no further than the beginning of this article.

It starts with a question to draw you in and then tells you about what you are going to be reading about.

After your introduction, you will transition into the meat of your blog and cover your topic in depth.  Most articles that rank well on Google have at least 1000 words and are formatted for SEO.  For more on SEO, check out this IFTS article.

While you are writing, remember to keep these tips in mind:

  • use short paragraphs because people typically skim, so it’s best for your content not to appear as a wall of text
  • use section sub headers to divide the information into digestible chunks that are easier to read
  • use the active voice when writing (here’s a little info to help you remember active vs passive voice from middle school…don’t worry, I had to look it up too)
  • use a font about 14 pts so the text is easy to read on all devices
  • people are visual creatures, so any time you can include a picture, chart, infographic, screenshot, video – the better

The final paragraph will be your conclusion, which is your second most important section next to the introduction.  The intro gets people to read, the conclusion gets people to stay on your site or buy your service.

A good strategy for writing the conclusion is called TAC.

T – Transition

A – Ask

C – Call to Action

The TRANSITION to the conclusion is how you want to end your blog information.  Then, you’ll want to ASK your readers a question, normally about a problem that you can solve.  It’s best if the problem relates to what the main blog text is about.  Finally, you’ll want a CALL TO ACTION, where you tell them to get in touch about the problem. To see an example of this, check out the ending of this blog.

A really easy way for house painting businesses to create content is with the “Case Study” template.  Use before and after pictures/videos from a job that you recently worked on.  Talk about the issues that the owners were having and how you solved it with your services, using your visuals as proof.

A case study really lends itself to being local SEO-friendly because your keyword phrase would be “house painting in [location]” or “Cabinet Painting in [Location]”.

FINDING THE RIGHT HELP

If this sounds like something you would be interested in having someone else do, let us know!  IFTS specializes in helping house painters create quality SEO-friendly content for their websites to get more leads.  Call 412-715-6266 or send an email to si@iftsdesign.com to get started.