Mastering Local SEO for HVAC Contractors: Strategies for Dominating Your Service Area
Did you know that over 64% of consumers use Google Business to find your phone number? In fact, 97% of people learn about local businesses online more than anywhere else. Businesses listed in the top three results generate 75% of all clicks.
With local search engine optimization, you can appear as homeowners search for HVAC services. Using SEO for HVAC contractors can help you generate leads. Your ROI will improve, enabling your business to grow.
Not sure how to improve your online visibility using local search? Read on for tips!
Research Your Audience
If you want to reach local consumers, you need to better understand their needs. Define your target audience based on demographic and psychographic research. If you haven’t already established buyer personas, consider:
- Local
- Age
- Gender
- Marital status
- Buying behaviors
- Online behaviors
- Needs/pain points
- Interests
- Hobbies
For example, are you trying to reach business professionals or homeowners? Segment your audience into different groups. Each group will look for different content when they need help with their HVAC systems.
When writing blog content, imagine the audience group you’re trying to reach. Personalizing the content will help you forge a stronger emotional connection.
Otherwise, visitors may leave your website. Over 70% of consumers get annoyed when website content doesn’t match their interests. About 52% will switch brands if a company doesn’t personalize communications.
Meanwhile, personalizing content can boost your marketing ROI by eight times. Use personalization when sharing your content on social media, too!
After gathering audience research, determine what terms people use when searching for HVAC services. Gather a list of target keywords before creating content. Don’t stuff keywords into the post after it’s written.
Use Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and Google Trends to gather keyword research. Look for terms with high search volume and low competition.
Choose secondary keywords for each primary keyword. Avoid keyword stuffing with the same terms, which can lead to penalties. Google may not display your content, affecting your online visibility.
Appear for Local Search Results
To appear for local search results, start creating relevant content. A diverse content marketing strategy includes:
- Blog posts/articles
- Guest blogs
- Polls
- Quizzes
- Infographics
- eBooks
- Guides
- Listicles
End each blog post with a compelling call to action. Urge consumers to contact you to request your HVAC services. Adding a strong call to action can increase your conversion rate.
Optimize your content for local SEO. Place the primary keyword in the page title, URL, and text. Optimize your images (the file name and alt text) to appear for image searches.
The SEO title and description will appear on search engine result pages (SERPs). Make sure it’s relevant and compelling to local consumers. This will lead to more clicks and traffic, which can benefit your rankings.
Optimize Your Google Business Listing
Optimize your Google Business listing to appear on local search result pages. Your profile will display your company’s:
- Name
- Business hours
- Phone number
- Address/directions
- Website
- Customer reviews
- Recent updates
- Services
- Star rating
- Photos and videos
Make sure the information is accurate. Google will compare the information on your listing to what appears on your website.
Update your profile in other online directories. Make sure the information (including abbreviations) matches on each profile. If you change your phone number or address, update it immediately.
To keep your profile fresh, share photos from recent projects. Ask customers to share their reviews online. Sharing positive reviews can benefit your brand’s reputation and search rankings.
Add Location Pages
If you have more than one business location, create dedicated location pages on your website. Embed a Google page on the page. Make sure the contact information is accurate for each location.
Create location-specific content for your blog. Use keywords that mention the city or neighborhood you’re targeting. This can help you appear for more location-specific searches.
Update Your Website
Google will audit your website before determining your rankings. As part of your contractor marketing strategy, update your site. Confirm that it’s:
- User-friendly
- Fast
- Mobile-optimized
- Secure
Follow Google’s Core Web Vitals (website user experience best practices). Offering a positive online experience will encourage people to explore your site. As their dwell times increase, your online rankings could improve.
Google uses mobile-first indexing when ranking company websites. Make sure it’s optimized to appeal to mobile users. Otherwise, you could lose the chance to generate leads.
Use Schema Markup
Add a schema markup to your website. This will make it easier for Google’s bots to crawl and index your site. It will recognize your company’s:
- Phone number
- Address
- FAQs
Use the local business markup to attract nearby customers. Google will display your name, address, and phone number (NAP). This will help you generate more leads.
Instead of applying these contractor marketing tips alone, hire an SEO consultant. Leverage their experience and expertise to avoid making mistakes. With their help, you can improve your online visibility to generate more leads.
Improve Your Link Building
Add link-building to your local SEO strategy. Your blog posts should feature internal and external links.
Internal links send readers to pages on your site, while external links send them to other websites. The former can increase website traffic and dwell times. The latter will improve your brand’s credibility.
Backlinks appear on other websites and send readers to your online content. Generating backlinks will lead to more referral traffic. Your domain authority and rankings will improve, leading to more online visibility.
You can generate quality backlinks by writing for other websites (guest blogging). Showcase your experience and expertise. Add an author bio to your posts to prove you’re a credible resource.
Share on Social
Once you start sharing content on your website, expand your reach! Post links to your newest posts on social media. Generating immediate traffic will boost your organic rankings.
Add a call to action to each caption and location-specific hashtags. This can help you appear on Instagram’s Explore Feed.
Use Local SEO for HVAC Contractors Today
Using local SEO for HVAC contractors will help you generate more business. Apply these local search best practices to improve your rankings. Keep monitoring your progress to boost your ROI.