This isn’t your parents’ roof replacement industry. Gone are the days when small businesses simply bought a phone book advertisement and waited for calls to come in. Now, 40% of consumers start their local purchasing decision journey using a search engine, like Google or Bing.
Getting your roofing company's website to rank higher in Google and other search engines isn't impossible. Check out these three tips for your roofing company to gain credibility with search engines.
1. Offer helpful website content, including a roofing blog
Think of the company website as your online home base. The content you share there should be useful, relevant, and easy to read.
It’s also critical that your website be mobile friendly. Google, for example, now uses an algorithm (a complex computation that creates the rankings) that favors mobile-friendly websites.
2. Leverage social media.
Regular, relevant social media interactions will also factor into higher search engine rankings for your roofing website. As a roofing contractor, you may want to use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, or LinkedIn to engage with social media users. Don’t panic! You likely don’t need an active presence on every channel. Determine which two or three sites your ideal customer uses the most and invest your social media marketing time there.
Make social media posting less of a hassle by learning how to schedule posts. This allows you to write posts ahead of time and then publish them at times you designate. Facebook Pages offer post scheduling, or you can use a social media management tool, like Hootsuite or Buffer, to schedule identical posts across multiple social media channels.
3. Get backlinks from other sites.
A backlink is a hyperlink on another website that leads directly to your website. Why are backlinks important to search engines? When a search engine detects that other credible and relevant websites are linking to your site, it assumes your website is an authoritative resource that will be useful to searchers.
A roofing business can easily find and even create opportunities for building links back to its website. Check out these examples for some ideas:
- Share roofing care tips on a home improvement podcast or blog.
- Share tips on how to hire a roofing contractor on a home improvement blog. If possible, include a video of the raisable, drivable RB4000 if your company uses one to streamline cleanup and protect homeowners’ properties.
- Write a guest blog post for a roofing or contracting industry website.
- Partner with local businesses for a roof Q&A on their websites or social channels. Consider connecting with renovation contractors, home inspectors, real estate agents, home designers, and other relevant professionals.
- Answer questions on home improvement or home building forums. Be sure to check out the community’s guidelines; some don’t allow business links within forum answers or user bios.
- Create premium content, like infographics or case studies, for your business website. High-quality, in-depth content pieces are more likely to be shared.
Ranking on the first page of Google or other search engines can take time, but it’s worth the effort. Remember: If you’re not on the first page of the search listings, your competition is.
Discover more tips and guidance that will help you build a profitable roofing business. Follow Equipter’s conversations for roofing professionals on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.