The roofing business isn’t quite what it used to be when word of mouth and various advertisements were enough to spread your name around and drum up the kind of business that was desired. For some time now practices such as GMB (Google My Business) have been seen to take over by creating interest by helping business owners to manage their online presence. GMB can aid business owners in customizing and optimizing their business online to increase their exposure and increase their availability to the general public.
Understanding the Basics of GMB
There are still plenty of people that will see digital marketing for roofers as a new and uncertain practice when it comes to conducting their business. Thankfully there are enough sites out there to run over the basics in order to help business owners that are new to GMB to understand and comprehend the process. Here are a couple of things that should help but any newbie at ease.
1. Google My Business is free
For any business owner, this might appear to come with a few caveats since the idea that ‘nothing is for free’ is ingrained into your being in a big way. But keep in mind that GMB won’t replace your site, but will complement the site you already have by creating a recognizable presence on Google, which as many people could attest is worth its weight in gold.
2. If you’ve been using Google for your business then chances are it’s already on GMB
While you might not have realized this, Google Places for Business and Google+ Pages Dashboard were at one point upgraded to the universal platform. So if you’ve been using Google to help promote your business by building up your roofing leads, then it’s likely that you’ve already been working with GMB.
Just in case you aren’t currently working with GMB, it’s a good idea to get started by finding out whether or not your business does have a listing. Whether it does or doesn’t, there are steps that can be taken to increase your productivity and the availability of your site. The good thing is that if your business has been online for several years or more then it was probably already granted a GMB listing that you’ll need to accept and optimize. Once you’ve claimed your site you manage the information as you see fit.
3. Make sure to utilize high-resolution images
High-resolution photos can help your site stand out in a big way and grant potential clients a better idea of what your business is all about. The better the quality of the image the more likely it is that your site will be attractive to clients that are looking for businesses like yours. At this time it’s actually helpful to consider creating a 360-view virtual tour for clients that want a better idea of what to expect from your business as it can give them a better idea of the process.
4. Take care when making sure that your information matches up
There are times when information is added into a website that might be different from one site to another, and it’s important to recognize and address this since Google’s algorithm needs to verify the legitimacy of a listing based on its consistency. By adhering to a standard way of listing information you’ll cut down on any unforeseen issues and can work on pushing your website to as many directories as you can.
5. Make sure your phone number is consistent
It is important to be certain that your phone number is listed in a consistent manner from one listing to another. Using a local area code is also a wise idea since it’s a way to tell Google that you are in fact a local business. Take care to display your number on your home page or landing page, and make sure that it’s the same number that you use with your GMB.
6. Make sure you understand Google’s guidelines to avoid any unwanted penalties
There is a range of offenses that can harm your site if you don’t pay attention, so it’s wise to be aware of the rules that Google posts and the penalties that come from breaking them. Take the time to read up on the rules and regulations that Google imposes in order to keep from being penalized.
7. Make sure to ask clients to leave reviews
It’s understandable that Google wants to rank the most successful businesses highest, which means that positive reviews will help your company to gain more notice. The more positive reviews your company receives, the more likely it is that Google will feature your site above others in order to offer the best possible service to potential customers.
8. Keep up on the optimization of your website
Try not to focus on just the optimization of your local listing. Splitting your time between your local listing and your website can be a bit stressful, but it can do wonders for your business. The more time you spend working on your site, the more you’ll notice that your site will rise on Google as people take notice and click to see what services you can offer.
Wrapping Up
It’s true that roofers local SEO can take a great deal of time and effort, but eventually, the payoff is all worth it. Making it easier for prospective clients to find and access your GMB listing and website is what will help your business grow and will continue to build your leads. Take the time to optimize your GMB listing, it will be worth the effort you put in.