Local SEO for Electrical Contractors - A 2018 Guide

Does your electrical contractor company rely on customers finding you on Google?

If so, there are a number of critical steps you need to take. Missing the mark here can put your business at serious long term risk.

In today’s highly competitive marketplace, ranking organically for important non-branded keywords in your area like “electrical contractor in [your city]” or “generator installation [your city]” can mean the difference between dominating your market and closing up shop.

We’re not talking about paying for clicks here. Pay-per-click is a whole different process. This organic SEO approach involves showing up because your web page is the best result, not simply paying to be there each time (which as you probably know, can get very expensive).

So how exactly do you show up when someone does a Google search? What specific steps can you take to surpass your local competitors? How do you take the mystery out of Google’s algorithm? Read on to find out with tips specific to electrical contractors and residential and commercial electricians.

1. Optimize your web pages for search results

Optimized:

Not optimized:

In the first example, Brentwood Electrical uses keywords, explains who they are and what they do, and encourages you to take action by calling for a free estimate.

In contrast, the second example here, Rosendin Electric, does not use any keywords in their page title nor do they provide an enticing and relevant description. Don’t make the same mistake!

2. Maintain listing consistency across the web

Make sure that, at bare minimum, your business’s name, address, and phone number are listed correctly and consistently across the internet. Any discrepancies or errors can severely punish you in the search engine rankings. Even little things like suite number and phone number layout can make a big difference. You can sign up for different directory sites manually, or use bulk listing management software to take care of this.

Here’s a look at a dashboard view monitoring local listing consistency.

3. Implement a Google review strategy

 Don’t be afraid to follow up and respond to reviews as well. It shows that you are listening to feedback and you value your customers’ input.

 4. Get (very) familiar with Google My Business

Claim and take control of your Google My Business Account so it achieves its fullest potential. Post updates, make sure information is accurate, analyze your performance statistics, and understand exactly how (and how often) searchers are finding you on the web. In 2017, having a firm grasp of Google My Business and its evolution of features is crucial for any business.

 Above is a look at some of the metrics the Google My Business dashboard provides. Monitor these numbers on a consistent basis so you can track your progress.

Also, take full advantage of the new Google My Business posts feature. Released this summer, this update allows you to post short updates and links directly to your search result listing. Taking just a few minutes per week to post updates can drastically increase visibility.

5. Use local structured data on your website

Allowing Google to properly index or “crawl” your website completely and accurately is key to any successful SEO strategy. That’s why using snippets of code called local structured data can help your site rank better. This process allows search engines to more easily understand who you are, where you are, and what you do. Best of all, you don’t need any coding knowledge to take care of this. Google’s Data Highlighter tool allows you to accomplish all this quickly and easily within Google Webmaster Tools.

6. Track your improvements with progress reports

Make a list of your most important keywords, load them into a search results monitoring tool, and keep an eye on your progress. You can even enter some of your competitors in to see where they rank well, and how you can overtake them. Monitoring your most lucrative keywords and continually optimizing around them is the final step in the local SEO for electrical contractors. You'll also want to take a look at your overall traffic, your most popular landing pages, and your backlinks.  

So there you have it --- six crucial steps to proper SEO for electrical contractors. Get started with these tips today and the sky’s the limit of how far you can go. But remember, the longer you wait, the harder it will be to build up momentum.