SEO Tips for Roofers – 9 Ways to Dominate the Google Local Search Results

The top 3 search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) grab about 92.8% of the online traffic. Over 1 billion searches are made each day worldwide! This is a HUGE market niche for roofers to tap into. It’s simply not enough anymore to just have a website with contact information and some photos of projects you’ve finished. It’s imperative that your website is on the first page of Google for specific search phrases related to roofing and roof replacement. Otherwise, you’re missing out on a lot of potential business.

Some of the most popular search terms related to roofs are roofer, metal roof, asphalt shingle, flat roof, re-roof, roofing contractor, roof repair.

All of these phrases make perfect sense. Customers are searching for someone who can provide a solution to their problem or fulfill their needs. When potential customers search Google (or the other major search engines), it’s crucial that you show up on the results pages and not your competitor! SEO is one of the most powerful tools to help your business dominate the search engine rankings and generate more targeted traffic.

Number 1: Create a website for your company

If you don’t have a website, stop right now and go create one. There are free hosting solutions out there (or you can even use BlogSpot or WordPress), so it’s very affordable to set up your business’ website. I would recommend using WordPress because it’s very easy to customize, there are lots of plugins and themes available for it, plus it’s free!

If you already have a website, make sure to optimize it for the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, and MSN/Bing). This can be done by doing a “site map” (a page with links to all your other pages) or using a plugin like WordPress SEOPressor. This will ensure that the search engines know what’s on each page of your site and how often to crawl your website.

Number 2: Optimize your website to rank well in Google’s search engine results pages

To show up in Google and the other search engines most effectively, you should have a website that’s optimized for SEO. By optimizing your site for SEO, you’ll be able to get it ranked higher on Google searches, so it appears at the top of the list instead of being buried several pages down under all the other websites that aren’t optimized.

There are a few critical areas of your website that you should focus on to make sure that it’s SEO friendly, namely your Page Title and Meta Description.

The page title (a maximum of 65 characters) at the top of your web page will be used in the search engines for that specific page. The meta description (a maximum of 156 characters) should describe what your business offers. If you don’t want to write the copy for your meta description, there are web tools out there that will do it for you automatically – so make sure to try them all until you find one that fits in with your brand and personality!

The age-old rule of thumb is that it should be less than 150 characters, or else the search engines will chop off the character limit, and your description won’t essentially get read.

Here are some key areas you’ll want to concentrate on to optimize your site fully:

Content 

The content of your page is critical. It’s basically what makes up your marketing message to potential customers. This needs to make a solid call to action as well. Between the title, meta description, and the content itself, you should be able to tell your story and inform potential customers about what it is that makes your business unique (and how they can benefit by doing business with you).

The keywords on your page are also very important, as they need to be used naturally throughout your page and are relevant to the content. Keywords are like the song lyrics to your website – they create a framework for what you’re trying to say and inform people on who you are and what you do!

Backlinks 

Getting other websites with high authority (Alexa rating) to link back to your website is also an excellent way of improving your Google rankings. By doing link exchanges with other websites, gives them a “vote” in Google’s algorithm and raises your website’s authority as well (in theory).

Creating quality, keyword-rich content is the best way to attract high-quality visitors, leading to more conversions and ultimately generating more income for your business.

Number 3: Write and submit articles on various topics related to roofing services, including installation tips, maintenance advice, and DIY solutions

This is a tried-and-true method of building links back to your website. By writing articles for online magazines or other websites, you’ll get more visibility, and it’ll give you another “vote” in Google’s algorithm. This also works exceptionally well when you use the contributor signature links tag to link back to your website and build your brand authority on other websites.

Number 4: Engage with customers by asking for feedback on their experience with your company or offering them discounts if they refer a friend

When customers buy from you, it’s only natural to want to ask them for their input so that you can make improvements in the future. I highly recommend doing this because you can learn what mistakes to avoid when working with future customers.

Let’s face it – nobody is perfect, and you’re bound to slip up now and then. However, you must know what happened to determine whether or not there was a breakdown in the sales process or if something else occurred (i.e., marketing tactics, pricing issue, bad delivery, poor quality, etc.). A crucial part of building a successful business is learning from your mistakes and improving to ensure that you’re providing better services than your competitors.

Of course, collecting testimonials are a great way to get people talking about your company. It adds social proof (i.e., “the customer said it was good, so it must be true”) and makes people more confident in buying from you. The best part is that when someone sees a testimonial, they’re likely to ask for this information themselves.

Number 5: Have an email list sign up form on the home page of your site so that you can contact people interested in roofing

Email marketing is still alive and well in the 21st century.) It’s incredibly cost-effective, allows you to build personal relationships with customers and prospects, plus can be used as a great sales tool. You may decide to sell products or services that have nothing to do with roofing, so it only makes sense to use your email list for this purpose.

To help drive your sales, you may want to offer an incentive to people that sign up for your list (i.e., 10% off their first purchase, $20 off a new roof installation, etc.). This will ensure that you get more prospects on board and eventually convert them into customers.

Number 6: Using roofing related keywords in your article title and URL ensures that you rank well in Google’s local search results

Here are some examples: Roofing Chicago, roofing services Jersey City, roof repair the Bronx. Note: When including the keyword “roofer,” be sure to include it early in the title to ensure that it gets picked up by the search engines.

Number 7: Create “Omnipresence” by utilizing social media effectively

Utilizing social media can help you connect with potential customers who may not have heard about you before or know anything about your company.

You’ll be surprised how many people are interested in finding resources related to roofing services (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.). If you use these websites effectively, you’ll get a ton of exposure for your business. One pro tip is to be sure to utilize Pinterest in your social media strategy. While many people still think of Pinterest as a “arts and crafts” type platform, the fact is they have over 90 million active users per month. But more importantly, things posted to Pinterest rank in Google search, and they rank well! So start sharing your content on Pinterest.

Number 8: Use Google Alerts to find mentions of your business and post a comment on the article or blog that references you

First, make sure that you claim all of the citations where your name is mentioned online (i.e., Google Places, Yelp, etc.). This will help ensure that all of the information about your business is 100% accurate. Next, you’ll want to use Google Alerts to find any mentions of your business in the local search results (i.e., Google Places, Yahoo Local, Yelp, etc.) and respond accordingly.

This approach is so effective because it builds credibility for your company, which can increase conversions and boost your scores with the search engines. It’s also a way for you to display more positive reviews and reduce negative commentary online about your company.

Number 9: Be sure to have an “About Us” page on your website that highlights who you are as a roofing company

This is one of the essential steps in creating a solid online presence. Having a well-written about page allows you to tell your story and tell it in a way that customers will respond to. The “About Us” page is the perfect place to highlight testimonials, case studies, special awards, achievements, etc.

Final thoughts on search engine optimization for roofers

The competitive nature of the roofing market means that SEO is critical for a company to rank high in Google search results. There are many ways you can get your business started, but it all boils down to how well you utilize SEO tactics and strategies from the ground up.

Our team at Stature Optics Management uses what we know about local searches to help roofers see a dramatic improvement in their ranking on Google when people search for terms like “roofing near me.” Contact us today to see how we can help you rank higher in search results and generate more business.