When people need a local service, they turn to search engines like Google or Bing to find them. That’s why search engine optimization (SEO) is a popular digital marketing strategy for reaching the people searching for your services online.
On this page, we’re diving into SEO for service-based businesses and how it can help your company drive more revenue!
Let’s dive in!
P.S. If you’re ready to get started with service-area business local SEO right away, get in touch with one of our SEO strategists, who’d be happy to help!
What is SEO for service-based businesses?
SEO for service-based businesses is a digital marketing strategy that aims to increase your website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) by implementing various optimizations across your site. It typically involves creating custom content, researching and implementing keywords, improving your site’s user experience (UX), and more.
Case study
With WebFX (the team behind SEO.com), this service company saw a 303% increase in organic sessions, resulting in 120% more lead form submissions.
What is local SEO for service-area businesses?
Local SEO for service-area businesses is a strategy that aims to increase your website’s rankings in local search results. Local searches include phrases like “plumbers near me” or “HVAC repair in Tallahassee, Florida.”
When users search for these local phrases, Google shows an SEO 3-pack.
An SEO 3-pack lists what Google deems to be the top three companies that match the search query. The goal of local SEO is to get your company to rank at the top of the 3-pack so more people can discover and contact your business.
How can local SEO for service-area businesses benefit your company?
So now that you know more about SEO and local SEO for service-area businesses, let’s dive into some advantages of implementing an SEO strategy.
Here are just a few of the many benefits you can unlock with an effective SEO strategy:
SEO helps you reach more people in your local area
A service-area business local SEO strategy is one of the best ways to reach potential customers in your local area.
A main component of SEO is implementing keywords across your website.
By implementing local keywords and creating local content, you’ll help your website reach the top of the search results when people in your area search for your services online, enabling more people to discover your business.
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SEO drives more qualified traffic to your website
It’s all well and good to increase your website traffic. But the real goal is to get the people most interested in your services to visit your website. And that’s exactly what SEO does.
As we mentioned above, SEO targets the people actively searching online for your services by optimizing your website to rank at the top of the results for their searches.
As a result, you’ll get your website in front of the people most likely to become customers, resulting in more qualified traffic, phone calls, and revenue for your business.
SEO helps you outrank your biggest competitors
Are you dreaming of outshining your competitors in the search results and staying one step ahead? Local SEO for service-based businesses can help.
With a local SEO strategy, you’ll optimize various elements of your website and Google Business Profile. For example, you can work on earning more reviews, creating location-based content, improving your site’s UX, and more.
You’ll also take the time to audit and analyze your competitors’ performance and strategies to identify opportunities to help your website stand out.
As a result, you can implement optimizations that will help your website soar above your competitors in the SERPs and acquire their web traffic and leads.
3+ SEO tips for local service companies
Ready to get started with SEO after reading about those awesome benefits?
Here are some SEO tips for local service companies to help you soar to the top of the search results!
1. Create your Google Business Profile
Creating a Google Business Profile is essential for appearing in local search results. If you don’t have a profile, it’s time to make one for your company.
A Google Business Profile helps you show up in:
- Google local search results
- Google Maps
- Google Search Knowledge Panel
Once you’ve created your profile, it’s a good idea to optimize it. Take the time to:
- Verify your site ownership
- Add your opening hours, contact number, and location
- Add updated images to show off your services and team
2. Encourage reviews from local customers
People love to read reviews before deciding to contact a local service company. Encourage your customers to leave a review after you complete a service.
You can make it easy for customers to leave a review by sending them an automated email a few days after working with your company, creating and sharing a link to make it easy for customers to quickly leave a review, and responding to reviews to build trust with customers.
The more positive reviews you earn, the more social proof and trust you’ll build with prospects, encouraging them to contact your business.
3. Make your website mobile-friendly
Last on our list of SEO tips for local service companies is to make your website mobile-friendly. Almost everyone has a mobile phone these days, and people love to use it to search online for a local service when they need one.
If your website isn’t optimized for mobile, your mobile visitors may find it challenging to navigate your site and find the information they need, causing them to leave your site and seek out another company.
Implement a responsive design to ensure your website displays and functions correctly no matter what device your visitors use, whether a phone, tablet, or computer.
4. Target localized keywords
Localized keywords help your business attract qualified traffic to your site.
Focus on localized keywords that contain your service area, like a town, city, or district name. While you could target state names, this approach can deliver mixed results if your business doesn’t serve the entire state.
Keyword tools like Keywords Everywhere, Semrush, and Google Keyword Planner can help you get started.
Grow your local business with SEO
Search engine optimization is a powerful tool for local businesses looking to grow. Your time is limited, though, and learning SEO doesn’t happen overnight. That’s where an experienced SEO agency like SEO.com can help.
Learn how our team can support yours in growing from SEO by browsing our SEO services. Or, contact us online to start working with a seasoned strategist!
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