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SEO for Contractors: How to Get Started

Profile picture of Brittany Foster, freelance author for Jobber Academy.
Brittany Foster
Nov 5, 2024 11 min read
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You know the ins and outs of the services you provide, like how to fix a squealing dryer or perfectly caulk a tub, but how much do you know about search engine optimization (SEO)?

When implemented properly, SEO is another marketing gadget you can add to your tool belt to bring in new leads, grow brand awareness, and enhance your website. 

Use these contractor SEO tips and strategies in this guide to take your service business to the next level.

What is SEO for contractors?

SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of improving your website (and website design) so that it shows up higher in search results on Google and other search engines. It involves using certain words (keywords), improving your website’s content, and making sure it’s fast and easy to use. 

For a general contractor, that means making it easier for search engines like Google to find information like: 

  • The city or area you provide services in
  • Which industry you work in
  • What services you offer

That way, when a potential customer searches for specific services in your area, like “plumbers in Boston,” they’re more likely to see your website and consider booking with you.

image of plumber search result in Boston

SEO strategies for contractor service businesses

Even if you aren’t a web designer or digital marketing specialist, there’s no need to be intimidated by SEO. There are a variety of tactics you can implement yourself, with limited technical requirements. 

Use these tips to start optimizing your home service business for search engines. 

1. Prioritize local SEO

Local SEO refers to optimizing your contractor website to help potential customers in your service area find your business.

Local SEO ensures that when potential clients search for service businesses in your area, you show up. 

For example, if you’re a plumber in Boston with an optimized website, and someone searches “Boston plumber for leaky faucet”, chances are you’ll be one of the first links they see.

SEO is your Google business profile, your Yelp listings, your citations, making sure that your name, address and phone number match up across all your different listings offsite, and that’s what it’s going to help on.

Phil Risher Phlash Consulting

The best ways to boost your local SEO presence include: 

  • Claim your Google Business Profile listing (formerly Google My Business): A free business listing provides you with a callout box in Google’s search results, highlighting information like your company name, phone number, hours, photos, reviews, service area, website address, and more. These details make it easy for potential customers to learn about what you offer, increasing the chances they’ll reach out for a quote or to book a job. Watch how to set up your Google Business Profile.
  • Create a Yelp listing: Like Google Business Profile listings, adding your business to Yelp is free and includes similar information about your services.
  • List your business on major search directories: Most lead generation platforms, like Thumbtack and Angi, have business directories that search engines use to generate results. If you’re already thinking about using one of these tools to bring in new leads, the added bonus of boosting your search presence can be enough to tip the scales. 

Pro Tip: Make sure your business information is consistent across all business listings and directories. That means your business name, address, website, and phone number. Inconsistent information can confuse potential customers and hurt your search engine rankings.

2. Ask for reviews

Customer reviews across business listings and on your website help to build your authority and boost your search potential. 

Ask for reviews from happy customers and try to direct them to a specific place, like Google, to concentrate your efforts on a single platform. 

If you don’t have time to ask for reviews, set up an automatic review collection in Jobber. When you make an invoice in Jobber, you can choose if you want to send the customer a review request.

A list of customer reviews on a mobile phone that came from selecting “Yes” for the “Ask for review: option in Jobber Reviews.
Automated review requests in Jobber

3. Target the right keywords

Keywords are the words search engines use to determine who your content is relevant to. For contractors, keywords are typically related to the industry they work in and what they offer. 

For example, a landscaper might target keywords like: 

  • Lawn care
  • Mowing
  • Garden design
  • Landscaping services
  • Sod installation
  • Mulching
  • Weed control

Most of the time, relevant keywords fit naturally into your SEO content. But using too many at once (called keyword stuffing) or trying to force irrelevant keywords into your website will hurt your SEO efforts. 

Here’s what keyword stuffing with the keyword “lawn care” looks like:

Lawn care is a great choice for clients who need lawn care done. Our lawn care services include lawn care like mowing and trimming. Reach out for a lawn care quote today. 

Remember: Just because you use a keyword multiple times doesn’t mean you’re doing SEO right. Keywords should never feel forced. 

A good practice is to write content without any keywords first. Aim for a version that’s easy to understand, and that gets your point across. Then, when you’re happy with it, go back and highlight any keywords it contains. You may be surprised at how SEO-friendly it already is. 

Then, if you still want to target a few more keywords, consider how you can fit them into what you wrote without making it awkward or confusing. 

If you can’t, maybe the keywords aren’t worth including in this particular piece of content.

4. Create content

Content marketing plays a big role in SEO for contractors. This helps you to target a variety of different keywords, increasing your website traffic and letting you show up in search results for a broad range of topics. 

A strategy that worked for contracting pro Tom Reber was writing articles answering common questions his customers would always ask, like “How much does it cost to paint a bathroom?” He created versions to cover every area in the house and, within a few months, was in eight top organic spots on Google.

For example, let’s say you’re an HVAC contractor. While you’d want to target the keyword “HVAC”, creating content like blogs and articles would allow you to cover additional keywords, such as: 

  • Air conditioning repair
  • Residential HVAC
  • Air duct cleaning
  • Furnace installation
  • Heating and cooling
  • Furnace repairs services

Using these keywords, you could create guides, how-tos, FAQs, and tip sheets for your website. 

Then, search engines would associate those topics with your business, helping you appear in search results when potential clients search for things like “air duct cleaning in my city” or “local furnace installation.”

Not only will this improve your rank in search engines, but it will also position you as an expert on the topics you write about by demonstrating your expertise.

This versus that type of content, your top questions, case studies, all that kind of content is really good.

Headshot of Phil Risher, Phlash Consulting
Phil Risher  Phlash Consulting

5. Organize your website

The way your service website is organized impacts SEO. For example, if you only have a one-page site with sparse content about the services you offer, you won’t be prioritized in search results. 

On the other hand, you have a better chance of showing up if: 

You optimize your title tags 

A title tag, or title link, is the headline you see in Google search results. It’s what users click on to get to your website. Optimized title tags use keywords and compelling language to encourage potential customers to select them. They should also clarify what the page they link to is about. 

“…in your meta description and your title tag on your website, you want to make sure that you list out landscaping company in Asheville, North Carolina, and then in your meta description, you want to also put in your geographical targets in there…” —Phil Risher, Phlash Consulting

For example, a good title tag for a plumbing website’s home page could be:

[Business Name] | Reliable Plumbing Services & Repairs in [City]

This version includes a location, business name, and keywords and it’s easy for users to understand where the link will take them. 

In contrast, an ineffective title tag would be: 

Welcome to our website

This version is too short and doesn’t tell the visitor who your contracting business is or what types of services you offer. Users won’t know where the link will take them or why they should click on it. 

You optimize meta descriptions 

Meta descriptions, or snippets, are made up of the text that goes below a title link in search results. They should be clear, relevant, and concise to describe the content the user will find if visit the webpage. 

Here’s an example of a good meta description or snippet for a plumbing business: 

Experienced plumbing professionals serving [City] since [year]. We provide emergency repairs, installations, drain cleaning, remodeling, and more. Contact us today for your free quote!

This version has keywords, a location, and communications about service options. It also tells the user what action to take next, guiding them to reach out to you. 

A poor meta description would look like this: 

Plumbing services. Call today.

This version is too short, doesn’t include any descriptive information, and has no keywords. Without a location, users won’t know whether the business is even relevant to them, and with no phone number listed, they won’t know how to get in touch. 

Make different web pages 

Your website should have multiple pages, and each one should target different keywords. For example, while you can list all of the services you offer on your home page, you can also create a page for each category of service (like heating, cooling, installation, etc.) and go into more detail on each one. 

Not only will that help you cover more keywords, but it will also provide potential customers with more details about what you do so they can determine whether you’re right for their project. 

Have a contact page 

Clear contact information helps potential clients who get to your website through search engines understand what to do next. A dedicated contact page with your name, address, phone number, email, and an online booking form or ‘book now’ button helps turn web traffic you generate from SEO into legitimate leads. 

WATCH: Optimize your website

Search engines prefer sites with lots of high-quality backlinks, which are links to your website from third parties. When other websites link to yours, it shows that you’re a legitimate and trusted service provider. 

To get other people to link to your website, you can: 

  • Offer to be a subject matter expert for professional articles and blog posts
  • Partner with other businesses or organizations
  • Sponsor events
  • Host a charity drive or initiative
  • Participate in community events

Pro Tip: Never pay for backlinks. Paid links can hurt your search rankings and impact your website’s authority. Instead, focus on getting links from real websites with real people behind them. 

7. Understand the different types of SEO

There are many different types of SEO, and they all serve slightly different purposes while working together to boost a website’s search potential. 

The most common types of SEO for service providers are: 

  • On-page SEO. These are the tactics you use to optimize individual web pages, like title tags, meta descriptions, and keywords. 
  • Off-page SEO: These are the efforts you make outside of your website to build its authority, such as getting backlinks from other websites and building your profile on review sites. 
  • Technical SEO: Technical SEO involves more complicated techniques, such as addressing website speed, mobile-friendliness, and security. 
  • Local SEO: This type of SEO targets geographically specific efforts, such as local business listings, and location-based keywords, such as your city or town name. 
  • Image SEO: This is when you optimize the images on your website to increase their chances of showing in search results. You do this by using proper file naming, alt text, and condensing image sizes. 

Other types of SEO include voice search, video, mobile, and e-commerce. Most contractors won’t need to optimize for these, but it’s important to understand the different categories of SEO so you can develop the right strategy. 

How to implement SEO

Like any other skill, SEO takes time to learn. When it comes to implementing the strategies you need to be visible on Google, Bing, or another search engine, you have two choices: 

  • You can optimize your website on your own
  • You can hire someone to do the work for you

Optimizing for SEO on your own

If you choose to handle SEO yourself, you’ll need to be comfortable with making updates and changes to your website, as well as monitoring analytics and developing reports. 

While it’s something just about anyone can learn, it is time-consuming and requires some technical ability and comfort with technology. 

Hiring an SEO expert

You can also use a digital marketing agency or a local contractor who offers SEO services. These specialists can develop and implement an SEO strategy, monitor results, and make updates. 

If you decide to hire an SEO agency or SEO specialist, ensure they: 

  • Have experience conducting an SEO audit and optimizing similar contractor business websites
  • Provide testimonials or an SEO case study from a similar client
  • Provide weekly, biweekly, or monthly SEO performance reports to show how their efforts are paying off
  • Are comfortable with web design, or have a website designer on staff who can implement the changes they suggest
  • Offer both short- and long-term SEO solutions for you to use

Pro Tip: Google “contractor SEO service” to find an SEO company that has experience working with other contracting businesses.

What are the benefits of SEO for home service businesses?

SEO is essential when it comes to generating leads and bringing in new business. While it may not be as simple as door hangers, it comes with more targeted leads and a whole new way to target potential customers. 

By adding SEO to your service business’s marketing strategy, you can: 

  1. Get more traffic to your website, resulting in more leads and won jobs
  2. Build your online presence by getting your name out there 
  3. Become visible to a new audience of online customers
  4. Grow brand credibility and trust through reviews and business listings
  5. Gain a competitive advantage and take a larger share of the market

SEO isn’t a one-and-done fix. It takes time, effort, and consistent updates. But when done right, it’s a great way to grow your contracting business by bringing in more customers and, ultimately, more profit. 

Originally published in June 2019. Last updated on November 5, 2024.

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