Originally published in April 2022. Last updated on March 11, 2025.
When a potential customer needs a plumbing service, they’re likely going to search Google or Bing and contact one of the first few options they see. If your plumbing business isn’t one of them, you may be missing out on a lot of work.
That’s where SEO for plumbers comes in. Search engine optimization (SEO) helps your website rank higher at the top of Google’s search results, making it easy for local customers to find you.
In this article, we’ll break down what you need to know about SEO into easy-to-follow steps you can start doing yourself.
Try these plumbing SEO tips:
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Create and optimize your Google Business Profile
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List your business in relevant directories (citations)
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Ask happy customers to leave a review
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Optimize your website pages for local search
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Start your own plumbing blog
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Improve your website speed
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Make your website easy to use and mobile-friendly
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Invest in professional SEO services
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Use tools to help you track your performance
Why is SEO for plumbers important?
Let’s assume you’ve got a fully stocked work van, a skilled team, and years of experience under your belt. But when someone in your area searches for “plumber near me,” your business is nowhere to be found.
In plumbing, every call matters. A single emergency job can turn into a lifelong customer, bringing repeat business and even referrals. But if people can’t find you online when their pipes burst or their water heater fails, they’re going to call someone else.
That’s where SEO makes all the difference. It’s what gets your name in front of homeowners who need help now.
Here are some reasons why SEO for plumbing is so important and valuable:
- Local searches bring in customers who are ready to hire. When someone searches for a plumber, they likely need service ASAP. Showing up in those search results means you’re in front of people who are actively looking to book a job.
- You can hold your own against bigger names. Franchises and larger plumbing companies may have bigger marketing budgets. But do they know the quirks of your local water supply or city plumbing codes? A strong SEO strategy highlights your local expertise and helps you stand out.
- Being at the top builds trust. If your business appears in the top search results, customers are more likely to assume you’re the best choice. People trust Google to show them the most relevant businesses.
- SEO brings you a steady flow of leads. Instead of constantly paying for ads, a well-optimized website can work like a 24/7 salesperson, bringing in calls even when you’re off the clock.
- SEO brings you more than just one-time jobs. Maybe today’s job is fixing a leaky faucet, but what about when that same customer needs a new water heater? A strong online presence keeps you top-of-mind.
[SEO is] vitally important because it could be the lifeline of your business.
If you invest in SEO, you could have potential customers coming to your website, whether it’s day or whether it’s night or whether it’s the weekend. Even in slow periods when you’re looking for more business.
1. Create and optimize your Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile (GBP) is a free online business listing that can appear on Google Search and Maps results. People may see it when they search for a local plumbing service. It includes your business contact information, hours, customer reviews, and photos.
Here’s what Guest Plumbing’s GBP looks like:
To claim your Google Business Profile, type in your plumbing company name on Google Business Profile Manager, and follow the prompts.
Complete your profile by:
- Selecting your business category (Plumber, Heating contractor, Gas installation, etc.)
- Set your service area
- Add your contact information (website, phone number, email address)
- Add your business information (working hours, plumbing services, images)
Once you’ve set up your profile, your plumbing business will appear on Google Maps and search results when prospective customers search for local plumbers in your service area.
You can use your profile to share your business’s contact information, hours of operations, and plumbing services. It’s also important to collect and respond to customer reviews.
Claiming your Google Business Profile is an example of a local SEO strategy to help your business attract potential plumbing customers in your service area.
Claim your Bing Places Business Listing
Similar to your Google Business profile, your Bing business listing helps you appear on Bing search results and Bing Maps. You can also use your listing to share important information about your plumbing business, like your phone number, website, and working hours.
To claim your Bing Places for Business Listing, click “New User” on the Bing Places homepage and follow the prompts.
Here’s an example of a Bing search results for “plumber in Austin”:
Different types of SEO for plumbers
SEO focuses on increasing the online visibility of plumbing businesses. Here are the different types of SEO for plumbing companies:
Local SEO
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your online presence to attract more business from relevant local searches. This includes optimizing your Google Business Profile, using local keywords, and getting customer reviews to help your business appear higher in search results.
On-page SEO
On-page SEO involves optimizing the content and structure of your website to rank higher in search engine results and attract more relevant traffic. This includes optimizing content, meta tags, headings, and internal links to improve your site’s visibility and relevance to search engines.
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO involves activities outside your website, like getting other sites to link to you, promoting your business on social media, and managing online reviews. These actions help improve your website’s ranking in search results.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO involves optimizing the technical aspects of your website to improve its rankings. This includes improving site speed, ensuring mobile friendliness, and making sure search engines can easily crawl and index your site.
2. List your business in relevant directories (citations)
Listing your business name, website, address, and phone number on online directories helps drive traffic to your website and increase your visibility to potential customers.
Here’s how to get started with online directories:
- List your business on all major online directories like Google, Yelp, Bing Places, and Facebook
- Join your local Chamber of Commerce to attract new customers in your service area.
- Search “business directories in your city” or use WhiteSpark or BrightLocal to see what local business directories you should list your plumbing business on.
- Register for lead generation sites like Thumbtack, Angi, or HomeAdvisor.
READ MORE: Angi vs. HomeAdvisor – Which lead generation platform should you use
What is NAP consistency?
NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) consistency means that your company details remain the same across all your business listings, your website, and your social media profiles.
NAP consistency shows search engines that the information for your plumbing business is accurate and trustworthy.
The importance of NAP for SEO
NAP is an important yet easy to miss concept in local SEO for plumbers. Since Google has to constantly fight spammy websites, it’s important to show that yours is real by including accurate information.
To get your NAP right, make sure that your website, business listings, and social media profiles always include the same Name, Address, and Phone Number. This will improve your credibility and your SEO efforts.
3. Ask happy customers to leave a review
Want to stand out from other plumbers in your service area? A collection of five-star reviews helps your plumbing business rank higher on Google’s local search results.
Just look at these search results for plumbers in New York City:
This is why you need to deliver fantastic work, provide exceptional customer service, and have a process in place for getting those excellent reviews you know you deserve.
READ MORE: How to Ask For a Review [With Free Templates]
To ensure you ask every satisfied customer for a review, set up automatic review collection in Jobber. Jobber automatically sends a text to the customers you want reviews from.
When you make an invoice in Jobber, you can choose whether to send the customer a review request.
After paying their invoice, those customers will automatically get a direct link to leave a review on your Google Business Profile.
From your reviews dashboard in Jobber, you can keep an eye on your average Google rating. You’ll also see your latest reviews and resources on how to manage your business’s reputation.
We had about 100 reviews and now have over 250 reviews in the span of 5 months
Making it easy for our customers to leave us a review has meant the world to us, to other people searching online, but also to Google because it jacks up your SEO whenever you get a positive review.
4. Optimize your website pages for local search
In addition to your Google Business Profile, you’ll also need to make some changes to your plumber website to appear closer to the top of Google’s search results.
Here are a few ways to optimize your website content for SEO:
Perform keyword research
Keywords are the terms or phrases a potential customer would use to search for your plumbing services online. They may be the services you offer, or the area you service—like “plumbers in Dallas” or “water heater repair”.
Include these terms or phrases on your website or blogs to rank higher on search results and help customers find your business.
How to do keyword research for your plumbing business
Follow these steps to conduct your own keyword research:
- Brainstorm basic keywords: Start by listing all the services you offer, such as “emergency plumbing,” “leak repair,” and “drain cleaning.”
- Use keyword research tools: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or SEMrush to find related keywords and see how many potential customers are searching for those terms.
- Analyze competitors: Check the websites of your top competitors to see which keywords they are targeting.
- Focus on local keywords: Include location-specific terms like “plumber in [your city]” to attract local customers. This helps you target people searching for services in your area.
- Long-tail keywords: Identify long-tail keywords, which are longer and more specific phrases like “how to fix a leaking faucet.” These often have less competition and can attract targeted traffic.
- Check search intent: Ensure the keywords you choose match the intent of your potential customers. For example, someone searching “emergency plumber near me” is looking for immediate help.
- Refine and prioritize: Select the most relevant and high-traffic keywords from your research. Focus on a mix of short and long-tail keywords to cover various search intents.
Create service pages
Create individual web pages specific to each service you offer, like leak repair, toilet repair, or drain cleaning. This helps your plumber website appear when someone searches online for that service.
Go Green Plumbing has a services page on its site where visitors can click on the specific service they’re looking for and be brought to a page to learn more.
Include the locations you serve
Including your service locations helps Google rank your business when potential customers are using local keywords like “plumbers near me”.
If you only serve one area, simply add your location to content on your home page, service pages, and contact page.
Here’s how Guest Plumbing includes their location on their service pages:
If you serve multiple areas, you may consider adding a service area page to your plumbing website and listing all your locations.
[SEO] can not only help grow your business into one specific area, but if you’re trying to cover multiple communities, multiple neighborhoods, multiple areas—by investing in SEO, you’re going to be able to get potential customers in all those different areas.
Impetus Plumbing uses an interactive map for customers to easily determine whether they cover their location.
Show your expertise with an about page
Your website’s about page is one way you can show Google your experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Also known as E-E-A-T, Google considers these qualities as a factor when determining how high or low your website should rank.
Here are a few ways to show your expertise on your about page:
- Share your plumbing certifications and accreditations
- Talk about how long you’ve been a plumber and how your business started
- Add reviews or testimonials from past customers
Write SEO-friendly and compelling title tags and meta descriptions
Improve the following elements on all your web pages to appear higher on the search results and attract more visitors to your plumbing website. Usually, you can find these technical SEO elements in your website builder. If you’re not familiar with them, reach out to your web builder for support.
Include a title tag and meta description for each of your web pages.
To optimize your title tag:
- Use the main keywords that describe the content of the page.
- Stick to 50-60 characters to make sure the whole title is visible in search results.
- Create a unique title tag for each page.
- Include your plumbing business name or location at the end if it fits naturally.
To optimize your meta descriptions:
- Write a unique meta description for each page.
- Use relevant keywords naturally within the description
- Keep the length between 150-160 characters to ensure it displays fully in search results.
- Clearly describe what the page is about and include a call to action like “call today” or “learn more”.
Use a clean and simple URL structure that makes it easy for search engines to identify what the page is about.
Add a page header for every page that includes your target keyword.
5. Start your own plumbing blog
Adding a plumbing blog to your website shows potential customers (and search engines) that you’re a trusted industry expert. And it helps improve your search rankings.
You can write and publish your own blog posts, hire a freelancer or agency, or even try ChatGPT to help your plumbing company with content creation.
To find topic ideas, start by writing and answering a list of the most common questions customers ask, like:
- What should I do when my pipes freeze?
- Why does my water take so long to heat?
- Why does the toilet keep running?
- Is it safe to use chemical drain cleaners?
Don’t forget to share your published content through your social media profiles, or in email campaigns.
Check out other plumbing blogs to find topics or content ideas to write about in your blog.
Need inspiration for topics? Here are some ideas to get you started:
13 plumbing blog topic ideas
- 5 benefits of upgrading to low-flow toilets and faucets
- 5 expert tips to maintain your home’s plumbing system
- 5 signs your water heater needs repair or replacement
- Best ways to prevent clogged drains in your home
- DIY vs. professional plumbing: When to call an expert
- Emergency plumbing checklist: What to do before the plumber arrives
- How to choose the right water filtration system for your home
- How to detect hidden plumbing leaks before they cause damage
- How to find a reliable plumber in [city]
- How to winterize your pipes and prevent them from bursting
- Pros and cons of tankless water heaters
- The most common causes of low water pressure (and how to fix them)
- The truth about chemical drain cleaners (and safer alternatives)
6. Improve website speed
Customers expect speed, especially in a plumbing emergency. If your web page loads too slowly, they’ll move on to the next business in the search results. Make sure your website loads quickly to avoid losing business to your competitors.
To check your site speed on mobile and desktop devices, plug your web address into Google PageSpeed Insights.
Ideally, your website should load in under three seconds. If it takes longer than five seconds you may need to work with a technical SEO expert or web developer to improve your site speed.
7. Make your website easy to use and mobile-friendly
Your plumbing website is the foundation of SEO. An easy-to-use site can turn visitors into paying customers, while a slow or confusing one might have them hitting the back button.
To start, ask yourself the following question to be sure your plumbing site is working for you:
- Is the layout simple and easy to navigate? Customers shouldn’t have to hunt for information. A simple, well-organized design helps people find what they need fast.
- Are important pages easy to find? Your main navigation should have clearly labeled sections like “Services,” “About,” and “Contact.” If someone has to click around to find your phone number, they might give up.
- Is your site accessible? A good website should work for everyone, including users with disabilities. Clear text, proper contrast, and easy navigation make a difference.
Your website should also adapt well to different devices, including smartphones and tablets. A mobile-friendly site keeps visitors on your site longer, which can help improve your search rankings.
To ensure your website is mobile-friendly and improve your plumbing SEO, follow these steps:
- Use a responsive design that automatically adjusts the layout of your web pages based on the screen size. This makes sure your website looks good and functions well on all devices, including smartphones and tablets.
- Simplify your website’s navigation so it’s easy to use on a mobile device. Use clear menus and buttons that are easy to tap. Minimize the number of steps to find important information, like your plumbing service list or contact information.
Create a website in minutes with Jobber
Get your business online and in front of customers fast with a simple website you can set up in minutes.
Simply provide Jobber with details on your plumbing business and services, and we’ll create a professional site that highlights what sets you apart from the competition.
Plus, sites built with Jobber are SEO-friendly. They help you appear higher in search results when a potential customer in your service area is looking for a plumber.
To help you convert visitors into leads, your website automatically comes with a quote request form.
8. Invest in professional SEO services
The plumbing industry is extremely competitive, which can make SEO difficult. For better results, you may decide to work with professional plumbing SEO services. They’ll have the skills and experience to improve your search engine performance.
Here are a few of the top SEO companies for plumbers:
- Blue Corona’s services help increase your online visibility, drive traffic to your website, and generate more leads.
- Plumbing & HVAC SEO works to improve your online presence, increase your rankings, and attract new leads.
- Plumbing Webmasters help by optimizing your website, improving your rankings, and boosting your online visibility.
- Thrive‘s SEO services for plumbers focus on improving rankings, increasing site traffic, and helping you generate more leads.
SEO is such a long-term play. [You] have to realize that having a properly-built website with proper keywords, with proper locations, and all that stuff…
A professional can help you. If you want to try to do it yourself, you can. It’s worth every dime if it’s done right.
9. Use tools to help you track your performance
Tracking your SEO performance can help you make the right changes to:
- Improve your online visibility
- Increase the number of visitors to your site
- And ultimately get more plumbing leads
Google Search Console
Google Search Console (GSC) monitors how search engines see and rank your website.
Use Google Search Console to:
- Learn which keywords get the most views and clicks from potential customers
- Track your web page rankings to see how high on the search results page they will appear
- See what web pages are receiving the most visitors over a set period of time
If you’re working with a freelance SEO specialist or a plumber SEO service, they’ll use GSC to improve your website’s technical SEO. This may include adding your sitemap, monitoring core web vitals, and locating errors on your website that need fixing.
To get started, visit Google Search Console, enter the URL of your website, and follow the prompts.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics monitors how potential customers find and use your plumber website.
Use Google Analytics to monitor:
- The number of visitors to your website, how long they spend on your site, and how many web pages they view
- How potential customers are finding your plumbing business (organic search, paid ads, social media, etc.)
An SEO expert or company will also use analytics to find trends in how potential customers are engaging with your site, and where improvements can be made.
To get started, click “Start Measuring” on Google Analytics and follow the prompts to set up your account.
Remember, SEO is a long-term marketing strategy, which means it can take a while for your plumbing business to see results.
But combined with other plumbing marketing strategies (like plumbing ads) SEO is the best way to help new customers find your business online and get more plumbing leads.
Common SEO mistakes to avoid
A few missteps can push your website down in search rankings, making it harder for people to find you. Here are some plumbing SEO mistakes to steer clear of:
1. Ignoring your Google Business Profile
Your GBP is like your online storefront. It’s what shows up as a map listing when someone searches for a plumber nearby. And if your profile isn’t claimed, updated, and optimized, you’re essentially handing jobs to your competitors.
Keep your hours, contact info, and service areas accurate. Upload photos of your work. Respond to customer reviews, both good and bad. Don’t neglect this free, powerful tool.
2. Paying for backlinks
It sounds tempting to just pay for links and see a boost in your rankings. But search engines are smarter than that. If Google determines that you’ve used unnatural backlink tactics, your site could get penalized. It could even disappear from search results altogether.
Instead, focus on earning quality backlinks naturally through local directories, partnerships with contractors, and industry blogs. A single mention from a reputable source is worth more than a bunch of junk links.
3. Keyword stuffing
Ever seen a website that squeezes “emergency plumber near me” into every other sentence? That’s keyword stuffing, and it doesn’t work. Google (and your customers) can tell when content sounds unnatural.
Instead, use keywords in a way that feels organic. Sprinkle them into meta tags, headings, and body copy of important pages (like your homepage and service pages). Use them in the same way you’d say them out loud in conversation. The best SEO strategies make your content readable and useful—not spammy or robotic.
4. Slow website speed
When a pipe bursts, no one has the patience to wait for a slow website to load. If your site takes too long, potential customers will bounce and go to a competitor instead.
Google also ranks faster sites higher, so speed matters for SEO too. Run your site through Google PageSpeed Insights and fix common problems like:
- Images that are too large
- Unnecessary plugins
- Clunky code
5. Forgetting local SEO
Most homeowners searching for a plumber want a local pro who can get there fast, which is why local SEO is so important.
If your website doesn’t clearly mention your address, service areas, or even local landmarks, you’re not making it easy for Google to connect you with local customers.
Add location-based keywords naturally throughout your site. Make sure your Google Business Profile is set up, filled out completely, and lists your service areas.
6. Duplicate content
Copying and pasting content from another site—or using the same text across multiple pages of your own site—won’t help you. It can hurt your ability to rank well.
Google wants unique, valuable content. If you have separate pages for different service areas, be sure to use different messaging for each. Highlight the unique aspects of plumbing for that location. Think about what matters to homeowners in those areas. Older homes, for instance, may need re-piping or have frequent sewer line issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Plumber SEO is the process of making a plumbing business website more visible on search engines like Google. This involves working to ensure that when people search for plumbing services online, your business appears near the top of the search results. It becomes easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
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SEO helps you show up when customers search for a plumber online. Without paying for ads, you can passively generate calls, leads, and booked jobs by making your business visible in search results.
Over time, a strong SEO strategy builds trust, improves your reputation, and keeps a steady stream of new customers coming in. -
Local SEO focuses on getting your business found by customers in your area. You use tactics like Google Business Profile, location-based keywords, and local directories.
National SEO, on the other hand, targets a broader audience across the country. This isn’t useful for most plumbing businesses that rely on local customers. But a plumbing franchise like Mr. Rooter, which has 200+ U.S. and Canadian locations, may target more general, non-localized keywords. -
Yes, you can do SEO for your plumbing business yourself. Start by optimizing your website with relevant keywords and creating quality content. Claim and optimize your free Google Business profile.
You can also focus on:
– Getting positive customer reviews
– Building backlinks from reputable sites
– Making your website mobile-friendly
– Improving your site’s load time
Use this article as a guide to learn the basics of SEO, appear higher in search rankings, gain more traffic, and connect with more customers. -
Improving your local plumbing SEO strategy involves several key steps:
1. Optimize your Google Business Profile. Ensure all your business information is accurate and up to date, add high-quality photos, and regularly post updates.
2. List your business in local directories like Yelp. Make sure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across all listings.
3. Ask happy customers to leave positive reviews on Google and other review sites.
4. Use local keywords, like “plumbing services in [town]” or “emergency plumber in [city]” in your website content, meta descriptions, titles, and headers. -
With SEO, it takes time to build momentum and see results. You might start seeing traffic and ranking improvements in 3-6 months, but this will depend on:
– How much competition you have
– The quality of your website
– How much effort you put into optimization and content creation
The more consistent your SEO efforts, the faster the results. -
To measure success, track improvements in website traffic, search rankings, and calls from organic site visitors. Tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and call tracking software can show how many people are finding your business.
More site visits and higher rankings for local searches are good signs your SEO is working. More calls are a good sign your site is easy to use. -
Link building is an aspect of SEO that involves increasing the number of high-quality, relevant websites that link to yours. This improves the site’s authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines, helping it rank higher in search results. Higher rankings lead to more traffic, visibility, and potential customers.
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Along with plumbing SEO, you can also use the following marketing strategies to appear higher on Google’s search engine results page:
1. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising – Use Google Ads to create targeted ads that appear at the top of search results (right under Google’s search bar) for specific plumbing-related keywords like “emergency plumbing services,” “plumbing businesses,” or “residential plumbing contractors”.
2. Pay-per-lead advertising – Use Google’s Local Services ads to advertise to potential customers searching for plumbing services in their area. When people search for plumbing services on Google, these ads appear at the top of the search results, above the regular paid Google Ads and the organic search results.
3. Social media marketing – Engage with your audience on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to increase brand visibility and drive more organic traffic to your plumbing website.
4. Online reviews – Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and other review sites. Don’t forget to respond to reviews promptly and professionally to build trust and improve your online reputation.