Story Time
SEO is a digital marketing service that works best alongside other traditional & Internet marketing strategies. I have a roofing contractor client who we managed to put to the top 3 of organic search for keywords like new roof, roof replacement, and roofing installation. In fact, he became the only real local business to show up in the top 5 positions of organic search, as there were some directory websites like Homeadvisor and Yelp also in the top 5. Still, we were not really noticing a large increase in leads from organic search as expected.
Eventually, the client decided to have his website redesigned. Their original website was not terrible, but its layout and color choices was not the greatest. The images on the website were also somewhat low quality and didn’t really stand out. We also didn’t have any high quality videos on the homepage to summarize their service and why they are the right company to hire.
Their new website has an improved layout, with a visible phone number at the top of the site, an attention-capturing image of a recently completed roofing project on the homepage, and a very professional video which my client hired a local video company to do. There were lots of trust signals and we showcased their high quality reviews from Google Maps. We also changed their original contact form to a more detailed estimate request form, which had additional fields such as Address, Service required, etc. The new site also had some more detailed information on their specific roofing process and pricing.
Once the new website was out, we saw an impressive increase in phone calls and estimate requests from the website. I learned how important your website and videos are.
So, here are some things you should know before you buy SEO for your company.
1. You first need a professional website
Your website doesn’t NEED to be the best looking website in the world. It just has to have all the information that your clients are looking for. It needs to be presented effectively in a proper layout in order to not lose customers from getting bored or having their questions unanswered. Plain recycled content also doesn’t really work too well. You should have detailed and specific information that differentiates you from your competitors.
2. You need a positive reputation and high quality reviews
Customers are becoming more wary of marketing and advertising techniques that could take advantage of them. This unfortunately also applies to SEO. Customers understand that a top ranking website or business is not necessarily the best one. That being said, you need trust signals on your website and Google My Business listing. High quality, detailed reviews and testimonials are a great way to build more trust with your customers. Not having them is going to hurt you, even if you rank at the top you won’t get inquiries if you don’t have good reviews.
3. It takes a while to see results
SEO has become increasingly difficult in recent years. There are many more SEO agencies and consultants now, which are providing their SEO services to more businesses. This will increase the difficulty for all businesses as a whole because in order to outrank your competition (who’s actively doing SEO), you will need to build even more links and content. A maintenance SEO package simply won’t cut it.
About Kevin Dhimitri
My name is Kevin Dhimitri, and I am a NYC-based SEO expert that works primarily with small businesses. I offer free SEO audits to companies who are interested in expanding their visibility in their local market. Call (914) 361-5752 to speak with me directly.