How General Contracting Companies Can Dominate the First Page of Google

Being online has come to dominate the world. After only around 30 years of existence, the internet made its way into every facet of our lives. More specifically, Google has become the gatekeeper for almost the entire internet.

Almost all of the internet's traffic goes through Google’s search bar, and when people search for something on Google, it’s just not always the intention of curiosity to learn a random fact.

It's usually for business!

With businesses relying more and more on the internet for leads, digital marketing came into existence. Digital marketing is a way for your general contracting website to communicate and establish a relationship with modern potential customers, not to mention Google and its algorithm.

Without utilizing this type of marketing, your business will surely fall behind your competitors. The mighty power of Google can be observed in these shocking statistics:

• 86% of all consumers use search engines to find local business
• 46% of all-time searches are local
• Google receives 13 BILLION inquiries per day
• Google accounts for 70% of all desktop search traffic globally
• The first three search results get over half of the clicks

This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to showing Google’s dominating power.

With a competitive landscape of digital marketing growing more important by the minute, let’s take a look at some ways your general contracting company can dominate the first pages of Google for years to come.

SEO Practices

Search Engine Optimization is an organic way to grow traffic towards your website. The word organic is used because the content that grows the traffic is made solely by you, the author, and “planted” on the internet to grow organically.

You can use Paid Ads to get your content more impressions, but getting the validation you want from Google requires participating in SEO, which simply takes longer. How long depends on the strength of your SEO, which is based on the quality of content and the consistency at which you publish it.

SEO won’t show night and day results overnight, but with work and care, its practices can help you climb the top of the ranks over time. Just one really great blog that cements itself at the top of search results for something like “how to choose the right siding” can bring eyeballs to your site for years.

The first step before you even implement an SEO strategy is finding your target keywords, which relate to what kind of business you run and how you run it. Think of 10 words or phrases that describe your business; They will most likely include some of your target keywords.

Let’s say your general contracting business prides itself in providing custom tiling for its clients. Choosing a keyword phrase like “custom tiling services” will be sure to land you with clients who want something special for their next bathroom remodel.

After target keywords, there are six key components of SEO to keep in mind:

1. Web Page Structure
2. Link Building
3. Content Marketing
4. Mobile Responsiveness
5. Reviews
6. Google Ads

Web Page Structure

You may think of your website as a large conglomerate in which Google assesses its quality and functionality, but it’s quite the opposite. Every individual page is ranked towards relevant searches, so quality across all is a must for good SEO.

Be sure to include plenty of keywords on your web pages, along with your location, a way to contact you, and plenty of links to your subsequent web pages.

Link Building

Having links on your website is crucial for effective SEO. Link building is the practice of implementing these links strategically in your web pages. There are two types of links you can use on your web pages: external and internal links.

External links are web pages not associated with your website that may supplement the content, whether it’s fact checking or further reading. Case studies, blogs, and infographics are great sources for external links. Keep in mind, though, to never link out to a competitor!

Internal links are links that bring the reader to different pages of your website. These links are best paired with your target keywords.

For instance, if you have a blog about deck repair, there will be plenty of places to insert your keywords. These keywords can be linked out to the pages that best describe them. Doing so will increase the chances of the reader staying on your website!

Content Marketing

To even implement link building, you need to have content. Content is everywhere we look nowadays. To be honest, it’s hard to escape it. With all the content in so many different forms, the skill to sell within it exists.

Selling your product within your content is quite simply called content marketing. Writing weekly or monthly blogs and landing pages keeps the content on your website fresh while gaining the trust of Google’s algorithm. And when potential customers are looking for a credible business with services like yours, you’ll appear to be a thought leader in your industry.

Not to mention, the more quality content you have that answers frequently asked questions about your business, the more opportunities you have for leads and conversions.

Mobile Responsiveness

Mobile devices are piggybacking the internet and Google with its sheer dominance. A staggering 55% of all internet searches are done through mobile devices today. This number is expected to increase to 73% by 2025.

With so much emphasis on mobile devices in our society, your website should consider making itself as mobile-friendly as possible. Get a jump start by compressing all the photos on your website to allow phones a quicker load time. Follow that up by levying your website’s cache and consider using accelerated mobile pages as your HTML.

Reviews

Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful tools in marketing and has been since its start. Customers talking about their first-hand experience with your service will surely gain the trust of a customer on the fence.

In terms of online presence, positive reviews can do wonders with your website’s relationship with the Google algorithm. But negative reviews aren’t all bad either, so don’t try to hide from them. Instead, show how your business takes care of customers who are less than satisfied. Present your brand as you’d like to be seen in those moments!

Google Ads

Paid ads are a way to get a quick bump in your rankings at the cost of spending money. Google ads are on a pay-per-click basis, which means you won’t have to pay that much if the ads don’t generate enough traffic to your website.

With PPC ads, you only pay for clicks, which only happen when a customer is interested. If you tailor your campaigns right, most of those clicks will be genuine leads.

GMB Optimization

If you haven’t yet, consider setting up a Google My Business account. While it’s free to set up, there may already be an account set up for you! All you have to do is verify it and get to work optimizing.

Add pictures of your business to the account. Images convey details that text may miss. Next, be sure to link out to your original website. Add vital information about your business like its location, service hours, and telephone number. The easier it is to contact your business, the more leads it will produce!

Grow Your General Contracting Website With Triton

At Triton Commerce, we pride ourselves in assisting general contracting businesses like yours with their SEO strategies to keep you busy year-round. Let’s get you started with a free proposal!