Word of mouth has traditionally been a successful marketing tool in the construction business. However, in this digital age where information is at our fingertips, consumers can make informed purchase decisions with very little effort. While it’s true that 92% of shoppers trust their friends’ recommendations, 81% conduct online research before making a purchase.
There are more than 2.2 million searches conducted on Google every day. For your company to stand out among the 1.8 billion websites in the world, you must have a strong online presence and achieve a high search ranking. Every company wants to increase the quantity and quality of website traffic through unpaid (organic) search results. This is called search engine optimization (SEO).
SEO is achieved by recognizing what services and information people are seeking online and the phrases they search for to locate those things. With that data, you can develop content for your website that search engines will identify. When this is consistently done, your company will rise to the top of online search results, allowing you to reach a wider target audience. This increases views, generates leads, and drives revenue.
The objective of any business website is to draw visitors and convert their views into sales. The construction industry is no different. There are currently more than 700,000 construction companies in operation in the United States alone. To stand out in a crowded market, you must have a strong online presence that focuses on SEO to generate leads and gain clients.
4 Tips for Construction SEO
The construction business is booming. Global construction is expected to become an $11 billion industry in the next four years. To set your company apart from the competition now is the time to strategize your online presence. Follow these four best practices for SEO to increase your reach, drive traffic, and generate sales.
1. Develop Meaningful Content
People turn to the internet for solutions to problems and answers to questions. Your page should provide meaningful content that resonates with your readers and provides value. This is not only important in attracting an audience and building customer loyalty, but search engines also use content in determining online rankings.
Search engines scan, review, and process the content of your website. Once this search engine crawling is complete, your web pages are indexed into categories. Their relevancy then helps to rank them in order. Websites that most effectively meet the needs of their viewers are considered a reliable resource and earn higher rankings.
Meaningful content could be as simple as listing your company’s contact information. Display clear, high-quality photos of some of the work you’ve done. Post reviews from satisfied customers. Provide useful information that builds readers’ confidence and earns their trust. This can increase your audience (and your sales) exponentially.
2. Use Strategic Keywords
It’s important to identify what phrases people are using to search for your services and, hopefully, discover your business. When search engines are crawling your website, they’re identifying keywords on your pages that match what people are browsing. By strategically placing valuable keywords throughout your web pages, you’re increasing the likelihood of reaching your target audience.
When determining which terms to include in your content, consider using long-tail keywords. With a click-through rate 3%-5% higher than basic searches, long-tail keywords help narrow the focus and boost your ranking. A common keyword like “building” or “construction” would require enormous amounts of content to achieve a solid ranking. However, using a more descriptive keyword like “construction Dallas Texas” would result in a higher ranking position.
With keyword placement, it’s important to avoid stuffing your page with meaningless words. While it’s true that incorporating lots of keywords gives search engines more material to determine rankings, these aren’t meaningful to your content. Readers won’t come back for information that lacks quality. Even worse, they could leave you a bad review. Like any other content on your page, keywords should bring value to your users.
3. Include Quality Backlinks
Links are an easy way for people to navigate among different pages on the internet. They’re also an invaluable element of SEO. They increase your reach, promote content sharing, and build consumer trust. When your site links to relevant external pages, these backlinks ensure visitors will find your information when accessed from outside sources.
Links affect how search engines determine credibility and relevance to searchers. They’re one of the top two criteria used by Google’s ranking system. Backlinks are like external endorsements. The more quality websites that link to you, the higher your perceived value. This results in a better chance for high search rankings.
Quality links drive traffic to your site and can be the determining factor when search engines decide your ranking. For ultimate construction SEO success, direct your viewers to credible sources, like building reports or expert interviews, who provide meaningful information that resonates with your audience. Your readers will value the information and remember you as a helpful resource. All of this leads to customer loyalty, which equates to revenue.
4. Maintain a Smooth-Running Site
The average amount of time a visitor remains on a website is less than 15 seconds. If they leave before then, chances are they had a negative user experience. With only 15 seconds to make a good impression, it’s imperative that your website runs smoothly and provides a positive encounter.
There are several contributors to high bounce rates. Remember those high-quality photos we talked about incorporating into your content? Consider embedding them so they don’t bog down your site’s load time. The credible backlinks we mentioned? Double-check that they’re functioning correctly. Nothing will instill doubt in a customer’s mind like a website that isn’t working properly.
Ensuring your website is running smoothly is important to your SEO. Search engines track things like how many pages people visit on your site, how long they stay, and whether they return. If people aren’t engaging with your site, you’re less likely to achieve desirable search rankings.
Alternatively, a site that is easy to navigate and provides valuable information will keep readers coming back to interact with your pages. This helps instill customer trust, brand loyalty, and higher search engine rankings.
Builders Trust Visual Rankings
Successful SEO relies on several factors, and search engine algorithms are ever-evolving. Hire Visual Rankings as your digital marketing and SEO consultants. We’ll help determine and manage everything you need to develop an effective online presence. Let us help you gain higher search engine rankings, increase awareness, and drive qualified traffic to your construction company’s website.
Contact us today for a free evaluation and proposal. We look forward to bringing you quality organic traffic and propelling your website up the search rankings.
