For construction companies, having a website is essential to helping you get found by your local market. When people are ready to start a major construction project, they take to the Internet in search of a contractor. A professional website that’s highly visible in the search engines will draw them to your business instead of your competition.

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is an important marketing tool, because this is the most natural way to get found via search. When your website is properly optimized using the latest SEO tactics for contractors, you appear on the first page or two of the search results.

This makes you appear important and vital to those searching for what you offer, and it increases the likelihood of them clicking on your site and choosing your company.

What Is On-Page SEO and Off Page SEO?

Below our SEO Guide For Contractors is broken up into two categories, On-page and Off-page. A basic understanding of these two tactics is this, On-page SEO are things done directly to your website, such as pictures, content, etc.

Off-page SEO are things done just like it sounds, not on your website, but benefit your website. This could be posting to Social Media, claiming your Google Business listing, having you website mentioned on other website, etc.

Below we will go into more detail as to what is done where and how. Whether you need roofing seo or are deciding on building your own website, the steps in our guid will be a big help.

Simply building a website is not enough. You need to build a website, then ensure that website gets found. SEO is the key to this. Here are the top 50 SEO tips for contractors that you can use today to get your contractor website raking well, so people can find you effectively.

On-Site SEO

The biggest part of your SEO puzzle is the on-site factors that increase your rank. The way you structure your site allows the search engine bots to scan it easily, showing what you’re offering. This helps them decide which sites to feature on the results pages, so you get a higher rank.

On-site SEO accounts for about 70% of your rank, so it’s vital to spend some time here. Here are the steps to take to help your site rank well naturally through your on-site elements.

1. Perform Keyword Research

Discover the most powerful keywords for your industry, and map out a site design using those keywords. Keyword research is the first step, because it helps you choose which pages or blog posts will best help you achieve a high rank.

2. Watch for Competition

As you research keywords, make sure you choose some that have a low amount of competition so you can rank high. Too much competition makes it nearly impossible to rank well, even for highly relevant keywords.

3. Make Your Site Relevant

Google uses the content on your site to choose your link placement, so it needs to be relevant to the contractor services you offer.

4. Speak to Searcher Intent

If someone is searching for “bathroom sink DIY,” they’re not looking to hire a contractor. Find keywords you can target that speak to those looking for contractors.

Our Top SEO Tips For Contractors

5. Add Content to the Site

Content is the heart of SEO. Find as many ways as possible to add high quality, user-friendly content to your site.

6. Make Content Valuable

The more people interact with your site and stay on the pages, the better it will rank, so focus on valuable content people want to read.

7. Keep Content Fresh

As you build out the content for your website, keep it fresh. Google likes to see new, relevant content on sites it rewards with a high rank.

8. Use a Blog

One way to get that fresh, relevant content is with a blog. Make one, and post to it regularly. Check out this guide on the blog post your roofing website needs.

9. Create Title Tags for Each Page

Each unique page on your site needs a title tag that has a main service keyword relating to that page.

10. Write Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions allow the search engine and searchers to quickly see what the page is about. Strong copy in the meta tags will encourage organic reach by getting more people to click on the page.

11. Use Keywords in URL Addresses

Your site will contain subpages for your various contracting services. Make sure the URL for those pages includes the service keyword, such as home-remodeling-contractor.

12. Break up Pages with Subheads

Each page should have H2 and H3 subheadings throughout the page to help search engines understand what the page is about. These subheads also guide the reader to the content they need.

13. Embed Images with Alt Tags

Images are great for site readers, but they don’t mean anything to the search engine bots. Use alt tags to tell the search engines what the image is about, as this gives them yet another thing to crawl as they search your page.

14. Make Strong H1 Headers

H1 headers need your primary keyword and should show exactly what each page is about.

15. Use Internal Links

Linking in your page encourages the search engine bots to crawl deeper into it, so find places to link to other relevant pages on your site when posting content.

16. Create Location Pages

Location pages or city pages showcase your services with geographic keywords for the various cities you target, and they need to have unique content on each page.

17. Make Quality Content

Today’s search engines are smart. Create quality, well-written content for your site, even if it means hiring a writer.

18. Go Long

The longer your content, the better. Add 500 to 1000 words of well-written content to your key pages.

19. Make Pages for Every Service

While one large service page is good, every service needs its own page as well. When you have someone search for “bathroom remodeling contractors” in your city, you want the traffic.

20. Use Videos

Videos give another option to add tags and interact with site readers. Google owns YouTube, so upload your videos there then embed them in the site for the most effectiveness.

21. Answer Industry Questions

Google loves FAQs and dedicates a section at the top of the search results to them. Answer FAQs on your site to rank well.

22. Don’t Skimp

A well-ranked page may have 100s of individual web pages and blog posts, so don’t skimp on content.

23. Focus on Local

Whenever possible, use local terms to draw local traffic and show the search engines where you are.

24. Write What People Want

Use Google’s auto-complete or “People also ask” tools to find topics for new content.

25. Make It Fast

Make sure your site’s load speed is fast enough to keep up with your traffic. Slow-to-load sites lose their rank quickly.

Off-Site SEO for Contractors

Once your site’s on-site elements are on point, you’re ready to focus on off-site SEO. The primary goal of off-site SEO is to get people talking about you and build links from other high-value websites to yours. There are specific tips you can use to make this natural and effective. Consider these strategies:

26. Use Google Business

Claim your Google Business Listing, fill it out completely, and upload pictures of your physical business office or your truck and crew if you lack one.

27. Optimize Your Google Maps Listing

Your Google Business Listing will help you optimize the information that shows up on Google Maps when someone’s searching for contractors near them.

28. Plan Backlinks

The more sites link to your website, the better, so start planning ways to get people to link to you. In fact, this is one of the top considerations for Google when ranking.

29. Choose Quality Links

Google rewards sites that have quality links pointing back to them. Links from other industry sites, social media, and reviews are powerful.

30. Start a Facebook Business Page

One way to start drawing traffic and links is through social media, and this starts with Facebook. Start and maintain an active Facebook business page.

Don’t Skip These Three Steps For Your Website!

31. Optimize LinkedIn Listings

Next, build a LinkedIn page for your business and its top leaders. This gives you a place to publish blog articles and drive traffic.

32. Create Additional Social Media Profiles

Create profiles on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, then populate them with valuable content from your site.

33. Be Responsive on Social Media

Social media likes and shares help your business’s search engine rank, and you encourage more of these if you are responsive on your social media pages. Get to know your community and interact with them, and this will also brand you as a knowledgeable, personable contractor.

One of our favorite Social Media gurus is Ben Heath, check out his Youtube Channel Here.

34. Optimize Business Listings

In addition to Google, add business listings to Yelp and other similar sites, and make sure they have the right name and contact information.

35. Encourage Reviews

Once you’re live on business listings sites, point your happy customers to them to leave reviews.

36. Encourage Offsite Brand Mentions

Get people talking about your construction company off of your website, and these have a slight impact on your SEO rank.

37. Comment Appropriately on Industry-Specific Blogs

Blog comments earn you a link to your page, so use your time online to comment on blogs on quality sites specific to the contracting or home repair industry. Be careful, though, not to do this just for the links, as Google’s algorithms can spot comments designed just to get more links.

38. Guest Post on Other Blogs

Guest posting on other blogs in the home improvement and repair industry not only showcases that you’re a knowledgeable contractor, but also earns you links back to your site. If you’re not a good writer, hire one to write these guests posts for you.

39. Participate in Forums

Forums, and forum-like sites like Quora or Reddit, let you provide people with helpful information from a knowledgeable contractor, and earn some backlinks to your site at the same time. This also lets you meet potential new clients, especially if you find groups specific to your local area.

40. Create Links in Directories

Add your business to any directories you can find that are appropriate to the contractor niche. Make sure your listing includes a link back to your site for optimal SEO value.

41. Encourage Social Shares

Add sharing buttons for popular social media sites to key pages on your website and blog. When people share, these offsite links help your SEO.

42. Use Keyword-rich Anchor Text for Links

The anchor text is the text you embed a link into, and using keyword-rich text that reflects the content of the link makes the link more valuable.

43. Build Influencer Connections

Find influencers in the home improvement and construction industries, and build relationships with them. This takes time, but if these influencers start sharing your content, that relationship will generate more quality links to your page.

44. Focus on Link Relevance

When a site links to yours, it serves as a “vote” for the quality of your site. The search engines reward votes from relevant sites, sites in your industry or niche, more highly than non-relevant sites.

45. Use Social Bookmarking Sites

Digg.com, slashdot.org, reddit.com, and tumblr.com are called “social bookmarking” sites. Bookmark your website on sites like these to gain more traffic and improve your SEO.

46. Submit to Blog Directories

Like business directories, blog directories can help your website. Blog directories require you to find the right categories for your particular blog, but can help drive more traffic and organic reach to your site.

47. Answer Questions

Question and answer sites, like ehow.com or quora.com, give you the chance to weigh in as a construction industry expert. Use these to provide helpful information to people, but always add that link back to your blog or website to boost your SEO.

48. Submit Optimized Video

Videos also help with offsite SEO. List videos in popular video-sharing sites, optimized with your website link and proper title tags and descriptions, to improve your branding and drive more traffic to your site.

49. Create and Submit Infographics

Infographics are hot online right now. Create construction industry infographics and submit them to popular sites like visual.ly or infographicsarchive.com with a link back to your page.

50. Publish Press Releases

When your contracting business does something newsworthy, write up and submit a press release to generate more off-site linking opportunities.

Running a business as a contractor takes a lot of time and energy. SEO is critical, but it’s often pushed to the back burner in the face of tough deadlines and meetings with clients. Ask yourself – is my website naturally drawing the traffic that I need? If the answer is no, it may be time to seek professional SEO help to implement these effective tips.