Total Marketing Solutions For Contractors

866-973-1010

Recent MYM Success Lead Generation Upcoming Webinars
MYM Credit Builder Program — Click Here

Is SEO for contractors finally dead?

A few years ago, one of the most important things a contractor could do with their internet marketing was to get a coveted top spot in Google’s organic search results.

If you could land in one of those first three organic results for your keywords, you were golden. Prospects would visit your website by the bus full.

Those days are over. And they’re never coming back.

Why?

I’ll explain…

First, though, let’s define an important term: blue-link organic result.

You know what I’m talking about. This is the blue, hyperlinked text that is not a paid ad or in the Local 3-Pack.

Here’s an example:

 

Blue-link organic results used to rule the roost.

Today, they sometimes don’t appear until the middle of the results page. Especially for remodeling and home improvement keywords.

What changed?

First, Google started placing more emphasis on paid search results. Now if someone searches for a contractor, two to four paid ads (a.k.a. PPC ads) typically take the top spots.

Here’s an example when I typed “replacement windows Rochester NY”:

 

It’s easy to understand why Google did this. PPC is where they make the bulk of their money. So of course they’re going to give paid ads the top spots.

Until recently, blue-link organic results would show underneath PPC ads. But that’s changing, too.

Now, the Local 3-Pack typically shows up underneath the paid search results.

The Local 3-Pack appeared underneath the PPC ads for “replacement windows Rochester NY”:

Which businesses show up in the Local Pack is largely dependent on the location of the searcher. If three of your competitors are closer to a prospect than you, they will probably get the Local Pack slots when that prospect searches for a contractor. (I’ll tell you how to optimize your search marketing for Google’s Local Pack in a future email.)

Google puts the Local 3-Pack above the blue-link organic results because it provides more info about local companies right off the bat. Google wants to remain king of the search-engine hill. So making the top organic results more informative is a logical business move.

After the paid ads and Local 3-Pack finally come the organic blue-link organic results. In the “replacement windows Rochester NY” example, the blue-link organic results don’t start until more than halfway down the page!

 

To prove to you this particular keyword is no anomaly, here’s what happened when I searched “kitchen remodeler Royal Oak MI”:

 

To be clear: Not ALL search results are like this for remodeling keywords. Some may have four PPC ads. Some may not have a Local 3-Pack. But A LOT of them do.

Now think about this: With all those enticing paid ads and the spiffy Local 3-Pack, how many prospects are actually going to scroll all the way down to the blue-link organic results? Not many.

But that’s not the only bad news for blue-link organic results.

(Yes, there’s more.)

Below is a closer look at that first organic blue-link result for “kitchen remodeler Royal Oak MI.” What do you notice?

 

Yep… the first three results are taken by Angie’s List, Houzz, and HomeAdvisor. These 3rd-party companies typically hog the first two or three blue-link organic results for highly searched remodeling keywords. And there’s not much you can do to beat them. They are huge companies that specialize in matching homeowners to contractors. So of course Google is going to give them the red-carpet treatment.

So… is SEO dead for remodeling contractors? Do we stick a fork in it and call it done?

Not so fast.

While blue-link organic search results don’t have the prominence they used to, SEO is still extremely important for contractors.

Some keywords that prospects use to find you don’t have all the fancy-schmancy paid ads and Local Packs.

I’ll show you an example. Here is what pops up when I search “vinyl vs fiberglass windows Rochester NY”:

 

Boom.

  • No paid ads.
  • No Local 3-Pack.
  • No Angie’s List or HomeAdvisor.
  • And the first two results are for local window contractors.

Here’s another example. This time, I searched “vinyl windows price Twin Cities”:

Just one paid ad, while the rest are blue-link organic results directly from local contractors’ websites.

So… why don’t paid ads and the Local 3-Pack show up for THESE keywords?

You don’t see paid ads here because people searching these kinds of keywords probably aren’t looking to buy right now. They are still researching things like price and difference in materials. In other words, they are still actively in “investigation” mode.

As such, companies don’t bid on these keywords because they won’t yield as many leads. (People who click on PPC ads are typically looking to purchase ASAP).

As for why there is no Local 3-Pack for these search terms, it’s simple: Since these keywords are more “researched-oriented,” there really is not a way for Google create a local pack for them.

What is the takeaway here? It all boils down to the proper combination or PPC and SEO.

Use PPC to scoop up the hot-’n’-ready buyers. Use SEO and “educational” keywords to catch prospects who are further behind in the buying process. This way, you’re capturing leads from every end of the buying spectrum.

Win-win.

If you want to snag as many leads as are available in your area RIGHT NOW, get yourself set up with MYM No-Risk PPC. You can add $1.5 to $3 million in sales in 12 months… with no money up front and ZERO risk.

We can also improve your SEO. Click here for more info about our comprehensive Search Engine Optimization package.

-Rich

 

 

© 2018, Rich Harshaw. All rights reserved.

Leave a Reply