Plumbing GMB SEO Tips That Will Connect Your Business To Wallet Out Customers Looking For Your Services Online
The plumbing industry is extremely competitive, particularly when it comes to getting your services in front of clients when they need them. Nowadays, it is common for homeowners who need a plumber instantly to turn to the top listing on Google and work their way from there.
Google has shifted the way that customers search online by making it hassle-free for plumbing contractors to get discovered. Your plumbing website is still the main element of your marketing but Google has made it simpler to find your services from Google search results.
While having a conversion-focused plumbing website, using Local Service Ads, and investing in online advertising are all crucial components of an internet marketing strategy, many plumbers tend to overlook Google My Business, a free tool given by Google.
Google My Business is all about making your plumbing services visible to prospects/clients online. To that end, we will provide a definitive guide for plumbing contractors who want to make the most out of their Google My Business profile. Keep reading to learn more about Google My Business marketing for plumbers.
What is Google My Business for Plumbers?
Previously known as Google Places, Google My Business is a free tool for plumbing companies and other businesses that promotes your website and company listing on Google Maps and Search results. More importantly, Google My Business is a way for new clients to find your company when searching for plumbing services online and can offer an effective way for you to obtain new clients. It helps you to display important information for your plumbing business like address, hours of operation, website, reviews, frequently asked questions, phone numbers, and more.
4 Reasons Why Every Plumbing Business Needs a Google My Business Profile
First things first: why should plumbers even bother with Google My Business in the first place? The simple answer is Google is visited almost 62 billion times annually-more than any other website on the planet.
Google My Business is the go-to platform when you want to ensure your plumbing business performs well online. It is a tool offered by Google Search Engine to help plumbing company owners reach a wider audience in their local service area. Homeowners type in a search for a plumber near them, and Google offers a local plumbing company name, phone number, hours they open, and an URL link to the website. You want to be the very first plumbing business clients see when searching for a local plumber help, so you must make use of the Google My Business Profile.
There are plenty of reasons why Google My Business is crucial for plumbing contractors. Consider the following reasons for including Google My Business SEO in their plumbing marketing strategy:
1. Local SEO Control
The organic result following a local search for a plumbing company is at least three of the nearest plumbing contractors to a customer. If you want to outrank your competitors, then you need to be one of the prominent three results that show up. Google My Business will assist you to control what customers see when they use search engines, and the amount of information offered is up to you. The more prospects know, the more they are likely to trust your plumbing business, and the higher chance they will hire your company for their plumbing needs.
2. Obtaining Reviews
One of the most crucial aspects of obtaining a Google My Business Profile is the online reviews that will you will get. Homeowners will start talking about the quality of the plumbing services you offer will have a huge impact on how people perceive your company. There is a huge amount of trust pegged on online reviews, and a prospect is more likely to go with a business with customers talking online than one without any third-party opinions. But you need to be careful when responding to negative reviews.
When handling negative reviews, make sure to respond thoroughly and with much respect to the reviewer’s opinion. You want to offer a satisfactory response that addresses the pain points and shows your willingness to make things right. Once you obtain the hang of handling both negative and positive reviews, the entire Google My Business profile journey becomes much easier. You will be able to attract new customers while satisfying the existing ones.
3. Google Analysis
When you create a Google My Business profile, the process is free, and you can include as many locations as you want. Remember that every location needs that you include all the information and verify each one at a time. Every location will have its online reviews, and if you register sufficient locations, then that might entitle you to a discount. Google is always looking for spam, so you will be required to register your home address instead of putting a P.O. Box. This is for companies that offer services at client locations, and this address will not be availed to the public as you mark you don’t get clients at that address.
When a homeowner is frantically looking for an emergency plumber online while their basement gets flooded, they are less likely to scroll down to the bottom of a search page. That’s why having a Google My Business Profile is so crucial to your plumbing company.
4. Build Local Authority
You can count yourself as a local authority with your plumbing services, but an optimized Google My Business can alter the way people view your company.
This is particularly true if you craft consistent content that helps homeowners understand your plumbing services. Most people will search for local plumbers on Google by asking questions.
There is no denying the power of Google My Business for plumbers. It is one of the effective ways of growing your plumbing business, creating brand awareness, and generating plumbing leads online.
Interested in hooking new plumbing clients with GMB SEO services?
Schedule a free discovery Call with Blackstom Design + Marketing to learn more.
Understanding the Google My Business Plumbing Customer Journey
Google My Business for plumbing contractors and all the optimizations that go with starts with James.
James is new in town. He recently bought a new house last month. But James has a toilet clog problem. James has no idea what’s wrong with his toilet. And why should he? He’s not a licensed, professional, certified plumber like you are. So what does James do? He is going to do what every other James does across the nation. He conducts a local search for toilet repair on Google.
Up until now, James doesn’t know your plumbing company from a specific hole in the wall. He understands what his problem is- his toilet will be flooded because of a clogged sink- but he doesn’t know which plumber to call to repair it.
Eventually, James gets a couple of options. He sees a few local plumbing contractors and their Google My Business profiles. After scrolling below the fake plumbing GMBs, James comes across legit-looking companies and is now singing the Ghostbusters song: “Who are you gonna call?
At this stage, James could end up selecting a plumber who is going to rip him off or fail to complete the job. And James needs to report to work tomorrow early in the morning! He needs a qualified plumber, and he requires a plumber right now!
In 2022, your plumbing Google My Business listing is more crucial than that if it assists decide whether the client should or shouldn’t work with your plumbing business.
Now let’s discuss the plumbing customer buying journey and your role in helping clients make an informed decision:
They Don’t Know: A plumbing client conducts a quick search on Google. They don’t personally know you or the service you offer, and they are clueless about you or your competitors. Not only that, they don’t understand what makes your plumbing services stand out.
Pain Points: Your potential client has a problem but doesn’t have a clue on how to address it. They are definitely not calling you at this stage in the buying journey. But the more your Google My Business is visible online, the more your prospects will consider your plumbing company as she or he moves on to the next stage.
Solution: The plumbing client now understands the exact service they require, but they don’t know if your plumbing business offers it. How you optimize your plumbing GMB listing at this point is important. Do you have all your plumbing services filed out on your GMB? Make sure that you optimize everything to respond to any questions the clients might have.
Service: At this stage, the plumbing client understands what plumbing services you provide but isn’t sure what she or he needs. This is the decision-making time! Do they know what plumbing services you provide but aren’t fully convinced? This is where online reviews, Google questions, and responses are so crucial. Most clients will read your recent reviews online, and they will look at the answers and examine your content. If you aren’t analyzing your online reviews, replying to them, and learning from them, then you are leaving a bunch of dollars on the table.
Ready: Now the customer is ready to schedule a service with your company and wants an answer to this old age question: How much? Pricing is a topic we will handle another day. But at this point, your client is at the bottom of the sales funnel. And your plumbing company is ready to close the lead!
Tips to Optimize Your Google My Business Listing for Plumbers: Our Proven Bag of Tricks
Simply claiming your plumber GMB profile won’t cut it- to ensure that your listing pops us for relevant keywords in top rankings while converting browsers into paying customers, you require to optimize your plumbing business listing. Here are some steps you can take to optimize your plumbing GMB listing:
1. Use Your Operating/Legal Business Name
Your plumbing company name is one of the most crucial components of your Google My Business profile. It is essential that you follow Google’s best practices when it comes to the company name you use in your plumbing GMB listing.
You can use several blackhat tricks to game the system to achieve great rankings. Don’t do them. One thing plumbers try and do is place the location of their GMB profile. For instance, Dan owns a plumbing business, and the legal name of his company is Dan’s plumbing. Dan services Murfreesboro, TN area. The name he utilizes in his GMB listing should be Dan’s plumbing, not Dan’s plumbing in Murfreesboro.
If the name of the region or city you serve is part of your legal company name, then you need to incorporate it by all means. But if your registered name doesn’t include the name of the city or area you service, don’t add it to the name in your GMB profile. This strategy may get you short-term results, but it can get your listing suspended by Google.
2. Choose the Right Primary Category
One of the most common blunders we see plumbers make with their Google My Business listing is not choosing the right primary category. This is because the categories you select for plumbing GMB profile can assist Google to connect your business to clients based on what they are looking for online. There are two kinds of categories- secondary categories and primary categories, and you choose your secondary and primary categories from a predefined list.
You must select the right primary category. In the case of a plumbing business, the primary category you choose should be “plumber.”
If you offer more than just plumbing services for instance, electrical or HVAC, you can add these as secondary categories-“Electrician” and “HVAC Contractor”. There are other categories you may want to consider depending on the services you offer.
Whatever your primary plumbing service, put it as your primary category. If HVAC is your main service and plumbing is secondary, then define those categories accordingly.
When it comes to displaying plumbing-related queries, our analysis shows a clear winner; more than 90% of businesses used plumbing or plumber as their primary category.
3. Focused Plumbing Marketing: Define Your Service Areas
Another crucial section to complete is the service area section of the GMB profile. Service areas are a very crucial field to fill out, and here is a good place to list all the states or cities your plumbing company is servicing. By adding a city to the service area section, you are allowing Google to understand that your business is ready to service clients in these cities, and this is where your GMB listing will be popping up. For instance, if you offer plumber services and you select Murfreesboro, TN as your service area, your profile can pop up whenever residents in Murfreesboro search for “plumbing services”.
Don’t add cities that you are planning to service later, as this will reduce the overall quality and accuracy of your plumbing GMB listing. You can include such cities in the future when you will be ready to send your crew to those areas.
4. Hours of Operation (+Special hours)
Hours of operation allow your prospects to know whether you are open for service on holidays and weekends. It is extremely crucial to list opening and closing hours as accurately as possible and typically update your special hours, letting your clients know whether you are closed or open on specific days (Mother’s Day, Christmas Eve, etc.).
The secret here is to always keep track of the upcoming public holidays and update your profile accordingly.
5. Complete your Plumbing Company Description
The description is an area in your profile where you need to target those “money search terms” about your plumbing company. You have more than 750 characters to convince clients more about your plumbing company or services. Avoid stuffing keywords here. Always keep your potential clients in mind when filling out this section.
The primary keywords to use here are “City +yourservices” use the keywords as naturally as possible.
As a rule of thumb, always follow the Google Business description best practices when completing this section.
Let clients understand why they should hire you over other plumbers in the area, how long you have been in the business, the plumbing services you offer, and more while focusing on competitive keywords.
Don’t add any HTML codes or links in the business description area. At the end of your description, let clients know how they book a plumbing service appointment. Do they fill out a form or call your company? What hours should they expect to get their phone calls answered by your team?
6. Have a Well-Designed Plumbing Website
Your plumber website is important for internet marketing; it’s where prospects go to learn more about your plumbing company, meet your crew and see if you provide the plumbing services you are searching for. Best of all, your plumbing website helps your GMB rank higher for target Google searches and with your defined service area.
According to our analysis, almost 60% of plumbing contractors link to their website from the GMB listing. So having a professionally designed plumbing website will help in your GMB optimization efforts.
If you require any help with designing and developing your plumbing website, schedule a no-obligation session with one of our growth coaches for assistance.
7. Provide Your Phone Number
Your phone number is another crucial element of your plumbing Google My Business listing. It is prominently displayed on your GMB listing and helps clients contact your company directly even without visiting your site. This is particularly true if customers are accessing your GMB profile on a mobile device such as a smartphone. All they need to do is click your phone number to contact your plumbing business. It is convenient and quick for customers. The opposite is true, it can be frustrating as a homeowner if you are trying to call a plumbing contractor, but you can’t easily and quickly find their company’s phone number.
8. Get and Respond to all Online Reviews
In the modern plumbing landscape, online reviews can break or make your business. They are like word-of-mouth recommendations from family or friends to new customers who consider your company for hire, and most homeowners are willing to use your plumbing services after seeing tons of positive reviews.
Besides such reviews assisting your company to make a great initial impression, they also assist you to rank higher on Google because of the relevant keywords used in every review. The more positive reviews your plumbing business has, the more potential clients will want to do business with your plumbing company. That said, it is important to be generating positive reviews every day to keep your plumbing business on top.
The good news is that obtaining such reviews isn’t hard. You can either request reviews from clients whom you have already worked with before or utilize follow-up calls or emails.
The reviews on your plumbing GMB profile can influence whether a homeowner will do business with your company or not. Here are some crucial facts about reviews:
- More than 80% of customers read reviews for plumbing businesses
- The average client reads about 10 reviews before feeling they can trust the business
- 0% of clients said that they judge a business depending on how it responds to reviews
That’s why it is crucial to respond to each review you obtain to introduce great keywords that will help your listing rank.
9. List Your Plumbing Services
Although this section in your plumbing GMB profile is optional, you can include all the plumbing services you provide in the part of the service. You can add the price, a description, and a service name for every service.
Unlike products that are shown as part of your GMB listing, plumbing services are only visible on mobile devices. While the visibility of services is restricted, we highly recommend you include services in your GMB profile. Including services is a great way to differentiate your plumbing company from your competitors and can help to boost your local search rankings.
10. Upload More Photos
Google has previously stated that “Businesses with photos receive 35% more clicks to their website than businesses that don’t have photos. As you can see, having more photos in your GMB listing will make Google rank your site higher and gives clients more ways to know about your plumbing business and become comfortable with you as a plumbing service company.
One of the best photos on your GMB profile is those given by customers. Therefore, you should encourage your happy clients to add photos of your recently completed jobs. Client-added photos make prospects feel at ease with hiring you and become confident in your service offerings.
11. Questions and Answers
Google My Business helps users to respond to your plumbing company. It is best to answer these questions accurately and comprehensively.
12. Add Highlights
Highlights help you tell people about your plumbing business’s specific attributes or services. Including them can assist you to stand out from other plumbers in the area.
13. Complete Every Section
The most crucial thing for you to do is to entirely fill out each section available on the profile so that search engines understand your plumbing business and understand what is right to display online. These details include:
- Business Name
- Services you offer
- Phone number
- Address
- Website
- Description
- Hours of Operation
- Question and Answers
- Photos
- Business category
It is crucial that the information shown for your plumbing business is accurate and matches the information displayed across the web. Be thorough with each detail as Google will favor listings with more details when deciding how to rank your profile amongst other plumbing contractors.
Frequently Asked Questions on Plumbing GMB Listing
What are the steps to take to set up your plumbing GMB Profile?
- Login to Google Business Profile Manager
- Add your plumbing company
- Enter your location
- Complete your contact information
- Verify your business
- Customize your profile
How do you get your plumbing company to show up on the first page of Google?
If your goal is to achieve top rankings on Google, then you should do the following:
- Use the right keywords
- Develop a good local search engine strategy
- Focus on creating high-quality plumbing content
- Use social media to promote your business
- Generate backlinks
How do you optimize your plumbing Google My Business listing?
Some of the things your plumbing company can do to get the most out of your Google My Business Profile include: selecting a specific and relevant category, uploading quality photos, using your phone number, and completing each section of your profile with accurate and correct details.
Generate More Leads with Our Plumbing GMB SEO Services
Running a plumbing business is hard and time-consuming, even without thinking about your online strategy. You just want to become a plumber, not spend all your time creating an online presence that may be a waste of your advertising dollars.
Save time and concentrate on what matters most by putting your plumbing local SEO strategy in the hands of experienced internet marketing experts. We are a dedicated team that requires a huge, untapped market with tried and proven strategies, a results-driven mentality, and many years of experience helping home service contractors across the US.
Are you ready to dominate the local plumbing market and see incredible company growth? Schedule a no-obligation session with Blackstorm Design + Marketing today.