Local SEO for Cleaning Companies

Local SEO for Cleaning Companies

John Crenshaw Founder of Razorlight Media Acquired by Oodle in April 2015 Director of Content, Search, & Media @ Oodle Oodle Oodle.io Phone: 513-549- 4003 x716 johnc@oodle.io Website: h;p://oodle.io Blog: h;p://www.razorlightmedia.com/blog/

About An engagement agency, specialized in fueling experiences and brand development in the ever-changing digital realm. In other words, we do digital design, development, and marketing. Clients UC Health Mercy Health Trihealth CincinnaL Children s Hospital Nathan s Famous Hotdogs Captain Morgan BBQ FastPark & Relax Lindner Center of HOPE Pearle Vision

If you take away only one thing The goal of any search engine is to provide the searcher with information that best matches their search query as quickly as possible. If you really understand what a searcher is looking for, and you provide it better than the competition, you will outrank your competition.* *Assuming you don t have technical problems

That leads to SEO Rule #1: Build for searchers first. Build for search engines second. When in doubt, ask yourself this: What would your prospective customer want to see here and how can I provide a better experience than my competition?

Local SEO Factors* 1. On-site technical (required) 2. Backlinks (20%) 3. Citations & reviews (20%) 4. On-site experience (30%) 5. Brand awareness (30%) *Percentages are very rough estimates for demonstration search engines don t publish this info so it s an educated guess. Also note that strength in one area can make up for weakness in another.

The importance of real marketing Assuming no crippling technical issues exist, a strong brand alone can get you ranked, even in a competitive market.

Example: Ray St. Clair Roofers http://www.raystclair.com #3

Whoa

Moving on

SEO Factors: Technical stuff Not all platforms are created equal. WordPress is a safe option it s very hard to screw up. Technical site audit checklist: http://goo.gl/w2zx47

SEO Factors: Backlinks Build links on other websites pointing to yours Use Majestic.com to check competitor links Be careful of shady links You don t need a lot * Backlinks are a proxy for website quality

Let s explore: HouseCallsLLC.com Majestic backlinks for HouseCallsLLC.com Building backlinks rule of thumb: If Google didn t exist, would this link be useful? If not, don t go after it.

Local SEO Factors: Citations / Reviews Occurrences of your company s name, address, phone, and website URL around the web. Kind of like the local SEO equivalent to backlinks. Commonly found on sites like Yelp, Google+, AngiesList, etc.

Where do you get citations / reviews? Commonly found on sites like Yelp, Google+, AngiesList, etc. Important: Big Data Providers feed all the other sites. Info must be correct here: InfoGroup Acxiom Localeze Factual

Why Citations Matter: The Local Search Ecosystem

Why Citations Matter: The real reason Warning: Specula/on ahead Cita0ons ma2er because: Google isn t perfect and they haven t figured out how to determine if a local business truly exists or not. A larger quanlty/quality of citalons and citalon consistency is the best measure they have right now to screen out the real from the fake, the well- known from the less well- known. Like backlinks, it s a band- aid approach

How to do it? Make sure you re up to date and accurate on everything here: Moz Local (http://www.moz.com/local/) Then look out for opportunities to list your NAPw (Biz Name, Address, Phone, Website URL) on other websites. Then aggressively pursue customer reviews.

Citations: Further reading How NAP affects Local SEO and Why Citation Consistency is so Important Razorlight Media Local Search Ranking Factors Moz What is a Local Citation for Local SEO? Whitespark

Local SEO Factors: On-Site Experience 1. Content 2. Design / UX 3. Page speed

On-site: Content Don t just publish content for the sake of publishing content. Does it pass the who cares test? Would your wife / husband / daughter / son / friend choose to read this content in their free time?

On-site: Content Where to start? Start with your sales pages (service offerings, about us, etc). What makes you different? Why are you special? Real marketing

On-site: Content Next, move to useful, searchable information. What might your prospective customers be searching for and how can you provide a better answer than what s out there already? Birthday parties Cincinnati And think in terms of the competition for each page on the site (local, national, global?) Let s explore some content Example: Remove wine stains National intent National competition It ll take a lot to be better (aggregate post, collection of best tips)

Content: Further reading Ultimate Guide to Content Marketing for Local SEO Razorlight Media Skyscraper Technique - Backlinko

Design / UX (user experience) Design is fantastically important but good design is also expensive. The most important components of website design Razorlight Media: Content, content, content. Always think about your prospective customer. What might they want to see, in what order, what location, etc? MOBILE-FRIENDLY!!!!!!!!!

Design / UX: Further reading 17 Compelling Stats That Make the Case for Smarter Site Design Hubspot Why design matters Razorlight Media

Local SEO Factors: Brand awareness This can overwhelm almost everything else. Real marketing stuff: Participating in community Sponsor events Partner with related industries Networking

How brand awareness affects search Warning: Speculation ahead Keyword association and user engagement signals. The story of Cincinnati web design and the guy that called about this page when we moved it.

How to shop for SEO Oh boy. Lot s of garbage out there! It helps to know what you need.

Shopping for SEO: What do you need? What do you really need? Remember the 4 components of SEO 1. Technical In-depth technical knowledge 2. Backlinks Creativity + grunt work 3. Citations & reviews Pretty straightforward grunt work 4. On-site experience Creative marketing work 5. Brand awareness Creative marketing work, time, money

Shopping for SEO: Expectations Timelines, costs* How long have you been around? How long un0l you see improvements How long un0l you reach first page? Cost Brand new company, new address, new phone. 12 months 24 months $1,500 / mo minimum, spend another $1k - $3k/ mo on other channels Well- known company, has done markelng and existed for several years with the same name / address / phone. 2-3 months Might already be there. If not, 12 months $1,500 / mo minimum Not- so- well- known company. Haven t done much markelng before but have existed for several years with the same name / address / phone. 12 months 12-18 months $1,500 / mo minimum might want to spend another $1-3k / mo on other channels *Very rough estimates

Shopping for SEO: What to watch out for Outlandish claims

Fast, easy, or cheap? If it were fast, easy, or cheap everybody would do it.

No budget? You can definitely do this in-house: 1. Claim / correct business listings 2. Edit page titles 3. Get reviews

Shopping for SEO: What to look for? Look at their website. Do they have compelling copy and position themselves clearly? **Read their blog. Is it unique, do they seem to know what they re talking about or is it bland SEO copy? **Do they participate in the marketing industry? Speak, write, comment in discussion forums, blogs, etc? What notable companies have they worked with? References especially recent Is their site mobile-friendly?

Thanks! Phone: 513-549- 4003 x716 johnc@oodle.io Website: Blog: h;p://oodle.io h;p://www.razorlightmedia.com/blog/ Further reading h;p://www.moz.com/blog/ h;p://www.localsearchforum.com/ h;p://blumenthals.com/blog/ h;p://www.localseoguide.com h;p://www.razorlightmedia.com/blog/