When it comes to home projects like fence repair, most people head to Google and work their way down the results list. If you run a fence company, optimizing your web presence to rank high in Google search results can help a lot. When a prospective customer searches for “fence company near me,” you can position yourself so that your company information shows up in the top results for the searcher.
Google My Business is an application that lets you manage your business presence on the web. Customers can get important business information from your Google My Business profile, and Google Search will prioritize businesses with GMB listings.
Managing your online presence is an integral part of running any fence company. For this reason, our team here at Fence Marketing Pros has put together this guide on Google My Business optimization and how to optimize your business search results.
Why is SEO Important?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of building your website in such a way as to increase your ranking in Google’s search engine results. SEO techniques involve the strategic use of keywords and phrases so that the search algorithm can detect your business’s focus.
The better your SEO practices, the higher on the list of results your business will appear when a prospective customer or client performs a search.
Considering that the top three search engine results on any Google search generate nearly 75% of clicks, you want your business to be one of the first that pops up when potential customers carry out searches using keywords relevant to your business.
How to Optimize Google My Business for Your Fence Company
1. Create a Google My Business Account
The first step is to follow Google’s directions to Add or Claim Your Business Profile on Google.
Once you have created a Google My Business account, one of the first steps is to Verify Your Business on Google, which you can do by postcard, phone, or email.
Once you have an account, make sure to fill out all relevant information. The app will prompt you to enter the following about your business;
- Name
- Address
- Website
- Phone
- Hours
- Category
- Product/Services
The more thoroughly you fill out these details, the better search engine results you will get. Be sure to take your time to fill out all relevant fields. You can also manage the Q&A and customer reviews tabs from your dashboard to engage with your audience.
2. Keyword Research and Optimization
Keywords are the core of SEO. The goal is to choose common words and phrases related to your business. Think of what terms a prospective customer might use when looking for a company like yours. For example, keywords for a fence company might include things like “fence company near me,” “fence repair company,” or “fence replacement options.”
Once you have developed a suitable list of keywords, you’ll need to optimize the content of your business presence online. The two primary areas to focus on are your primary business website and your Google My Business page. Your website content should revolve around keyword usage and placement.
If you are new to the world of SEO, it will make a tremendous difference to engage the services of a digital marketing specialist who is familiar with all the intricacies of SEO. At Fence Marketing Pros, we are available to help you—and we know your industry well!
3. Create Citations and Backlinks
Another strategy that helps to increase your web traffic (as well as your ranking vis-à-vis Google’s search algorithm) is to establish the presence of your business in online business directories (citations) as well as to get other websites and blogs to link to your site. Backlinks improve your credibility and show that you are a trusted site.
Moz defines citations as “any web-based reference of your local business’s name, address, and phone number.” Citations will boost your reach.
The best place to start creating citations is through local business directories like Yellow Pages or your local Chamber of Commerce website. Some directory sites are free, but others charge a fee for listings. Moz suggests the following high-quality platforms for listing a U.S.-based business:
- Acxiom
- Apple Maps
- Bing
- Citygrid
- Factual
- Foursquare
- Infogroup/ExpressUpdate
- Localeze
- Superpages
- Yahoo!*
- YP
- Yelp
Another way to drive traffic is to secure inbound links (backlinks) from other websites. You can offer to trade links with companies in similar niches to benefit from each other’s activity.
4. Track Efforts
You cannot just launch a fence company marketing campaign and leave it at that, though. Campaigns require continual monitoring to track results and make improvements. The best app to track your SEO efforts is Google Analytics. Analytics has several metrics, but you should focus on three:
- Traffic. Traffic is a measure of how many people are visiting your site. Analytics lets you see traffic from search engines and identify which pages are drawing the most visitors.
- Conversion. A conversion is a particular action you want the customer to take. For a fence company, a relevant conversion might be scheduling an appointment. Analytics can track conversions on your site and by phone.
- Rankings. Rankings are how well you are faring on prospects’ overall search results for your keywords. It helps to have a tool to get an unbiased picture. Google Search Console can give a top-down view of your keywords’ overall search rankings and where your site is coming in.
Tips for SEO Optimization
Here are some extra tips for Google My Business optimization.
Don’t Stuff Keywords
Keyword stuffing is the practice of loading a page with keyword terms to manipulate the Google search algorithm and ranking results. Google’s search algorithm can detect unnatural keyword usage and will penalize pages that use keyword stuffing. So make sure keyword usage is natural, and don’t overload your page with search terms.
Take Advantage of Links
Adding inbound and outbound links to and from other websites is a great way to boost SEO results. Inbound links bring visitors to your site, while outbound links direct them to relevant external pages. Strategic use of inbound and outbound links can keep visitors engaged and draw more customers from partner websites.
Regularly Update Your Content
SEO rankings consider and reward fresh content, so websites with frequent content updates usually fare much better than those that do not. Businesses should audit their website and My Google Business account once every six months to ensure relevancy.
Use Alt Tags
Lastly, make sure to use alt tags on images and videos on your site. Alt tags let search engines find your media and are helpful for people using alternative browser modes. Alt tags should also contain keywords and phrases.
Fence Marketing Pros
Many businesses neglect the importance of good SEO practices. For fence companies, SEO is particularly important for finding leads, converting them, and retaining customers. For this reason, you need to optimize your business website and Google My Business entry to maximize your results.
At Fence Marketing Pros, we can help increase your fence company’s traffic and revenue. If you want expert marketing services and proven results, contact us at (888) 622-2964 today to schedule an appointment and discuss how we can assist you.
