Data from Google shows that 80 percent of consumers use search engines to find local information and businesses.
If your fencing company serves a local area, you need to get listed in the top results on Google and other search engines or you’ll miss out on a lot of potential business.
Local SEO is the secret to getting your website listed in those top spots. Let’s look at some local SEO basics that will help you bring in new customers to grow your business.
What is Search Engine Optimization and What Are the Benefits of SEO?
SEO is short for search engine optimization. It’s the process of tweaking certain aspects of your website to make it easy for search engines, particularly Google, to determine what the pages are about.
Done well, those optimizations will convince Google that your website is the most relevant and valuable for search terms (keywords) related to your business.
When that happens, your site gets listed at the top of the search results. And since the top three results get more than 75 percent of the clicks, getting listed at the top has a huge impact on the number of visitors coming to your website.
And the number of visitors determines the number of people who convert into customers.
Local SEO vs. Organic SEO
There are two types of SEO that you can focus on — local and organic.
Organic SEO means you’re optimizing your site to rank near the top for searches from anywhere in the country or even the world. This type of SEO is important for more general-purpose information or businesses that can work with customers no matter where they’re located.
Most fencing companies focus on their local market though. That’s where local SEO is important.
Local SEO is about optimizing your website to rank at the top of the local search results. Google’s algorithm is smart enough to recognize when a searcher is looking for something local as opposed to more general information.
For example, if their search includes phrases like “near me” or “in city name” that’s a signal that Google should show them local results.
How to Optimize Your Website for Local Searches
Several important factors will help your website rank higher in the local search results. Some of the most important include:
- Claiming your Google My Business listing
- Getting reviews from customers
- Targeting local keywords and phrases
- Adding local content to your website
Let’s look at how you can optimize for each of these things.
1. Claim Your Google My Business Listing
Your Google My Business (GMB) account is the foundation of your local SEO strategy. This listing has all the important information about your business that potential customers would want to know. This includes information like:
- Phone number
- Website
- Business address
- Hours of operation
Google uses the information in your GMB profile to fill in the details in the local search results.
It’s also important to keep those details consistent anywhere else you list them online, such as your website or industry directories. Make sure you format everything the same so there’s no doubt about the correct information. If Google finds different versions, even as simple as whether the state name is abbreviated or not, it can hurt your rankings.
2. Get Reviews from Past Clients
Reviews are another important component of your local SEO. Google shows reviews in its local results so having plenty of good reviews is important.
If someone searches for a fencing company in your area and they get several similar results, they’re likely to click on the one with the highest rating.
Ask past clients to review your company and make it part of your project wrap-up process after you finish each job going forward.
3. Target Local Keywords and Phrases
People rarely search for complete sentences on search engines. Instead, they search for keywords and phrases.
For example, they probably won’t search for “What’s the best fencing company in Smallville, KS?” Instead, they’ll search for “fencing company near me” or something along those lines.
To rank higher for local search terms like that, you need to include them in the content on your website. Add them to the pages about your company and its services but include them in blog posts and other content you add as well.
You can use Google’s Keyword Planner tool to find relevant keywords. It’s designed for their advertising platform but it works just as well for local SEO purposes.
Alternatively, you can use third-party tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs to do more in-depth keyword research.
4. Create Content About Your Local Area
Adding fresh content to your website that’s about your local area will also help you rank higher in the search engines.
You can add how-to content such as fence maintenance tips, how to repaint a fence, and other things related to the fencing business. But you can also add content that’s about your area even if it isn’t directly related to what you do.
Are you involved in a local business club like Rotary or the Chamber of Commerce? Write an article about some of the projects it’s working on in your area. You can use that information to tie back to how your company is involved.
Or is there an event coming up, like a special anniversary for your town or some other special occasion? Write about how your company is getting involved in the festivities.
There are lots of ways to write about topics outside the fencing business while still tying it back to your company in some way.
Where to Turn for Help With Your Fencing Company’s Local SEO
Improving the local SEO on your website isn’t complicated but it does take time. And the search engines are constantly tweaking their algorithms so you need to stay on top of the latest changes.
If you’d rather focus on what your company does best and leave your digital marketing strategy to experts, Fence Marketing Pros can help. We offer a full range of marketing services for fencing companies and can help your site rank at the top of the search results.
Give us a call at 888-565-2744 or get in touch with us through our website to schedule a free strategy session.
