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If you’re a plumber, chances are most of your customers are searching for services online with phrases like ‘plumber near me’ or ‘emergency plumbing services’.
Local SEO is a strategy that helps your business rank high in search results limited to a particular neighborhood, region, or city. It is key to ensuring your plumbing business is highly visible online when potential customers nearby are looking for help.
Improving your local SEO doesn’t just boost online visibility—it helps build trust with local homeowners and businesses and puts you ahead of competitors.
In this guide, we break down actionable strategies to optimize your local SEO and grow your plumbing business.
1. Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is often the first thing potential customers see when they’re searching for plumbing services in their area.
Here’s how you can optimize your profile to get more leads:
- Claim and Verify Your Profile: If you haven’t already, claim your profile at google.com/business and verify your business details.
- Add Complete Information: Ensure your name, address, phone number (NAP), website URL, and business hours are accurate. Add service areas to indicate where you operate.
- Use High-Quality Photos: Upload professional images of your team, equipment, and completed work to make your profile more engaging.
- Encourage Reviews: Reviews are a significant ranking factor for local SEO. Send review requests to happy customers and respond to all feedback—positive or negative.
Source: Google search for New York plumber.
2. Build Location-Specific Pages on Your Website
Having a strong website is key to boosting your local SEO efforts. This is crucial as the top three organic search results receive more than two-thirds (68.7%) of all clicks on the Google Search page.
Create pages that target specific neighborhoods, areas, or towns within your service area.
- Create Localized Content: Write about the plumbing issues that are common to specific areas you serve. For instance, a blog on the topic ‘How to Prevent Frozen Pipes in [City Name]’ could attract local homeowners.
- Use Location Keywords: Incorporate keywords like ‘plumbing services in [City Name]’ naturally into your headlines, subheadings, and meta descriptions.
- Add Contact Information: Include your NAP (name, address, phone number) on every page of your website to ensure consistency and reinforce your local presence.
3. Build Citations on Local Directories
Citations are mentions of your business’s NAP on other websites, such as directories or review platforms.
Consistent and accurate citations help search engines verify the legitimacy of your business.
- Submit to Major Directories: List your business on platforms like Yelp, Angi, Thumbtack, and HomeAdvisor.
- Use Niche Plumbing Directories: Look for industry-specific platforms that can boost your credibility and help customers find you.
- Check for Accuracy: Ensure your business details are consistent across all listings. Even minor discrepancies (for instance, ‘123 Main Street’ vs. ‘123 Main St.’) can hurt your rankings.
Source: Angi.
4. Focus on Generating Positive Reviews
Customer reviews are one of the most influential ranking factors for local SEO.
Search engines prioritize businesses with high ratings and frequent feedback.
- Ask for Reviews: Request reviews after completing a job, ideally through automated tools to save time and maximize responses.
- Make It Easy: Provide direct links to your Google Business Profile, Yelp, or other review platforms.
- Respond to Feedback: Thank customers for positive reviews and address negative feedback professionally to show you value the opinions of all customers.
Online reviews influence 79% of consumers when it comes to deciding which local business to hire, so don’t underestimate their power.
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5. Leverage Local Link Building
Backlinks—or links from other websites to yours—play a major role in improving local SEO.
Search engines use backlinks to establish how trusted or valued a business is within a particular community. In other words, they can boost your rankings in local search results.
The key is to focus on acquiring backlinks from reputable local sources.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Partner with Local Businesses: Collaborate with non-competing local service providers in your area to create mutually beneficial backlink opportunities.
You can work with electricians, HVAC technicians, or general contractors to exchange backlinks.
For example, you can have a contractor include a link to your business on their ‘Trusted Partners’ page in exchange for you doing the same for them.
- Sponsor Community Events: Support local events, charities, or sports teams to enhance your visibility in the community. Make sure the event website features a backlink to your business.
Let’s say your business is sponsoring an event titled ‘Plumber’s Splash Zone’ at a local summer fair. Potential customers looking for plumbing services can reach you via the event website as long as it features the name of your business, its logo, and a link to your website.
- Get Listed in Local News: Local media outlets can provide excellent backlink opportunities while also showcasing your expertise.
Reach out to local newspapers or blogs and offer to contribute practical plumbing advice to their readers.
A blog titled ‘5 Signs Your Water Heater Needs Repair’, for instance, can provide value to readers and help connect with you through a backlink.
6. Track Your Progress
Improving local SEO isn’t a one-and-done task—it’s an ongoing process that requires regular monitoring and constant adjustments.
Tracking your local SEO performance closely will help you identify what’s working, spot opportunities for improvement, and ensure your efforts are translating into quantifiable results.
- Use Google Analytics: Dive into metrics like website traffic, user behavior, and top-performing search terms to see how potential customers online are finding your business.
You might discover, for instance, that most visitors are landing on your site through a blog post detailing common plumbing issues in your area. That would signal you need to create more content along similar lines. - Monitor Rankings: Tools like Ahrefs and Moz allow you to track your position in local search results for key terms like ‘plumber near me’ or ‘water heater repair in [City]’.
If you notice your rankings slipping, it’s a sign to revisit your SEO strategy or refresh your content. - Check Review Metrics: Regularly review the volume, frequency, and quality of customer feedback you receive.
A steady stream of positive reviews gives a healthy boost to your local SEO and indicates that your services consistently meet customer expectations.
Pro Tip: Set monthly reminders to review your analytics and rankings. Small, consistent adjustments can have a big impact on your long-term SEO success.
Build a Strong Local Presence With the Right Tools
Improving local SEO for your plumbing services company can be a game-changer in terms of business growth.
By optimizing your online presence, collecting reviews, and creating valuable local content, you can stand out in search results, attract more customers, and establish yourself as the go-to plumber in your area.
Want to make this process even easier?
NiceJob can help you automate review requests, showcase glowing testimonials, and improve your local SEO effortlessly. With more reviews and a stronger online reputation, you’ll attract more leads and grow your business faster.
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