If you are an electrician, or work within an electrical trade business, you might be wondering how Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) could take your business to the next level, or how you can apply SEO to your business.
Being visible when someone searches for an electrician in your service area can help the right customers find you. The useful outcome is a relevant enquiry that you can service; a search position alone does not tell you how many enquiries or jobs you will receive.
If you're an electrician thinking about engaging a digital marketing provider for a SEO package, or if you are simply wondering what core elements need to be part of your Search Engine Optimisation campaign, then this article is for you.
How Can SEO Grow An Electrician's Business?
If you are new to digital marketing, you might be wondering how Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can help your business grow as an electrician.
The image above illustrates an older search-results layout for an electrician query. Search layouts and results vary by query, location and device. Use your actual services and service area when planning your website.
Google Search can show sponsored ads, local Maps results and unpaid search results. Their appearance and order can vary. Google explains the difference between ads and search results. SEO work does not automatically put an electrician at the top of either Maps or unpaid results.
A search for an electrician in Melbourne is an example of a local service query. A search-volume estimate counts searches, not distinct customers, website visits or booked jobs. When reviewing an SEO campaign, ask which queries and service areas it covers and how enquiries will be measured.
An electrician may be relevant to several service and location queries. Choose those that match work you actually offer, then review search visibility, website visits and received enquiries separately. Those measures help you decide whether the campaign is bringing useful work.
Identify Your Main Electrician Service Offerings
Start by identifying the specific electrical services you offer and want customers to find. For example, an electrician who only serves domestic clients should make that scope clear.
List the services you offer domestic clients. Customers may search for a particular job as well as for an electrician, so explain those services clearly.
As an example, if you are an electrician purely servicing domestic clients, you may want to target specific product offerings such as:
- New Home Electrical Services
- Pool Electrical Services
- Home Security Installations
- Electricians For Real Estate Developments
- Apartment Complex Electricians
- Electricians For Property Managers
Choose services that you can deliver profitably and areas you can reliably cover. Check whether available search and enquiry evidence supports each priority before investing in a page or campaign. A clear service offering helps customers decide whether you can do their job.
Clearly Define Your Target Client Area For SEO
There's really no point targeting, for example, Sydney based keywords when you exclusively work on the North Shore. It is imperative for all electricians to identify the areas that they specifically work in and focus on for your businesses SEO.
Clear service-area information helps customers judge whether you can attend their job. A suburb query may have different competition from a city query, but it does not establish that you will reach the first page sooner. Google says local results depend on relevance, distance and prominence.
After you have figured out your key service offerings and your key client areas, it is time to get started on compiling your list of keyword search terms for SEO.
Create A List Of Keyword Search Terms
We are often asked what a keyword search term is by clients. With Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) being quite a technical process, it can be hard to wrap your head around the specific terms and applications of everything within the space.
A keyword search term is essentially a Google search performed when someone is looking for either a). a service or b). information on a topic within Google. Extending on our electrician example, you may be an electrician based on the North Shore, specialising in a variety of different electrical services - with one of them being new pool installations.
Based on this example, a keyword search term for this particular electrician and area would be:
- "Pool Electrician North Shore"
This is considered one keyword search term. It is a specific search term that you want your business to be discoverable for on Google and ideally, the first result on Google.
With your list of specific service offerings, and your list of key client areas and/or suburbs, you can now create your very own list of keywords or keyword search terms.
Optimise Your Maps Listing For Electrician Search Terms
Google Business Profile is the current name for the business profile service formerly called Google My Business. Eligible businesses can appear in local results on Google Search and Maps. A complete profile helps customers understand your business; its position and the search layout can vary.
You may have noticed that the Maps results will show real Google reviews and quick "call-to-action" buttons such as the ability to call the business, the ability to set-up an appointment and of course, the ability to view the clients website.
Keep your business name, service area, hours and offered services accurate. Respond usefully to reviews and post updates when there is something helpful for customers to know. Google's local-ranking guidance explains the main ranking considerations; routine posting is not a promise of a higher position.
Review your Google Business Profile when your hours, services or contact details change. Keep information correct rather than posting to meet an arbitrary weekly or fortnightly ranking target.
Optimise Your Website For Conversions
It can be quite easy to establish a website these days, however you need to ensure your website is specifically designed to convert the website traffic into enquiries and, ultimately, customers for your business.
A proper conversion optimisation process includes a variety of factors such as website speed, trust and other key elements such as call to actions, lead generation focused offers, pop-up forms and the ability for website traffic to easily get in touch with your business. While these processes can often be technical, it is something that electricians who want to rank on Google should not discard.
Conversion rate optimisation can be quite tricky, and we recommend utilising a specialist provider for this, however there are very easy wins that can be achieved by following a number of valuable online guides.
Establish Google Analytics To Monitor Your Website
If you are reading this article, it is very likely that you are putting a bit of work into the SEO for your electrical business. There's really no point in ensuring you are ranking for electricians in your local area if you can't see what actually occurs once the website traffic is on your website.
By establishing a Google Analytics account, you are able to gain a valuable insight into what is occurring on your website. Google Analytics can then be used for further optimisations to your website and will allow you to optimise from an informed position.
We have a guide on using Google Analytics for your business. Check any older interface instructions against your current account, and use measurement to understand website activity rather than as a promise of first-page rankings.
Generate Valuable Electrician Focused Content For SEO
Keep your website useful and accurate as your services and customer questions change. Google's people-first content guidance focuses on helping readers; adding content simply to make a site seem fresh is not a ranking strategy.
A Blog or News section can help you explain electrical work, answer common questions and show approved project examples. Publish material that helps someone understand the service or make a decision. Update it when information changes, rather than producing posts only to satisfy a schedule.
Plan content around useful customer questions and the services you offer. A manageable plan is better than repeating the same topic without adding anything helpful.
Create A SEO Backlink Campaign
A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Relevant editorial links can help people discover your business. Placing a link on another site does not by itself prove greater relevance or a better search position.
Focus on links that make sense for the business and the reader. Google's link-spam policy warns against buying links for ranking purposes and using low-quality directories or automated link schemes.
Relevant trade directories can help customers find accurate business details, and useful work may earn links from other websites. Choose directories for their audience and relevance. Avoid bulk submissions or paying for links that pass ranking credit; neither a directory listing nor a social profile guarantees a ranking gain.
There are a number of factors that electricians should consider when conducting a proper backlink campaign, and we'd be happy to point you in the right direction with your backlink or SEO efforts.
Search Engine Optimisation For Electricians Specialists Can Help
This guide covers practical starting points: accurate service and area information, a useful website, a maintained Business Profile and measurement of real enquiries. What needs attention will depend on your current site and business.
If you are short on time, an SEO specialist can help you prioritise work, explain the changes and review the evidence. Ask what will be done, how useful enquiries will be assessed and which results are outside the provider's control.
At Australian Web Experts, we can discuss the SEO needs of your electrical business and the work involved. If you would like to talk through your services, area and website, we'd love to chat!