Why Isn’t My Website Getting More Customers?
Have you ever wondered why your website isn’t bringing in as many customers as you’d hoped? Imagine this: you’ve spent hours setting up a great website for your tradie business, showcasing your skills and services. But when you search for “electrician for EV charger installation” your website is nowhere to be found. Frustrating, right?
This is where SEO (search engine optimization) comes in. It’s the magic formula that helps your website show up when people search for the services you offer.
And the best part? You don’t need a big budget to make it work. Let’s dive into how you, as a tradie, can use free and simple strategies to optimize your website and attract more customers.
What is SEO and Why Should Tradies Care About It?
SEO stands for search engine optimization. It’s the process of improving your website so that search engines like Google can easily find and rank it. When people search for services you offer (like “plumber near me” or “electrician in Adelaide), you want your website to show up near the top of the search results.
Why is this important for tradies? Well, most people use Google to find local services, and if your website doesn’t appear in those results, you’re missing out on potential customers. SEO helps your business get noticed online and increases the chances of people contacting you for services.
1. Start with Keyword Research (It’s Free and Simple!)
The first part in SEO is to determine the right keywords, the specific terms that people enter when they are looking for a tradie service similar to yours. Keywords are words that clients type in search engines. In your titles, some of the basic keyword could be if you are an electrician you could use keywords such as electrician in [your city] or emergency electrical repairs.
Free Tools for Keyword Research:
- Google Keyword Planner: A current favorite of mine Google Hot Trends let you discover popular keywords.
- Answer The Public: A good place for getting often asked questions about a specific trade.
- Google Trends: This indicates to you what keywords are hot in your region.
Tip: Apart from that, you can use specific phrases such as ‘cheap plumber in [city]’ as such phrases definitely do not attract as much competition.
2. Basic Guidelines to Increase the On-Page SEO of a Website
Having your keywords, it is time to use it on your website. This is called on-page SEO and it is simply about making your website optimized for both search engine spiders as well as the users. Here’s how to do it:
Key On-Page SEO Elements:
- Title Tag: When you want to create your title of the web page you should include your target keyword in it. For example, “Plumbing Services in Your City”.
- Meta Description: Brief note (between 150-160 characters) that makes people understand what your page is all about. It therefore must include your keyword.
- Header Tags (H1, H2, etc.): Underline the importance of using header tags in order to better organize the content of the site. Include the keyword in your primary heading (H1) and variations of it can be used in some secondary headings (H2, H3).
- Content: It goes without saying that your target keywords should be present in the content. Don’t overload with information, it should be easy to read for the visitor.
Tip: The language you use should be simple and to the point – your customers will appreciate simple language.
3. Make Hyper-Local Content to Target Locals
Due to geographical location coverage that most tradies are assigned, target SEO services that target your region best. Local SEO is about how your website can be put into the relevant search engine to fit your geographical area.
How to Optimize for Local SEO:
- Use Location-Based Keywords: Your city or region should be included in your page titles and any content present on your website. For instance, “Electrician Near Me”, “The Most Recommends Electrician in [City]”, “Plumber, Water Heater Installation in [Suburb], etc.
- Create Location Pages: If you deliver multiple areas, make separate ‘About Us’ pages where you want each page to have content specific only to that area.
- Claim Your Google My Business Listing: This is a free tool that allows your business to place it on Google Maps as well as local search. It is also important that your business name, address, telephone number among other details do not differ.
Tip: Most customers trust service providers located in their region; create a contact page with your business address, phone number, and email.
4. Mobile Optimization is a Must
In other words, people are using their mobile phones to look for information than ever before. As it was said before, if your site is not optimized for mobile devices, it is possible to harm your ranking. Mobile friendliness is another factor in favour of websites especially in local searches favored by Google.
How to Optimize for Mobile:
- Responsive Design: A responsive website design that fits all screen resolutions: mobile phones, tablets, notebooks, and large computers.
- Page Speed: Ensure that their website takes a shorter time of time to load. As many would have come across, Google frowns at slow loading websites.
- User Experience (UX): It is important that the layout of a website allows for easy web browsing on a mobile device. The requirements I have are large and simple buttons and large shapes and high contrasts fonts.
Tip: Some of the other free diagnostic tools available easily are Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to determine the extent of mobile optimization of your website.
5. How to Get Top-Quality Backlinks for Free
Backlinks refers to links from other websites to your website. High quality backlinks indicate to the search engines that your site is reputable and that it has valuable content
How to Build Backlinks Without Spending Money:
- Guest Blogging: Offer to write a guest post on local websites or blogs related to your trade.
- Local Business Directories: Submit your website to free local business directories like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and others.
- Ask for Reviews: Encourage your happy customers to leave reviews on platforms like Google, Facebook, or other trade-specific review sites. These can act as backlinks too.
Tip: When asking for backlinks or reviews, make sure your business information is up-to-date and accurate across all platforms.
Feel free to read more: Video prospecting
6. Use Free Tools to Track Your Progress
SEO is more of a long-term investment so it is crucial that you monitor your progress SEO is a long-term investment so it is crucial that you monitor your progress. It is beneficial to learn that there are free resources for measuring your website’s performance and tweaking them as needed.
Free Tools to Monitor SEO Performance:
- Google Analytics: Records its web traffic, the source of your visitors, and even which of your pages receive the most hits.
- Google Search Console: Demonstrates how your website appears in search results and also tells you about its problems.
- Ubersuggest: A freely available tool that gives the details of keyword suggestions, backlinks, and much more.
Tip: Make it a habit to run checks of your website’s performance once in a month so as to know the areas that need improvement.
Do’s and Don’ts of DIY SEO for Tradies
| Do’s | Don’ts |
| Do focus on local keywords. | Don’t stuff keywords into your content. |
| Do make sure your website is mobile-friendly. | Don’t forget to update your Google My Business listing. |
| Do encourage reviews from customers. | Don’t ignore the importance of page speed. |
| Do use free tools to track your SEO progress. | Don’t pay for SEO services you don’t need. |
Key Takeaways
- SEO is a process of optimizing your website to get appropriate results or status to make easy for search engine to locate.
- First, perform keyword research, and if necessary, there are available free too to define which terms is it, your customers are looking for.
- Optimize your website’s content, structure, and mobile experience to make it more search engine-friendly.
- Concentrate on local SEO and ensure you create your Google My Business listing in order to capture the local customers.
- Engage local businesses and help create high quality review profiles to help build backlinks.
- Record your use with other free resources such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
Wrapping it up
SEO doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. These basic, costless strategies allow tradies like you to enhance your website ranking and drive more traffic from local clients. It is advisable to promote and improve your website, incorporate the appropriate keywords to your site, and establish good links within your locality. That is why if one does not have time to engage in search engine optimization it is advisable for one to contract a search engine optimization firm to do that on a permanent basis because in a short span you will realize your website is moving up the search engine ladder and as a result, your business is expanding too.
If you need detailed advice regarding SEO, you should consult with a professional who will provide you with more information. For now, follow these steps, and be prepared for the day when you will see that hard work paid off!!
