Fabrication companies need to be found online just like any other business, which is why local SEO needs to be part of every fabrication marketing effort. Being found online by local businesses and consumers that require a fabricator is instrumental today – simply put, if you want to attract new business and grow, you need to be found at the top of Google for relevant keywords.
The majority of customers needing a fabricator are going to be local, so this makes being found in Google’s Maps results very important. The best local search engine optimization approach for a fabrication company is to focus on ranking at the top of the maps and also target very specific keywords related to the different fabrication services offered.
While many businesses and consumers will simply search terms like “fabricator near me” or “fabrication business in [location]” some searches will be more precise and related to the specific fabrication request needed.
Ranking for these terms is best achieved through blogging and creating content around specific terms and topics. Overwhelmed yet? Don’t be, as we are going to highlight a half dozen fabrication marketing tips below that are designed to help you improve your local SEO and attract more website traffic and qualified customers online.
1. Claim & Optimize Your Google My Business Profile
You more than likely already have a Google My Business profile, but if not you will want to register and verify that immediately. A lot of businesses will fill out their name and address and include a contact number, but that it is. Many profiles are 50% completed, and this is not good if you want to receive the maximum exposure in the search results.
A rule of thumb: if Google is asking for information and providing a place for you to input it, do it, and do it completely. Take advantage of all aspects of your Google My Business page. Detailed hours of operation, pictures of your fabrication company (work stations, employees, etc.), and a description that is optimized for your location.
The smallest changes in your description can make the biggest impact on where your fabrication business shows up in Google Maps. This is where years of experience comes into play, and why many businesses opt to partner with a marketing agency to handle their local SEO.
2. Build Up Google Reviews to Make Your Google Maps Listing More Attractive
If you perform a local search on Google – “pizza near me” or “auto repair shop near me” – look at the result in the map section and focus on the top results. You will notice that they all have a lot of reviews, and a listing with dramatically more reviews will always draw your attention, even if it isn’t the top listing.
You have to make an effort to collect reviews from all of your past customers. It can take a bit to get the backlog cleared but once you do it’s easy to stay on top of. Each review you secure makes your business more appealing to potential customers.
Also, Google’s search algorithm considers reviews. Google aims to provide its users with the most helpful and up-to-date information. If a local business has a lot of positive reviews and has been receiving them consistently, it’s a good indication that the business is a trustworthy recommendation.
Email or call your previous customers, and moving forward ask your customers after each fabrication job if they would kindly leave a review. You can send them a direct link to your Google business profile to make it easy.
3. Activate Google My Business Text-to-Talk
SEO is not just about ranking. It’s also about giving potential customers a simple and easy way to contact and communicate with your business. Consumers these days demand ease and simplicity. They don’t want to jump through hoops.
If you make it too difficult to get in touch with your business to discuss a potential fabrication job they will look for other options. Communication today is much different than it was years ago. We use mobile phones to do everything except talk – they are hand-held computers and the most popular means of communication on them is text messaging.
Make sure to activate SMS messaging on your Google My Business profile. You can connect any mobile device to receive and reply to texts. The communication is routed through Google, so your number will never be revealed.
By providing this option you will receive more inbound inquiries and information requests simply because consumers feel less intimidated by texts.
4. Connect to Google Search Console to Identify Easy-to-Rank Keywords
Google Search Console is a great marketing tool, and once you verify domain ownership your website will be synced, and Google will provide you with an incredible amount of valuable data.
You can see every search term and search query that triggered your website to show up in Google’s results. Not only that, but you know how many impressions each term receive, what the average position was for each term, and how many people clicked on your website.
This is a great way to find keywords that you are already ranking for. From here you can optimize the pages that are ranking, improving their content, and making it more focused around the main term.
With a little on-page optimization, you can push these terms up higher and drive more traffic. Make it a habit to check this data often, as you never know what new terms you will discover. It’s much easier to rank for keywords that Google already associates your website and its content with, before investing the time and effort into optimization.
5. Start a Content Marketing Campaign Targeting the Keywords from Above
Using the strategy above you will notice that some pages are ranking for multiple keywords and phrases. For the best results, create new posts or pages for each term and optimize specifically for it.
In the long run, this will help you rank much higher, as all of your on-page elements will be optimized for the target keyword. This keeps everything more organized for tracking purposes. Long-form blog content that is both educational and helpful will help convert more customers.
Remember, ranking is just half of the battle. If you are attracting 10,000 organic visitors per month but it’s not targeted traffic that converts to fabrication customers the real-world value of that traffic is zero.
6. Build Local Citations and Business Directory Listings
Listing your fabrication business on local business directories can help your company be found by local customers and it also directly positively impacts your local SEO. Google takes citation – listings that feature your NAP (name, address, and phone number) into consideration, especially from the most trusted online directories.
Furthermore, you can accumulate links that Google views as authoritative and not spammy. Link building is an important part of SEO, but quality is more important than the sheer number of links.
Many different tools can help you identify local directories to list your business on as well as audit the accuracy across the board. Moz Local is a good source to quickly cross-check prior, as you might be listed on a directory and not remember submitting your information, therefore creating a duplicate listing.
Be sure to always use the same address formatting on your listings, and when entering your website URL include the full address, including the HTTPS. Make it a habit to maintain this accuracy any time you list your business online.
Final Thoughts
If you have the time to dedicate to chasing past customers down for reviews, researching keywords to target, and constantly publishing new blog posts written around those terms, your local SEO will improve dramatically.
Increased visibility on Google means more phone calls and more website traffic, and ultimately, more new customers for your fabrication business. The key is to be consistent, which is why your fabrication marketing effort needs to be full-time. It’s not something you can work on here and there or when you can squeeze in some extra time.
If you would like to learn more about the services our fabrication marketing agency provides, including local SEO, please contact us today for a complimentary consultation and website audit. Our team will be more than happy to answer your questions and review your current rankings and strategy.
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