# How to help local customers find your website ( three important steps for busy contractors)



## PlumberDmitry (Aug 8, 2012)

Hi folks, as a token of my gratitude to the community, I asked my SEO person to write her best tips for busy contractors. This is what shecame back with:

Today I want to give you three simple strategies how to help local prospects find your company's website online.

*The Local Search Dilemma*

All contractors I spoke with want their website to get found online more often. All of them want local customers, but don't know what to do to attract them with the help of their website.

Many have already been lured by the promises of unscrupulous SEO professionals, paid thousands of dollars to "get on the first page of Google" just to see their site penalized, and money and traffic lost.

Even if I tell them what to do, they respond with something along the line, "I am a darn good electrician, but have no time to sit in front of computer," or simply "I am not good at this."

I think we can all agree that being found by qualified customers on the local search will bring more business without costly advertising.

*And there are free ways of doing it.*


*Claim your listing on the Google+ Local, Yahoo! Local and Bing local*.

Here is a little experiment for you. Google your local city and your trade, for example, "general contractors Minneapolis." Of course you will see lots of local results. Now, type "general contractors" and see whether you still get local businesses.

You do. As a customer, you don't even have to add a local area to a query because Google can match customer's location with business address of general contractors and display the best result.

So, if you do nothing else, *provide the big three search engines with your business address , phone and description.* In other words, create a business listing. When you do this, one of the most important things to watch for is *your company address*.

From now on, wherever you list your website online, make sure your business address comes in the consistent format. No extra spaces, no "St." vs "Street" or "Suite" vs "#".

Your phone number must come in a consistent format as well. If your chose (416) xxx-xxxx, stick to it. Don't change it to any other format.

The best way to ensure consistency is to create a template in MS Word or Excel and copy-paste from it.

There will be common parts in all business listings, such as description, years in business, address, hours of operations, and so on. When creating your first listing, just write them down in MS Word, and keep copy-pasting every time you create a new listing.

Another tip is, upload as many pictures as you are allowed in your business listing. Google Images is a great free source of traffic.

Note to the Canadians here, only Google + Local is available to you. Yahoo! and Bing are for the US businesses only.

Start here:

http://listings.local.yahoo.com/overview.php

http://www.bing.com/businessportal

http://www.google.com/+/business/

*2. Create local citations.*

Citation is simply a mention of your business name with either address , website, or phone number, or combination of the three.

Your customers use their preferred sites to search for local businesses. Sites like Yelp, Manta, Angie's list enhance their customer experience by providing reviews and social component. People may be reviewing your business there, and you should use your chance to say a few good words about yourself.

In addition to that, did you know that Google uses feeds from these popular websites to create listings for local businesses too? One more incentive for you to create a citation.

Here is a great free tool to find prominent local directories in your area:

http://getlisted.org/resources/local-citations-by-city.aspx

And for Canada, here is a good picture of the Local Search Ecosystem in Canada

*3. How to find time and resources to DO IT*

I can hear you say, "But I have no time for this."


Consider that this investment of your time will provide returns for many years ahead. Unlike with Yellow Pages, no regular payment is required. Listing your company in the web directories is done once and works for you for years.
If you would like to outsource to an SEO professional, do not get lured by promises like "1000 directories listings for only $40." The times when you wanted to be listed in 1000's crappy directories are gone. Businesses get penalized for doing this. Consider a reputable company to create and manage your online reputation.
Lastly, if you have a teenager or another family member who is looking for ways to earn some money, hire them to do this for you. Doing so has three advantages: low cost, 100% control, and ability to claim their labor as advertisement expenses. Teens are very efficient with web, and copy-pasting is not a rocket science.

In conclusion, many contractors simply don't understand the importance of these steps, while some cannot find time or resources for doing this. As you can see, these important tasks can be outsourced. Don't postpone taking control of your online identity in the local search. Be there, be present, and *grow your business by creating and maintaining your local business listings.*


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