Contractor Websites — Contractor Marketing — SEO for Contractors
We specialize in contractor marketing on the Internet and building contractor websites. Most contractors say that their biggest problem is getting a steady stream of customer calls and those much needed contractor leads. In today’s world, this requires Internet Marketing — getting customers to your contractor website and getting them to call. This may not be as true if you’re in a small town. But in urban areas, your competitors are increasingly moving onto the Internet and searching for websites for contractors because that’s where the action is. The most recent survey available (July 2008) found that nationwide, only 30% of customers relied on Yellow Pages to find contractors, whereas 60% relied on the Internet to locate electricians, plumbers, HVAC, and other kinds of contractors. This statistic in favor of Internet marketing for contractors has only become more lopsided in recent years.
HappyContractor was started by Kim Hopkins, who owns an electrical contracting company in Los Angeles that wanted more customers. In 1996, Kim went onto the Internet to find customers. He had started by looking for a company that specialized in Internet marketing for contractors. At the time, the Internet was only a few years old and no such companies existed. So, he built his own contractor website. Since then, he’s been on a mission to learn everything there is to know about contractor marketing on the Internet — both Pay-Per-Click and Search Engine Optimization. And it’s worked — the website of The Electric Connection usually ranks Number 1 on the search engines (just below the three Pay-Per-Click ads at the top of the page). The company is now a 25-person electrical contracting company.
Contractor marketing on the Internet requires the knowledge and skills of two fields — contracting and Internet marketing. There are a number of companies out there that offer to build websites for contractors, manage AdWords campaigns, or do SEO for contractors. However, do they know what customers look for in a contractor website? Do they know the customer “Go Buttons” that should appear on websites for contractors? Do they know how SEO for contractors differs from that of other small businesses? The staff at HappyContractor does. They made the website of The Electric Connection Number 1 in Los Angeles and then went on to do the same for contractors across the country. Our clients in the Number 1 spot for their locality include plumbers, HVAC contractors, electricians, and general contractors.
Websites for Contractors
Check out the HappyContractor sample websites for contractors in your trade. Our contractor websites include a number of informative articles. This is helpful to customers, but also is important to boost a website’s rankings on search engines. Search engines like Google rank websites, in part, on whether they provide useful information. This is in their interest, as the more useful information they provide to searchers, the more people will use the search engine.
Getting your website to the top of the search engines is the key to customers being able to find it and getting more contractor leads. But once customers find your website, will they call? Our staff at HappyContractor design customer appeal and customer hot buttons into your contractor website so that your customers will call. Our first website, for The Electric Connection in Los Angeles, is the major source of new customer calls for the company. It generates over $500,000 a year in new electrical business. You can check customer reviews for how our websites work for plumbers, HVAC contractors, electricians, and general contractors across the country.
Call HappyContractor at 800-990-5811
If you would like to find out more about whether Internet marketing will work for your contracting company, please give us a call. If you have a website already, we’ll be happy to give you a free evaluation as to how it could generate more customer calls. If you are already doing Pay-Per-Click, we can give you a free evaluation of that as well. If you’re new to Internet marketing for contractors, that’s fine, too. Call 800-990-5811 between 8-5 Pacific Time. We can tell you all about how to get contractor leads by using SEO for contractors. We look forward to talking with you.
Kim Hopkins, CEO
HappyContractor
Here's our most recent Contractor Blog post:
Search engine ranking, website design and maintenance can all be a major headache for the owner of a contracting business. If you have no real understanding about how search engines decides which business gets the coveted top spot, you are probably at your wits end. Everybody knows one of the best ways to market a business is via the internet. It opens up the door to an entirely new customer base, but how can you maximize this tool?
Website
One of the best ways is with a contractors website. Although this may be pretty obvious, not everybody has the know how to create a website that is exciting and functional. You know you need one, but getting one established is another deal. You need a contractor web design that is fresh, functional and inviting. The website is the first time a customer is interacting with your business. It needs to be a positive one that they will feel comfortable navigating.
Advertising and Marketing
Your website is one way to advertise your business. There are plenty of ways to show off what you can do and what you have done in the past. Contractor advertising, especially when done on the internet, requires a specific set of tools designed to maximize your investment. Part of that includes your site actually being seen. Contractor marketing hinges on proper use of SEO tools. Search engine optimization is what gets your site to the top of the search engines.
This is probably a lot of information for somebody who has worked hard to build up a contracting business and has not spent hundreds of hours learning the ins and outs of SEO and things of that nature. Thankfully, there are businesses that can take care of website design and marketing. If you are interested in getting your site to the top in Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines, Happy Contractor can certainly help you.
The more backlinks your company’s website has (links to your website from other websites), everything else being equal, the higher it will rank in search engines like Google. Obtaining backlinks is one of the tools of Search Engine Optimization.
One way to obtain backlinks is to write articles and get them posted in e-zines.
E-zines are on-line magazines that contain page after page of articles on a variety of subjects. If you search Google for “how to get rid of fleas,” for example, very likely an article on fleas in an e-zine will come up.
Here’s an example of how you can use e-zines to accumulate backlinks. Let’s say you’re a plumber. You or someone you hire could write an article about preventing clogs in household drains. Then, you could submit the article for publication in an e-zine. At the end of the article, the e-zine will allow you to provide a brief description of the author and a link to your website. This can be a valuable backlink to your website because it appears in an article relevant to plumbing.
E-zines vary in quality and, accordingly, their backlinks are granted more or less value by search engines. Among e-zines that cover a wide variety of subjects, EzineArticles.com is considered the most desirable to receive backlinks from. If you type into a search engine a phrase like “best e-zines,” you’ll be able to quickly find a current list of the ones considered highest quality.
Click here to find out more about getting your contractor website to the top of Page 1 of Google with Search Engine Optimization.
Please call 800-990-5811 between 9-5 Pacific Time to discuss getting your contracting company more customers from the Internet. We look forward to talking with you.
Kim Hopkins, CEO
HappyContractor
Let’s say a customer has called you after a visit to your website. With a good website that reflects that your contracting company is honest, friendly, and competent, you’ve made the first cut. If someone in your office answers the phone within a couple of rings in a friendly and professional manner, the customer is likely to want to talk about scheduling an estimate.
The customer says, “I won’t be home Monday, but can you come by Tuesday at 11 a.m. to give me an estimate?” The correct answer is “Yes,” but, of course, that’s not always possible. If it’s not possible, propose the earliest time that you have available, preferably within a two-hour window. For example, Tuesday between 1 and 3.
If a customer found you on the Internet, it’s likely that the customer is higher-income, is a busy person, and wants to get things done efficiently. If well-designed, your contractor website has already answered many more questions than a Yellow Pages ad. It distinguishes you from the other tradesmen out there.
The customer may be a little worried though. If you look like a good contractor, you’re probably in high demand. You’re probably very busy. Maybe it’s going to be a total pain dealing with you because you’ll have a hard time getting around to their job.
The customer will be relieved and less worried about getting the work done if you don’t make them wait long for your estimate. When it comes time to do the work, again it’s important to meet the customer’s schedule to the extent possible. Meeting customer schedules will get you more jobs.
Click to find out about contractor websites that appeal to Internet customers or to find out more about getting your contractor website to the top of Page 1 of Google with Search Engine Optimization.
Please call 800-990-5811 between 9-5 Pacific Time to discuss getting your contracting company more customers from the Internet. We look forward to talking with you.
Kim Hopkins, CEO
HappyContractor
Get More Customers with Internet Marketing
If you're a contractor looking to attract more and better customers to your company, you've come to the right place. At HappyContractor we focus on exactly one thing - getting your contractor website to the top of the first page of all the major Internet search engines, including Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
90% of all Internet searches never get past the first page. 63% of all clicks go to the top three listings on page 1."
We've been doing Internet marketing for contractors since 1996. While the details of successful Internet marketing can be complicated, the basics can be summed up in one simple rule: If you want more customers from the Internet, your website must be listed at the top of the first page of the search engines.
Our mission at HappyContractor is to get your website onto the first page of every major search engine, and then to do whatever it takes to move your website up to the top of the first page.
Internet Marketing by Contractors for Contractors
At HappyContractor we specialize in Internet marketing for CONTRACTORS. Not veterinarians, jewelry stores, real estate agents, or flower shops. There are plenty of SEO companies out there who will take on all different kinds of clients, but we focus solely on contractors. Why? Because we know contracting and contractors.
In addition to our Internet marketing company, we've also been running our own 25 person contracting company in Los Angeles for over 30 years. We know the psychology of customers who are looking for contractors. We know the kind of marketing they respond to, what kinds of websites appeal to them, and what their "Go Buttons" are. In 2010 our own contractor website generated over $600,000 in business from new customers.
Our Money-Back Guarantee
Every contractor who we take on as a client will get onto the first page of Google, Yahoo, and Bing. We guarantee it. Click here to see our Guarantee.
Call to 800-990-5811 to Discuss Internet Marketing for Your Company
If you're a contractor, and you're serious about getting more customers and expanding your business, contact us by e-mail or phone, 8-5, Pacific Time at 800-990-5811. We'll be happy to discuss Internet marketing for your company and answer any questions you may have.
General Contractor
Mike Turner
Mike Turner & Son Construction
You got my website onto page 1 in less than a month. Thanks! I went from no customers to being booked solid for the next three months.
Electrical
Barbara Birkshire
Rapid Electric
With another SEO company, we could only get on the third page of Google. With Happy Contractor we're #1 on page 1 of Google for all three cities we requested.
Heating and Air
Fred Gilman
FG Heating and Air
90% of my business comes from your website and Internet marketing. Your service is really invaluable to my company.
Plumbing
Romero Aguilar
B & R Plumbing & Drain Cleaning
It's been just five weeks since you re-designed and did SEO for our company website. We're already on the first page of Google!
