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Google Business Profile – Incredibly Important for Painters

March 20th, 2024

Establishing a strong online presence is crucial for attracting the right type of customers and growing your painting contractor business. While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to being discovered by potential customers searching for painting services, several key steps exist. One essential action is to claim and optimize your Google Business Profile.

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4 Mistakes Painting Contractors Make with Their Website

February 19th, 2024

For painting contractors who don’t have a physical location your website is your storefront. It is most likely the biggest interaction a potential customer will have with your business before they decide to call you or not call you.

Even if you are a larger painting company with a brick-and-mortar location, most potential customers aren’t visiting your store, so your website still carries major responsibility in representing your business.

Unfortunately, many painting contractors don’t look at their website that way. Here are four big mistakes we often see painting contractors make when it comes to their website.

check box checked off

#1 – The website is just a box to check off

This usually comes through in a conversation with a painting contractor when you ask them if they have a website and they answer “yes, I have a website. I haven’t looked at in a year though.” Feel free to fill in your appropriate time period of six months to multiple years.

Your website should not just be a box that you check off like some other task that you have to do. I understand you are incredibly busy running a business, especially in the busy seasons. However, if I’m a potential customer and I go to your website and I see old pictures and old information I’m going to start wondering if you are even in business anymore. To continue with the storefront analogy, it would be like going to a physical store where the door is open but it’s dusty inside and nobody appears to be there.

Don’t let this happen to you. Whether you are managing the website in house or using an agency, you should update your website at least every couple of months. Add new pictures, make sure your services are up to date, add and remove any information about your business that has changed. If you are working with an agency ask them to reach out to you at a specific cadence to prompt you to make changes. They should be happy to do so.

Pulling out a plug from an outlet

#2 – Giving up and pulling the plug too soon

Here’s the scenario where this usually happens. Business slows down for a painting contractor in October so they reach out to a website provider to build a website for them. By January they are frustrated because they aren’t getting calls and in February they decide to “cancel” the website. The website is taken down…and the process is likely to repeat itself next year.

Search engine optimization (SEO) takes time to work. Most people in the industry say it’s three to six months before you will typically start to see results. If anybody tells you that your new website will be searching within days or weeks you should run the other way.

All this makes sense if you think about it. Why should Google reward a website that was just set up last week above an established website that searchers have been consistently clicking on for years?

And yo-yoing up and down is likely to make it even worse in Google’s eyes. I know it can be hard in the dark months and slower seasons but you’ve got to give your new website time to work. And there are things you can be doing during that time to help too, like getting local links.

#3 – Emphasizing design over everything else

Many painting contractors have a strong eye for design. Because of this they may also have strong opinions on what their website should look like. This is great from the standpoint of providing excellent photos and a visually strong user experience. However, where it gets dangerous is when design trumps all else.

It’s dangerous because there are many SEO and user experience tactics that can be pushed out in favor of design. When this happens you are greatly impacting your website’s ability to search well. There are certain things that Google likes to see and if you don’t play by Google’s rules then they won’t reward your site with good search results. That means you are not going to attract new potential customers to your website.

This can work if you don’t need your website to search well. If you consider your site to be just a billboard that serves current customers and people that already know your business then you don’t need to play by Google’s rules. But if you are like most painting contractors and need your website to be a business generator, you should trust the team you are working with and be willing to balance design with SEO and user experience.

#4 – Not setting a goal or purpose for your website

Like all marketing campaigns, your website should be set up to help you accomplish a specific goal. For most painting contractors it is to attract new customers. However, you may want to target it toward a specific type of customer – maybe only high end homes. Or you could target specific types of work – perhaps you decide you really want to crank it up with exterior house painting jobs this year.

Alternatively, you may have a much bigger challenge finding all the workers you need than you do finding the work. In this case you may want to change your website to focus on helping you recruit employees.

This is an issue that is much more common for painting contractors who handle their own website or have a family member or friend that does it for them. In many of these cases the website is just not focused enough on clear messaging and getting visitors to take action.

You want to think about what you want the website to help you accomplish. What job is the website doing for you? And be sure to keep it updated. If you make a decision that you want to really focus on specific types of work, make updates to emphasize those services.

If you’d like to learn more about how we can support your business with a fully-optimized website, please schedule a meeting with us at a time that’s convenient for you!

Benefits of Instagram for Painting Contractors

January 10th, 2024

If your painting business is not currently using Instagram, why not give it a try? Over the past two years, Instagram has continued to make multiple updates to make it easier for users to discover local businesses online.  If you are considering joining Instagram to help users discover your business, now is the time!

The Value of Instagram

Managing multiple online accounts may feel like a hassle and adding Instagram to that list may feel unnecessary, but here’s why Instagram can be well worth the time you put into it…and more. A Google executive last year said, “In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search. They go to TikTok or Instagram.”

While I realize that painting contractors are different from restaurants, it’s important to recognize the importance of local business discovery on Instagram. Here are a few of the ways that painting contractors can benefit from using Instagram:

1. Service Area Visibility:

As a painting contractor, showcasing your work to potential customers online is one of the most impactful and influential things you can do for your business. Posting photos and videos of your work with a tagged service area or location can help you showcase your work and show potential clients the areas you serve. You may not have a brick-and-mortar location, but you shouldn’t let that prevent you from taking advantage of the local discovery on Instagram.

2. Customer Interaction:

Having an effective social media strategy that focuses on engaging with your customers online can help you increase your credibility and attract more clients. Ask your satisfied customers to follow you on Instagram and repost your work.

3. Community Engagement:

Use Instagram Maps to engage more with your local community. Partner with local businesses in the areas you service. Use location-specific hashtags in your posts and stories to increase visibility in the neighborhoods you want to target.

Think of your Instagram as a visual portfolio of your work that not only showcases your skills through photos and videos but also provides more detailed information about the neighborhoods you serve and what you could potentially offer new clients. Thinking about Instagram from this perspective will help you capture the attention of potential clients by showing your credibility and laying a foundation for meaningful connections with individuals searching for local painting services.

Instagram User Statistics

Over time, it becomes more and more clear that social media platforms are continuously growing. Let me provide you with crucial demographic information that emphasizes the importance of leveraging Instagram for your business, especially in 2024.

  • 40% of Americans say they use Instagram (Over 133 million users)
  • 71% of those ages 18-29 use Instagram
  • 48% of those ages 30-49 use Instagram
  • 29% of those ages 50-64 use Instagram
  • 13% of people aged 65+ use Instagram
  • 42% of those with incomes of $75k+ use Instagram

If your target audience falls within the user statistics mentioned above, leveraging Instagram becomes even more compelling.

How Do Reach Potential Customers on Instagram?

If you are already using Instagram

Instagram for Painting Contractors

Switch to a professional account if you have not already. Make sure to fully complete your profile.

If you do not have an Instagram account

You first need to create a “Personal” Instagram account, then switch to a professional account using the steps above. For detailed instructions you can go to this web page and create a business account. Complete your profile and post some of your best photos.

The good news is that setting up an Instagram business account just takes a little bit of time and is free. Plus, you’ll be giving yourself an opportunity to bring in more customers. You have nothing to lose.

Instagram is more than just a passing trend; it is a strategic tool for growing your business. By harnessing its visual appeal, painting contractors can effectively convey their skills, service areas, and community involvement. with over 133 million Americans on Instagram, now is the perfect time for painting contractors get posting!

Need assistance in leveraging the potential of social media? We invite you to schedule a 10-minute demonstration to witness how our strategy can effectively operate in your city!

Should I Respond to Google Reviews?

October 24th, 2023

The short answer is yes, but there’s more to it than just posting a quick response.

Responding to customer reviews is an important part of running any business, but it can be especially important for painting businesses. Reviews can help potential customers decide whether to choose your business, so it’s important to respond to both good and bad reviews in a professional and timely manner. According to BrightLocal, 98% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, and 82% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. This means that online reviews can have a significant impact on your business’s reputation and bottom line.

How to respond to good reviews

This is the easiest type of review to respond to and by going a step or two beyond just saying thanks, you can help your business in a couple of different ways.  A good way to do this is to mention something personal about the customer who left the review and to reference the service that you provided for them.

First and foremost, you should respond to thank them for taking the time to post a review for your company.  We all lead busy lives these days, so it’s important to show appreciation to a customer who is willing to take the time to help your painting business.

Second, by including something personal about the customer, you are showing that you really care about them as a customer.  This helps keep the relationship with the customer strong and also shows potential customers who will be looking at the reviews how much you care about your customers.

Finally, including something about the service you provided can help your Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  This can have the biggest impact on where your painting business shows up in the Local Pack (the list of 3-4 businesses that appears just below or next to the map in a results page from Google) when somebody searches for that service in your area and it can also help your website search better as long as it is linked to your Google My Business profile.

How to respond to bad reviews

It can be very difficult to hold your tongue when somebody blasts you in a review, especially if you feel strongly that they are wrong.  But the important point to remember is that potential customers who read the review will have no way of knowing who is right and who is wrong.  If you respond in a non-professional way, you are demonstrating to potential customers that you are not professional.  As unfair as that may be, that’s the way it works.

Your best move is to respond very respectfully, with something along the lines of “we are sorry you feel that way about your experience with the service.”  Mention something about how “we strive to provide the best service in town to all our customers.”  And follow that up with “I’d be happy to talk to you personally about your experience.”

In a case where you know that something went wrong with their service, it’s a good idea to be more apologetic.  Almost all customers are forgiving and know that nobody gets it right 100% of the time.  People reading the review and seeing your response will respect you more and be more likely to choose you if they see that type of response.

Responding with “our goal is 100% customer satisfaction and unfortunately we missed the mark in this instance.  I’d really appreciate the opportunity to talk to you and discuss how we can make it right,” is a great way to demonstrate your care for your customers in the face of a mistake.

If you catch yourself in the process of typing out an emotional, angry response, go ahead and type it all out somewhere to get it out of your system. Don’t submit the review! Let it set there for at least 24 hours. If you go back to it after that period of time and still want to post it, let it sit for an additional 24 hours. After you look at it again, please delete it and think about what that potential customer who sees the review will want to see that shows you can handle these things professionally. I know it’s hard but your business will be better off if you respond professionally.

How to respond to false reviews

Occasionally, we’ll see a review pop up for one of our customers that is either mistaken or blatantly false. An example would be if somebody writes about a service you don’t offer such as auto body painting.

In these examples it is totally appropriate to point out that they must be mistaken.  Writing something like, “We’re sorry that you had a negative experience with a painting services. However, we want to clarify that we do not offer auto body painting services.” Asking them to remove the review because of the mistake is also totally appropriate.

Leveraging reviews to help your painting company

Like with almost anything, there are some nuances to how you will want to respond to any review.  But, if you use the recommendations above as a guide, and remember it will not be just the person who wrote the review that reads your response but many potential customers, you can further utilize reviews as a way to help you gain more customers.

 

To learn more about how ProPainter Websites can help you gain more painting business, contact us at 866-665-1605 or email us at Team_PPW@ProPainterWebsites.com.

5 Ways Painting Contractors Can Stay Busy in the Winter

September 5th, 2023

Winter’s frosty grip can be a formidable adversary for painters residing in colder climates. The plummeting temperatures force outdoor projects to a standstill, leaving painters with a shrinking pool of available jobs and intensifying price competition. The result? A dip in profitability that can send shivers down any painter’s spine.

But fear not, for there’s a silver lining to those wintry clouds! In this blog, we’ve compiled a treasure trove of insights from five carefully crafted articles, each designed to help you navigate the challenges of wintertime painting. These strategies will not only thaw the stress but also keep your profits thriving year-round.

Winter Painting

Keep it Consistent

If you don’t keep your marketing engine going in the summer, it won’t be as effective in the winter, when you need it most.  This article explains why.

Increase Your Visibility

Not all marketing requires large amounts of money.  Being more active on Facebook and networking with real estate professionals and apartment managers is free. In addition, some home service listing sites only take a percentage of a job’s revenue after it’s been completed and you’ve been paid for it.

Contact Prospects Quickly

Most customers will only extend an offer to quote a job to the first few painters that respond to them, so it’s important to be among the first to respond.

Close More Deals

When you’re competing against so many painters, it pays to know how to impress the customer during the quoting process. And remember, price can certainly matter, but not as much as trust and credibility.

Offer Cold Weather Services

Hanging Christmas Lights, sidewalk salting and snow removal are all in demand in the winter in areas where it’s generally too cold to paint.

To learn more about how ProPainter Websites can help you gain more painting business, contact us at 866-665-1605 or email us at Team_PPW@ProPainterWebsites.com.

Why Facebook Is a Bad Substitute for a Website

August 8th, 2023

We have heard several painting contractors tell us, “We don’t need a website, we are on Facebook.” If you have enough business from your current customers, you don’t need to build any more business relationships, and all of your customers follow you on Facebook, then that statement might be true.

That’s not to say that Facebook can’t be a valuable tool. It certainly can be. But, for the vast majority of painting contractors a Facebook profile will be a very poor substitute for a website. Here’s why:

Facebook Is a Bad Substitute

People use Google to find local businesses

According to a 2023 survey from BrightLocal, “87% of consumers used Google to evaluate local businesses in 2022, up from 81% in 2021.” Google still reigns supreme when it comes to local searches. And a website is going to give you the best chance to be found on Google by potential customers. That’s because they are accustomed to typing the name of the service, such as “Painting Contractor”, into the search bar and then combing through the organic search results to look at the websites of the businesses they want to consider.

The story is very different on Facebook. Unless somebody specifically searches for your painting business by name, the only place you’ll be seen on Facebook is in the news feed of people who already follow you when you make posts. So, you are significantly limiting your audience by trying to substitute a Facebook profile for a website.

Facebook determines what posts are seen in news feeds and it doesn’t like to show business posts

Facebook has an algorithm that determines what posts a user will see in their news feed. Their goal is to give the user more of what they want so that they will stay on Facebook as long as possible. Because people interact more with posts from friends and family, Facebook is more likely to show those posts (plus paid ads) than the posts from your business.

And you are posting, right? Remember, your only chance to be seen is by posting frequently. Contrast that with a website for which you do want to make small updates fairly regularly (like adding new photos one or two times a month) but certainly don’t have to remember to post continuously.

People expect credible businesses to have a website

Right or wrong, perception is reality. While consumers may be willing to buy a t-shirt directly from Instagram, they expect more from a business that is going to have employees spending time in their home. Credibility is extremely important for home services businesses. Your website can provide that credibility.

When consumers can’t find a website for a business, they are going to think twice about calling them. They’ll question the credibility. “Is it new? Is it a fly-by-night operation? Can I trust them?” You don’t want potential customers asking those questions about your business.

You control your website, Facebook controls Facebook

Whether you build and manage your own website, or you work with a service provider like us, you get to make the decisions on the images, content, design, etc. You have a very high level of control over the messages and pictures people see when they go to your website.

On Facebook you are at the whims of what Facebook wants to do. Just like they control their users’ news feeds, they control what you are able to do with your profile. So, while you may like the “control” you feel you have over your Facebook profile today, that could change tomorrow.

It’s time to build your web presence!

While Facebook can be a valuable tool for painting contractors, it is no substitute for a website. A website is essential for attracting new customers and building credibility. It allows you to:

  • Be found on Google by potential customers who are searching for painting contractors in your area.
  • Share more information about your services, including your prices, portfolio, and contact information.
  • Build trust and credibility with potential customers.
  • Generate leads by providing a contact form for potential customers to fill out.

Don’t know where to start? We can help! Contact us today!

Cyber Security Lapses That Can Cripple Your Painting Business

May 26th, 2023

Have you recently heard a news report about a large company suffering a cyber attack and thought to yourself, “I’m glad that our painting business is too small to worry about those types of attacks”? Unfortunately, the truth is that you do need to worry about cyber attacks.

Now that cyber criminals have gotten as much as they could from large companies, they are turning their sites onto smaller businesses. With increased security defenses built up for medium and large companies, they are much more likely to get what they want from hitting thousands of small companies with no security measures in place.

What does this mean for your painting business? You are much more likely to be in their cross hairs. The good news is that by implementing basic security measures and by practicing caution you can greatly reduce the chances that a cyber attack will be effective.

Avoid these cyber security lapses to protect your painting business and your finances:

Password equals 123456

1. Using weak passwords

Don’t use the same password for everything. In fact, you should never use the same password twice. Don’t pick a password that someone could easily guess. Create passwords that include capital letters, lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. Please change any passwords that currently violate these recommendations right now, or at least tonight.

2. Storing passwords where they can be found

Be careful about storing your passwords in your web browser or on a personal device. If you do store passwords that way, be sure that you lock your device (computers and phones) when you are not actively using it. You should lock your device (or devices) every time you walk away. Do not write passwords down and leave them in plain view.

A much better plan is to use a password manager. Bitwarden, Dashlane, Zoho Vault and NordPass all offer free versions that are recommended. The paid versions include features that are even more important for business owners.

3. Posting answers to any “About Me” threads on Facebook

These types of posts are a gold mine for cyber attackers. They can use them to try to figure out your passwords and impersonate you online. Think about it, what security check questions does your bank ask you to be sure it’s you…high school mascot, first pet name, mother’s maiden name…

4. Leaving your computer unlocked when you step away from it

This was also mentioned in #2 and it’s worth repeating. It may not apply to you if your business computer is at home and stays there. But, if you use a laptop or a tablet that you travel with, it would be pretty easy for somebody to pull all of the data they need to ruin your business off of that device.

You go to a coffee shop. Place your order. Grab a table while waiting and open up your laptop. Hear your order called. Walk over to get your order. Get distracted by somebody who talks to you. When you start walking back to your table you realize that your laptop is gone…and access to all of your business accounts are on there. Lock your computer every time you step away from it.

5. Clicking on links in suspicious emails

If you get an email that looks suspicious, don’t click on any links in it. If it claims to be from somebody you know or a potential customer, call them to verify. Think before you click!

6. Opening attachments in suspicious emails

Tell me if you’ve heard this before… if you get an email that looks suspicious, don’t click on any attachments. Many file types can hold malware, including PDFs and Microsoft Office documents.

7. Fulfilling requests from suspicious emails

We can all now laugh about the emails that we used to get from the Prince of Nigeria who needed our bank account info so he could wire us a million dollars. But there are similar modern schemes that are going around that are much trickier.

What would you do if you got an email from a subcontractor that says that their billing information has changed and you should now send that $10,000 check to this new address or use this new bank account info for ACH? If you know the sender, call them to verify the request. If you don’t know the sender, you should probably just delete the email. If something seems too good to be true it almost definitely is.

8. Not educating your team about these important security measures

While it’s very important for you to know these things as a business owner, your cyber security is only as strong as your weakest link. Be sure to share all these security measures with your employees. Make sure they understand the key points and how important they are. Tell them that if they see something they think might be suspicious they need to report it as soon as possible. This won’t only help protect your business, it can help protect their personal finances.

I encourage you to treat all eight of these security measures as if your business depends on them…because it does.

SEO Deeper Dive – Local Links for Painting Contractors

March 31st, 2023

I had the great opportunity to facilitate Brain Meld sessions on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) at the PCA Expo in February. One of the key topics that kept coming up during the discussion with painting contractors was local links.

As I emphasized the importance of local links, I got several questions. They really boiled down to two questions. #1 – What are local links? #2 – How can they be obtained?

I briefly covered local links in the recent What is SEO (Search Engine Optimization)? blog. But I’ll take a deeper dive into their value and how painting contractors can get local links in this blog.

website link analysis

What are local links?

The three core pieces of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are Architecture, Backlinks and Content. The acronym is ABC, making it pretty easy to remember. Backlinks are links to your website from other websites. Sometimes these are also referred to as inbound links. Going forward for this blog I’m just going to refer to them as links.

Google uses links to assess the credibility and focus of a website. That is what makes them so important. To simplify it further, Google sees links as endorsements for your website. The more inbound links your website gets from other websites that have proven to be credible, the higher the credibility ranking Google gives to your website.

Local links can come from the websites of local businesses, organizations, associations, events, media and more. Really any legitimate website that is based in your area and focused on your area can be a good source of a local link.

Local links are especially important for service area businesses like painting contractors. That’s because local links prove to Google that you have credibility in your service area. If you are doing business in Orlando, Florida you aren’t trying to get homeowners in Montana to find your website. Depending on which area of Orlando you are based in, you want homeowners in Kissimmee, Celebration, Winter Park and Oviedo to find your website.

How can painting contractors get local links?

To help you show up in the search results for the local towns and cities that your painting business serves, here are great sources of local links:

  • Chamber of Commerce in your town or city
  • Local organizations (community or nonprofit)
  • Youth sports teams
  • Community events
  • Local media
  • Other local businesses

Most Chambers of Commerce automatically include a link to their members’ websites on their website. These hold a lot of credibility for Google. If you haven’t already, you can join your local Chamber of Commerce. If it will work in your budget, you may want to consider joining the Chambers of Commerce for all of your key service cities.

Raleigh Home Builders Association - Matrix Painting

If you support local organizations or are a member of a local association, ask them to put a link up on their website to your website. Make the same ask if you are sponsoring a community event. Many of these groups are happy to include the link but you may have to ask them for it or make sure that they have your web address.

If you sponsor a youth sports team or dance team ask them to put a link to your website on their website.

If you partner with another business in town, you should each put a link on your website to the other business’s website. These could be from realtors, general contractors, restoration companies, etc.

If you are a member of a church or do charity work for a church, ask them to put a link on their website to your website. These types of links won’t help big national businesses. But for painting contractors, they can be the key to your website being found when local homeowners search for your services. Don’t stop with my list. Seek out any additional local entities that could be helpful.

Even if you are using a provider like ProPainter Websites to optimize and manage your website, you should take the initiative to seek out local links to help ensure it searches well. You don’t need hundreds of local links. If you can get a dozen, or a couple dozen, you can quickly surpass your competitors, and it will absolutely help your search results.

If you have questions about anything I covered here, please feel free to reach out to me at martin.morgan@propainterwebsites.com or 919-600-5166. If you’d like to learn more about how we can support your business with a fully-optimized website and other web services, please schedule a meeting with us at a time that’s convenient for you!

SEO For Painting Contractors

January 23rd, 2023

A great way to define SEO for painting contractors is – all of the actions taken to get your website to show up at the top of Google search results when somebody searches for the services you provide in your service area.

Building on that definition – some things will be done when building the website while others will be done afterword. Some things are done once and others need to be a continuous effort.

And to continue to stay at the top of the search results you have to stay tuned in to changes that Google makes in what they want to see. And I’m going to stay focused on Google because they carry such a massive amount of search volume. Google’s changes often will make things more difficult for you, but sometimes they do work in your favor if you’ve worked to give them what they want.

The ABC’s of SEO

A great way to think about the foundation of SEO is to use the acronym ABC. A stands for Architecture – the structure and technical aspects of the website. B represents Backlinks or Links as they are more commonly thought of now. The focus here is on the links coming into your website. C is for Content. You may have heard the term “Content is King.” This is the words and information you have on your website.

In this blog I’m going to break down each element of ABC without getting too technical. I’m also going to include action items where possible to help you in your efforts.

But first, a note – no human knows exactly how Google’s algorithms work anymore. They have turned the final results over to AI. It is also a moving target as they make adjustments consistently. However, if you want the most recent thoughts from SEO experts on what matters most, check out our blog from last year – Top 10 Organic Search Ranking Factors for Painting Contractor Websites in 2022.

Architecture
Backlinks
Content

SEO for painting contractors
Architecture

Here’s the good news – almost every system, provider or platform you will use for your website is built to achieve the success factors for architecture. If you decide to use WordPress, Wix, Squarespace or another similar platform, you will have everything you need to achieve almost all of the architecture best practices built right in. They are almost, but not completely, failproof.

You will want to look for plugins that could give you an additional boost. You’ll also want to be aware of changes Google makes.

In the early days of SEO, Architecture was a big differentiator. Before Google built up the ability of the algorithm to use content as a top factor, Architecture was nearly everything. That enabled some SEO experts of the time to completely game the system and dominate the search rankings. That is no longer the case.

Things to Consider

Menu navigation

Plan out every page on your website. Where should they be placed in the menu navigation of your website? Is your navigation easy to follow for people who get to your website? Will they know right where to go if they are looking to see what services you provide? Will the Google spiders that crawl your site understand how to categorize your business and your services?

URLs

URLs are the web addresses for the pages on your website. You should be able to adjust them to be what you want them to be. For example, you want a web page about “House Painting” to include “house-painting” in the URL. You will also want to be sure your location or serving area are included, for example, “memphis-house-painting.”

SEO for painting contractors
Backlinks

Depending on which experts you listen to or read, links are either the most important element of SEO or the second most important element, right behind content. Think of it this way, Google wants to understand the credibility of your website. The more inbound links that exist to your website, the more credible your website appears. It those backlinks come from websites that have already proven to be credible, the more credible your website appears. The more inbound links the website has from other websites in the local area, the stronger the credibility your website has in the local area.

Google sees links as endorsements for the website. They are like actionable reviews. So your goal is to get as many quality inbound links as you can for your website.

Things to Consider

Quality industry links

You want to get inbound links from other websites that have proven authority and credibility in the painting industry. That might vary slightly depending on your specific mix of services. But for most painting contractors that means organizations and associations, paint providers, painting media and other painting-related sources. The PCA (Painting Contractors Association) is a great link to have to your website. If you have a profile on platforms like Porch, Angi or other sources, you’ll want to be sure it has a link to your website. Industry publication websites like American Painting Contractor and inPAINT are a great source of quality links.

Local links

Local search is more significant to you because of the nature of your business. You don’t want a homeowner five states away to find your website, you want homeowners in your service area to find your website. Local search works differently from basic search because it is tuned much more for local signals. A national website will get very little juice from a link from the website of a small church in a small town, but a painting contractor who does work in that town can get a solid lift from a link from that church website. Great local links include chambers of commerce, not-for-profits, other businesses, community events, local media. If you do work for a local business, asking them to include a link to your website on their website can pay off in a big way. It’s important to note that even if you are using a provider to manage and optimize your website, this is one of your action items that is necessary to make it search well.

Content is King
Content

 

Content is King! Google has continued to fine tune it’s algorithm to understand content and be able to rank it’s value. While it’s not perfect, it has come a long way. Having rich descriptive content throughout your website will significantly help you in SEO. You especially want to focus on content that shows expertise, authority and trust.

How do you do that? It’s pretty similar to links – the more quality content you have, the more credibility you will have in Google’s eyes. Showcase your expertise in the field. Include a significant amount of detail about the services you offer. Demonstrate authority by writing about your years in the business. Highlight any accolades or recognition you’ve received, and don’t forget to mention your contributions to the community. You can prove trust by featuring customer testimonials and reviews – the more specific the better.

Things to Consider

Home page

In most cases this will be the page that Google considers for most searches that occur in your immediate area for services you provide. Be sure to include details about your services. Tell the story of your business. Highlight your accolades and community organizations and events you’ve been a part of. Showcase reviews. Review the page to ensure you are focusing on expertise, authority and trust.

Service pages

You should have a separate web page for every service that you offer. Be detailed and specific about the service. If you can, cover your process, what the customer can expect, how long it usually takes and any other details that will demonstrate your expertise.

Areas served pages

In Google’s eyes, painting contractors are considered service area businesses. That basically means that you work in a broad area instead of having a brick and mortar location where customers go to get work done. Because of the wide coverage area, it can be difficult for painting contractor websites to show up in more than two or three towns or cities that they serve. By creating specific pages for each town or city you serve you can give yourself the best chance to search well in that town or city. Include some highlights of your services on those pages. Of course, the more specific details you can include about the town or city the more likely that page will search well there. If you can, include photos of work you’ve done there, as well as reviews from customers.

With this solid understanding of the foundation of SEO and what you can do to help your website perform well, I hope you’ve taken some action items that can help you dominate search in your area. Like with nearly everything, there is more you can do but it all starts with a strong foundation.

It is important to note that when it comes to the overall success of your website you also need to factor in design, user experience and calls to action. Even a website with stellar SEO will be a failure if a visitor clicks away every time they get there.

If you have questions about anything I covered here, please feel free to reach out to me at martin.morgan@propainterwebsites.com or 919-600-5166. If you’d like to learn more about how we can support your business with a fully-optimized website and other web services, please schedule a meeting with us at a time that’s convenient for you!

Do Homeowners Dislike Being Asked for Reviews?

December 22nd, 2022

We have spoken to quite a few painting contractors who have told us that they don’t like to bother their customers by asking for reviews. Is that feeling justified? Do homeowners dislike being asked for reviews?

Thankfully the good people at Moz recently conducted a survey of 1,300 consumers as part of their Impact of Local Business Reviews on Consumer Behavior Report. The survey asked a number of really good questions about how often consumers are asked by local businesses to leave reviews and how often they do so when asked.

Before we dig into the results of those questions, I want to share a word of warning. You should not be providing rewards (money, discounts, etc.) to people for giving you reviews. This is unethical at best and could qualify as illegal.

There was a question in the survey, “Has a business offered you money, discounts, or gifts in exchange for writing a review?” 40% of the respondents said yes, a business has offered them money, discounts or gifts. I urge you to not do this or try to manipulate your reviews in any way. It only takes one “fake” or “bought” review to completely destroy your credibility.

Now, onto the questions…

Has a local business asked you directly for a review in the past 5 years?

61% of the survey participants said that they had received at least one direct request for a review during the past five years. That leaves 39% of consumers who were not asked a single time by a local business for a review over the past five years. To me, that’s a lot of missed opportunities. Think about how many local businesses those 500+ people did business with over five years with not a single one of those businesses asking them for a review.

If you have been consistently asking your happy customers for reviews, then you have a substantial advantage over your competitors. If you haven’t been asking for reviews, you can start today and still be ahead of most of your competitors.

When asked by a business to leave a review, how often do you do so?

When asked by a business to leave a review, how often do you do so?

As you can see on this chart, it is very much worth your time and effort to ask for reviews. More than 50% of consumers will “always” or “usually” leave a review when asked to do so. On top of that, 34% will “sometimes” leave a review when asked to do so by a business. The quick summary – when you ask your customers to post a review for your business, most of them will do so.

How do you prefer to be asked for local business reviews?

How do you prefer to be asked for local business reviews?

Email is the preferred method at 53%, with being asked in person coming in second with 46%. Text comes in third at 29%. It is important to note that this is a “select all that apply” question.

Of course, the better you know your customer, the better you can modify your approach to fit their preference. If you’ve been using text to communicate with a homeowner, there is a high likelihood that they are going to be good with a text request for a review. We encourage our customers to ask for a review during the final walkaround, which would work well for the 46% of people who prefer to be asked in person.

Why do you write local business reviews?

Why do consumers write local business reviews?

This question relates directly to the title of this blog – “Do homeowners dislike being asked for reviews?” Many painting contractors have told us that they don’t like to ask their happy customers for reviews because they don’t want to bother them. However, as seen in the answer to this question, 73% of consumers said they write local business reviews “To let others know my experience.” These consumers see providing reviews as part of their civic responsibility. It is important to them to be able to guide others to good businesses and away from bad ones.

If you have provided great work and delivered excellent service to a customer and you ask them for a review, you are helping them fulfill their mission to let others know of a good quality painting contractor that they can trust. Consumers are not just writing a good review for you, they are writing a good review to help other homeowners in the area identify a trustworthy and dependable painting contractor for their home painting project.

If you’ve hesitated in the past or been resistant to ask for reviews, I hope that seeing the results of this survey question will encourage you to start asking your happy customers more consistently.

Our Integrated Reviews platform helps our customers get more online reviews. To learn how we can help do that for your painting business, call us at 919-424-6121 or schedule a meeting with us at a time that’s convenient for you!