SEO Services for Appliance Repair Companies:
Free Local SEO Guide

As an appliance repair company, you are probably all too familiar with the challenges of trying to attract new customers. You might get some referrals from satisfied customers, but most prospects will simply run a Google search and then call the first company or two on the list. To draw in as many new customers as possible, you must find your way to the top of the search results.

SEO for Appliance Repair Companies

We will walk you step by step through our proven process to jump your company to that critical top spot. Before we get started, though, let’s take a look at why local SEO is so important for appliance repair companies.

3 Reasons Appliance Repair Companies Should Invest in Local SEO

The Yellow Pages Are Dead and Google Reigns Supreme:

Not too long ago, appliance repair companies could place an ad in the Yellow Pages and wait for the phone to ring. Times have changed, and today, an incredible 97% of people search for local businesses online. Google is the undisputed leader of the search market.

Free Traffic:

Advertising is changing quickly, but it is still one of the biggest expenditures for many small businesses. Raising your Google rankings will create a steady flow of free traffic that you can convert into paying customers.

Speedy Results:

When national and international companies create new SEO plans, they must wait an average of 6 to 12 months to see the results. Appliance repair companies have a major advantage, though. Your competitors are nearby, not halfway across the country. And many of them are not yet taking advantage of local SEO. With a targeted campaign, you could rocket to the first page of Google local rankings in as few as 30 days!

Step 1: Pick Your Keywords

Step 1 is easy but critical. Simply list some keywords that describe your services. For example, you might try “refrigerator repair”, “appliance repair”, “washing machine repair”, “dryer repair”, “dishwasher repair”. When your list is fairly complete, sign up for a free Google AdWords account.

There is no need to create or pay for an ad campaign, but an AdWords account will allow you to use Google’s free Keyword Planner tool. Here, you can input your chosen keywords to learn how much traffic they drive. The tool will also suggest additional related keywords that you may not have thought of.

With this information, you can decide exactly the keywords you want to use. All keywords can be loosely categorized into 2 types:

  • Buying Intent: Buying intent keywords tell you that a prospect needs your services now. For example, someone searching for “freezer repair San Francisco” probably has a broken freezer that needs to be fixed.Focus your local SEO campaign on buying intent keywords, as they drive the fastest results. Feature them on your homepage, and develop your service pages around them.
  • Research Intent: Research intent keywords show you that a prospect is “just looking.” He might want an appliance repaired in the future, but not now. For example, someone searching for “repair or replace my washing machine” is probably considering whether a repair is worthwhile.Give these keywords a lower priority, as they do not drive speedy conversions. Hold onto them, though, as they are extremely useful for blog posts and FAQs. These posts introduce you to prospects who might remember you when they are ready for an appliance repair.

Step 2: Optimize Your Keywords

When your keyword list is finalized, it is time to optimize for them in 2 spots—your Google My Business page and your website. Here’s what to focus on:

Google My Business

Think of your Google My Business page as a tiny website that appears in Google’s “Map” section. It offers prospects a quick snapshot of your company, and it improves your overall presence online. It can also give you a quick boost to your rankings, since it is much easier to rank highly for a Google My Business page than for a website.

For the best results, make sure these elements are accurate and complete:

  • Verification: The first step is to claim your page and submit it to Google for verification. When this step is complete, you will see a checkmark and the word “Verified” next to your business name.
  • NAP: Your NAP (business name, address, and phone number) must be fully accurate and consistent across all internet listings. Tell Google that your business is local by listing a local phone number instead of an 800 number.
  • Categories: Google categories are focused on services rather than results. Besides Appliance Repair Service, try similar categories such as Small Appliance Repair Service. If you can, list 3 to 5 categories.
  • Description: Your description is a short explanation of your company that ends with a call to action. It should be between 100 and 200 words in length, and be formatted similarly to: {Name of Company} offers professional {appliance repair services, or similar} in {Your City}. {Provide some information about your company and/or why customers love you.} Call {Phone Number} today for 10% off your first service!
  • Hours: Make sure that your hours are accurate, and are the same across all of your web listings.
  • Images: Images can dramatically boost customer engagement, and show prospects that you do a great job. Add a few photos of your office, your staff, or your team at work (with permission, of course!). Your images must have a sharp focus, be sized between 10KB and 5MB, and have a minimum resolution of 720px x 720px. We also recommend replacing the generic Google My Business background image with a branded image.

Website Optimization

Start with your homepage and service pages, or “core” pages, and optimize them for your buying intent keywords. Later, you can focus your FAQs and blog posts, or “content” pages, on your research intent keywords. Here’s what to do:

  • Homepage: Roughly equivalent to a chapter title in a book, the title tag is the single most important element on your homepage. Make sure it is between 50 and 65 characters long, and formatted similarly to: Appliance Repair in {Your City} | {Name of Your Company}.The meta description is next. It should list your primary services and end with a call to action. Make it 100 to 150 characters in length, and try to approximate this format: {Name of Company} offers quality {appliance repair services, or similar} in {Your City}. Call {Phone Number} today for 10% off your first service!The visible headline, or H1, must be descriptive yet concise, and include your primary category. This format works well: {Appliance Repair Service} in {City, State}.

    The final element is your page copy, which should be between 500 and 1000 words long, clear, descriptive, and well edited. Give some background information about your company, briefly describe your core services, and close with a strong call to action. Incorporate your primary keyword in a natural way.

  • Service Pages: Build a keyword-optimized page for each core service. Optimize these service pages in the same way as the homepage.

Step 3: Gather Citations and Links

Now that the basic framework of your SEO campaign is ready, you can start to collect citations and links. These improve your online reach and help to raise your Google rankings.

  • Citations: A citation is simply a listing of your business NAP (name, address, and phone number) in an online directory. You can select general national directories (yellowpages.com and Facebook), general local directories (Chamber of Commerce website), and targeted industry-specific directories. Your NAP must be identical in every listing.Note that while many directories are free, some charge a fee. Before you decide, check Google Analytics. There is no reason to pay for a site that does not drive traffic and conversions.
  • Links: You can only reach the highest Google search rankings if you have an assortment of inbound links from authoritative websites. Focus on building relationships both online and in person with those who offer complementary services, such as home re-modelers, and then ask to trade links. Use a tool such as the Moz Open Site Explorer to find out where other local appliance repair companies’ links are coming from.

Step 4: Ask for Reviews

Customer reviews play two vital roles in local SEO: they convince prospects to try your services, and they reassure Google that your business is legitimate. While all review sites can help, Google My Business reviews drive the fastest rankings boost. Send an email to your satisfied customers with a link to your Google My Business profile, and ask them directly to write a review. If you keep up with this regularly, you will soon have an ongoing flow of new reviews.

Step 5: Track Your Results

You can only discover whether your local SEO campaign is successful, and identify areas for improvement, if you track your results. You can analyze your data in different ways, but these 3 core metrics are the most important:

  • Rankings: Google search results are personalized based on past browsing history. In order to learn your actual Google rankings, you must use a tool. The free Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools) is a good initial step. Ask your webmaster to install it, and track your results once or twice per month.If you want to dig more deeply into your rankings, consider a paid rank tracking tool such as the one offered by RankRanger.com. It can track your Google My Business page as well as your webpages, and can provide automatically updated ranking data from all of your SEO campaigns.
  • Traffic: Google Analytics is among the best ways to track your website visitors, or traffic. You can view your total traffic, the traffic for each individual webpage, and even the percentage of visitors who discover you in Google search. Check your report each month, keeping an eye out for long-term trends.
  • Conversions: A conversion is a specific action that you want your prospects to take. For an appliance repair company, this might be signing up for 10% off one service. Google Analytics allows you to track both web and phone conversions, find out which of your services drives the most conversions, and even see which of your webpages have the lowest and highest conversion rates.

Ready to Begin?

Now you understand why a comprehensive local SEO campaign is so important in driving more potential customers to your appliance repair company. Work your way through the steps in order, and be sure to complete each one before starting the next. Here is a recap of the 5 steps:

  1.    Keyword research
  2.    Keyword optimization
  3.    Citations and Links
  4.    Reviews
  5.    Tracking

Want Help with SEO?

At Main Street ROI, we specialize in helping appliance repair companies attract more local customers through Google. If you’d like help with your SEO, contact us for a free quote.

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