About 46% of all Google searches are local. Without search engine optimization (SEO), however, locals might not find your pest control company online. They’ll encounter your competitors instead, costing you potential leads.
With SEO for small business success, you can boost your online visibility, generate website traffic, and more! Since SEO is a cost-effective digital marketing strategy, you can improve your ROI in the process.
Not sure how to start? Read on to learn how to begin using pest control SEO today!
Follow the Core Web Vitals
There are four main types of small business SEO: on-page, off-page, technical, and local SEO. Technical SEO involves optimizing the backend of your website.
Before using the rest of these SEO tips, run your website through Google’s:
- Core Web Vitals
- Mobile-Friendly Test
- PageSpeed Insights
Confirm that your website is already mobile-optimized, fast, and secured with an SSL certificate. Otherwise, look for ways to improve the user experience (UX) on your site by following Google’s Core Web Vitals. These user-centric factors can impact your rankings on search engine result pages (SERPs).
If you’re not appearing at the top of the page for “pest control” searches, your would-be clients might not find you online. Improving the UX on your site could boost your rankings, allowing you to appear ahead of competitors.
If you’re unsure how to make improvements to your website, consider consulting a web design and development agency this year.
Otherwise, make sure your site is easy to explore and use. Simplify your navigation, check for broken links, and condense your forms. Make it easy for potential clients to reach you by adding multiple conversion opportunities across your site, too.
Making your website fast and easy to crawl can help Google better understand your content. You could start appearing for featured snippets, which appear at the top of SERPs. They also take up prominent space on SERPs, helping your website stand out for local searches.
Claim and Optimize Your Listing
Remember, nearly 50% of Google searches are location-specific. You can start reaching nearby home- and business owners by claiming and optimizing your Google Business listing. This profile will appear in the top right corner of SERPs for relevant searches.
Since it takes up prominent space on the page, you can use your profile to generate more brand visibility.
Your listing will display your pest control company’s:
- Name
- Business category/subcategory
- Website
- Directions/address
- Business hours
- Services
- Client reviews
- Recent posts
- Photos and videos
After claiming your listing, make sure the information is accurate. Confirm that your name, address, and phone number (NAP) match what appears on your site. Google will compare this information to confirm it’s accurate.
Keep your listing fresh by sharing new posts, photos, and videos throughout the year. Sharing updates can inform clients of new services, service areas, and more.
Make sure to ask your clients for their testimonials as well. Positive reviews can strengthen your brand’s reputation. Future clients might feel more inclined to trust your brand if you have a strong reputation in the industry.
Take the time to update your listing on other online directories, too.
When people search for a local pest control company in the area, they can find you outside of Google’s SERPs. You can gain more brand visibility while using the citations to benefit your off-page SEO strategy.
Gather Keyword Research
You can reach prospective clients online by appearing on SERPs for relevant search queries.
Learn as much as you can about your target audience by gathering demo- and psychographic research. Then, gather keyword research to determine what queries they type into Google. You can use these tools to develop a target keyword list:
- KWFinder
- Google Keyword Planner
- Google Trends
- Ahrefs
- Answer the Public
- SEMRush
As you develop your list of keywords, keep the user’s search intent in mind. Search intent can help you understand the reason for their search. Search intent is usually commercial, transactional, navigational, or informational.
Create Quality Blog Content
Use the keyword research you gathered to create personalized, helpful content for your clients. Answer the questions your clients are asking about local pests, your company, or the industry. Helpful, informative content can boost your credibility in the pest control industry.
As you create each blog post, optimize your content for on-page SEO. Add the target keyword to the:
- URL
- Page title
- An H1 header
- SEO title
- SEO meta description
- Opening and closing paragraphs
- Body text
- Image file name and alt text
Use internal links to send readers to other pages on your site, and external links to boost your credibility.
Generate Local Backlinks
As part of your off-page SEO strategy, backlinks are one of Google’s top ranking factors.
Backlinks appear on other websites before sending visitors to your pest control website pages and content. You can generate backlinks by guest blogging or creating unique blog posts on your own blog. Guest blogging involves writing content for someone else’s website.
You can add a link to one of your pages or posts to gain a backlink.
Other website owners might want to refer to your content within their blog posts, allowing you to generate natural backlinks.
Both can benefit your domain authority, which could help your rankings improve.
Track and Make Adjustments
Once you develop your pest control SEO marketing strategy, track your website data using Google Analytics. Determine which blog posts are generating the most traffic. You can also use Google Analytics to determine what queries people use before visiting your website.
Use this data to make informed changes to your SEO strategy over time. Updating your strategy can help you generate more traffic and leads in the future.
Start Using SEO for Small Business Success Today
Using SEO for small business success is easier than most business owners realize. Use these easy tips to help more local clients find your pest control company. In time, your rankings will improve, allowing you to generate brand visibility, traffic, and leads.
You don’t have to develop your SEO marketing strategy alone, though. Instead, consider partnering with an experienced agency this year. With help, you can boost your rankings without wasting time or energy.
We can help strengthen your entire digital marketing strategy.
Book a strategy session today to learn more.
