People’s desires and fundamental needs have stayed the same for thousands of years, but the ways that we can connect with these desires and fulfill them has been changed forever by the internet.
The internet has been around for decades and the technology continues to improve. These updates offer more predictive and reliable answers to internet searches and for consumers browsing for products.
When you search for something on Google, the search engine analyzes loads of accumulated information and uses its proprietary algorithm to turn up the most accurate results possible. The formula that Google uses becomes better over time, and “bad” results are listed lower in searches, and “good” results rise to the top.
So how does your business get found among an ocean of other companies? You do this by improving your website.
Actionable Steps to Improve Your Website so That it Ranks Higher on Google
Your website is your online store where everyone comes to visit you. It’s the place where people learn about you and who you are. Your company probably doesn’t have a physical store, but you have a website that should be treated with the same level of care and regard as a physical location. There are actionable steps that you can take to improve your website and make it rank higher on Google’s algorithm:
- Make sure that your page loads quickly and is mobile friendly
- Have a website that is easier for visitors to navigate
- Install the correct plugins and ensure that everything is coding correctly
- Have credible backlinks from reputable websites
- Create a website design that is simple and inviting for users who visit
- Regularly update the content on your website to make it relevant and attractive for your customers (content marketing).*
*While all of these are critically important, the rest of this article will focus on how to update your website content and implement an effective content marketing strategy.
Why Good Content is Vital for Improving Your Visibility on Google
The world has seen a lot of changes over the last 10 years, including Covid-19, smartphones, social media, and two-day delivery, just to name a few. The one thing that hasn’t changed is human nature. The way that people feel, think, and interact with each other is still mostly unchanged from 30,000 years ago. We still experience the same feelings, have many of the same needs, and all crave connection and community.
The only thing that has changed over the last few decades is the technology that we use to connect with people. Content marketing is all about connection and engagement. When people visit your website you don’t just want them to read something, you want to create a meaningful experience (not something click-baitey). The best brands regularly update their website content, publish blog posts, and powerfully connect with their customers.
Google uses its algorithm to crawl websites in order to check how relevant published information is. When Google checks your site, it looks for the following:
- Do the words and material on your website match what your customer is looking for?
- Is the information on your page credible and relevant?
- Does the location of your business match the area where your customer is looking to hire a service?
- Does your website include an FAQ page?
- Does it include reviews?
- Is your content something that will keep users on your page for a longer amount of time?
Make Your Website Visible to your Customers Through SEO
All of these factors need to be present if you expect your customers to be able to find you online. This area of marketing is known as SEO (search engine optimization). The truth is that when somebody Google's something, they rarely look past the first page. You want to be on the first page of Google so that customers visit your site and use your service
Below we will cover the five things that you can start working on today to improve your website content and make sure these factors are present so that you appear higher on Google searches.
1. Add New, Relevant Content to your Webpage Every Month
We work in a very visual industry. Customers love when you show them how your services can transform their carpets and facility. Pictures let your customers experience the magic of your service before you even clean. The best way that you can accomplish this is by building an image gallery for your customers to scroll through to make your website more interactive.
You can use the main page of your website to feature highlights from your work over the last month and show your customers the jobs that you've been working on. This sets a relational and friendly tone for your customers and keeps them coming back to your page. Your customers will love when you show off their beautiful homes and carpets on your website. The other benefit of showing pictures of different types of houses that you clean, is that when prospective customer sees a picture of a clean house that is similar to theirs then they will know that you are capable of providing the same results for them.
Here is a great example of Zerorez does this. Check out their website here.
2. Build a FAQ page
An FAQ page is the place on your website where your customers go to get answers to questions that they have about your service. Any questions that you frequently get from your customers should go on this page. It’s important to continue to add to this page so that it remains relevant to your customers. Check out how detailed A1 Sparkles FAQ page is.
I say this because I have seen plenty of pages that have outdated FAQ pages or ones that are overly generic. Don't write just to write, make your content specific and meaningful!
People go to Google when they have questions, and an FAQ page is designed for customers to get the answers that they are searching for. Over the last few years, Google has started featuring snippets, or short paragraphs that appear in search results, when people ask a question. A well-written FAQ page is more likely to be featured as a snippet during a Google search.
3. Videos of your Service and Customer Experiences
Video production requires an entirely different skill set than other types of content marketing, but if possible, you should hire somebody to put together professional videos explaining your services. There are plenty of places where you can hire a qualified videographer. You can hire a videographer on Upwork to put together videos of your service for a decent price.
Professional videos impress a customer and are memorable. Like I said above, our industry is incredibly visual. You should always leverage the power of the 5 senses (sight, smell, touch, sound, and hearing) in your videos whenever you get the chance. These are some examples of the types of videos that you should create:
- Make a video of a customer review
- Make a video demonstrating how you clean
- Make before and after videos of your cleaning
- Make a video explaining your services to your customer and showing them the inside of your van
4. Leave a Section for Customer Reviews, and Get Customers to Review Your Business on Google.
People trust other people that are just like them. When prospective customers visit your website it is typical for them to jump straight to the bottom of the page and read the reviews because they want to see what other customers have said about your service.
Businesses that have higher reviews rank higher on Google because they are viewed as more credible. Your business should have an average ranking of 4 stars or higher to do well on Google’s algorithm and be listed higher.
In order to receive reviews on Google, you need to create a Google my Business Page. It is very simple to create one, and you need to if you want your reviews to be factored into Google's search algorithm. Make sure to list your business address or phone number (if you don't have an address, use your home address and hide it from public view.) If you don't list your address or location, Google's algorithm will view your business as less credible in its search results.
5. Help Your Customers Understand Your Services Better and Make them More Appealing through Blogging
Effective blogs are regularly updated and help your customer generate interest in topics related to your business.
Blog posts shouldn’t just sell your services, but should touch on areas related to your service and freely educate your customers. There are multiple reasons to provide free education for your customers:
Blogging is still an incredibly popular medium for companies to connect with their customers in a conversational, semi-professional manner. These are some ideas for topics that you can address in your blog:
Carpet Cleaning
- How customers can prepare for a visit to your house
- The safety of the products that you use
- How customers can maintain a clean carpet in between your visits
- How to care for the long care health of your carpet
Restoration:
- Explaining the different levels of water damage and the harm that they can create
- An explanation of why it’s important that restorers document all damages
- Damage that can occur from mold growth
- Damage that can occur to broken pipes in the winter
- Signs that water damage might be lurking underneath the surface.
Remember that the purpose of blog posts is to provide free education to your customers so that you can earn their trust and long-term business.
Conclusion: Updating your website Content is a march, not a marathon
In high school, I played football, and I still love to watch games. There are few sports that match the adrenaline and intensity that you experience during a football game.
Typically, the longer that a team possesses the ball, the more likely they are to win. The best football teams are experts at managing the clock during each possession of the ball. One of the best ways to run down the clock while scoring is to March the ball down the field by first and second-down run plays and quick passes. Plays like this will keep running the clock down faster than a long pass.
Long yardage passes are important and exciting, but they aren’t essential for winning a football game.
Content marketing (blogging, updating your website, etc.) is very similar to marching the ball down the field during a football game. The clock never goes away during the game, it’s what you do with it that counts.
The content that your business posts will constantly be evaluated by your customers and Google. Just like a football game, your website is always on the clock. The most impactful action that you can take to maximize your time on the clock is consistently running short-yardage plays that will help you win the game. It’s much better to post small but frequent updates that are engaging than to try to go viral online by delivering a perfectly written piece.
I have managed our Pro’s Corner Blog for the last year and a half. Every week we post at least 1-2 articles about topics across our industry. Not every article that we have published is worthy of being in a book, but I feel immensely proud of the work that we have done and how we show up for our customers weekly.
Don’t worry about the work that you publish being perfect, it only matters that you show up for your customers and build a connection with them through your writing.
Mass distributed content has existed since Guttenberg invented the printing press and it’s not going anywhere. Content is here to stay.
Great content thrives off of authenticity. You can’t fake what you say without your customers discovering your inauthenticty. We live in a world where customers find businesses because of what they write on Google. You have the chance to make a lasting impression through what you say.
What you write needs to build trust, be engaging, and build authority. When your customer enters your store (website), you need to be able to give them something valuable. If you do this, your customers will reward you by visiting your website again and using your service.
Over a period of time, Google will use this as a signal to display your page higher on its search results. As you continue to update your content regularly, you can maintain this cycle of staying high on search results.