Get More Leads: 4 Steps To Getting More Leads For Your Contractor Business

How do you get more leads for your business? That is the greatest challenge business owners face according to a special marketing report in 2017. 63% of business owners stated that “generating traffic and leads” is their company’s top marketing challenge.

Wouldn’t you like to leverage the power of Google search to drive more leads to your company? If someone is going to Google and searching for a plumber, or a landscaper, or a roofing contractor, naturally, you’ll want your business to appear as close to the top of that search results page.

In this article I will share how we leverage the power of the internet to generate more traffic, more leads, and more customers for contractors and small businesses. Here is what’s to come:

1. How to Get More Leads From Google Search

2. How to Convert Leads into Customers & Phone Calls

3. How to Use Call Tracking to Track New Leads

4. How to Get Your Business Found in Local Search

1- How to get more leads from Google search (Paid and Organic)

You want and need your business to appear on the first page of Google when folks are searching for keywords relating to the services you offer.

“The higher your page is on the search results page, the better your click-through rate & ability to attract searchers.”
~ MOZ

No-one goes to the second page of Google because they almost always find what they are looking for on the first page. That’s pretty incredible when you stop to think about. So our goal is to get on that first page, but how do we do that?

When it comes to getting on the first page of Google search, there are 2 main ways to go about it: Paid and Organic. You can pay Google to place you at the top (through paid ads) or you can optimize your website in such a way that you consistently appear on the first page of Google when certain keywords are typed into the search (organic).

Here is what paid ads and organic results look like in a typical search: 

Paid Ads (Adwords) 

1- Instant Results. You can start driving traffic to your website today!

2- Super Targeted. Your ad only shows to the specific target you set (i.e… keywords, location, time of day, etc)

3- Cost Effective. You only pay per click or when someone clicks on your ad.

4- You’re in Control: Your ad campaign can be turned off or on as needed.

5- Guarantees 1st Page: You will be on the first page of Google because your are paying to be on the first page of Google.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) 64.6% of people click on Google ads when they are looking to buy an item online. (WordStream, 2016)

Organic Traffic (SEO)

1- Results Take Time. Adwords is a sprint. SEO is a marathon. It takes time and work to get on the 1st page of Google.

2- Very Effective. People like to click on organic results.

3- Cost Effective. Doesn’t require an advertising budget but does require constant optimization.

4- No Guarantees. There is no way of knowing if or when you’ll start to hit the first page of Google search.

5- Coveted Position. Having an organic first page position is a powerful asset.

Once you manage to get your website on the first page of Google you will be in a very powerful position. It is reported that…

The first position on Google search results on desktop has a 34.36% clickthrough rate. (Advanced Web Ranking, 2015) 

In fact, if you maintain first page results with organic SEO, you can still purchase an ad and appear twice on the first page for services your business offers. Wouldn’t that be awesome!?

At Silverback Web and Marketing we guarantee to get more leads for contractors. We accomplish that by using a combination of both paid ads and search engine optimization (SEO).  We will work to build an effective website that is optimized for specific keywords related to your business and by creating effective Google Adwords campaigns that drive traffic to your business immediately.

Once you get that traffic coming to your website the next critical part is converting that traffic into customers. Next we will look at how we design effective webpages that convert leads into phone calls and paying customers.

2-How to Convert Leads into Customers & Phone Calls

Generating traffic to your website is only half the battle. The other half is equally important. Without traffic no one will know your business exists. However, once you begin to get that traffic it’s very important that your website is designed in such a way that is proven to convert leads into paying customers. This is where lead pages or landing pages come in.

Let’s say a potential customer searches for a service that you created a Google Adwords campaign specifically for. Maybe someone is looking for retaining walls. When they search retaining walls they will see an ad from your company that looks like this one.

Tons of research and tests have resulted in an almost scientific formula for designing landing pages that convert. Using analytics we can tell how a website is performing and what tweaks are needed to effectively take your traffic and convert them into paying customers.

Here at Silverback Web and Marketing we spend a great deal of time designing contractor websites and landing pages that convert leads into phone calls. We analyze the data and even track phone calls to determine how effective these landing pages are.

Which leads to the next important aspect of leveraging the power of the Internet to get more leads for your business. We use very powerful call tracking to determine how many phone calls your business gets from our Adwords campaign’s, social media campaigns, website, and landing pages.

3- How to Use Call Tracking to Track New Leads

One common skeptical fear of business owners when spending money on digital marketing is knowing whether or not it is working. Remember the special marketing study I mentioned above which revealed that the #1 challenge small businesses face is generating more traffic to their website? Well, that same study also revealed that the 2nd greatest challenge is proving the ROI (or return on investment) of those marketing efforts.

Call tracking is also a very powerful platform but with very simple reports. By simply using different phone numbers for different campaigns and rerouting those calls to your central business line, we can tell exactly where each phone call is coming from.

For instance, when a new lead sees your ad on Google They will be shown a unique phone number. Now when they call that number we’ll know exactly where the lead came from. In the same way, we may show a different number on Facebook, or on a specific landing page.

Even though these phone numbers are different they are seamlessly rerouted to your central phone line. No one ever knows what is happening. In the meantime, the call tracking system generates reports about where each call came from, how long they spoke on the phone, and can even record the call for further analytical data.

Dynamic Phone Numbers That Automatically Change

Now, having a bunch of different phone numbers floating around for your business is not good for SEO, which is why we use dynamic phone numbers on each of your digital spaces. I dynamic phone number uses HTML code to dynamically change what the guest sees based on how they arrived. Deep in the code your central business number will always be the same. However, the visible number will dynamically change depending on the traffic source of each lead.

For instance, if a lead came to your website through an Adwords campaign they will see one number, and if they came to your website through Facebook they will see a different number, and if they came through an email marketing campaign they would see a unique number for email campaigns. This is how powerful the internet can be. With code, we can generate dynamic (changing) phone numbers – giving us powerful data and proving exactly how many leads are coming from our digital marketing efforts.

The last step in building a powerful online presence to grow your business is getting found in local searches. If you are a local brick and mortar business with a specific service area you need to follow these next 7 Steps for Local SEO.

4- How to Get Your Business Found in Local Search

Contractors and service businesses should focus on driving more local traffic from Google. Local search engine optimization will generate better, more qualified leads.

When you do a Google search from your computer you will see Google’s Local Pack. The Local Pack has a map at that top and three listings. There is always a map and only 3 listings. You want to ensure that your business appears in that local pack. Here is how you can do that.

1- Set up your Google My Business. Businesses who have taken the time to correctly submit their information to Google My Business are much more likely to appear in the Local Pack. Optimize you Google My Business page by adding your logo, photos, and a solid description.

2- Add your business to more directories like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Angie’s list, Home Advisor, bing, yellowpages, etc.

3- Use consistent NAP or Name, Address, and Phone # across all the above local directories. Be sure to type in your NAP exactly the same in all directories. For instance, if your business is located on 5th Street in St. Charles – be sure to always use the same form for 5th, and street, and Saint. Do not use fifth sometimes and then 5th other times. Do not use street and then st. And do not switch Saint for St. Whatever form you choose to use be sure to stick with that same form everywhere.

4- Optimize your website by using local terms on every page of your website. Add NAP to your footer, and use local keywords like St. Louis retaining walls or St. Charles landscaping services.

5- Generate tons of reviews. The more positive reviews you have the more likely potential leads will click through to your page. This not only makes you more appealing to new prospects but it increases your SEO by increasing your click through rate. BTW, Silverback Web has an excellent platform for helping you get more consistent positive reviews and for managing online reputation.

6- Use scheme mark up on your website. Schema mark up directly provides Google the specific details about your local business helping you to get found in local searches. If your website is designed with WordPress there are plugins (like Yoast SEO) that do this for you.

7- Make sure your website is mobile friendly. It needs to be easy to use, navigate, and should have mobile specific calls to actions. For instance, why not make the phone number large and clickable? Or perhaps place a large “CLICK TO TEXT” button on the mobile version of your website.

Follow these steps and you will begin to see your business in the local pack. Local business searches

Now You Know How to Get More Leads For Your Contractor Business

I hope this article helps you in your question to get more leads. If you’d like a free consultation or if you need help setting up your website or Google My Business feel free to Contact us at Silverback Web Design & Marketing.