Why Most Contractors Are Invisible on Google (And the 3 Fixes That Work)

Why Most Contractors Are Invisible on Google (And the 3 Fixes That Work)

Published 2024-08-08 · 5 min read

You know you do great work. Your customers love you. But when you search for your business on Google, you are nowhere to be found. Your competitors are there. Some of them do worse work than you. So why are they showing up and you are not?

There are three common reasons, and each one has a fix. Let us walk through them.

Fix 1: Claim and Actually Optimize Your Google Business Profile

We see this constantly: contractors who either never claimed their Business Profile or claimed it and filled out the bare minimum. A Business Profile with just your name and phone number is like showing up to a job interview in pajamas. You are technically there, but you are not going to get picked.

Here is what complete optimization looks like:

  • Every single field filled out — categories, services, description, hours, attributes
  • At least 20 photos with new ones added weekly
  • Regular Google Posts (at least 2 per month)
  • 30+ reviews with responses to each one
  • Accurate service area with specific cities listed

Doing all of this puts you ahead of 80% of contractors in your area. Most businesses never bother.

Fix 2: Build a Real Website (Not Just a Facebook Page)

Your Facebook page does not rank on Google for local service searches. A website does. But not just any website. Your site needs:

  • A page for each service you offer (not just a generic “services” page)
  • Your city and service area mentioned naturally throughout your content
  • Fast loading speed (under 3 seconds)
  • Mobile friendly design (this is non negotiable)
  • Contact information on every page
  • Real content that demonstrates expertise (blog posts, project profiles, guides)

A properly built contractor website with good content is the foundation of SEO. Without it, you are building on sand.

Fix 3: Get Your Business Listed Everywhere (Consistently)

Google trusts businesses that it can verify across multiple sources. If your name, address, and phone number are consistent across Google, Yelp, Facebook, Angi, the BBB, Thumbtack, and your website, Google becomes more confident that your business is real and legitimate.

If your information is inconsistent, different phone number on Yelp, old address on Facebook, wrong business name on the BBB, Google gets confused and pushes you down in search results.

The fix: audit all your online listings. Make every single one match exactly. Same name, same address format, same phone number. This is boring work but it has an outsized impact on your rankings.

Important: Once you fix these three things, do not expect overnight results. SEO takes 2 to 6 months to show significant improvement. But once the momentum builds, the leads keep coming without paying for ads.

Want to Show Up When Homeowners Search Google?

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