When a potential customer needs a plumbing service, they’re likely going to search Google or Bing and contact one of the first few options they see. If your plumbing business isn’t one of them, you may be missing out on a lot of work.
That’s where SEO for plumbers comes in. Search engine optimization (SEO) helps your website rank higher at the top of Google’s search results, making it easy for local customers to find you.
In this article, we’ll break down what you need to know about SEO into easy-to-follow steps you can start doing yourself.
Why is SEO for plumbers important?
Let’s assume you’ve got a fully stocked work van, a skilled team, and years of experience under your belt. But when someone in your area searches for “plumber near me,” your business is nowhere to be found.
In plumbing, every call matters. A single emergency job can turn into a lifelong customer, bringing repeat business and even referrals. But if people can’t find you online when their pipes burst or their water heater fails, they’re going to call someone else.
That’s where SEO makes all the difference. It’s what gets your name in front of homeowners who need help now.
Here are some reasons why SEO for plumbing is so important and valuable:
- Local searches bring in customers who are ready to hire. When someone searches for a plumber, they likely need service ASAP. Showing up in those search results means you’re in front of people who are actively looking to book a job.
- You can hold your own against bigger names. Franchises and larger plumbing companies may have bigger marketing budgets. But do they know the quirks of your local water supply or city plumbing codes? A strong SEO strategy highlights your local expertise and helps you stand out.
- Being at the top builds trust. If your business appears in the top search results, customers are more likely to assume you’re the best choice. People trust Google to show them the most relevant businesses.
- SEO brings you a steady flow of leads. Instead of constantly paying for ads, a well-optimized website can work like a 24/7 salesperson, bringing in calls even when you’re off the clock.
- SEO brings you more than just one-time jobs. Maybe today’s job is fixing a leaky faucet, but what about when that same customer needs a new water heater? A strong online presence keeps you top-of-mind.
If you invest in SEO, you could have potential customers coming to your website, whether it’s day or whether it’s night or whether it’s the weekend. Even in slow periods when you’re looking for more business.
1. Create and optimize your Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile (GBP) is a free online business listing that can appear on Google Search and Maps results. People may see it when they search for a local plumbing service. It includes your business contact information, hours, customer reviews, and photos.
Here’s what Guest Plumbing’s GBP looks like:
To claim your Google Business Profile, type in your plumbing company name on Google Business Profile Manager, and follow the prompts.
Complete your profile by:
- Selecting your business category (Plumber, Heating contractor, Gas installation, etc.)
- Set your service area
- Add your contact information (website, phone number, email address)
- Add your business information (working hours, plumbing services, images)
Once you’ve set up your profile, your plumbing business will appear on Google Maps and search results when prospective customers search for local plumbers in your service area.
You can use your profile to share your business’s contact information, hours of operations, and plumbing services. It’s also important to collect and respond to customer reviews.
Claiming your Google Business Profile is an example of a local SEO strategy to help your business attract potential plumbing customers in your service area.
Claim your Bing Places Business Listing
Similar to your Google Business profile, your Bing business listing helps you appear on Bing search results and Bing Maps. You can also use your listing to share important information about your plumbing business, like your phone number, website, and working hours.
To claim your Bing Places for Business Listing, click “New User” on the Bing Places homepage and follow the prompts.
Here’s an example of a Bing search results for “plumber in Austin”:
Different types of SEO for plumbers
SEO focuses on increasing the online visibility of plumbing businesses. Here are the different types of SEO for plumbing companies:
Local SEO
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your online presence to attract more business from relevant local searches. This includes optimizing your Google Business Profile, using local keywords, and getting customer reviews to help your business appear higher in search results.
On-page SEO
On-page SEO involves optimizing the content and structure of your website to rank higher in search engine results and attract more relevant traffic. This includes optimizing content, meta tags, headings, and internal links to improve your site’s visibility and relevance to search engines.
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO involves activities outside your website, like getting other sites to link to you, promoting your business on social media, and managing online reviews. These actions help improve your website’s ranking in search results.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO involves optimizing the technical aspects of your website to improve its rankings. This includes improving site speed, ensuring mobile friendliness, and making sure search engines can easily crawl and index your site.
2. List your business in relevant directories (citations)
Listing your business name, website, address, and phone number on online directories helps drive traffic to your website and increase your visibility to potential customers.
Here’s how to get started with online directories:
- List your business on all major online directories like Google, Yelp, Bing Places, and Facebook
- Join your local Chamber of Commerce to attract new customers in your service area.
- Search “business directories in your city” or use WhiteSpark or BrightLocal to see what local business directories you should list your plumbing business on.
- Register for lead generation sites like Thumbtack, Angi, or HomeAdvisor.
What is NAP consistency?
NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) consistency means that your company details remain the same across all your business listings, your website, and your social media profiles.
NAP consistency shows search engines that the information for your plumbing business is accurate and trustworthy.
The importance of NAP for SEO
NAP is an important yet easy to miss concept in local SEO for plumbers. Since Google has to constantly fight spammy websites, it’s important to show that yours is real by including accurate information.
To get your NAP right, make sure that your website, business listings, and social media profiles always include the same Name, Address, and Phone Number. This will improve your credibility and your SEO efforts.
3. Ask happy customers to leave a review
Want to stand out from other plumbers in your service area? A collection of five-star reviews helps your plumbing business rank higher on Google’s local search results.
Just look at these search results for plumbers in New York City:
This is why you need to deliver fantastic work, provide exceptional customer service, and have a process in place for getting those excellent reviews you know you deserve.
To ensure you ask every satisfied customer for a review, set up automatic review collection in Jobber. Jobber automatically sends a text to the customers you want reviews from.
When you make an invoice in Jobber, you can choose whether to send the customer a review request.
After paying their invoice, those customers will automatically get a direct link to leave a review on your Google Business Profile.
From your reviews dashboard in Jobber, you can keep an eye on your average Google rating. You’ll also see your latest reviews and resources on how to manage your business’s reputation.
Making it easy for our customers to leave us a review has meant the world to us, to other people searching online, but also to Google because it jacks up your SEO whenever you get a positive review.
In addition to your Google Business Profile, you’ll also need to make some changes to your plumber website to appear closer to the top of Google’s search results.
Here are a few ways to optimize your website content for SEO:
Perform keyword research
Keywords are the terms or phrases a potential customer would use to search for your plumbing services online. They may be the services you offer, or the area you service—like “plumbers in Dallas” or “water heater repair”.
Include these terms or phrases on your website or blogs to rank higher on search results and help customers find your business.
How to do keyword research for your plumbing business
Follow these steps to conduct your own keyword research:
- Brainstorm basic keywords: Start by listing all the services you offer, such as “emergency plumbing,” “leak repair,” and “drain cleaning.”
- Use keyword research tools: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or SEMrush to find related keywords and see how many potential customers are searching for those terms.
- Analyze competitors: Check the websites of your top competitors to see which keywords they are targeting.
- Focus on local keywords: Include location-specific terms like “plumber in [your city]” to attract local customers. This helps you target people searching for services in your area.
- Long-tail keywords: Identify long-tail keywords, which are longer and more specific phrases like “how to fix a leaking faucet.” These often have less competition and can attract targeted traffic.
- Check search intent: Ensure the keywords you choose match the intent of your potential customers. For example, someone searching “emergency plumber near me” is looking for immediate help.
- Refine and prioritize: Select the most relevant and high-traffic keywords from your research. Focus on a mix of short and long-tail keywords to cover various search intents.
Create service pages
Create individual web pages specific to each service you offer, like leak repair, toilet repair, or drain cleaning. This helps your plumber website appear when someone searches online for that service.
Include the locations you serve
Including your service locations helps Google rank your business when potential customers are using local keywords like “plumbers near me”.
If you only serve one area, simply add your location to content on your home page, service pages, and contact page.
Here’s how Guest Plumbing includes their location on their service pages:
If you serve multiple areas, you may consider adding a service area page to your plumbing website and listing all your locations.
