MOREMONTH.COM

What is the Right Internet Presence for a Contractor?

Over the last three years I have been analyzing the relationship of the American construction contractor to the Internet at large. When you initially dig into some of the statistics, at first it is very shocking how absent the construction industry is from the world of Internet marketing: though around 60% of consumers start their search for a contractor with a search engine query, less than 10% of contractors have enough of a web presence to appear in the first page of Google results when their company name is used as the search keyword.
This absence from the Internet of construction companies can be explained many ways, but all of the explanations are dated excuses that just aren’t going to cut it anymore in the very near future. The fact is that more and more home owners, construction developers, and contractors themselves are former tech-savvy youths who have grown up in a wired world. In the modern age, a contractor’s client base expects to be able to easily locate that contractor on the web, and to have clear, valuable information presented to them about that contractor’s services.
One question I get asked constantly is, “What sort of Web presence should I have as a contractor?” Unfortunately, there is not a generic answer which works for everyone from the sand blasting contractor to the bath remodeling contractor. But, there are some bear minimums that should be met. First, have at least a basic, very professional-looking web page with your business name or profession in the URL. Even if it is just a single page, make sure that the presentation is well done and that the basic information about your business is clearly presented. Secondly, you should assure that you SEO (search engine optimization) is properly performed for your web page. I recommend that you hire a firm to assist with this. For a single page site, you should not pay a firm more than $200 for SEO. Lastly, make sure that you are listed in every free web directory possible. Again, rather than doing this yourself, there are many firms that offer this listing service for around $200.
Of course, the world of SEO and search engine marketing can expand to infinity from this jumping off point, as can the complexity of your website. However, if you simply meet the criteria I outline above, you will avoid embarrassing yourself, and your customers will be able to track you down when they need you.
Josh Groves
jobtrio.com
Construction Industry Newswire