Local SEO Guide for Painters: How to Get More Customers

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Investing in local SEO for painting companies is a game-changer. That’s because 97% of search engine users look online to find local businesses. 

In other words, if you want to yield the benefits of this 97%, then you must invest in local SEO. 

How to do that? Well, here are 12 tips to get you started!

12 Local SEO Tips for Painting Companies

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1. Maintain Accurate NAPW Information

Contact details are one of the main information users look for when searching for local businesses like a painting company. 

According to Hubspot, 72% of consumers that did a local search visited a store within five miles in 24 hours. Therefore, ensure that your Name, Address, Phone number, and Website (NAPW) details are the same across all platforms. 

NAPW consistency makes it easier for search engine crawlers to index your painting company. Plus, NAPW details also help identify the proximity of your business to the user - which is a huge local 3-pack ranking factor. 

Maintain your citation with SEO tools:

• BrightLocal - use their citation tracker for all your NAPW details and performance
• GeoRanker - Find and maintain your citations with their finder tool. 
• AsapMaps - Update all listings using this platform.

Here’s a screenshot of BrightLocal:

2. Create A Website

Many independent painters don't feel the need to have a website. 

They depend on word of mouth. Or they rely solely on their listings on reputed platforms. However, if you want to grow your business, a website is the most important part of any online marketing strategy, including local SEO. 

Apart from optimizing for general SEO, having a website is a necessity for many local SEO practices such as:

• Creating content with local keywords,
• Adding location details to service pages,
• Publishing service information such as pricing, project completion, etc. 

Additionally, it gives you a ranking boost because search engines index websites. For example, say a client is looking for a painter. If you have a website, your company will rank higher than your competitor. Or even make it to the local 3-pack spot. 

The more local ranking signals your website implements, the more it will appear in searches.

Here’s an example of a web page displaying location details:

3. Claim Listings On Home Contractor Directories

Listing your company on a site meant only for fashion designers has no value. Your target demographic isn't looking for you on those sites. Therefore, when building your citation portfolio, research platforms cater to contractors, painters, etc.

It's important to have your website and NAP info on directories in your niche. That's because many factors contribute to your rank in local searches. 

Location and your industry category are part of these ranking factors. Search engines comb through multiple sources to get this information, directories being one of them. 

For example, When users do a 'painter near me' search, they will see a mix of listings from general directories such as Google My Business and Yelp. But, they will also see listings from home-service directories.

So, claim listings on these directories for painters:

• Porch: Directory for home-improvement professionals. 
• Angi: The most trusted home-services directory.
• Houzz: Large home-improvement professional directory.

Here’s a screenshot of Porch:

4. Optimize Your GMB Listing

It's no secret that one of the most important listings is a Google My Business listing. So, you must also optimize it to get the most from the listing and paint over the competition. 

Here are some essential tips to optimize your listing:

1. Fill out all sections of the GMB account.

2. Ensure NAP info is accurate.

3. Select primary and secondary categories based on your niche. E.g., Painter, home improvement, etc. 

4. Add applicable attributes, such as 'free paint consultation' or 'non-toxic paint.'

5. Write a concise 'from the business' description.

6. Publish posts weekly.

7. Add photos to your profile every week. 

8. Respond to review and questions posted.

Your GMB profile's meticulousness helps attract customers and rank it in more local searches. 

A thriving profile means organically showing up in searches, and more people will be enticed to learn about your business or book a consultation.

Here’s an example of a painting company’s GMB profile showing complete NAP details and a recently published post:

Read: Step-by-step Setup Guide for Google My Business Set up

5. Focus on Local Link Building

Like citations, link building is necessary to gain authority in your niche. 

Google and other search engines see these backlinks as a sign of trust and credibility from other websites. 

Therefore, if you have several links from credible local sources, search engines deem your website a big player in your location and industry. 

As a painting company, you can start your link-building journey by:

• Reaching out to local online newspapers to feature your company.
• Collaborating with home stores or local influencers to promote your company.
• Participating in home-improvement expos and asking for links back to your company. 

After identifying link-building opportunities, ensure that you continue to focus on them. Maintain links from these sources to avoid any broken links from page updates. Additionally, it's important to get backlinks consistently. 

The more updated and fresh links you have, the better for Local SEO.

Appearing on articles that curate the best businesses for hire helps build links:

6. Harness The Power Of Social Media

Your painting company requires a social media presence, don't miss out on the biggest way to market your brand. In an article by SproutSocial, they claim that: Social media recently overtook paid search as an advertising channel, growing 25% YoY and exceeding $137 billion.

To strengthen your local SEO, you must be on various social media platforms your clients use. 

Meta (Facebook) is a great place to start. Having a Meta business page is like claiming a listing. So, ensure that you fill in important details such as an address, business hours, contact details, etc. 

Additionally, most social media posts have the option to geotag your business. For example, when you post on Instagram, always 'add location.' 

When search engines index these social links - it establishes that your company is in that area. This will help them push your company out to more of those local searches.

Here’s a screenshot of a painting company’s Meta business page:

7. Add Local Info On Landing Pages

Having landing pages for each painting service is a general SEO technique. It helps specifically answer search queries, which helps your website appear in more SERPS. Therefore, adding location information on these pages will help you appear in more local searches for specific service queries. 

For example, suppose a user finds your website with the search term 'drywall painting.' 

By adding your NAP info on the page, search engines will show your page to users searching for that search term in your location. Therefore, you get more quality leads and a stronger local presence.

Here are some tips to optimize your landing pages for local SEO:

• Add location + painting keywords
• Add address to footers
• Add location name to URL and meta description
• Add location name to image titles. 
• Embed a Map with your location on the page.

Here’s a screenshot of a painting business’s addresses on the footer:

8. Research Location Keywords

It's not enough to add your city's name to your content and call it a day. Location keywords are vital in helping you rank for local searches; therefore, it requires research. 

Start this research using automation tools such as:

• Moz keyword finder - best all-around keyword and SEO tool
• GetKeyword - great for finding local keywords
• Question DB - ideal for question-based keywords. 

These tools will give you the best location + and industry-specific keywords to start implementing in your content and website. 

For example, after researching, you might observe that the term 'Dallas painting contractor' performs better than 'Dallas painting company.' Small changes in keywords like these can have a huge impact on your local SEO. 

Not all painting contractors have a marketing team or the expertise to take on this vital task. Therefore, we suggest hiring a digital marketing agency to do the research and implement the keywords into a local SEO strategy.

Here’s a screenshot of Moz keyword finder:

9. Use The Ads Geo-Targeting Feature

Google Ads is a great tool to target clients and grow your painting company's reach. Since painting companies rely on a local customer base, taking advantage of the geotagging feature on AdWords is essential.

Say your company is based in Glendale, Salt Lake City. Using the geo-targeting feature on ads, you can specifically target potential clients in your serviceable area. You can make the most of this feature by further geo-targeting various neighborhoods where you can offer your painting services.

Additionally, adding a location to these ads acts as a local SEO signal to Google that your business is in that area. Therefore, it shows up in the more local result pages.

There are many local SEO signals to strengthen your local presence. Geo-tagging on various platforms and AdWords is one of them. 

Here’s a screenshot of Google Ads’ geo-target feature:

10. Create Content With A Local Focus

Local content is a factor when it comes to local SEO. For example, suppose you're an Orlando-based painting company. 

A blog about how water-based paint performs in Florida will resonate with your clients. Plus, the content will get pushed out to local searches because it specifically helps people in a particular area. 

Creating content that has no value to your immediate client base won't help you rank in local searches or get quality leads. 

Therefore, when you think of a content marketing strategy, make sure to include:

• Location keywords
• Topics relevant to people in your area
• Events in your location
• Local trends and news, etc. 

Before you begin your content marketing strategy, we highly recommend hiring a content marketing and local SEO expert. Many elements hamper or elevate your content, so leave it up to the experts to guide you.

You can use Google trends to find what’s trending:

Read: Emerging Content Marketing Trends

11. Pay Attention To Reviews

Search Engine Journal says reviews are among the top 25 local ranking signals. There are three main aspects to reviews; each is a strong local ranking signal. Below are our tips to get the most of them. 

Number Of Positive Reviews - customers and search engines pay attention to the number of positive reviews a business has. Also, Google announced that high-quality reviews improve company visibility. 

Respond To Reviews - another important local ranking signal is responding to reviews. An article published by Google indicates that responding to reviews shows that your business is active and trustworthy. Therefore, appearing in more searches. 

Reviews With Local Keywords - Reviewers who use city keywords signal to Google that your company is established and a big player in that area. Therefore, it's important to acquire reviews from your local clients.

Here’s a screenshot of a painting business responding to a customer’s review:

12. Add Structured Data Markup

Structured Data Markup is a specific code that gets indexed and displayed prominently on result pages. 

For example, if you were to ask on Google: 'What is the best local SEO strategy for painters.' 

You will first see the top-ranked link. It is followed by a 'people also ask' section with clickable questions that pertain to your main search query. This question/answer section is structured data markup. 

Therefore, adding structured data markup to your website will help Google display that content directly on the result page. For example, instead of clicking on your website to find your phone number, they can now access it on the results page. Meaning your painting company will get more visibility. 

Use markups for the following local SEO signals:

• Business hours
• Address
• Phone number

• Website, etc. 

Here’s an example of Structured Data Markup for a business’s opening hours:

Read: How to Use Schema Markup Values on Local SEO?

Local SEO for Painting Companies - FAQs

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Q1: Does My Painting Company Need To Be Optimized For Local SEO?

Yes, painting companies rely on their serviceable area to get clients. Therefore, by implementing a local SEO strategy:

• You will get more quality leads, 
• Rank in more local searches, 
• Get more visibility in your location. 

Q2: How Can I Improve The Local Ranking Of My Painting Company? 

Claiming listings on reputed directories will help your painting company appear in more local searches. That's because the information on these listings acts as local ranking signals. Claim listings in:

• Google My Business,
• Bing Places,
• Angi's
• Porch
• Houzz

Q3: What Is Local SEO For Painters? 

Local Search Engine Optimization is a strategy that helps your painting company gain visibility in more local search results. Any business with a physical location or relies on a local client base can benefit from local SEO.

Q4: Does My Painting Company Need A Website To Appear In Local Searches? 

No, it's not a requirement to have a website for local SEO. Claiming listings will help you rank in local searches. However, having a website is necessary to get the most out of your local SEO strategy and rank higher in SERPs.

Key Takeaways

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• Add location and industry keywords to your painting company website.
• Claim and optimize your Google My Business listing.
• Use the Geo-targeting feature on AdWords and social media.
• Add NAP info on all landing pages.
• Create location-specific content on your webpage.
• Add structure data markup to your website.
• Acquire reviews from local clients. 
• Build backlinks from local sources. 
• Ensure NAP info is the same on all platforms.
• Hire a local SEO expert for the best strategy. 
• Respond to good and bad reviews, 
• Claim listings on industry-specific directories.