Author Archives: Plumbing Webmasters

Slap On Plumber Marketing | The Plumbing SEO Podcast

The industry can be tough to navigate when it comes to plumbing contractor marketing. Plumbers are constantly bombarded with calls from marketing agencies offering new shiny objects in the form of white-label features. But unfortunately, marketing is about salesmanship in many respects, which is bad for the plumber.

In today’s The Plumbing SEO Podcast, Nolen and Jason discuss slap on plumber marketing, which looks behind the curtain at how modern salespeople present the marketing process to local plumbing companies.

Marketing Sales Pitches for Plumbing Companies

The marketing industry is a challenge for plumbers because salespeople frame the marketing process that takes away from the process. An example of this is when a salesperson talks about features from white-label software. This salesperson might offer something like “pins,” but it really doesn’t help your plumbing website rank for any keywords.

The Upsell

Digital marketing services can range from $500 to $10,000 per month, so it’s key to understand what you’re paying for. Some agencies may upsell features unworthy of your investment, like slap-on marketing features that provide no tangible benefits. Companies that educate themselves about digital marketing can avoid such upsales and focus on ROI.

The Dog & Pony Show

Using a lot of big words does not mean the services works. For example, many plumbing marketing agencies will put on a dog and pony show with reporting, audits, and metrics that mean absolutely nothing. Once you start paying $1,100 per month, or more, you will grow frustrated quickly. Unfortunately, these shows don’t evolve into tangible actions that help your company.

The Urgency Instigator

The worse part of getting hosed by a marketing salesperson is when they create false urgency about your website or online presence. For example, they might show you competitor metrics out of context to get your blood boiling in these cases. However, since these salespeople don’t have the resources to actually help you close the gap, they only provide slap-on solutions.

Slap-On Marketing Examples

So what are some examples of slap-on marketing? Sometimes it’s easier to look at real-world instances so you can prevent these sales pitches from working on your company in 2022. Take a look at some prime examples of slap-on plumbing marketing below:

Heat Maps

Heat maps are relatively worthless unless they show up on your service and city pages with captions. For example, DataPins is a powerful local SEO tool because it disperses pins to the most relevant pages for SEO purposes. Unfortunately, other forms of heat maps barely do anything for your business.

Blog Posts

Most plumbing company blog posts are worse than worthless because they hurt your overall website authority. By publishing hundreds of 500-word blog posts that fail to target keywords, you are polluting Google’s index and telling search engines that you produce bad content regularly.

As a result, your crawl budget may lower, and you may lose ranking on your service pages.

Website Templates

If your website comes from a stock template, you can rest assured the agency loves slap-on marketing. Stock templates are prevalent throughout the web because they’re dirt cheap, and agencies can scale them across hundreds of clients.

Unfortunately, Google knows that these templates appear on thousands of websites, marking your website as completely non-unique.

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Strong Plumbing Brand = High Conversion Rates (Podcast)

Strong brand signals increase conversions for plumbing companies in 2022. If you’ve ever wondered why SEO works for some people and does not work for others, the answer is in the brand. A well-known plumbing company with a branded presence typically dominates online and grows its business over time.

In today’s The Plumbing SEO podcast episode, Nolen and Jason dive into the importance of branding for conversion rates. You can watch the video version of the podcast below:

What is a Plumbing Brand?

A plumbing brand is an intangible concept rooted in consumers’ perception of a company, product, or individual. In laypeople’s terms, it’s how people feel about your plumbing company.

If they don’t feel anything at all, that’s a problem. If they feel disgusted, that’s a problem. The goal is to make them associate credibility, trust, and competence with your brand, making them feel positive emotions.

What are Brand Signals?

The literal definition of a brand has existed for centuries. However, the digital landscape has expanded what a brand means for plumbers. In Google’s eyes, brand signals help construct the hierarchy of plumbing companies and influence their rankings, conversions, and appeal.

Company Website

Your plumbing company website is one of the most crucial brand signals. By publishing a high-quality website, your plumbing bsuiness is showcasing a digital business card to the world. In addition, your website sends clear signals to Google about your brand with proper coding and SEO.

Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is another extension of your brand. In this case, it is directly affiliated with Google itself. As you know, Google shows GBP listings on the Local Map 3-Pack, which appear for the majority of local searches. An optimized GBP works wonders for brand signaling.

3rd-Party Reviews

Reviews from credible platforms like Google, Yelp, Facebook, and others serve as critical brand signals for plumbers. Getting reviews on these networks allows customers to research your company quickly and for Google to assign legitimacy to your business.

Of course, positive reviews are most valuable, but accumulating feedback, in general, is a brand signal.

When a customer searches for your brand name on Google, they demonstrate prior knowledge of its existence. For example, they may have heard about your company from a friend or seen the name mentioned on Nextdoor or another community network.

Branded Search

They may have seen your ad on Facebook or another platform in some cases. It doesn’t matter how they came to learn of your company, only that they took action. Once Google registers that lots of people are searching directly for your brand name, they will assign more value to your online entity.

A social media presence is another valuable brand signal for plumbers. YouTube is especially effective if you produce videos of your staff and even self-made commercials. Embedding YouTube videos on your website and other social platforms further expands its brand signal value. Other popular social networks include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Brands Impact on Conversions

Consumer psychology always gravitates towards trust and comfort. Your potential clients are ready to spend money on plumbing services, and they want to get it right the first time. By establishing your brand using some of the strategies listed above, you can become that credible customer brand.

Remember that offline actions like in-person greetings, fundraiser events, and performing excellent services contribute to your brand. Your offline activities will manifest themselves online as well, in the form of customer reviews. If you understand the synergy of a plumbing brand, you have a great chance to dominate your local market in 2022.

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User Intent for Plumbing Companies (Podcast Episode)

Nolen and Jason discuss user intent on today’s Plumbing Webmasters podcast. One of the most significant changes in Google’s algorithm has been user intent in the past decade. As a result, websites from 12 years ago that once dominated have lost out to websites targeting specific intent.

What is User Intent?

User intent is Google’s perceived intent of search queries based on large-scale data analysis. If x amount of people who search for plumbing click on a plumbing service website, Google concludes that the term’s primary intent is to locate a plumbing service rather than general information.

How Plumbers Can Influence User Intent

Plumbing companies can influence user intent through various levers, including company branding, on-site content, and SEO signaling. Plumbers should brand their company as a plumbing entity and fill their website with relevant content that demonstrates trust and credibility.

Company Branding

Your first chance to meet user intent is with your company and domain name. For example, if you specialize in slab leak repair, jimslableakrepair.com will be a beneficial name. However, it also limits you to a particular category. Still, Google will view your name as the leader in this specialty.

Of course, it’s not as simple as choosing a name. First, your website must meet the criteria Google lays out for its authority websites. For example, quality content, schema markup, and quality backlinks all contribute to your website’s brand. So keep these things in mind when choosing a name.

On-Site Content

Your web content is a great way to meet user intent in the plumbing industry. For example, you should publish a service page for each type of plumbing service you offer in 2022. In addition, you can strengthen intent by posting schema pins using the DataPins tool, which validates your service and service area.

Some plumbers try to expand user intent through blog posts, but most fail to move the needle in comparison to DataPins. In addition, blog posts don’t validate your company, particularly when written by outsourced content creators who are typically not affiliated with the plumbing industry.

SEO Signaling

Another way to meet user intent is through SEO signaling. SEO signals can include backlinks, branded search, and general entity connections. Using LSA keywords within your content is a great way to establish user intent. The more quality content you publish on a topic, the better.

Other signals include NAP citations from HomeAdvisor, Angi, Yelp, and social signals from Facebook, YouTube, and Linkedin. Whenever your brand is mentioned on another website, you will strengthen your brand signaling even without a link.

How User Intent Helps Plumbers

Ultimately, implementing these strategies will earn your website more traffic, generate more leads, and convert more customers in 2022. In addition, as you rank for long-tail keywords for various services in various cities, you pick up a more comprehensive range of potential clients. It’s a win-win for plumbers.

If you’d like to learn more about framing your plumbing business as a Google entity, get in touch with Plumbing Webmasters. Our content marketing strategy is crafted to help contractors establish themselves as authorities on specific services.

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7 Steps to Create The Best Plumber Referral Program in 2024

In the following post, HVAC-Plumber SEO Webmasters outlines seven steps to create the best plumber referral program.

As a plumber, you can never have too many leads. Leads can make or break your business.

However, some grass-roots marketing strategies are still incredibly effective for lead generation campaigns. Case in point: referral programs.

Ideas to Create a Referral Program

Call-To-Action
Customer Service
Referral Codes
Incentives
Email Marketing
Flyers
Word of Mouth

Why are referral programs for plumbers still so effective in 2024? Well, for one thing, a staggering amount of the consumer population prefers word-of-mouth referrals to any other form of research or advertising.

Another critical reason plumbers should be taking advantage of referral programs is that plumbing is very much a local business, and consumers value the opinions of their friends and neighbors when looking for home service providers.

Implementing a referral program is easier said than done.

So, how do you incentivize referrals without making them disingenuous? How do you influence your customers to tell their friends and family about your business?

The following tips will provide insights into these complex questions.

Table of Contents

1) Publish a Call-To-Action

Most customers learn about plumbing referral programs through your website or email marketing campaigns. But, of course, you can always mention the program in person or over the phone as well.

From a digital marketing perspective, displaying the terms of your referral program right on your website’s homepage can help increase participation.

You can take it further by creating a specific page for the program and linking it to each of your site’s service pages.

Be sure that the terms are clear wherever you describe your referral program. Take some time to write up a draft that reviews the terms and conditions, incentives, and time restraints. Then, take some time to review the draft a couple of times to make sure it makes sense.

Finally, end the description with a solid call to action like “sign up today,” “join now,” or even “tell a friend about us now!” Of course, the most effective CTAs appear as a button or link to the referral form.

2) Invest in Customer Service

As a plumbing business owner, deciding how to distribute your financial resources is crucial to long-term success.

When it comes to building a referral network, one of the best investments you can make is in your customer service.

Does your office manager create a good rapport with potential referral partners?

Do they inspire customers to want to spread positive feedback about the company?

While these things may not directly impact your plumbing services, they are paramount for creating a brand that people want to recommend to others.

3) Assign Referral Codes

Assign referral codes any time someone signs up for the program to track which referrals are coming from which customers. Giving names seems like enough, but you may have more than one customer with the same name.

When someone signs up for your plumbing referral program, be sure to assign them a code that they give to the people they refer to your business so you can reward the referee accordingly.

4) Incentivize Referrals

You can offer incentives to anyone referred to your business (and purchases a service) by an existing customer. Google Pay did this a little while back to great success.

To get people to sign up for their new service, they gave a signup bonus of $50. Then, they gave an additional $10 to the new signee every time they got a friend to sign up.

In turn, the new referral would be given the same $50 signup bonus plus the opportunity to get an extra 10$ every time they signed someone else up.

Of course, only a company like Google could afford a referral system like this, but you can scale it to your budget.

For instance, you can give 15% off the next plumbing service of the referrer and the referee in your program, thereby incentivizing both parties to refer/make a purchase.

5) Email Marketing

Plumbing companies with an existing email marketing list are ahead of the curve for referral awareness.

For example, you can immediately notify subscribers of your referral program with a single email broadcast. Similarly, you can remind subscribers of the program or provide new incentives to engage.

The list you worked so hard to cultivate will accelerate the success of your referral program. Include all the terms and conditions and your call to action (a link to where they can sign up or get their referral code) within your emails.

You can also create social media posts that promote your referral program to spread the word. You can more or less use the same content as your email messages for this. Just don’t forget to include all relevant information and a link.

6) Distribute a Flyer

A plumber referral program flyer can convince local residents to take action. Much like a CTA works on digital platforms like a company website or Facebook page, a brochure works in the physical world.

Existing customers might pass your flyers to friends or family members, while future customers may notice the flier and decide to utilize your services.

Designing an appealing flier is easy. You can even create the flyer yourself using a tool like Canva.

However, if you’d like to go the more professional route, consider hiring a flyer design and distribution company to handle all the heavy lifting themselves. You will get a complete report after the campaign completion.

7) Word of Mouth

It all comes back to word of mouth. Be sure that you and your team tell satisfied customers about your new plumbing contractor referral program at the end of service calls.

You may even want cards or leaflets made up that explain the terms and tell the customer how and where they can sign up.

Much like reputation management, discussing referrals in person can make your digital communications more potent.

Consumers who’ve discussed the process with you beforehand are more likely to take action when reminded of the offer in digital form.

Merge With Marketing

Referral campaigns are a form of marketing for plumbing companies. Like any other promotional effort, the impact is more significant with a full-scale marketing approach.

For example, plumbing contractors who invest in custom websites, SEO, and reputation management will reach more customers with every endeavor.

To learn more about plumbing marketing services, contact HVAC-Plumber SEO Webmasters.

How To Choose The Best Plumbing CRM Software in 2023

We work directly with plumbers, so we know firsthand that many still use old CRM or Customer Relationship Management methods. While there is nothing wrong with the old ways, plumbing CRM software can increase efficiency and productivity. However, how small plumbing operations handle customer relations usually holds them back.

Still, choosing the right CRM software can be a challenge in and of itself. So in the following post, Plumbing Webmasters presents a guide for selecting the right CRM software. We will also describe what CRM software can do for your business and the advantages it brings.

What is a Plumbing CRM?

Plumbing Customer Relationship Management software seeks to streamline many of the processes that take up the time of your staff and service team. CRM software suites usually offer digital tools for getting in touch with clients, keeping track of your plumbers in the field, managing invoices, and following up with customers.

Here are some of the processes that CRM software typically automates:

Document Filing: Once your plumber gets out to the customer’s home or place of business and certain services are agreed upon, a CRM will allow your service team member to file paperwork detailing the work automatically agreed upon so that your office staff will be able to review it.

Team Check-Ins: Instead of having all of your plumbers call your staff members after finishing a job, CRMs have check-in tools that allow plumbers to notify staff and dispatchers of completion instead of having to pick up the phone, call the office and potentially miss a connection because your office staff is busy fielding calls from customers.

Fleet Management: Many CRMs for plumbers will include fleet tracking so you can see exactly where your service team is at all times.

Customer Follow-up: A good CRM software suite will include a tool that automates the customer follow-up process by alerting staff members to contact a customer or send out an email at an allotted time.

As you can see, plumbing CRM software goes beyond how your company interacts with customers – it streamlines many critical moving parts of your business. However, the goal is still the same: facilitate your operation to offer better service to the customer.

Plumbing CRM Benefits

If you have gotten along just fine without using plumber CRM software, you may wonder why you should change things now. The fact is that any business could always do better. CRM software will provide you with the means to operate your business more efficiently and effectively.

Here are some of the essential advantages of using CRM software:

Infographic Showing CRM Benefits for Plumbers

Eliminates Human Error

All the moving parts of your operation are opportunities for human error. A CRM will eliminate some of these moving parts. For example, when one of your team members has to write down customer information with pen and paper, there’s no guarantee that your field team will be able to understand the handwriting.

Misplaced documents can also be a significant setback for your operations. CRM automates many of these processes and decreases the chances of miscommunication, lost documents, and missed connections.

Serves as a Phone Service

Your staff can only field one call at a time. What if they are talking to one customer while another one calls to schedule an appointment? That’s a missed opportunity and lost money. Most CRM software suites will include a phone service that fields calls or directs them to available staff members.

Improves Use of Man Hours

When menial tasks like filing paperwork, sending out invoices, and sending important emails are automated with a CRM suite, your team has more time to focus on more critical tasks. One of the most vital advantages of CRMs is delegating your man-hours in the most efficient way possible.

Minimizes Confusion

Has your team even gotten mixed up in the field? For example, maybe two plumbers showed up at the same property when one was supposed to go elsewhere.

With CRM software, field mixups will happen a lot less. All of your team members will know where they are supposed to be, and what’s more, this software makes it easier and quicker to pull team members off of a job and send them somewhere else when needed.

Saves you Money

In the end, fewer wasted man-hours, fewer missed customer connections, and better resource allocation will make your business more profitable.

Simplifies Organization

The best CRM software suites for plumbing contractors will also include options for keeping track of tools, materials, and supplies you have in your inventory. Some even have tools that keep track of your inventory and automatically order more supplies when needed.

Enhances Marketing

Unless you specifically ask the customers who call you how they heard about your business, you won’t know which marketing efforts yield results. Some CRM software suites will track where leads are coming in from to know which plumbing marketing tactics are working and which ones need improvement.

Best Plumbing CRM Software Features

Now that you know some of the most important benefits of using a plumbing company CRM software suite, let’s talk about some of the features that plumbers should keep an eye out for:

Mobile App Access

Your plumbers out in the field must be able to check in and relay important information to you or your staff on the go. Any good CRM software suite will include access to a centralized mobile app that your team can dispatch important information from the field.

Answering Service

Connecting with customers when they call or reach out via online chat is vital for your business. So try to opt for a CRM software suite that includes automated customer support chat and an answering service to avoid missed calls.

Smooth Interface

Chances are, some of your team members won’t be familiar with CRM software. That’s why choosing CRM software with a user-friendly interface is crucial. Of course, there will always be a learning curve; but the best CRM tools will help flatten that curve.

Customer Profiling

It can benefit existing customers to have a history of services rendered to them on hand. CRM software that allows you to keep a record of customers will make it easier to assign technicians to jobs and improve customer service.

Automated Texts

SMS automation is a helpful feature as it eliminates the need for your team to call the customer the evening before an appointment to remind them that they will be coming the next day. Other types of plumbing software often feature text automation tools, but CRMs should offer them as part of their suite.

5 Traits to Look for in an HVAC Business Coach (2023 Update)

Finding a competent HVAC business coach isn’t as easy as it sounds. Various factors influence whether or not an industry coach is a good fit for your long-term vision and comfort level. The best way to get started is to identify the qualities you require in a business coach for the HVAC industry.

Getting a foothold in the HVAC industry can be very difficult – especially if you happen to be operating in a particularly saturated market. Not only do you have to stay on top of your game in terms of technical skills, but then you have to navigate the business side of your operation.

Striking out on your own as a new HVAC contractor involves a lot of things they never taught you at trade school. But just as it was helpful for you to learn HVAC under an apprentice, an HVAC business coach can teach you what you need to know to make your operation successful.

But even choosing the right HVAC business coach can be a challenge. That’s why we dedicated today’s post to identifying the best characteristics for an HVAC business coach to have.

What is an HVAC Business Coach?

An HVAC business coach is someone who guides and assists heating and cooling contractors with running their business and developing a vision for their company. Additionally, a business coach helps contractors implement strategies to realize their vision and grow their company.

Traits of an Excellent Business Coach for HVAC Contractors

Most successful business coaches share specific qualities which you can look for in your research process. Of course, different coaches will fit better with various contractors. However, you should pay attention to the following qualities in your initial assessment.

1) Experience

First and foremost is experience. Any HVAC business coach you are considering needs to show you a proven track record of success. Keep in mind that one of the essential points of even working with a business coach is to help you avoid common mistakes. A coach won’t do that if they do not have experience themselves.

And as an HVAC contractor, you have to make sure that they have specific experience with other HVAC operations. A good business coach will have experience in everything from payroll and logistics to marketing and human resources. So look for a coach with a very well-balanced palette of experience.

2) Availability

Hiring a heating and AC business coach does no good if they are never available to you. Right from the gate, you need to ask them what their schedule is like, how often they would be able to work with you, when you can reach them, and how they will be available to you (phone, text, email, Zoom call, etc.).

It’s important to note that not every HVAC contractor will need a coach to be on-call 24/7. Maybe this isn’t your first time around the block, and you need a little guidance this time around. However, if you are striking out on your own for the first time, you will more than likely need a business coach who can field your questions and concerns as they arise.

3) Network

You know the old adage, “it’s not what you know. It’s who you know?” To a certain extent, that’s true, but not for the reasons that most people think. When shopping for HVAC business coaches, it’s essential to inquire about their network and connections. Yes, this is important for the apparent reason: opening doors for you and connecting you with people who can grow your business.

But more importantly, a coach with a strong network indicates strong communication skills, a willingness to help others, involvement in the industry, and of course, experience – all of which are fundamental traits for a business coach to have.

Therefore it would be constructive for you to ask, “what kinds of connections do you have in the industry?” when interviewing business coaches.

4) Willingness to Teach

There are some things that you will not be able to screen for. For example, a heating and cooling business coach can make all sorts of promises in the interview phase; but be utterly ineffectual after the hire. One thing that is hard to perceive until you work with a coach is their willingness to teach.

It is not good if a business coach has decades of experience and tons of industry connections if they’re unwilling to teach you everything they know or share their network with you. Still, it should be pretty easy to determine whether your coach is a good fit in the early days of working with him. So here are some red flags to look out for:

Punctuality: It’s usually not a good sign if your business coach is late for your first meeting.
Communication: A good business coach who is willing to teach should be communicative. They should be bringing up new subjects and pointing out opportunities to educate.
Inspiration: A good teacher doesn’t just hurl facts by rote; they seek opportunities to inspire their students. A good business coach will take everyday business situations and turn them into opportunities for inspiration.
Perspective: If your business coach isn’t sharing lessons from their personal experience, it’s unlikely that they will be able to give you the perspective you need when you get discouraged or bogged down in numbers.

5) Compatibility

It’s important to remember that business coaching is a 2-way street. It’s not all about the coach’s qualifications – although that is a massive part of the equation. In general, though, you have to get along with the coach. Is the coach personable? Do you have anything in common with them outside of the HVAC business?

Do they seem to share the vision you have for your business? Are they intimidating, or do you feel you can come to them with any problem or question? These can be very subjective judgments which is why 96% of students cited personal rapport as an important coaching factor.

It can also be beneficial to examine their history. If possible, you will want to work with a business coach who started their own HVAC business and made it a success. You can take it a step further and opt for a coach who has run an operation similar to yours (equal number of employees, services offered, geographic market, etc.).

A Guide to Local Services Ads for Plumbers (Google Guaranteed)

Guide Cover for Plumbing Contractor Local Services Ads

Plumbing contractor local services ads are online advertisements that can help plumbing businesses succeed. Local services ads for plumbers take paid advertising to the next level. After initially rolling out in select cities throughout the U.S., these ads are now available nationwide.

Local plumbers can undoubtedly take advantage of this service. As a result, local services ads are already becoming an essential aspect of digital marketing, which your plumbing company should research and test as part of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy.

Key Takeaway

LSA ads for plumbers appear at the very top of local search results, making them a valuable advertising channel for plumbing companies.

Table of Contents

What Are Plumbing Contractor Local Services Ads?

Local services ads are digital, paid ads that appear when someone does a local search for a particular type of service. A perfect example of a search that would qualify for a local service ad would be something along the lines of Plumber in St. Petersburg, FL.

If you are a plumber in St. Petersburg and you have a live local service ad, then your ad would show up to the searcher. Local service ads differ from standard PPC ads, though. Instead of paying every time someone clicks on your ad, you pay when the searcher makes a call to your company.

This way, you can eliminate the need to pay for people who errantly click on your ad or don’t move further along the sales funnel. With local service ads, you only pay for warm leads.

Why Plumbers Should Use Local Services Ads

There are many advantages to local services ads. Here are just a few of the most important ones:

Google Guaranteed

You will need to get the Google Guaranteed badge to start using local services ads, which is a hurdle, but it will add credibility to your brand. The Google Guaranteed badge lets consumers know that they can trust you. In some instances, having this badge can increase leads.

Fast Results

Local service ads target people already looking to connect with service providers. As a result, they can move consumers along the sales funnel faster than standard PPC ads. With traditional ads, the consumer arrives at a landing page and maybe gets in touch with you.

Conversely, the consumer clicks the ad with local service ads, asks a couple of qualifying questions, and calls you.

Top Rankings

Local service ads appear at the top of qualifying search engine results pages – even above the highest-ranking organic search results. Their positioning increases visibility and makes it more likely people will see and respond to your ad.

Reputation Compatibility

Signing up for local services ads will include setting up a Local Services profile. Part of your profile will consist of reviews that people have left you on Google. Google ranks your ad based on the number of reviews and aggregate star scoring (along with considering the searcher’s proximity).

Built-in Conversions

One of the best things for plumbers is that you won’t need to design any landing pages. There’s nothing fancy about plumbing contractor local services ads. Instead, they provide all the vital information that consumers need to know, like your area of service, phone number, hours of operation, and the services you offer.

Getting Started with Local Services Ads

The first thing you will need to do is head over to the Google Local Service Ad signup page. The signup process will first include providing Google with copies of your business license, business insurance, and background checks for any of the team members that actually will be entering your customers’ homes – including yourself.

The Google Screening process usually takes between 2 and 5 weeks. In the meantime, though, you should be setting up your Local Service profile. The information you will need to fill out includes:

Basic Business Info

Business info includes your company’s name, the phone number(s) for your business, hours of operation, and the areas you service.

Services Offered

It’s essential to include all of the services you provide. Local services ads use the service information you provide to qualify customers and connect them to your business, so make sure you list all of the plumbing services you provide.

A Company Overview

Google allows you to write a little something about your business in your own words. It would be best if you used this section to talk about what makes your company unique, your company values, important customer history, or anything that will endear your business to the viewer.

Google Reviews

Google reviews are included in your local service ad, so it helps to generate as many as possible using software like DataPins.

Local Service Ad Tips for Plumbers

While the process is relatively simple, there are still some things you should keep in mind if you want the highest ROI for your ads. Here are some tips:

Screenshot of Review for Sunset West Plumbing

Check NAP

Double-check that all the NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) information on your Local Service profile is correct and corresponds to NAP information listed for your company elsewhere on the internet.

Request Reviews

Be sure you keep up with asking your customers for reviews. Positive reviews are essential for local service ads and help yours rank higher.

Monitor Certificate Expirations

Your certifications will have an expiration date with Google. So when setting up your profile, be sure to closely review when your business licenses and other certificates will expire and include the precise date.

Final Thoughts on LSA for Plumbing Companies

One benefit of plumbing contractor local services ads is that they are more straightforward than PPC ads to set up. Yes, you will have to gather copies of insurance, licenses, and background checks and send them out to Google; but that’s the hardest part.

Setting up the profile is very easy and can be done in about an hour. Your work is done once your documents have been verified and your profile completed.

6 Tips To Generate Emergency Plumbing Leads in 2023

Blog Post Cover for Emergency Plumbing Leads

Plumbers can take several steps to generate plumbing leads through digital marketing, advertising, and brand development. However, emergency plumbing leads present a new set of challenges for lead generation.

For instance, emergency leads come with urgency and require specific resources to meet their demands. In the following post, Plumbing Webmasters offers six tips to generate emergency plumbing leads in 2023.

Table of Contents

1) Target Emergency Plumbing Keywords With SEO

Your company website targets plumber, plumbing services, and plumbing repair keywords. However, you will need to target keywords with user intent to generate emergency leads.

For example, the phrase emergency plumber near me is vital for your SEO campaign. Optimize a service page specifically for emergency repairs and write content to support the topic.

SEO involves inserting keywords within your title tags, meta descriptions, and on-page content. Don’t forget about the image alt text and your URL slug or permalink.

Of course, you can further boost your SEO by linking from other website pages to the page you are trying to rank. Make sure you use anchor texts that contain the emergency keyword.

Screenshot of MOZ Keyword List for Emergency Plumbing Repair

2) Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Using a series of tactics, you can generate emergency leads for plumbers through your Google Business Profile. The most impactful one will be naming your plumbing company something like Jim’s Emergency Plumbing Service.

If your keyword exists within your business name, you will garner more clicks and impressions through Google Maps.

Next, be sure to add emergency plumbing to your list of services on your profile. Google allows listing managers to add and edit services offered.

Other steps you can take include uploading photos of emergency plumbing jobs and requesting reviews from clients who requested emergency services.

If their reviews mention the service you performed, it can boost your profile.

Bonus Tip: Make sure the website connected to your Google Business Profile has content about “emergency plumbing,” as Google Maps will scan your associated site for website justifications.

3) Run Google Ads for Emergency Plumbing Terms

SEO can take a while to implement, so consider investing in Google Ads for short-term emergency plumbing leads. You can run ads for keywords like emergency plumbing repair near me and appear above organic results. You will pay each time someone clicks on your Google Ad, so make sure you monitor the cost per click and your campaign budget.

Clicks are only as valuable as their conversion rate, so make sure you lead users to a well-designed landing page for conversion. The fastest way to blow your marketing budget is to pay for worthless clicks that produce zero ROI. For example, your Google Ads landing page should make it easy for customers to contact your plumbing company.

Google Ads PPC Screenshot for Emergency Plumber

Customers needing emergency services will want to contact you ASAP, so ensure your ad reflects your ability to resolve their plumbing issue quickly.

4) Buy Emergency Plumbing Leads

You reserve the option to buy plumbing leads from a 3rd-party provider. These platforms typically generate leads using the methods above but then sell those leads to contractors.

Emergency leads will cost more than a typical lead since the hourly rate is higher per job. Be careful where you purchase leads since some platforms run shady services in this area.

When purchasing emergency plumbing leads, ensure you get exclusive leads instead of shared leads.

Exclusives are for your business directly, while shared leads force you to compete with other plumbers for the same prospect. Ultimately, exclusive leads are more valuable and more likely to convert in 2023.

5) Brand Your Business as an Emergency Specialist

If you want to get referral leads for emergency plumbing, you must brand your business as a specialty service. For example, name your company something like Davis’ Brothers Emergency Plumbing Service.

This way, all of your marketing materials will drive home your specialty, and you can become the obvious choice for word-of-mouth referrals.

We noted earlier how a keyword-rich company name could increase your Google Maps rankings locally, but its impact extends beyond that.

For example, if your domain name has the keyword within it, you can expect an organic SEO boost and the ability to establish topical authority.

In addition, building 50+ content pages/posts around this topic can boost your ranking.

6) Run Emergency Plumbing Ads on Nextdoor

Aside from Google Ads, Nextdoor is the best place to advertise emergency plumbing services and generate leads.

Because Nextdoor is like a digital word-of-mouth platform, the users’ comfort level is higher than with Facebook and other social media platforms.

People are essentially discussing plumbing services with their neighbors.

Because emergency services are urgent, you must reach customers who actively seek plumbing repairs.

However, it’s unlikely that a user will go to Facebook to find an emergency plumber, so running Facebook Ads is less logical than for standard plumbing services.

Final Thoughts on Emergency Plumbing Lead Generation

The tips above can help plumbing companies increase emergency leads in 2023. At Plumbing Webmasters, we highly recommend using DataPins to increase your lead generation sources.

Each time you perform an emergency plumbing job in a specific service area, you can pin that job to your website. Google Maps will scan your site and may add a “website justification” to your Google Business Profile.

Furthermore, DataPins allows you to request a review from that customer and display it online.

The 8 Best Plumber Marketing Agencies in 2024 (with/Ratings)

Blog Cover for Ranking 8 Best Plumber Digital Marketing Agencies

Finding a plumbing marketing agency is tricky for local plumbers. So, how do you know which companies you can trust and which you should steer clear of in 2024?

An industry veteran like Plumbing Webmasters can provide insights into companies offering the best marketing services for plumbing contractors. Below, we rate the best eight digital marketing agencies for the new year:

Table of Contents

Best Plumber Marketing Agencies

Plumbing Webmasters

Social Eyes Marketing

Cardinal Digital Marketing

The Dillon Ross Group

SagaPixel

VSF Marketing

Flamingo Agency

Rank Boss

1) Plumbing Webmasters

You might think ranking ourselves #1 is self-serving and promotional. But, as proud realists, we’re happy to acknowledge that you’re absolutely right. As a digital marketing agency for plumbing companies, we deliver.

However, since you found us when searching for plumbing contractor internet marketing agency on Google, you can see that our strategies work. The good news is that they can work for you, also.

Services:

Branding

Content Writing

DataPins

Local SEO

Reputation Management

Search Engine Optimization

Website Design

Pricing:

$1,500-$3,500 monthly

Reviews:

Google: 4.9-Stars, 40 Reviews

2) Social Eyes Marketing

Social Eyes Marketing, based in Boise, ID, is one of the best that money can buy for plumbing companies. They offer web hosting packages for as little as $29 per month and site speed optimization tools. This plumbing contractor marketing agency certainly does the job.

Their monthly fee is cheaper than most, which makes sense, considering some plumbers are just starting their businesses. However, not everyone can afford to pay $1,000 per month, making Social Eyes’ a convenient hosting space for plumbing businesses.

Services:

Reputation Management

Search Engine Optimization

Website Design

Pricing:

$29-$89 monthly (web hosting), unknown monthly service price

Reviews:

Google: 4.9-Stars, 164 Reviews

3) Cardinal Digital Marketing

Cardinal Digital Marketing focuses on getting customers for your plumbing business. With this agency, it’s all about creating value for services and establishing demonstratable experiences.

Cardinal’s SEO services help promote your plumbing company online with a strategy aimed at growing search rankings for relevant keywords in your local area. They indicate a price of between $750 and $1,500 per month.

Services:

Facebook Ads

Pay Per Click

Programmatic Display

Search Engine Optimization

Pricing:

$750-$1,000 monthly

Reviews:

Google: 4.8 Stars – 80 Reviews

4) The Dillon Ross Group

The Dillon Ross Group provides specialists to assist with digital marketing for plumbing companies and craft custom plans to target relevant keywords. The goal of their service is to generate more leads and calls.

Their agency offers website design, reputation management, and local SEO with the goal of lead generation. With 21 5-star Google reviews, this agency seems to fit the bill for what plumbers want in their marketing.

Services:

Lead Generation

Local SEO

Reputation Management

Search Engine Optimization

Website Design

Pricing:

$2,000-$10,000 monthly

Reviews:

Google: 5-stars, 23 Reviews

5) SagaPixel

SagaPixel is a full-service plumbing contractor internet marketing agency that provides services to market any plumbing business. Their offerings include SEO, GBP, PPC, ROI, and website maintenance.

As a complete agency provider, plumbing companies can utilize SagaPixel’s services as a single solution for their promotional needs. So don’t sleep on this plumber online marketing agency in 2024.

Services:

Google Business Profile

ROI Optimization

Search Engine Optimization

Website Maintenance

Pricing:

$1,000-$10,000 monthly

Reviews:

Google: 4.8-Stars, 36 Reviews

6) VSF Marketing

VSF provides a wide range of solutions, including SEO, branding, and more. The Florida-based agency helps businesses grow their online presence across various channels. Their staff is qualified and experienced.

The agency ensures a scalable campaign plan to progressively grow your company using SEO and website development services. Their company also provides reporting with measurable insights that clients can follow.

Services:

Branding

Content Creation

Link Building

Local SEO

Search Engine Optimization

Website Design

Web Hosting

Pricing:

Unknown Monthly Fee

Reviews:

Google: Unrated

Facebook: 4-Stars, 21 Votes

7) Flamingo Agency

Flamingo Agency describes itself as a boutique digital marketing agency for plumbers. Their services include SEO and website design. As a top-rated digital provider, Flamingo provides solutions to plumbers.

The agency offers free audits and outlines a process for producing results for plumbing contractors. As a plumbing marketing company, they also provide SEO consultation in addition to Local SEO.

Services:

Consultation

Local SEO

Search Engine Optimization

Website Design

WordPress

Pricing:

$2,499-$4,999 (one-time design fee), unknown monthly fee

Reviews:

Google: Unrated

Clutch: 5-Stars, 35 Reviews

8) Rank Boss

Rank Boss provides full-service digital marketing to plumbing contractors. Their service boasts measurable results for plumbing clients with strategies for both local and national campaigns.

Rank Boss understands varying solutions for plumbing companies which is why they offer customized campaigns for their clients. Campaign reps define each client’s needs and work towards collaborative solutions.

Services:

Local SEO

Search Engine Optimization

Pricing:

Unknown

Reviews:

Google: Unrated

Choosing The Best Marketing Company for Plumbers

Plumbers should simplify the agency selection process by considering four significant categories. Of course, other factors also influence decision-making, but reducing your possibilities will help efficiency. Keep in mind that only 30% of business owners are happy with their providers.

Statistic about Plumbing Marketing Company Clients

Pricing

Every plumbing contractor works within the confines of a budget. Sometimes, that budget is significant when it comes to regional companies with dozens of technicians. Other times, the budget is relatively small.

Some plumbing companies list pricing on their website. In contrast, others require plumbers to call in or fill out an online form that reveals your budget. It may seem unfair that you have to display a budget before them.

Reviews

The fastest way to learn more about a marketing agency is to see what others say about them online. The best places to go are Google Reviews, Facebook Recommendations, and sometimes Yelp. Steer clear of on-site testimonials, as those web admins can easily embellish them.

There’s no specific star rating that makes an agency the best option. However, you can usually tell when the company has lots of upset clients. For example, any star rating under 3.5 indicates that they aren’t popular. Ultimately, use your best judgment with the help of review platforms.

Services

It might seem like a simple concept, but your agency must provide the solutions you need for your plumbing company. Maybe you already have a good website and only require SEO and Local SEO services to boost rankings.

Other companies may not have a website at all and require building one from scratch. For example, some plumbers want a big PPC advertising budget. In contrast, others want to get their plumbing leads from Google Organic. It always helps when an agency can separate itself with an uncommon feature.

Relationship

At the end of the day, your marketing agency will form a relationship with your plumbing business. You have to ensure that it’s a positive relationship with mutual understanding. You can only find this out by calling the agency owner and getting a rapport before buying.

Plumbing companies often base their decision solely on reviews and pricing, and the relationship ends up as a disaster, resulting in termination and money loss. You can prevent this from happening by doing your due diligence and talking with the agency about your company.

How To Get Water Damage Leads By Phone With Pay Per Call

Do you want water damage leads by phone with pay-per-call?

As a plumber, your business depends on quality leads. It would help if you had leads to create a steady customer base. The problem for many plumbers and marketers alike is that it is notoriously tricky to drum up leads.

However, the advantage that plumbers have is that they offer an essential service. People won’t wait around and decide whether they want a water leak fixed – they will pick up the phone and call a plumber immediately.

For this reason, water damage leads are some of the most coveted for plumbers. But how do you get more water damage leads? One option is pay-per-call advertising. Pay-per-call works a lot like pay-per-click, only with phones.

Getting water damage leads by phone becomes infinitely easier when you opt for a pay-per-call advertising campaign. In the following post, Plumbing Webmasters will explain the basics of pay-per-call for plumbers and show you how to get more water damage leads by phone.

Table of Contents

The Basics of Pay-Per-Call

Say you want to advertise your water damage service. You create an advertising campaign and go to a pay-per-call advertising service to publish and manage it.

Once your campaign is live, the publishers (sometimes called affiliates) give your campaign a unique tracking number to monitor which calls came from the ad campaign. Suppose the call lasts a certain amount of time. In that case, if the customer makes a specific qualifying action or if the caller is in a particular area, you pay the publisher.

You pay the publisher for every qualifying call. However, if the call does not meet specific criteria, you don’t have to pay. As a result, you only pay for quality leads, which makes this option so viable for getting water damage leads by phone.

When the caller has met specific qualifying criteria, it typically signals a customer ready to pay for your service. At this point, however, you may be wondering how these criteria are determined.

What Determines a Qualifying Call?

The criteria on what makes a “qualifying call” (in other words, a call that you have to pay for) takes place before the ad campaign launches. Different affiliate services will have different models, but you can discuss the criteria with them before starting their services.

For pay-per-call advertising campaigns, the criteria are usually the length of the phone call, where the caller is calling from, or what numbers they press during interaction with an automated routing system.

The criteria will vary from service to service. Still, the good news is that there are a lot of affiliates to work with out there, so you don’t have to settle for the first one or two you speak with if you don’t like what they’re telling you about their qualifying calls.

Why Pay-Per-Call Works for Plumbers

If you take phone calls to connect with customers, pay-per-call advertising will help because it will effectively increase your inbound call volume.

Think about this: when a person calls a plumbing company, how likely do you think they are to pay for a service? Probably pretty likely, right? People who make an effort to pick up their phone and call a plumbing company are very likely to have what’s called purchasing intent.

In other words, they are ready to hire someone for plumbing services. However, when a person gets on their phone or computer and searches for “plumbers near me,” they are much more likely to have what’s called research intent. In these cases, they are not necessarily ready to hire just yet and are much more likely to be researching their options.

Pay-per-call works for plumbers – it will get you a higher call volume, and for plumbers, a phone call is almost certainly money in the bank.

How to Get More Leads With The Pay-Per-Call Method

Pay-per-call isn’t magic. You still have to practice discernment if you want more water damage leads by phone using a pay-per-call ad campaign. However, here are some tips for ensuring a profitable pay-per-call campaign:

Choose the Right Service: We can’t stress this one enough. Talking at length with a prospective publisher or affiliate, asking questions, and looking at their track record is infinitely important. These people will be handling your calls, so you need to make sure that any affiliate you are considering working with puts a high emphasis on customer experience.

Track Results: The good news is that it’s easy to track the results of your pay-per-call campaign because each caller that yours generates will have a unique number. Keep a sharp eye on how many calls you are getting through your campaign.

Pressure the Pain: If you are trying to get more water damage leads specifically, then take time to craft your ad campaign. One surefire method is to pressure the pain. Explain the headache of water damage and how your service can alleviate the burden.

To get started with water damage leads, contact Plumbing Webmasters today. Our agency provides pay-per-call advertising services for water damage professionals and plumbers.

Marketing Sales Pitches for Plumbing Companies

The Upsell

The Dog & Pony Show

The Urgency Instigator

Slap-On Marketing Examples

Heat Maps

Blog Posts

Website Templates

What is a Plumbing Brand?

What are Brand Signals?

Company Website

Google Business Profile

3rd-Party Reviews

Branded Search

Social Media Activity

Brands Impact on Conversions

What is User Intent?

How Plumbers Can Influence User Intent

Company Branding

On-Site Content

SEO Signaling

How User Intent Helps Plumbers

1) Publish a Call-To-Action

2) Invest in Customer Service

3) Assign Referral Codes

4) Incentivize Referrals

5) Email Marketing

6) Distribute a Flyer

7) Word of Mouth

Merge With Marketing

What is a Plumbing CRM?

Plumbing CRM Benefits

Eliminates Human Error

Serves as a Phone Service

Improves Use of Man Hours

Minimizes Confusion

Saves you Money

Simplifies Organization

Enhances Marketing

Best Plumbing CRM Software Features

Mobile App Access

Answering Service

Smooth Interface

Customer Profiling

Automated Texts

What is an HVAC Business Coach?

Traits of an Excellent Business Coach for HVAC Contractors

1) Experience

2) Availability

3) Network

4) Willingness to Teach

5) Compatibility

What Are Plumbing Contractor Local Services Ads?

Why Plumbers Should Use Local Services Ads

Google Guaranteed

Fast Results

Top Rankings

Reputation Compatibility

Built-in Conversions

Getting Started with Local Services Ads

Basic Business Info

Services Offered

A Company Overview

Google Reviews

Local Service Ad Tips for Plumbers

Check NAP

Request Reviews

Monitor Certificate Expirations

Final Thoughts on LSA for Plumbing Companies

1) Target Emergency Plumbing Keywords With SEO

2) Optimize Your Google Business Profile

3) Run Google Ads for Emergency Plumbing Terms

4) Buy Emergency Plumbing Leads

5) Brand Your Business as an Emergency Specialist

6) Run Emergency Plumbing Ads on Nextdoor

Final Thoughts on Emergency Plumbing Lead Generation

1) Plumbing Webmasters

2) Social Eyes Marketing

3) Cardinal Digital Marketing

4) The Dillon Ross Group