Have you just opened a new tree care company and want to attract your first batch of clients? Or have you been in business for decades and hope to expand your client base? No matter how many years you’ve been in business, there’s still room for growth — a goal that can be achieved with the help of search engine optimization (SEO).
Today, search engines, especially Google, are the go-to solution for online consumers looking for products and services. Being listed on the first page of the search engine results is a company’s ticket to success.
Compared to traditional marketing methods, like TV and radio ads, flyers, billboards, and tradeshows, SEO:
- Casts a wider net
Serving the tree care needs of your immediate community is just the beginning. Your company may not (yet) be looking to provide services on a global front, but you can start offering your services to neighbouring towns and cities, effectively expanding your target market.
- Is a targeted campaign
SEO allows you to reach your ideal audience — home or property owners looking to improve or maintain their landscape. This demographic needs your service and will be searching for a company to give it to them.
A TV commercial or a billboard targets the general public, many of which may not even own a garden. SEO, on the other hand, makes your business available to customers ready to spend money on your services. When a consumer needs hedges pruned or a tree removed, they will not wait for a commercial to flash on-screen or rummage for a day-old newspaper with an ad. They will, instead, go online and search for companies offering those services.
- Is more cost-effective
Traditional media can cost thousands of dollars for short-term campaigns. A full-page newspaper ad in a Toronto paper can cost upwards of $6000 depending on which newspaper brand. TV ads cost significantly more, hundreds of thousands of dollars for a 30-second ad aired for a few weeks. With SEO, you can get long-term exposure to a wider and more specific audience for much less.
- Can get you more leads
Once you reach that coveted first-page spot in the search engine results page, your chances of getting more leads increase. Visibility on search engines means you are one of the trusted brands. Customers searching for services will turn to the first few companies their search engine of choice suggests.
This doesn’t mean you need to completely ignore other marketing means. However, for the success and growth of your tree care business, you need to upgrade your existing advertising campaign by adding SEO into the mix.
Consider these preliminary SEO strategies to get you started:
Website Optimization
- Mobile-Friendly
The preference for mobile phones over a PC or a laptop for scanning the Internet has risen steadily over the years. During emergencies, especially, people will more likely whip out the most accessible device — their phones — to find solutions. For instance, if a homeowner’s tree is struck by lightning and needs immediate removal, it would be easy for him to look up the nearest (or most trusted company) on his mobile. Having a mobile-friendly website will make sure potential customers don’t bounce from your site and turn to other companies.
- Fast Loading Times
Slow load times force a visitor to wait. The longer the load times, the higher the chances are that your visitors will bounce. Faster loading times also boost user experience, which entices them to come back.
Keyword Research
Know your market. In order to drive traffic to your site, you have to know which terms and phrases (i.e. keywords) consumers use to search for your services. Select the keywords you want to rank for in the search engines.
The ideal keywords are ones with high search volume and low competition rate. Long-tail keywords are also preferable to short-tail ones if you have yet to build a name for yourself online. Once you’ve achieved high rankings for the long-tail keywords you choose, you can move on to the short tail ones.
Additionally, because you serve a specific area, it’s best practice to localize your keywords. Localizing simply means to add the location where you operate or offer your services.
Below are some of the keyword examples for tree care companies:
- Short Tail
- arborist
- tree service
- tree removal
- tree pruning
- Long Tail (Localized)
- certified arborist in Ajax
- GTA tree service
- tree service in Aurora
- tree pruning near me
Take advantage of the online keyword tools to help you cross this task off the list. Focus on ranking a few at first and expand the list moving forward. A word of warning: do not spam your keywords. Search engines look down on the practice and will penalize your site.
Online Directories Listing
Online directories are the new Yellow Pages. If you want potential customers to find you easily, make your company and contact details available on different platforms. This includes Yelp, HomeStars, and Google. Signing on to Google My Business will place your company on Google Maps.
Content
Winning with on-page SEO in 2020 means three words: expertise, authority, and trust (in short, E-A-T). These are among the topmost factors search engine quality raters look for in a website. One of the best ways to establish E-A-T is through high-quality content.
- Service Pages
Service pages outline and describe what your company offers. Create one page for each product (if any) and service — one for pruning, another for stump removal, and a third for emergency services. Include your keywords in every page. Generally, once or twice in the headings, content, and meta.
This is also where you showcase what sets you apart from other companies. Do you use eco-friendly techniques, provide a free assessment, or have 24/7 availability? Talk about your certifications, years of experience, or if you specialize in residential or commercial tree care.
- Blog
Blogging showcases your expertise on the subject and shows your customers that you care. By providing your readers with useful, relevant, and timely content, you become a useful and trusted source of information.
Take advantage of blogging by writing about critical information, like tips to protect your plants in winter or what a home gardener needs to improve the landscape. Share whatever guides, how-tos, and tips and tricks you’ve learned over the years.
To rank high, you need to update your blog with fresh and useful content at least once or twice a month.
- Videos and/or Podcasts
Amplify your content by repurposing blogs and turning them into podcasts and/or videos you can place on various platforms. These media are great ways for you to cement your expertise in the minds of your customers and boost the number of followers.
How-to’s, for instance, are popular youtube searches. Do-it-yourselfers want to learn from experts who can teach them “how to prune a tree in winter” or “how to landscape a yard.” Even if you discourage the practice (largely for safety reasons), put the word out there. They’ll know who to turn to if or when they get into a bind. In fact, this is a great opportunity for you to reinforce the notion that they need the help of professionals.
- Infographics
Infographics are another way to repurpose your content. You can make one that stands alone or to complement your blog post.
Online Reviews
Online reviews are the word of mouth advertising in the digital world. Create social media accounts pages on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Collect the best of reviews and tack them onto your site to show potential clients that you are trustworthy and do the job right. Online reviews also increase customer loyalty; so whenever your previous clients have a tree or landscaping problem, they’ll be sure to call you.
Looking at the list of tasks you need to accomplish to set up the campaign may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. You can take on a digital partner to help you deal with that.
