Why your Website is Not #1

Why your Website is Not #1

"If you ain't first, you're last."
- Ricky Bobby, Talladega Nights

Why Being #1 is Important
Before we jump into the reasons your website is not ranked number one, let's remind ourselves why it is important in the first place. If there are 100 searches made by homeowners needing heating or air conditioning repair service, 60 of them will click the first website in the organic section.

It is that simple - the highest, organic ranked websites get the traffic.

How SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Works
Let's simplify the search engine mystery. Search engines try to find websites that are most relevant to the words being searched by a person. Search engines scan your website and remember the words that are on each page. If the words on your website match the words being searched, then you have a good chance of your website being on the search results list (this is called on-page optimization). Equally important, if other websites link to your website, while mentioning those same words, then you will rank even higher (this is called off-page optimization).

Focus on the Popular Words
The first step is to determine what words people are actually using to find your service. I will help you - "ac repair" - is one very popular search term for HVAC contractors. Therefore, if the company optimizing your website has not focused on the words "ac repair" then your website is missing the boat. This is the problem with not working with a company that is industry specific.

Not Enough Keywords
The real challenge is it is impossible to pick one word or phrase that covers everything a HVAC contractor does.
People use many different search terms, e.g. "AC Repair Houston", "Air Conditioning Contractor", etc. An optimal SEO strategy would ensure that your website is optimized for between five and ten key phrases (long tail keywords).

Not Just Your Company Name
I have had several HVAC contractors tell me that their website is optimized because when you searched on their name they came up first. Well, I would hope so. This is the first litmus test - if your website is not #1 for your company name, your website was not designed correctly. However, that aside, how do new customers, people that don't know your name, find you? Your website has to be optimized for the services and products they want.

Confusing SEM with SEO
SEM means Search Engine Marketing and SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Only 35% of potential clients will click on the Google Ads - SEM. The rest will click on the Organic search - SEO. With SEM, once you stop paying for advertising your website will no longer appear. Too many HVAC contractors mistake SEM for SEO and then wonder why their website is not found when the advertising campaign ends.

What the Heck is Off-Page Optimization?
Most HVAC contractors neglect the importance of links from other websites especially when the link to their website references the keyword being searched. In fact, on some search engines, this is even more important than if the website is optimized for the words being searched! There are good ways to build these links (White Hat) and bad ways (Black Hat). Seek out companies that only use White Hat techniques because websites using Black Hat techniques actually get penalized and deliberately assigned poor rankings by the search engines when discovered.

Stay the Course!
It takes anywhere from four to six months to see the fruits of your SEO labor and obtain a first page ranking. Using the right software to monitor progress is important so you don't lose your mind. Search engines have to evaluate millions upon millions of websites and they are always adjusting the method to their madness, so be patient. SEO is a long term strategy with a long-term and long lasting payoff when you are successful.

Plan Ahead
Since it takes four to six months to get results, it is wise to start planning for the winter. Think about the slow periods in your business and the service your customers typically request during these times - tune ups for example. Adjust the optimization strategy to reflect what your customers will need in the upcoming months and you will literally be ahead of the competition.

Money-Back Guarantee
Now for the shameless plug for my company - HVAC Business Solutions. We do everything discussed above and more. More importantly if we don't get you on the first page within 6 months, we give you every penny back. Give us a call and let us help your business grow online - 713-270-6400.

Next Issue
Our next email letter we will discuss how you can get SEO to pay for itself.

Sincerely,
Brian Starzec
HVAC Business Solutions

Where Your Website Ranks and Why it Matters

Where Your Website Ranks and Why it Matters

Most people these days seldom use the yellow pages to find an AC repair contractor; instead potential customers search the web. In fact, 50% of local searches are currently performed with a mobile phone! With that in mind, many air conditioning contractors have invested in a website expecting the phone to ring. Only, the calls didn't roll in. They didn't because the website did not rank on the first page of the search engine because the company stopped promoting their website once it was built. In the Internet world, if you are not on the first page, your website will not bring you new business.

Why Your Website Rank is Important
Research has shown that sixty percent of potential customers searching for a product or service will click on the first "organic" link (see the picture below). The second link receives fifteen percent of the traffic, and the remaining eight organic links receive the balance. Something like 0.03% of surfers continue to the second page. In other words, if your website does not come up on the first page of the browser when people are searching for an air conditioning repair contractor in your area, although you might have invested in excellent website design, your website will not be seen!



Key Facts – Most Traffic is from the #1 and #2 Organic Positions

90% of searchers never go past Page 1
85% of all clicks are in the organic & local sections
60% of all clicks are on the first organic listing
15% of all clicks are on the second organic listing

The Best Way of Finding Where Your Website Ranks!
Every time you conduct a search, Google and other search engines download a cookie on to your computer. They are tracking your location and what you are searching. As a result, it's impossible to get a true reading on where your website ranks from your home or business computer.

The best way to get an accurate search engine rank is to use Internet ranking software. Using the software you only need two pieces of information to establish the exact rank for your website – your domain name and keyword. The domain name is simply the URL of your website – www.yourcompanyname.com.

The keyword is the search word or search phrase that a person would use to find your company, the service your company offers or the product your company sells. For example, an existing customer will most likely search by your company's name, but a prospective customer is most likely to search by the service they require and where they require it – "ac repair bellaire texas".

The ranking software will then tell you exactly where your site ranks. Obviously, if you are not on page one, your website isn't working for you as well as it ought to. It certainly is not increasing your business. And if it is on page one but not in the top organic position, then it may be bringing you some business, but not enough business. Incidentally, it is quite common for your website to rank differently for each set of keywords as well as rank differently on each search engine.

Free Internet Ranking Software
To save you time, here are two links to free internet ranking software where you can test your website ranking using different keywords:

http://www.seocentro.com/tools/search-engines/keyword-position.html

http://www.webtoolhub.com/tn561372-position-checker.aspx


Now That You Have the Real Ranking of Your Website…
So now that you have the real ranking of your website, you can either congratulate yourself that it's number one for all the search terms, or you make plans to get your website to the number one ranking. But before we go there, you might want to know why your previous attempts at SEO did not bring you the results you paid for.

Our next informative newsletter will offer some insights on why previous efforts at SEO did not work out quite as well as you might have wished.

Sincerely,
Tessa Schlesinger
HVAC Business Solutions