The Google Masterclass Series is a free online workshop with 4 sessions to help you market your home services business on Google and get found by homeowners in your local area who are searching for your services. Part 3: Google Search & SEO Your Website in Google's Eyes - Discover how Google views your website and the 9 top aspects of your website to consider when it comes to ranking higher in Google search. Is your website built with structured data, is it secure, is it loading fast enough on mobile?

1. Google Masterclass for
Home Services Businesses
A 4-part training to help your business get found on Google Search and Maps

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12 PMGoogle My Business
12:30 PM Google Ads
1 PMGoogle Search & SEO
1:30 PM Google Visibility
Welcome & thank you for joining today’s
contractor marketing training!

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● Tysons, VA is our home but we work with
businesses across the U.S. and Canada
● Specialize in Digital & Local Marketing
● Customer focused; 1,260+ and counting!
● Built the first All-in-One Marketing Automation
Platform for local businesses
● Cloud-Only Powered Digital Marketing
5-time
honoree
WE ARE

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Provide the best all-in-one marketing
automation platform that our customers
LOVE and RELY on every day
Our Mission

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12 PMGoogle My Business
12:30 PM Google Ads
1 PMGoogle Search & SEO
1:30 PM Google Visibility
How to optimize your website for mobile, local, and voice
search to win today’s homeowner
SESSION #3

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Speaker
Bob Sheehan
SVP, Client Services
at Surefire Local
Local SEO Spartan

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https://www.blog.google/products/search/improving-search-next-20-years/
Google is Constantly Changing
Welcome to the
age of
conversational
search
Google Search turned 20
years old and has indexed
hundreds of billions of web
pages. All told, the index is
about 100,000,000 GB large

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Google Search
“Search has always offered a window into what people need, want, and intend to
do. That’s become even more true as the words that people type into a search
box become increasingly conversational and personal.”

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People Trust Online Information
When it comes to getting recommendations, most people turn to a friend or
family member — someone who really understands them and their situation.
And now, according to the latest data, that list includes search.

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Recency
Relevancy
Proximity
Prominence
Keywords
Content
● No duplicates
● No spam
● Great content gets
rewarded
1996-2006
2007-2015
2016-present
How Local Search
Ranking Factors
Have Changed
Over Time

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Google Local
Search Results
Search Ads
Google Ads
Local SEO
Directory Listings, Online Reviews
Organic SEO
Website, SEO, Content
BEFORE

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Search Ads
Google Ads
Local Service Ads
Google LSAs
Organic SEO /
Paid Local
Directory Listings,
Online Reviews,
Website, SEO, Content
NOW ON
DESKTOP
Google Local
Search Results

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Google Local
Search Results
Local
Service
Ads
Google
LSAs
Search Ads
Google Ads
Organic
SEO / Paid
Local
Directory
Listings,
Online
Reviews,
Website,
SEO,
Content
NOW ON
MOBILE

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Attracting Today’s Homeowner Online
“Today’s consumers expect more. They want assistance at every step. Therefore, as marketers,
we need to be one step ahead of our customers — it’s time to start predicting their needs
regardless of where they are in their journey.”
Jason Spero, VP of global performance solutions at Google

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Why WordPress?
● Most popular and widely-used
● Allows for ownership and customization
● Easily edit and update
● Build in local signals for Google’s search ranking algorithm

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Voice
Optimize Your Website for
Mobile LocalMobile

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The most successful websites make fast mobile
experience a priority.

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Mobile Statistics
70% of internet traffic comes from mobile phones
60% of Google searches are done via mobile devices. Only 5 years ago, the
figure was nearly half that—34%.
Google captures 95% of the mobile search engine market in the U.S.

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Mobile Mood
54% say that as the load time for a brand’s mobile site
increases, so does their frustration.

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If a slow mobile experience drives customers away, a fast mobile
experience can help attract and keep them.
www.thinkwithgoogle.com/feature/testmysite

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Voice
Optimize Your Website for
Mobile LocalLocal

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List Your NAP Consistently On Your Site
In addition to listing your business name, address, and phone number in
directories and on Google My Business, it should also be listed on your site, on
every page if you only have one location, or on the relevant URL if you have
multiple locations.
Use schema.org markup to highlight the information for the search engines.

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Local Schema Tells Google What’s Important
Add schema to your website and make it easy for Google to decide what’s important

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Local SEO Service Area Mapping
Services Area Pages
● Unique content
● Natural, helpful content
● Start small and make
sure these pages get
into the index...then add
DON’T:
● Dupe content
● Use unnatural
language- write for the
visitor, not the search
engine.

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Get Listed in Online Directories
Google uses citations to determine how trustworthy your location is. A citation
lists your businesses NAP (name, address, and phone number) and should
ideally also mention a URL for your business
Get listed in all of the relevant, official, trusted, and used directories for home
services businesses
More local citations = more visibility in local search
Ensure NAP and brand consistency

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Earn Trusted and Local Recognition
Increase your Prominence score by getting involved in your neighborhood
● Chamber of Commerce
● Industry publications and magazines
● Local news
● Charities

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Local Check-ins
Create content on your website
with location signals that get
shared across all your online
directories and social media

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Map Presence: Note the Importance of Reviews

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Voice
Optimize Your Website for
Mobile Local Voice

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Voice Search is Everywhere Now
DESKTOP
MOBILE

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Voice Search & Digital Assistants
● By 2020, over 50% of all search
will be voice
● How conversational your website
content is, determines your
voice-ranking

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The Homeowner Journey is Changing AGAIN Because of
Voice-Enabled Devices
Voice search is…
● Easier: It’s easier and safer for people who are on the move to talk to their phone rather than
type
● Faster: People can talk faster than they can type
“Hey Google, find me a
roofing contractor near
me.”
“Hey Alexa, show me the
top rated window
replacement contractors
near me with a 4-star rating
or higher.”

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Optimize for Voice
Almost 70% of requests to the Google
Assistant are expressed in natural language
not the typical keywords people type into a
website search
Google selects the best structured & concise
content to answer voice search queries
Most start with…
● What
● When
● Who
● Where
● Why
● How

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…that is valuable. Ask yourself “What are my clients trying to find?”
…that provides answers to these common questions
…that’s available in multiple formats (audio, video, readable)
...for all stages of the customer journey:
● Signs it’s time for a replacement
● About your company
● Success Stories
● Home maintenance tips
Creating Content

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Share Photos Across Directories
Smart speakers with screens display your
photos alongside your business information.
If no photos are found, it’ll display a blank
screen

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Google Analytics

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Google Search Console

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Google Search Console - Find Keywords for Content

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What’s Next for Search?
It’s time to start predicting their needs regardless of where they
are in their journey.