Top 5 Remodeling Blog Topics for Your Website to Drive Traffic, Generate Leads
Having a great website isn’t enough if no potential clients can find it. Many people talk about how important SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is to driving traffic, but specific tips can be hard to find. That is what made Marcus Sheridan, sales expert and author of ’They Ask, You Answer,” stand out on the first day of NARI's Spring Conference. Instead of speaking in SEO platitudes, this pool installation pro gave remodelers a plan.
His secret to beefing up SEO? Blog posts targeted at what homeowners are searching for when researching remodelers and home improvement companies.
Sheridan claims that homeowners already 70% through the decision-making process before they contact a business. In his keynote at the online event, he revealed the top five blog posts to drive traffic to your company website to give the best impression even before they pick up the phone. All of them revolve around trust.
“Platforms come and go, but trust is essential,” Sheridan says. “How can you become that trust agent to your customers before you even walk in the home?”
From a simple blog about the cost of pool installation on the business’ website, Sheridan’s business generated leads that led to $15 million in sales since the post’s creation. By anticipating homeowner’s needs and gaining their trust, remodelers can increase the chances of a sale: If a prospective client reads 30 or more blog posts, the likelihood that they will use your services jumps to 80%, Sheridan claimed in the presentation. Here are the "Big Five":
1.The cost of your products and services
Though many do not want to talk about costs as each project is different, giving clients a sense of scope can help ease their worries. A blog post breaking down how an estimate comes to be, from material shortages to labor costs, adds an element of transparency to your business model.
2. Addressing potential problems and drawbacks
Highlighting potential issues in the installation or a chosen material may seem counterintuitive, but Sheridan says "addressing the elephant in the room" helps drive traffic as many people will be searching for keywords such as “Problems with metal roofs.” By addressing these concerns, remodelers can gain a homeowner’s trust while providing potential solutions to and truthful answers for FAQs. Having solutions next to the issues is key.
3. Comparisons
By writing blogs that compare two different options or explainers that provide a pros and cons list for certain solutions, businesses can help inform homeowners while also listing which of those solutions they provide. For example, a metal roofing company could write a blog comparing shingles and metal roofs. Besides driving traffic, this kind of post also filters out those who are looking for a service that you don’t provide.
4. Reviews
By writing reviews of products that you sell or often work with, you can drive people who are searching for those products to your website as well. It also gives another layer of honesty to your brand.
5. Best of lists
Again, calling out competitors isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But Sheridan says that a blog post rounding out the “Best Remodelers in Chicago” will help you show up on Google and have homeowners land on your page. Best of Lists can also be about materials, building practices, or other areas that potential clients may be looking for online.