Author Archives: Plumbing Webmasters

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Allocating Marketing Money (Podcast Episode)

Marketing Budget Breakdown for Plumbers

A plumbing marketing budget is dependent on funds. Throughout this post, Plumbing Webmasters will provide valuable insights into smart budgeting for plumbers and eliminate much of the stress of choosing the best way to spend money on marketing services. Our goal is simple, increase lead generation and return on investment, things that primarily every plumber identifies as ideal.

Budgeting Basics for Plumbing Marketing

Most plumbers come to us concerned about their current budget and complain that their spending is not producing an appealing enough profit. Sometimes this is due to disagreements among business partners, or sometimes it is based on long-standing misconceptions within the plumbing industry about what kinds of marketing campaigns work. We believe digital marketing for plumbers should focus on four categories:

  • SEO
  • PPC
  • Social Media
  • Other

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The foundation of your marketing is SEO, and that’s because SEO involves a wide range of tasks that include everything from website design to Google Maps, page optimization, and much more. Unfortunately, because SEO can take months to influence lead generation, many plumbers decide they don’t want to invest in it all. This impatience can be disastrous for your long-term marketing plan. Sure, ignoring SEO would give you a more significant budget to expand in other areas, but it wouldn’t matter in the long run.

Plumbing Webmasters strongly recommends that search engine optimization is the foundation of your marketing plan, and as a result, your marketing budget. We suggest that $900 – $1000 goes into your SEO marketing on a per month basis.

Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC)

Paid advertising is usually the most appealing marketing service for plumbers and, therefore, the area they prefer to spend a good portion of their budget. Google Ads (Formerly AdWords) is not the only form of paid advertising available to plumbers. Companies can advertise on Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms while implementing remarketing and pixel tracking to appeal to previous website visitors.

Social Media

Social signals are a prominent local ranking factor, according to MOZ’s Local Ranking Factors study. Because plumbers are local contractors, having a social media presence should be accounted for when allocating your marketing budget. Of course, social media marketing and social media advertising are both options. Marketing like SEO is organic, while advertising like PPC is paid. Both can yield favorable returns if appropriately executed.

The primary social media platforms on which plumbers should be marketing are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, and YouTube.

And no, you’re not going to have the most engaging social media content being in the plumbing industry, but that’s not what social signals are about in this case. Instead, they are about sending signals to Google that your company is legitimate and willing to promote its services to consumers ethically.

Other

Old school marketing tactics like car wraps and local sponsorships are still valuable but far less than they once were. Still, many plumbers are under the impression that these types of marketing investments will yield favorable returns. The impact of old-school tactics depends on your existing brand and market. If you can afford these types of measures, then you’re probably already marketing online.

Referral channels are another valuable way to market your plumbing company. Forming relationships with real estate agents, plumbing suppliers, and other entry-point merchants can get you jobs year-round. In addition, as you acquire new customers, it’s crucial to leverage your brand by asking them for reviews on Google, Facebook, and other platforms.

Will You Try Our Marketing Breakdown?

Plumbing Webmasters has tried to simplify the marketing allocation process for contractors. If you’re open to this type of marketing plan, please let us know, as we can talk you through the process with more specific detail that relates to your company.

Avoid the stress that comes along with budgeting for 2022. Plumbing Webmasters can make this process more convenient than you ever imagined to be possible. We handle every aspect of internet marketing for plumbing contractors, including; SEO, PPC, and social media. Empower us properly allocate your resources and hold us accountable for the results.

Posted: | Updated: Dec 7, 2022 | Categories: Podcast
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Plumbing Keyword Ranking (Podcast Episode)

In 2021, keywords for plumbers are frequently associated with PPC and even more so with organic SEO. The two concepts are often perceived as interconnected. While SEO is much more expansive than a single element, keywords remain essential optimization aspects. In today’s episode of The Plumbing SEO Podcast, we discuss how plumbers can rank for high-volume keywords with buyer’s intent. As you listen to the podcast or watch its corresponding video, you should be aware of the following ideas:

What is a Plumbing Keyword?

A plumbing keyword is a term or phrase that users search for on Google. Different analytical tools across the web provide data that projects how often a word or phrase is searched. The projected number is known in SEO circles as “search volume.” and is usually divided up on a per month basis. So if a term like plumbing repair is said to have 1,200 search volume, the presumption is that 1,200 users search that exact term in a given month.

Keyword Research for Plumbers

The tools mentioned above help plumbers and their marketing representatives track and target the most relevant and opportunistic keywords. Depending on the current standing of your website, you may have a legitimate chance to rank for highly competitive keywords, or it may be a struggle. That’s why effective research requires context and a defined set of goals for your company. Some of the best tools available on the web for keyword research include:

The Evolution of Plumbing Keywords

Before 2017, Google’s algorithm was unable to perceive the context of a search query truly. Marketing gurus could focus on the keyword itself. Today, Google’s algorithm can now perceive context, making SEO more difficult but creating a superior user experience. Instead of a verbatim keyword being enough to rank a website #1, the content must now contain supporting language known as LSI or semantic search. The most basic way to describe the idea is to use synonyms to craft a page of content that matches the searcher’s intent rather than the text exclusively. Of course, this supports Google’s goal of enhancing user experience. 

Ranking for Keywords

Various factors go into ranking keywords, more than just the concepts listed previously. Sometimes ranking has more to do with ancillary components than the content itself. Sure, content is the fuel, but SEO is the engine. Things like the age of your domain name, its domain authority, and its brand syndication across the web play significant roles in determining the ranking of a keyword. There was a time in the mid-2000s where brand new websites could rank on page one for a keyword within months. Today that’s only possible for terms and phrases that have little to no competition.

Keyword Placement for Plumbers

Before Google’s algorithm could recognize context, most SEO’s engaged in a behavior known as keyword stuffing. Writers would enter as many instances of a keyword as possible. Some would even resort to unethical means to stuff their pages even more. They would hide the text by using white text coloring so that only Google’s crawlers could see the hundreds of extra keywords, but the user could not. Google was able to police this and now penalizes anyone who engages in it. Still, keyword stuffing remains off-limits for plumbing websites. Using the term or phrases unnaturally throughout sentences can hurt your rankings. It would be best if you still placed keywords in the following areas (but in context):

  • Image Alt Text / File Name: Rename the image file using the keyword and then tag it in the Alt Text as well
  • Meta Description: The description of the page, known as the “meta”
  • Paragraph Text: Used at least once in the paragraph (body) content, but in a natural way that appeals to the reader
  • Title Tag: The SEO title of the page
  • URL: If possible, it’s good to use the term or phrase in the URL slug itself

Listen to More Episodes of The Plumbing SEO Podcast

Posted: | Updated: Dec 7, 2022 | Categories: Podcast
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Reviews & Reputation Management (Podcast)

Statistics show that 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. For local plumbers, this is a significant number. Before Google was the number one source of lead generation for plumbers, companies acquired contacts via word of mouth. Your reputation as a contractor or company was based on what your clients said about you. The difference back then was that words traveled more slowly than they do today. In 2021, word of mouth now travels at the speed of the nearest WiFi connection. It’s incumbent on modern companies to get more plumbing reviews to grow their business.

The Foundation for Plumber Reviews

Before you can generate reviews, you need somewhere for people to publish them. In the case of local plumbing companies, the main places will be Google Reviews and Facebook. You’ll need to create, optimize, and verify your Google My Business page and corresponding Google Maps listing, as well as your Facebook Business Page. Aside from these two leading platforms, it’s also helpful to have profiles on sites like Yelp, BBB, Angie’s List, and HomeAdvisor. The more review signals Google interprets, the better standing for your company. Consider the list of platforms you should have an optimized profile on:

  • Angie’s List
  • BBB
  • Facebook
  • Google My Business
  • HomeAdvisor
  • Yelp

Not only do these platforms make it convenient for customers to leave reviews on their choice of website, but it also helps brand your company in the eyes of Google. NAP citations are a significant factor for brand authority, and the more platforms you’re listed, the more power you build from the signals they produce. You might be thinking that the opportunity to leave reviews also encourages bad reviews, but you must trust that Google prefers seeing a couple of bad reviews to no reviews at all. The same is true of customers. They’d rather see 4.5/5 than 0/0. It’s your job as a plumber to give your clients a platform to voice their testimonials.

Generating Reviews

Once you have the platforms set up, you now must encourage customers to leave reviews on them. We noted that Google My Business and Facebook are the most important platforms and the ones you’ll want to encourage a customer most often to leave feedback. So how do you ethically do that? First, you should let go of any unethical ideas. For instance, paying someone for reviews will almost certainly come back to haunt you. Even giving someone a “discount” for leaving a testimonial violated guidelines. Instead, you should follow these steps:

  1. 1. Ask in Person
  2. 2. Provide Business Card With Links
  3. 3. Follow Up Text / Email
  4. 4. Follow Up Phone Call

Exercising common sense is highly recommended when pursuing feedback. For example, a satisfied customer is someone you certainly want to ask in person and then follow up via text, email, and phone call. Conversely, someone who treated you poorly and seemed unhappy with your service is someone you shouldn’t mention a review to at all. Why encourage them to leave negative feedback? Sure, they might do it anyway, but there’s no reason to increase the probability. Even for good customers, you’ll want to stop asking them after the follow-up phone call because if they get yet another reminder after that, they might get upset and feel that you’re harassing them.

Get Review Link

Managing Reputation

Now that you’ve generated your share of reviews, you must manage your online reputation. The more reviews you receive, the higher the likelihood that you get a few negative ones. For instance, 24 (5) star reviews and 1 (2) star review would provide an aggregate star rating of 4.88. That’s going to appeal to consumers considering your services far more than seeing only two perfect (5) star reviews would. That being said, when you start noticing more and more feedback, you should execute the following steps:

  1. Step 1 – Respond: Always respond to reviews, both negative and positive
  2. Step 2 – Resolve: For negative reviews, attempt to resolve the issue in a private forum
  3. Step 3 – Report: Any reviews that are inflammatory or insinuate false claims can be reported to the platform
  4. Step 4 – Maintain: Always keep an eye on your reviews, and have notifications whenever new ones are left

Finding time to manage your reputation online can be a challenge. Luckily, companies like Plumbing Webmasters exist to assist you in these areas. Our team of digital marketers provides reviews and reputations management for plumbers. Our DataPins SEO tool integrates your review links onto your very own company website. Also, it automates reputation management so that you can focus on the daily operations of running an excellent plumbing company. Doing great work will mean better reviews, which will help you rank higher on search results.

A Review That's Been Geo-Tagged

Plumbing Webmasters

We hope you listen to The Plumbing SEO Podcast to learn more about how plumbing companies can manage their reputation online and how it can directly influence your bottom line. If you decide to watch the video version of the pod, please give it a like on YouTube, which would help us in our efforts to spread to word about marketing for plumbers. Our goal as an agency is to provide affordable marketing services to contractors throughout the United States. We understand those angry customers are far more likely to leave reviews than satisfied ones — unless we make it more convenient for the latter. Whether it’s our DataPins software or our optimization of Google My Business profiles, we maximize the chances of receiving complimentary feedback.

We cannot understate the importance of establishing trust and reputation online. If you had to choose between every marketing endeavor on the web, reviews and reputation management would be at the top. Sure, you still need SEO, website design, and content marketing. Still, none of them will have much of an impact if you fail to establish a favorable reputation in your local community, which is now almost entirely online.

Posted: | Updated: Dec 7, 2022 | Categories: Podcast
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Optimizing Service Pages for Plumbing Websites

Blog Cover for "Optimizing Service Pages for Plumbing Websites" Featuring Post Title and Image of Laptop

Most SEO guidance for plumbers applies to informational keywords like “how to fix a toilet that keeps running.” The problem is that those types of queries don’t generate new customers for local plumbing companies. To succeed on the local level, plumbers must optimize service pages.

Nolen Walker, Owner of Plumbing Webmasters

Key Takeaway

Plumbers can optimize service pages by targeting zero-volume long-tail keywords like “grinder plumber repair in City, State.” These types of queries can account for 50% or more of your organic clicks.

Why The SEO Industry Ignores Service Pages

Depending on your experience with various SEO agencies, these pages might be called landing pages, sales pages, and bottom-of-the-funnel pages. Regardless of what they are called, their function is to directly capture new local prospects for your plumbing services.

The SEO industry tends to overlook these pages because they target long-tail keywords (5 words or more) that don’t generate a search volume on popular SEO tools like SEMRush, Ahrefs, and Moz. Unfortunately, failing to invest in the long-tail terms is a gross oversight that can reduce clicks by 50%.

Why Plumbing Webmasters Values Service Pages

At Plumbing Webmasters, we’ve been implementing service pages into our clients’ SEO strategy for more than a decade. Each of our clients’ websites targets individual services like gas line installation and pressure tank repair.

Your service pages should reflect your company’s available service types, which you ultimately control. Of course, higher ticket services are going to generate the highest ROI and lower the cost per acquisition.

Here’s the national average cost of plumbing repair services by repair type:

National Average Cost of Plumbing Repair Services Graph

Optimizing a web page for sewer line repair should be a priority as long as the service is something your company is capable of performing successfully. The inclusion of this page within your site should not conflict with the page for clogged drain repair, which will be optimized exclusively.

A plumbing website can receive organic traffic from Google search queries and generate valuable leads if properly designed and optimized. By having multiple service pages, each optimized for their specific niche, web traffic should be diverse, translating to leads and revenue.

How To Maximize Service Page Optimization

Create a Site Structure

To optimize individual service pages effectively, the process must start with site structure. Every website created at Plumbing Webmasters is designed with a logical structure that includes top-level (parent) pages and low-level (child pages).

A logically sound structure facilitates a positive user experience and appeals to search engine crawlers (the 2 things are not mutually exclusive).

Here’s an example of a logical website structure for plumbing companies:

Home

About Us

Residential Plumbing

  • Clogged Drain Repair
  • Water Heater Repair

Commercial Plumbing

  • Gas Pipe Repair
  • Sewer Line Repair

Contact Us

Obviously, the structure will vary by company and depend on the services their business offers. Some plumbers focus on only residential plumbing, which would become the single top-level service page with a number of low-level pages underneath it.

The About Us and Contact Us pages help the visitor learn more about your company, its philosophy, and, in the case of the Contact Us pages, how they can best get in contact with your business.

In an ideal scenario, your contact info will be published throughout your site and its pages and not be exclusive to the Contact Us page.

Implement On-Page SEO

Once a site structure is established, optimizing each service page is next. On-page SEO requires attention to detail and preparation. Part of preparing includes researching keywords that relate to the individual service.

If it is clogged drain repair, some of the terms might include clogged drain repair, clogged drain repair cost, clogged drain snake not working, etc. For sewer line repair pages, the terms might be sewer line repair, sewer line repair cost, sewer line repair options, etc.

After conducting research, it’s time to optimize the page using these steps:

  • Content Writing: Writing engaging, unique, and valuable content
  • Keyword Placement: Placing the researched terms seamlessly within the content without overdoing it
  • Link Building: Embedding helpful internal links to help the user navigate to other parts of your website
  • Tag Optimization: Optimizing title, header, meta, and image tags with keywords

Old habits die hard, and keyword stuffing is one bad habit left over from the black hat days of SEO. Websites historically have overused keywords within their content in hopes of earning a higher rating. This no longer works to the site’s advantage and can hinder its ratings sometimes.

Website Service Page Example

A well-crafted plumbing service page targets a location and service type while providing ample calls to action so consumers can take the next step.

Google prefers content that uses synonyms of words rather than duplicates. This preference stems from a prioritization of user experience, which is enhanced by the diversification of terms. Other black-hat optimization tactics to avoid include hidden links & text and sneaky redirects.

Capture Leads from Service Pages

Once a service page is optimized, it’s time to maximize its lead generation potential. The best way to do this is through click-to-call functionality. With this method, phone numbers on the individual service pages appear as clickable links or buttons that a mobile user can select and be immediately connected to your office phone line.

When a prospective customer reaches this point, they become a clear-cut lead. Having read through the on-page content and made the decision to click the phone number, they have demonstrated interest in your services. It is now your job as the plumber to close the deal.

The consumer journey should look like this:

  1. Step 1: Google Search
  2. Step 2: Website Entrance (via a search engine)
  3. Step 3: On-Page Reading
  4. Step 4: Call To Action (click-to-call)

None of the above is possible without on-page optimization, which will determine if and how well your page ranks on results.

Since prospective customers often know their general problems, their search queries can be pretty specific. This specificity makes the presence and optimization of individual service pages even more crucial.

By diversifying service pages, all kinds of prospective customers are able to enter your website. If customer A searches for “I need faucet repair,” and customer B searches for “problems with sewer line,” your website should appear viewable for both of them but at separate entry points.

Track Service Page Performance

To consistently refine your website, you must measure its performance via Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These free tools empower companies to track their traffic source and how frequently individual pages produce clicks and leads.

Google Analytics

If data indicates that a certain page on your website has a high bounce rate, it’s likely that the page in question lacks something or perhaps attracts visitation under misleading pretenses.

In some cases, low-performance pages are a commentary on the service itself, which might lack significant interest within your company’s local service area.

Using Google Analytics, plumbers should track the following:

  • Bounce Rates: The rates at which users are exiting the website and its individual pages
  • Events / Actions: How often users complete the desired call to action, which is called an event on GA
  • Individual Pages: How frequently users enter the website via a particular page
  • Traffic Sources: From which sources are web users entering your website

Since Google Analytics is a free tool, every plumbing website should have the tracking code within its HTML. Analyzing data produced from the tracking can be complicated for novices and oftentimes requires professional assistance.

Furthermore, the data itself is only as valuable as its subsequent implementation. Learning that a particular service page has an exceedingly high bounce rate only matters if the issue is fixed.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a straightforward tool once you verify your website ownership. Once Google starts tracking Search Console data, you can view queries users are searching to find your website, track how many users click on specific pages per day, month, and year, and even track URL crawl errors.

By comparing clicks month over month, you can accurately gauge the performance of your service pages in Google search.

Screenshot of 28-day Comparison on Google Search Console

Final Thoughts

Optimizing service pages is often overlooked in the SEO industry, but it is an important part of lead generation for local plumbers. By targeting specific services through long-tail keywords, plumbers can capture local customers looking for a particular service type near your location.

Plumbing companies can maximize the impact of their service pages by crafting an SEO-friendly site structure, implementing on-page SEO, and capturing lead information. By following the guidance outlined in this post, plumbers can significantly increase their website and Google Maps conversions.

Posted: | Updated: Sep 28, 2023 | Categories: SEO
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4 Effective Plumber Call To Action (CTA) Ideas for 2025


Strategically placed calls to action increase conversions on your plumbing website, resulting in more consistent lead generation.

I’m Nolen Walker, the founder of Plumbing Webmasters, a digital marketing agency that’s helped thousands of plumbers attract and convert customers.

CTAs or calls to action are an integral part of my agency’s digital marketing strategy, and our years of in-house data reveal their importance in a successful campaign.


Blog Cover for Plumber Call to Action Ideas Featuring Image of Website with CTA Options

What is a Call To Action (CTA) for Plumbers?

A call-to-action (CTA) is an element (usually a clickable button) that encourages users to complete the desired action (i.e., phone call, form submission, email subscription, etc.).

For plumbers, a CTA commonly urges website visitors to schedule services or call the company phone number.



Best Plumber Call To Action Ideas

Most plumbing websites have a CTA, whether they intended to or not.

However, well-crafted CTAs often separate successful plumbing companies from those barely surviving.

Even plumbing companies that generate consistent traffic to their website may fail to convert most of it because of poorly implemented CTAs.


Let’s consider some ideas to ensure your CTA proves effective:


1) Incentivize Action With Free Stuff 

Who doesn’t love free stuff? We’ve yet to meet one and doubt that you have either. The four letters F-R-E-E jump off the screen to consumers.

Offering a discount for first-time customers or including a complimentary item or service as a bonus can quickly generate interest.


Check out some of the examples below:


  • Call (Phone Number) To Claim Your Free Plumbing Inspection
  • Subscribe Here To Win a Free Bathroom Remodel
  • Text (Phone Number) For a Water Heater Repair Coupon

2) Create Urgency With Time Limits

Compelling CTA’s have a sense of urgency, and there is no better way to create urgency than a deadline.

A discount deadline makes consumers feel like an opportunity is right before them and that they must decide to take advantage of it.

More times than not, people will opt to take advantage in fear of missing out on their chance.


Check out some examples:


  • Book Your Plumber Within The Next 12 Hours For a 25% Discount
  • Call (Phone Number) In The Next 24 Hours For a 50% Discount
  • Subscribe Within 6 Hours For a 20% Off Coupon

3) Focus on Personalization

As the internet has evolved, consumers have become progressively more sophisticated, which reduces the reach of a “one-size-fits-all” message.

Furthermore, users are pickier than ever. To reach a consumer at their core, you need to appeal to them personally.

With this in mind, compelling calls to action make customers feel like you are speaking directly to them.


Some examples include:


  • Click Here For Your Personalized Plumbing Service
  • Get The Bathroom of YOUR Dreams By Calling (Phone Number)
  • We Can Fix YOUR Broken Garbage Disposal; Call (Phone Number)

4) Encourage Response With Colors

Multiple studies have found evidence that red is an effective color for call-to-action performance.

While red has performed well in studies, other variables determine the impact of colors.

For example, your company’s website and brand’s color scheme may make red more or less appealing to consumers.


Partnering with an experienced website design agency or graphic designer can help you find the best colors and placements for your calls to action.


The Plumbing Webmasters Advantage

My agency, Plumbing Webmasters, offers CTA implementation for plumbing companies.

Our design team will embed strategically placed CTAs on your website, and our PPC experts will maximize your ad CTAs. 


Our team provides complete digital marketing services so your company gets leads from every platform.

With decades of experience and hundreds of clients, we have the data and expertise to maximize CTAs for plumbers.

We ensure each client campaign gets the most value for its money and do everything we can to help you build a sustainable plumbing brand.


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How Voice Recognition Impacts Plumber SEO (Alexa + Google)

Voice Recognition Assistant Timeline For Plumber SEO

A trend that may impact plumber SEO is voice recognition. Though the technology has been around for decades, voice assistants weren’t readily available (Until 2011, at least).

They were never reliable enough to prompt regular usage. This technology’s accuracy and subsequent popularity improved around 2016, and the trend has been growing ever since. 

Voice assistants are now familiar in households, and users rely on these assistants to perform search queries.

There are three major players in the voice assistant market:

  • Amazon Echo (Alexa)
  • Apple IOS (Siri)
  • Google Assistant

When voice assistant hardware spiked in 2017, Amazon Echo was at the forefront of the revolution. Its integration with smart appliances, including refrigerators, ovens, light bulbs, and security systems, made speech commands virtually limitless.

Apple IOS was the first major brand to introduce virtual assistants to the masses way back in 2011. 

Because the error rate was still relatively high at that time, it lost momentum and never ascended as expected. Today, the technology is much more accurate and was recently added to Apple HomePod to compete with the other industry giants.

Google Assistant focuses more on its namesake, Google, and is exceptionally reliable for vocal search queries. 

The Influence of Voice Assistants on Plumber SEO

SEO is the process of generating organic traffic to your plumbing website through search engines. Now that search engines are integrated with virtual assistants, plumbing contractors must adapt their strategy.

There are several things to consider when formulating a plan that accounts for this new technology. 

User intent is a significant function of organic search results in 2022 and should be the basis for your new plan. To adapt plumber SEO to voice assistants, focus on the following:

  • Featured Snippets: Users often pose questions to voice assistants such as “who, what, where, when, etc.” and answering these questions on your website can earn you a featured snippet, something that Google Assistant and others will read back to users
  • Knowledge Graphs: Marking up your website for knowledge graphs ensures that Google pulls your business information on search results for relevant keywords.
  • Local Optimization: An optimized Google Business Profile, and regular social media activity, can boost your chances of being referenced by voice assistants.
  • Long Tail Keywords: Users speaking tend to elaborate more than they would if typing, meaning longer tail keywords could become more valuable to search optimization

With accuracy rates higher than ever on major platforms, the trend of voice assistant technology isn’t going away any time soon. Voice search will more than likely continue to ascend and become even more influential on plumber search engine optimization. 

The good news is that the SEO experts at Plumbing Webmasters can help you adapt to the latest technology. We offer Plumber SEO services to contractors across the United States. Our team continuously evaluates the latest trends to put your company in the best position to succeed.

Posted: | Updated: Jul 5, 2023 | Categories: SEO
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How to Handle Negative Plumber Reviews (w/New Tips)

Blog Post Cover for "How to Handle Negative Plumbing Reviews" With Picture of Happy Face, Mild Face, and Sad Face.

The following post will outline how to handle negative plumbing reviews. At Plumbing Webmasters, we’ve worked with thousands of companies on reputation management, and our insights are based on that first-hand experience.

Screenshot of Review for Sunset West Plumbing

How to Handle Negative Plumbing Reviews

  • Use professional language
  • Attempt a mutual resolution
  • Explain your perspective
  • Offer to fix the problem (if applicable)
  • Don’t panic over one review

Responding to Negative Plumbing Reviews

As human beings, we have a tendency to react emotionally to criticisms. This can manifest when customers leave negative reviews for our business, especially when they feel unwarranted.

However, emotional responses can be detrimental to a plumbing company’s long-term reputation. While it may feel good to release emotional tension at the moment, it is not what’s best for long-term business growth and prosperity.

According to a Harvard Business School study, every one-star increase in Yelp rating translates to a 5-9% revenue increase. As a business owner, it is your job to enhance your reputation, even when that means personal restraint.

Abide by these five key steps to handling negative reviews for your plumbing business.

1) Keep it Professional

Use professional language that customers would expect in a business setting. Agitated clients may attempt to engage in a shouting match, and some may even coerce vulgarity or personal attacks. Remember that if you reduce yourself to their discourse, they win the argument, and your company loses.

2) Attempt to Resolve

Inquire about the contact information of the customer to resolve the dispute via telephone or other communication. Your reputation can’t be harmed with a private conversation, especially if you can fix it before they make their statements public. Future clients will never know the conversation occurred.

3) Explain Yourself

Don’t make excuses for poor performance, but explain what happened from your perspective respectfully. Sometimes, customers are looking for simple acknowledgment more than having a goal of harming your business. However, be careful not to come across as guilty if you didn’t do anything wrong.

4) Offer a Discount

Sometimes, offering a discount or refund may be the best long-term strategy. Discounts are especially effective when your company actually did something wrong, like failing to show up on time or providing subpar services.

Sometimes, a technician goes rogue, and you’re forced to clean up the mess. A well-intentioned discount will often do the trick.

5) Don’t Panic

It is important to remember that one or two negative reviews will not destroy your reputation. The sentiment is even more true if you have built up a collection of positive reviews. Investing in reputation management is critical for plumbing companies.

As you get more plumbing reviews from satisfied customers, it will affect your bottom line favorably.

Primary Causes of Negative Plumbing Reviews

Sometimes, the plumbing contractor did a poor job and deserved to be criticized. Other times, the issue is more about communication and interpretation. For example, if your billing agreement stated one thing, and the customer misinterpreted it, they might blame you for something you had no control over. 

It is important to note that customers often will contact you directly before taking their complaint online. It is best to resolve this dispute immediately so that the negative review is never published. If they post the review, keep things professional for the public eye.

Billing Issues

Anytime clients disagree over money, your company will hear about it online. We don’t have to tell you why handling your financial terms is imperative, but sometimes customers only hear what they choose. Resolving these cases over the phone or in person rather than in a public online forum is crucial. 

Performance Issues

If your company performs enough jobs, some customers will find your work dissatisfactory. If your plumbing services provide genuine value, such occurrences should be rare. However, even the best plumbers can’t please everyone.

The key is to resolve the performance problem if it truly exists. If the customer is making something up, you must try to illustrate why they’re wrong (but never in an online forum).

Scheduling Issues

Sometimes, a customer’s complaint has nothing to do with money or performance but with scheduling. We’ve all been there as plumbing companies, noticing a scheduling conflict with our technicians.

Your priority should be ensuring the best scheduling practices for your customers. If you come across an issue, apologize to the customer and offer to make up for it somehow.

Conclusion

Negative plumbing reviews are one of the unpleasant parts of the service industry. However, how you handle negative feedback partially determines your company’s long-term reputation. While unfounded criticisms often spark an emotional current for business owners, responding in a professional manner is best for business.

As a long-time marketing agency for plumbing companies throughout the United States, our experience managing online reputation has produced consistent growth and success for our clients. By following the steps outlined in this post, your company can navigate pessimistic feedback on the way to sustained success.