Congratulations! You’ve just started your professional plumbing company. You’re also dirt poor and have no marketing budget to speak of. We’ve all been there.
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to start earning brand recognition online, without breaking the bank. Today, we’ll discuss a number of free to cheap activities that anyone can handle. If you’ve been worried about getting noticed in local search, be sure to listen in!
Key Insights on Plumbing Marketing (on a Tight Budget)
- Register a domain under your name! Make sure it’s distinct from common industry terms.
- Set up your Google My Business listing and submit your address. Complete the free forms.
- If you don’t have money, try a cheap service like WIX and GoDaddy.
- Stay away from digital marketing services in the mid-hundreds. You’re better off going DIY!
Starting Fresh in Local Search
Normally, our team at Plumbing Webmasters likes to steer the conversation away from other web design companies. We may also go the opposite direction and show just how many people get royally screwed by other SEO companies. But we’re going to do something different today, because sometimes you just need a place to kick off your marketing plan.
If you have no marketing budget to speak of, starting up your out-of-home plumbing company can be a real challenge! With so many established businesses in the community, how can you start making a name for yourself? It all begins with a domain name and a company website.
Without an established budget, there’s only one solution left: go DIY (do it yourself)!
A 3-Step Starter’s Guide
While many marketing activities can help you cultivate clients, three are absolutely mandatory. Without these three steps, your plumbing SEO has almost zero chance of taking off and earning clients for your business.
Your Three Essential Steps
- Step #1: Claim Your GMB (Google My Business) Listing.
- Step #2: Register a Unique Domain Name.
- Step #3: Create and Launch a Starter Website.
This Free Tool Makes it Easier to Earn Site Visitors. Image Source: Google My Business
Google My Business Account
Among the numerous qualities it has and the benefits it provides, your Google My Business listing is absolutely free. It’s Google’s way of getting to know your business location, basic service category, and operating hours. Fill it out as much as possible, and regularly come back to it as you gain more information. Your GMB listing helps you start showing up in local search queries. Then there’s the crucial ability to gather Google Reviews!
Be sure to use the same physical address for all your citations as your business grows. This makes the Google Search algorithm more confident in your operating area, increasing your chances of showing up for localized searches. When business booms, your marketing budget expands, and your company grows into an office, you’ll need to change the name for all of your citation listings (BBB, Angie’s List, Yelp, etc.).
Choosing a Domain Name
Your domain name isn’t just a web address. It’s also part of your brand identify, and it heavily impacts people’s ability to find your company online. Choosing a smart domain and guarding it carefully will help your business grow consistently over time.
Domain Name Examples
- Great: purplemonkeyplumber.com
- Poor: americafirstplumber.com
- Great: pipefighter.co
- Poor: seattleplumbingcompany.com
- Great: rooterrex.com
- Poor: bustedpipestx.co
What makes an ideal domain name? Memorability and uniqueness. Thousands of businesses shoot themselves in the foot by picking what they think will rank well in search. They use part of their small marketing budget to purchase a combination of their local city and a popular plumbing term. That’s a huge mistake! Many established companies already rank for similar names, and Google almost never ranks a new business over a seasoned competitor with a close name.
Craft Your Company Website
The most involved portion of your online marketing, website design requires careful planning, research, and patience. With that being said, it is possible to craft a beautiful website on a tight budget. With plenty of design sites and templates to choose from, anyone can build a basic but functional site for under $100. Your website may not be fully optimized for local SEO, but that’s okay for now.
Key Highlights on Website Design
- Make sure your navigational menu is compact and fully functional.
- Have your site inspected by several people for spelling and grammar errors.
- Create a service page for every major category (at least). Do child pages if possible.
- Test your site for usability and ease of navigation.
Need Help Getting Started?
One last note: Be sure to create listings in each of the major citation companies: Yelp, BBB, etc. Facebook Business profiles can also help you earn a handful of leads as you get the ball rolling. Starting a plumbing business is tough work (especially without a marketing budget), but success can be yours with diligence and careful planning!
Want some professional insight as you begin your business? Call the Plumbing Webmasters for a free consultation! We support hundreds of plumbers around the country, and we’d be happy to support you however we can, even if you don’t have a big marketing budget.
Simply call us at (877) 388-9884 to learn more.
Other Resources from Plumbing Webmasters
Related Articles and Podcasts
– Skin in the Game With Plumber’s Marketing Money (Podcast)
Plumbing Webmasters Services
– Google My Business for Plumbers
– Website Design Services for the Plumbing Webmasters
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