Category: Business

How do you find local service companies? You use Google! As a home service business, you want your business to be the one customers click on first. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps with this! But the benefits don’t stop there. Here’s an in-depth look at the advantages SEO can give your business.

Benefits of SEO for Home Service Companies

SEO isn’t limited to being on top of search rankings. Implementing SEO best practices helps increase your overall online presence and authority. 

It also offers advantages in the following areas:

Home Service SEO Keyword Research

Home service businesses have a variety of skills they can offer to clients. Some offer repair services like roof replacement, others can offer gardening.

Users are likely to search for keywords related to specific services. With quality content campaigns around these keywords, you can become an authority in those fields.

Analytics Tracking & Reporting

Metrics reveal how your firm is performing and how to improve. Analytic tools such as Google Analytics and Search Console can be used to make data-driven decisions. 

Competitor Analysis

SEO allows competitive analysis. You learn how to exploit your competition’s strengths and weaknesses and how to exploit them. 

Optimized Social Media Marketing

SEO should be holistic. It encompasses your business’s overall online presence. You can also use a strategic CTA in your social media posts and accounts to redirect customers to crucial landing pages.

Targeted Local SEO

You want SEO localized, strategically targeting certain areas and niches. For example, if your business is in roof repair, you can optimize for roofing SEO. 

Going into a specific niche can help you become an authority. Paired with Local SEO, customers in your area can easily see you in search results. 

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO tells search engines that your services are available in a specific area and should be recommended on results pages.

Instead of looking up “Home Service Companies”, prospects can search “Home Service Companies near Houston”. This level of specificity can increase site traffic significantly. 

Why is local SEO important for home service companies?

Home service companies target nearby customers. Your clients are local, unlike retail enterprises that target national or international clientele.

Here are key advantages local SEO can give your business:

• You get to optimize your site for mobile, which the majority of customers will use.
• Your business can be visible on apps such as Google and Apple maps.
• Using your Google Business Profile to boost your organic ranks on the SERP and local map listings sidebar.

Step-by-step guide: How to do SEO For Home Service Companies

SEO can be complicated at first. But it’s surprisingly simple if on-page content is what you want to focus on. If that’s the case, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

Create an SEO Strategy

Create a list of service-related topics. Try linking them. Set up “Pillar Topics” and “Cluster Topics” (content that supports pillars). Set a posting schedule and plan link-building. 

Identify Target Keywords

When thinking of keywords, think of intent. People looking for plumbers probably want to get fittings, valves, or pipes fixed. Use intent to your advantage. 

Optimize Meta Tags

Google search pages provide meta tags and descriptions for users. Google crawls web page metadata to create these snippets. 

Use Local SEO Best Practices

Here are some of the best practices for local SEO:

• Include city name in Title Tag
• Conduct in-depth keyword analysis of the local marketplace.
• Get a citation to help Google pinpoint your business location and other information.
• Optimize site speed for a smoother user experience. 

Utilize Google My Business (GMB)

GMB accounts are free and easy to create. Simply provide your business’s location and phone number and other essential information. It helps users find local businesses near their area.

Key Takeaways 

Home service companies no matter the size benefit from SEO. Not only can it increase organic traffic, but it can also increase conversions. 

To recap, here are some important details regarding SEO for home services:

• Implementing SEO best practices for local businesses helps grow their online authority.
• SEO helps makes it easier for people to find your business. 
• It can boost a company’s online presence, making them reach more people.
• Not many local businesses use SEO. Use this to get an edge over the competition.
• The benefits of SEO can’t be seen overnight. It should be a consistent process.

Just bought something cool? Chances are you want to share it with the world! It could be a new phone case, a cute dress, or even a tumbler. 

If the product is good, customers are likely to promote it themselves! This is what you call user-generated content (UGC). Using UGC in your marketing campaigns is sustainable, scalable, and virtually free!

But before discussing where to get UGC, let’s learn the basics. 

What is User-Generated Content (UGC)?

Every piece of content customers post online is an example of UGC. It could be images, videos, testimonials, reviews, and more.

UGC allows marketing campaigns to be organic. People become the face of the brand, creating authenticity, social proof, and trust.

In order to use this effectively, we need to know the different types of UGC we can encounter.

Types of UGC

Finding places to search for UGC is easy. There’s a wide variety of UGCs we can choose from. Here’s a list of the most popular:

• Social Media Content – Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube make it easy for people to share their own content.
• Reviews and Testimonials – Reviews are like personal recommendations. Studies show that 92% of online shoppers read reviews before buying. 
• Videos/Blog Posts – Customers can create video content about products such as unboxing videos or product reviews. These show the actual products in action. 
• Surveys – Brands may use UGC surveys to display graphs, infographics, and data on their websites.
• Case Studies – Case studies are formal brand marketing in digital work. Companies may boost website engagement and traffic.

Benefits of UGC in eCommerce

Using UGC as a marketing strategy works because it removes doubt from customers. Before buying products, most customers look to others to see if it’s worth it.

User-generated content identifies what customers need, how products can improve, and how they can be marketed.

With UGC, an eCommerce business can also do the following:

Showcase Your Products

Ecommerce UGC shows customers using your actual products. It’s organic and promotes authenticity and trust.

But sometimes, customers can share good reviews with low-quality photos. Before using the photo, you can run it through an image upscaler to increase the quality. 

Personalize eCommerce Campaigns

Consumers now trust real, honest, and tailored ads instead of unrealistic ones. People want to connect with brands at a personal level.

Using UGC promotes personalization as it uses organically driven content. 

Promote User-engagement

Your business inspires creative content. Brand awareness increases as more individuals contribute material.

Your content’s authenticity will draw customers in and urge them to explore further with every engagement. 

Improve Customers’ Shopping Experience

UGC enhances the buying experience. It engages, inspires, and sells. Customers have streamlined, informative, and exciting buying experiences thanks to this.

Increase Conversion Rates

UGC influences 53% of millennial purchases. Ecommerce brands that publish user-generated content across consumer touchpoints encourage positive purchase decisions and brand sales. 

7 Ways to get UGC from Customers

Marketers must analyze customer patterns because UGC is readily available. They must know who uploads UGC, when, and why.

From there, marketers can: 

Curate Customer’s Product Photos

You can use hashtags or look up your brand name on social media and look for photos from customers. Look for photos that are unique and eye-catching, don’t forget to tag the uploader. 

Create Hashtag Campaigns

UGC is about customers and how they interact with your brand. You may want to create something unique. It’s even better if fans relate to it. 

Sponsor an Influencer

Influencers make UGC easier. Sponsor an influencer for product promotion or review. It’s more credible if they’re unbiased during the review.

Create or Join Events/Contests

Creating events or contests promotes customer engagement. A good example is the pen brand Titus. They hop on the “National Doodle Day” and create contests around it. Customers use their pens to create amazing art and the brand gets excellent UGC. 

Use Social Engagements as Currency

User-generated content can encourage brand engagement. Discounts, free samples, and the chance to do something for your brand encourage participation.

Offer On-site Review

Many eCommerce stores provide visual UGC and review submissions. It lets customers upload UGC or product reviews directly to the product page.

Start a Trend

Social media content can inspire companies to produce eye-catching marketing strategies. You may create your own trends to draw in your audience. 

Key Takeaways 

UGC is everywhere. The challenge is curating the data and presenting them in an engaging way. It’s sustainable and cost-effective. Done right, it can lead to massive conversion boosts.

Here’s a rundown of why businesses should use UGC:

• UGC uses customers’ content. It’s virtually free.
• It can be found primarily on social media.
• You can find UGC in review sites, vlogs, or videos as well.
• Use UGC to engage with customers directly
• Include UGC for critical CTA to improve conversions.

A year ago, in November 2014, Sony Pictures suffered huge losses due to the leaking of personal information about employees and their families, employee e-mails, new unreleased films, and much more. Before that, in August, Apple found itself the target of hackers when provocative photos of celebrities stored on their phones emerged. That even state institutions are not safe was shown by the case of the Office of Personnel Management of the United States of America from June 2015, when four million files of employees in the state administration were leaked due to security breaches. These are the cases that made the headlines, and the number of similar incidents that have gone unreported or undetected is much higher.

With this said, one thing is sure – data is a company’s most valuable asset, and its security is a top priority, probably because it’s becoming increasingly difficult to protect. We will deal with procedures that lead to more secure data in the text below. 

Data leaks aren’t just a problem for big companies and government agencies. All organizations, whether small or large, possess sensitive data whose loss could have disastrous consequences. This is why data protection should be a priority for every organization.

Spring cleaning

The first thing we recommend is to go through all your devices—computers, tablets, and smartphones—and look at the apps you don’t need or don’t use anymore.

In addition to using your device’s storage space, it may also be silently loading in the background and using other system resources. They can also – especially on a smartphone – silently follow you or monitor your behavior. In the worst-case scenario, one of those apps might actually be malware, spyware, or some other type of potentially unwanted app that’s actually causing some damage.

So if you don’t need it, uninstall it! You’ll probably be pleasantly surprised at how much cleaner and faster your device is without all those unnecessary apps piling up. If you’re using a business computer, check with YOUR IT admin before you uninstall anything, just to make sure it’s not something the business needs to have.

If you’re not sure if you need something or not, you can keep an eye on it if that makes it easier for you. Because dealing with these issues may take a lot of your time, energy, and resources, you should think about hiring different IT professionals to make the process smoother and free up more time. You can also look for a Microsoft 365 consultant and a business consultant to help you with configuration management, data recovery from possible disasters, monitoring and analytics, and security. Assessments of the things you really need can be performed by specialists, while the arbitrary and trivial things you can live without will be taken care of (such as the video game you installed or music app). 

Raise employee awareness

Employees are the weakest link in the security chain. Organize regular training for employees, from directors to receptionists, and familiarize them with the rules and procedures related to the use of sensitive data.

Don’t forget your browser!

You undoubtedly want to keep your web browser installed, but you should check to see if there are browser extensions installed in your browser that you don’t need or want. For most browsers, you can find them in your browser’s settings or by typing about extensions in your browser’s address bar.

Looking for more extreme cleaning?

Every once in a while, you will “factory reset” a computer or smartphone, which basically means it goes back to the state it was in when you first took it out of the box. Then you’ll reinstall only the software and data you need. If you choose to go this route, make sure you have separate copies of all your data, files, and photos; know how to reinstall important apps, and have all the product keys you might need.

The steps to be taken are slightly different for each type of device.

Deep scan

We hope you have a good anti-malware program running on your computer. Now is a good time to get a second opinion or a deeper scan.

On Windows 10 or 11, try Microsoft Defender Offline. To check this, make sure you have saved all open files, then go to Windows Security > Virus Protection & Threats > Scan and select Microsoft Defender Offline Scan. This tool will restart your computer and run a deep scan that can sometimes detect malware that regular antimalware software cannot.

Regular updates 

Now that the devices are clean and clear, let’s make sure the remaining software has all updates and security patches installed.

On Windows, this means using Windows Update to ensure you have all system updates, updates for other Microsoft products, and most device drivers. On other devices, this usually means you need to go to the system settings or app store for that device and check for updates. But don’t stop there. If you have third-party software, you should check each of those apps to make sure you have the latest versions of those apps. Don’t neglect your software. It’s not enough to just install it; you need to make sure you always have the latest version of the operating system and other software, as well as security and other patches. Otherwise, you will be easy prey for cybercriminals.  

Protect the most important data 

Most organizations do not know where their key data is located or who can access it. The first step in prevention is to define what data is sensitive, where it can be stored, and who can access it. Start with the most important ones, the ones that you think someone would want to steal or that someone could benefit from. Once you’ve identified the most important, move to the next level of importance, and so on. 

Data classification is the simplest security measure an organization can and should take. When you define which data or documents are sensitive, mark them as “confidential,”  “for internal use only,” and similar. Protect your most sensitive data with encryption and/or data loss prevention solutions (such as Symantec DLP), which allow you to create and enforce specific rules for the use of this data.

Protect laptops and mobile devices

Use passwords for laptops and mobile devices. If you store sensitive data on these devices, make sure that the data is encrypted. Passwords should be long and unique for each site where a person is registered. You should never use something like 1234. There should be some randomness, and characters other than letters and numbers should be used. Since passwords should be different and complicated, it is wise to use the so-called password manager program. In this way, it is enough to remember only the password for it.  

Turn on two-factor authentication 

The two-factor authentication option often appears when creating an account, and certain sites often remind you later to turn it on if you haven’t already. Most often, you are asked to enter your mobile phone number, after which you receive a message with an additional number that you enter before logging in.

Although this is the most common method, it is not the most secure, as SMS messages can also be intercepted by the Internet service provider, the police, and other government organizations.

Beware of phishing

Not all attacks are the result of malware or hackers sneaking into other people’s accounts. Sometimes people are simply tricked into giving their information to malicious actors.

Phishing is a type of online fraud where an attacker, usually through impersonation, tries to steal your username and password or infect your computer.

This type of attack can be carried out via email, SMS, or phone call. The best advice is to be careful, as there are often signs that messages are not from reliable sources—typos, links to sites that are different from what they should be, or if the email comes from a strange domain.

Don’t relax, and don’t think you’re safe forever. Hackers are constantly finding new ways to attack. Incident management is preparation for cases of unwanted intrusions and infections. Consider hiring experts to help navigate the crisis and incident and provide another outside perspective and point of view.