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5 Ways To Improve Online Presence

5 Ways To Improve Online Presence GraphicRoofing contractors are often wondering “How do I establish an online presence?” The answer depends on your resources and willingness to venture into uncharted territory. If you haven’t joined the digital revolution, it’s not too late. The team at Roofing Webmasters can help you get on track in a short period of time. We offer a wide variety of online marketing services that can establish your company in its local community. Check out these 5 ways to improve online presence:

#1. Create a Website

It’s easier than ever before to create a website. Several DIY website builders like Weebly, Wix, and Squarespace offer visually pleasing templates that can be edited without knowledge of HTML. These services do not come without a downside however. Since the coding is pre-designed, sites like these tend to lack the SEO potential of a “from-scratch” website. They also present limitations over the control of your source code, as well as your hosting, depending on the setup. Hiring a professional web designer is a better choice, for the following reasons:

  • Brand Development: Have a designer craft your website with your company’s logo, color scheme, etc.
  • Custom Design: Stand out in an oversaturated market, filled with stock template websites
  • SEO: Rank higher on Google search results

#2. Join Social Media

The internet is different than it was 10 and 20 years ago. In 2018, roofers can establish an online presence even without a website. That’s thanks in large part to social networks like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. These platforms offer free promotion for brands and companies across the world (not to mention paid advertising opportunities). With so much access, having a predetermined social media strategy is recommended and something Roofing Webmasters can help you with. Social media marketing can include the following:

  • Customer Interaction: Converse with customers through digital platforms
  • Media Sharing: Curate content from other sources, or share your own through posts
  • Social Networking: Connect with other businesses, or new and current customers

#3. Start a Blog

It seems like everyone has a blog nowadays. But research shows that blogging is beneficial to businesses. As an informal channel of communication, blogs help companies market themselves in ways that would not be possible through a traditional website. Generally speaking, there are two types of blogs, an external blog, and an internal blog. External blogs are hosted on 3rd party platforms like Google, WordPress.com, and Tumblr. Internal blogs are extensions of a primary website, and therefore hosted on the same server. At Roofing Webmasters we include internal blogs with each of our custom website designs. More benefits to blogging include:

  • Fresh Content: Publish new posts regularly to keep your website active
  • Keyword Targeting: Rank for niche topics that aren’t appropriate for your main site
  • SERP Indexing: Earn indexed posts that appear on Google search results

#4. Claim Your Listings

Nobody looks in the Yellow Pages anymore. Instead they look on internet directories like Google My Business, Facebook, HomeAdvisor, and Angie’s List. Claiming and optimizing your listings on these platforms can increase your likelihood of generating relevant leads. Niche platforms like HomeAdvisor and Angie’s List, cater specifically to the service industry, including roofers. Branding your company listings with a logo, description, and link to your website, can really enhance their value. Regardless of which platform you’re listed on, ensure accuracy and consistency of the following:

  • Company Address: The exact postal address of your business, including the suffix
  • Company Name: The verbatim spelling of your company name, including abbreviations
  • Company Phone Number: The exact phone number listing with its area code

#5. Respond to Reviews

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Review platforms closely parallel listing directories, and sometimes are one in the same. Yelp, for example, is both a listing directory as well as a review website / app. It’s no secret that online reviews significantly impact a consumer’s perception of your business. This includes the nature of the reviews (positive, or negative) along with the presence or absence of them. Companies with zero testimonials have trouble earning trust from potential customers, and usually lose out to more established competitors. One way of improving online presence is to respond to reviews you do have. Follow these guidelines:

  • Be Professional: Use appropriate, business-like language
  • Be Encouraging: Offer solutions and work towards a resolution (if negative)
  • Be Grateful: Regardless of the nature of the review, thank the customer for taking the time to comment

Roofing Webmasters

If you’re intrigued by any of the concepts above but don’t have the time and / or resources to pursue them, contact Roofing Webmasters today. We are an internet marketing company for roofers and offer a wide variety of services including search engine optimization, social media marketing, website design, and much more. We’ve been working with contractors like you for years and have the knowledge and expertise to establish an internet presence on your behalf.

Roofing contractors can be stubborn, and many have resisted the encouragement to establish an online presence. One reason why is that marketing companies don’t usually understand the roofing business, and how to appeal to its consumer base. Roofing Webmasters is different. As a marketing company that specializes in roofing, we understand the nuances of your market and how to best pursue lead generation moving forward. Call (800) 353-5758 to establish an online presence.

Do Roofing Keywords Still Matter?

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Roofer SEO & Internet Marketing Are Always Evolving

If you’ve invested in internet marketing services in the past, you’ve likely been conditioned to believe that keywords are the gateway to online roofing leads. While they cannot be discounted entirely, Google’s evolution provides several reasons to reevaluate the usage of keywords. It helps to understand what a search engine, and more specifically; Google, actually is. In our race to exploit it for our own personal gain, we’ve lost sight of its primary intention, and it’s coming back to bite us. The goal of Google is to provide the most relevant information possible to its users. As its algorithm has gotten smarter, and has developed a greater ability to understand language, context, and overall user intent, the information it relays to those users has changed.

It’s poetic justice that roofing companies who’ve been attempting to generate leads ethically for years are finally being rewarded for their behavior and those that have engaged in manipulative tactics are now suffering the consequences. Still, there exists a massive grey area between websites that are designed entirely for the user’s benefit, and those whose only purpose is to trick search engines into improving their rankings. If we’re being honest, most roofing websites lie somewhere in that grey area, and the question becomes; “what should we do?”. One thing is clear, it’s time for roofing companies to start moving away from keywords, and moving towards user experience.

An Emphasis on User Intent

Back in 2012, Google shifted its focus away from its primary algorithm (PageRank), and began considering “semantic search” which means that the presence of verbatim keywords are no longer necessary to prompt relevant results. Sites stuffing”cheap roofer” in their content no longer have an advantage over websites that refrain from using such terms. Instead, websites that provide engaging and valuable content and inform users of their roofing services, prices, and contact information can still rank without verbatim keywords. Aspects of user intent include:

  • Context
  • Relevance
  • Semantics

For roofing websites, this means that filling on-page content with “affordable roofer” is not as important as creating a website about your affordable roofing service. What would your content look like if keywords were not a consideration? If your only goal was to inform the public about your roofing company and the services it offers, what would your website look like — and read like? These are the questions you should be asking and answering as you decondition yourself from an antiquated philosophy.

The Emergence Of New Channels

Another reason why keywords were once the be all end all of search marketing is because the top organic ranking was the only place to guarantee conversions. Today, many other channels exist in which to acquire traffic and generate new leads. Research even indicates that the click-through-rate (CTR) of organic results has diminished, as new and more engaging outlets have come to the forefront. Newer channels include:

  • Local 3 Pack: 3 Local results appearing on SERPs
  • Featured Snippets: A highlighted snippet from a chosen web page
  • Knowledge Graph: The top right portion of a SERP, showing a company profile
  • Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and others

With so many new avenues to reach consumers, the premium on organic results has been somewhat deemphasized. That’s not to say it should be abandoned altogether. In fact, organic keyword ranking should remain a part of your search engine optimization strategy. The difference is that it should not be your only focus, as the manifestation of new channels has promoted diversity in online lead generation. Roofing Webmasters is eager to help you get started today. Call (800) 353-5758 to further discuss roofing keywords and what they mean for your business.

Hidden SEO Tips For Roofers

Roofing Webmasters Hidden SEO TipsRoofing companies who have invested in an official website have likely been faced with the task of search engine optimization. While some SEO techniques like keyword research, and NAP citations are common knowledge, others are less talked and written about. Roofing companies can take advantage of these “hidden SEO” techniques and take their online presence to the next level in 2018.

Do you manage your own website? Or do you pay someone to manage it for you? The first step to optimization is defining your goals and delegating responsibilities. It’s important to know who’s doing what, when they’re doing it, and so forth. As is the case with any business investment, properly attributing the source of your leads increases overall efficiency and revenue. Take a look at some of the hidden SEO tips for roofers:

Image Optimization

Images are a an often overlooked part of SEO, and can be the difference between a mediocre performing page, and a high performing page. There are several ways in which images can be optimized for search. Roofing Webmasters performs each one as part of our SEO services:

  • Alt Text: Keywords should be placed in alt text
  • File Name: Should be renamed to image-name.jpg
  • File Type: Should be in .jpg or .png format
  • File Size: Should be compressed using WPSmush or other tools

Featured Snippets

Every roofing company would like to rank #1 on Google. The reality though is that there are numerous competitors for a single spot. Traditionally, the only way to secure the #1 organic ranking was to have the best links, the best on page optimization, and the best off page optimization, not to mention a good reputation. There is now another way, the featured snippet:

  1. Step 1: Pose a question in your title or header
  2. Step 2: Answer the question in the subsequent paragraph text (in list or bullet point form preferably)
  3. Step 3: Follow standard SEO protocol
  4. Step 4: Hope you earn a featured snippet which appears on top of organic results

Most websites that earn featured snippets already rank in the top 10 for the given search query and / or keyword. That’s why step 3 is so important. Your entire website must be optimized — not just the section you are trying to earn a snippet for. Regardless of which, featured snippets present a new opportunity to rank #1 on Google.

Schema Markup

Ever wonder why certain search results appear more attractive than others? It’s because their data has undergone a process known as schema markup. The schema.org project was started by Google and collaborated on by some of the world’s top developers and companies. It is an agreed upon set of microdata tags that can better communicate your webpage content to Google. Examples of schema markup includes:

  • Reviews Snippets: An aggregate review rating of your roofing company underneath the result
  • Rich Snippets: Sub menus underneath traditional results
  • Video Snippets: Accompanying videos with search results

Roofing Webmasters

Want to take advantage of the hidden SEO in your market? Roofing Webmasters can help you get there. With our internet marketing services, we can give you the edge over competitors. In addition to the obvious optimization techniques like keyword placement, and on-page SEO, we also pay attention to every last detail, from Image optimization to schema markup. Our design team works collaboratively with our content team to form the ultimate marketing solution for roofers.

You might be sick of promises made to you by various marketing companies. They might promise an abundance of traffic that turns out to be empty (doesn’t lead to conversions). They might promise an increase in metrics (click-through rate) that once again don’t lead to conversions. The best way to ensure good marketing services is to demand accountability. That’s what is done at Roofing Webmasters with our month-to-month agreements. You are never locked in long-term, so we are constantly evaluated and held accountable. Call (800) 353-5758 for more hidden SEO tips for roofers.

Making Your Roofing Website Mobile

Making Your Roofing Website MobileDigital marketing is very much a trend-based industry. The trend most at the forefront of today’s market is mobile usability. In 2018, 79% of global internet usage is expected to occur on mobile devices. Advertisers have taken note, and begun to reallocate their resources to mobile advertising, rather than more traditional desktop promotion. Roofing websites who hope to increase their revenue stream in 2018 must join the mobile revolution ASAP, if they have not done so already. The presence of a mobile website is not enough — it must be highly functional and provide a superior user experience. Most of your leads will come from smartphones, so adapting your website to fit mobile dimensions is the ideal course of action. The below factors determine the quality of a mobile website:

Call To Action

One of the most profound changes in the shift from desktop to mobile is the call to action — both how it is consumed, and how it is delivered. In today’s mobile-first age, calls to action can lead to faster interactions than were previously plausible. Because mobile users are mostly accessing your website via smartphones, they can connect with your company by phone in a matter of seconds. With this in mind, mobile calls to action should be:

  • Clickable: Mobile calls to action should be as simple as clicking a button
  • Direct: Click to call functionality can take a smartphone user directly from your website to a phone call
  • Urgent: CTA’s should create a sense of urgency and encourage immediate engagement

Navigation

The biggest distinction of a mobile website from its desktop counterpart is the navigation. While desktop users will be navigating websites via mouse pad, smartphone users will be navigating with their thumb or other fingers. Needless to say this is quite a difference, and one that must be accounted for in the design stage. When creating your mobile-first website, you’ll want navigation to have the following qualities:

  • Convenience: Users should be able to easily navigate your mobile site without exerting much effort
  • Expansion: Expanded menus make navigation simpler and more user-friendly
  • Functionality: User’s should be able to navigate your site using only their thumb

Presentation

A mobile presentation will vary considerably from a traditional desktop display. Forget everything you once knew about web design. This is a new era of internet, and mobile presentations should be a major departure from the once dominant desktop layout. Today’s users prefer to consume information as cleanly and directly as possible. With this in mind, mobile website presentations should present the following qualities:

  • Aesthetics: Consider your layout from the eyes of your target audience
  • Interactivity: Include interactive elements like videos and responsive menus
  • Simplicity: Less is more in the world of mobile web design

Mobile Web Design From Roofing Webmasters

If your roofing website has not adapted to the mobile revolution, Roofing Webmasters can jump-start the process. Our web design team is well versed in mobile design and creates each website with a mobile-first philosophy. Our SEO experts create compelling calls to action and integrate them within the framework of your design, which by they way, will be unique from your competitors. Unlike many web design services, we don’t use stock templates. Our designers create a custom website, specifically for your roofing company.

If you’re worried about your mobile site translating to desktop, you shouldn’t be. We utilize responsive web design so that your website will adjust to the device on which it is accessed. That means your market of smartphone, tablet, and desktop users will all be reached, with extra special attention paid to mobile users, since they are the overwhelming majority of your visitors. Roofing Webmasters is a company that knows your target audience well, as we’ve been marketing on behalf of roofing companies for years. Call (800) 353-5758 for mobile web design for roofers.

3 Ways Roofers Waste Marketing Dollars

Roofer Marketing Team Measures ROI
Roofing Webmasters Will Get Your Marketing On Track

For roofing contractors, the marketing industry is like a shop full of self-help books. Many of them are trying to manipulate you in some way, and a good percentage of them are proud of it. Still, they make bank off of unsuspecting contractors, many of whom operate under the illusion that these services care at all about the success of their business. Despite multiple algorithm updates, many of which penalized link schemes and thin content, there are still loopholes that create an unfair advantage for certain domains. The ones who suffer the most are the contractors, because they assume that the top results are the best services, and end up blowing their money on half-hearted efforts. Here are 4 ways roofers waste marketing dollars:

Automated Social Media

The social media industry has been a microcosm of internet marketing, and it’s evolution has moved much faster than SEO as a whole. Just 2 years ago, it was fairly easy to reach Facebook users organically through Company Pages. That is no longer the case. The inception of this algorithmic change stems from the preponderance of social spam on branded profiles. This is not limited to Facebook, but also includes Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others. Automated social posts are fundamentally antisocial, and conflict with the very concept on which it’s published.

Black Hat SEO

The service industry seems to be stuck in the past, in a time when SEO meant something completely different than it does now. Yes, the definition hasn’t changed, but what it is defining certainly has. The search engine (SE) is the principal subject of SEO. Because the top search engines, and most importantly; Google, have evolved over time, the optimization process has followed suit. What once ascended your website to the top of results, can now have it slapped with an official Google penalty. Any manipulative search engine tactics are considered black hat SEO. That includes keyword stuffing, link scheming, hidden text, sneaky redirects, and more.

Guesswork PPC

Without measurement, your PPC campaign is a gamble. Try hitting the roulette table and putting a dime on 00, and then you’ll feel like what it feels like to invest in a PPC campaign on a whim. Companies that consistently succeed on Google AdWords have years of data-driven research to back up their actions. They aren’t “guessing” what will work, they are doing what has proven to work over time. If you don’t have enough data to create a projectable campaign, you can invest in a company like Roofing Webmasters who has decades of data to support your efforts.

The Roofing Webmasters Solution

There’s a simple way to avoid each of the common pitfalls above. Invest in internet marketing services from Roofing Webmasters. We don’t automate social posts, but instead craft real-time, socially acceptable content. There is a zero-tolerance policy for black hat SEO at our offices. We don’t even consider using manipulative tactics. Our PPC campaigns are 100% data driven, backed up by decades of accumulated insights, and executed by a Google certified manager. Get started with our services today by calling (800) 353-5758. You won’t be sorry.

Is Live Chat a Good Call To Action?

Pitfalls of Chatbots For Roofing WebsitesWe have all navigated to websites only to be greeted by an apparent chatbot, asking us how they can help. A fair amount of service websites use chatbots or “live chat” on their homepage in an attempt to lure visitors into engaging in a productive dialogue with the hope of converting them into a customer. While the concept may make sense, in theory, most users find chatbots to be a total waste of time. In most cases, live chat is NOT a good call to action, and here’s why:

Artificial Ignorance

Though AI is presumed to stand for artificial intelligence, when it comes to most live chat systems, artificial ignorance is far more appropriate. Not only are these chatbots, not intelligent, but they are, at times, frustratingly ignorant. Why is this the case? Because most of these mechanisms are built on something called “decision-tree logic.” Basically, anticipated keywords are programmed into the system to induce a relevant response. Though technology is getting closer to developing bots that can learn languages and converse appropriately, they are still not quite there. For the decision-tree concept to work well, the programmer must anticipate an absurd amount of potential keywords, phrases, contexts, and more, a feat just not possible without a wealth of financial resources. The end result is that these live chats are not successful.

Context Matters

The biggest hurdle to be cleared in the world of live chat technology, is context recognition. As human beings we converse with people based on contextual cues that are dispersed back and forth between parties. Things like sarcasm, reference, presumed knowledge, and more, all go right over the head of a common live chatbot. This failure of the technology to interpret context can actually frustrate users on the other end of the conversation. When it reaches this point, not only is live chat not a good call to action, but it can actually serve as a deterrent to customer acquisition. When branding your roofing company website, personalization should be a major component. There is nothing less personal than a robot talking a potential customer in circles.

Ethical Negligence

Many service websites that deploy the use of chatbots fail to make this fact known to their website visitors. As a result, a percentage of users mistakenly believe they are chatting with an actual human being. Though tech savvy users are likely to infer the chat’s robotic tone, older consumers with less digital experience may believe they are chatting with a real sales representative. This is unethical and will only create division between your roofing company, and potential customers. People value transparency, so if you do end up using a chatbot, it is imperative that this information is clearly displayed to visitors. That won’t prevent the intelligence of consumers from being insulted, but at least you won’t breach ethical lines with a misleading element.

Live Chat Alternatives

Until your company can afford cutting edge technology that learns language and interprets context, chatbots should not be an option. In the same breath, unless your company can afford to pay knowledgeable employees to personally attend to live chat inquiries 40 hours per week (at least), live chat should not be an option at all. But if live chat is NOT a good call to action, what can be used in its place? Consider the ideas below:

  • Click to Call Functionality: Embedded phone number links that connect mobile website visitors directly to your office phone line
  • Contact Forms: They may seem obsolete, but contact forms can at least move you closer to a meaningful interaction with a potential customer
  • Video Autoplay: Because video is the hottest content medium on the market, embedding an autoplay YouTube clip of your company imploring a call to action (i.e. calling a phone number), can engage target customers

To generate roofing leads with calls to action, call (800) 353-5758 for roofer internet marketing services.

How Google Assistant Will Impact Roofers

Picture of Google Ipad
Half of All Searches will be Voice Searches by 2020

According to ComScore, by 2020, half of all searches will be voice searches. Just as roofing companies were getting used to the idea of Local SEO and mobile optimization, yet another technological wrinkle has been thrown into the mix. This technology is not going anywhere either. The convenience of using voice commands to produce information on the spot is something everyone can utilize. With that in mind, as this phenomenon becomes more mainstream, a larger portion of the general public will rely on it for their information. But what will new voice technology products like Google Assistant and Amazon Echo mean for roofing contractors?

It means a new way to generate leads for your roofing company. Just as search engine optimization adapted to fit the mobile surge, it will have to do so again to account for voice recognition. Many of the same SEO practices remain important, but extra special attention will have to be paid to citation sources and company reviews. There has never been more access to business information than there is today, and it keeps getting easier to distribute with each new advancement in technology.

Google Assistant Local Lead Generation

Google’s voice recognition tool; Google Assistant now offers local lead generation by partnering with services like HomeAdvisor and Porch. Consumers will be able to say “Ok, Google, find me a roofer” and be prompted to communicate additional details like “my shingles are damaged” or “my roof is leaking”. From there the assistant will connect you with their best choice of roofer, or produce a list of reputable roofers for you to choose from. Roofing companies should account for this new technology by practicing the following SEO techniques:

  • Customer Review Management: Since Google will produce reputable roofing options, you must ensure your reputation is intact with positive reviews across multiple platforms
  • Directory Listing Optimization: Making sure your company is listed on local directories will be more important than ever, as will the accuracy and consistency of your contact information
  • Service Categorization: It will be critical to properly categorize your services, both on your website, and local directories, so that you can be matched with relevant consumers

Though Amazon Echo is still considered the most popular home voice recognition hardware, it does not currently offer a version of this lead generation feature. For that reason, Google Assistant may begin to increase in popularity and potentially overtake Echo as the #1 product on the market. It is also possible that Amazon Echo soon develops a similar feature for home service lead generation, and roofing companies must stay prepared to account for any additional features on the horizon.

The #1 Roofing Internet Marketing Company

Many options are available for online marketing services but generic firms don’t have in depth knowledge about the roofing industry. What your company really needs is a service that specializes in marketing for roofing contractors. That’s exactly what you’ll get with Roofing Webmasters. We work with contractors like you all the time, and know exactly how to appeal to your customer base.

2018 is upon us, and the rise of voice recognition in search engines is only going to increase. To ensure full optimization of your roofing company online, contact Roofing Webmasters today. We handle every aspect of your internet marketing, including; online citations, reputation management, SEM, and SEO. Call (800) 353-5758 to speak with an expert today!

Signs Your Roofing Website Needs Redesign

Designers Work on Roofing Website Redesign
The New Year is a Great Time to Evaluate Your Website

With the new year upon us, now is a better time than ever to reevaluate your roofing website. If your online marketing campaign failed to perform up to expectations last year, your website could be partially to blame. If the problems with your website are significant enough, a professional redesign should be in order. To determine if your website should be redesigned in 2018, look for these signs:

Sign #1: Slow Loading Times

As information is distributed at the fastest rate in history, attention spans are growing shorter by the minute. If your website takes more than 2 seconds to load, it can be a death sentence of your online marketing. Common issues causing slow loading times are:

  • Cheap Hosting: If you are on a shared hosting plan it may be time to change providers
  • Clunky Code: Poorly designed web pages have clunky code that slows down loading times
  • Uncompressed Images: Failure to optimize images for the web can bog down your site

Sign #2: Not Mobile Friendly

Mobile search surpassed desktop years ago, and the number continues to rise with each passing month. You can test your mobile website with Google Mobile-Friendly Test. Problems with mobile presentation include:

  • Difficult Navigation: If your website doesn’t fit within mobile screen parameters it can make navigation nearly impossible and cause massive bounce rates
  • Stripped Down Version: Websites that don’t incorporate responsive design often present stripped down versions of their site on mobile
  • Unsupported Content: Using elements like flash on your website will not be supported on mobile devices and thus make your website look unprofessional

Sign #3: Poor Website Analytics

Thanks to free tools like Google Analytics and Search Console we can measure user behavior on our website. If your data for 2017 is less than inspiring, a redesign seems more than reasonable to consider. Metrics that indicate poor performance include:

  • Few Pages Per Session: This metric shows how many pages a visitor navigates to per session
  • High Bounce Rate: This metric shows how many user exit your site immediately
  • Low Conversion Rate: The rate at which users complete the defined call to action (i.e. phone number link)

Sign #4: Low Search Visibility

Your website can look amazing, but if it is not appearing in search results, there is something inherently wrong with it. This can range from the code used to design the website, to the URL structure used to categorize individual service pages. Test your rankings for the following:

  • Exact Match Keyword: Search your company name on Google and see what appears
  • Industry Keywords: Search something like “roof repair near me”
  • Local Keywords: Search something like “dallas tx roof repair”

For professional web design services for roofers, call Roofing Webmasters at (800) 353-5758.

2018 Facebook Algorithm Update for Roofers

Facebook Business Page Update
The Latest Facebook Algorithm is Bad News for Roofing Business Pages

Your content is only as good as its reach. This is as true for your social media marketing as it is for your company website. Just like effective SEO considers Google Algorithm updates while optimizing a website for search results, proper Facebook marketing should take the social platforms own algorithm into account.

Facebook recently announced major changes to it’s algorithm and it is bad news for business pages. Due to community feedback , Facebook will return to its original philosophy of highlighting friends and family in news feeds. While this severely limits the impact of your roofing company business page, there are steps you can take to maximize your chances of appearing in news feeds with this algorithm. They are:

 

Invest in Facebook Advertising

Free marketing has all but disappeared in the latest algorithm update. To guarantee sets of eyes on your roofing company brand, consider investing in Facebook Advertising. This way you can appear on advertising space in between family photos and friendly group messages. For roofing companies, this is the most effective way to reach Facebook users in 2018. Two million people use Facebook every month which is bound to include future customers.

Make Sure Your Website is Optimized

At the very least, your Facebook Business Page can still be indexed by Google and serve as an additional channel to attract customers. With that said, you should make sure your website is fully optimized so that Facebook can serve as a funnel to it. This strategy also helps create the best presentation when you upload links to specific web pages on your Facebook page. Pay special attention to header tags, title tags, and meta descriptions.

Share Valuable Content (No Spam)

It just got a whole lot more difficult for branded content to appear on news feeds. Why? Because people are sick of reading top 10 lists about irrelevant celebrities. By the same token, nobody wants to see a headline that says “A Roof That Can Withstand Tornadoes With Ease”. Anything that manipulates the user into clicking on the link (clickbait) is discouraged by the new Facebook algorithm update. From this point forward only share content that will actually help your followers.

Upload Videos Directly to Facebook

Many times company pages will post YouTube links which appear as videos on Facebook. With the new algorithm update it is especially important to upload the video directly to Facebook. Special consideration will be paid to “Live” videos which can consist of question and answer sessions that engage your audience. It is one of the only avenues left for business pages on Facebook.

For Roofer Facebook Marketing, call Roofing Webmasters at (800) 353-5758

Handling Negative Roofing Reviews

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Bad Reviews Don’t Have to Ruin Your Roofing Business

If your roofing company plans to stay in business for the foreseeable future, you are going to have to learn how to handle negative reviews. Last year, 97% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses. The difference between a conversion and a loss can lie in the balance of your customer reviews. There are 3 components to review management for roofers. They are:

Prevention

The best way to handle negative reviews is to prevent them from happening in the first place. There are steps each roofing contractor can take to prevent negative customer reviews. They are:

  • Accessibility: Making your customer service available on a wide range of platforms gives customers a chance to discuss complaints before they resort to negative reviews
  • Customer Care: Treating customers with respect via all forms of communication significantly lowers the probability of negative response
  • Encouragement: Don’t act like you have something to hide, link your review profiles on your website and email signature as if to say that you welcome reviews from your customers
  • Performance: Do a great job on your roofing services and you are unlikely to see any negativity

It’s not a perfect world, and even the most reputable companies will receive a negative review from time to time. As long as you’ve taken all the necessary steps for prevention, a few outlier reviews won’t impact your bottom line.

Detection

There’s not much you can do about a bad review if you don’t know it exists. Review monitoring is an important aspect of your reputation management. Luckily, many of the most popular review platforms offer alert systems that will notify your business whenever a negative review is left. Some of the most common places to look are:

  • Better Business Bureau: A longstanding business watchkeeper
  • Facebook: The most popular social media platform
  • Google My Business: The most visible review site that appears right on search results
  • Yelp: Known as “the review site” in many circles

Setting up alerts is the best way to monitor bad press. It doesn’t hurt to look over each of these platforms on a weekly basis to gauge how customers are responding to your services. The more feedback you can get, the more you can improve aspects of your customer service.

Response

Once you are alerted of a negative review, the best thing to do is respond to it ASAP. But before you do so, make sure you know exactly how you want to respond. Remember, this is public discourse between you and a customer, and optics matter. Responses should be:

  • Customer-Centric: Put the customer first, even if they’re wrong
  • Professional: Refrain from any insults or discouraging language
  • Solution Oriented: Offer solutions based on the complaint of the customer
  • Timely: Nobody wants to wait weeks or months to hear back, so respond ASAP

Think of negative reviews as a PR opportunity for your roofing business. It’s free publicity to other prospective customers who will be impressed with the professionalism of your responses. As long as you keep the customer first, your business can learn and grow from these bits of feedback.

Investigation

The final step to handling bad reviews is investigation. After responding to a negative review publicly, it is best to attempt to contact the customer privately and see if you can further resolve the matter while also acquiring valuable feedback. Follow up investigations should be:

  • Declarative: Make the customer feel “right” and consider offering a coupon of some sort
  • Inquisitive: Try to collect specific information about what they feel went wrong
  • Personal: Call the person by their name and try to make them feel as if you truly care
  • Progressive: See if you can reach a mutual understanding and have the review removed or amended

If you control what you can, you will find that the majority of your reviews will be positive. The attentiveness to customers is ultimately what will decipher a company with a positive online reputation vs. one with a poor one. If you would like to discuss roofer reputation management, call us at (800) 353-5758.