In this series, we’re taking on remodeling contractors and how their business can be found online by previous and potential customers. If you’re a contractor this marketing model works, we know because we use it. If you are not a remodeling contractor don’t tune out, this advice applies to all companies who want to be found online.

Joe: Welcome back to the Being Found Show, your internet marketing helpline. I personally think it’s the best two hours of radio for any business.

Chauncey: We gotta change it to Helpline to the Stars.

Joe: Helpline to the Wealthy and Getting Wealthier?

Chauncey: Yeah.

Joe: Yeah, yeah. What I want to do is I want to jump into being really specific for contractors. What we’re going to do here is we’re going to talk a little bit about why it even matters that contractors figure out the internet and put it to work for them.
I’ve personally been a contractor. I’ve poured concrete for a living, and frankly, that’s what I do. I don’t really care about what’s going on with the computer or the phone back in those days, and I didn’t even like computers back then. I think it’s easy for a contractor to feel like, “I do my craft, and the Internet’s something I’ll worry about if I ever get time.”, but the reality is that customers have made the internet part of their buying process.

Chauncey: Absolutely.

Joe: Whatever you sell, you have to have too. Right? It’s just that simple. If you sell something, you have to have made the internet part of your customer’s buying process or your selling process, and I think we’re past the tipping point where you really have an option to not do that.

Chauncey: Yeah. Existing is not making yourself available. Just because you exist does not mean that you’re available and that people will find you. You have to be where people are looking, and a lot of people who aren’t tech savvy, or in the case of a remodeling contractor, let’s be fair, it’s hard work. You work 12 hours a day, you work 10 hours a day, and you come home and your body is tired, and your brain is tired. It’s hard work.
A lot of these guys are probably not computer guys. They’re probably phone guys. They’re probably consumers when it comes to the internet because everybody is, but as far as workers on the internet, they probably don’t have a lot of time for that and are probably pretty tired by the end of the day.
Just because you exist doesn’t mean that you’re available. You have to be available where people are, and we can help to make it so that you are available online where people are without teaching yourself, putting in that amount of time that …

Joe: Yeah. Yeah, and I want to take out some of the-

Chauncey: … to start from scratch, at least.

Joe: Right, and that’s what we’re going to try to do is take out the mystery and not show them essentially everything they would have to do, but so they know what’s right and what’s wrong, so if they want to pay someone to do it they know how to, or they know how to chip away at it.
There’s also the bigger contractors. There’s the contractors like MUSE Construction and things like that, that are running with a whole company structure, and they’re focusing on getting the work done and building things. It’s super-complicated to get something built, from getting plans approved to building it and ordering … Talk about managing a project, a website project’s nothing compared to managing to get a building built.

Chauncey: Right, and I guess that fits my other argument, is that its hard work. When they get done doing all the managing and organizing, they probably don’t want to reinvent the wheel in a whole different industry. Helping them to streamline and to … we’ll be like superheroes.

Joe: Right. One of the first things that I always do, and I don’t know about you, Chauncey, is I Google. I go online and I look around to see who’s showing up and who might I have to compete with, and who’s doing a good job or a poor job. If I Google remodeling contractor, what am I going to see?
I did that. I Googled remodeling contractor, Redding, California, and I gotta be honest. I was surprised at the results. When I’m looking at it, and you’ll be able to see it in the video, there’s not a lot of remodeling contractors being found in Google’s Map Pack. Real quick, what is the Map Pack? Just so people know what I’m talking about.

Chauncey: Well, let’s pretend that Google is one search engine, and Google Maps, like when you search for locations and stuff from your phone or from the Maps link, let’s pretend that’s a different search engine with a slightly different set of rules.
When you search from Google.com this Map Pack shows up. If it can tell that you’re trying to find something locally, it’ll take results from the Google Map and it’ll plug some in right above all your search results. That’s basically what you’re seeing here. You’re seeing the results from two search engines from Google. We’re seeing the Map Pack, which is map results, and then below that we’re seeing what’s called organic results.

Joe: Right. If I’m not seeing it in the Map Pack, does that mean that the contractor hasn’t gone and put themselves in the Map Pack? Or does that mean that Google just couldn’t find enough information to figure out there was a remodeling contractor somewhere in town? Is it both?

Chauncey: If you don’t see a Map Pack, that means that Google has deemed that keyword not representative of the industry, or there is nobody who fulfills it.

Joe: As I’m looking at this, Woodstone Construction shows up on the map. There’s only about 14 that show up on the map, and I happen to know there’s more than that because I hired one of them that’s not even on the map.
Woodstone shows up. What you’re saying is that means Woodstone’s either gone into Google My Business and filled out the information, included the keywords so Google goes, “I get it, you told me, I know you’re part of a general or remodeling contractor.”, and you’re saying that if not that, that Woodstone has enough content, is in enough directories, is being found enough that Google goes, “Hey, I get it. This company is related to this keyword.”

Chauncey: Yeah, and I would go so far as to say, although I can’t be 100% accurate, but I would say that if you didn’t have a Google Webmaster Tools verified for your location, you wouldn’t show up no matter how good the rest of your stuff was.

Joe: Okay. All right.

Chauncey: I think that’s a trust factor. In order for Google to trust you to put you in the maps … because realize that the maps are for people with mobile phones a lot of the time. People are trusting Google that, “When I type that in and I walk there or I drive there, I’m going to show up to somebody.”
It’s a little bit more than just having the tech down. You need to register with Google, like, “Yes, I’m here. This is me.”, so that when Google sends somebody there they don’t get to a closed door or something like that.

Joe: Right. If you’re a remodeling contractor, you have a pretty easy win here. Or if you’re a general contractor or contractor who does remodeling, you’ve got a pretty easy win. There’s not a lot of competition on Google Maps. Now to not be in Google Maps, just think about how, contractor, how you might look for things. If you’re Googling, “Is there a shoe store in town?”, because you’re trying to get your son shoes or your daughter shoes, or if you’re looking for a car wash, or someplace you want to go and buy something or meet somebody, if it shows up in Google as a mapped out option, aren’t you more likely to look at that as the place you go? I know I am.

Chauncey: Yeah. A good way to look at it is: Imagine that you’re skimming a page in a book for an answer to a question. That answer might be answered on that page in the book five times, but as you’re skimming it, you’re going to find the first answer, and then you’re going to write down the answer and you’re going to move on to the next question.
In this case, we’re talking about Map Packs, and organic results, and so on and so forth, but consumers, which are most visitors, that’s what we call most people who come to the web who are using it for entertainment or to buy something, consumers are going to do that. They’re going to skim it, and they’re going to get it. Even if you’re ranking number one in what we’re calling the organics, it’s still two scrolls away in order to even get to them. Basically, your competitors in the Map Pack just knocked you down to the bottom.

Joe: Yeah, right. You always put everything better than I do.

Chauncey: I know.

Joe: Is it because you’re more intelligent? Is that why?

Chauncey: Probably.

Joe: Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Chauncey: I don’t know, because I’m the search guy. That’s what I think about searching.

Joe: If you’re listening to this and you’re a contractor, this is an easy win. Google yourself, Google your type of construction you do, and if you’re not showing up in the maps and other contractors are, take some time, go over to Google My Business, get that filled out. Make sure you’ve got a website, and make sure some of other Google’s tools, like Google Webmaster Tools and things like that are set up. Any web guy can help you, or web gal, or web company can help you get those things done if it’s not something you’re comfortable doing, but get it done. It’s an easy win.
I looked at quite a few different places, and that’s what I would find in most places, is this is just a big gap for contractors to take advantage of.

Chauncey: Yeah, oh absolutely. Maybe one way to look at it is: the Google Map Pack is the Yellow Pages of old.

Joe: Yeah. In the last bit of this segment let me hit something real quick, because one of the things I hear a lot is that, “Well, I get my business from word of mouth.” You probably do, however after they hear about you, they Google you, or they Google competitors, or even if it’s just they want to find out where your office is or how to get a hold of you, they’re going to Google, or whatever search engine. They’re going to the internet, and if you’re not showing up, if you’re not being found, then that word of mouth is not doing you justice.

Chauncey: Right. Let’s say, Joe, I tell you about this great remodeling contractor that I want you to use called Steve’s Remodeling Contracting. I tell you the number is 555-1234, and then we walk away from one another. You have my phone number, but you’re also connected to the internet, and you remember, “Oh, there’s that thing that Chauncey was telling me about, Steve’s Contracting.” How are you going to find that phone number?

Joe: I’m going to Google it.

Chauncey: You’re going to Google it. Why type it in twice? Why write to me and then wait for the response, when you can just get it immediately?

Joe: Right. Right. Okay, so that’s an easy win. Contractors, you gotta do it.
We’re coming up to the end of this segment. You’re listening to the Being Found Show. We are your helpline to being found by more customers. We’ll be going to break, and we’ll be right back.