When homeowners have a wiring job they need done right, they only want to hire the best electrician in their area. And with Google becoming the central hub for consumers to research their buying options, your electrical company needs a strong online presence to connect with the customers who need you the most.
If you’re not sure where to start, a website is the non-negotiable first step toward building your online presence and raising brand awareness. But if you’re too busy getting your hands dirty and working with homeowners in the field, you’re not alone. Our clients put blood, sweat, and tears into their business. They want to spend less time acquiring new customers, converting leads into appointments, and being found when people need them.
If this sounds familiar, we have good news: It’s possible to grow your business without sacrificing your time in the field. When you work with an experienced web development team, you can build a captivating website that easily converts people just browsing the internet into loyal customers.
Are you hesitant to put your business’ success in someone else’s hands? Have you been weighing the pros and cons of devoting your marketing budget toward web development? Our clients tell us that outsourcing their website development has made a dramatic impact on their business growth. Here’s how.
Yes, electrical companies really need professional websites to succeed in today’s competitive digital marketing landscape. According to a Bright Local marketing study, 87 percent of consumers use Google to search for local businesses, and only 8 percent of consumers never look at websites when choosing which local business to use. This means that getting your website up and running is crucial—and that’s not the only reason why.
“In an industry with a heavy focus on safety, it’s key that your brand reflects a professional and credible presence online,” says Allison Allen, Manager of Marketing Services at Company 119. “An outdated website or a website without thorough details can cause a prospect to quickly bounce from your site and look for a more reputable electrical expert.”
Unfortunately, many electricians aren’t using digital marketing to their full advantage, and countless local business owners fail to realize that traditional marketing methods aren’t the gold standard anymore. With so many people using Google to research their options, online search engine optimization (SEO) and web development are the new word of mouth.
When local homeowners turn to Google to research local electrical companies, you want your business to show up when people search for keywords like “home electricians near me,” “professional light installation,” or “licensed home electricians in [your town].” When you show up on Google’s first page of search engine results, you’re showing local homeowners that you’re the most reliable, experienced electrician in the area.
So, what’s the secret to soaring in Google’s search engine results? You guessed it: a polished, optimized, easy-to-navigate website. Your website needs to target the exact keywords your target audience is using in their search. Then, you need to create content around your services that builds trust with your prospects. To top it all off, you need a stunning web design that gives you a clear edge over the competition.
If you’re used to handing out business cards or posting your company’s phone number online, website design can make all the difference in your conversion rate. In short, search engine optimization drives potential leads to your website. Once they click onto your website, they’ll take note of those visual elements in your web design, how easy your website is to navigate, and how detailed your landing pages are.
A simple, beautiful website with engaging content helps guide people through the sales funnel. Then, compelling calls to action convert those leads into appointments, and secure data collection makes your customers feel safe sharing their personal information when completing your forms. At the end of the day, a great website design can help you book more appointments without blowing a fuse in your marketing budget.
A professional web design can boost your conversions by establishing a consistent, reliable brand identity, which is critical for building credibility. When prospects visit your website, you’ll be able to tell them your brand story and show them exactly what sets you apart from the competition. Meanwhile, thorough landing pages, informative blog posts, and a well-designed portfolio can showcase your expertise.
Beyond drawing organic traffic to your website and raising brand awareness, an SEO-optimized website has countless benefits for your electrical business. Compared to traditional marketing methods, which have just a 1.7 percent close rate, SEO-generated leads have an outstanding 14.6 percent close rate. That’s a lot of leads you could be missing out on if you’re not on the first page of Google’s search results.
A professionally designed, well-structured website gives your visitors a positive first impression and positions your electrical company as a leader in the local industry. In contrast, amateur, run-of-the-mill websites usually come across as unprofessional and less trustworthy, driving visitors straight to the competition.
“An outdated website most likely will not feature the functionality and buyer triggers that a prospective electrical customer is looking for,” says Allen. “When an electrical emergency happens, it’s key that the user experience is efficient, meaning the site loads quickly and it’s easy to find a phone number or form to schedule an appointment.”
Allen goes on to say that the site must also feature clear and direct content that lists your electrical company’s services and the local areas you serve, as well as engaging content like video that will showcase your expertise compared to the competition.
This is important advice for your electric company to take to heart. Why? Consider that, according to a Blue Corona study, 75 percent of people judge the credibility of a contractor based on their electrical website design. This is a huge percentage of consumers, so your web design needs to stand out. Here’s what you need to attract prospects to your website, impress them with one-of-a-kind web design, and encourage them to explore what your electrical company has to offer.
In the last few years, consumers have grown increasingly reliant on the internet to research products, services, and businesses. After all, when homeowners need to hire an electrician for lighting fixture installation, the first thing they’re doing is searching Google for local electrical services. Local search statistics show that 54 percent of consumers search for local businesses at least once a month, and 60 percent of those consumers use smartphones or tablets to conduct local searches.
With so many consumers searching for local businesses on their smartphones, offering a responsive user experience is more important than ever. First impressions go far, and you want to ensure your visitors can quickly find the information they’re looking for.
Responsive web design mixes flexible grids, layouts, and CSS media queries. When potential customers switch from their laptop to their iPhone, your website should automatically switch to accommodate for changes in resolution. In other words, your website needs to automatically adapt to your users’ preferences.
Local homeowners are searching online to find solutions to their home electrical problems. Maybe they’re experiencing dips in power or they’re interested in surge protection. They want to know why these problems are happening, how much they’re going to cost to fix, and how long it’s going to take.
Your blog posts and landing pages provide ideal opportunities to answer these questions and show prospects exactly how you can help them. Quality content helps you reach your target audience, engage them, and guide them through the sales funnel. Plus, if visitors find your content valuable, they’re more likely to share it.
Complementing your responsive web design with quality content doesn’t just benefit your website users—It’s also great for your search rankings. Google rewards valuable content to establish page rankings. In turn, better page rankings lead to better brand awareness, more website visitors, and increased conversions.
This is particularly important for local search. Electricians will quickly find out that local search optimizations can make a big difference in meeting the needs of your prospective clients as well as beating out your competition in local search results. If you need more evidence of this, check out how Northeast Ohio-based Blue Collar Electricians implemented a targeted local search campaign in their service areas.
While optimized, quality content is key, it’s not enough. You need consistent content creation to keep visitors coming back to your website for more (and to keep your website at the top of Google’s search results). A professional web development team can consistently write fresh content, incorporating SEO and keyword research while writing digestible content for your customers.
However local homeowners find you online—whether it’s through SEO, PPC ads, or word-of-mouth—they expect your website to load quickly, be simple to navigate, and give them the information they’re looking for. Your prospects are in a hurry juggling work, family, and their personal life, so when you have an opportunity to capture a few minutes of their attention, you need to take full advantage of it.
In 2017, Google analyzed over 900,000 landing pages across multiple industries. The study found that mobile landing pages took, on average, 22 seconds to load—despite over 50 percent of website visitors leaving a page that takes longer than three seconds to load. If that’s not enough to convince you that page speed is critical, think about it this way: The losses incurred by slow-loading websites amounts to $2.6 billion each year.
Sure, page speed is a great way to impress your customers, but it can also help your website score more SEO points. Google has indicated that site speed (and, correspondingly, page speed) is one of the components used by its algorithm to rank pages. According to Moz, a slower page means that search engines can crawl fewer pages using their crawl budget, which could negatively affect your search engine rankings.
Ultimately, a fast website will impress your visitors and make them want to come back for more—all while driving your website to the top of Google’s search results.
Whether you’re running a blog or looking to update your web design, building a fast, optimized, well-structured website takes time. There are only so many hours in the day—and hiring a professional web development team gives you the freedom to focus on your day-to-day operations and leave the coding to the professionals.
When you work with a professional web development team, you’ll have the peace of mind knowing that your business is in the right hands. Experienced website development teams know how to perform keyword research and create quality, engaging, informative content that drives clicks to your electrical company’s website.
If you don’t have a website yet—or if you’re using a boring, outdated, cookie-cutter website template—professionals can help you redesign your entire website to implement on-page optimization and link building. Even if you’re familiar with SEO best practices, working with a professional team can help your digital marketing strategy to the next level by identifying your target audience, using the right keywords, and optimizing your entire web design.
At the end of the day, you need a website that’s user-friendly and guides leads through their customer journey. Your website needs to set you apart from the competition, get you noticed, and show customers exactly why they should hire your business. Outsourcing your web development can help you achieve your long-term business goals with a beautiful, customized website.
Sure, working with a reputable, experienced web development team can help you build a beautiful, optimized website and work toward your long-term business goals—but how do you choose the right digital marketing partner? Here are some key considerations to help you make the best choice for your electrical business.
Ready to take your electrical company to new heights with a professionally designed website? Great web design keeps visitors on your website, gets them talking about your business, and encourages them to engage with your brand.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to step up your digital marketing strategy, professional web design can make all the difference in the success and growth of your electrical business. Plus, if you decide to add some additional features to your website down the road—like online appointment scheduling—a professional web design will provide the foundation you need.
When we work with a new home services client on a web design project, we start by listening: What are your long-term goals as a business? What makes you unique among other electricians in the area? Then we decide how we can tell the story of your business through professional, effective website design: This means using videos that bring your voice—or the voice of your company’s experts—to a wider audience and compelling photos that introduce your team and your services. We make sure your new website sets you apart, showcases your expertise, and provides relevant, helpful information to your clients.
This may sound great to you, but even then, we get that you still might have questions or hesitations before moving forward. Let us know what questions we can answer as you decide whether to move forward with a new website for your electrical company.
