So you’re a roofer looking to expand your business to the digital landscape, but you’re not sure where to begin. You may be familiar with the acronyms “SEO” and “PPC,” but what do they really mean? And most importantly—how does one utilize them to their full potential, especially in an industry as cutthroat and saturated as roofing?
For roofers, digital marketing can be a gamechanger in their area—no longer is it necessary to rely on word-of-mouth marketing among neighbors or handing out door hangers. With digital marketing, roofers can now precisely target people who would benefit the most from their services—and refine their searches even further, down to the single digits of a ZIP code. Pretty efficient, right?
At Profit Roofing Systems, we’ve worked with roofers in building their online presence for many years. In this blog post, you’ll read about the ins and outs of roofing SEO and PPC, and whether they’re the right fit for your business model. Keep reading to find out more!
Understanding SEO
To get to the meat of the matter, let’s start with SEO (Search Engine Optimization), perhaps one of the oldest forms of online marketing! Although it wasn’t known as “SEO” then, it could be argued that SEO came about with the very first website published by CERN in August 1991.
SEO is all about organic advertising; as its name implies, it’s optimizing your website with relevant keywords, content, and services relevant to users looking you up on search engines. It can be a competitive market, however; it’s not all about spamming your website with all of the popular search terms and keywords you can find in hopes of ranking #1 under Google. A lot of search engines—such as the aforementioned Google—have rules and sanctions in place to keep spam websites at a minimum and heavily penalized, while authentic, trustworthy websites that have high-quality content (no AI!) and are knowledgeable in their field are rewarded with high rankings and increased traffic.
To improve your roofing SEO, focus on the keywords that relate to you and your business. Become a trusted, reliable source of information for your audience. Build trust in your community—and expect great returns on your leads!
Here are just a few more benefits you can enjoy with SEO:
- Cost-effective; SEO is not as pricey as other forms of marketing.
- Increased traffic; using the best SEO practices will allow for more and more people to find your website.
- Builds authority; a first-page ranking on Google not only increases your visibility, but your authority, too. People will go to you first instead of your competitors!
- Exclusive roofing leads; with SEO, people already know what they’re looking for. Whoever’s clicking on your website means they’re looking for something you’re selling—which means they’re ready to commit and give you a call.
- No expiration date; a well-maintained website that has consistent updates has no end in sight and can bring in leads for as long as it’s running.
Understanding PPC
As opposed to SEO’s organic optimization, PPC (Pay Per Click) is its opposite, but it’s no less effective in bringing in great leads. PPC is a form of online advertising where a fee is paid each time an ad is clicked on. These ads can be displayed through Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and even on other websites (known as “display ads”). You can also bid on keywords—winning a bid on a popular keyword can have your ad show up right under search engine results pages (SERP), bringing your business to the forefront of your audience without the complex bells and whistles of SEO!
Here are a couple of benefits of PPC:
- Effective targeting; with PPC, you can target the people you want, whether it be by demographics, location, keywords, or more. This can also help in reducing ad spend, as you’re more likely to target users who will actually pay you for your services, thus recouping your costs.
- Retargeting; you can target people who have already engaged with your content, reminding them of what they could be missing out on if they don’t get in touch!
- Fast results; SEO can take months to see any tangible results. With PPC, you can see results the same day you start running a campaign.
- Easy tracking; PPC allows you to easily manage and track your campaigns, leads, conversions, and more. From there you can make the changes needed to make the most of your advertising.
SEO vs PPC in Roofing: Profit Roofing Systems Can Help You Make the Call
PPC and SEO are both effective in what they do, especially when they’re handled by professional marketers such as Profit Roofing Systems. When it comes down to it, only you, as the owner of a roofing company, can decide which course to take. You’ll need to take a look at your budget, whether you’ll be hiring an agency or working in-house, and what exactly you’re expecting from your area’s customer base.
However, it doesn’t need to be one over the other. Believe it or not, SEO and PPC can feed into each other in a perpetual cycle; for example, paying for roofing Facebook ads can build your brand and get your business out there, and while someone may not need your roofing services right then and there, they’ll keep you in the back of their mind. Then, when the time comes when they need to give you a call, they will search up your name on a search engine, thus bringing them to your website and ready to make an appointment.
Have more questions about SEO vs PPC in roofing, or digital marketing for roofers in general? Why not book a strategy call for personalized guidance and assistance today, and let Profit Roofing Systems help you reach your company’s fullest potential!
