Changes to Google Search Results That Roofers Are Freaking Out About

Learn how to capitalize on changes to Google  instead of being crushed by them.

By Scott A. Dennison

I’m thinking this AM about changes I see in the roofing contractor marketplace this year and suddenly, out of somewhere the lyrics to a Don Henley song are stuck in my head. In the hit song “The Heart of the Matter,” Henley sang, “The more I know, the less I understand -- All the things I thought I figured out, I have to learn again -- I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter -- But everything changes.

It’s true. Everything you’ve ever known about how to market your business, to get the phone ringing and getting quality leads in your own market have changed.

The once reliable Yellow Pages are now 1/8 the size and provide little value to anyone. Mostly they are recycled or thrown away the same day they’re delivered.

Display ads in newspapers have worked in the past, but today, with so many people getting their information online, papers are suffering. If you advertise there, your results are probably suffering along with it.

Coupon mailers were trendy and cool for a time - and I know that some industries still get sales from it, but most of them are trashed upon arrival each month.

Now, when the majority of roofing contractors turn to online marketing to get the results they want, there are changes underway at Google that we are told will make it easier but have, at least for now, made it harder to get the results you want. Some roofing contractors are freaking out about these changes.

Much like making a plan to climb Mount Everest, you may find it a good idea to have a guide who’s been to the top before to help you.

Let’s look at a few of these changes and more importantly what you can do to capitalize on these changes instead of being crushed by them.

I’ve written a lot about looking at your market through an 80/20 perspective but the days of 80/20 are nearly past. What we’re facing now is more like 90/10.

This means that where 20% of contractors now do most of the roofing volume, it’s moving rapidly to a time when most of the business will go to only 10% of roofers.

If you’re visible in your market, fairly well skilled roofing technicians looking for work have probably contacted you. These folks used to run roofing companies but no longer seem to be able to get any business. So, they’re looking for a quality company to work with.

That is NOT a coincidence. Rather, expect the trend to continue.

In Google organic search, we are seeing plenty of evidence that the companies who make the 10 blue links on page one (the organic listings affected by SEO), are companies with much better than average websites.

Not sites that are pretty, either. Rather it’s sites that have an understanding of the questions and concerns of people who have roofing issues to solve. They offer articles, videos and more that seek to help prospects to solve those challenges.

So, here’s a quick self-analysis for you. Pull up your site and look at the number of words on pages that discuss your core services. How many words did you use on these pages? Do you think you’ve provided a thorough answer to the questions people have about buying roofing services?

We regularly see evidence that Google is ranking pages with 1500-2000 words or more. Those pages have pictures, videos and perhaps even a FAQ included right in the article.

Most roofers’ sites, however often have 50-150 words and most of them are about the contractor - NOT the prospective buyer. If you’ve ever heard the term “thin content,” this is what Google is talking about.

Next is the ‘on-page’ optimization of your site. Title tags that line up with your most important keywords are very important if for no other reason than to help Google figure out where YOU want to appear in search results. Many other on-page factors are considered too. If they’re missing, it’s counting against you.

There was a time when the on-page optimization made up about 25% of your quality score. Now it’s 50% or higher. How are you doing with it?

Don’t know what I’m even talking about? See my note above about climbing Mount Everest. Without a guide, you may be better off to watch a documentary on TV versus going out on the mountain where death is assured.

Another would be the importance of back links in driving authority. This used to be the majority of your score in determining where you rank but that is changing too.

Google now has the ability to measure ‘engagement,’ which is what happens when people visit your site. Do they go from page to page and stay awhile? Or do they click the back arrow and vanish as fast as they came? If they leave sooner than later, you’re telling Google that your site really isn’t very valuable to the people searching for a roofing contractor.

Do you think that will affect where they choose to show you in search results? Count on it.

These are but a few of the many changes either happening now or are on the online marketing horizon in the very near future.

For now, you must answer a key question, not for me but for yourself. Are you serious about playing to win? Are you seeking to dominate your marketplace and become one of those who is on top when the dust settles or are you content to pick through the low margin scraps of the projects the big dogs don’t want?

Scott A Dennison is a recognized Internet lead generation expert and the founder of Top Ranked Roofer.com For more information visit TopRankedRoofer.com.