Search engine optimization is an important part of any water marketing campaign, with one of the biggest impacts on SEO being the authority of your website’s domain. Domains that have a lot of authority in Google’s eyes perform better in the organic search results.
Have you ever noticed that when you search for a household item or electronics device the top results will be from giants like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy? This is because their domain authority is extremely high, and Google trusts these websites so their pages naturally show up at the top of the search results.
Google’s algorithm considers several factors, and while the actual algorithm is unknown to anyone outside of Google’s engineering team, SEO professionals know without a doubt that domain authority plays a key role in ranking at the top.
Let’s look at five ways to improve your website authority with these water marketing SEO tips.
1. Dial In Your On-Page SEO
To create an effective water marketing search engine optimization effort you need to start with a website that has a solid foundation built specifically with SEO in mind. It’s the little on-page optimization factors that contribute to giving you a strong platform to build on.
The authority of your website’s domain plays a direct role in your rankings, so be sure to pay attention to these factors on each page and post:
One Focus Keyword: Your home page should be optimized for your water utility company name, and aside from that, each page and post should focus on one keyword you want that page to rank for. This allows you to create content that is optimized specifically for the term. This will be very beneficial as your authority increases and content begins to rank organically in Google’s search results.
Optimize Title and Tags: Use your main keyword on each page or post title, towards the beginning. Also, include it in H2 and H3 tag, alt-image tag, and throughout the page content itself. Be sure to also naturally work in variations and similar words to the main keyword. This helps Google understand the content and what it should rank for.
Interlink: Try to link out to a few internal pages on your site from each page and post. This interlinking helps to pass authority throughout your website and it also helps to keep users on your website longer and viewing multiple pages. Low bounce rates and high visit durations help tell Google that your content is high quality and provides good value to its users.
2. Upgrade Your Website Hosting for Speed Improvements
Many of the water and sewer utility websites that we encounter were initially set up on low-quality shared web hosting accounts and have remained there for years. While website hosting might appear to be something that is universal and all created equally, this is far from accurate.
If you select a website hosting plan based on price alone you will end up with a low-quality solution that harms your website’s performance, thus negatively impacting your SEO.
Shared hosting is low cost and it’s the most attractive option for many water marketing campaigns as it appears to be a way to cut some costs. Rather than shared hosting, look into migrating to a virtual private server or a dedicated server if your budget allows.
When you have full control over your hosting environment you can eliminate the possibility of hacks or vulnerabilities due to the actions of other websites that sit on the same server. This is an important factor to consider especially if you are taking payment for water bills directly on your website and/or storing customer information.
Our team of water marketing experts can help you get set up with a custom server that incorporates several security features to help protect your customers’ data and information. Custom firewalls and other security issues can be rolled out to give you a fast-loading and safe website.
3. Create Link Worthy Content Assets
Link building is difficult for any niche, but getting relevant websites to link to a water utility and sewer treatment site requires a much different approach. One of the best strategies is a hyper-local campaign, designed to secure high authority links from local educational and government websites.
These links are typically aged and have incredible authority. A handful of these links will provide a better SEO boost than hundreds of blog links. So, before approaching these local websites and organizations it’s important to have something to link back to on your website that will be attractive and provide value to those linking to it.
One example is a local “new resident started guide” that has all of the information someone new to the community would find helpful. In addition to opening a water and sewer account, most new residents will need to find a local trash service, electric utilities, cable and internet service, lawn care, etc.
You can create a very detailed piece of interactive content on your website that breaks down everything and links out to local providers. This is highly attractive and something that local schools would be open to linking to, as would local town and city websites.
Additionally, you can reach out to all of the providers you include. Let them know that you linked to their website and if they’d link to link back to you it would be greatly appreciated.
4. Launch a Link Outreach Campaign
Once you have a great piece of local-value content you will want to reach out to your targets. The initial goal is to secure links from top .edu domains and .gov domains. These have incredible authority that will be passed to your website and have a positive impact on your water marketing SEO campaign.
Use Google and search for local websites related to:
- Local school districts from pre-school through high school
- Local colleges, universities, and trade schools
- Townhall and local city government chapters
- Local tourism departments
You can then continue the same approach but hit different businesses that are also linked or relevant to new residents who would be interested in a resource designed for someone new to the area. Some examples of these include:
- Local real estate brokerages
- Banks and mortgage lenders
- Moving companies
- Other service providers such as trash removal, lawn care, light and power companies, etc.
You have an advantage when approaching a local business, as the ask comes across more like a local business networking opportunity and relationship rather than a link building effort.
5. Secure Top Business Directory Listings
Many consumers turn to online directories like YP.com and WhitePages.com when looking for utility companies, cable providers, and local water and sewer providers. Additionally, many will look up a utility provider on Yelp and at the Better Business Bureau before calling and scheduling a service connection appointment.
Be sure to get your water company listed on all of the popular local business directories, as it will help you get found by those looking to have the water turned on at their place of residence or business.
Water is a necessity, so the majority of searches result in a new customer. Very few people perform extensive due diligence, so the more directories you are found on, the more potential customers you will attract.
You also benefit from link earning opportunities, and most directories will allow you to include your website’s URL in the listing. Take full advantage of this, as these local citation listings are a strong signal in Google’s local search results.
Final Thoughts
Online marketing for water utility and sewer companies needs to include a focus on SEO and organic website traffic, the same way any other business should approach advertising and marketing in a digital-first environment.
When a new homeowner needs to open a new water and sewer account they turn to Google, the same way they use the search giant to find local service providers and local restaurants. It’s become the way consumers find everything – Google is the number one destination online for information seekers.
If you would like to learn more about how we help water and sweet treatment companies improve their website authority and search engine optimization contact us to set up a free consultation. We offer full-service marketing solutions, partnering with water utility companies throughout the country.
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