Case Study: Search Engine Optimization for a Small Business in Tampa Bay

by | Jul 17, 2020 | Digital | 0 comments

Case Study: Search Engine Optimization for a Small Business in Tampa Bay
By now, most business owners are well aware of the importance of search engine optimization (SEO), at least conceptually: the higher your business turns up in a relevant Google search, the most visible it will be to prospective customers and the higher your chances of bringing in new clients. On the backend, it’s not quite so cut-and-dried: SEO is a multi-pronged process with several moving parts, all of which are evolving and shifting daily. The best way to design a successful SEO strategy is to have clearly defined goals – and a detailed, yet flexible, plan about how best to achieve them. In our work with Blair’s Heating and Air, a Tampa Bay HVAC company, our SEO strategy was geared toward bringing in more customers more consistently. Here’s a look at what we did to accomplish this – and the results that ensued.

Focus Keywords

One of the pillars of SEO is the strategic use of keywords throughout a company’s website and digital content pieces. The focus keyword of a webpage should complement what customers who should be looking at that page will be Googling. For example, the “Services” page of an HVAC company’s website should have a focus keyword like “air conditioner services in [Insert Area].”

Focus keywords are important because search engines look to them first in order to determine what a given webpage, website, or content piece is all about. While the content on the front-end of your website is optimized to attract and engage customers, the focus keywords on the backend are optimized to engage search engines.

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Organic Keywords

June 2018 – 405
June 2020 – 635

Estimated SEO Clicks

June 2018 – 16
May 2020 – 4260

Optimizing for Location

As you may have noticed above, location optimization is another critical element of SEO. After all, if you live in Orlando and are searching for AC repair near you, what good will it do if Google shows you contact information for HVAC companies in Los Angeles, Houston, and Pittsburgh? It’s important to let search engines know not only what services you provide, but where you provide those services. One of the ways in which this is done is through location pages.

With Blair’s AC, we created dozens of city- and county-specific location pages for all of the cities and counties in which Blair’s offered AC repair services. Each page contained a focus keyword that specified the services Blair’s offers as well as a specific city (i.e., “AC repair in St. Pete Beach.”). The result? Increasing the likelihood that Blair’s AC would turn up higher in search results done by people in need of AC repair in St. Pete Beach (and in every other city for which a location page was created).

Clear, Well-Placed Images

A common misconception about SEO is that it’s all about words. In reality, images play a vital role in search engine optimization. This is because search engines like websites that are readable, and images contribute significantly to a site’s engagement and readability. Having high-quality images throughout your website is integral to keeping customers there. Making sure these images have detailed meta descriptions, which are compatible with their web page’s focus keyword, is integral to keeping search engines happy.

With Blair’s AC, we utilized bright, positive images throughout. These accomplished two major things: they kept customers engaged by representing the Blair’s brand in a fresh and appealing way, and they kept search engines engaged with their detailed meta descriptions and strategic placement.

Calls to Action

It’s not enough to simply display the information on a company’s website; the website itself must be intentionally designed to lead viewers deeper into it. This is done in two ways: clear, valuable information and calls to action. Search engines like websites that customers don’t just click onto, but stay on. One of the ways in which this is done is by including calls to action on each page, usually linking to another (relevant) page of the website. For instance, a website’s homepage can link to its “About Us” page, which can in turn link to its “Contact Us” page, where the viewer is incentivized to inquire about a particular service. Your website is your virtual storefront; just like a brick-and-mortar store, it should direct customers toward the sale.
In order to successfully carry out search engine optimization for a small business, it’s critical to have clearly defined goals and objectives, as well as an adaptable, data-driven strategy to make them happen. If you’d like to further discuss how to reach your SEO goals, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

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