If you’re searching for “SEO for roofers,” then you already know:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can help you get more traffic, leads, and clients.
But the question is:
How?
In this guide, I’ll show you how to do SEO for your roofing company (even if you’re new).
Let’s dive in.
Roofing SEO: The Ultimate DIY Plan
Before I show you the 8-step SEO process, let’s talk…
You and I both know one thing:
If you want to grow your roofing business, you can’t wear every hat.
Think about it:
How can you be an exceptional roofer and SEO expert simultaneously?
Even Michael Jordan (arguably one of the greatest athletes of all time) couldn’t be exceptional at two things.
And the truth is:
The success of your roofing business is 100% based on the quality of the work you do. Great work and client experience lead to referrals and even repeat business.
That should be your focus, and you should leave the geeky SEO stuff to a professional (who lives and breathes it).
But with that said:
It’s helpful to see what a legitimate SEO process is. That way, you have the base knowledge to find the right SEO partner.
So let’s dive in:
Step #1: Gauge the SEO Opportunity
The best way to tackle this step is to use powerful keyword research tools like Ahrefs or Semrush (review).
Go to their Keyword Tool and enter a keyword that you think your ideal clients would search, like “st louis roofer”:
Semrush will then show you the search volume for the keyword and estimated difficulty.
But that’s not all.
It will also show you all other keywords that are relevant as well.
For example, look under “Keyword Variations“:
You’ll see “roof inspection st louis” and “tin roof st louis.”
These are two additional ways that your ideal clients can find you on Google. Each would require a dedicated service page.
You can also look under “Related Keywords” to see all the other variations that searchers are using right now to find services like yours:
The final section is “Questions“:
These are opportunities for you to build informational content that educates your ideal clients. It also helps you build topical authority.
So you can use all this Semrush keyword data to determine how much SEO opportunity exists in your market.
It’s not 100% accurate, but it’s the best way to forecast opportunities.
Now let’s do some basic math to determine the opportunity:
So when you combine the total search volume, there are ~50,000 available searches (per month) in the St Louis roofing market.
You would capture up to 30% of clicks based on organic CTR data if you ranked #1 (according to Backlinko):
That’s ~15,000 organic search visitors per month.
Now let’s assume that only 20% of these visitors are a good fit for your service.
That’s 3,000 qualified website visitors.
Assuming a 5% conversion rate on your website, you could get ~150 new roofing leads every month.
But to achieve a 5% conversion rate, you’ll need to:
Step #2: Optimize for Conversions
The truth is that most roofing company websites don’t convert well. I could dedicate an entire guide to conversions, but here are some simple techniques:
✅ Eliminate anything that distracts from the objective
Notice how this roofing company has social media icons above the fold:
Big mistake.
If someone clicks and ends up on Facebook, you have a 0% chance to convert them.
Distraction is the enemy of conversions.
✅ Place a clickable phone number above the fold
Every phone number should be clickable because otherwise, it wrecks the experience on mobile.
So it should also be prominent and above the fold.
✅ Always have a form above the fold
The next conversion mechanism is a lead form above the fold.
Again, this is critical for people who aren’t ready to call.
✅ Use left/right design patterns
You’ve heard the idea that people have the attention span of a goldfish.
It’s true. You lose their attention, and it’s game over.
That’s why your design needs constant pattern interrupts.
The best method is the left/right design technique. In short, you’ll have an image on the left and text on the right.
And vice versa.
These are only a few of the hundreds of methods you can use, but they’re super impactful.
Now it’s time to:
Step #3: Identify All SEO Opportunities
Geeky SEO people like me call this part of the process a technical SEO audit.
Here’s an example of me performing a live SEO audit for a St. Louis roofer:
In short, you’re going to use a tool like Screaming Frog to crawl your website. You’ll then be able to find all kinds of SEO opportunities like:
❌ Keyword Cannibalization
Keyword cannibalization occurs when two (or more) pages target the same keyword.
For example, if your homepage was targeting “St Louis roofer” and you also had a blog post targeting “St Louis roofer,” it could hurt performance.
As a general rule:
Only ONE page should target a core keyword.
And the only time you should create another page is if the intent is different.
For example, “tin roof st louis” has a different intent and deserves a dedicated page.
While “roofers in st louis” is just a variation of the same keyword and doesn’t need a separate page.
❌ Thin Content
Most people think of thin content as having low word counts. While this is true, content is also “thin” when it doesn’t add any unique value. In other words:
Regurgitated content.
You need to combat both on your websites. Focus on quality over quantity when it comes to content on your website.
❌ Poor Internal Link Coverage
Internal links are a powerful way for Google to crawl, index, and rank your pages. Unfortunately, most roofing websites have very little content and poor architecture.
As a result, you’ll have a low quantity of internal links, and Google won’t crawl and index your site efficiently.
The way to correct this is to build more topical authority.
In other words, create more keyword-targeted pages.
Step #4: Optimize UX
The next piece of this puzzle is to optimize User Experience (UX). The most significant UX factor is website loading speed.
Run your website through Google PageSpeed Insights:
If your score is less than 90 on mobile and desktop, then you have some work to do.
There are many other UX factors, but this is the priority because it’s a ranking factor and it affects conversions.
Step #5: Optimize Existing Pages
Now that your website is on a strong foundation, it’s time to optimize your existing pages (on-page SEO).
In the case of a roofing company, you’ll likely want to focus on the homepage first.
If you’re targeting one core location like “St Louis”, you should optimize the homepage.
The reason is simple: your homepage is usually the strongest page.
So what does it mean to “optimize?”
It means placing your primary keyword like “St Louis Roofer” in the title, URL, H1 tag, first sentence, first H2 tag, and last sentence.
There are more advanced optimization techniques.
But place your primary keyword in those critical spots, and you’ll be ahead of 80% of your competitors.
Then repeat this optimization process for all your existing pages.
Step #6: Build Topical Authority
Once you’ve optimized existing content, it’s time to build more topical authority.
Ignore the SEO geek-speak, and it means:
Create more keyword-driven content that helps your ideal clients.
Keep in mind:
There are two types of SEO-driven content:
1. Keyword-targeted content
This content targets keywords like “st louis roofer” or “what’s the best roofing for st louis home.”
2. Linkable assets
It might seem strange, but linkable assets aren’t for your ideal clients. They’re for people who are capable of linking.
For example, let’s say we create a linkable asset about “The Average Hail Damage Cost in Chesterfield, MO.“
This asset is designed to attract backlinks from local reporters, bloggers, or even other roofing companies.
Speaking of backlinks.
That’s the next critical piece of the SEO puzzle:
Step #7: Acquire Backlinks
You can nail everything in this guide perfectly, but you won’t rank without backlinks.
Backlinks are the key differentiator between roofing companies that succeed with SEO and those that don’t.
And this isn’t my opinion.
Backlinks are the #1 ranking factor in Google, and there’s data to prove it.
Now the question is:
How do you get more backlinks?
Get Foundational Links
I recommend listing your roofing business in every trusted business directory like Angie, Thumbtack, Home Advisor, Chamber of Commerce, etc.
Focus on Your Local Area
One of my favorite techniques is to find donation or sponsorship opportunities.
You can donate to these organizations and score a solid backlink.
Search “CITY + donors”:
Become an Authority in Your Niche
Find guest posting opportunities by searching “write for us + “home improvement” in Google:
Then reach out and pitch three guest post ideas.
After your link building plan is in motion, it’s time to:
Step #8: Optimize GBP & Get Reviews
Your Google Business Profile (formally Google My Business) is critical to ranking in Google’s local pack (sometimes called Google maps).
Two factors dictate your performance in Google’s local search results:
1. Location
The closer you are to your target location, the better you will perform.
For example, if you’re targeting a “St Louis roofing company,” you’ll need an address in St Louis to do well.
2. Reviews
You need as many (or more) high-quality reviews as your competitors. So make it your mission to get more reviews because it’s critical!
Use this free tool to generate a Google review link and share it with your best clients.
SEO for Roofers: What’s Next?
Action!
There is no SEO success without acting on this information.
Take a look at these top SEO companies if you don’t want to do it yourself.
Or:
Check out our free SEO training.
