Bail bond SEO is vital. SEO is how people who need your services will find you. And with Google taking a hard stance against bail bonds ads, SEO becomes even more critical. Now that bail bond companies can’t advertise on most digital platforms, SEO competition in this industry is at an all-time high.
As it stands, the first five results on all SERPs hog almost 70% of the clicks. So as a bail bondsman, you must ask yourself one simple yet profound question: is your website showing up as a top 5 result? It’s a question that few people like to ask themselves because only a select few will be able to answer.
The limitations of bail marketing are why Contractor Webmasters put together a comprehensive SEO guide. The fact is that there are people out there who need help for incarcerated loved ones. They will search for that help when it’s needed. If your company needs visibility, follow this bail bond SEO guide.
Step 1: Google My Business
Have you ever searched for an Italian restaurant in your neighborhood using Google? Or maybe you were craving Chinese food. If so, you are probably familiar with the business map that Google pulls up when someone searches for local businesses.
The results on this map are all businesses that are registered as a Google Business Profile. If you noticed, the results on this map are the first thing that pops up whenever someone performs a search with local intent using Google.
The importance of a Google My Business should be getting clear to you now. If you want to be a top result as a bail bonds company, you must first claim your business on Google and ensure that it is optimized.
Claiming your business is relatively straightforward. But optimizing your profile takes a little more time and effort. Once you have your page set up, make sure you have addressed the following:
- Consistent Business Name – The business card you give to people in person should bear the same business name as the name on your Google Business Profile. The business name you have listed on your official website should be the same as the one on your GMB. Spell your Facebook business name like it on your GMB. Get the message yet? Google will omit businesses that have inconsistent name listings across multiple platforms.
- Consistent Contact Info – Much like the point we just discussed, your phone number, email, fax, and other contact info you list must be compatible across all concerned platforms.
- Safety Measures – These days, a good GMB will include precautions to keep customers safe during the pandemic. List social distancing efforts, mask enforcement, and any virtual services you offer on your GMB.
- Business Info – Provide a detailed description of your business, including its history, business hours, and your services. Also, be sure to include links to your social media pages.
- Images – Having plenty of pictures of your office, your staff, and yourself will help Google index your listing on relevant searches.
Step 2: Optimize for All Platforms
Here is an essential question for you to ask about your website: is it responsive and accessible across all platforms? Most people spend less than 15 seconds on any given website, which is terrible news for bail bond companies because 15 seconds is not long enough to set up an appointment.
So if your site is slow to load on desktop or mobile devices, potential clients are likely to leave before making any more progress in the conversion funnel. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that your website is not only responsive; but accessible on mobile devices as well.
Ensuring that you are using JPEG files for all the images displayed on your site and that they are under 70kb each will help. But you may need to enlist the services of professional designers for things like browser compatibility, schema markup, and mobile site optimization – all of which will enhance the performance of your website across multiple platforms.
Step 3: Become an Authority
Google is all about providing the most relevant and quality search results possible. Frequently, Google will index the website with the most authority, and backlinks are a great way to establish dominance. But backlinks can be hard to come by, especially if your website is new. Here are some ways you can start building your backlink profile:
- Start a Blog – A blog should be part of your content marketing strategy anyway, and you can leverage yours to create backlinks for your site. Post quality, insightful content that provides value to the reader and others will likely generate a link to your site independently.
- Backlink Research – You can use online search tools to determine where your competitors get their backlinks. Data helps you focus your efforts on sites and organizations that are likely to create a backlink for you.
- Be Active – Comment on other bail bonds industry blogs and become active online. You may be able to post links to your site on other industry sites.
- Local Organizations – Local business organizations like chambers of commerce may be willing to create a backlink to your site.
Step 4: Reputation Management
This last step sort of goes hand in hand with step 3, but it’s more about your direct interaction with clients. Reputation management is a considerable part of bail bond SEO. Getting customer reviews is the most effective method for establishing an excellent online reputation.
That’s because Google considers reviews to be very important when indexing websites. Claiming your business in GMB and doing the same for online review websites like Yelp and the Better Business Bureau is essential.
Another great way to get more reviews is by creating a Google review button or link and embedding it on your site or including the link in emails and social media posts. Never be afraid to ask for a review of your business in person. Exercise common sense, however, since satisfied customers are the ones who leave positive reviews.
Dominate Local SEO
Bail bond SEO is more critical than in other industries due to the limited advertising opportunities. It would help if you were sure that you have an effective strategy to survive in this competitive industry. And while there are things you can do on your own to conquer the local rankings, everyone needs a little help.
At Contractor Webmasters, we specialize in helping bail bonds companies dominate local rankings. We offer a complete range of SEO and digital marketing services to give your business the edge it needs. Contact Us today to learn more.
