Do you need a blog for your contractor website? The Webmasters team provides blogging services as part of our content writing campaigns for contractors. Blogs can be a positive or a negative for your website, depending on keyword research. Our research process ensures that blog posts target informational intent keywords that help boost on-site traffic.
SEO-friendly blog posts should:
- Target specific keywords with informational intent
- Link to your service pages to distribute link equity
- Have more than 750 words per post
- Fit the overall theme of your website content strategy
If you are wondering how any of these things contribute to lead generation, allow us to explain. Fresh blog content influences multiple search engine signals. MOZ’s local ranking factors list link signals, on-page signals, and social signals as factors in local search results. A well-written and well-marketed blog post contributes to each of those signals and increases the likelihood of ranking well on results pages (SERPs).
Internal vs. External Blogs
Once contractors concede that blog posts are essential, the next question is about what type of blog to start. There are two types of blogs, in general. They are; internal blogs and external blogs. While both blogging methods can be effective, internal blogging, in particular, is most advantageous to contractors. To compare and contrast internal and external blogs, see the differences below:
Internal
- Crawlable
- Domain Consistent
- Funnel Optimized
- Search Optimized
External
- Free Hosting
- Less Controllable
- Less SEO Potential
- Separate Domain
Because of their effect on SEO for contractors, internal blogs are more beneficial. They are hosted on the same domain as your website and are interpreted as new pages by search engine crawlers. The more channels through which websites can attract relevant, convertible traffic, the more leads they will generate. Though popular external blogging options exist; WordPress.com, Blogger, Tumblr, etc., none of them serve a purpose for contractor websites. Keep your domain name consistent and drive traffic to a common destination.
Producing Shareable Blog Content
In addition to SEO, internal blogs also influence social media. Why? Because contractors can share blog content through branded social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, etc. You might ask yourself what type of blog content works for social media? Consider some of the following topics:
- Contest / Giveaway: Posts can promote a contest or giveaway, which you can then share on social media
- Customer Testimonial: Write a post about a satisfied customer and how your services met or exceeded their standards
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Answer a series of standard questions asked about your services or industry
- Step By Step Tutorial: Post a tutorial that relates to your industry, perhaps encouraging readers to test an element of their home for damage
The topics listed above are just some of many possible blog posts for your contractor business. Engagement is a top priority on social media, so sharing content that catches the user’s eye is essential. Accomplishing that task, however, should not come at the expense of authority and reputation. Misleading titles, deceptive content, or unethical reader manipulation will do nothing for your company other than destroying its value.
