Instacart expands foodservice advertising

Cut+Dry, a major ecommerce platform for foodservice distributors and manufacturers, is integrating Instacart’s Carrot Ads technology to unlock new advertising revenue streams and connect brands with buyers at the point of sale.

Food manufacturers have long faced challenges in influencing purchasing decisions in foodservice. This partnership bridges that gap, empowering brands to engage buyers directly while opening new revenue opportunities for distributors.

What’s happening:

  • Cut+Dry will integrate Carrot Ads, Instacart’s ad tech platform, allowing food manufacturers to advertise directly to operators and distributors.
  • The move expands digital advertising into the foodservice space, which has historically been underrepresented in online marketing.
  • Distributors gain additional revenue streams by hosting ads, while manufacturers boost brand awareness and sales.

Key benefits:

  • For manufacturers: Direct access to buyers with more influence at the point of sale.
  • For distributors: New ad revenue and greater engagement with operators.

Why we care. This integration provides a new avenue to reach decision-makers in the multi-billion dollar foodservice industry, where traditional advertising channels have limited reach. The partnership creates a scalable, measurable ad platform that connects brands to a previously untapped audience in foodservice distribution.

What they’re saying. Mani Kulasooriya, CEO of Cut+Dry, said:

  • “By integrating Instacart’s advertising capabilities with our platform, we’re creating one of the largest digital ad opportunities in foodservice.”

What’s next. Carrot Ads on Cut+Dry will be available over the next few quarters, giving brands new avenues to reach the multi-billion dollar foodservice market. Instacart will expand its Carrot Ads partnerships, further bridging the gap between retail and foodservice industries.

Bottom line. This partnership taps into the growing foodservice market, driving growth for brands and distributors alike while establishing new digital ad opportunities in an evolving industry.

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Google updates financial products policy for crypto ads

Google will update its cryptocurrency and related products policy this month, refining the rules for advertising crypto-related services in the United Kingdom.

As the crypto industry grows, clearer advertising rules aim to protect consumers and ensure compliance with local regulations, fostering a more transparent environment.

What’s changing:

  • Beginning Jan. 15, advertisers offering cryptocurrency exchanges targeting the UK must meet specific requirements and obtain certification from Google.
  • Ads for cryptocurrency exchanges and wallets will only be permitted if the advertiser is registered with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
  • Hardware wallet ads are allowed, but they must strictly provide storage services without engaging in trading, selling, or exchanging assets.

Certification requirements:

  • Advertisers must comply with all local legal requirements and secure Google’s certification to promote their products.
  • Non-compliance with these rules may lead to ad disapproval or account suspension.

Why we care. Crypto businesses targeting the UK can now reach audiences through Google Ads, provided they adhere to FCA regulations and Google’s certification process.

This update opens opportunities for regulated crypto firms while ensuring consumer protection through vetted advertisers.

What’s next:

  • Google’s policy update will apply globally to all advertisers offering financial products targeting the UK.
  • Advertisers are encouraged to review and pursue certification before Jan. 15 to avoid disruptions.

Bottom line. Google’s updated policy reflects its commitment to aligning with financial regulations, creating a safer ecosystem for crypto advertising while supporting compliant businesses.

Read more at Read More

5 Proven Ecommerce Growth Strategies ($0 to $100 Million)

Want to know the most effective ecommerce growth strategy?

I studied successful online stores to find out what works best. While every store’s path is unique, clear patterns emerged.

Here are some examples:

BrandAnnual Revenue

*All figures in USD
Hush Blankets $48M Product Validation
Mid Day Squares $20M Content Marketing
TBH Skincare $6.5M Content Marketing
MX Store $65M Search Marketing
Who Is Elijah $13M Operational Efficiency

Whether your goal is to do $1M or $100M, it comes from executing the fundamentals.

I’ve distilled this guide to the five most impactful growth strategies, including:

  • Success metrics
  • Real-world examples
  • Requirements to execute
  • Expected timeline and results

Let’s start with the most important one.

1. Make Products Your Customers Actually Want

Strategy: Product Validation

Most ecommerce failures share one root cause: creating products nobody wants. Or products that are okay but never really get traction.

You follow trends. Copy competitors. Trust your gut.

Then invest thousands in inventory and marketing, hoping customers will buy.

The solution?

Talk to your customers.

One honest conversation today could prevent massive product failures tomorrow.

These chats reveal opportunities like:

  • Problems customers can’t solve with existing products
  • What their “perfect” product would look like, and missing features
  • Unexpected details that could help you differentiate your product

Conversations also build relationships. They turn customers into fans who drive growth through word-of-mouth.

Conventional vs Customer – Led Product Development

How Hush Blankets Grew to $48M Through Customer Conversations

By talking to customers, founders Aaron Spivak and Lior Ohayon turned $4,000 into $48M in 48 months.

For example, when summer sales dropped, they scheduled customer calls. The feedback was clear:

“We love the blanket, but we’re sweating. It’s in storage until winter.”
– Aaron Spivak


That single insight led to their breakthrough “ice fabric” technology, which:

  • Raised $1M on Kickstarter
  • Sold 3,000 units in 72 hours
  • Became their highest-margin product

The entrepreneurs continued talking to customers to inform product development.

“When people ask what our marketing hack is or which agency we worked with, they miss the point. We had 3,000 people on the phone tell us exactly what they wanted. That’s the real secret.”
– Aaron Spivak


How to Have Customer Conversations

It’s easy to overthink product research. But Hush proved that you just need to begin talking to customers.

Here’s a simple process to get started:

15 minute customer – Call structure

  1. Send a brief email with a link for a 15-minute call. The Hush team found this approach got better responses than long surveys or complicated feedback forms.
  2. Approach each conversation with genuine curiosity. Don’t defend your products or explain your constraints. Just listen. Ask what their perfect product would look like. Follow interesting threads that emerge.
  3. Start with five customers this week. That’s enough to spot patterns while being totally manageable. Even if you’re swamped, you can find 75 minutes for conversations that could transform your business.
  4. Take detailed notes using their exact words. In addition to product ideas, you can get feedback points and marketing content.

Customer Insights Template

The goal is to build such deep customer understanding that product failures become nearly impossible.

2. Build a Strong Brand Through Storytelling

Strategy: Content Marketing

When we consume 6 hours of content daily, attention is the most valuable currency in business.

Storytelling is how you earn it.

Why? Stories stick.

You may not remember product specs, but you likely recall Sara Blakely cutting the feet off her pantyhose to create Spanx. Or Patagonia’s founder testing gear on mountain expeditions.

Most brands miss by showing only the highlight reel—the wins, the perfect moments, and the polished content.

Telling raw, relatable stories is how you build a lasting brand.

How Mid Day Squares Built a $20M Chocolate Empire Through Storytelling

In 2018, Jake Karls and his co-founders launched Mid Day Squares with a radical commitment to transparency.

They documented everything about building the company—from production line disasters to legal battles to funding negotiations.

Instagram – Mid-day Squares – Reel

Mid Day Sqaures unconventional approach involved:

  • Sharing the entrepreneurial journey, not just the product (85-90% of content)
  • Showing behind-the-scenes wins and failures
  • Filming raw, unscripted moments

“When people ask what’s our marketing hack or which agency we worked with, they’re missing the point. Building in public and sharing our authentic story turned customers into fans who felt like they were buying from friends.”
– Jake Karls


Mid Day Squares grew to over $20 million in revenue. And Jake attributes much of their success to creative content.

But brand storytelling isn’t just for founder-led content.

How TBH Skincare Makes Customer-Focused Content

When Rachel Wilde started TBH Skincare, she took a different approach to content marketing.

In addition to founder stories, she created content on real customer experiences. It focused on honest education about acne treatment.

“I always say start with the customer. Understand what they want, and hit them with the right with the right message in the right place at the right time.”
– Rachel Wilde


This customer-first storytelling shaped every aspect of their content, including:

  • Focusing on raw, unfiltered customer results
  • Creating educational content that destigmatizes acne
  • Showing real people dealing with real skin issues

Instagram – tbh Skincare – Post

They allocated 80% of the marketing budget to content creation. It built a storytelling engine that helped customers see themselves in the products.

And it worked.

TBH Skincare grew to $14M ($22M AUD) in four years.

How to Start Creating Engaging Stories

Before investing in content, identify what makes your brand relatable. Here are some best practices to get started:

  1. Document your “why.” Beyond making money, what drives your company? What change are you trying to create?
  2. Choose your storytelling lane. Will you focus on founder content? Customer stories? Educational content? Pick an approach that plays to your strengths and resonates with your audience.
  3. Start small but consistent. You don’t need fancy equipment or a full content team. Both Mid Day Squares and TBH Skincare started with iPhones and posted daily while staying true to their story.
  4. Test and iterate. Track which stories resonate deeply. Look for patterns in engagement and sales attribution. Double down on what works.

What Makes Storytelling CRUCIAL

When you nail your brand’s narrative, you create compelling organic content.

But that’s just the beginning.

You’re also building marketing assets that drive results across every channel.

Your content becomes fuel for:

  • Paid media on Meta, Google, and TikTok
  • Email nurture sequences
  • Product pages that tell a deeper story
  • Blog content

“Most brands create different content for each marketing channel. We just document our journey and then adapt those stories for different platforms. It’s more authentic and way more efficient.”
– Jake Karls


The TBH Skincare team has found authentic stories outperform traditional ads across every channel.

“When you have a piece of content that really resonates with people, you can use it everywhere. Our best-performing ads weren’t planned campaigns—they were real moments we captured and then amplified.”
– Rachel Wilde


The lesson?

View storytelling as the key to better marketing. It’ll boost all your other channels.

3. Optimize Search Marketing (Paid and Organic)

Strategy: Search Marketing

Every day, billions of people tell Google exactly what they want to buy. Capturing this traffic isn’t cheap or easy—but it’s steady.

Paid search gives instant traffic but needs constant investment. Organic search is free but takes time to build up. Together, they drive consistent sales.

How MX Store Uses Search to Drive $100M+ in Sales

When MX Store, Australia’s largest online motorcycle parts retailer, first tried Google Ads, their approach was typical.

Broad keywords. Generic ads. Homepage traffic.

Like throwing spaghetti at a wall and hoping something sticks.

So they shifted their approach—led by marketing director Dan Turner.

“The key is perfect alignment. Your keyword matches the intent, your ad matches the keyword, and your landing page matches the ad. No disconnects.”
– Dan Turner


Here’s exactly what they changed:

  1. Built granular campaigns: Instead of lumping everything together, they created separate campaigns for each product category. Every campaign got its own custom landing page and clear conversion path.
  2. Analyzed search terms meticulously: Weekly reviews. Aggressive negative keyword expansion. Minimized wasted spend on irrelevant searches.
  3. Implemented systematic testing: Every ad needed a minimum of 5,000 impressions before making decisions. Proper budget allocation for each test. Regular creative refreshes.

The result?

A consistent 10x return on ad spend (ROAS).

How to Make the Most Out of Your Google Ads Campaigns

Before you spend a dollar on ads, understand your profit. Then, analyzing your competitors and keyword research follows.

Calculate Your Campaign Profitability

Work out how much you can spend to get a customer while making a profit. Without this calculation, you risk burning your ad budget on dud campaigns.

To avoid this mistake, note three metrics:

  1. Target cost per click (CPC)
  2. Expected conversion rate
  3. Maximum customer acquisition cost (CAC)

Here’s an example of the math:

  • Product price: $100
  • Profit margin: 50% (meaning you make $50 per sale)
  • Target ROAS: 3:1 (for every $1 spent on ads, you want $3 in revenue)
  • Expected conversion rate: 2% (2 out of 100 visitors buy)

The maximum CAC calculation is $50 profit ÷ 3 = $16.67 maximum ad spend per customer. With a 2% conversion rate, you can’t spend over $16.67 to acquire a customer while keeping campaigns profitable.

Do Keyword Research

Keyword research answers a simple question: are people searching for what you’re selling?

Start by Googling your products to see what ads are displaying.

For example, here’s what the ads look like for “pendulum lights.”

Google ads for "pendulum lights"

There are lots of ads, which implies they’re working.

You could theoretically follow this simple process of Googling, observing, and copying.

But, to reduce wasted budget, use a tool like Semrush. It’ll help you understand the demand and cost for profitable keywords.

Bonus: Here’s a link to a 14-day trial on a Semrush Pro subscription. That should give you enough time to plan your search marketing campaigns.


The first thing to do is check the keyword data.

Keyword Overview – Pendulum light – Overview

Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool shows that pendulum lights are searched 320 times a month. And the CPC is $0.77.

This is enough data to test a campaign. But if you want even more validation, spy on your competitor’s ads.

Analyze Your Competitor’s Campaign’s

Following the breadcrumbs of how your competitors do ads can save you months of time and money.

Staying with the lighting example, Lumens is a competitor.

According to Semrush’s Advertising Research tool, Lumens is attracting over 27k monthly users from ads.

Advertising Research – Lumens – Traffic

This tells us that they’re investing pretty aggressively in Google Ads. And they’ve likely done the work of testing and failing.

To validate this, you can check Lumens ads history.

For instance, they’ve been bidding on “outdoor wall lighting” for seven months straight.

Meaning: they’re seeing enough sales to continue the campaign.

Advertising Research – Lumens – Ads History

You can see what the ad looks like in Semrush. And Lumens has been tweaking their copy each month.

Lumens ad in Semrush

Using this data drastically increases your chances of successful ads.

Build Your SEO Foundations

Paid search delivers immediate results. Organic search builds free traffic over time.

In other words, start getting your foundations right today.

Here are two priority areas to focus on:

Optimize Your Product and Category Pages

Your product and category pages are your money-makers. So you want to maximize their SEO potential.

For product pages:

  • Write unique, benefit-focused product descriptions
  • Include technical specifications in a structured format
  • Add product schema markup for rich snippets
  • Use high-quality product images with descriptive alt text
  • Include real customer reviews and ratings

For category pages:

  • Create helpful category descriptions that solve buying dilemmas and desires
  • Use clear subcategory structure (3 clicks max to any product)
  • Add internal links to best-selling or related products
  • Include filters and sorting options (price, size, color, etc.)

For inspiration, check out Ruggable’s “clean rugs” category page.

Ruggable – Search filters

Get Your Technical Foundation Right

You don’t need to address every technical detail.

Start with:

  1. Fast-loading pages (aim for “good” in Google’s Core Web Vitals report)
  2. Mobile-first design
  3. Clean URLs with keywords
  4. Proper handling of product variations (canonical tags)
  5. XML sitemap for all important pages

Speed is especially important for ecommerce.

In 2019, eBay did a sitewide initiative to improve performance. Every 100-millisecond improvement led to a 0.5% increase in “Add to Cart.”

Start Small, Scale What Works, Repeat

Begin with:

  • 2-3 focused paid campaigns
  • Helpful content on your product and category pages
  • Core technical optimization

Test everything. Double down on what works. Cut what doesn’t.

Every dollar should drive immediate sales (paid) or build long-term assets (organic).

4. Turn Email Into Sustainable Sales

Strategy: Email Marketing

The top brands drive 30-50% of their revenue through email marketing.

These email programs succeed by connecting three foundations we’ve covered:

  1. Products customers want (Strategy #1)
  2. Authentic storytelling (Strategy #2)
  3. Steady website traffic (Strategy #3)

But there’s a fourth element that ties everything together: systematic execution.

Let’s explore how to build an email program that turns subscribers into customers—and customers into repeat buyers.

Note: The best practices I’m about to share are inspired by Boyuan Zhao, an email and SMS consultant for Shopify brands. I recommend checking out his free four-hour training on YouTube. It’s some of the best content I’ve seen on email marketing.


Build a Quality Email List

Your email list isn’t just a number.

“Most brands obsess over list size. But I’ve found that smaller, engaged lists consistently outperform massive, unengaged ones.”
– Boyuan Zhao


Large lists built through aggressive tactics (giveaways, lead magnets, etc.) often convert at 1-2%.

Meanwhile, carefully grown lists using targeted pop-ups and organic signups can hit 8-15% conversion rates.

The math is simple:

  • 100,000 subscribers at 1% = 1,000 customers
  • 20,000 engaged subscribers at 10% = 2,000 customers

Plus, better engagement means higher deliverability. Which means more of your emails actually reach inboxes.

tbh Skincare – Mystery code

Start by optimizing your signup forms:

  • Test different offers (10% off vs. free shipping)
  • Use clear value propositions
  • Target exit intent to capture interested visitors
  • Avoid generic “Subscribe to our newsletter” messaging

The Pattern Behind High-Performing Email Programs

You likely have a decent welcome series, abandoned cart emails, and a newsletter.

But to hit 50% attributed revenue to email, you need to think differently.

There are two shifts you need to make this happen.

Shift #1: Methodically Test Your Campaigns

“The brands consistently driving 50% of revenue through email aren’t doing anything revolutionary. They’re just incredibly systematic about execution.”
– Boyuan Zhao


This means:

  • Testing one element at a time
  • Tracking actual revenue (not just opens and clicks)
  • Making small, continuous improvements

The results compound over time.

Shift #2: Simplify Your Automations

How many emails are in your sequences?

Probably too many.

“I’ve found that a well-executed 3-email sequence often outperforms complex 10-email flows. It’s not about the number of touchpoints. It’s about delivering the right message at the right time.”
– Boyuan Zhao


Instead of building complex automations, focus on the fundamentals:

  • First impression (welcome)
  • Purchase intent (cart abandonment)
  • Post-purchase experience (reviews)
  • Reactivation (win-back)

Weave authentic brand storytelling into your automations and relentlessly test, test, test.

Do this, and you’re well on your way to more sales.

5. Optimize Operations for Profit (Free Calculator)

Strategy: Optimize Operations

Even if you have winning products and amazing marketing, you can fail if your operations suck.

How Who Is Elijah Learned the True Cost of Growth

In 2023, founders Raquel and Adam Bouris of fragrance brand Who Is Elijah learned two expensive lessons about business.

First, their discovery set promotion seemed like a slam dunk: sell fragrance samples for $1 plus shipping.

They sold 6,000 sets in 24 hours.

“Sales looked great because thousands and thousands a week were going out.”
– Adam Bouris


But the math told a different story.

Customers paid $1 plus $10 shipping. The actual shipping cost was $7-12 per unit. Add production, logistics, and overhead costs.

The result?

A 60% loss on every order. Ouch.

“We would’ve been better off turning the website off.”
– Adam Bouris


Meanwhile, their team had grown from 28 to 44 people, but profits weren’t following.

Their initial approach followed conventional wisdom:

  • Hire department heads from big corporations
  • Build specialized teams for every function
  • Add headcount to solve anticipated problems

Despite growing revenue, operational costs were suffocating the business.

“One of the biggest problems founders make is they worry about the now instead of what’s on the other side of that decision. We were hiring people to fix problems six months away. That’s so stupid.”
– Adam Bouris


Who Is Elijah made a complete operational reset, including two critical changes:

  1. Fixed unit economics:
    1. Stopped money-losing promotions
    2. Calculated true cost per order
    3. Built proper financial forecasting
  2. Optimized team structure:
    1. Cut their team from 44 to 21 people
    2. Moved full-time specialists to agencies
    3. Simplified internal processes
    4. Built systems

Profitability improved. They also became more agile and innovative.

“I learned how to be a CFO the hard way, but I’m glad that I went through the pain.”
– Adam Bouris


How to Build Better Operations

You can build efficient operations without an MBA or years of corporate experience. It starts with digging into four areas.

1. Understand Your Unit Economics

To understand your profitability create a system for tracking your unit economics.

Start with the three numbers that matter most:

1. Revenue per order

  • Average order value
  • Shipping revenue
  • Any other fees

2. Direct costs per order

  • Product cost
  • Shipping cost
  • Packaging cost
  • Payment processing fees

3. Operating costs per order

  • Marketing spend ÷ number of orders
  • Platform fees
  • Customer service time
  • Storage/warehouse costs

Here’s a basic calculator to help:

[CALCULATOR]

This is a starting point. The rest of your numbers (tools, complex calculations, etc.) can come later.

Pro tip: Use a tool like Cin7 to automate this tracking. The investment pays for itself by identifying profit leaks.


2. Build Systems, Not Band-Aids

When problems arise, the tendency is to:

  1. Hire someone to fix it
  2. Create a quick workaround
  3. Ignore it until it becomes a crisis

Instead, step back and design systems that prevent future issues.

Start with your three most time-consuming processes, e.g., order fulfillment, customer services, and inventory management.

For each process:

  1. Document exactly how it’s done now
  2. Identify bottlenecks and failure points
  3. Create standard operating procedures (SOPs)
  4. Build quality control checkpoints
  5. Add automation where possible

3. Optimize Your Supply Chain

Your supply chain impacts everything: cash flow, customer satisfaction, and profitability. Here’s how to optimize it:

First, map your current supply chain:

  • List all suppliers and their lead times (it’s essential to have 2nd and 3rd options)
  • Document shipping carriers and costs
  • Track inventory levels and turnover
  • Identify quality control points
  • Note payment terms and minimums

Then, negotiate better terms. Here’s an email template:

 

4. Automate Before You Hire

Before adding employees, see what tasks you can automate. Here are some processes to tackle first:

Process What to Automate Popular Tools
Order Management Order confirmation emails, fulfillment triggers, tracking updates Shopify Flow, Order Desk, Mesa
Shipping & Logistics Label creation, carrier selection, rate optimization ShipStation, ShippingEasy, Shippo
Customer Service FAQ responses, order status updates, return requests Gorgias, Zendesk, Re:amaze
Inventory Low stock alerts, reorder points, supplier notifications Stocky, TradeGecko, Skubana
Marketing Content scheduling, performance tracking, competitor monitoring Semrush, Buffer, Klaviyo

Turn Your Ecommerce Growth Strategy Into Reliable Sales

You don’t need to do everything at once. Start by answering these questions:

  1. Which customers can you chat with this week?
  2. What authentic stories can you share about your brand’s journey or customer impact?
  3. Where does your website rank for high-intent buyer keywords?
  4. How much of your revenue comes from email marketing?
  5. Do you know your true cost per order?

Pick the area that needs the most work. Focus there first.

If you want more ideas, read our ecommerce marketing guide, which has 11 ways to increase your traffic and sales.

The post 5 Proven Ecommerce Growth Strategies ($0 to $100 Million) appeared first on Backlinko.

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How to fix the ‘Page with redirect’ error in Google Search Console

The “Page with redirect” error in Google Search Console shows a page on your website is redirected to a different URL when the user or Googlebot attempts to access the URL. 

This means all the pages listed in the report are not showing in search results. 

Nothing new, right?

At first glance, this error in Google Search Console may not seem like the “nectar of the gods.” 

But after reading through 138 questions in the Search Console Help community and seeing that Stack Exchange saw 278 views on a similar question, I realize there are probably many SEO professionals who would leave their entire life fortunes to solve this issue if they could.   

In the name of very serious SEO needs, I had to investigate. 

How do I fix ‘Page with redirect’ in Google Search Console?

1. Manually review all the pages flagged in the report

First, I manually reviewed all the pages flagged in the Google Search Console “Page with redirect” report. 

To access the report, go to Google Search Console > Pages > and look under the section “Why pages aren’t indexed.”

page-redirect-google-search-console-errors

Once in the report, I look for two things: 

  • Is the chart rising?
  • Was the last crawl date recent?
page-redirect-report-google-search-console-errors

If you answered yes, I recommend exporting the data to Google Sheets, Excel, or CSV to analyze further. 

2. Determine if redirects are OK

Once you export the redirect file, you must determine if the redirects are OK. 

Redirects are OK in two scenarios:

  • Permanent move: If you permanently move a URL to a new destination, a 301 redirect is ideal to maintain its value. 
  • Broken links: If you were fixing a broken link to a relevant webpage, this redirect is OK. 

If you audit all the redirects on this list and decide all the redirects listed are accurate and intentional, you can stop reading. You are done. 

I recommend revisiting this report monthly and doing a deep dive every quarter. 

Get the newsletter search marketers rely on.



3. Conduct a sampling of URLs using the Inspect tool

If you want to gut-check yourself, choose a sampling of 10-25 URLs from your export list to test in the Inspect URL tool in Google Search Console. 

When inspecting the URLs, you’re looking to see if the status states, “Page is not indexed: Page with redirect.” 

Also, the user-declared canonical tag should be the URL you created the 301 redirect to. 

inspect-url-page-redirect-google-search-console

4. If redirects are a problem 

There are a few scenarios where redirects become a problem. 

  • 302 redirects: If your 302 redirects are truly meant to be temporary (meaning less than a month or so), you can keep them. However, eventually, Google treats 302 redirects as 301 permanent redirects. When this happens, it can negatively impact rankings. 
  • Too many redirects: If you notice redirect chains or loops, meaning URL A goes to URL B, then URL C, to get to its final destination of URL D, you will want to go back and create redirects for URL A, B, and C to point to the final destination of URL D. 
  • Redirecting vital pages: If you accidentally redirected an important page, remove the redirect to avoid losing visibility in the SERPs. 

5. Audit your XML sitemap

Always remember to double-check your XML sitemap. You want to ensure there are no redirects listed in the XML sitemap

If redirects are listed in the XML sitemap, remove them. 

Also, make sure the page you redirected the old URL to is listed in the XML sitemap. 

You can filter submitted and unsubmitted pages from your XML sitemap in Google Search Console.

submitted-page-sitemap-redirect-error-google-search-console

If you filter by submitted pages and see a list of URLs, you’ll want to remove these URLs from your XML sitemap if the redirect is accurate. 

At the core of your “Page with redirect” error in Google Search Console lies a simple solution: taking a more mindful approach to your redirects and canonical tags. That’s it. 

But just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s easy. 

I run quarterly audits to review all canonical tags and redirect pages to ensure I follow proper protocol and the directives act as I want. 

Plus, it’s a good habit. The fact that you’re adjusting canonical tags and implementing redirects is already a win in my book. 

Even with that solid win, you, like many of us SEO professionals, still have room for improvement. 

There’s nothing to fear with the ‘Page with redirect’ error in Google Search Console

Let’s be real: I’m not running to worship at the Google Gods alter to fix my “Page with redirect” error report in Google Search Console. 

Nine times out of 10, there’s no action I need to take. However, moments of awe-inspiring glory have shed light on a URL that was not meant to be redirected.  

The “Page with redirect” error report in Google Search Console has become a staple in my monthly SEO checklist routine. 

If you have access to Google Search Console, you’re in the know now. You’re part of a community where holistic, clean, and effective SEO work is gospel. 

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Optimizing LLMs for B2B SEO: An overview

Optimizing LLMs for B2B SEO: An overview

We’re still in (very) early days for LLM (large language model) search, but fast-increasing user adoption is helping us draw insights on effective tactics for brands to deploy to appear in results on platforms like Perplexity, ChatGPT search, Gemini, and more.

This article looks at those tactics from a B2B lens, broken down by the following SEO initiatives:

Note that many of these tactics – but not all – should be familiar to SEOs who have experience with traditional search engines. 

Content strategy

The first step toward creating effective content for LLMs is to understand the nature of user queries. 

LLMs, more than traditional search engines, are host to conversational queries, like “How can I protect my business from ransomware attacks?” (where a similar Google query might be “ransomware attack protection for businesses”).

To adapt your content strategy, study the nature of the queries and create content that directly answers them. This includes conversational headings like “The best software to protect businesses from ransomware attacks.” 

In B2B, where the purchase journey is longer, it’s not as simple as optimizing for product-related queries; it’s essential to incorporate educational content to ease users into the awareness and engagement stages.

When it comes to the content itself, many of the principles of traditional SEO apply – particularly the need to go both broad and deep to establish authority and relevance. 

Incorporate supporting content like guides, case studies, and user testimonials. 

Make sure you’re working with pillar pages linking to in-depth blogs like “How CRM helps sales teams close deals faster.”

Remember that context matters a ton for LLMs for each piece of content (no matter the format). 

Optimize for nuanced, contextual responses by addressing multiple facets of a topic in the same piece. 

For example, a rich blog post for a fintech company could be titled “What is embedded finance? Benefits and challenges for SaaS platforms,” with subsections for: 

  • Benefits for startups.
  • Use cases in real-world scenarios.
  • Integration challenges and how to overcome them.

Semantic SEO

Semantic SEO” is a relatively recent SEO initiative that means approaching content with respect to the full topic, not just keyword elements. 

In LLM SEO, the first item of semantic SEO is entity-based optimization, which includes:

For example, a cloud solutions provider can use schema markup to:

  • Mark up product pages with “Product” schema for solutions like “Cloud Data Storage Services.”
  • Build authority by linking to their business profile on Wikipedia, LinkedIn, and/or Crunchbase.

Because semantic SEO widens its focus from keywords, it’s essential to optimize for diverse phrases and synonyms instead of fixating solely on exact-match keywords. 

(You can use tools like Google Natural Language Processing or OpenAI embeddings to understand the relationship between tools.)

Let’s use a marketing automation platform as an example. 

Along with optimizing for a primary keyword, like “lead generation software,” include synonyms and variants like “Automated lead management tools” and “B2B marketing platforms.”

Dig deeper: ChatGPT search vs. Google: A deep dive analysis of 62 queries

Technical SEO

At this point, technical SEO for LLMs isn’t (by my understanding) all that different than technical SEO for traditional search engines. 

To increase your chances of showing up in LLM searches, tackle the following:

Data accessibility

  • Confirm content is crawlable and indexable by search engines and available for API integrations.
  • Optimize page speed and mobile performance for enhanced usability.

Structured data

  • Leverage structured data to signal intent and relevance clearly.
  • Implement detailed schema, such as “FAQPage,” “HowTo,” and “Product,” to improve how LLMs process your content.

User intent matching

Advanced SEO in both traditional search and LLMs incorporates an understanding of user intent into content. 

For B2B, this content should be strategically distributed across all stages of the buyer journey: awareness, education, technical understanding of solutions, and ultimately purchase intent.

For “instant” queries, provide actionable and direct responses, formatting answers in bullet points or concise paragraphs for LLM readiness while providing links to deeper resources. 

For example, a business offering AI-powered analytics can create content like: “What is predictive analytics in B2B?” and provide direct answers such as:

  • “Predictive analytics uses historical data to forecast future trends. For B2B, this helps identify potential leads and optimize sales strategies.”

Dig deeper: How to optimize for search intent: 19 practical tips

Get the newsletter search marketers rely on.



Authority and trust

This is perhaps the area where we see almost no difference (yet) between LLMs and traditional search engines: establishing E-E-A-T principles is critical.

To do this (if you aren’t already), make sure your owned media:

  • Prioritizes experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness in all content.
  • Includes author bios, credentials, and citations to reinforce trustworthiness.
  • Cites reliable sources like Gartner, Forrester, or proprietary data studies.
  • Builds backlinks from authoritative domains to strengthen your site’s credibility.
  • Gains mentions in trusted publications to improve how LLMs perceive your brand.

For example, a logistics software company could secure backlinks from:

  • Industry publications like Logistics Management.
  • Mentions in business-oriented media like TechCrunch or Forbes.

Dig deeper: Decoding Google’s E-E-A-T: A comprehensive guide to quality assessment signals

AI feature optimization

This initiative is where SEO practices diverge most widely from traditional search engines. 

The way users interact with LLMs differs from how they interact with the Google search bar. 

For LLM-specific content enhancements:

  • Focus on content that answers “People Also Ask” and conversational follow-up queries.
  • Experiment with creating and optimizing content designed for direct API consumption.

For example, a tech consulting firm could create a resource hub for topics like “common cloud migration questions” with detailed Q&A formats that AI can surface easily.

If user behavior continues to feature more structured, question-based queries, make sure your content is designed to answer those directly. 

For example, a company specializing in ERP software can design content to appear for queries like:

  • “What are the best ERP solutions for mid-sized companies?”
  • “What is the ROI of implementing ERP software?”

Some LLMs (and we expect more to move in this direction) are multimedia-focused. 

For those, rich media integration – using videos, infographics, and charts to enhance engagement and improve content retrievability – will help spur inclusion in search results.

For example, a cybersecurity firm can enhance blogs with:

  • Infographics summarizing “5 types of cyberattacks businesses should watch for in 2025.”
  • Embedded videos explaining “How our threat detection tool works in real-time.”

Dig deeper: How to evolve your organic approach for the rise of answer engines

Continuous testing and adaptation

At this relatively early stage of LLM SEO maturity (and our understanding of it), continuous testing, measurement, and adaptation are among the most critical initiatives. 

At our agency, we focus on two fronts:

As you gather more information about what’s working, you can find common themes to deploy across your accounts. 

Dig deeper: How to cultivate SEO growth through continuous improvement

Optimizing for LLM-driven search in B2B

Because LLMs are in their infancy and because user behavior is changing so rapidly across the search landscape, find and regularly reference trusted sources to stay on top of trends and developments. 

In 12 months, this article might look woefully outdated, so it’s best to keep your finger on the pulse to adapt quickly.

Dig deeper: Decoding LLMs: How to be visible in generative AI search results

Read more at Read More

Top 10 SEO expert columns of 2024 on Search Engine Land

Search Engine Land's Top SEO columns of 2024

Since Search Engine Land launched, we have given SEO experts a platform to share their in-depth knowledge and timely insights – with the goal of helping you solve problems, manage challenges and understand the constantly shifting SEO landscape.

What follows are links to the 10 most-read, must-read Search Engine Land SEO columns of 2024 that were contributed by our fantastic group of Subject Matter Experts.

10. The SEO’s guide to Google Search Console

Dive into Google Search Console’s features and reports, plus how to navigate the tool like a pro, from basic setup to advanced SEO analysis. (By Anna Crowe. Published July 8.)

9. 15 AI tools you should use for SEO

Get more done in less time with these must-have AI tools to automate tasks, optimize content and improve your search engine rankings. (By Ludwig Makhyan. Published Sept. 27.)

8. How to use Google Search Console to unlock easy SEO wins

Steps for using GSC to review your traffic, analyze the search landscape and make impactful optimizations for quick results. (By Marcus Miller. Published Aug. 22.)

7. How to make your AI-generated content sound more human

Leverage AI like ChatGPT to generate more human-sounding long-form content. Refine prompts with details to produce engaging articles. (By James Allen. Published Feb. 26.)

6. Google recognizes content creators: A breakthrough for E-E-A-T and SEO

Google now highlights content creators as trusted sources in search results. Here’s why this matters for E-E-A-T and how SEOs can benefit. (By Jason Barnard. Published Sept. 25.)

5. How SEO moves forward with the Google Content Warehouse API leak

Addressing common questions, critiques and concerns following the massive Google Search leak and how your approach to SEO should change. (By Michael King. Published May 30.)

4. What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?

Understand what GEO is, how it’s revolutionizing digital marketing and key strategies to optimize for AI-driven search. (By Christina Adame. Published July 29.)

3. Unpacking Google’s massive search documentation leak

This breakdown unveils potential Google Search ranking factors, including details on PageRank variations, site authority metrics and more. (By Andrew Ansley. Published May 30.)

2. How Google Search ranking works

An in-depth analysis of how Google’s complex ranking system works and components like Twiddlers and NavBoost that influence search results. (By Mario Fischer. Published Aug. 13.)

1. ChatGPT vs. Google Bard vs. Bing Chat vs. Claude: Which generative AI solution is best?

Here’s a comparison of genAI tools ChatGPT, Bard, Bing Chat Balanced, Bing Chat Creative, and Claude based on four metrics. (By Eric Enge. Published Jan. 26.)

Crawling out of December: the 2024 recap

It might happen that by the end of this post you’re going to try to decide who wrote this blog
post, a large language model (LLM) or Gary. And you’d be right to ponder that and delve into the
intricacies of the language used that gives away LLMs, for this is the time of the year when we
can get away with publishing a blog post with barely any review (future Gary will deal with the
potential, nay, likely fallout I guess). As we often do in the last post of a year, we’re looking
at what happened on Google Search Central in 2024 according to an LLM (or Gary), and maybe hinting
at what might be coming in 2025 (but maybe this is just a hook to keep you reading…).

Read more at Read More

Top 10 PPC expert columns of 2024 on Search Engine Land

Search Engine Land's Top PPC Columns of 2024

Search Engine Land gives PPC experts a platform to share their in-depth knowledge and timely insights – with the goal of helping you solve problems, manage challenges and understand the constantly shifting landscape of paid search, paid social, and display.

What follows are links to the 10 most-read, must-read Search Engine Land PPC columns of 2024 that were contributed by our fantastic group of subject matter experts.

10. Value-based bidding: Why it’s key to boosting your Google Ads

Discover how this bid strategy can optimize your Google Ads campaigns for the most valuable actions and overall profitability. (By Sarah Stemen. Published Feb. 7.)

9. Mastering Performance Max using scripts

Learn to negate poor performers, track disapproved products and exclude spammy placements with Google Ads scripts. (By Nils Rooijmans. Published Sept. 20.)

8. Google is hiding search data from advertisers and profiting

Here’s how it affects your ad campaigns and what you can do to optimize performance despite limited visibility. (By Mark Meyerson. Published Sept. 10.)

7. Google Ads for lead gen: 9 tips to scale low-spending campaigns

Looking to elevate your Google Ads lead gen efforts? Here are nine levers that can boost your PPC campaigns toward significant growth. (By Menachem Ani. Published Jan. 10.)

6. The Performance Max playbook: Best practices and emerging tactics for 2024

Strategies for running Performance Max campaigns in 2024, covering campaign structure, creative, budgeting and conversion tracking. (By Navah Hopkins. Published April 11.)

5. What Google’s query matching update means for future PPC campaigns

Learn about Google Ads’ latest improvements to query matching and brand controls and what it indicates about how keywords will evolve. (By Menachem Ani. Published July 10.)

4. 4 advanced GPT-4 capabilities to level up your PPC efforts

Leverage AI for PPC with improved prompts, data integration via plugins, custom GPTs, and API-enabled actions. (By Frederick Vallaeys. Published Feb. 1.)

3. ChatGPT for PPC: 17 strategic prompts you can use today

Learn how to use ChatGPT to level up your paid search efforts without sacrificing strategy, authenticity and creativity. (By Amy Hebdon. Published Sept. 3.)

2. What 54 Google Ads experiments taught me about lead gen

Two years of experiments reveal key findings on the best-performing bid strategies, keyword match types, campaign settings and more. (By Mark Meyerson. Published Aug. 29.)

1. How to analyze Performance Max search terms insights for PPC success

Google Ads fixed the bug preventing Performance Max search query data from showing in scripts. Here’s how to analyze it PPC optimization. (By Frederick Vallaeys. Published March 13.)

Backlinks: A beginner’s guide to all the important aspects

Backlinks have always been the foundation of search engines, ever since Larry Page and Sergey Brin created the PageRank algorithm 28 years ago, as per the history of Google.…

The post Backlinks: A beginner’s guide to all the important aspects appeared first on Mangools.

Read more at Read More

SEO for Plumbers: How to Rank Higher & Get More Customers

Want to know why some plumbing businesses dominate Google’s first page while others struggle to get noticed?

It’s not luck.

These plumbing companies all focus on the same core SEO strategies.

Take Deer Valley Plumbing Contractors, for instance.

They appear in Google’s 3-Pack when prospective customers in their area search for “plumbing company” and other related keywords.

And they have notably more reviews than the competition.

Google Businesses – Plumbing company – Arizona

Their site also ranks for 3K keywords.

This helps Deer Valley Plumbing Contractors drive 2.7K organic visits to their website each month.

Traffic that would cost an estimated $44.7K per month in Google Ads.

Organic Research – Deer Valley Plumbing – Overview

The best part?

With SEO for plumbers, your business can achieve similar—or better—results.

In this guide, you’ll learn SEO fundamentals that’ll help your site rank higher, from local search to link-building.

But first, let’s start with a quick overview of what exactly plumbing SEO is.

What Is Plumbing SEO?

Plumbing SEO is a set of practices that increase a plumbing company’s website’s visibility in search engines like Google.

SEO for plumbers includes:

  • On-page optimization: Optimizing your service pages for key terms like “water heater repair” or “emergency plumber” by using strategic headers, meta descriptions, and location-based keywords that match how local customers actually search
  • Technical SEO: Making sure your plumbing website loads quickly on mobile devices, has intuitive navigation, including clear contact information, and works smoothly for emergency calls
  • Local SEO: Optimizing your Google Business Profile, service area pages, and local citations to show up in “near me” searches and Google Maps when homeowners need a plumber in your area
  • Content marketing: Creating helpful guides, FAQs, and service pages that answer common plumbing questions like “Why is my water heater leaking?” or “How to unclog a drain” to attract local homeowners searching for solutions
  • Link building: Building credibility and authority by getting featured in local business directories, home service websites, and plumbing supplier sites

Google SERP – Plumber near me

What Are the Benefits of SEO for Plumbers?

SEO has many benefits for plumbers—especially if you’re at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs).

This includes attracting more qualified leads, building authority, and increasing revenue—all without spending a dime on advertising.

Think about how people search for plumbers today.

When a homeowner’s water heater fails at midnight, or their kitchen sink backs up before a dinner party, they immediately grab their phone and search Google.

SEO increases your chances of showing up in these searches, helping you get more ready-to-hire leads.

And you have plenty of opportunities—246,000 people search for “plumbers near me” in the U.S. every month.

Keyword Overview – Plumbers near me – Volume

But that’s far from the only search term getting traffic.

Countless people search for standard and urgent plumbing-related terms monthly:

  • Emergency plumber: 27,100 monthly searches
  • Plumbing companies near me: 27,000 monthly searches
  • Best plumbers near me: 9,900 monthly searches
  • 24 hour plumber: 4,400 monthly searches

Keyword Overview – Emergency Plumber – Volume

When your website ranks at the top of Google for these terms, you’re essentially setting up a 24/7 lead generation system.

6 Essential Plumber SEO Strategies

Ready to outrank your competitors and capture more high-value plumbing leads?

These six SEO strategies work together to boost your search visibility. And convert website visitors into paying customers.

1. Keyword Research

The first step of any plumber SEO campaign is keyword research.

This involves identifying relevant keywords based on key metrics like search intent, volume, and keyword difficulty. And conducting research into your competitors’ keyword strategies.

Understand Keyword Metrics

A tool like Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool is helpful for conducting keyword research.

Note: A free Semrush account gives you 10 searches in this tool per day. Or you can use this link to access a 14-day trial on a Semrush Pro subscription.


Enter a seed keyword like “plumbing company” into the Keyword Magic Tool.

Keyword Magic Tool – Plumbing company – Search

You’ll see a list of keyword ideas and some important information about each term.

This includes “Intent.”

Keyword Magic Tool – Plumbing company – Keywords Intent

Search intent is the reason behind a user’s search—it tells you why they searched and what they were hoping to find.

There are four types of search intent.

Including:

  • Informational: These are searches where people want to learn something, like “how to fix a clogged toilet.” This type of content works best as detailed guides and tutorials.
  • Navigational: When searchers are looking for a specific plumbing business or page like “Jerry’s Plumbing Company” or “Plumbing Pros hours of operation”
  • Commercial: The person wants to know more about a product or business, such as “best plumbers in Austin” and “sink repair.” Use these in product comparison articles, testimonials, and service pages.
  • Transactional: The person is ready to hire and might search “hire a plumber” or “call a plumber.” Use strategic calls to action (CTA) and keywords like “hire” and “book now” on your site.

For example, “plumbing company” has commercial intent.

Keyword Magic Tool – Plumbing company – Keyword

This means the user’s goal for this search is to research plumbing company options, read reviews, and view services, making it a good term to target on a service page.

But if someone searches “how to fix a leaky faucet,” (which has informational intent), they expect to find detailed DIY instructions with photos or videos.

See the difference?

Rainbow Restoration – How to fix leaky faucet

Next, let’s look at two other crucial metrics:

  • Volume: The number of monthly searches for a keyword
  • Keyword Difficulty (KD): A rating showing how hard it is to rank for that keyword from zero to 100

Keyword Magic Tool – Plumbing company – Volume & KD

While you’ll likely have broad keywords on most pages, if you have a newer site (or one that lacks authority), you’ll also want to target terms that’ll be easier to rank for in the SERPs.

Local keywords often have this perfect combination—moderate search volume with lower competition in specific service areas.

For example, “plumbing companies in phoenix, arizona” gets 70 searches per month and has a low keyword difficulty score of 27.

Keyword Magic Tool – Plumbing companies – Arizona, Phoenix

You might use this term on a location page to target local customers.

Continue researching keywords to target on each page of your site—making sure to adjust your focus for each page’s specific purpose:

  • Service pages should target specific plumbing solutions: Water heater repair, drain cleaning, radiator installation
  • Location pages need geographic terms: Local plumbing company, plumber in [city], 24/7 plumbers in [city]
  • About pages should emphasize trust and credentials: Licensed plumber, family-owned plumbing, plumbing company hours
  • Resource pages should answer common questions and concerns: How to fix a leaky faucet, signs you need repiping, water heater maintenance tips

Answer User Questions

Your target audience likely has a lot of questions about plumbing problems and hiring a plumber.

These questions make great topics for FAQ pages and blog posts.

Here’s how to find them using the Keyword Magic Tool:

Search for a broad keyword like “drain repair” and apply the “Questions” filter.

Keyword Magic Tool – Drain repair – Questions

The tool will return options like:

  • How to repair tub drain: 320 volume; 29 KD
  • How to repair shower drain: 210 volume; 30 KD
  • How to repair a leaking shower drain: 170 volume; 23 KD

All of the above topics have informational intent, which means they’d work well as step-by-step tutorials on your blog.

Plus, answering these questions with high-quality content will help you establish expertise.

As you review the questions, pay attention to volume and KD scores—the lower the KD, the easier it’ll be for you to rank for each term.

Research Competitor Keywords

You don’t have to start from scratch when finding keywords—analyze what’s already working for your successful competitors.

A tool like Semrush’s Keyword Gap can help you with this.

First, enter your URL and up to four competitors’ URLs. Hit “Compare.”

Keyword Gap – Bill Howe – Search

Now, you’ll see an overview of your site’s keyword performance compared to your competitors.

Including how many ranking keywords you and each of your rivals have.

Keyword Gap – Bill Howe – Keyword Overlap

As you review the reports, pay special attention to three key opportunities:

  • Missing: Keywords your competitors rank for but you don’t
  • Weak: Keywords where competitors outrank you
  • Untapped: Keywords where at least one competitor ranks

These are opportunities to target these keywords on existing pages.

And create new content to knock your competitors off the SERPs.

Keyword Gap – Bill Howe – Details for filters

If they have a blog post on how to clear a clogged drain, create a better version with step-by-step photos and videos.

If they list services, include pricing guides and customer case studies.

Aim to outrank them with higher-quality content that diverts traffic away from their site to yours.

2. Local SEO

Local SEO is vital for plumbers.

Why?

Because when someone conducts a search with local intent, such as “plumber near me” or “plumber in [city],” Google shows three local businesses at the top of the page.

Google Businesses – Plumber in Queens New York

This is the 3-Pack I mentioned earlier in the article—and it’s prime real estate for plumbers.

Let’s make sure your business shows up there.

Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Start by claiming your free Google Business Profile (GBP). If you’re not sure how to do this, follow Google’s tutorial.

Add your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) to your profile.

Double-check that you’ve entered everything correctly.

Accurate NAPs show Google your business is trustworthy, which helps increase your chances of ranking in the Map Pack.

Google Map Pack – Plumber in Phoenix

Next, create a keyword-rich business description that includes important terms for your business.

This will be the services you offer and any standout features like “local plumbing business” or “emergency plumbing repair.”

For example, Maloney Plumbing and Drain Services included key terms like “plumbing repair” and “drain clearing” in their company overview.

They also referenced the location they serve: “Phoenix.”

Maloney Plumbing and Drain Services – Overview – Key terms, location

Add as many relevant service categories as possible—from sewer cleaning to garbage disposal installation.

Maloney Plumbing and Drain Services – Services

The photos section isn’t just about showing you exist.

Your images should build trust and show potential customers exactly what to expect:

  • Uniformed technicians (shows professionalism)
  • Branded trucks (proves you’re established)
  • Actual repair work (demonstrates expertise)
  • Team in action (builds credibility)

Maloney Plumbing and Drain Services – Photos

Finally, post updates.

This shows searchers and Google that you’re an active business with up-to-date information.

But it also lets you share vital details, communicate with customers, and highlight promotions and events.

Maloney Plumbing and Drain Services – Updates

With your GBP filled out, it’s time to focus on earning positive reviews—lots of them.

Collect and Manage Online Reviews

Reviews matter more than you may realize.

Seventy-one percent of consumers will not consider using a business if it has an average review rating below three stars.

Google also states that one of the three ranking factors for local search is “prominence,” which is defined by how popular a business is online and offline.

(Prominence includes review count and average review rating.)

Maloney Plumbing and Drain Services – Prominence

So, how do you get more positive reviews?

You ask for them.

Most importantly, you make it easy for past clients to leave reviews.

For example, Total Service Plumbing created a dedicated review page on their website that links to each of their location’s Google Business Profiles.

Smart.

Total Service Plumbing – Review page

While having a page on your website is helpful, you’ll want to take a multi-pronged approach to collecting reviews.

For example:

  • Send a follow-up text right after completing a service
  • Include a review link in your invoice emails
  • Create QR codes on your business cards and service vehicles
  • Train your technicians to ask satisfied customers for reviews

Pro tip: Use a tool like Semrush’s Review Management to make it easy to track and reply to all your reviews (even negative ones) from your Google Business Profile and other directories. This shows you value customer feedback and want to improve your services.


West Plumbing LLC – Customer feedback

Build Local Citations

A local citation is any mention of your business on the internet.

This includes your basic contact details, like your NAP.

Think Yelp, Angi, and Porch.com.

The key? Keep your information consistent everywhere.

Yelp – Consistent business information

Consistent business information tells search engines your business is legitimate and trustworthy.

But manually searching and verifying your citations is not a productive use of your time (or your team’s).

Use a tool like Semrush’s Listing Management tool to automate this process.

Listing Management automatically checks for issues like missing phone numbers and incorrect addresses and updates them for you.

Listing Management – Ranshav – Plumbing and heating example

This makes it easy to maintain updated and accurate listings across multiple directories and keep your local SEO on point.

3. On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is the practice of improving webpage elements so your website ranks higher in SERPs and earns more relevant traffic.

Here’s how to optimize your plumbing site.

Use Your Target Keyword in the Right Places

Every webpage has specific spots where keywords make the biggest impact.

This includes the following elements:

  • Title tag: This is the title that shows up in search results. Limit this to 50-60 characters and include the target keyword as close to the front as possible.
  • Meta description: This is the summary that appears under the title tag in search results. Include the target keyword and keep it under 155 characters.

Nick's- Plumbing – Title tag & meta description

Pro tip: SEO plugins like RankMath and Yoast SEO make it fast and easy to customize title tags and meta descriptions on your site. The plugins will also alert you when you’ve forgotten to add metadata, helping ensure you keep up with on-page optimization.


You’ll also want to add your target keyword to the H1 (aka the headline) of each page.

For example, plumbing company Benjamin Franklin uses the keyword “Residential Leak Detection Services” on its H1 for one of its service pages.

H1s tell Google and readers what your page is about.

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing – Leak Detection Services – H1

Pro tip: Every service page needs a unique H1—aka, don’t use “Plumbing Services” on multiple pages.


Use subheads (H2, H3, H4) to organize your content. Include keyword variations in them naturally.

For example, Benjamin Franklin uses “The Types of Plumbing Leaks We Repair” as an H2 and has “Common Signs of Plumbing Leaks” underneath as an H3.

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing – Using subheadings

You’ll also want to add descriptive alt text to your images.

This helps Google understand what your images show and ensures your site is accessible for those using screen readers.

For example, alt text for this image could be: “Professional plumber in uniform inspecting under-sink plumbing while showing digital tablet to homeowner in kitchen.”

Plumbing services in Phoenix – Image

Implement Schema Markup

Schema markup is code that helps search engines understand your content better.

It’s a ‌common practice to put this code on all webpages, especially service and location pages.

When done right, it can make your listing stand out with rich snippets that include:

  • Your business logo
  • Star ratings
  • Service prices
  • Availability hours

Like this plumbing company that shows up when searching for “clogged drain repair in San Diego.”

The listing features a 4.8 star rating and shows the business has over 8K votes, helping to instill confidence in searchers.

Rooter Hero Plumbing – Star rating

Use Google’s free Schema markup generator tool.

Select “Local Businesses” for the data type.

Enter the URL of the webpage and click “Start Tagging.”

Google Structured Data Markup Helper – Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

This takes you to the webpage where you highlight or tag the content needed for the code.

Google Structured Data Markup Helper – Create HTML

Once you’re done tagging the page, click “Create HTML.”

Google Structured Data Markup Helper – Script block

Copy the script block and paste it to the head section of your webpage’s HTML.

Too technical for you?

Hire a developer or tech-savvy friend to help you with this step.

It’s worth the hassle, as it can help your plumbing business stand out in the SERPs.

Analyze Current Pages for On-Page SEO Opportunities

As you add more pages to your site and blog, you’ll want to make sure you’ve properly implemented on-page optimization.

Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker can help you with this—it automates the process, so you don’t have to check each page manually.

Enter your URL and click “Get ideas.”

On Page SEO Checker – Ranshaw – Get ideas

Click the “View all pages & ideas” to view the full list of pages it found to optimize.

On Page SEO Checker – Ranshaw – Overview

Click the blue “Ideas” button for any page to view the suggestions.

On Page SEO Checker – Ranshaw – Optimization Ideas

For example, you’ll see recommendations like avoiding keyword stuffing in content, creating more informative contentm, and providing more relevant meta descriptions.

It’ll also give you tips on how to score featured snippets for certain keywords.

Make the necessary changes to help give your site a boost in the SERPs.

On Page SEO Checker – Ranshaw – Optimization Ideas – Content

4. Content Marketing

Creating helpful, high-quality content for your audience is a big part of SEO.

It can also drive long-term results and steady organic traffic over time.

Let’s look at how you can use content marketing to attract leads and instill confidence in prospective customers.

Answer Questions in Your Blog Posts

People who have a clogged toilet might not want to hire a plumber right away.

They might first try to fix the problem themselves—this is when they try to find answers online.

As a plumber, you’re in the best position to teach them how to unclog a toilet.

Like Benjamin Franklin did on its blog:

Benjamin Franklin Plumber – Blog topic

With step-by-step instructions, Benjamin Franklin gives its target customers the information they need to handle the job themselves.

Benjamin Franklin Plumber – Plumbing topic instructions

But they also include hiring a pro as an option to encourage those who don’t want to DIY to give them a call.

Nice.

Benjamin Franklin Plumber – Call a Plumber

Sounds simple enough, right?

Well, you’ll be competing in the SERPs with countless other plumbers who are targeting the same keywords for the same topics.

So, how do you stand out?

By following Google’s quality guidelines for content: experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).

Here’s how:

  • Prove your expertise. Include an author bio at the end of your content and highlight your experience as a plumber, including any certifications, years of experience, education, and more
  • Include step-by-step photos and videos: Guide your readers through each step with high-quality photos and videos that show you know your stuff
  • Add expert insights and quotes: Share firsthand tips that showcase your experience and include quotes from SMEs on your team to infuse your content with more authority and trust

Create Location and Service Pages

Location and service pages are exactly what they sound like.

They’re dedicated webpages for every service and location of your business.

If you have 10 different plumbing services, you need to create 10 separate pages describing each service.

For example, Jimmy Joe’s Plumbing has a separate page for everything from backflow prevention to home remodeling plumbing.

Jimmy Joe's Plumbing – Service pages dropdown

If you have multiple locations, you’ll also want to create dedicated pages for each one.

Like John the Plumber did in Florida.

Its site has pages for each location with city-specific content on each one.

John the Plumber– Service Areas dropdown

Pro tip: Create unique content for each location page—don’t copy/paste. Duplicate content is a big no-no in SEO and can negatively impact your rankings.


Include Semantic Keywords in Your Content

Semantic keywords are keywords that are related to your target keywords.

It’s important to add semantic keywords to your content because it helps Google understand the context of your content.

You can use keyword research tools to find related keywords based on a seed keyword.

But you can also type a word in Google and view the People Also Ask section.

For example, typing in “heater installation” reveals semantic and question keywords you can target in content.

People Also Ask – Heater installation

5. Technical SEO

Technical SEO is the process of improving your website’s technical aspects.

In other words, it needs to be fast, mobile-friendly, and secure.

But if you’re not a technical person, don’t worry.

I’ll teach you how to run an audit and check your site’s speed with user-friendly tools.

Run an SEO Audit

An audit can identify issues with your site, particularly page errors that affect your site’s performance and health.

For instance, broken links and pages can damage your website’s ranking and authority.

Tools like Ahrefs and Semrush offer free website audit tools.

For example, Semrush’s Site Audit tool lets you audit up to 100 pages per month on Semrush’s free plan.

Enter your website’s URL and click “Start Audit.”

Site Audit – Ranshaw – Start Audit

You’ll get an email when the report is ready.

The tool will provide an overview of your site’s performance.

This includes everything from a site health score to categorizing site issues by severity: Errors (high), Warnings (medium), and Notices (low).

Site Audit – Ranshaw – Overview

Click on the “Issues” tab to learn how you can improve your site’s pages.

Site Audit – Ranshaw – Issues – How to fix it

Some common errors you might see include:

  • Keyword cannibalization: When multiple pages have the same or similar target keywords and the same search intent
  • Keyword stuffing: When target keywords are used excessively on the page
  • Thin content: The content doesn’t have any (or little) value to readers and doesn’t meet search intent

Improve Loading Speed

If it takes your site longer than three seconds to load, 53% of visitors will abandon it, according to Google Consumer Insights.

So, if you have a slow site, it could be causing you to lose valuable plumbing leads.

Use a free web speed analysis tool like GTMetrix to check your site’s loading speed.

Enter your website’s URL and click “Test Now.”

GTmetrix – Test your website speed

After the analysis, you’ll get a grade, which tells you how well your site is performing, along with an overview of Core Web Vitals metrics.

Core Web Vitals measure the speed, interactivity, and visual stability of your site.

GTmetrix – Country plumber – Report

Scroll to the “Top Issues” section to learn what your site’s errors are and how to fix them.

GTmetrix – Country plumber – Report – Top Issues

Prioritizing technical SEO helps ensure your site delivers the fast and intuitive experience users expect.

6. Link Building

Link building is the process of getting other sites to link to a page on your website.

These links, called backlinks, play a big role in your site’s search ranking.

Here’s how to build your backlink profile, starting with a little competitor research.

Spy on Your Competitors’ Backlink Profiles

Use Semrush’s Backlink Analytics tool to learn valuable information about your competitors’ backlink profiles.

This includes the total number of referring domains and backlinks they receive and their authority score.

Backlink Analytics – Roto-Rooter – Overview

View the “Referring Domains” report to see who is linking to your competitors.

(So you can try to get them to link to you, too.)

Backlink Analytics – Roto-Rooter – Referring Domains

Some referring domains might be directories you can add your business information to, and others may be sites you can try to guest post on.

Find and Reach Out to High-Quality Link Prospects for Guest Posting

Think about plumbing-related content that a website within your industry might be interested in.

Some examples of websites that might feature plumbers include:

  • Home improvement blogs
  • Real estate blogs
  • Home insurance blogs

Here’s an example of a guest blog from Precision Air & Plumbing for a home insurance website.

City Building Owners Blog – Common Plumbing Problems

Finding websites that publish plumbing-related content can take time.

One way to speed things up is to use a tool like Semrush’s Link Building Tool.

Enter your URL and click “Start Link Building.”

Link Building – Black Diamond Today – Search

Add your keywords, like “plumber in chicago” and “emergency plumber chicago” and click “Keywords” on the bottom.

Link Building – Black Diamond Today – Add keywords

This brings you to the next page, where you can add competitors.

Click “Start Link Building.”

Link Building – Black Diamond Today – Competitors

Click “View prospects” on the pop-up.

View link building prospects – Black Diamond Today

Sort the list by highest AS (Authority Score).

This shows you the most reputable websites on this list.

Link Building – Black Diamond Today – To In Progress

Use your judgment to choose websites that are likely to accept guest posts.

Click on the icon to open the link to see plumbing-related content that’s published on the prospect’s website.

Link Building – Black Diamond Today – To In Progress – wikiHow

In this example, we clicked on wikiHow’s link and learned that the co-author is a professional plumber.

This points out an opportunity to reach out to major sites and offer your expert input for articles.

This can be a great way to build backlinks for your site while highlighting you as an industry expert.

wikiHow – Author Bio

Make a list of prospects and pitch topics that match what the sites publish and are relevant to your target audience.

While not all sites will provide backlinks, it’s still a valuable way to get your name—and your plumbing business’s name—some positive press mentions online.

Keep Track of Your Best Links

When it comes to backlinks, focus on quality over quantity.

This is why it’s a good idea to check for low-quality backlinks.

Low-quality links can come from:

  • Sites or content that are unrelated to your industry
  • Sites with low domain authority
  • Sites with low-traffic
  • Sites with spam content

These links may hurt your site’s ranking.

Check for toxic backlinks with Semrush’s Backlink Audit tool.

In the Overview tab, click on the number in red (your total toxic backlinks) under the Overall Toxicity Score.

Backlink Audit – A Better Plumber – Overview

This shows you all of your site’s toxic backlinks and their source pages.

Hover over each of the links to see the reason why the link was labeled as toxic.

Backlink Audit – A Better Plumber – Toxic

If you determine the link needs to go, try reaching out to the website owners and requesting to have the link removed.

If you can’t get these links removed, you can disavow them as a last resort.

Disavowing links tells Google not to take these links into account when determining rankings for your pages.

Google advises to disavow links only when:

  • You have a lot of spammy or low-quality links to your site
  • Your site has received a Google penalty because of the link

Read Google’s guidelines on disavowing links before attempting this step.

If disavowing is the right move, the Backlink Audit tool can help you with this process.

Click the blue icon featuring a circle with a slash (“Move to Disavow list”) to move URLs to a disavow list.

Backlink Audit – A Better Plumber – Toxic – Move to Disavow list

Go to the “Disavow” tab.

Backlink Audit – How to manage toxic backlinks

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On the next page, you’ll see the links you’ve added to the tab. Click the “Export to TXT” button.

Backlink Audit – A Better Plumber – Disavow

Go to the Google Disavow Tool and upload the .txt file.

Once done, Google will no longer consider these links when ranking your site or pages.

Get More Customers with Plumber SEO

SEO isn’t a quick fix.

But it’s one of the most effective ways to get new plumbing customers.

With a bit of research and help from tools like Semrush, you can flood your business with high-quality leads (without spending a fortune on ads).

I’m talking crushing your local competition in Google Maps, ranking #1 for emergency plumbing keywords, and turning your website into a 24/7 lead generation machine.

Ready to rank higher for local keywords?

Check out the top local SEO tools for plumbers that will help you dominate the SERPs.

The post SEO for Plumbers: How to Rank Higher & Get More Customers appeared first on Backlinko.

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