Do you have a website?

[Aldegar]

Ok, so I have been working on my web presence This stuff is insane!! I thought, ok build a website so customers can find me. Turns out that actually getting your page to show up in search engines is a chore in itself. Being that the market for potential customers will most likely hop on their smartphones and search for a tree service to call, it's a pretty big deal to be visible. So, after weeks of reading and getting harassed by sales people trying to sell me plans to boost my visibility I have a pretty good understanding of SEO or search engine optimization. Basically, the internet is truly a web so to get noticed you have to build a huge web of links that point to your site called back links. Some are easy to get but don't really contain content relevant to tree service so only boost your overall ranking not your keyword ranking. The best links would be from other tree services, since it would boost your keyword searches big time. I would be willing to put a links page on my website directing traffic to friends sites that are not part of my local competition in hopes that I could get some back links in return. If we could get enough tree services in this collaboration then we would all reap the rewards of being on top of our local competition in the search engines without paying for online marketing. Anyone interested in this type of scheme?

 

[DruidCarol]

Hey, of course someone mentions websites for arborists and up I pop! I had a quick look at your website and it is nice as far as it goes. Links like you described are important, and even more important is social media where you can link to yourself and ask others to like your Facebook page, etc. Offering links to industry sites like TCIA and their consumer-oriented pages is a good way to start. Links to other tree services are probably not going to do much for you but anything that provides "authority" as in showcasing that you know your sh.. is best.

A big thing now is reviewing services and I see you have a Google+ profile but not appearing on the mapping when you search "Gig Harbor tree services" and similar. The top tree service/arborists getting the eyes have got Yelp! reviews, more Google reviews, Citysearch, etc. Even BAD reviews help boost your page ranking, so long as you have a lot of them--there was a great response by a cafe that fought back at a horrible Yelp! review by putting a chalkboard outside its door saying "Come have the worst coffee in town according to ONE guy on Yelp!" Google Plus profile can be helpful when you join some groups that like to talk about trees and tree care and I found my traffic improved a lot when I commented on various Google+ communities.

Pinterest is also a good place, I am finding--I have a board on Trees and the most re-pinned items from all my boards is from that board, especially the tee-shirt, "Keep Calm and Let the Arborist Handle It". I haven't really linked my business website to Pinterest but I should find the time to do so (I get too busy helping you guys!) Seems like there are a lot of tree lovers who visit Pinterest and it is predominantly photos so you can show off your work.

Anyway, the companies that call about SEO are often sharks who are out to make a quick buck with smoke and mirrors. You can get a lot more free stuff from a recognized industry standard such as www.hubspot.com; just sign up for free and you can be alerted to all kinds of free ebooks and stuff.

It is really a case of augmenting the conversations by phone and in person with the public when you meet people who might be interested in your services, and using the internet to get people to engage with you while you're at 65 ft. and in your own beautiful world.

Hope this helps, a bit.