The Best Ways To Drive Traffic To Your Construction Company’s Website

What served your construction company website a few years ago (hello, online brochure) won’t cut it today—if you want to drive traffic and generate leads. In addition to building site navigation that organically and easily leads users to click through, engage with content and make inquires once they get to your website, your marketing efforts should include strategies to drive qualified traffic to it. For the navigation and design, call us to start a conversation about how we can help. For the marketing efforts, read on.

To start, we’re going to assume your website has a robust mobile version. Why? Because more than five billion unique mobile internet users logged online in 2022, which means that over 60 percent of the global internet population used—and probably still does—a mobile device to go online, according to Statista.

“Mobile ownership and internet usage are forecasted to keep growing in the future, as mobile technologies are becoming more affordable and available than ever,” Statista reports. “This upward trend in mobile internet adoption is particularly visible in developing digital markets where mobile networks are the primary means of internet access. Today, mobile internet traffic accounts for almost 60 percent of total web traffic.”

Even in the United States, the numbers show a remarkable volume of mobile searches, based on Statista’s market reports. Driving traffic to your website can be as simple as understanding how your users get to it—and embracing that as a first step.

Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Local SEO makes your web pages rank well when residential or commercial customers in your defined geographic area search for a construction company on Google. Local SEO is a natural, organic, and effective tool for driving traffic to your website. While most companies require outside guidance or campaign management for more specific SEO tasks, among some of the most important ways to improve your local SEO effectiveness are:

• Ensure that your company name, physical address, and phone number are prominently displayed on all your web pages.
• Create business listings on all reputable local business association sites.
• Create listings on local and national construction industry-related websites and blogs.
• Encourage positive online reviews of your company on reputable review sites such as Angi (formerly Angie’s List, BBB, Yelp, Google and trusted sites within the construction industry.

We’d be remiss if we failed to mention the importance of blogs when we talk SEO. Blogs make your website show up in search engines, which results in more quality traffic. According to a Forbes article on SEO, “What you are really doing is making the website a better answer for search engines so more people come to your site to see your services, products or information.” Hubspot has more answers for that, too.

If you want a path to your blogs, so you can increase the number of times and the position of where you appear in searches, consider creating an email newsletter that reaches your current customers. Include content from your blogs, such as tips, insights and articles, in your newsletter and you create a circular way to connect with current—and potential—customers.

Refocus or Expand Your Search Optimization Target Keyword List

For optimal local search engine optimization (SEO) targeting the right keywords is essential. You’ve heard this before and you will again. Incorporate keywords and keyword phrases into your site that match the keywords of relevant users. If you can’t compete with larger companies for the top industry keywords, refocus on less-competitive, lower-volume “longtail keywords” that still have a high likelihood of generating a search inquiry. Google also has thoughts on keyword use you should consider.

For example, instead of aiming for a high-volume phrase such as “construction company”, target:

• “Major construction company”
• “Top construction companies”
• “Construction framing company”
• “Landscape construction companies”
• “New home construction company”
• “Home construction companies”
• “Industrial construction company”
• “Local construction companies”
• “Residential construction company”
• “Commercial construction companies”

If you already have a successful SEO campaign, expand your keyword focus. If you are a residential construction company getting good organic traffic from the keyword “residential contractor”, add keywords for other specific services you offer:

• “Foundation repair”
• “Roof repair”
• “Basement remodeling”
• “Kitchen remodeling”

Keep in mind that you’ll need a separate site page for each of the specific service keywords you target.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising

For a more aggressive, but effective marketing strategy, consider PPC advertising, such as Google Ads. These are specific ads that display on Google when users conduct a search query for a keyword your ad campaign has targeted. Unlike the organic nature of SEO, in which your relevant web pages move up in rank over time, if your bid is successful, your ads will appear on top immediately.

The more competitive construction companies that are bidding on  Google Words keyword you’re targeting, the more expensive the ad will be. While some ads can be pricey, consider the value of new customer attainment. Construction companies often find they get a positive ROI even if their keywords are expensive. You’ll also need to create your ads, and create landing pages for visitors to be taken to once they’ve clicked on your ad. Additionally, you will also need to pay a management fee to the agency managing your campaign.

Yes, you can do similar PPC with Bing, but the majority of web searches (84.69%, as of early 2023) happen on Google. If you want to use Bing, read this advice from Hubspot. There is also Yahoo for paid search.

Paid search is also what you want to use during a trade show with geotargeting, where users see your ads pop up as they attend the trade show where you have a booth or other presence.

Our two low-tech suggestions to drive website traffic are more obvious.

• Reference your website in your physical location, including that on the side of that heavy-duty 2500 HD white GMC parked in your driveway at work or home. It doesn’t have to scream late 1990s in design or placement, but it is a physical location that’s visible to others. Use it. Have a brick-and-mortar office? Feature your website address on physical material in the office, or have a monitor with the site on while you’re there.
• Offer yourself and your knowledge as a subject matter expert for media or other organizations. It could mean being featured in the media (be not afraid) or talking with groups about trends in construction, and issues within the industry, among topics. You could do this in a smaller space, such as on a community center discussion, a local TV or radio station, or go bigger as a regional expert. People who see or hear you will (almost automatically) go to your website—if they hear you as an expert. Use your experience and knowledge to grow your business.

If you’re interested in driving traffic to your construction company website and—once you get the traffic there—engaging current and potential customers and generating business-boosting leads, consider these five suggestions and start driving and generating.

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