Over the past years, the pool industry has consistently faced the challenge of relatively harder customer acquisition and communication. This has only been exacerbated by the global pandemic that strained businesses and shifted customer expectations. Thankfully, forecasts see favorable winds ahead as the economy begins to heal. In turn, the industry might experience another surge of local competition to attract buyers anew, from local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to Pay-Per-Click (PPC) marketing. With this in mind, we’d like to explore local PPC for pool companies to rank better on Google.
Approaching Local PPC for Pool Companies
First, as with local SEO, locally-focused PPC requires a robust foundation to succeed. For text economy, here we may consolidate three fundamental practices toward this end.
#1 Embrace automation
Initially, marketing automation of all kinds is a crucial asset for any business. Consider such notable examples as email marketing automation solutions and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, among others. Embracing such solutions allows businesses to grow their customer bases, streamline processes and expand reach. In this context, too, they can help facilitate more efficient PPC campaigns by reducing time waste and human error.
#2 Mind local SEO
Second, paid marketing of all kinds typically serves best as a complementary marketing strategy, not a primary one. In our context, PPC will seek to affect Google rankings on top of its own goals of traffic and sales. As such, it’s imperative to start with a robust local SEO foundation in place.
#3 Fine-tune your website
Finally, both SEO and PPC will ultimately funnel traffic to your website. In turn, it will need to make actual use of said traffic. A great first impression through fast loading speeds goes a long way, as Google finds. Its content will need to facilitate customer journeys, its landing pages should convert effectively, and so on. If it cannot do so, your website may actually hamper your efforts.
Local PPC for Pool Companies: Ranking Better on Google
With this context in mind, let us delve into specific, actionable tips you may consider in order.
#1 Start with introspection
First and foremost, thorough introspection is imperative. Among other factors unique to you, consider ones like the following:
- Your budget. How much can you invest into local PPC without overextending?
- Your products and services. Which of your products and services should you promote through PPC?
- Existing strategies in place. Can your existing strategies synergize with local PPC campaigns?
Regardless of your budget, you will typically not need to promote all of your offerings. Even if you can afford to do so, it’s often best to focus on a select few that best serve your business at the time.
#2 Examine your keywords
Next, you may carefully examine your keywords. How exactly you do so will depend on the tools you use, but Google Search Console alone should suffice for this step.
Keyword insights will reveal the fundamental overlap between SEO and PPC, letting them synergize toward a successful marketing plan. Typically, you will encounter two main cases of potential overlap:
Poor keyword rankings. In this case, you may identify long-tail keywords you cannot organically rank for through SEO. You may use this opportunity to target these keywords through PPC, matching your audiences’ search intent in the process.
High impression volumes but low click rates. Conversely, you may find some keywords with high visibility but low appeal. In this case, too, you may target these keywords through PPC for enhanced effectiveness.
In both cases, you will also be boosting your website’s engagement signals. In turn, your PPC campaigns will directly assist your SEO strategy and allow your website to rank better on Google.
#3 Organize campaigns between locations and offerings
Next, a crucial distinction for local PPC for pool companies comes between location-focused and service-focused campaigns. Naturally, if you do not operate in multiple locations, this distinction will not factor into your campaigns. In that case, you may safely skip to the next tip.
You may focus your campaigns on each individual location you operate in if:
You have claimed your Google My Business (GMB) profiles for different locations, and
Each location’s market is significantly different.
Conversely, you may focus on your products and services if:
You only operate in one location, or
Your different locations don’t present notable market differences.
In the former case, you will be serving the local SEO of individual GMB listings more accurately. In the latter, you will have more opportunities to layer your content to better meet audiences’ search intent.
#4 Localize your copy and landing pages
Having done so, you may next seek to localize all copy and landing pages your audiences will see. Doing so will help both attract audiences effectively and reassure search engines of your local value.
As regards copy, consider such local elements as:
- City specifiers. If you’re operating in multiple cities within a larger area, city specifiers will allow your campaigns to better focus on your intended audiences.
- Area and zip codes. Especially if distance factors into your audiences’ criteria, you may use area and zip codes for better accuracy. You may even use either in your display URLs for more immediate visibility.
- Local terms. Audiences determine local relevance through insider knowledge. Consider local pet names for specific locations, location-specific vocabulary, and other such factors you may leverage.
Of course, local PPC for pool companies still relies on landing pages as well, so you may then apply similar localizing elements to them. Consider local images, local knowledge, and similar qualities that can make your landing pages more appealing to your audiences. As you do, you should still adhere to common landing page best practices such as ensuring readability and perfecting its Calls to Action (CTAs).
#5 A/B test and monitor your local PPC efforts
Finally, you may use your A/B testing solution of choice to conduct thorough A/B testing throughout your campaigns. To do so effectively, remember to isolate specific elements like:
- Headlines
- Descriptions
- Displayed URLs
- Keywords
- Landing page elements; layouts, CTAs, etc
Ideally, you should only focus on one such element for each test to more accurately gauge your adjustments’ results. Modifying multiple ones at the same time may make the process needlessly difficult.
Finally, as with all marketing endeavors, it is crucial that you consistently monitor your campaigns’ effectiveness. Keep a watchful eye on valuable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) your campaigns rely on, and take appropriate actions to remedy any shortcomings you identify.
Conclusion
To summarize, local PPC for pool companies can serve as an effective way to enhance one’s local SEO and appease search engines. Moreover, it can compensate for SEO shortcomings, targeting keywords one cannot organically rank for on convert through. However, it is not without challenges and relies on careful planning, excellent keyword research, and consistent monitoring to succeed. While only cursory, this article hopefully helped you do so effectively.
Kurtis Lee is a freelance copywriter and marketer. Over the past decade he has worked with many local SMBs, and uses these experiences to fuel content on SEO, PPC, and everything in-between.
