If you own a remodeling or home building business, then it is extremely likely that you have had a marketing agency call or email you about how they can help you with SEO. They all make similar promises. They will say things like, “Want to rank #1 on Google? We can help!” or “I did a quick search for remodeling companies in your area, and I couldn’t find your business in Google. We can make you rank #1.”

While these statements sound really enticing, it is important to use caution and evaluate each claim with a healthy amount of criticism.

Let’s go over the important concepts about SEO and improving search engine rankings. That way you can evaluate each company that makes this claim.

What does it actually mean when they promise to “increase your rank to #1?”

The first thing you should understand is the concept of keywords.

Keywords are the words that someone uses to search. For example, a prospective client in the Denver area looking for a home builder might search “home builders in Denver.” In other words, keywords are the words they would actually type or speak into Google when searching.

The important thing to remember is that not everyone uses the same keywords!

You may search “home builders in Denver” whereas I may search “new homes in Denver.” And if you think about, there are probably hundreds of ways and combinations of keywords that would all bring up similar results.

-Home Builders in Denver
-Home Builders Near Me
-Denver Home Builders
-New Home Builder in Denver, CO
-New Construction Homes for Sale in Denver
-Best Home Builders in Denver
-Denver Best Home Builder

Each of the above keywords will bring up slightly different results. So when a marketing agency tells you that they can make you rank #1 in Google, which keyword are they referring to? Does it matter which one you rank for? Is it possible to rank #1 for all keywords?

Not All Keywords Are Created Equal

It is near impossible to rank #1 for all keywords. If a marketing agency tells you that they can help you rank for all relevant keywords: RUN!

Google’s main objective to produce the best results so that the user has the best experience. So that means that the results vary from keyword to keyword.

So which keywords should you try to rank for? That’s where you will need to do some research.

Search Volume Matters

Google gives us some insight into the amount of search volume each keywords gets per month. For example, the keyword “Denver Home Builders” gets an average of 210 searches per month. However, the keyword “Home Builders in Denver” only receives an average of 70 searches per month. Based on search volume alone, it is better to rank for the keywords that has more searches because that means more potential customers.

Competition for Keywords Matter

You have to remember that your competitors are likely trying to rank for the same keywords you are. Google also gives us some insight into how competitive each keyword is. If a keyword has a really high level of competitiveness then it may not make sense to attempt to rank for that keyword, especially if there are other keywords that have high search volume but lower competitive ranking.

Location Matters

If someone searches “Home Builders Near Me” in Denver, they won’t get the same results as someone in Atlanta. Google, in most cases, is able to determine the location of the searcher and will produce results according to location. It is important to understand this concept when talking to an agency about SEO results.

What questions should you ask an agency about SEO?

If an agency claims that they can help you rank #1 in Google, it is important to understand what exactly they are claiming. Here are some questions to ask to get insight into how effective they might be.

• What keywords will I rank for? (Hint: It’s near impossible to rank for all relevant keywords.)
• Have you done research on which keywords bring in the best search volume? (Hint: They should be able to tell you which keywords and average monthly search volume.)
• If so, will I rank for those keywords? (Hint: They should be able to give you a difficulty score of some sort.)
• Have you done research on keywords specific to my location? (Hint: They should know how to research keywords based on your location.)
• How difficult will it be to beat out my competitors? (Hint: Each market is different and very rarely is it easy.)
• What strategies are you going to use? (Hint: Here are a few strategies to listen for.)
  • One strategy they may mention is “on-page SEO optimization.”
  • Another strategy is Link Building. It’s important to ask how this will be done.
  • Blogging and social media strategies to help with SEO.
• How quickly will I rank #1? (Hint: It usually doesn’t happen overnight.)
• Can I see some case studies or examples of other clients that you have helped? (Hint: Try to get a couple of examples, if possible.)

Hopefully this helps you weed out the bad agencies from the good ones. We wish you luck in your search for a good SEO partner!