SEO is a great fit for lots of businesses, but definitely not all of them.

If you’re an irrigation contractor, a handyman, a landscaper, or any other kind of professional that offers sprinkler repair services, it’s worth learning why SEO and sprinkler repair work so well together.

1. People don’t search for “irrigation contractors”

When your toilet won’t flush, your sewer backs up, or your water heater breaks, chances are good that you’ll search for a “plumber near me” instead of “water heater repair near me.” Homeowners generally have a good feel for which services plumbers do and don’t offer, so they skip right over the service to search for the profession.

As a result, plumbing-related keywords are extremely competitive. Ranking for “plumber in Denver” can take a lot of work, and bidding on those keywords with Google AdWords can take a lot of budget.

On the other hand, most people don’t know who to call if their sprinkler system won’t turn on, so they’ll typically search for something like “sprinkler repair in Austin.” Since you’re competing for a single service instead of against an entire profession, competition is typically much lower and your campaign can pay off much sooner.

2. People don’t know what to look for in a sprinkler repair provider

Since most people don’t know what to look for in a sprinkler repair provider, that means there will be less shopping around. The price per job isn’t high enough to justify getting 5-10 bids for a project, so if a searcher starts by clicking on your site, chances are good that they won’t visit anyone else’s site. Combine that with a smart lead capture funnel and good on-site customer service, and you should have no problem locking in the job.

3. Sprinkler repair is a high-volume business

If you specialize in sprinkler repair, you’ll probably service lots of small, relatively cheap jobs. That high-volume model works well with SEO for a couple of reasons:

  • It gives you more opportunities to get good reviews, which are a very strong ranking factor
  • It’s more fault tolerant. If your website goes down for five minutes, the chances of it costing you a $5,000 job are pretty low.
  • They let you get a better feel for your SEO campaign’s progress. Getting 65 sprinkler repair calls this month versus 54 calls last month is a clear improvement. Getting 10 commercial roofing jobs this month versus 9 last month is a relatively smaller improvement, and possibly a fluke.

Even if sprinkler repair is just another service you offer, it’s worth prioritizing if you know how to remarket to your clients. For example, if you offer power washing and pest control in addition to sprinkler repair, sprinkler repair can just be your way of getting new customers in the door. Once you’ve proved yourself to them, selling them on additional services just takes a well-timed discount, newsletter, or even a gentle reminder that you offer other services.

4. You won’t be locked out by reviews

One of the hardest issues to overcome in local SEO is when a competitor gets so many more reviews than you that it can feel impossible to catch up. While plumbers in markets like Fort Worth and Phoenix have already earned over a thousand Google reviews each, you’ll have a hard time finding a sprinkler repair provider with more than 50.

Combine the higher call volume with a smart review capture plan and you can quickly become the dominant player in your market.

5. Ranking for additional services is relatively easy

One of the tricky things about providing sprinkler repair services is figuring out what to do for the rest of the year. For example, some of our clients choose to shovel snow or hang Christmas lights while others provide landscaping services or demolish swimming pools.

The good news is that ranking your website for additional services is relatively easy. Many of the links, on-site tricks, and reviews you’ll need to rank for sprinkler repair in your city can also help you rank for landscape lighting design, lawn maintenance, or anything else you want to offer. This lets you smooth out seasonal demand while getting more value out of each customer, without starting from scratch.

6. You can time your campaign against your busy season

SEO can take 3-6 months to have an effect on your rankings. If demand for your business is relatively steady throughout the year, it can be tough to wait for your campaign to kick in.

If you specialize in sprinkler repairs, however, you probably already have a good feel for which seasons will be big for you. If you time your SEO campaign to kick in around the time that business picks up, that gives you plenty of time to prepare for it.

Is SEO the right way to grow my sprinkler repair business?

SEO still isn’t right for every sprinkler repair business in every market, but for many of them, it’s the best way to achieve real long-term growth with a strong ROI.

So is it right for your business, in your market? Contact us for a free consultation today and let’s find out together. You’re also welcome to learn more about our SEO and web design services for sprinkler repair businesses.