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Beware - sharks circling!
For most plumbers it is important - if not critical to get a strong profile in Google. But how do you avoid getting ripped off?
Recently, we've heard some terrible stories of plumbers getting ripped off by shonky marketing outlaws. Here are some traps to avoid...
Adwords
Adwords is something you can do yourself, but an effective campaign takes time to set up and monitoring the campaign is very mportant. So understandably, most of our clients ask us to manage Adwords campaigns for them. But we're not the only company offering this service.
We were called the other week by a company claiming to get us on page one of Google 24/7. (Clearly, they weren't aware that that's what we do!). Curiosity got the better of me, so I listened to their offer. They were trying to baffle me with BS, but at the end of the day, they were just going to set up an Adwords campaign.
They wanted to charge $450 per month - plus the cost of Adwords!
This is clearly a rip-off (we charge a fraction of this cost).
Their presentation was slick, so I can see how easily they could convince a small business owner to part with their money.
So either create your own Adwords campaign, or find a company that doesn't charge hundreds - or thousands to set one up for you.
SEO (Search engine optimisation)
Search engine optimisation is the art of getting your website to rank well in the organic search results.
SEO is far more difficult - and time consuming than setting up an adwords campaign.
It takes extensive training and years of experience to become good at it.
Like all online marketing, every man and his dog claims to be an 'expert'.
This is a long way from the truth.
The main trap - again - is that telemarkerters try to baffle you with BS.
A common line is to promise to get you found for hundreds of keywords.
But think for a moment about how your customers will search for you.
Will they type in "cracked sewer line repairs and replacement"?
Very unlikely.
They are far more likely to type in "Plumber in Smithtown."
And this is exactly how to test a prospective SEO company. Ask for legitimate results.
We can provide hundreds of examples of page one results for very competitive search terms - and that's what you should expect from an SEO company.
So ask for legitimate results, beware of long contracts and do your research!
Google Maps
Google maps can be a good way to get your website to appear on page one of Google, but it is quite limited - and there are no guarantees you will ever appear.
Registering for Google maps is very simple to do and we recommend doing it yourself.
It takes around half an hour.
But there are a few dodgies out there who will provide the service - at outrageous costs.
We've heard prices of $300 a month with long, locked in contracts.
Remember, it takes around half an hour to set up - and that's it!
The hook to get you in is the old 'money back guarantee'.
But the fine print says the guarantee must be claimed at a very specific time.
Bottom line? Good luck getting your money back!
So don't pay big money for Google Maps set up. It is easy to do yourself - or if you pay someone, it shouldn't cost much at all.
Do you get many calls from dodgy telemarketers?
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