Category: Uncategorized

Uncategorized

Lead Generation for Rural Businesses

kristen99calls

Google Guaranteed produces quality leads at low prices in less competitive and rural locations

by Dipa Gandhi

Over the last few years, Local Service Ads (LSA), otherwise known as Google Guaranteed, has gained popularity among service area businesses such as plumbers, house cleaners, carpet cleaners, and others. The service was launched on a trial basis for select industries in select cities in 2015. Since then, the team at 99 Calls has learned the ins and outs of LSA creation and optimization and provides it as a low cost lead service option.

In 2019, we published a blog about how businesses can gain more clients through LSA. This blog describes how the Google Guaranteed Ads are shown at the very top of the search results, which helps local businesses stand out, attract more customers, and build trust and credibility.

After creating and managing LSAs for many of our clients through the years, the team has mastered Google LSA. We recently published a case study on 3 of our clients, in 3 different industries showing how LSAs helped their business.

Though LSA’s popularity has grown nationwide, it is not yet available to all regions of the US and has not gained popularity in certain regions.

How LSAs Can Help Rural Businesses

So now let’s see how LSAs can help those service area businesses in rural areas or in areas where LSAs haven’t quite yet gained popularity. Let’s take a look at an example. When you Google search “house cleaning in Tampa FL”, the search results are:

The results display 33 active LSAs, meaning the competition is quite steep and will require a well-optimized LSA with a healthy budget and plenty of reviews, and many months to potentially climb to one of the top 3 positions.

On the other hand, when you Google search “house cleaning in Prattville, AL”, the results are:

Then when you click on “more house cleaners in Prattville” you see there’s only 1 active LSA with the Google Guaranteed badge currently running in the Prattville, AL area, meaning competition for the top 3 positions is extremely low. A cleaning business with a small marketing budget stands an excellent chance here of generating low-cost leads.

If a new house cleaning company were to start an LSA campaign and get it completely verified with the Google Guaranteed badge, that business is guaranteed to show up in the top 3 spots on the 1st page of the search results.

If you own a service area business in a rural area, building a Google Guaranteed campaign now would be a smart way to invest marketing dollars. Your chances of attaining a position in one of the top 3 spots in the search results are excellent. Google Guaranteed can help your service area business stand out, attract more customers, and build trust and credibility. And even more importantly, can provide an excellent ROI on your marketing budget, as leads generated through LSA are often far less expensive than through Google Ads Pay Per Click campaigns.

Uncategorized

Do Domain Names and Business Names Affect Rankings?

Dipa Gandhi

In what ways do the names of your URL and your business impact website rankings for local search results?

by Dipa Gandhi

There are a lot of factors that can affect how well your website ranks in search engine results pages (SERPs). One debated topic in the SEO world is whether or not the domain name is a ranking factor. While many people believe that having a domain name that contains relevant keywords can help improve your SEO, there is no concrete evidence to support this claim. In fact, it’s more likely that your company name is a stronger ranking factor than your domain name.

Top Reasons Why Domain Names Don’t Matter

One reason why domain names may not be a significant ranking factor is that Google’s algorithms have become much more sophisticated over the years. In the early days of SEO, it was common practice to stuff keywords into domain names in order to improve rankings. However, this tactic is likely to result in penalties rather than improved rankings.

Another reason why domain names may not be a major ranking factor is that Google is more interested in providing users with high-quality, content-rich websites rather than keyword-rich domain names. While having a domain name that accurately reflects your business can certainly help establish your brand identity and make it easier for users to find you online, it is unlikely to have a significant impact on your rankings. 

How to Choose a Domain Name

When choosing a domain name, you do want to keep these items in mind:

  1. Keep it short and simple and easy to spell so it’s easy for your customers to remember.
  2. Keep it relevant to your business or your business name.
  3. Choose the right extension, i.e. “.org” is normally used by nonprofit organizations, “.edu” by educational institutions, and “.com” by businesses.

Why Carefully Choosing Your Company Name Matters

On the other hand, using keywords within your business name is a much stronger ranking factor in a couple of different ways.

First, it can help establish relevance to specific search queries. If your business name includes keywords that are commonly searched for in your industry, it tells Google that your website is a relevant result for those search queries. For example, if you run a local plumbing business and your business name is “Sarasota Plumbing Pros,” having the word “plumbing” in your name can help establish relevance to search queries related to plumbing services in Sarasota. This can lead to increased traffic to your website and ultimately, more business.

In addition, having keywords in your business name can help with local SEO and brand identity. Local search results often prioritize businesses that are located near the user, so having your location included in your business name can signal to Google that your business is relevant to local search queries. For example, if your business is located in a specific neighborhood, including that neighborhood in your business name can help you rank better for local search queries that include that neighborhood name. Also, your company name is an important part of your brand identity, and establishing a strong brand is crucial to long-term SEO success. A strong brand can help you earn links from other websites, increase your social media following, and attract more traffic to your site.

So, while having a keyword-rich domain name may seem like a good idea for SEO, it is unlikely to have a significant impact on your rankings. Instead, focus on building a strong brand identity, creating high-quality content that provides value to your users, and optimizing your website for user experience. By doing these things, you can improve your rankings and establish a strong online presence that will help you succeed in the long run.

Uncategorized

The 5 Developmental Stages of a Google Ads Account 

Diane Lovine

by Diane Lovine

The account managers at 99 Calls understand the importance of taking the time to work through each stage on their Google Ads accounts. The team has identified five unique stages that we guide accounts through as we strive to optimize results. Understanding customer goals and targets sets the course. Continually working to improve Ad performance yields high lead volumes and lower cost per lead.

All accounts start at ground zero and progress through these five developmental stages:   

Data Stage

Once you decide to work with 99 Calls for your PPC lead generation, we will work together to define and understand your business goals and budget. We want to understand what types of leads you want most. You will be asked to provide information about your business and what makes it unique. We’ll ask for photos of your work and utilize some of your positive online reviews. We will then take that information and build your Ads campaigns and the associated landing pages.

Learning Stage

When you create or change a campaign, Google needs time to learn how to serve the bidding strategy. During the first two to four weeks after your ads go live, your specialist will work tirelessly on your campaign to monitor results. We do not expect conversions overnight, but it can happen! It generally takes time to gain traction. We make daily adjustments to the keywords and your Ads to boost the performance.

Knowledge Assimilation Stage

At this point the campaign will have started to collect a more meaningful pool of data for us to evaluate. Our goal here is to weed out poor-quality clicks and keywords and teach Google’s algorithm what a good lead looks like for you. Remember Google Ads is a tool that targets people searching for specific services. We want to target popular services in your area, while also providing the leads that matter most for your industry.

Growth Stage

Together we will work to optimize your campaign and boost performance. When we see that certain keywords work better than others, we will consolidate more resources and efforts into them. We may suggest adding new keywords and/or changing your targeted locations. In order for our team to reach our mutually shared goals, you may need to be flexible in the areas targeted and variations of the services you offer. Our goal is always to get the best result possible for your budget! We’ll refine your ad text, and bidding strategies to help you capture more high-quality conversions.

Mature Stage

The campaign is now performing near maximum efficiency, based on the added enhancements and landing page quality. That doesn’t mean we stop working on your account. Your leads and keywords will be monitored daily. We will also start to look into different marketing campaigns and opportunities that may benefit your business and generate more revenue. We’ll communicate with you as we work to achieve your business goals. 

The Takeaway

When beginning a new PPC campaign, whether you have hired an online marketing or lead generation company or you’re going it alone, patience is important. Lots of business owners assume that because PPC results occur much more quickly than with SEO or LSA/Google Guaranteed, that they should be instantaneous. Rushed campaigns lead to wasted budgets, and lower ROI. The conversion rates are much lower when people don’t take the time to feed the data back regularly to train Google to cut through the noise and show your business for only the most relevant searches. Working through each stage diligently leads to the most robust results. 99 Calls’ talented team yields an average conversion rate of 20% for our Ads businesses (more than 3x the national average). Want to find out how we can help your business? Schedule a free consultation.

Uncategorized

Why Are You Called 99 Calls?

Diane Lovine

As we reach the one-year anniversary of producing a monthly newsletter, our team thought it would be fun to reflect on a question that is commonly asked. 

“Why did you name your business 99 Calls? Is that how many calls you’ll generate?” Our lead specialists are asked this a lot! 

When the idea for launching an affordable lead generation company for small businesses was launched back in 2009, Fred and Diane struggled to come up with a name that resonated. In fact, the ideas for building the platform, developing service offerings were solidified and processes were in place and we were still stuck on the name!

We wanted something simple, catchy, and all-encompassing. “99 Calls” was tossed around as an idea, and nothing came along that we liked better. So, like naming a puppy, that’s the one that stuck.

Now 14 years later, 99 Calls has grown from a vision to a full-service business solutions hub with offerings like website building, SEO, Google Ads PPC, and LSA pay-per-lead services. Clients can also benefit from associated services such as GBP management, reputation management, building listings, appointment setting, database reactivation, and even lead nurturing. 

99 Calls has become a name people associate with quality, affordability, and results. People remember it. When searching Google recently for the significance of the number 99, here’s what came up:

“The number 99 is said to be a powerful symbol of destiny, completion, and perfection. It is often associated with the achievement of goals. If you keep seeing 99, it may be a sign that you are about to reach a significant milestone in your life.”

No, we aren’t big into the parasciences, but this sounds pretty good to us, and it does represent what we strive to do for our customers. Our mission is to produce as many high-quality exclusive leads for our customers at the lowest price possible. You may have 99 problems, but if you’re using 99 Calls for lead generation, we hope leads ain’t one!

Uncategorized

Jumpstart Your Lead Generation This Spring

kristen99calls

If you’re looking for new ways to generate more high-quality leads for your business, you’ve come to the right place! Don’t limit your marketing to organic lead generation alone. Businesses that are also taking advantage of Google Guaranteed (Google Local Service Ads), Google Ads PPC, or database reactivation to promote Spring services are seeing remarkable results.

Google Guaranteed (LSA)

It’s that time of year again when people are looking to thoroughly clean their home and freshen it up after being closed up during the winter months. Local Services Ads can be very beneficial for house cleaners during this “Spring Cleaning” time of year by appearing at the top of the search results and showcasing their business during this busy season. For instance, take a look at the leads generated via LSA for one of our clients for their house cleaning business, Dynamic Duo Cleaning.

Google Pay Per Click Ads

Superhero Pools Corp in Woodland Hills, CA hired 99 Calls to beef up their lead generation efforts in November of last year. Naturally, the new site isn’t yielding many calls via SEO just yet. However, they are utilizing the change in seasons to generate lots of pool opening and pool cleaning leads by having us manage their Google Ads PPC campaigns. They have generated over 30 pool service leads in the past month.

Another pool cleaning company that is benefitting from seasonal lead generation services is Tacti-Clean Pools in Phoenix, AZ. They signed up with 99 Calls to generate pool service leads last December. Although they have just received three organic leads thus far, which is typical of SEO sites, they also signed on for Google Ads PPC. Over their first three months of running Ads, they have received 57 qualified and exclusive leads via PPC

Database Reactivation

Grasshopper Irrigation, Inc in Tewksbury, MA has been utilizing 99 Calls’ lead generation services since 2017. Their website has always generated a steady stream of organic leads. To jump-start their leads this Spring, they decided to give database reactivation a try. 

An email campaign was created and sent to 1250 previous contacts to see if they were interested in getting on Grasshopper’s irrigation turn-on list. In a matter of only 15 days, they received 124 positive responses. Thanks to a recent promotion, Grasshopper Irrigation, Inc only paid $300 for their reactivation campaign. This comes out to only $2.02 per lead!

Uncategorized

Pawgo Mobile Pet Grooming

kristen99calls

Customer Success Spotlight

by Devon Osborne

Pawgo is a mobile pet grooming company that is dedicated to making the grooming process as stress-free and comfortable as possible for your pet. They understand that it can be a hassle to take your pet to the salon, so they bring the salon to you. Their vans are custom-built and designed with the specific purpose of providing mobile dog grooming. Each van is equipped with hot and cold water, a grooming table, a full-size tub, separate fresh and waste water tanks, air conditioning, force dryers, towels, and a vacuum system. In addition, there are no cage dryers, so your pet won’t feel trapped or uncomfortable. Pawgo is fully insured and offers a 7-day per week service, so you can get your pet groomed whenever it’s convenient for you. With Pawgo, you can trust that your pet will be in good hands and receive the best care possible.

Pawgo Seattle came to 99 Calls for mobile pet grooming lead generation services in December of 2022. They signed up for two lead generation services with the goal of generating lots of leads quickly and having a longer-term source of additional leads. The team at 99 Calls set up a website and began an organic campaign as well as a Google Ads PPC campaign. Within the first hour of their Google Ads being live, they began generating leads. Pawgo generated 7 exclusive, qualified organic leads in their first three months with 99 Calls. With online competition growing and the organic section of Google search pages shrinking, generating results so quickly with SEO services is rare to see these days. In addition to their fantastic organic results, Pawgo received 47 leads via pay-per-click advertising. 

When it comes to pay-per-click Google ads, the industry standard conversion rate sits around only 5%, but the certified ads professionals at 99 Calls were able to attain a 34% conversion rate in Pawgo Seattle’s account. This high conversion rate allowed us to generate a high volume of low-cost pet grooming leads at only $23.22 each.

After seeing the success of their Seattle location, Pawgo decided to start a second site and PPC ads campaign with 99 Calls for their Las Vegas location at the end of January 2023. After just  5 weeks, they received  16 qualified mobile pet grooming leads generated organically. 

Just like their Seattle location, Pawgo’s Las Vegas location began generating pay-per-click leads right out of the gate. As of March 14th, 99 Calls has been able to produce over 300 leads at only $4 each. In this account, the hardworking Google Ads team has attained a 40% conversion rate for this location, eight times the national average!

If you have a mobile pet grooming business and are looking for a high volume of low-cost, qualified, exclusive leads, Google Ads are a great way to do so. If you’re not 100% confident in your Google Ads ability, consider partnering with a team of certified Google Ad professionals like 99 Calls.

Google Ads, How much is online marketing, Lead Generation, Lead Generation for Contractors, online marketing, online marketing costs, Pay Per Click Advertising, PPC, SEM, SEO, service contractor leads, Uncategorized

The Incredible Shrinking First Page of Google

Diane Lovine

Why is it So Hard to Rank Organically?

If you are a small business owner with an online presence for at least 5 years, you have seen the first page of Google searches change dramatically. The amount of space for SEO or organic search results is rapidly shrinking. What is causing this shift and how can small businesses generate leads on small budgets?

Background

When we opened our doors in 2010, it seemed as though there was plenty of room for anyone who wanted to establish a presence online. 99 Calls began as a team of 4 professionals. We built websites for service area businesses, and within days, our clients would start to receive leads. We earned our first 50 customers by offering a free 30-day trial. Once contractors saw the number of leads they were receiving from their organic presence, most were more than happy to sign on for ongoing services. 

It didn’t take much to get pages ranking back then. The main components were well-written content, stating the contractors’ service offerings and the areas served and building listings for online directories such as Google, Bing, Manta and Yelp. Almost all sites ranked highly within a month or two and often much more quickly. 

The First Page Begins to Shrink

Although Google claims that they never accept payment from customers to rank well organically, they have shrunk the available playing field, especially for small businesses. The natural, or organic section became less achievable for owner-operated businesses as they made way for large national chains and huge marketing firms.

Beginning in 2013, we began to see major national businesses claiming the first positions on searches. Companies like Yelp, Yellowpages.com, Home Advisor and Service Pro mysteriously showed up at the top of local organic searches all over the country, knocking small owner-operated local businesses down on the list. This marked the beginning of a trend where smaller businesses were struggling to achieve prominent placement on Google search. 

Google Ads – A Game Changer

Although Google introduced Adwords in October of 2000, there were very few early adopters. Adwords was their self-serve paid advertising platform, and their first solid step toward monetizing the first page of search. Between its inception and the end of 2012, the playing field on the first page of searche made a significant change.

The playing field was reduced by 30%. Instead of showcasing 10 companies in the organic section, the number shrunk to 7 to make room for 3 prominently placed paid Google Adwords results at the top of each page. An article from wordstream.com explains the changes seen during that time. 

Free Organic Placement is Threatened Again by the Emergence of LSA

In 2015, Google introduced its newest venture; Google Guaranteed, also called Google Local Service Ads (LSAs). LSAs were first tested in small markets for a select group of industries. By the end of 2019, many cities across the United States had access to paid Google Guaranteed campaigns in industries such as carpet cleaning, house cleaning, and handyman services.

The image below shows that Google Guaranteed/LSA paid ads are shown at the very top of local searches:

Google’s verification process is more stringent for those who run LSA campaigns than for those running Google Ads. It requires providing documents such as drivers licenses, business licenses (where applicable) and proof of insurance insurance. Background checks are also often run on the company owners and their employees. 

Those companies that are able to successfully complete the verification process often reap great rewards. LSA is a pay-per-lead service, as opposed to the pay-per-click platform of Ads. LSA has a bit of a ranking process that makes it more similar to organic than paid Ads as well.

Those companies that are well-established and have lots of 5-star reviews on their Google Business Profiles and/or their LSA Profiles benefit from being shown much more often than other companies. Although LSA has its benefits, it has also contributed to the shrinking space available for organic results.

The image below shows how one business trended downward in placement on the first page of a Google search through the years.

As The Giant Grows, What Happens to the Little Guys?

In 2020, more than 80% of Google’s worldwide revenue came from their Google Ads platform, and that number is still climbing, according to an article posted by CNBC.

The page layout is as follows. When you search for a service in your area, you’ll see three or more Google LSA advertisements, followed by three or more google Ads advertisements, followed by Google Maps with three entries (which they are also beginning to monetize), and finally, a small organic section with three or more results. This is followed by more paid ads.

Where there were 10 opportunities for a small business to be shown on the first page of a local search, there are now just three, and often the first one or two is a large national company. 

Although there are usually only up to three organic results showing on the first page of a search, there are also three Google Maps listings, and for now, these are still free. In order to claim a prominent spot with Google Maps, your Google Business Profile must be complete, follow Google’s best practices and have lots of 5-star reviews.

That and a little luck might make your business visible here (outlined in red):

Google has made it all but impossible to be found without investing in one of its paid services. That said, small businesses will no longer be able to build a site or pay for SEO services and expect to receive a sustainable number of inbound leads. You’ve got to pay to play. That isn’t in question.

The key now is to find a way to play with ROI in mind. Online marketing, when done right, isn’t an expense. It’s an investment in your business. Every dollar you invest will ideally result in at least $5 in return. The good news is that there is plenty of return to be had when you use Google’s services. However, if you are unfamiliar with bidding strategies and optimizing campaigns, you’ll want to invest in a business that can deliver profitable results. 

What to Look for In a Digital Marketing Company

Given that organic lead generation takes much, much longer to produce and delivers fewer results, and Facebook ADs are a good option for some businesses but not as effective for service contractors, the two best bets for lead generation are the paid lead platforms on search; Google Ads and Google LSA.

If the name of the game is getting found online and getting leads coming in at a cost that will generate revenue for your business, you’ll want to do your research.

Questions to ask potential lead companies so that you can do your due diligence include: 

  • What are your monthly service fees?
  • Do you charge a monthly fee plus each Google Ads or LSA lead I receive or are they included?
  • If the company is charging a flat fee for leads plus a management fee, ask, “What is your markup?”.
  • What is your conversion rate for my service offerings/industry? 
  • How many other companies do you work with like mine?
  • What kind of reporting do you provide so that I can measure my ROI?

Once you get your answers and compare them, a clear winner will hopefully emerge. Remember, sales reps get a commission when they sell you. If you feel you’ve made a good connection, that’s great, but the sales rep probably isn’t going to be the person who sets up your account or continues to support your business in the future. Try to stick to the facts. 

For questions or more information on how to win with Google’s LSA or PPC campaigns, call 800-717-4669.

Uncategorized

Effectiveness of Local Service Ads: Three Service Contractor Case Studies

Dipa Gandhi

Local Service Ads (LSA), a.k.a. Google Guaranteed, a Google product used for advertising, has gained popularity among service area businesses in the last couple of years. It was initially rolled out in 2018 to certain service industries such as plumbers and house cleaners, in certain regions of the United States. After small business owners experienced the benefits of high-quality, low-cost leads, Google expanded its reach to other areas and other service industries year after year. 

Almost two years ago, 99 Calls started offering LSA services to service contractors. Overall, customers have been pleased with the ROI they’ve seen and have found that Google Guaranteed leads are far less expensive than using Google’s Pay Per Click advertising. Below, we’ll present experiences from three different clients who offer services for three different industries.

Google Guaranteed for Carpet Cleaners

Meet Terrence Green of Spotless Carpet Cleaning Services

Terrence grew up in the floor cleaning industry. His parents and grandparents were flooring specialists and small business owners. He cleaned floors in schools during the summer months and thought using the big buffing machine “was the coolest thing ever”. After working with his family in Detroit he decided to make a move to Arizona, where he opened his own business, Spotless Carpet Cleaning Service. 

Over the years, Terrence dabbled with running Facebook Ads and handing out flyers, but was not able to generate a sustainable lead volume. He partnered with 99 Calls in July 2021, utilizing organic SEO, and Google PPC services, and was later introduced to LSA by Kevin Brenes, his PPC specialist. 

Of all of these advertising methods, here’s what Terrence had to say about LSA, “Leads from LSA are bigger jobs compared to PPC, but the quality of leads from both the LSA and PPC is far superior compared to Facebook.” When asked how easy or difficult was the LSA setup, “You made it really easy for me” – very easy to get set, not complicated. The background check was very easy….just answer all the questions and it didn’t take long at all.”

Terrence’s LSA has been live since Dec 10, 2022, with carpet cleaning as his primary industry. Below is a chart showing his lead volume and cost per lead in January 2023. Overall, he received 84 exclusive carpet cleaning leads from LSA at a cost per lead of just $25.11 each, which is the same price he pays for organic leads from 99 Calls. He’s thrilled with his ROI.

Google Guaranteed for HVAC Contractors

Meet Chris Kirkman of A Plus Air Conditioning and Appliances

Chris started his career working for a large HVAC business. He was constantly pushed to upsell their products and their services, even when they weren’t a great fit. After exhaustion from going from customer to customer just upselling, Chris decided to buy his first air conditioning company in 1996 and is currently the proud owner of A Plus Air Conditioning and Appliances Inc., serving all areas from Broward to Vero Beach FL.

Over the years, Chris tried multiple marketing companies to promote his business online, including organic SEO and Google’s PPC. After many years of disappointment and less than stellar results, he partnered with 99 Calls in September 2021. Along with website hosting, he utilized organic SEO lead generation and was introduced to LSA by Dipa Gandhi, the LSA specialist. 

Of all of the advertising methods he’s tried over the years, here’s what Chris had to say about LSA, “Other Ads seem to be a scam….out of 50 calls only 5 are real…..LSA is real and seems to work. I am very, very happy with 99 Calls Google Guaranteed services so far. Both the lead volume and quantity are very impressive. I don’t see any type of “odd” calls. Strictly air conditioning calls in our area. The only people I would use for any advertising is 99 Calls and Dipa for the LSA part.

Chris is planning to partner with his son to expand his HVAC services even further and plans to use 99 Calls for his advertising in new markets.

Chris’s LSA has been live since Oct 9, 2022, with HVAC as his primary industry. Below is a chart showing his lead volume and cost per lead in January 2023. With a budget of $1140.82, he received 24 exclusive HVAC leads at an average cost of $47.53 each. Google Ads campaigns generate HVAC leads at 2-3 times the price.

Google Guaranteed for House Cleaning Businesses

Meet Ellen Malhue of Red Services and Solutions Company

Ellen immigrated to this country from Brazil with her parents as a teenager. She and her mom started working in the cleaning industry while her father worked in construction. After living in the United States, learning English, and gaining knowledge on starting a business, Ellen and her mom started Red Services and Solutions Company, a house cleaning business serving clients in Fellsmere, FL.  

Ellen promoted her business flyers and taking advantage of online directories such as Bark. She then came to 99 Calls for organic lead generation services. After a couple of months, she decided to try LSA as well. Here’s what Ellen had to say about 99 Calls LSA services for house cleaners, “LSA has been a game changer. The difference between organic and LSA is that LSA clients are ready now. Organic seems like people are shopping around. The cost per lead is a fair price for the type of work generated per call. Plus we have a high closing rate via LSA because those customers are ready to go.”

99 Calls provides LSA setup at a low price and walks customers through a couple of portions that must be completed by them, including the billing and background check sections. Ellen says “It’s a process, but because I’ve been through other hurdles as an immigrant and learning everything there is to learn about moving from one country to another, is was easy, but it’s a process just like any other”.

Ellen’s LSA campaign has been live since Oct 13, 2022, with house cleaning as her primary industry. Below is a chart showing her lead volume and cost per lead in January 2023. Ellen has also signed on for 99 Calls calendar booking service, which allows customers to book appointments directly from her lead site. The appointment calendar integrates with her Google calendar. She generated 46 exclusive house cleaning leads from the LSA campaign, with the average lead cost at $27.56.

Google Guaranteed Works for Local Contractors

LSA Has Rapidly Become a Favored 99 Calls Service

Although the lead volume overall has been lighter via LSA campaigns than through Google Ads PPC campaigns, most contractors are finding that Google Guaranteed leads are of excellent quality and value. Many clients in other industries, including roofing and appliance repair have also had great success with Google’s LSA. The process is fairly simple and mostly turn-key. 99 Calls specialists complete the process for business owners and walk them through the necessary steps. It does take time to complete the verification process, but the payoff is spectacular. If you are interested in taking advantage of high value, low cost leads using LSA services, you can learn more at https://99calls.com/Google-LSA.htm.

digital marketing, SEO, Uncategorized

How to Utilize ChatGPT to Enhance Your SEO

Dipa Gandhi

by Dipa Gandhi

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence computer program created to provide instant responses for questions different users input. ChatGPT can even carry out a conversation if the auto-generated response isn’t satisfactory and the user wants a more in-depth response to something. 

For example, you want to write an approximately 100-word essay on how Covid-19 changed people’s lives. After entering this in ChatGPT, here’s your response:

Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted people’s lives globally. It has resulted in widespread job losses, a decline in the economy, and many businesses closing down. Remote work has become the new norm, and people have had to adapt to digital communication and learning. The pandemic has also changed people’s behavior, with more emphasis on personal hygiene and the importance of wearing masks. Social activities and gatherings have been limited, causing social isolation and loneliness. The pandemic has highlighted the significance of health systems and the importance of global cooperation in managing global health crises. Overall, Covid-19 has reshaped the way people live and interact with each other, leaving a lasting impact on the world.

Amazing right? So how can this be used to enhance your SEO? 

How to use ChatGPT to your advantage

Service / Product Pages

The key to successful SEO is writing compelling content using relevant keywords that answers the user’s search queries. Writing just one page of SEO-friendly content can easily take an hour, so imagine having to write multiple pages. You could spend hours and hours just writing content about your products or services.

For instance, you want to create an SEO-friendly website for a plumber, so popular keywords might include: Plumbing / Plumber, Clogged Drain, Emergency Plumbing Service, Kitchen Plumbing, Bathroom Plumbing, Faucet Repair, Drain Cleaning, and many more. Ideally, you’d want to include a service page on your website for each one of these services. Well instead of spending hours trying to write all of these pages, you can ask ChatGPT, which will, at the least, set up the foundation of the page for you. 

For example, after asking ChatGPT to write me an SEO friendly page on drain cleaning, here’s the response:

Drain Cleaning Services: Unclogging Your Pipes in No Time

Drain clogs are a common issue for homeowners and businesses alike, causing slow drains and water buildup. Fortunately, our drain cleaning services are here to help. With our state-of-the-art technology and years of experience, we can quickly and effectively clear any clogs in your pipes.

Why Choose Our Drain Cleaning Services?

  • Quick and efficient: Our drain cleaning services are designed to get your pipes flowing again as quickly as possible, without causing any damage to your pipes or fixtures.
  • Thorough and complete: We use powerful, yet safe and eco-friendly cleaning solutions to completely remove any clogs and buildup in your pipes, so you don’t have to worry about blockages coming back in the future.
  • Experienced professionals: Our team of experts has years of experience dealing with drain clogs of all kinds, and we have the skills and knowledge needed to tackle even the toughest clogs.

How Our Drain Cleaning Services Work

  1. Inspection: Our first step is to inspect your pipes and determine the cause of the clog.
  2. Cleaning: Depending on the type of clog, we may use a variety of cleaning methods, such as high-pressure water jetting, snaking, or hydro-scrubbing.
  3. Prevention: To help prevent future clogs, we can also provide recommendations for maintaining your pipes and drains, such as regular cleaning and avoiding items that can cause blockages.

If you’re tired of dealing with slow drains and water buildup, contact us today to schedule your drain cleaning services. Our experienced professionals are ready to help get your pipes flowing smoothly again in no time.

In seconds, you have the foundation for an SEO-friendly service page for drain cleaning services. Now it’s a matter of spending a few minutes elaborating on the key points of the page, making it sound a bit more human than AI, and making sure it is SEO friendly.

Blog Pages

In addition to writing pages on products or services, in order for your site to continue to rank well, adding high-quality, unique content periodically should be part of any website update schedule. What better way to accomplish this than blogs. 

Blogs are a great way to incorporate unique, high-quality, compelling content to a website, however, because it is time-consuming, not many businesses include this in their website update schedule. In fact, there are so many benefits to adding a blog to your website periodically. Some of these benefits are:

  • Increased Visibility
  • Easier to gain backlinks
  • Answers users questions 
  • Build authority
  • Additional ranked page 

Using ChatGPT as a foundation for your blog could be a game changer for your business. It would allow you to create more authoritative content which could help your website gain more traffic. 

Using our drain cleaning example, let’s create a blog about clogged drains. The input in ChatGPT is:

Create an SEO-friendly blog about what to do if you’re faced with a clogged drain. 

The result from ChatGPT:

“Dealing with Clogged Drains: What to Do and How to Prevent It”

Clogged drains are a common problem faced by homeowners. A clogged drain can cause a lot of inconveniences and can even lead to water damage if not dealt with promptly. If you’re faced with a clogged drain, don’t worry. Here are some simple steps you can take to unclog your drain and prevent future clogs.

  1. Boil water: Boiling water is one of the simplest ways to unclog a drain. Pour boiling water down the drain slowly, wait a few minutes, and then run cold water to see if the clog has been cleared.
  2. Use a plunger: A plunger can be an effective tool for unclogging drains. Make sure there is enough water in the sink or bathtub to cover the plunger’s cup. Place the plunger over the drain and pump it up and down several times.
  3. Use baking soda and vinegar: Mix 1/3 cup of baking soda with 1/3 cup of vinegar. Pour the mixture down the drain and let it sit for an hour. Then, flush the drain with boiling water.
  4. Use a drain snake: A drain snake is a long, flexible rod that can be used to remove blockages from the drain. Insert the snake into the drain, twisting it until you feel resistance. Continue to twist the snake until the blockage is cleared.
  5. Call a plumber: If none of the above methods work, it’s best to call a professional plumber. They have the tools and expertise to safely and effectively unclog your drain.

Prevention is the best cure for clogged drains. To prevent clogs from happening, you can:

  1. Avoid flushing anything down the drain other than water, human waste, and toilet paper.
  2. Use a drain strainer to catch hair and food particles before they reach the drain.
  3. Pour boiling water down the drain regularly to keep it clear.
  4. Avoid pouring grease down the drain. Let it cool and solidify, then dispose of it in the trash.

In conclusion, clogged drains can be a real hassle, but they don’t have to be. Follow these simple steps to unclog your drain and keep it flowing freely. If all else fails, don’t hesitate to call a professional plumber.

Imagine the traffic your website would generate if you published blogs like this every month. 

Unfortunately, even with all these great advantages of ChatGPT, there are some disadvantages.

Disadvantages of ChatGPT

Though ChatGPT is a fantastic tool to use as a foundational start for your writing, it can’t be used to replace your “human” content writers. 

Here are some flaws we’ve noticed in the ChatGPT-generated content:

Not readily accessible

If you’ve tried to get onto the system, you have likely encountered this error message: “ChatGPT is at capacity right now”. It’s often at capacity, but there is a paid version if you want more consistent access.

Lack of “human-like” characteristics in the writing

Each writer has their own style of writing, with their own tone and their own voice. By using ChatGPT, not only is the writing lacking someone’s “tone” and “voice”, it’s also losing the way the message is conveyed.

Not always trust-worthy

If your writing has a lot of facts within it, you might want to fact-check all the information ChatGPT generates. It might not always be “spot on”, and sometimes seems to fill in knowledge gaps with inaccurate information.

Limited information

ChatGPT only has knowledge on information from the year 2021 and before, not after.

Duplicate content

Anyone working in the SEO space knows duplicate content doesn’t rank. Unfortunately, because ChatGPT is AI-generated content, there’s always a possibility of duplicate content, unless you modify the content enough to make it your own.

Takeaway

ChatGPT is a fantastic tool to use as a foundation and supplement for your writing, but in no way can it, or should it, replace your “human” content writers, who are skilled in creating SEO-friendly, unique content. The advantages and disadvantages should be kept in mind when using the tool so that it can be used properly and efficiently.

Uncategorized

Customer Spotlight

Diane Lovine

Mobile Mechanical Repair of Tampa

by Diane Lovine

One of the newest industries that we serve are mobile mechanics. There are over 45,000 mobile mechanic businesses in the United States and the numbers are quickly growing.. As our lives get busier and busier, finding convenient ways to take care of repairs and maintenance on our homes and vehicles is a real-time saver. 

Mobile mechanics, such as Mobile Mechanical Repair located in Tampa, FL provide a wide range of auto repair services and travel to people’s homes or places of business. Whether your need your battery replaced or have repairs on your car or truck, calling a mobile mechanic lets you go about your day without having to sit at an auto shop or be left without a car for days.

Meet Cole Denney, Master Mobile Mechanic

We interviewed Cole Denney, owner of Mobile Mechanical Repair to learn more about his business and his experience with 99 Calls. Cole has probably spent more time in his life under a hood than not. His father and 4 brothers are all mechanics. Cole likes to say that he was born and raised in a salvage yard. 

At the age of 18, he became a master technician. After 25 years of working for others, Cole decided that it was time to become his own boss. He established Mobile Mechanical Repair in 2017 and is enjoys providing mobile auto repair services throughout the Tampa Bay area. 

Cole was very quick to explain what sets him apart from other mechanics in Tampa. His passion for the challenge of fixing any car problem, no matter how long it takes really drives him. He’s always up for a good challenge and says that “can’t” isn’t in his vocabulary as he troubleshoots and solves problems. He doesn’t even have a favorite make or model to work on. He truly loves working on all types of cars and trucks, even small engines. He most enjoys getting auto repair jobs done right, making satisfied customers, and getting vehicles up and running.

Business Challenges and Goals

The most challenging aspect of owning his own business has been getting established and building a customer base. This is what prompted his relationship with 99 Calls. He contacted us for lead generation for his Tampa mobile mechanic business in July of 2022. His goal was to generate as many leads as possible. 

He started with an organic lead generation site to begin increasing his online presence and begin working toward a long-term strategy of generating low-priced leads. Knowing that organic/SEO lead generation takes time to build up, and having the goal of generating lots of leads more quickly, he also started a Google Ads PPC campaign using 99 Calls services. 

Lead Generation Results

In his first six months of lead generation service, Cole has received 22 organic leads and 346 leads from his Google Ads campaign. We asked Devon, his account manager how she feels about working on this mobile mechanic campaign. Devon reports that the team at 99 Calls has had lots of success with the mobile mechanic industry and with Cole especially. With a consistently high conversion rate of 39%, the return on investment is tremendous. Organic and Google Ads leads combined have averaged $10 a piece. 

PPC Leads Between July 10 2022 and January 31 2023

Continued Success

Cole has been pleased with the number of calls that he’s receiving from the lead generation system. He does have issues at times with people not calling him back or being inaccessible to his calls after an appointment is made. That is definitely one drawback to providing mobile mechanic services as opposed to a brick-and-mortar shop. But when asked about his business model, Cole is very pleased overall with traveling to see his customers. Our common goals are to continue to refine searches to capitalize on high-intention buyers who need a truck or car repaired in Tampa Bay. The team at 99 Calls will continue to strive to get him as many leads as possible at the lowest cost per lead.