There are plenty of different types of digital marketing that can benefit manufacturing companies looking to improve their marketing efforts, but there is one that can be more impactful when looking at all the options you might be considering.
SEO is hands down one of the best ways for your manufacturing company to attract new clients, quality bids, and reliable subcontractors. Even with it being the best place to invest in marketing, the problem is that we don’t see many manufacturing companies truly investing in SEO and they’re losing out on a lot of potential projects going to competitors simply because they aren’t very visible on Google, other search engines, or directories (and their competitors have actually put some effort into optimizing their website and local SEO).
Aside from the tips below, we also have an SEO starter guide that might help, and a few guides for Google Analytics 4 that will help you understand where your website is missing the boat or hitting the mark.
1. Invest in a Quality (Optimized) Website
One thing we see a lot when doing research around manufacturing companies and their websites/SEO efforts is that they just don’t care, and sadly, it’s pretty obvious a lot of the time.
Their website is outdated in terms of design, they don’t focus on location (more about this later), and they create pages for services or other important items without thinking about what the users coming to their website are truly looking for.
Very often, when we work with manufacturing companies for SEO, we see two things that scream that they haven’t put much thought into SEO.
No Intention
They either have very few pages on their website that give any detailed information to users, or their main use of their website is to just have some type of footprint online. Another way to look at it is that it’s just another PDF document for potential clients to look at because they were told they “need to have a website in the digital age we live in”.
This normally means it lacks information users are looking for and, because of this, lacks any true authority on Google or any other search engine.
No Organization
They have a messy website that is extremely hard to navigate, which also makes it hard for Google and potential clients to truly understand what they offer, who they service, and why they are better than their competitors.
This leads to many people just clicking off as soon as they enter, to go to a competitor who has put thought into their content and website. There’s too much going on, with no organization or direction.
One other quick tip around this is to VET YOUR WEBSITE DESIGN TEAM OR COMPANY.
Too often, we see “new” websites take an absolute tumble in terms of keyword rankings or traffic because a manufacturing company finally decided to invest in a new website, but those they worked with had ZERO thought of SEO.
Is it good to have a new and fresh-looking website? 100%. But if that website is built without SEO in mind, you’ll likely be missing a lot of simple things that might not seem like a big deal, but have an impact on your organic efforts. Things like:
- CTR optimized meta titles or meta descriptions
- Pages that give detailed information and aren’t just a copy of another page with a few edits
- Redirects from old pages to help transfer authority and ensure users are getting to the correct page. (This is one of the most common areas of opportunity we see forgotten about, even though it’s an easy thing to do)
2. Have Specific Services and Location Pages
You’re more than just a manufacturing company in Wisconsin, but do your potential clients understand what you offer and where? You’re able to utilize specific service and location pages to communicate this.
Service Pages
These pages are pretty straightforward and pretty much everyone has them, but we see a lot of manufacturing companies creating these with the idea that all potential clients know everything about the industry; that’s not always the case.
The way you want to think about creating these pages is that you have enough information to explain it to someone who is clueless, but organize it for someone who knows everything and is looking for something specific. We’ll break down a few sections of these pages to help you get a start.
Service Description
You could also think of this as a “what to expect” section. You don’t want this to be one long paragraph that users have to try to comb through to find if you do what they’re looking for. Create different “sections” so they can easily find information around what they are looking for when potentially working with your manufacturing company.
What Makes You Different
Our assumption is that you aren’t the only manufacturing company that does what you do in your area, which is why it’s so important to showcase WHY someone should choose to work with you. Talk about your values, your competitive advantage, and pretty much anything that you believe makes you better than any other manufacturing company.
Social Proof/Certifications
In today’s world, just saying that you’re the best doesn’t really cut it. There are so many other manufacturing companies that will tell users that they are the best at what they do. The way you can work to stand out from this and show users that not only do you think you’re the best, but others do as well, is social proof. Whether you showcase reviews from past clients or certifications you have, any proof to show that others also believe you’re the best can help you stand out from the crowd a bit more.
Frequently Asked Questions
This goes back to one of the things we see manufacturing companies miss when building out their website: detailed information. Just think about how many times you’re looking for an answer to a question you might have, can’t find it, and don’t bother to reach out to the company for an answer. The more you can answer potential clients’ questions with the least amount of friction, the better. Talk to your sales team, find out what some of the most common questions are around each service, and answer them on your website.
Location Pages
If you have multiple locations or serve many different areas, it’s helpful to have sub-pages for each location so that potential clients in different areas can find you in their area. For example, if we offer SEO services in Milwaukee and also SEO services in Racine, these two different pages’ URLs could look something like this…
- ssm.com/milwaukee/seo
- ssm.com/racine/seo
Something that is important to note here is that you can’t just copy and paste content when you make these pages for different cities. You can actually get penalized by Google if you do that. You want to put location-specific information on each page, whether it’s different services you offer, different personnel the client would work with, or any other information that is unique for each location.
PLEASE DO NOT JUST COPY PAGES AND CHANGE A FEW THINGS. When this is done correctly, it can have benefits for your SEO at the different locations of your manufacturing company and reach potential clients in those areas.
3. Google Business Page & Local Directories
Another incredibly important area to focus on for manufacturing companies, in particular, is your Google Business Page and other local directories. Yelp, Yellow Pages, and other directories are all important. You want to make sure all of these listings are up-to-date with correct information, personalized, and HAVE REVIEWS.
Not only will focusing on your Local SEO by managing your Google Business Page and local directories help you be found online, but it will also help you convert at a higher rate if your reviews are good, like the social proof we talked about previously.
SEO improvements aren’t something you’re going to see overnight. It’s a long-term game, and it’s not easy, but it’s worth it. There’s a lot more to it than just these 3 SEO tips for manufacturing companies, but you have to start somewhere. Make sure to do your competitor research, have a plan to track your SEO efforts so you know when something is or isn’t working, and ask questions when you have them.
Ready to boost your visibility and drive real results?
Book your FREE SEO consultation with SocialSurge and see what a smart SEO strategy can do for your business. Learn more about SocialSurge’s SEO Services.