What Google says it rewards
Google’s guide to “helpful, reliable, people-first content” asks site owners a list of questions about their pages. Two of them fit a contractor’s website almost word for word:
- Does the content provide original information, reporting, research or analysis?
- Does it clearly demonstrate first-hand expertise and a depth of knowledge?
Google also says its systems look for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust, which it calls E-E-A-T.
A page about the water heater you replaced in Oakwood last Tuesday is original, and nobody else can write it. A page that only says “we’re the best plumber in Oakwood” isn’t.
Project pages vs. copy-paste city pages
Many contractor sites have a page for every nearby town, each one the same text with a different name swapped in. Google’s spam policies call this doorway abuse: pages created to rank for similar searches, including pages aimed at specific cities that all funnel visitors to one place.
Real project pages are the opposite. Each one is different because each job was different, and together they show the areas you actually work in.
What to put on each project page
- The problem: what the customer called about, in their words if you have them.
- What you did: the fix, the parts, how long it took.
- Before and after photos: your own, from the job. No stock photos.
- Where: the neighborhood or town, never the street address.
- The result: “No hot water on Monday, a new 50-gallon unit running by Tuesday afternoon.”
- A customer quote, if they’re happy for you to use it.
Three or four short paragraphs is enough. Write it the way you’d explain the job to the next customer.
Fix 01: Take the photos for the page while you’re there
You can’t go back for a “before” photo. Shoot the problem before you touch it, the fix up close, and the finished job wide.
Fix 02: Write the page the same week
The details fade fast. Five minutes while you still remember the job beats an hour trying to rebuild it a month later.
Fix 03: Protect the customer
Ask before you publish photos of someone’s home. Leave out house numbers, license plates, faces and anything personal, unless the owner says it’s fine.
This week’s checklist
- Pick your three best jobs from the last month.
- Write a short project page for each one: problem, fix, photos, neighborhood.
- Link each page from the matching service page on your site.
Common questions
Do project pages help a contractor’s SEO?Google says its systems are designed to reward helpful, original, people-first content that shows first-hand expertise. A page about a real job you did fits that description. No single page guarantees a ranking.
How long should a project page be?Long enough to explain the problem, the fix and the result, usually a few short paragraphs plus photos.
Can I include the customer’s address?No. Use the neighborhood or town. Keep house numbers, plates and faces out of the photos unless the owner agrees.
Is a project page the same as a city page?No. A city page usually describes a service area. A project page describes one real job. Copy-paste city pages with only the town name changed can fall foul of Google’s spam policies.
How Goanna Digital handles this
On every Goanna Digital plan, every completed job becomes a case study on your website, with your sign-off. Finish a job, add a few photos in the app, and the page is on its way. Real jobs, real photos, no stock photos, ever.
Want this handled for you? Goanna Digital runs your website, your Google presence, your lead inbox, quoting and invoicing from one app on your phone. Book a free 15-minute call and we’ll show you how it would work for your business.
Want this handled for you?
Goanna Digital runs your website, your Google presence, your lead inbox, estimates and invoicing from one app on your phone.
Sources
- Google Search Central, “Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content”: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content
- Google Search Central, “Spam policies for Google web search” (doorway abuse): https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies