Why Local SEO Matters to Your Diesel Repair Shop

But what is local SEO? Why is it so important?

Well, unless you can magically teleport to broken-down trucks all over the country (and if you can, please let us know), you are offering maintenance and repairs to a specific area. 

Google knows this. 

Google also knows where your potential customers are. It knows when someone in, say, Chicago, is looking for a diesel repair shop.

Yes, friends, Skynet is here.

But what Skynet (or Google) doesn’t know is where you are. Oh, sure, deep down it probably knows where all your information is originating from, but unless you have some indication of location on your website, it’s not going to be able to show you to the right customers.

Basically, Skynet needs a little direction. 

To help us better understand the importance of local SEO, we sat down with two of Dieselmatic’s SEO specialists: Kevin Pockett and Aki Garg. Read on to learn more about this component and how to implement it.

SO…WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL WITH LOCAL SEO?‍

Local SEO is what signals that you are in a specific area. 

If a fleet manager in Chicago searches for “truck repair shops,” Google can deduce that they are really searching for truck repair shops near them. They don’t want a truck repair shop halfway across the country. They don’t want a truck repair shop in California, Florida, or Gondor. They want the repair shop in Chicago. ‍

So you need to optimize your website, Google Business profile, and social media with Chicago-specific keywords that will tell Google, “Hey! I’m in Chicago! Show me to my customers!” 

In short, organic search is more information-driven. Local search is about getting things done.

That’s why local SEO is so freakin’ important for a commercial repair shop. Everyone who lands on your website via organic search is someone you can possibly turn into a paying customer. 

“Driving those targeted customers to your website is key,” Kevin tells us.

HOW CAN I IMPLEMENT LOCAL SEO ON MY WEBSITE?‍

Wow, you’re probably thinking, this all sounds great! How do I get some of that local SEO juice?‍

Your first step is to start adding location and location-specific information to your website and Google Business profile. 

(What?! You don’t have a Google Business profile? Friend, put this article aside and get that fixed. Google Business is a huge driver of local SEO. Here, we’ve written a free (and extensive) guide to help you out.)

We’ve been picking on Chicago, so let’s zero in on them again. Let’s say you do a lot of winterizing work at your shop. This is something your customers need and ask for. So you would make sure you’re telling Google and other search engines that you provide winterizing services in Chicago. This might include adding “winterizing trucks” to your Google Business profile.

Next, you’d build website content around keywords like “winterizing trucks in Chicago” and “get your truck ready for winter in Chicago.” 

Wait. You don’t have a website?

Uh…okay, stop again. Time to make one.

Sure, you can do this on your own. You’ve got lots of heavy-duty knowledge—who is better qualified than you to put a fantastic site together? But let’s flip the conversation: Would you ask a website designer to repair a Peterbilt? 

While that might be funny to watch…you wouldn’t. It’s an entirely different skill set. 

“If you need more technical expertise, you need to find the right partner,” Aki says. 

Anyway, once you have your website, you need to add the right keywords to it. If you want to pick up local searchers, you need to tell Google you are in the vicinity. Sure, “transmission repair” is a great keyword, but make it more specific. “Transmission repair in Chicago” lets Google show your shop to people who are looking for you in Chicago. 

Now, if you hire us to do it, we’ll handle all that stuff for you. “We build content around [these keywords],” Aki explains, ensuring that your shop gets brand authority and local search traffic. 

HOW ELSE CAN I IMPROVE MY LOCAL SEO?‍

It’s time for a lightning round! What other things can you do to improve your local SEO? Give the following a try: 

Join local directories

Remember the Yellow Pages? There are modern versions of them. Make sure your shop is in these directories.

Improve your content

Google is all about showing great content to users, to the point where it rewards frequently updated websites by showing them to more people. Add and update content around your services and location—it shows Google you have lots of knowledge in this area, and it will be inclined to share your stuff with the rest of the world.

Choose the right keywords

Keywords like “heavy-duty mechanic” and “heavy-duty repair” will get you started, but you’ll need to do some research to see what else you can use. 

Track your results

How do you know if what you are doing is working? You track it.

Google provides all kinds of insights for the Google Business profile, including how people are finding you and how many people are calling. But you’ll have to use specific programs like SEMrush to see organic traffic and what keywords are ranking. 

You can work with these tools on your own, but they can be time-consuming—and confusing, if you aren’t sure what you’re looking at.

LET SOMEONE ELSE DO THE HEAVY LIFTING

Did you like our little joke about letting the designer work on a big rig? It is kind of a funny notion—because for real, why would you do that? You’re a repair pro; you would do the repairs.  But by the same logic, shouldn’t you let someone who is a pro at web design or local SEO handle those tasks? 

Dieselmatic is always focused on your success—your long-term success. When we handle your marketing, we’re going to zero in on your local SEO and everything else that makes a good digital footprint. You won’t have to lift a finger if you don’t want to—in short, you handle the heavy-duty, we’ll handle the heavy lifting. 

‍Contact us today—we’d love to show you what we can do for you.