New solar projects in the USA were being installed at a rate of every 20 seconds in 2021.
A direct indication that the sun is indeed rising and gaining tides day-to-day. However, this rush also brings up a challenge: to stand out in an increasingly competitive market.
Now, if you’re one of the new solar companies, the idea of carvings out a niche in this space may be very daunting. After all, with more than thousands of solar companies operating, getting noticed might be very hard. But that’s the good news: there is actually a way of setting yourself out from the competition and being seen by the right people at the right time.
The secret?
Search engine optimisation, or SEO.
What is SEO for solar companies?
SEO for solar businesses simply means making a solar company more visible on the internet and available to potential customers. It is the procedure of optimizing your website so that you get a high ranking on the results pages of search engines, or particularly, Google. The main goal is letting these people search for solar services and have them come out at the top first so they don’t go elsewhere.
For solar companies, SEO involves several key strategies (which we will discuss in detail later):
- Keyword research
- Content creation
- Technical SEO
- Backlinks
- Web design
Challenges of SEO for solar companies
Since you’re here, your solar company is sure to face certain SEO-related challenges irrespective of whether you are a new entrant to the solar industry or an already existing name with experience, it changes. Once you understand that, then you can come up with strategies that will help overcome these challenges.
Here are some key SEO challenges specific to solar companies:
Local SEO competition
Many solar companies operate on a regional basis, targeting local markets. This means you’re competing with other solar businesses in the same area. With the high volume of local searches for solar services, standing out requires deliberate, persistent efforts and strategic local SEO practices.
High competition for keywords
The solar industry is crowded with competitors vying for the same keywords—making it challenging to rank well for broad keywords like ‘solar panels’ or ‘solar installation.’ this requires the business to target more specific keywords and find niche phrases that reflect the solar company’s USP.
Content marketing and strategy
Considering the specific niche of the industry-solar power, it is really hard to create regular and interesting content. Content generation is not only about creation but also about quality and relevance over time.
Such content must address customer needs and industry trends while being technically accurate, which might require expertise beyond general writing skills.
Technical SEO complexities
This is quite a complex task to ensure that all the technical aspects of your website are optimized without in-house technical SEO experts. It will include time improvements of load, enhancing UX, making sure that the search requirements are met, optimization for mobile, and much more.
Building authority and trust
In a competitive field like solar energy, establishing your website’s authority and trustworthiness is vital. Some challenges include acquiring quality backlinks and having positive customer reviews and testimonials.
Keeping up with algorithm changes
Search engine algorithms are always changing. Keeping tabs on changes and adjusting your SEO strategies in real-time can be very challenging. One should understand how it impacts the present SEO practices, and be ready to change the SEO tactics as you learn to the algorithm changes in order to maintain or improve rankings.
These are the largest problems most solar companies encounter. With SEO, however, issues like tracking and measuring SEO performance come along with it and so on. To handle them, consider taking on board an experienced SEO agency like Bloom Agency. With a team of specialists who understand all the subtleties of the solar industry, you can come up with an SEO strategy that will define and solve any challenges and position your business for success.
Now, you must be thinking—with all these challenges— do you even need SEO?
Yes!
Why does a solar company need SEO?
If you operate in the solar business, then you must be fully aware of the power of SEO. Thousands of people search every month on terms like ‘solar company.’ That is enough evidence to understand that there are plenty of prospects who need the services your company delivers. In order to remain on top, then you will want to know the importance of SEO. Here’s why SEO is important for your solar company:
Increased website traffic
By appearing at the top of search results, your solar company will attract more visitors to your site. Increased traffic is the starting point for many other benefits, like visibility and organic growth.
More customers
With increased website traffic comes the potential for more customers. When users search for keywords related to solar services, your optimised site is more likely to appear in their search results. This kind of visibility leads to high possibilities of visitors converting into customers.
Enhanced brand awareness
SEO increases the online visibility of your solar company as it helps in building brand recognition and credibility. As your website rises in search, more people will know who you are because of increased exposure. It is a big improvement in the credibility of your brand; therefore, you become the favorite provider in the solar industry.
Cost-effective marketing
It’s much more cost-effective compared to other advertising, whereas paid ads tend to get really pricey and are only good for short-term gains; SEO, however, will go on and on yielding profit from your site over time, and the dependency on an ongoing ad spend will become less and less. It attracts users specifically searching for solar solutions, increasing the chances of actual conversions and ROI.
Competitive advantage
While you may have other companies contending with you in the marketplace, SEO lets you stand out because you’ll be focusing on the niche target keywords that will best reach your target audience. You will also gain insight into how you can exploit opportunities and loopholes in the market through your competitors’ strategies.
Then, essentially, SEO is a sustainable growth strategy for solar companies. Optimization of your site continuously improves its rankings over time. A well-designed SEO approach not only helps you get found online but turns that visibility into valuable business outcomes.
SEO strategies for solar companies
There are a number of strategies to boost SEO for solar companies, such as:
1) Keyword research
Keyword research is the process through which you identify the terms and phrases your target audience uses to search for solar products or services. It encompasses the following steps:
Understand your audience: Consider what questions and needs your target customers will likely have. Perhaps they’ll try searching for ‘best solar panels for home’ or ‘affordable solar energy solutions in [city].’
Use keyword research tools: Google Keyword Planner, SEMRush, Ahrefs, or free options such as Keywords Everywhere or KeywordsFX. These give you knowledge of how the keyword is performing, including search volume and cost-per-click.
Long-tail keyword focus: Instead of using only ‘solar company,’ go for phrases like ‘solar panel installation services in [city]’ or ‘solar panel cost estimate.”‘.
Avoid keyword stuffing: Do not keyword stuff. Implement your keywords as naturally as possible into your content. It may bring a whole lot of pain for users and penalty upon search engines.
2) On-page SEO
(Source: Rad Interactive)
Include main keywords in page titles to improve content relevance and write appropriate meta descriptions, or summaries, ro encourage clicks. Use keywords in headings (H1, H2, etc.,) to further boost SEO. Lastly, add keywords in image descriptions (Alt tags) for better indexing. In summary, keep in mind:
- Title tags
- Meta descriptions
- Header tags
- Informative and engaging content
- Keyword integration
3) Off-page SEO
(Source: Seobility)
Off-page SEO All the activities you do outside your website that can influence the ranking of your site. Unlike on-page SEO, that is directed to the optimization of elements directly on your site, off-page SEO builds the authority and credibility of your site from external sources. Some strategies for your solar company:
- Partner with prominent figures in the solar industry and gain their endorsement through backlinks.
- Seek backlinks from reputable solar websites, forums, and news outlets.
- Write guest posts for already established blogs in the solar or renewable energy sectors.
- Contribute articles or insights to local newspapers or magazines focusing on solar energy.
- Actively respond to both positive and negative reviews.
- Use tools to request feedback at various stages of customer journeys.
4) Technical SEO
(Source: IndiaMART)
Technical SEO makes sure that your site is optimized for search engines but, this time involves delving into the technical layer of it. For this purpose, you need to:
Clean HTML code: This includes optimization of on-page SEO elements as well as auditing your site on possible errors or issues created by codes that don’t make any sense and harm performance.
Optimise site speed: Ensure the page loads in a period less than 3 seconds. Tools are available that compress the images and also minimize CSS and JavaScript files to make it faster.
Mobile optimisation: The Google search rankings give more weight to mobile-friendly sites. So, your solar website should be fine on all the devices. You should regularly test your solar website on various devices.
Structured data: Using schema will help to give a sense of context as to the kind of content that lives on your solar business-a local solar business, for instance, or service details. Structured data also improve the search listings with rich snippets, making click-through rates higher.
XML sitemaps and robots.txt: Generate and submit an XML sitemap to Google Search Console. It will aid the crawling bots to find and index your pages much more effectively. Use a file called robots.txt to specify directions to the web crawlers on which areas of your site you would prefer them to crawl or not crawl.
Fix broken links and redirects: If you have some pages that moved or were deleted, use 301 directs to maintain link equity and avoid instances of 404 errors.
Secure your solar website: Make sure your site uses HTTPS to secure data and build trust with users. Google considers HTTPS as a ranking factor. Obtain and properly install an SSL certificate for secure connections.
In addition, perform regular technical SEO audits to resolve issues. Tools like GSC, Screaming Frog, and Ahrefs can be useful.
5) Local SEO
Local SEO helps solar companies attract customers within their service area. Here are some strategies for local SEO:
Optimise Google Business Profile: Fill out your business profile with accurate business information. Select relevant categories, such as ‘solar panel installation,’ or ‘solar energy consultant,’ to match local search queries. Regularly upload photos and videos to make your listing more engaging and informative.
Create local listings: Ensure your name, address, and phone number are consistent. Submit your solar business local directories.
Optimise city pages: Create specific pages for each city or region you serve. Include relevant local content, such as service areas, local solar incentives, and case studies from the area. Make sure to optimise these pages with local keywords and include local landmarks.
Use local keywords: Incorporate geo-targeted keywords into your site’s content, meta descriptions, titles, and headings. Use long-tail keywords that combine your services with specific locations as well.
6) Link building
(Source: Quattr)
In a nutshell, there are two major strategies there – internal linking and reaping backlinks from other websites.
Internal linking refers to the act of linking between the web pages of your very own website. For instance, for a solar business, internal linking can help guide users to key areas, like product pages or informative posts on your blog, in such a manner that it would keep them around for a longer time on your site.
Backlinks are links from outside sources, which lead people to your site. Quality backlinks from good sources increase the credibility of your site. So when the solar company acquires backlinks from industry industry-related blogs, news sites or environmental organizations, it improves the authority of a solar website in the eyes of search engines.
7) User Experience (UX)
The UX for your website is concerned with how visitors navigate your solar website. High-quality UX will help users stay on your site and nudging them to convert. These include several strategies concerning site speed, mobile responsiveness, as well as intuitive navigation that easily determines what the user wants. Your website should also make it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for. This shall involve making menus clear, organizing content, as well as a simple design.
8) Web design
Web design Services involves creating an aesthetically pleasing, functional, and user-friendly website.
- Your website should also be fresh and professional-looking, representing the integrity of your solar business.
- It is to be done with clean lines, a consistent color scheme, and quality images as a powerful first impression.
- Make sure your website design is user friendly.
- All the users, including the disabled, should be able to access your website. For instance, you may put alt tags for images and such but ensure that your website will function well on a screen reader.
9) Content creation and marketing
Create blog content that answers common questions, explains the benefit of solar energy, and provides industry insights. This positions your solar business as an expert and improves SEO by incorporating relevant keywords.
Guides, whitepapers, or videos can guide your potential customer into learning about solar energy and turning them into leads.
This content is then promoted through social media and email newsletters and such, but always to the point that it reaches a wider audience. Content marketing, after all is not just about creating content but also ensuring it reaches the target.
Ready to boost your solar website’s reach?
The basics you can handle, but technical SEO is a complex and confusing thing. And when you have a team of people who are experienced in the solar business, that’s really where things get incredible. Here comes Bloom Agency’s comprehensive program that ensures you get the specific SEO services for solar companies. From foundational SEO to the most advanced strategies, including those above, Bloom Agency has the know-how to take your online presence to the next level and get you real results.
Ready to take your solar website to the next level? Click here to learn more about improving SEO for your solar company.
