SEO for Waste Management: 6 Tips to Unlock Better Rankings

So, how can you make sure your company is showing up in Google search results? By creating and implementing a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

In this guide to SEO for waste management companies, we’ll discuss six of the most important steps you need to take to improve your search engine performance.

Want to quickly evaluate your website’s SEO? Use our free SEO checker tool to get a detailed report on your SEO in less than 60 seconds.

Or, request a free quote to learn how we can help you earn more customers for your waste management company.

What is SEO?

SEO is a digital marketing strategy that helps your website rank well in search engine results for relevant keywords.

It encompasses a wide range of techniques, from strategically incorporating keywords into your content to improving your pages’ load speed.

There are various types of SEO. Since waste management companies are often local companies that serve customers in a specific area, local SEO is especially important for the waste management industry.

Local SEO focuses on ranking for search terms with a locational element to them, such as “Waste management company near me” or “recycling center in Atlanta, Georgia.”

Why is SEO for waste management companies important?

When people are looking for waste management services, Google or another search engine is likely the first place they turn. In fact, more than 90% of online experiences start with a search engine, and 86% of people use the Internet to find local businesses.

Ranking near the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) is crucial for increasing your online visibility. About 95% of all traffic from search goes to the first page of results.

So, if your business is not one of the top results for the keywords your potential customers are searching, you’re likely losing those customers to competitors.

With the right SEO strategy, however, search engines are a powerful way to gain new leads and customers and grow your business.

Top SEO tips for waste management companies

Want to get started with SEO for waste management companies? Here are six of the most important things you need to do to improve your search engine performance as a waste management business.

1. Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile listing

When it comes to local SEO, including SEO for waste management, Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of the most important factors to consider.

GBP is Google’s online directory of businesses. Companies can create listings on GMP for free. These listings allow companies to share essential information about their business with users, such as their phone number, location, and services.

Users can also post reviews of businesses on GBP.

The reason GBP is so important for waste management SEO is that information from GBP often shows up near the top of SERPs for local business-related searches. The information displays in a local 3-pack like the one below:

Optimizing your GBP listing helps it show up in local 3-packs.

If there’s no listing for your business, you’ll need to create one. If your company does have one already, you’ll need to claim it.

Once you create or claim your listing, you can start adding information to it. Fill your profile out as thoroughly as you can, and make sure the information is up-to-date.

Also, add photos to your listing along with a brief description of your business. Include local keywords in your description, note the services you offer, and highlight what makes your business unique.

2. List your business in other directories

GMB is especially important for local SEO, but it’s not the only site of its kind. You can also list your business in directories from other search engines, review sites, industry-specific sites, and other sources.

Besides GMB, some of the best sites to list your business on include:

• Bing Places for Business
• Yelp
• Facebook
• Angie’s List
• Better Business Bureau

These sites often rank well in search results related to local services, so optimized listings on these sites can improve your visibility in search.

You can follow a similar process to the one we outlined for GMB with these websites. Start by adding or claiming your profile. Then, fill out your information as completely as you can and add photos and a brief description of your business if the sites have those features.

You can use a tool like LocalFX to manage your listings across numerous directories more easily. LocalFX allows you to update and sync your listings across 100 different sites and helps you find missing or inaccurate information.

3. Get and manage online reviews

Many business listing sites also let users leave reviews of businesses. These reviews are important for building trust with potential customers and helping them choose the best company.

Reviews can also improve your search rankings, since Google views businesses with more positive reviews as more likely to meet search engine users’ needs.

To improve your local SEO, encourage customers to leave reviews of your business. You can do this by including a link to your profiles on your website, mentioning your profiles in marketing materials, and encouraging customers in person or via email to review your business.

Be sure to check the rules of the various review sites you use, though, to make sure you don’t accidentally break any rules about encouraging reviews.

Also, manage your reviews by responding to both positive and negative ones. Thank customers for positive reviews by commenting on the review. If you get a negative review, acknowledge the review respectfully via a public comment and offer to resolve the issue through a private message or phone call.

A professional review management company can help you get and manage reviews for your business.

4. Choose the right keywords and create content

Keywords are another one of the most fundamental parts of an SEO strategy. You need to choose the right keywords and create content optimized to rank for those keywords.

The right keywords to target are those that your potential customers are searching when looking for waste management services. Some of your best keywords will likely have a locational element to them.

One of the best ways to come up with keyword ideas is to think of a list of basic search terms and input them into a keyword research tool like KeywordsFX. The tool will then give you a list of related keywords.

You can also log into Google Search Console and see the keywords that people searched to find your site on Google.

Once you have your keyword ideas, you’ll create content centered around them. For example, if your keyword is “how to recycle batteries,” you might write a blog post explaining options for recycling batteries.

To improve your chances of ranking for a given keyword, include it:

• Throughout your copy
• In your page’s title
• In your meta description
• In your headings
• In your URL

Make sure you use your keyword multiple times, but only use it where it sounds natural.

5. Start earning links

Backlinks, which are links from other websites to yours, are another important SEO ranking factor. Earning more links from authoritative sites causes Google to view your site as more authoritative as well.

Creating high-quality content that others want to link to is one of the best ways to earn links. For example, if you create an infographic explaining how plastic recycling works, blogs and other websites might want to share it or link to it in their content.

You can also build links through outreach, which involves contacting content creators and suggesting a link to one of your pages as a way to enhance their content.

As a local business, you can build local-focused links on the websites of local news organizations, bloggers, companies, and others. Hosting or participating in events may earn you local news coverage, for example.

6. Improve your website’s user experience

Another important area to focus on for waste management SEO is user experience. You want to create a website that people enjoy using so that they stick around longer.

When people spend more time on your website, it’s a positive signal for Google that can improve your rankings.

Some of the best ways to improve user experience are:

• Professional, consistent website design: You want your website design to create a positive first impression and make your site enjoyable and easy to use.
• Easy-to-use navigation: Visitors should be able to easily get around your website and find the information they need.
• Mobile-friendliness: Use responsive design to ensure your site displays and works correctly on all types of devices.
• Fast load times: Use page speed optimization techniques to improve the speed at which your pages load.

Getting started with SEO for waste management companies

If you want to improve the search engine performance of your waste management company’s website, the above six steps are some of the most important things you can do.

For help implementing these tips or for a custom SEO strategy that takes your online visibility to the next level, consider working with WebFX. We have a team of over 500 digital marketing experts who have driven more than $10 billion in sales for our clients over the last five years.

Simply request a free quote online or call us at 888-601-5359 to talk with an SEO expert and learn more about how we can help you grow your business.

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