A step-by-step framework you can implement this week

This checklist is for general contractors—residential, commercial, or both—who want to set up SEO without hiring an agency yet. It covers the tactical foundation that accountants, roofers, electricians, plumbers, and other service contractors use to get found on Google.

You should follow this if:

• Your website exists but hasn't been optimized for local search
• You're not actively generating leads from Google
• You've never claimed your Google Business Profile
• You want to know what to do before talking to an agency

If you already have strong rankings and a steady flow of Google leads, this checklist serves as a sanity check to ensure nothing critical has been missed.

SEO for general contractors breaks into three phases: visibility (getting found), credibility (earning trust), and conversion (turning clicks into calls). This checklist covers all three, but in order of impact.

Most contractors start by optimizing visibility—Google Business Profile, local citations, service area pages. This is where 80% of contractor leads come from. Once visibility is stable, credibility work (reviews, case studies, trust signals) accelerates conversion rates. Conversion optimization (clear CTAs, fast forms, phone numbers) comes last because it doesn't matter if no one can find you.

The checklist below follows this sequence. Don't skip ahead. Each step enables the next.

1. Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile

• Go to google.com/business and claim your listing
• Verify ownership via postcard (takes 1–2 weeks) or instant methods if available
• Fill in all fields: business name, address, phone, website, service areas, hours
• Add 10–15 high-quality photos of completed projects, your team, and your office
• Write a 150-word business description that mentions your main services and service area
• Add service category (General Contractor) and 5–10 sub-categories (Roofing, Plumbing, etc.)

2. Create service area pages on your website

• If you serve multiple cities, create one page per city (e.g., /roofing-contractors-denver, /general-contractors-boulder)
• Use the city name and main service in the page title and H1
• Write 300–400 words of unique content about serving that area (not keyword stuffing)
• Include before/after photos and local project examples if possible

3. Add your contractor details to local citation sites

• Yelp, HomeAdvisor, Angie's List, Thumbtack (claim existing listings, create if missing)
• Ensure name, address, and phone match your GBP exactly (consistency matters to Google)
• Add 2–3 photos to each profile

4. Build a review generation system

• After each completed project, email the client a link to your Google Business Profile review form
• Use a template: "We'd love your feedback on Google—it helps other homeowners find us." Include the direct link
• Ask for reviews on Yelp, HomeAdvisor, and your website too
• Aim for one review per week. Industry benchmarks suggest contractors with 4+ reviews convert 2–3x better than those with none

5. Create trust signals on your website

• Add a testimonials/reviews page that pulls quotes from past clients
• Include your license number, years in business, certifications (EPA RRP, OSHA, etc.) in the footer
• Add a case study (one detailed before/after project) with photos and timeline
• Include a team photo and brief bios so prospects see real people

6. Optimize your homepage and contact page

• Homepage title tag: "[Service] in [City] | [Your Company]" (e.g., "Roofing Contractors in Denver | ABC General Contracting")
• Meta description (155 chars): Mention service, area, and key differentiator
• Make your phone number clickable (tel: link) and prominent above the fold
• Add a clear CTA button: "Request a Free Quote" or "Call for an Estimate"

7. [Technical SEO](/resources/banks/bank-seo-checklist) (site speed, mobile, Technical SEO (site speed, mobile, [schema markup](/resources/barbershops/barbershop-seo-checklist)) matters but comes after your GBP and local pages) matters but comes after your GBP and local pages foundations

• Test your site on Google's Mobile-Friendly Test—must pass
• Ensure your site loads in under 3 seconds (use Google PageSpeed Insights)
• Add schema markup (LocalBusiness schema at minimum) using a plugin or manually
• Set up Google Search Console and submit your sitemap
• Check that all pages have unique, descriptive title tags and meta descriptions

8. Build internal linking

• Link from your homepage to each service area page
• Link from service pages to related services (e.g., "Roofing" to "Gutter Installation")
• Link service area pages to your main service pages ("Roofing in Denver" → "Roofing Services")
• Use descriptive anchor text (not "click here")

9. Set up lead tracking and follow-up

• Install Google Analytics 4 and link it to Google Search Console
• Add phone call conversion tracking (Google Ads, Analytics, or CallRail)
• Set up form submission tracking if you use contact forms
• Track which keywords and cities generate the most leads

If you have limited time or budget, prioritize in this order:

• Week 1: Google Business Profile — Most impact, least effort. Claim, verify, optimize photos and description
• Week 2: Service area pages — Create 3–5 pages covering your main service areas (e.g., Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs)
• Week 3: Review generation — Email past clients asking for Google reviews. Start this early; reviews compound over time
• Week 4: Homepage and contact page optimization — Fix title tags, add clear CTAs, make phone number prominent
• Week 5+: Technical SEO and internal linking — These matter, but only after the above are complete

In our experience working with contractors, those who complete weeks 1–3 see inbound inquiry volume increase within 4–6 weeks. Weeks 4–5 typically double conversion rates. Timeline varies by market competitiveness and starting authority.