In this blog, we’ll teach you how to do effective SEO for Tree Removal Services along with useful tips that will help you get more new customers and stay on top of relevant search queries!

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization, commonly known as SEO is the process of improving the quality of your tree removal company’s website so that it ranks high on relevant search queries. This strategy is categorized into three parts (1) On-page SEO, (2) Off-page SEO, and (3) Technical SEO.

On-page SEO or “on-site SEO” is when you improve the aspects that are within your Tree services website such as improving the readability of your content and the use of images between walls of text (well share more of these in a bit).

On the other hand, Off-page or”off-site SEO” is when you improve the quality of your website by performing certain actions that are outside your website such as guest blogging and posting on your social media pages.

Lastly, technical SEO is when you improve the technical aspects of your site so that it ranks high on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Some of the strategies include optimizing your website for mobile users and making sure that you have a fast page loading speed.

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Why SEO for tree removal services?

SEO for tree removal companies is one of the most effective strategies in helping you get more new customers. It’s because as you apply the optimization tips (that we’ll be sharing with you in a bit), your tree care company will get improved visibility. The higher your rank is on the search results page, the higher the chances of your tree removal company being noticed by your potential customers!

Another reason you should consider investing in search engine optimization is that it helps build your credibility as a tree removal company. When people see your website whenever they are looking for more information about tree removal services, it gives them the idea that you’re a reliable source of information especially when it comes to tree care.

SEO can also be used as a long-term strategy. As you continue publishing high-quality, relevant, and updated content to your target audience, you’ll see positive results in the long run. So if it’s been a while since you’ve established your online presence but still you haven’t seen results from it, then, you should definitely start working on optimizing your marketing efforts.

Want to learn more about how SEO can help your tree removal company get more new customers?

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How to do SEO for Your Tree Removal Company?

Now that you have an idea of how important SEO is in every marketing strategy, we’ll now proceed with the tips on how you can effectively optimize your tree service website and make the most of it.

1. Keyword research

Keywords play a huge role in content creation. It helps you get found in relevant search queries aside from that, it also helps you get a better understanding of the search intent of your potential customers. In addition to that, keyword research also helps you have an idea of who your competitors are and what you can do to outrank them.

What is search intent?

It refers to the reason behind a specific search query. There are 4 types of search intent which are informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional.

• Informational intent 
  • This type of search intent comes from individuals who want to learn more about tree removal services. They are the ones who have specific questions in mind. For example, “What are tree services?”
• Navigational intent 
  • This type of search intent comes from individuals who have a specific website in mind. For example, people who search for “bartlett tree experts” on Google are most likely looking for the website for Bartlett Tree Experts.
• Commercial intent 
  • This type of search intent comes from individuals who are highly interested in a product/service. One example of a search query that has commercial intent starts with “best tree removal companies.”
• Transactional intent 
  • This type of search intent comes from individuals who have a specific product or service in mind. They are the ones who are most likely to become your customer. One example of this search query is “tree removal services near my location.”

Steps on how to do manual keyword research:

1. Search for the keyword that you want to rank for.
2. Then, based on the search results page, visit each post from your competitors.
3. As you visit each post from the SERP, press Ctrl+F followed by the keyword that you want to search for on your competitor’s post.
4. Do the same steps on other posts from your competitors.
5. From there, you’ll have an idea of where you should place your target keywords (e.g. headings or the beginning of your content) and the number of times you should use them.

You can also do keyword research with the use of the Google Ads Keyword Planner, browser extensions like Keyword Surfer, and Google’s related searches section.

Google Ads Keyword Planner

Once you create ad campaigns for your tree removal services on Google Ads, you’ll have access to the Keyword Planner. This tool helps you find relevant keywords for your business, and have an idea of the average monthly searches, keyword difficulty, and other metrics that will help you with your keyword research.

You can also refine the keywords whether you want to include/exclude brand names, services, and other keywords.

Interested in running ad campaigns for your tree service company? Check out our post about Google Ads for Tree Removal Services to learn more.

Keyword Surfer

Browser extensions like Keyword Surfer help you get instant keywords that are used by your target audience. Keyword ideas are displayed on the right side of the search engine’s results page (SERP), along with the CPC for Google Ad campaigns, estimated search volume in a specific country, number of words used in the article like this:

 

Google’s Related Searches section

Aside from the autocomplete suggestions, another section that can help you with your keyword research is Google’s Related Searches section. Here, you’ll see additional search terms used by your target audience. This can be found on the bottom part of the search results page.

 

2. Use long-tail keywords

According to Backlinko, long-tail keywords play an important role in SEO due to two reasons: (1) these types of keywords are not that competitive, and (2) they have high conversion rates.

The keyword difficulty of long-tail keywords is usually not that competitive and because of that, it’s easier for your tree removal blogs to rank high on a specific search query.

Since long-tail keywords are more specific, the traffic that you’ll get from these is usually coming from individuals who are one step before scheduling an appointment with a tree removal company.

How to find long-tail keywords

• Google’s autocomplete suggestions 
  • The suggestions that you will be getting from the autocomplete suggestions are based on searches from your target audience, your past searches, trending topics that are relevant to a specific search query, as well as the location of where the search query comes from.
• Keywords Everywhere browser extension
  • Need help finding long-tail keywords for your tree removal posts using browser extensions? Try Keywords Everywhere. Not only will it help you find specific keyword phrases but it can also help you have an idea about the keyword search volume, click per cost, show you 12-month trend data of a specific keyword, and a lot more!

• Answer the Public
  • AnswerThePublic is another platform that provides you with autocomplete suggestions about phrases that people actually use when searching for anything that’s related to tree removal services.

3. Optimize your title tags and meta descriptions

Title tags are the clickable element that you can see as a headline on the search results page or on your browser’s title bar. Its main purpose is to give your target audience a gist of what your page is all about.

How to optimize your title tags:

• Make sure that it’s relevant to the overall topic of your content
• Make it relatable so that potential customers will be encouraged to click on your post
• It should contain your focus keyword
• It should be unique for each page on your tree removal company’s website
• Keep it around 70 characters so that your titles won’t get cut off in the middle

Meta descriptions, however, are the ones you usually see below the title tags on SERP. It serves as an overview or a short summary of what your content is all about which gives search engines and potential customers an idea about your post.

How to optimize your meta descriptions:

• It should have your focus keyword in it
• It should be written in a way that will ignite the curiosity of your potential customers
• It should be relevant to what your page is all about
• It should be unique for each page that can be found on your tree service website

4. URL structure

Next is the structure of your URL. You have to make sure that it’s SEO-friendly. This means that you should write it in a way that makes it easier for search engines to understand your content and link it to relevant topics that covers your posts.

Tips on how to optimize your URLs:

• URL contains at least 1-2 important keywords
• Avoid using unsafe characters
• Avoid using stop words like “a”, “an”, “the”, and “of.”
• URL should be relevant to what the page is all about
• Use hyphens to separate words

5. Proper image alt-tags

The next aspect that we’ll talk about is alt tags. Alt tags or alternative texts are used to add context as to what the image used is all about. Its purpose is to help individuals who are visually impaired to have an idea of what the image you used is all about.

Aside from that, it also helps page visitors find out what the image is whenever the photo you used does not load.

Best practices when it comes to alt-tags:

• Don’t start with “image of” or “photo of”
• Add your focus keyword (if applicable)
• It should be descriptive
• It should add context and is relevant to the topic where you add your images to
• Descriptions should be specific

6. Compress image file size

Images help your page visitors get a better understanding of what your blog is all about (especially if it has walls of text in it). Aside from that, it also helps them fully consume your content because it makes your blog more readable. However, if you’re using large image file sizes on your website, it will take forever before it loads.

To prevent that situation from happening, make sure to compress the photos you are going to use on your tree removal website using image compression tools like CompressNow. This tool allows you to manually adjust the compression levels of the images you’ll be using on your tree removal blog posts.

Note: Don’t compress your images to the point where texts can no longer be seen. For best results, make it less than 70 KB.

7. Improve page loading speed

Another strategy that will help you rank high on relevant search queries is by improving your page loading speed. When it comes to the ideal page loading speed, Google recommends that a page loading time that’s under 2 seconds can help you get more conversions. So, the longer your page takes to load, the higher chances of your page visitors leaving your site without performing any action.

To check your page loading speed, do the eye test. Most speed tests are inaccurate because results are based on the last hidden element that loads on your page when that doesn’t affect user behavior or bounce rate. Instead, visit your tree removal website to see how long it takes for your pages to load.

Ways to improve your tree removal company’s page loading speed:

• Choose a reliable web hosting platform
  • There are lots of cheap web hosting platforms out there but if you think that you’re going to save money, you might want to think again. Most web hosting platforms that you can get at a cheap price usually have lots of issues which results in you spending more. So, instead of going through such a hassle, it’s better that you choose a web hosting service that provides all of the things you need for your website.
  • Here are the factors that you should consider when choosing a web hosting service:
    • check out their uptime score – their server should be stable and reliable at all times
    • costs – it should be within your budget
    • essential features such as having a 24/7 chat or live support and a responsive server
• Reduce the number of redirects on your site
  • If you want to send your page visitors to a temporary page while you’re doing maintenance or want to redirect old URLs to a new URL, you probably need redirects on your site. However, going through multiple pages before you reach the page where you want to land usually annoys page visitors which eventually triggers them to visit other websites instead. So, as much as possible, reduce the number of redirects you have on your tree removal website.
• Remove unnecessary plugins
  • You also want to check the plugins installed on your tree services website. If there are plugins that you are no longer using, deactivating them or completely deleting them could help improve your website’s page loading speed.

8. Fix indexing issues

Another thing that you should be aware of is the indexing issues on your tree removal website. Indexing issues occur due to several reasons. Some of them include page not found (404), blocked due to unauthorized request (401), blocked due to access forbidden (403), and server errors.

This is a sample report of indexing issues from Google Search Console:

Not every indexing issue is a problem, in fact, most can be ignored. But knowing which ones you need to fix and which ones you can just ignore is important.

If you’re looking for an in-depth guide on how to fix specific indexing issues, check out this guide on How to Find and Fix Index Coverage Errors in Google Search Console to learn more.

9. Check your website for cannibalization issues

Keyword cannibalization takes place whenever there are pages on your tree removal site that has similar content to other posts on your site. The reason why you want to spot this issue is that keyword cannibalization is bad for SEO. Since you have pages on your site that rank for the same keyword, search engines, and crawl bots will have a hard time finding out which post should rank high for a specific keyword.

How to spot cannibalization issues on your tree care website:

• Create a spreadsheet and add all of your focus keywords there. Then, search each keyword individually to see if there are two or more posts from your website that ranks for the same keyword.
• Use Semrush to keep track of your keywords (to see if it ranks for other posts on your tree removal website)
• You can also do a site search. On Google, enter “site:nameofyourtreeremovalcompany.com followed by the specific keyword you are looking for” (e.g. site: yoyofumedia.com SEO). It’ll show you all of the posts from your tree removal website that ranks for that keyword.

How to prevent keyword cannibalization:

• If you have two posts that rank for the same keyword but you don’t want to delete them, you can merge these posts, turning them into a more comprehensive blog.
• If the content of several posts on your site overlap, try removing or reducing the keywords used on the post that cannibalize the other post or restructure your content.

10. Make your website mobile-friendly

Based on the latest report, more than 60% of global traffic comes from mobile devices. In addition with that, websites that are usable not just on desktop but even on mobile users tend to rank higher compared to those that are not mobile-friendly. Because of that, you want to make sure that your tree removal company’s website is mobile-responsive.

Here are some tips on how to make your site mobile-friendly:

• Use Google’s Mobile-friendly test
• Use a responsive website layout
• Avoid or reduce the use of pop-ups
• If you can’t get rid of pop-ups, make sure that the exit button is functioning and the size of the pop-up adjusts based on a mobile phone’s screen size
• Use appropriate styles and sizes for your fonts
• Use a hamburger menu to remove the clutter on your tree removal site
• Make it a habit to regularly check your website on mobile devices

11. Make your content readable

Another thing that you should consider in creating SEO-friendly content is the readability level. You don’t want your target audience to have a hard time understanding the topics posted on your website. The recommended readability level is grade 8 or below.

To check your blog’s readability level, check out Hemingway Editor. It’ll help you transform your writing into a content that’s easy to read by suggesting simpler alternatives for a specific phrase on your page, reducing the number of adverbs used, and the use of active voice.

Another aspect that can help you create readable content is by adding images. If you’re creating long-form content, adding relevant photos in between walls of text can make your content digestible and more interesting. Some of the free Stock Photos sites where you can get relevant photos for your tree removal site are Pixabay, Pexels, and Unsplash.

12. Set up Search Console and Google Analytics

Google Search Console helps you keep track of the performance of your tree removal company’s website, notifies you whenever there are issues that need to be fixed, and also helps you to get your content.

On the other hand, if you want to do an in-depth analysis of your online marketing efforts, Google Analytics can help you with that. It’s a free web analytics software that tracks where your target audience is, and what common actions they perform on your tree removal website, and will provide you with insights that will be helpful as you make decisions for your marketing strategy.

13. Guest posting

Guest posting or guest blogging is when you publish articles on other people’s websites. Its main purpose is to help you get more backlinks and at the same time, showcase your tree removal company to a brand-new audience that brings in more traffic to your site.

Tips when doing guest posting:

• make sure to follow the guidelines in writing guest posts
• add internal links (this gives them an idea that you’re not only after getting backlinks but you’re also familiar with the content they publish)
• proofread before publishing
• write an enticing author’s bio (this is your chance to create a subtle promotion about your tree removal company)
• respond to comments

14. Participate in relevant discussions

Another off-page SEO strategy that you can use is by participating in relevant discussions on Reddit and Quora. On these platforms, you can follow relevant topics to see questions displayed on your newsfeed, share your opinions as an arborist, and promote relevant blogs on your tree removal website.

Just keep in mind that you shouldn’t add a link to a post from your website every time you leave a comment under a question that’s related to tree removal services. You have to build your authority as a reliable source of information. Use it only when you think it’s applicable.

15. Make your tree service website is secure

You also have to make sure that your tree service company’s website is secure. Having a secure website means that whenever a customer enters their personal information (e.g. credit card details, passwords, and phone numbers) their data will be encrypted.

Some of the reasons why you should consider migrating from an HTTP to an HTTPS website are the following: (1) it increases the trust of your potential customers in engaging with your brand, (2) it ensures that the data that will be sent from a users browser to your website is safe, and (3) it creates a positive reputation about your tree removal company.

So, if you still have an unsecured website, you’re probably driving away your potential customers!

Tips when switching from HTTP to HTTPS:

• buy an SSL certificate from these platforms
• website hosting platforms like WPX can install an SSL certificate for you (if you seek help from their chat support)
• set up 301 redirects (since you will be switching from HTTP to HTTPS)
• make sure that your internal links will be directed to HTTPS

16. Update old blog posts

If you have lots of old posts on your tree removal website, updating them can be beneficial in your SEO efforts. Some of the reasons why you should consider updating your old blogs include ranking high on relevant searches and aside from that, it also takes less time compared to writing new posts.

The question is, how do you update blog posts?

• Check your previous posts if it’s something like a trend a few years back and is not applicable in the present time
• Check every link you have on your blogs, some might have changed to a new domain, and some might redirect their users to dead links
• Remove spam comments
• Promote your blog (especially long-form content) using other formats like infographics
• Share them on social media platforms like Pinterest

17. Post on social media

The average time spent by people on social media on a daily basis is 2 hours and 31 minutes and with 4.89 billion social media users, it’s a no-brainer that you should be marketing your tree removal company on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

Each platform has a unique feature. For example, on Facebook and LinkedIn, you can attach a clickable link to a relevant blog on your posts but you can’t do that on a regular IG post. Instead, you can add a clickable link only to your Instagram stories or on your profile’s bio.

Additional information that you need to learn about the top social media platforms used in marketing your tree removal company:

• Facebook
  • the majority of the users are ages 35 and up
  • you can post images, videos, live videos, and my day (stories)
  • you can attach links from websites
• Instagram
  • a huge percentage of users are aged 18-24 years old
  • most used platform in influencer marketing
  • you can post image carousel, IG stories, live videos, and reels
• Linkedin
  • the majority of the users are professionals (mostly millennials)
  • you can post long-form content (as a post) and conduct polls
  • you can post a clickable link to your website
  • you can host virtual events
• Pinterest – more on visuals like infographics; the majority of the users are aged 18-24

18. Get listed in online directories

Having your tree care company listed in online directories like Yelp and Google My Business is another off-page strategy that you can do to improve your rank on relevant search queries.

However, it doesn’t end with creating a business listing. You have to optimize it by regularly updating the basic information of your tree care company such as your business hours, contact details (if you change your number), or address (if you moved to a new location).

Additional tips for optimizing your business listing:

• Add relevant photos of your business
• Keep your notifications on for new reviews and questions
• When responding to customer reviews, use relevant keywords in it
• Flag a review if it violates Google Policies

Check out our blog about Google My Business for Tree Removal Companies to learn more tips on how you can optimize your listing for better visibility and attract more new customers.

19. Use of internal and external links

Internal links are used if you want to recommend relevant pages on your tree removal website to your page visitors. Not only does it help you provide relevant sources to your potential customers but it also helps search engines get a better understanding of what your page is all about.

On the other hand, if you want to provide your page visitors with helpful information that can be found outside your tree removal website but wanted to make it easy for them to find relevant pages, use external links. This is another SEO strategy that helps you get found and appear on relevant searches because it gives search engines an idea of how related your content is to other pages on the search results page. Not just that, but it can also help you get backlinks, too!

Internal links best practices:

• use keyword anchor texts
• create more posts so that you have more pages to use as internal links
• link to relevant pages based on your tree removal post

External links best practices: 

• link to trusted websites only
• make sure that external links open to a new window (this way, even though your page visitors click on it, they will stay longer on your site)
• make sure that the external links you add to your tree removal pages are relevant to the topic of your post

20. Stay updated with the latest algorithm

The algorithm changes from time to time. May it be in search engines or social media platforms. Most of the time, platforms don’t directly tell you what their updated ranking factors are.

Let’s use Instagram as an example. Before reels were a thing, regular photos gets the most number of impressions from Instagram users. But, in today’s time, reels (short clips like the ones you see on TikTok) get more views, likes, comments, and shares compared to regular posts.

Because of that, you want to stay updated and regularly monitor your account insights to see if there are drastic changes in the performance of your posts. This way, you can easily think of a way how you can cope with these changes so that your marketing efforts will not be affected or go to waste.

Check out our blog about SEO Chrome Extensions to find out useful tools that you can use in marketing your tree service company.

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Key takeaway

Unlike Google Ads, SEO takes quite a while before you see results. However, when done right, it can help you achieve long-term success. Just follow the optimization tips we’ve mentioned above and stay updated with the latest algorithm, and you will eventually see the results of your marketing efforts.