/* */

Google’s Getting Ready to Change Things Again

Ryan Redding • Apr 05, 2021
plumber hvac seo website
You know how sometimes—completely out of the blue—your favorite store just up and rearranges everything? You finally just figure out where they hide the damn toaster pastries, and then BAM… that aisle suddenly has all the gluten-free stuff instead? Why do they do that? 

I don’t know either. But I’ll tell you this: As a home services marketing expert, Google’s “Let’s mix up the algorithm” shenanigans feel a little like that to me. Just when we have things (mostly) figured out, they decide to change something.

Speaking Google for Home Services Companies

As you know, it’s super important to play nice with Google. It has 92% of the search engine market share worldwide. If 1000 customers in your CRM found you online, you can thank Google for 920 of them. 

“Playing nice” with Google means ensuring your website speaks its language‚ which is basically hieroglyphics wrapped in secret code dipped in invisible ink.

But we get clues from time to time. We know, for example, that Google has at least 210 “ranking factors” that help it determine if your website is worth including in someone’s search results. (Including “pornyness,” believe it or not.) 

I should note that Google’s not trying to be a jerk. (I think.) Their mission is to “organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Given that there are currently 1.83 billion websites and 4.7 billion internet users, it’s no wonder their rules have grown more complex over time.

Sometimes the changes are small and subtle.
But the change coming in May, is a big ‘un.

Introducing Page Experience

In the past, we’ve highlighted the most critical ranking factors for plumbing and HVAC. Add Page Experience to that list.

Page Experience is a collection of factors including:
  • mobile-friendliness
  • safe-browsing
  • HTTPS
  • intrusive interstitials (otherwise known as “pop-ups”)
  • site load speed, interactivity, and visual stability (collectively known as web vitals)
All together, Page Experience tells Google if your site is user-friendly or … not. If you score poorly on Page Experience, your rank on the search engine results page (SERP) drops. 

Plus, our friend Google’s going to add a little visual indicator to SERP results indicating sites with good Page Experience ratings—which users are more likely to click. And the fewer people who go to your site, the less Google cares about it. G’bye, organic traffic. 

So what’s a home services company to do?

First, let’s make sure your Page Experience doesn’t suck. 
  • Is your site actually mobile-friendly?
  • Has your site been flagged as unsafe?
  • Is your site security certificate valid?
  • Do your pop-ups have pop-ups?
  • Does your site load slowly? 
  • Is it hard to figure out how to use your site? 
  • Does your site behave badly? Like, do photos slide around or does text come and go?
If you’re like most folks, you’re probably thinking, “I don’t freaking know, Ryan! And where the hell did they put the toaster pastries?!”

Take a deep breath, pal. I got you.
1. Head to Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test, type in your URL, and let it tell you what’s what. Work with your web developer to fix any wonkiness that comes up. Usually said wonkiness includes working with the code, redirects, site structure, image sizes, and so on. I know you don’t want to mess with this, but if you don’t, you will lose business.
2. Do the same on Google’s PageSpeed Insights. Yes, this report is written entirely in nerd-speak. (That’s not an insult. I am a nerd.) If they’re worth their salt, your web developer will know what to do with this. Knowing how to invest in ads for HVAC and plumbing can be tricky.
plumber hvac website
And if they’re not worth their salt, a bit further down the page, Google tells them some things to do with it:
hvac plumbing website
In addition to the hints Google offers in the PageSpeed Insights, check out this list of possible slower-downers. And if your web developer needs help, you can send them here for some web vitals tools. (But that’s kind of like bringing a WebMD print-out to your doctor’s appointment, so proceed with caution.) 

Again, I know you don’t want to mess with this. But according to Google, every 1-second delay in load time can mean a 70% drop in conversion rates. 
4. Check for safe-browsing  issues with Google’s Security Issues report.

5. Check to see if your site is secure. Head to your website. Is there padlock just to the left of your url? If so, you’re good. 
If you see a circle with an “i” in it or a red triangle with an exclamation mark, you have some issues. Don’t worry. They aren’t hard to fix. (But you have to talk to your web developer or host.)

5. Make your site easier to use. Not only does your site need to look great and load fast, but it also needs to have good user experience (UX)—especially on mobile. And I don’t just mean having well-organized content and a friendly navigation menu. 
For example, make sure your call-to-action buttons aren’t too close together, so people don’t accidentally end up on your About page when they were trying to hit Schedule a Call.

6. Make sure you have alt text for images. An image’s alt text describes what’s in the photo, and it displays when your images don’t load or if someone’s using accessibility software. Ideally, your alt text will include a keyword, which will boost your organic search.

Page Experience is Something. But It’s Not Everything. 

Yes, you should optimize your website for Page Experience. But you can’t stop there. Getting your phone ringing off the hook requires a comprehensive marketing strategy. 

Sounds exhausting doesn’t it? I’m willing to lose sleep so you don’t have to. Let’s talk! 

Was This Helpful?

Sign up here, and we'll automatically email you as we publish new articles that you may find useful.

Was This Helpful?

As Seen In:

Is your website helping or hurting your SEO efforts? Find out now for free.

We've got give-a-damn for days.

When my team talks with new clients, we hear a ton of frustration, overwhelm, and general fed-up-ness. 


I'm guessing you can relate.


Maybe you've been trying to figure out all this marketing stuff on your own OR you've handed a crap-ton of money to an "expert" for no apparent reason.


Your phones still aren't ringing like they should.

Your advertising still isn't performing like you expected.

Your website's still not ranking or converting like it needs to.


You can't figure out why... and/or your current marketing "partner" isn't 'fessing up. 


We think you deserve better.


plumber marketing company

Ryan Redding

CEO Levergy

Author of The Book on Digital Marketing for Plumbing and HVAC Contractors

Host Blue Collar CEO Podcast

Here's how we'll get you more plumbing, HVAC, electrical, garage door, roofing, or other home service leads:

Tell us what's keeping you up at night.

Let's get on a call so you can tell us where your business is and where you want to go. We'll follow-up with a free, comprehensive assessment and actionable tips.

We'll help you fix it.

If you like what you see so far, we'll put together a customized plan with transparent, flat-rate pricing—and then get to work growing your business.

So you can breathe easy.

Have peace of mind knowing you have a true partner on your side who cares about your success as much as you do.

What you get is important.

How you're treated is what sets us apart.

hvac marketing
Culpeper Home Services

"... they always go above and beyond the call of duty. I'm impressed with their work ethic, loyalty, and integrity."

- Russell Furr, President

home services marketing
The Clog Dawg

"[Levergy] understood my specific needs and got the work done—bypassing all the unnecessary nonsense. And now business is booming!"

- Steven Douglass, President

plumber marketing
ClearView Plumbing and Heating

"We have gained an incredible amount of traction with our website after our last vendor made a mess of our website and SEO."

- Kyle Lumsden, Owner

Your mileage may vary.

Better results are here.

Discover how to stop wasting money on marketing that doesn't work, and make your phone ring off the hook.

plumber marketing company, plumber marketing agency

Download the First 3 Chapters for Free

Contact Us

By opting in, we promise we won't sell your information to anyone.

Stop getting ripped off by marketing that doesn't work.
Get your phone ringing off the hook!
Beat your competitors online.
Make more money!
Share by: