Another Coat: SEO and Marketing Consultation
Local small painting company, looking to grow. Their website was not ranking in Google search and needed ways to improve their SEO in order to compete. We also went into what their brand wanted to be and how to best market themselves to the greater Charlotte area.
Using various tools such as Screaming Frog, SEMRush, Google Keyword Planner, and Canva, suggestions were made to get the most out of their site.
SMART Goal for SEO Audit
Using Google Analytics, I discovered the traffic before the audit was around 30 searches a month, the majority being direct.
The goal for this audit would be to double this number of searches, increasing the organic search results and have 1-2 quote requests added a month within 90 days of implementing the changes to their site.
Technical SEO Audit
Using Screaming Frog, Google Search Console (GSC), and Google Lighthouse.
Setup & Monitoring
Google Search Console was activated, and the site was verified to track performance and troubleshoot technical issues
A sitemap link was already found at site’s footer so no issue there
The robots.txt file was reviewed and found no critical content was blocked from crawlers
Using GSC Inspection Tool, the site was found to be properly indexed and crawlable
Findings & Fixes
No broken links nor security issues found during the audit
Mobile usability was tested with Google Lighthouse, which confirmed the site followed best practices
Several pages were missing h1 tages and a handful of pages had missing meta descriptions
Able to add site hierarchy and missing meta descriptions with ease
On-page SEO
This section outlines the on-page SEO improvements I recommended and implemented for anothercoat.com. These updates focused on making content more visible and relevant to search engines and users by improving key elements like metadata, headers, image tags, and keyword integration across priority pages.
Local Keyword Research & Optimization
To improve the site’s SEO and increase visibility in organic search, I focused on identifying high-volume, low competition keywords that aligned with the client’s services.
Through keyword research, it became clear that informational search queries offered the greatest opportunity for organic searches and there were still some niches that the competition had not taken hold of. Long-tail keywords like “best paint for exterior of brick homes” and location-specific terms such as “cabinet repainting Dilworth” were strong candidates for targeting.
Using SEMRush, I uncovered additional keyword opportunities that could be strategically woven into the site’s content, adding keyword rich descriptions to their service descriptions to increase relevance and promote long-term traffic growth.
Original Content and Services Offered
The page was missing original content that lended expertise and credibility to the business along with boosting their keywords. The only section that touched on what the business offered was a small services section that did not utilize keywords or give extensive detail on their offerings. Here are some suggestions I offered to bolster their presence.
Blog Posts Targeting Local Pain Points
Written to specifically address local Charlotte issues and how to navigate a paint job with topics such as “What to Know When Remodeling in Historic Charlotte Neighborhoods” or “Charlotte Weather and Your Paint Job: What to Expect”
The content would be tailored to fit keywords naturally and invoke Expertise, Authority, and Trust (EAT)
Update Service’s Offered Page
Missing a Charlotte-specific headline and descriptors, needs updating to increase local SEO presence
Using keyword research would add more keywords into each description of service naturally and to make sure they also sound human
Create bulleted points to break up paragraphs
Add pictures to key service descriptions with Alt text that has keywords
Update Call to Actions since there were none on this section of the site
Add a “Prefer to Call?” button
Off-page SEO
While the primary focus of this project was on-site optimization, this section highlights initial off-page SEO opportunities identified during the audit. These include suggested actions to improve visibility through local SEO tactics and strengthen the site’s authority over time.
Optimizing the Google Business Profile
For an immediate SEO win, the Google Business Profile for the business needed an update.
At the time of the audit, the profile included only one photo, which neither showcased business’s services nor communicated their capabilities.
Key Actions & Suggestions:
Photo Expansion:
Add project photos found in Instagram account to communicate services
Category Segmentation:
Group images into categories such as interior, exterior, and kitchen
Keyword Optimization:
Update business description with location-specific keywords to strengthen local SEO
Reviews
Request reviews from recent projects and respond to each one, this to build credibility and improve engagement
Email Welcome Letter
While testing what happens when a prospective client submits their information through the site, I noticed they did not receive a welcome email. To help improve the experience, I created a draft welcome email in Canva and shared it with the business owner, along with the following reasons for implementing one:
Builds trust by immediately confirming the inquiry was received
Outlines next steps, so the lead knows when to expect a follow-up and what information they might need
Includes a call-to-action to bring them back to the site and keep them engaged
Thanks the lead and features several customer testimonials to reinforce credibility
I also showed the business owner how to set this up in Wix so that it sends automatically when a new inquiry is submitted.