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There's no fixed number. The right answer depends on how big your business is, how many services you offer, and how many towns you cover. A solo roofer working out of one town might target ten to fifteen keywords. A multi-team firm covering an entire county can target a hundred or more. The better question is which keywords to prioritise and in what order, because that's what actually determines how quickly you start showing up on Google. Why "how many keywords" is the wron

The five biggest domain mistakes trades businesses make are: picking a name that says nothing about what they do or where; buying cheap "SEO packages" that link the domain to spam sites; using free subdomains instead of buying a proper domain; choosing something hard to spell, type, or remember; and letting the domain registration lapse. Each one quietly costs you customers for years before you realise. This article runs through all five, with a real example of getting it rig

You can evaluate the ROI of hiring an SEO firm by projecting the revenue you'd earn from ranking well in your area, then comparing it to what the firm will charge you. The maths is simpler than most agencies make it sound, and it follows a five-step formula using data you can pull for free. This article walks through that formula so you can run the numbers for your own business before you sign anything. What ROI actually means in the context of SEO ROI stands for return on

Checkatrade is a paid directory where customers post a job and tradespeople pay to bid on it. Search engines like Google show your own website based on what they think a searcher is looking for. The two channels work in completely different ways, and the leads they produce behave very differently. If you've ever wondered why some leads close and others go cold the moment you ring back, the answer is often where the lead came from. How Checkatrade actually works You pay a mo

SEO services for steel and metalwork companies cover the technical and marketing work that gets your website ranking in Google when potential customers search for what you fabricate. The right approach depends entirely on what kind of metalwork business you run. An architectural metalwork firm making bespoke gates for homeowners needs a very different setup to a structural steel fabricator selling beams to main contractors. This article explains both, what's different, what's

Slingshot Marketing offers flexible SEO plans for tradespeople in the UK. You choose between a standard monthly retainer with a fixed 12-month term, or a pay-per-lead structure where, after the build phase, you only pay when qualified enquiries land. Both include a brand new website built from scratch, written guarantees, and direct WhatsApp access to the founders. Most UK SEO agencies offer one fixed retainer and that's it. We built two because trades businesses don't all ha

Most roofing directors hit a ceiling. Word of mouth got the business off the ground, the van filled up, maybe a second crew joined, and then it plateaus. The phone goes quiet for a fortnight, you start bidding on Bark, you take jobs you wouldn't normally take, and the cycle restarts. This is a guide to a different way. Getting found on Google by people in your area who already want what you sell. We've written this guide for business owners, not SEO experts. Why SEO works p

Getting people onto your website is only half the battle. Keeping them there is the other half. If visitors land on a page, glance around, then click straight back to Google, your site isn't doing its job. Those quick exits also send a signal to Google that your page wasn't what people were looking for, which hurts your rankings over time. Here are ten features we use with our clients to keep people reading for longer, build trust, and turn more visitors into actual enquiries

You've heard you need local SEO. Maybe a competitor's website keeps showing up above yours on Google. Maybe someone's pitched it as the next thing your business needs. Either way, you want a straight answer on what it actually is, what it does, and whether it's worth your money. We've spent years getting trade businesses found across Cheshire and the wider UK. Here's the version we'd give a friend over a coffee. What is local SEO? Local SEO is the work that gets your business

If you're a tradesman trying to get more local work, SEO might sound confusing or even unnecessary. But showing up on Google when someone...

At Slingshot Marketing, we don’t just talk about SEO. We show what it can do. Below are three real-world examples of how our SEO and...

Good SEO isn’t guesswork. It’s built on research, testing, and tools that show what’s really happening behind the scenes. At Slingshot,...

If you’ve tried SEO before and didn’t see results, you’re not alone. We speak to tradesmen every week who say the same thing: “I paid...

Word of mouth has helped trade businesses grow for decades. A good job leads to a good review. A happy customer tells a friend. Your...

For tradesmen in the UK, getting found on Google can be the difference between a steady flow of work and a quiet month. Unlike ads or...

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can feel confusing, especially for tradesmen. There are loads of myths floating around that make it...

If you’re a tradesman trying to grow your business online, there’s a good chance you’ve tried running Meta Ads. Whether it’s Facebook or Instagram, the idea is simple: pay to get seen, and enquiries will follow. But how does that compare to SEO? And which one gives you more value in the long run? In this article, we’ll break down the key differences between Meta Ads and SEO for tradesmen . We’ll also explain why more businesses are shifting their focus from short-term ads to

If you run a trade business in the UK, chances are you’ve used Bark, Checkatrade or MyBuilder at some point. They’re popular lead...

If you’re a tradesman in the UK, getting found online is now just as important as doing a good job on site. Whether you’re a roofer,...

If you’ve been looking into digital marketing for your trade business, you’ve probably heard that SEO is a long-term investment. But what exactly are you paying for? In this article, we’ll break down the typical costs of running a proper SEO campaign. This includes tools, time, and strategies that all play a role in helping your business rank on Google. At Slingshot Marketing, we handle all of these areas as part of our SEO service for tradesmen . But if you’re curious about