You’ve got the tools, the crew, and the skills to run a solid contracting business. But there’s one nagging problem—you type your business name or service into Google and nothing shows up. Or worse, your competitor comes up first while your website is sitting on page three. That’s not just frustrating, it’s a missed opportunity. If your potential clients can’t find you online, that’s work you’re losing every single day.
Let’s be honest—most contractors don’t spend their evenings reading about search engines. And you shouldn’t have to. But if your website isn’t showing up when people in your area are searching for roofing, renovations, or any service you offer, then something’s off in how your site is set up or promoted. Here’s a breakdown of what could be hiding your business from Google’s radar and how to start fixing it.
Poor Website Optimization
Even a good-looking site won’t do much if it’s not set up right behind the scenes. Bad or no website optimization is one of the main reasons why contractor websites don’t show up in Google search results. Maybe your pages load fine and your pictures look sharp, but if the content isn’t telling Google what your business is about, you’ll stay invisible.
One of the biggest things contractors miss is using the right keywords. If nobody knows what contractor website marketing is or how it helps, that’s already a red flag. For example, if someone in your town searches “roof repair in North Bay” and your site doesn’t say anything about roof repair or North Bay, what’s Google supposed to match it with?
Here are a few quick fixes that can push your website closer to the top:
- Use plain, clear words that match what real people would search for—“home addition contractor” or “kitchen renovation near me”
- Add helpful page titles and headlines that focus on specific services and areas
- Make sure your business name, service list, and contact info are easy to find on every page
- Write pages for every major service you offer, even if it feels repetitive—Google likes specifics
- Avoid writing in blocks of general info with zero mention of location or service type
Don’t overcomplicate it. If you’re a window and door contractor in Sudbury, say that clearly. Don’t just say “serving all your home needs.” That might sound friendly, but search engines need to be spoon-fed what your business actually does and where you do it.
Also check your meta titles and descriptions—the short blurbs that show up in search results. These are small spots but they pack a punch. They tell Google and people what your pages are about. If they’re blank or say something robotic like “Welcome to our page,” you’re missing out on free clicks.
Weak Backlink Profile
Another thing that can keep your site buried is backlinks—or lack of them. A backlink is when another website adds a link to your site. Think of it like a vote. The more solid votes you have, the more Google thinks you’re trustworthy.
Now, if you’ve only got a few links from random places or ones that don’t make sense for your business, they don’t help much. Worse, they might even hurt. That’s especially true if the sites linking to you are low quality or spammy.
What you want is to slowly build good links from real websites. Ones that make sense for your trade. Here’s where you can start:
- Ask suppliers or trades you work with if they’ll link to your site
- Get listed on Canadian contractor directories that focus on legit trades
- Offer to write a quick tip or quote for a local blog or home improvement magazine
- Use social media to point people back to your website when sharing a project
It’s not about having hundreds of junky links. It’s about earning steady, useful links from places related to your line of work. One good example is if you built a deck and the customer shared it in their neighbourhood Facebook group and tagged your website. That’s a real mention and people might actually click it. Google notices that kind of stuff.
Backlinks take time, but they build your site’s reputation. And once Google sees others trust your site, it starts trusting it more too.
Neglecting Local SEO Means Getting Buried
If you’re running a renovation or roofing business in a specific Canadian city or region, your site should show up when people nearby go searching. That’s what local SEO is all about—helping your website show up for location-based searches. If your site is too vague or missing location info, you’ll be skipped over and maybe replaced by a contractor in another city altogether.
You’ve probably searched something yourself like “roof leak repair near me” or “kitchen reno Sudbury.” That’s how homeowners look for trades. If your site doesn’t make it clear that you work in Sudbury or wherever you’re based, then Google’s not going to guess it.
Start simple:
- Make sure your city or service area is written clearly in your homepage, service pages, and page titles
- Create a Google Business Profile—add correct hours, categories, service areas
- Ask happy customers to leave reviews there—it makes a bigger difference than most people think
- List your business in local directories or chamber websites that match your trade
- If you have several service areas, create separate pages for each one
Let’s say you do bathroom renovations in Thunder Bay. Your site should have a page titled something like “Bathroom Renovation Services in Thunder Bay” and include that phrase naturally in the content. That page should explain exactly what kind of work you do, show some photos, and tell people how to contact you. Not stuffing, not overdoing it—just clear and honest.
It’s also worth keeping your business name, phone number, and address the same wherever it shows up online. If one site lists you in Hamilton and another says Toronto, it can confuse Google. Consistency signals trust, and trust helps your site get found.
Why Slow Sites and Bad Mobile Layouts Drive Customers Away
Nobody likes waiting for a webpage to load—especially potential customers. If your site loads slow, or looks bad on a phone, you can bet people aren’t sticking around. And when they leave right away, that tells Google your site shouldn’t be ranked very high.
A slow or clunky website is a quiet deal-breaker. It doesn’t matter how nice the photo gallery looks or if the content’s well written—if your page takes forever to load or looks off on mobile, you’ll lose business.
Here’s what causes those slowdowns and user headaches:
- Large photos or videos that aren’t compressed
- Outdated plugins or too much extra code
- A site not built to adjust for phones and tablets
- Buttons that are hard to tap or text that’s too small
- Pop-ups that block the content
This is more common than you’d think. We recently saw a contractor whose project gallery wouldn’t load at all on mobile. Turned out the image files were huge, and there was no phone-sized version of the site. Fixing it meant photos loaded fast and looked sharp, and almost overnight, visitors stopped leaving right away.
To keep your site fast and easy to use:
- Compress images before uploading them
- Stick to clean design with less clutter
- Keep forms short and avoid anything that requires pinching the screen
- Make sure every page loads in under four seconds on both phone and desktop
- Use clear, easy-to-read text with proper spacing
If it’s been a few years since your site was built or updated, give it a full checkup. Have someone see how it works on a slow connection or older phone. If it’s frustrating to use, there’s a good chance others feel the same way.
Time to Get Found by More Customers
Now’s the time to get your site firing on all cylinders. If you’ve been wondering why no one finds your website, it probably ties back to one or more of the things we’ve gone over—weak keywords, poor backlinks, missing location info, or a slow and clunky layout.
The good news? Each of those problems can be fixed. The key is to get started. Go through your site page by page. Ask yourself whether it clearly tells people what you do, where you do it, and how they can reach you. Start with the basics, keep your text straight to the point, and speak directly to the people you want to work with.
Better visibility doesn’t happen overnight, but it also doesn’t take years if you’re focused. As we head toward late 2025, people will keep searching for trades online like they already do. The ones who show up when someone types “contractor near me” or “roofing company in Kingston” are the ones who’ve taken the time to tidy up the online stuff.
So fix what’s holding your site back and get ready for more work to come your way. You’ve got the skill. Now it’s time to make sure people can actually find you.
Boost your online presence and make your business easy to find with effective contractor website marketing. Funky Moose Digital specializes in strategies that can help you climb the search rankings and attract more clients. Start optimizing your website for better visibility and watch your business grow.