Shredding Customers are Searching Online: How to Win Them Over

The Competitive Nature of Shredding

In most cities, shredding services are hyper-competitive. Not only do independent shredding companies compete against one another, but you also compete against regional and national service providers. That makes for a turbulent marketplace. Since the shredding company with the strongest online presence usually wins, you need a plan to stand out from the crowd. Fortunately, there are time-proven strategies to promote your business and attract new clientele. By adopting a marketing mindset, you are more likely to succeed in attracting new business. In fact, you could even consider yourself as a digital marketer that just happens to offer shredding as the end product.

Marketing Opportunities in Document Destruction

There is often urgency when people search for a document shredding service. Since many clients have boxes of files just waiting to be destroyed, the first company to give them what they are looking for usually wins the business. But appearing prominently in search results is only half of the battle. Your website must be tailored to convert visitors into paying customers, or people will continue searching. But the bar has raised on client expectations, people are comparing your website to the best experiences they have had online. Don’t disappoint them!

A conversion-friendly homepage or landing page can make all the difference. What’s “conversion-friendly”? That’s the idea of persuading people into action. On a shredding website, the action you want people to take is booking a purge or inquiring about route service.

Fortunately, there’s a long list of techniques you can use such as social proof, trust badges, calls-to-action, and click-to-call functionality. With a few tweaks, you can tip the odds in your favor of winning that next big purge or weekly route customer.

The Value of High-Quality Web Content

Cornerstone Content

An often overlooked, yet simple, optimization strategy is to add highquality written content to your website. Compelling content is helpful for your web visitors as well as being a significant Google ranking factor. Since Google tends to reward content-rich pages, you’ll want to explain every facet of your service offerings in detail. In fact, every service should have its own dedicated webpage. For example, if you offer residential shredding, then be sure to have a residential page with 500-1000 words. Same goes for mobile shredding, plant-based shredding, hard drive destruction, route service, and purge services. These service pages are considered as your “cornerstone content”.

Geographic Content

Since shredders typically service a specific geographic area, then it only makes sense to sprinkle in geographic references throughout your copywriting. This helps Google understand your service area. It also reinforces your community presence to local clientele. If you service multiple towns, then each city should have a standalone landing page. The idea here is that searchers are more likely to stumble across your website if you are clear about which areas you service.

Blog Content

Once your cornerstone content is in place, then consider keeping your website current by publishing regular articles on industry topics. An up-to-date blog demonstrates your commitment to the industry. Think of it from the perspective of a potential client; wouldn’t you rather deal with a shredding company that lives-and-breathes the shredding industry? As an added bonus, blogs provide keyword-rich content for Google to analyze as their “Googlebots” come along to index your site.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Fundamentals

To be found on the first page of Google results, pay attention to SEO fundamentals. For example, did you know loading times directly impact your search rankings? Google knows your mobile and desktop loading speeds, and they’ll reward you for a fastloading website. And since people aren’t patient enough to wait around for a slow-loading site, speed is good for your visitors too. (In a Google study, half of people abandon websites that take longer than 3 seconds to load!)

Frustratingly, there’s no single fix that will skyrocket your SEO. It’s about making dozens of small, technical optimizations to stay in Google’s good graces. And to keep you on your toes, SEO is a moving target since Google regularly updates its algorithm.

In recent years, Google has placed a priority on establishing experience, expertise, authority and trust. But how do you do that? A strong backlinking strategy is a good start. Another consideration is favorable user reviews across multiple channels. And lots of relevant content that actually helps users in their journey (instead of trying to pander to Google). Beyond that, it’s always a good idea to regularly update your website with industry news articles. Even a healthy social media following can make a difference. All of which will help develop and maintain a positive online reputation.

Google Ads for the Shredding Industry

Done correctly, pay-per-click ads are remarkably effective in the shredding industry. People tend to be motivated to get rid of old documents, so they click on the very first search result that crops up. More often that not, the first result is a paid ad (whether the searcher realizes it or not). So even if your website is ranking well organically, you still risk missing potential clicks if you’re not running digital ads.

For digital ads, the “cost-per-click” varies from city to city, depending on competitive influences. Be warned: Google will gladly accept your advertising dollars without question, so it’s up to you to ensure your campaign is performing efficiently. Regardless of your click cost, a persuasive ad can keep your acquisition cost at a minimum. And by tracking your success rate, you can benefit from a profitable pay-per-click campaign.

In Summary

There’s no single marketing activity that will move the needle on its own. That’s why we call it a “marketing mix”. It is about employing a robust marketing strategy across multiple channels. Fortunately, there are many common-sense activities that you can do on your own to boost your online visibility and increase your chances of winning that next shredding customer. Good luck out there!

About Daryl

Before joining NetGain in 2017, Daryl managed a commercial records center for 10 years. Daryl’s hands-on experience in shredding, scanning and records storage combined with his digital marketing experience has made him a go-to expert. (Daryl is quick to point out this article was hand-crafted … no AI needed!)

About NetGain

For over 15 years, NetGain has been engaged in the information destruction industry. Their deep knowledge of the industry has made them a highly sought-after partner for web marketing. NetGain specializes in generating qualified leads with robust digital marketing. Their services include website design, SEO, and Google Ads.

CONTRIBUTOR:

Daryl Woytowicz Account Director

NetGain www.netgainseo.com

DarylW@netgainseo.com 1-888-797-2455