Outdoor Living Contractor Goes From An Obscure Google Presence To Top 3 Position

Case Study: McKinley Construction Management, outdoor living spaces contractor in Dallas and Collin Counties, TX

The Background

Before working with us, Cody’s online presence wasn’t reaching its full potential.

Like most contractors, Cody knew the power of organic marketing and what it could do for his business. He was looking to expand his reach and get more leads while also making it easier for homeowners to find him on Google.

He tried a more affordable SEO company, but the results just weren’t there.

After studying his online presence and the results he was getting, it was clear he needed a new approach. His website wasn’t showing up at the top of search results where it mattered most — right in front of potential customers actively searching for his services. We stepped in with a data-backed strategy to make sure his business would rank number one.

By closely monitoring competitor movements, analyzing trends, and keeping our finger on the pulse of the market, we make sure you’re always ahead. Even with Google’s changing algorithms, our approach adapts, always keeping you in the best position to win.

SEO and organic marketing amplify everything else you’re doing.

When your business ranks at the top, you’re more visible to customers who need your services. This strengthens your overall marketing efforts, making them more sustainable and cost-effective by giving homeowners multiple ways to find you.

Success isn’t just possible — it’s predictable with the right strategy.

The Challenges

Invisible Rankings

Cody’s business faced a real challenge: despite getting website traffic and having gathered a serious number of reviews, his Google Business Profile wasn’t showing up where it mattered — at the top of search results.

This is where potential customers are looking, and if you’re not there, you’re losing business.

But not all clicks are created equal, and lots of Google reviews aren’t enough. Getting traffic to your website is important, but it’s the right traffic that makes the difference.

When people find you using high-value, client-grabbing keywords, those homeowners are more likely to become real leads.

SEO and local SEO are both important. National SEO builds your overall reputation and trust online, while local SEO gets you in front of homeowners who are ready to hire someone in their area.

Cody’s business was always in a highly competitive area, which means that even good SEO isn’t enough by itself. Your traffic can still be affected by what your competitors are doing with their own organic and paid strategies. It’s not just about having SEO; it’s about having SEO that’s better and more efficient than your competitors’.

Winning against your competitors requires more than just putting up a few blog posts. It takes a marketing partner who understands data analysis, knows your market inside and out, and keeps a close watch on competitor movements.

At Contracting Empire, we do this as a given. We don’t guess — we make decisions based on real data and adjust strategies continuously to keep you ahead.

While some agencies might tell you to wait six months to see results, we don’t leave things to chance. We check performance monthly, give you insights, and adapt your strategy based on what’s working. You get results faster because we never stop refining and improving your plan.

finding the Golden Opportunities

In contracting, finding the most profitable service is the difference between just getting by and truly thriving. At Contracting Empire, we know how to spot those golden opportunities that boost cash flow and drive steady growth.

We start with a full audit of your business to see how it’s performing and where there’s room for improvement. We dig into your services, target market, and competitors to get a clear picture of what’s working and what’s not.

One of our first steps is pinpointing neighborhoods where people are most likely to invest in your services. We use data like household income, population, and proximity to your business to find the areas with the highest potential.

Then, we dive into keyword searches to discover what homeowners in those areas are actually looking for. By identifying high-demand services and popular search terms, we fine-tune your marketing strategy to meet their specific needs and get you winning fast.

And then, we just follow the money.

The Strategy

When it comes to SEO, success isn’t just about adding a few keywords to your website. It requires a comprehensive strategy that covers every aspect of your online presence.

We started by enhancing Cody’s website, making sure it was structured to rank well for the terms his potential customers were using.

But having the right keywords was just the beginning. SEO isn’t a “set-it-and-forget-it” game. It requires constant monitoring and adjustment to stay ahead.

For Cody, we continuously tracked keyword performance and adjusted strategies to keep his site visible and competitive, adapting to changes in search trends and algorithms.

We also tackled the problem with Cody’s GBP, which wasn’t showing up in searches even in his main location. We focused on optimizing it by improving the details and consistency of the information displayed matched across all platforms. This immediately helped boost his profile’s visibility in local searches.

We also identified opportunities for creating high-quality local content that resonated with Cody’s audience. By tailoring content specifically to local interests and needs, we positioned Cody’s business as the go-to choice in his area.

At Contracting Empire, we understand that SEO is not just about publishing content or sprinkling in keywords. It’s about creating a complete strategy that brings all the moving parts together to work in your favor.

That’s what we did for Cody — and that’s what we can do for you.

The Importance of a DBA for SEO Success

When Cody first came to us, McKinley Construction & Management offered a range of services: outdoor kitchens, living spaces, landscape design, sunrooms, patio pavers, and outdoor furniture. While these services were appealing, they didn’t align with the most profitable opportunities in his market. Cody needed more leads and asked us to help.

We took a closer look at the data to ensure we were on the right path. Through in-depth analysis, we identified the best opportunities for growth. It became clear that refining the focus of his business was essential.

Given his expertise in outdoor living spaces, several options stood out, including outdoor kitchens, living spaces, and pool building. However, our data revealed a strong trend: deck building was surging in his area with a 240% growth year-over-year, while searches for outdoor kitchens were on a slight decline. “Outdoor living spaces” was a steady term, but much of the traffic was unrelated, skewed by a popular furniture store named “Living Spaces.”

To maximize his marketing efforts, we recommended focusing on “Outdoor Living” as the main theme while leveraging the growing interest in “deck building.” This dual approach would help capture a broader market. If needed, we could pivot to emphasize “deck builder” as the primary focus later.

We also suggested a DBA (Doing Business As) for McKinley Construction & Management.

Renaming to “MCM Outdoor Living” would clearly indicate what Cody’s business specialized in, improving his visibility in local searches and making it easier for potential clients to find him.

The Results

Turning The Map Green

At Contracting Empire, we believe in being fully transparent about your progress. Many marketing companies keep you in the dark, but we do things differently. We use top-notch tools to track your results and report them to you every month, so you always know where you stand.

Take a look at the 15×15 grid below. This heatmap shows how Cody’s business is ranking in different areas after we upgraded his website and optimized it with the right services and keywords.

The green dots mean Cody’s business is showing up in the top 3 spots on Google when people search in those areas, which is where you want to be. The orange dots mean we’re getting close, and we’re actively working to turn those into green.

The more green dots, the more Cody’s business appears at the top of search results, which means he’s capturing all the leads in those areas. More visibility means more calls, more jobs, and more growth.

As your marketing partners, we do a lot of things behind the scenes to bring you these types of wins. We:

Make sure you get found for what homeowners in your area are actually looking for.
Put the right content on your website to attract those homeowners.
Build the supporting system for your SEO and local SEO to give you the results you're looking for.
Create a great experience for the homeowner when they come to your website, like making sure the site loads in under two seconds.
Design a specific journey on your website that guides homeowners from first discovering your brand to trusting you as their go-to contractor.
Stay on top of what your competitors are doing, so we can spot and seize any opportunities for your business.

And a lot more.

Our clients love the fact that they don’t need to know how any of this stuff because we do it for them.

For us, it’s in our nature. We love digging into the data, seeing what’s going on in your market, looking at homeowners and competitors, and making decisions based on actual numbers.

These two screenshots show the power of a smart SEO strategy. Back in May 2023, Cody’s business was ranking at number 21 for ‘deck builders’ — far from where it needed to be. Fast forward to March 2024, and now he’s in the second spot.

This kind of leap means more visibility, more clicks, and more leads. Moving from position 21 to the second spot isn’t just a number; it’s the difference between getting overlooked and being the top choice for customers searching for services.

By ranking higher, Cody’s business is capturing more attention from homeowners who are ready to hire.

Imagine what this could mean for your business: being at the top when potential clients are looking for your services. That’s what a strong SEO strategy can achieve.

Quality Local Content

MCM’s recent SEO achievements have put Cody’s website right at the top of Google’s search results as a featured snippet for key searches like “pool building” and “deck building costs”.

This means his site grabs attention first, showing up as the go-to answer for homeowners searching for these services. Google sees Cody’s content as informative and trustworthy, making his business the star of the show.

We achieve this by creating content that homeowners are actively searching for. When Google sees your content as valuable, it highlights your business at the top of search results.

This accomplishes a lot of things: