5 reasons your competitors are ranking higher on Google

Finding the best website ranking tool is just the beginning, as if your plumbing, building or electrical business isn’t appearing on Google, potential customers are booking your competitors instead. While you’re delivering quality work, they’re capturing the leads that should be yours.

The harsh reality? Most tradespeople have websites that simply don’t perform. Poor page speed, weak content and missing local SEO signals all contribute to an invisible online presence. Meanwhile, competitors with properly optimised sites are dominating search results and winning more local work.

The good news is that achieving better rankings isn’t rocket science. With the best website ranking tools, any trade business can improve its Google visibility. At TradePal, we’ve helped various tradespeople climb the search rankings through custom websites, targeted search engine optimisation, and branding. Let’s explore exactly why your competitors might be outranking you, and what you can do about it.

Five common reasons your website ranks below competitors on Google

Understanding why your website underperforms is the first step to fixing it. These five factors separate successful trade websites from the rest.

1. Page speed

Your website’s loading time directly impacts your Google rankings and user experience. If your site takes longer than three seconds to load, potential customers may click away to find a faster competitor.

Google’s algorithms prioritise fast-loading websites because they provide better user experience. Trade websites often struggle with page speed due to unoptimised images or poor hosting choices. When someone searches “plumber near me” on their phone, they want instant results, not a spinning loading wheel. With attention spans shortening across the country, the last thing you want is to lose out on business due to a lagging site.

Using Google Search Console reveals current page speed performance and provides valuable insights into technical issues. However, fixing these problems requires expertise most tradespeople don’t have time to develop.

2. Content quality

Thin, generic content won’t help you appear on searches that could lead to business. Your competitors might be creating detailed service pages with proper word count, local area content and helpful resources that search engines love.

Quality content means clear, helpful information that answers common customer questions. Pages about “emergency plumbing in [your town]” can capture search volume of audiences looking to convert.

Effective keyword discovery reveals what local customers search for most. Creating the right type of content to appear in these searches requires understanding of both SEO strategy and customer needs. Proper meta descriptions and well-structured web page content also contribute to higher rankings.

3. Poor branding and professional appearance

Weak branding signals to both customers and search engines that your business lacks authority and trustworthiness. Your competitors might have professional logos, consistent visual identity and branded materials that build credibility and support their overall online presence.

Professional branding extends beyond aesthetics, it affects user experience, click-through rates and how long visitors stay on your website. Search engines notice these user behaviour signals and factor them into rankings. Consistent branding across your website, social media and Google Business Profile also strengthens your local SEO efforts.

Strong branding makes customers more likely to remember and recommend your business, leading to better review profiles and natural backlinks that boost search rankings.

4. Mobile responsiveness

With most local searches happening on mobile devices, a website that doesn’t work properly on phones will struggle to rank well. Google’s mobile-first indexing means your mobile site performance directly affects your search engine results, and overall enquiries as a result.

Your competitors might have invested in professional web design, giving them an easy-to-use site on any device. The learning curve for mobile optimisation can be steep, but mobile page speed and clear navigation all impact your overall SEO performance.

5. Local optimisation

Local SEO determines whether you appear in “near me” searches and Google Maps results. Your competitors might have optimised their Google Business Profile, collected reviews and built local citations for specific use case scenarios.

Effective local search optimisation includes consistent business information across directories and location-specific content. When someone searches for services in your area, Google evaluates hundreds of local ranking factors to determine which businesses appear first.

Many trade businesses neglect their Google Business Profile, leaving valuable organic traffic on the table while better-optimised competitors capture those leads through superior local SEO strategy.

The solution – TradePal’s website and marketing services

We build fast, mobile-ready websites specifically designed to help trade businesses rank higher on Google and win more local work. Our custom websites include built-in SEO, Google Business Profile integration and everything needed to outperform competitors online.

Every TradePal website comes with speed-optimised hosting, SSL certificates and mobile-responsive design. We handle technical SEO, ensuring your site meets Google’s requirements through strategic keyword research and optimised content.

Comprehensive marketing support

Beyond websites, we provide complete digital marketing solutions:

• Search engine optimisation – Ongoing SEO work to improve your Google rank for local keywords
• Social media management – Regular posts and engagement to build your online presence
• Professional branding – Logos, van livery and materials that build trust and recognition
• Google Business Profile setup – Complete optimisation of your local listings

Our approach combines technical expertise with an understanding of how trade customers search online, with ongoing rank tracking to monitor progress.

The best website ranking tool for checking your performance

The best website ranking tools provide actionable insights into your website’s performance and reveal opportunities to outrank competitors. These free SEO tools and paid options help tradespeople monitor their progress.

Google Business Profile Setup – Complete optimisation of your local listings

Shows how your business appears in Google Search and Maps, tracking clicks, calls and customer actions. This tool provides valuable insights into local search performance without requiring a credit card. The free plan offers everything most trade businesses need.

We help our TradePal customers optimise their profiles to maximise local visibility.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console monitors your website’s search performance and reveals which keywords drive traffic. This free tool connects directly to Google search console data, providing insights no rank tracker can match.

The user interface shows search query data and web page performance. For tradespeople, it’s particularly valuable for tracking local keyword rankings. The number of keywords you can monitor is unlimited in the free version.

SE Ranking

SE Ranking offers comprehensive rank tracking capabilities with a user-friendly interface and free trial option. This keyword research tool provides SERP data (Search Engine Results Pages), competitor analysis and tracks your progress across multiple search engines.

The platform monitors SERP features and tracks keyword rankings over time. While it requires a paid plan for full functionality, the free trial allows team members to explore its capabilities.

What’s the best tool for checking local rankings?

Google Business Profile is the best website ranking tool for tradespeople to monitor their local search performance. It shows exactly how customers find your business through Google Search and Maps, providing direct insights into local visibility that other tools can’t match.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need expensive SEO tools to compete online? While premium tools offer advanced features like white label reporting and detailed Search Engine Results Page (SERP) data analysis, free options like Google Search Console provide essential keyword data for most trade businesses. The key is consistent optimisation rather than expensive software.

Can I improve my rankings without changing my website? Some improvements like Google Business Profile optimisation can help, but fundamental issues with page speed or content quality require website updates for meaningful results. Google Local Search and Google Ads can provide immediate visibility while you work on organic improvements.

Ready to stop losing work to better-optimised competitors? Our team builds websites that rank higher, load faster and convert more visitors into customers. From technical SEO to local optimisation, we handle everything so you can focus on the work you do best.

Contact TradePal today on 020 4572 0845 to discover how our websites and marketing services can help your trade business dominate local search results and win more work.

Who are TradePal?

We’re TradePal, and we specialise in helping construction and trade businesses reach the next level through professional marketing, proven strategies and essential business tools for what is a competitive industry.

Our comprehensive packages include everything you need to attract better clients and grow your business. From custom-built websites optimised for local search to professional branding that builds trust, we provide the marketing tools that help trade companies compete effectively.

We work with trade businesses of all sizes, from sole traders to established teams looking to secure larger projects. Our services include website design, search engine optimisation, social media management, professional branding and comprehensive business management tools through our TradePal app. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call today on 020 4572 0845!