Septic Service SEO: The Definitive Guide [2025]

What Is Septic Service Search Engine Optimization?

SEO aims to rank your business as highly as possible in search engine results pages (SERPs). 

For instance, if you do a Google search for septic service in New Jersey, you get the following results:

The businesses listed on Google Maps and the first page of text business listings have invested time and effort into their SEO to rank highly.

The process of improving your SEO involves the following steps:

• Identify commonly searched keywords related to septic services

• Create valuable content around those keywords

• Include high-quality external and internal links

• Optimize the technical SEO elements of your website

In this guide, we will describe each step in detail and help you get your business ranked as highly as possible.

What Are the Benefits of SEO for Septic Service Companies?

Talk to any SEO expert, and they’ll tell you that the second page of search results is a digital graveyard. 

The click-through rate drops massively over the first ten results. The first listing has a 28.5% CTR, which drops to just 2.5% by position ten.

Source

A higher click-through rate means more traffic landing on your website, which is the main benefit of SEO for septic services. This means you don't need to overspend on pay-per-click advertising. 

The quality of the traffic landing on your site will also be better. If people have gone through the trouble of searching for specific information, clicking your link, and engaging with your content, then you can safely assume they are 'qualified leads.' Getting higher-quality leads will reduce your customer acquisition cost. 

Another great thing about SEO is its measurable, scalable, and repeatability. You can see how well your SEO content performs, adapt it to suit, and create similar content to generate more traffic.

What Are the Potential Drawbacks of SEO for Septic Services?

Although there are many upsides to septic service SEO, there are a few disadvantages, too.

• SEO isn’t a quick fix: Compared to other lead generation methods, such as paid advertising or sales outreach, SEO takes more time to produce results. A recent Ahrefs survey revealed that SEO usually takes three to six months to achieve higher rankings and increased web traffic.

• No guarantee of results: Even if you manage to get near the top of the first Google page for specific keywords, there’s no guarantee you’ll stay there. SEO is an ongoing process, and you must monitor competitor performance to stay one step ahead.

• Can be costly: If there’s a lot of competition for septic services in your area, you might have to spend more money to rank highly in the SERPs. You might need to hire professionals to help you, such as SEO keyword researchers, content writers, backlinking specialists, and SEO technicians. 

What Are the SEO Types for Septic Service Businesses?

First, you need to understand the different SEO types to generate more leads for your septic service business. 

Local SEO 

Local SEO helps you to be found by people in your area. You can claim a Google Business Profile and update it with your address, hours, services, and phone number. Make sure all this info is accurate. 

Then, if someone searches for 'septic service near me,' your business is more likely to pop up, especially if you have some good reviews and testimonials. You should always ask happy customers to write reviews for you, as it helps build trust.

On-page SEO

This covers everything related to website content, such as adding keywords to your service pages. These should be words people search for, like 'septic tank pumping near me.' Starting a blog can help with on-page SEO. Y

ou can post content with titles like '5 Signs Your Septic Tank Needs Pumping.' Ensure your on-page SEO content answers people's common questions, as these are more likely to appear in search results. 

Off-page SEO 

Also known as 'off-site' SEO, this refers to other websites linking to yours. For instance, you could partner up with a local services provider, e.g., a plumber, and they could include links to some of your content, and you can link to theirs. Social media platforms also come under off-page SEO, as you might post content on Facebook or LinkedIn about septic tank maintenance that includes links to your website. Driving traffic to your content like this helps with your search engine rankings.

Technical SEO 

These behind-the-scenes details make your website easy for search engines like Google to understand and rank. You need to ensure you have up-to-date sitemaps and robots.txt files. Your website should also load quickly, as people don’t stick around for a slow page these days. You can improve site speed by compressing images and removing clunky old plugins. Mobile-friendliness is a must these days, as many people looking for septic services will search on their phones. 

How to Create an SEO Strategy for Your Septic Service Company

1. Local SEO

When you search for something local, like 'septic tank repair near me,' Google often shows a map with three businesses listed at the top. That’s called the Google Map Pack, and it’s prime real estate for local businesses like yours.

When the Google Map Pack pops up, it takes up most of the screen on a phone. People don’t even have to scroll to see those three businesses. If you’re on that list, you’re likely to get clicked on. 

To get listed in the Google Map Pack and increase your local visibility, you need to add your location to Google Maps. However, as described below, you must first do several other things.

You can integrate instant booking into your local services ad. When customers click the link, they can automatically schedule various services. This will help your ad stand out and make life easier for you and your customers. 

Create and optimize your Google Business Profile

Follow this Google My Business link to set up a profile. It’s one of the best ways to ensure people can find you when they search locally. You can easily set up a business profile that shows all the info customers need, such as opening hours, photos, and contact details. You can even list your social media accounts in the profile.

Get reviews

Reviews make your business seem more trustworthy. If potential clients are faced with two septic service companies, one with lots of glowing online reviews and the other with none, or only a handful, it’s obvious which one they’ll call. Having good reviews also makes you more likely to appear in the top three of the Google Map Pack. 

ServiceTitan’s Marketing Pro – Reputation helps you get more reviews by sending automated review requests whenever you finish a job. You simply set it up, and it takes care of your follow-up, making reputation management easier than ever.

Build citations for your septic service business

Local citations are mentions of your business online, including key details like your company’s name, address, phone number, website, and pricing. When Google sees your business info listed consistently across directories, it sees your business as trustworthy and boosts your local SEO rankings. 

Citations can appear in online directories like Yelp and Angie’s List or industry-specific directories. Make an effort to keep everything consistent. If your company name is shortened in one place but not another—'Septic Service Company' and 'Septic Service Co.’ for example—it can confuse Google and your potential customers.

Optimize your website for local search

Your homepage should be crystal clear and say exactly which service area you cover, such as 'Proudly serving Nashville, Franklin, and Brentwood.' It should also include all your contact information and a rundown of services, such as septic tank pumping and inspections. This will help Google and potential customers understand what you do and where you do it.

2. Keyword research

Keyword research is all about figuring out what your potential customers are typing into Google when they’re looking for your services. For example, someone might search for 'septic tank repair near me' or 'how to maintain a septic system.' Knowing those terms lets you optimize your website to match their preferences.

Here are a few easy ways to do keyword research:

• Google’s Autocomplete: When you start typing in the search bar and Google finishes your sentence, that’s autocomplete, and it’s a helpful way to find popular search terms.

Example: If you type 'septic tank,' Google might suggest 'septic tank cleaning cost' or 'septic tank maintenance tips.' Those are great ideas for keywords.

• Related Searches: At the bottom of a Google search results page, you’ll see suggestions under the heading 'People also search for.' Those are more keywords to explore.

Example: If you search 'septic pumping,' related searches might include 'emergency septic services' or 'local septic companies.'

• SEO Tools: Tools like Semrush or Ahrefs provide extensive data, such as the number of people searching for a keyword (search volume) and the difficulty of ranking for it.

Example: You could use a tool to find that 'septic tank replacement cost' gets a lot of searches and include that phrase on your website.

• Competitor Research: Look at high-ranking competitors to see which keywords they’re targeting and the content that goes with them. 

Ensure you don’t target the same keyword on multiple pages, as Google gets confused about which to rank. Each page on your site should focus on a unique keyword. For instance, your homepage might target 'septic services in Nashville,' while a blog post focuses on 'septic services in Tennessee.'

3. On-page SEO

Optimizing on-page SEO means ensuring your content has the right keywords and is well-structured. Every page on your site should have a clean URL, title tags, meta descriptions, and image alt text (descriptions). The aim is to make everything as relevant and user-friendly as possible.

4. Content

The purpose of SEO content is to provide blog posts that answer common questions people are searching for online. You should aim to help people overcome problems related to your business. This is often referred to as 'matching search intent.' 

For your septic service business, potential customers might ask questions like, 'Why does my yard smell like sewage?' or 'What are the signs of a full septic tank?' or 'How much does it cost to repair a septic tank?'

5. Technical SEO

Technical SEO refers to improving your website’s technical foundation to make it faster, easier to crawl, and more understandable for search engines like Google to index accurately. 

Some important technical SEO elements to know for your septic service’s website are as follows:

• Robots.txt: These files control what search engines see. A properly configured robots.txt file ensures that search engines only crawl and index the pages you want, for more focused listings.

• Sitemap implementation: An XML sitemap guides search engines to all your main pages, so important content isn’t overlooked.

• Page speed: Fast-loading pages keep visitors happy and help your site rank higher in search results.

• Mobile-friendly: Make your site easy to navigate on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

• Website architecture: A clear and logical structure makes it easy for search engines and visitors to find what they need.

• HTPPS: HTTPS protects user data and earns trust from users and search engines.

6. Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO is everything you do outside your website to build credibility and authority. Search engines use off-page signals to decide if your site is trustworthy and worth ranking more highly.

Getting backlinks from other sites to your septic service content helps build your reputation because they act as endorsements. However, off-page SEO includes social signals (shares and mentions on social media), branded searches (people searching specifically for your brand name), forum mentions, and reviews.

If you want quality backlinks, consider using the following techniques:

• Guest Blogging: Write for industry-relevant blogs and include links back to your site.

• Broken Link Building: Find broken links on other sites and suggest they link to your relevant content instead.

• Data-Driven Content: Publish stats or research that other people want to cite in their content.

• Building Relationships: Network with influencers or other businesses to earn natural mentions.

7. User Experience

User experience (UX) focuses on creating an enjoyable experience for users. The more people engage with your site and content, the more of an SEO boost you get, helping you rank higher. 

This means making it easy for people to engage with your content, without distractions like pop-ups. You should also structure content well with clear headings and subheadings (H1s, H2s, and H3s). This makes it easier for readers to skim your content and for search engines to understand the hierarchy. Headings should clearly indicate what your content is all about, as shown in this example:

• H1: 'Septic Tank Services in Nashville'

• H2: 'Why Regular Pumping Is Important'

• H3: 'How Often Should You Pump?'

Other factors to pay attention to are the visual elements of your website design and how well the content engages users.

• Use white space: Giving your content room to breathe helps improve readability and reduces clutter.

• Include images and infographics: Pictures speak louder than words. They also help to make complex info more digestible.

• Include examples: Show rather than tell. Case studies and real-world examples make your content more relatable and easier to understand.

• Use relevant CTAs: Guide people to take the next step, with calls to action such as 'Get a Free Quote' or 'Contact Us'. 

You should also make ieasyble for people to book. With ServiceTitan Scheduling Pro, you can link to a schedule engineer from your website, allowing people to book your services using an online tool, a voice call, or web chat.

What SEO Practices Should Septic Service Businesses Avoid?

There are two main types of SEO techniques: white hat and black hat. In this guide, we’ve discussed white-hat techniques, which are legitimate and endorsed by search engines like Google.

Avoid black-hat SEO marketing strategies, as they can get you in trouble. Companies like Google can issue penalties and block your content if you break the rules.

Here are some black-hat SEO tactics to avoid:

• Keyword stuffing: This involves overloading your content with keywords, often in ways that feel unnatural. It annoys users, and Google can penalize your site or remove it entirely from search results.

• Buying backlinks: Paying for links to boost rankings violates Google’s guidelines. When the algorithm catches on (and it usually will) those links won’t count. In the worst-case scenario, your entire site could be de-indexed.

• Hidden text and links: Google strongly discourages the sneaky tactic of adding invisible keywords or links that users can’t see, but search engines can.

• Doorway pages: These are designed solely to rank for specific terms and redirect users to another site. They are a big no-no and can result in penalties.

• Excessive reciprocal link exchanges: Don’t exchange links with others, e.g., 'I’ll link to you if you link to me.' These are a red flag for search engines, as Google sees them as an attempt to manipulate rankings, which can lead to penalties or de-indexing.

• Cloaking: This means showing different content to users and search engines. For example, you might present helpful snippets of content to Google but redirect users to irrelevant or spammy pages.

• Content automation: Using AI tools to churn out low-quality, auto-generated content is a surefire way to damage your site’s credibility and negatively impact SEO.

• Duplicate content: Avoid creating multiple pages with the same or very similar content. This can confuse users and search engines.

As mentioned in the previous section, the best way to avoid being penalized by search engines is to prioritize user experience. This means providing valuable, engaging content that helps people. 

What SEO Tools Should Septic Service Contractors Know?

Using the right SEO tools as part of your digital marketing strategy helps you improve your content’s ranking in SERPs and attract more local customers to your septic service business.

• Google Search Console: Monitors how well your website performs in search results. It shows which keywords bring visitors to your site and flags technical issues like slow-loading pages.

  • For septic services, you can check which local queries, like 'septic tank cleaning near me,' drive the most traffic.

• Google Analytics: Provides insights into your website’s traffic. You can view detailed metrics such as bounce and conversion rates​​, which helps optimize your SEO content.

  • For example, if your blog post about 'When to Pump Your Septic Tank' receives a lot of traffic but low engagement, you might need to refine your call to action (CTA).

• Google Keyword Planner: Originally designed for Google Ads, this tool helps you find the best keywords for your content and provides plenty of data related to search volume and competition.

  • With this tool, you can target phrases like 'affordable septic repair' or 'emergency septic services.'

Over to You!

Ranking on the first page of Google means more clicks, calls, and booked jobs. Septic service SEO helps you get there, making it easier for customers to find you when they search for terms like 'septic tank repairs.' 

A strong local SEO strategy ensures your business appears in Google Maps and local search results. In contrast, on-page SEO helps attract leads with relevant content, such as blog posts on 'septic tank cleaning' or 'emergency septic repairs.'

To enhance your SEO efforts, ServiceTitan’s Marketing Pro helps you turn that traffic into actual customers through automated email and text campaigns, reputation management to boost reviews, and local service ads to amplify your visibility.

ServiceTitan is an all-in-one platform for home service businesses that makes scheduling and dispatching easier. It automates tasks such as online booking and review requests. It boosts local SEO with Google Business Profile integration and tracks lead sources. It’s ideal if you’re looking to save time on admin tasks and grow your revenue.