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The word “masonry” means everything
Slab, boundary wall, extension, render, dressed stone: the customer doesn't know whether you do what they need. When in doubt, they contact the one whose website shows a job similar to theirs.
Home / Industries / Masonry and structural work
SEO for builders: show your projects to people planning theirs.
Nobody orders an extension or an opening in a load-bearing wall on a whim. The customer researches for months, looks at photos, compares businesses, then contacts two or three. If your projects can't be seen anywhere, you're not part of the comparison. I make your work visible on Google, in the towns where you build.
- Rattle your competitors.
- Overtake them.
- Protect you from their attacks.
15 years in SEO
4 books on SEO and GEO
200+ sites tracked every day
1M / month visits to my e-commerce site
They trusted me with their visibility
Darty
Eurofins
Cegid
EBP
CNP Assurances
Ingram MicroThe detail of this page
Seven results for an extension, only one builder
A couple is planning an extension in Barbezieux and types their search. They find house builders, price guides and platforms. Your business, which has already built extensions in the town, is seventh in line. Move it up.
- A national house builder · builder-1.exampleHouse extensions: our designs and prices
- A price guide · job-prices.exampleHouse extension price per m²
- A quote platform · building-quotes.exampleExtension in Barbezieux: get several quotes
- An interiors magazine · home-magazine.exampleTen ideas for extending your home
- A directory · trades-directory.exampleBuilders in Barbezieux: the list
- A kit extension seller · kit-extension.exampleKit extension, delivered to your door
- Youyour-masonry.exampleHouse extension in Barbezieux: structural work by a local builderFoundations, walls, tie-in with the existing building. Recent extensions to see, with photos and durations.
Your position: 7
Fig. 1. Seven results for an extension. Only one has poured foundations in the town. (The first six talk about extensions. You're the only one who's built any there.)
What this means for you. I put your work forward, with its town and its stages. That's what the other six results can't publish.
What is SEO for a builder?
SEO for a builder is the set of settings and content that move a masonry business up in Google for searches like an extension, a patio, a wall opening or the repair of a stone wall, in a given area. It relies on a complete Google Business Profile, a page per type of work and documented projects. It's assessed on the quote requests received for jobs of the size you're after.
The problem
What holds builders back online.
Long jobs, so few opportunities
You complete a few big projects a year. Every lost quote is expensive. You need few enquiries, but serious ones, with a defined project and a budget.
No trace of finished work
Once the job is handed over, nothing is left online. Ten years of work can't be seen, while a newer competitor posts every slab they pour.
An audit, for real
What I spot in thirty seconds on a builder's website.
The site below doesn't exist, but its flaws do: they're the five I spot most often. Hover over a number.
https://votre-maconnerie.exemple
YOUR BUSINESSHome · Expertise · Photos · Quote
Building your projects, stone by stone
New builds and renovation: a reliable company for all your masonry work.
Request a quoteFig. 2. Fictional site, reconstructed. Any resemblance to yours would be a good reason to call me.
- 1A title saying “General masonry”The type of work and the place are missing. “Builder in Barbezieux: extensions, wall openings, stonework” answers three searches.
- 2An “Expertise” section with no list of worksVisitors look for “extension” or “patio” in the menu. They don't find them and leave.
- 3A nice sentence, no information“Stone by stone” doesn't say whether you restore old buildings or lay breeze blocks. Write down what you build.
- 4A close-up of a trowelIt illustrates the trade, not your business. Show an extension you built, with the town.
- 5An “Other, contact us” sectionWhat isn't named isn't found. Fencing, paving, drainage: every type of work must be written down.
What your customers type
What your future customers type into Google.
Six possible searches, presented as examples rather than measurements. Your real list depends on your work and your area.
- 1“builder” followed by the name of their town
- They want someone local, whom their neighbours might know. The Google Business Profile must show your work and state the communes where you operate.
- 2“load-bearing wall opening price”
- They want to enlarge a room and know it's tricky. A dedicated page explains the steps, from the structural survey to fitting the beam, and states who does what.
- 3“20 m² breeze block house extension”
- A considered project, a sizeable budget. They're looking for examples close to theirs. Completed extensions, with floor area, duration and photos of the structural work, speak to them directly.
- 4“crack in exterior wall serious or not”
- They're worried and don't know whom to consult. A page that separates the simple cases from those that need inspecting, and offers a visit, gives them a name to call: yours.
- 5“repoint stone wall with lime”
- They own an old house and want work that respects the building. If you master lime and stone, a separate page attracts exactly these owners.
- 6“concrete patio or slabs on pedestals”
- They're comparing options before choosing a tradesperson. A clear text on the advantages of each option, illustrated with your patios, naturally leads them to ask you for a price.
What works
The five levers for a builder.
Project pages
This is the heart of the work. For each job: the town, what was asked for, what was done, how long it took, and photos at several stages. Customers recognise their own project in it. Google finds precise, local text in it.
One page per type of work
Extensions, wall openings, paving and patios, boundary walls, stone renovation, drainage if you do it. Each page brings together the projects of the same type and answers the questions that come up at the first meeting.
The Google Business Profile
It shows your photos before anyone even reaches the website. I choose the category, list the services in detail and publish your work throughout the year. For a builder, this profile serves as a shop window, since you don't have a shop.
Explanations before the quote
Is planning permission needed, a soil survey, an architect? Customers ask themselves these questions before writing to you. Careful answers, pointing to the town hall for local rules, show you know the process.
Guarantees and years in business
In structural work, the soundness of the house is at stake. The ten-year insurance certificate, the year the business was founded and the number of people in the team must appear on the website. These are simple facts, and they weigh in the choice.
What costs dearly
Common mistakes on builders' websites.
Job photos with no explanation
A breeze block wall means nothing to someone who doesn't know what they're looking at. Two lines of caption turn the photo into proof.
Only the end result
A builder's customer wants to see the foundations, the reinforcement, the walls going up. These are the stages they'll no longer be able to check once the render is on.
A vague service area
“Charente and neighbouring départements” helps nobody. Say how far you'll take the cement mixer, and from what job size you'll go further.
A website frozen since it was built
The latest projects date back several years. Visitors wonder whether the business still exists. Two projects added a year are enough to show you're working.
The method
What I set up for a builder.
The method follows your jobs. It takes little of your time and a lot of your photos.
- The inventory. We dig out the photos of your past work and pick the ones that speak to a customer.
- The work. One page per type of work, fed by those projects.
- The profile. Category, services, towns and photos published regularly.
- The review. Every month, the quotes requested, what they were for and which ones you signed.
One-minute test
Is SEO right for you?
Five frank questions to find out whether support makes sense in your situation. Sometimes the answer is no, and I'll tell you.
What it brings in
SEO you can count in euros.
A ranking doesn't pay a salary. What counts is what it brings: enquiries, customers, revenue. Move your page up and see what it could bring in.
Example assumptions, open to challenge: 300 searches a month for a builder in your area, 4% of visitors make an enquiry, one enquiry in three is signed (this varies a lot from one trade to another), €14,000 per customer. Click-through rates by position are orders of magnitude, and they've been shifting since Google started showing AI answers above the results. Redo the calculation with your own figures
What your page could bring in
Ticket no. 10th · worked example- Searchesper month, for a builder in your area
- 300
- Estimated visitsclick-through rate: 1.5%
- 0
- Possible enquiries4% of visitors
- 0
- Possible customersone enquiry in three
- 0
Possible revenue€0
Close to home
Masonry in Charente.
In Charente, limestone is everywhere: in the walls of houses, barns and wine cellars. A builder's work there is split between new builds, around Angoulême and Cognac, and restoring old buildings in the small towns. Customers don't search the same way in both cases. For an extension, they type the name of their commune. For a stone wall, they want to see work of the same kind. I live between Cognac and Paris; these houses are familiar to me.
Stone and lime
Charente houses in rubble stone or dressed stone need suitable techniques, such as lime pointing and lime render. Owners look for a builder who uses them. A clear page on this skill reassures them.
Barns to convert
Buyers take on a farmhouse with its outbuildings and want to turn them into living space. Creating openings, laying floors, rebuilding walls: these jobs are long and prepared online. Show the ones you've carried out.
New builds around the two towns
In the communes near Angoulême and Cognac, people build houses, garages and extensions. Searches there mention the commune's name. Your pages must do the same, based on real jobs.
Beyond Google
What AI changes for a builder.
A masonry project raises lots of questions, and AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Mistral are happy to answer them. The customer writes: “I want to open up a load-bearing wall between the kitchen and the living room of a stone house near Cognac, what are the steps, what precautions, and what kind of business should I contact?”. They receive a plan in several steps and, depending on the case, names.
The businesses cited are those whose pages describe this type of work in detail, with located examples. A project page telling the story of a wall opening in a stone house, with the town and the steps, is exactly what an AI can pick up. It then checks that the Google Business Profile and the reviews tell the same story. Your well-documented jobs therefore count twice, on Google and in AI answers.
Question put to an AII want to open up a load-bearing wall in a stone house near Cognac. Which business should I contact?
Answer
Three types of business can help:
- Our client— builder specialising in old buildings: openings in stone walls, structural survey by an engineering firm, located projects photographed step by step.
- — new-build house builder, little renovation.
- — quote platform, business not specified.
Builder's websiteGoogle Business ProfileCustomer reviews
Fig. 3. Reconstruction, names hidden. This is the spot we aim for: on the list, with the most precise description.
Three typical cases
Three builder scenarios.
These examples are built for illustration. They're not testimonials. Your own plan will depend on the audit.
A builder and his two workers
He works for house builders and would like customers of his own.
- Create a Google Business Profile and post twenty photos of completed work on it.
- Build a five-page website: extensions, patios, fencing, projects, contact.
- Ask the homeowners he's already worked for to leave a review.
A company specialising in stonework
Its skills are rare, but its website talks about “general masonry”.
- Rewrite the home page around the restoration of old buildings.
- Publish detailed projects: a rebuilt wall, render, a window surround.
- Write a guide on looking after a stone wall.
A structural works company with fifteen employees
It wants extensions and houses, not low garden walls.
- State on the website the minimum size of jobs taken on.
- Create an extension page, with examples of floor areas and durations.
- Add the type of project and the progress of paperwork to the form.
In practice
What you get.
- A project page for each of your notable jobs
- One page per type of work: extensions, openings, paving, stone
- A Google Business Profile illustrated with your own jobs
- A page presenting your insurance, your team and your years in business
- A monthly report on the quotes requested and what they were for
Pricing
How much does an SEO consultant cost?
The fee depends on four things. I give you a precise amount after a free first thirty-minute conversation.
- The size of the site: ten pages or ten thousand
- The competition on your queries
- What you can do in-house, and what needs producing for you
- The pace you want
Fancy a game?
Insert a coin.
A giant takes up the whole first page of your market. It has five weak spots. Take the coin and slide it into the machine.
Slide it into the machine
SERPZILLA
INSERT COINSLIDE THE COIN INTO THE SLOT
Credit: 0
Fig. 4. Sixteen seconds. No towns were harmed in the making of this game.
Together, let's devour your competitors.
One by one, and in order. Every spot gained makes the next one easier to take: that's why it keeps growing. See the method
Who you're talking to
Your SEO consultant: a business owner, not just an SEO.
My name is Kévin Papot. More than fifteen years in the job, four co-written books, and the Newp agency, co-founded in Charente. I also run my own online shops, in France and internationally: one of them went from zero to a million visits a month.
Before we talk tags, we talk margin, average basket and profitability. When you book a call, I'm the one who picks up.
FAQ
SEO for builders: your questions.
I do three or four big jobs a year. Is SEO profitable for so few?
That's something to calculate with you. When a single job represents a large sum, two more serious enquiries a year can be enough to cover the work. I give you the assumptions; you judge.
I don't have any photos of my old jobs. Where do I start?
With the next ones. We can also go back and photograph a few finished jobs, with the owners' agreement. A wall or an extension photographs very well several years later.
Should I explain planning rules on my website?
Only in broad terms. You can say that an extension generally requires permission and that the town hall can advise on local rules. I'd advise against publishing thresholds or legal articles, which change and would commit you.
House builders and platforms are ahead of me on Google. Can I overtake them?
On “house building”, it's difficult. On “load-bearing wall opening” or “stone builder” with the name of your town, the situation is different. I choose with you the searches where a local tradesperson stands a chance.
Should I show jobs in progress?
Yes, and it's often what interests the customer. Clean foundations or neatly placed reinforcement prove you're serious. Just make sure the site is tidy and the safety measures are in place in the photo.
Do my customers agree to their house appearing?
Most do, if asked and if the address isn't given. We give the town, never the street. I'll provide you with a consent sentence to have approved in writing.
I subcontract the carpentry and roofing. Should I mention it?
Yes, if you deliver the complete job. The customer wants to know who coordinates. Explain that you do the structural work and work with partner tradespeople, without claiming their trade as your own.
Should I display my ten-year insurance certificate?
I recommend it. Your customers will ask for it before signing, and seeing it on the website builds their trust earlier. Remember to replace it at every renewal; an expired certificate makes a bad impression.
How long does it take to get enquiries?
Allow several months. Your customers themselves take a long time to decide, and Google takes time to trust a new website. The first signs come from the Google Business Profile, then from pages covering a specific type of work.
I'm not comfortable with writing. Is that a problem?
No. You tell me about the job on the phone the way you'd tell a colleague. The Newp team and I shape your explanations, then you proofread to check everything is accurate.
See also
Other industries
ConstructionJewelleryDigitalManufacturingSmall businesses & SMEsPlumbersElectriciansRoofersSolar panelsHeat pumpsAir conditioningJoinersPrivate clinicsHair removal centresAesthetic medicine and surgeryLocksmithsPool buildersKitchen fittersEnergy renovationOpticiansHearing aid specialistsAccountantsLawyersRemoval companiesLandscapersRestaurantsBarsCaterersEvent agenciesCoachesHypnotherapistsSophrologistsBeauty and hair salonsGarages and body shopsEstate agentsProperty surveyorsDriving schoolsNotariesArchitectsFuneral directorsHotels and B&BsBathroomsPainters and decoratorsTilersConservatories and pergolasCarpentersFacade specialistsStoves and fireplacesAlarms and CCTVGyms and studiosBrokersPhotographersWines and spiritsCar dealershipsTraining providersRecruitment agenciesCleaning companiesSoftware publishersFloristsBakeries and patisseriesWine shopsTravel agenciesCampsites and outdoor accommodationPrintersCommunication agenciesHauliers and logistics firmsWellbeing practitionersNaturopathsWellbeing massage practitionersYoga teachersWellbeing training providersSophrology schoolsHypnosis schoolsCoaching schools
Support services
SEO consultant in Charente
30 minutes · video call · with me
Be the one they remember.
Together we look at where you stand on Google and in AI, and what should change first.
Book a callFig. 5. A K. (The landscape was missing one.)