.jpg){kind=link}
Window chains own the ground
They have shops, advertising and sales reps. On “windows” followed by a town, they're ahead. You won't beat them on their own ground, but they don't make a bespoke staircase or a like-for-like door.
Home / Industries / Joinery
SEO for joiners: bring in bespoke projects, not just price requests.
To the customer, the word “joiner” covers two trades. There's the one who fits windows made elsewhere, and the one who makes a staircase, a door or a walk-in wardrobe in his workshop. On Google, installation chains and national networks own the first category. The second is far less contested, as long as you show what you do. My job is to make sure customers looking for bespoke work end up with you.
- 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, only one workshop
Type “bespoke wooden windows” followed by your town. Six results come from chains, installation networks and directories, and they all offer standard sizes. The seventh is your workshop, with a title that says “all types of work”. Change the title, then climb.
- A chain · enseigne-fenetres.exempleWindows in Cognac: current offers
- An installation network · reseau-pose.exemplePVC, aluminium, wooden windows: free quote
- A directory · annuaire-artisans.exempleJoiners in Cognac: the list
- Another chain · enseigne-habitat.exempleReplace your windows, fitting included
- A platform · devis-fenetres.exempleCompare window prices
- A DIY store · bricolage.exempleStandard windows in stock
- Youvotre-atelier.exempleBespoke wooden windows in Cognac: made in our workshopLike-for-like windows for old houses. Measuring, making and fitting by the same team.
Your position: 7
Fig. 1. Seven results for wooden windows. Only one has a workshop. (The first six sell standard sizes. The customer's house doesn't have a single one.)
What this means for you. I find the searches the chains serve badly, and write with you the pages that answer them: wood, bespoke, old houses.
What is SEO for a joiner?
SEO for a joiner means getting their workshop or business found in searches linked to what they make: windows, front doors, staircases, cupboards, kitchen or shop fit-outs, in a given town or area. It relies on the Google Business Profile, on one page per type of work, on photographed and described projects, and on reviews. Its aim is to bring in enquiries that match what you like to make and fit, with a budget to match.
The problem
Where joinery gets stuck.
You get called for every little thing
A squeaky shutter, a cupboard door to plane, a shelf to put up. The site says “all types of joinery work”, so the customer asks you for everything. The fine projects, meanwhile, don't know you exist.
Your best pieces are invisible
You have superb photos on your phone. On the site, there are six, uncaptioned, in a gallery nobody opens. Google can't read an image with no text around it.
An audit, for real
What I see in thirty seconds on a joiner'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-menuiserie.exemple
JOINERY L.The company · Gallery · Contact
All types of joinery work
Interior, exterior, new build and renovation: a craftsman who listens.
See the galleryFig. 2. Fictional site, reconstructed. Any resemblance to yours would be a good reason to call me.
- 1A tab with no type of work or town“Joinery | Home” doesn't say whether you make staircases or windows, or in which area. Yet that's what the customer types.
- 2A “Gallery” instead of your workThe menu should offer Windows, Doors, Staircases, Fitted furniture. Each of those words is a search.
- 3“All types of work”, so none in particularThis phrase attracts small repairs. Say what you make: bespoke staircases and doors, for example.
- 4A photo of a workbench and wood shavingsIt has a nice feel, but the customer wants to see a finished piece, fitted in someone's home.
- 5Photos named after the file“Oak quarter-turn staircase, village house in Jarnac”: with that title, the same photo becomes a useful page.
What your customers type
What a customer looking for a joiner types.
Six possible searches, to be read as examples. They show that customers rarely search for just “a joiner”. The audit gives you yours.
- 1“joiner” followed by their town
- The search is broad and the need isn't precise yet. The map shows, and your profile must say in one line what you make and what you fit. Without that, you get the small repairs and nothing else.
- 2“bespoke wooden staircase”
- They have a specific project, a budget set aside and they want to see past work. They need a page devoted to staircases, with shapes, timbers, the making process and photos of delivered pieces.
- 3“replacing wooden windows old house”
- They live in a house with character and don't want standard windows. This is a customer the chains serve badly. A page on like-for-like wooden windows, with examples of façades, brings them to you.
- 4“bespoke wooden front door”
- The door is the first thing you see of a house, and the customer cares about it. Show doors you've fitted, close up and from a distance, with the ironmongery and finishes. State your lead times.
- 5“bespoke wardrobe under sloping ceiling”
- Shop-bought furniture won't fit in their home. They're looking for someone who measures up and makes. A fitted furniture page with difficult cases solved is worth more than a catalogue.
- 6“shop fit-out joiner”
- This is a shopkeeper or an interior designer preparing an opening. They want professional references, deadlines met and a single point of contact. A page for business clients shows them you know their constraints.
What works
The five levers for a joiner.
The Google Business Profile
It decides who appears on the map when someone types “joiner” and a town. I choose the categories with you, describe your work in the services, and add your workshop and on-site photos. It's often the first place the customer sees your work.
One page per type of work
Windows, doors, staircases, cupboards and wardrobes, commercial fit-outs: each type has its own customers and its own searches. A page for each lets Google show you for the right request, and lets the customer find straight away what concerns them.
Projects, described
A photo alone isn't enough. It needs a title, the town, the timber, the constraint of the place and the solution found. Four lines per piece turn a silent gallery into pages Google understands and customers read.
Owning your choice of what you take on
If you'd rather make things than do repairs, the site needs to say so. The pages, photos and form steer the enquiries. You'll still get a few calls about a stuck drawer, but far fewer.
Reviews
The customer is trusting you with a piece they'll see every day for years. Reviews that mention accurate measurements, deadlines and a tidy installation weigh on their decision. They also count towards the profile's ranking.
What costs dearly
The mistakes I see most often on joiners' websites.
“All types of joinery work”
The phrase tries to say everything, so it says nothing. Google doesn't know which search to show you for, and the customer doesn't know whether you make staircases.
A gallery without a word
Thirty photos scrolling past, not one caption. It looks nice, but no search engine can get any information out of it.
Wood, PVC and aluminium on the same page
The customer for an oak window and the one for an aluminium sliding door aren't looking for the same thing. Separate the materials you work with, and say which ones you make yourself.
No indication of lead times
Bespoke work takes time, and customers know it. If they can't find any rough idea, they assume the worst and call a chain.
The method
What I put in place for a joiner.
I start from what you already have: your work and your photos. The rest is organised around that.
- The profile. Categories, types of work, area, workshop and installation photos: I put it back in order with you.
- The work. One page per type: windows, doors, staircases, fitted furniture, depending on what you want to sell.
- The projects. Your photos come off your phone and each gets a title, a place and four lines.
- The enquiries. We look at what comes in: which type of work, which town, what stated budget.
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: 500 searches a month for a bespoke staircase or windows, 4% of visitors make an enquiry, one enquiry in three is signed (this varies a lot from one trade to another), €6,000 per customer. Click-through rates by position are ballpark figures, and they have been shifting since Google started showing AI answers above the results. Redo the calculation with your figures
What your page could bring in
Ticket no. 10th · worked example- Searchesper month, for a bespoke staircase or windows
- 500
- Estimated visitsclick-through rate: 1.5%
- 0
- Possible enquiries4% of visitors
- 0
- Possible customersone enquiry in three
- 0
Possible revenue€0
Close to home
Joinery in Charente.
Old buildings are part of the Charente landscape: village houses, manor houses, longhouses, town-centre buildings in Angoulême and Cognac. These buildings have openings and staircases that match no standard size. The owner renovating them looks for bespoke work, with the name of their town or village. So a workshop that makes things needs to show its work and name the towns where it fits. I live between Cognac and Paris, I know the département and we can meet there.
The openings of Charente houses
Tall windows, wooden shutters, carriage doors: owners who renovate want to keep the look of their façade. A page on joinery for old houses, with local examples, answers a demand that mass-produced products don't cover.
The old centres of Angoulême and Cognac
In historic districts, specific rules may apply to façades and joinery. The customer looks for a craftsman used to these applications. If that's you, say so and show the jobs involved.
The workshop in a village
Your workshop may be outside the towns. The customer, though, searches with the name of Angoulême, Cognac or their own village. Your profile and pages must mention the towns where you fit, not just the workshop's.
Beyond Google
What AI changes for a joiner.
A customer with a fit-out project describes it more and more often to an AI such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Mistral, sometimes with a photo of the room. They ask: “I have a narrow landing with an angled stairwell opening, what type of staircase is possible and who can make it near Cognac?”. The AI explains the options, gives points to watch, and may suggest craftsmen.
It suggests those whose skills are written down somewhere. A joiner with a “bespoke staircases” page with described projects, a consistent Google Business Profile and reviews mentioning his staircases gives it something to answer with. A workshop whose site only shows photos stays invisible to it, however good the work. I check what AI tools say about joiners in your area, then help you write what they're missing to talk about you.
Question asked to an AIWhich joiner can remake wooden windows like for like on an old house in the centre of Cognac?
Answer
Three possible answers for this job:
- Our client— joiner and maker: like-for-like wooden windows made in the workshop, jobs in the historic centre described and photographed.
- — window chain, standard PVC and aluminium models.
- — craftsman directory, specialities not specified.
Workshop websiteGoogle Business ProfileLocal press
Fig. 3. Reconstruction, names hidden. This is the spot we aim for: on the list, with the most precise description.
Three typical cases
Three scenarios in joinery.
Three workshops invented for the example. The starting point changes, the logic stays the same.
A joiner-maker with a workshop
He makes beautiful pieces, but mostly gets requests for small jobs.
- Replace “all types of work” with the list of pieces he makes.
- Create a staircases page and a doors page, with ten described projects.
- Add the type of work and a rough budget to the form.
A window fitting company
It fits joinery made by others and suffers from competition from the chains.
- Highlight what the chains don't offer: the same fitter from measuring up to the end of the job.
- Publish replacement jobs, before and after, town by town.
- Explain on one page the grants currently available for replacing windows, with an update date.
A fit-out specialist
He works for shops and well-off homeowners, mostly through word of mouth.
- Separate shop fit-outs and home fit-outs on the site.
- Present each project as a case study: the request, the constraint, the result.
- Get mentioned by the architects and decorators he works with, with a link to his site.
In practice
What you get.
- A Google Business Profile that says what you make and what you fit
- One page per type of work: windows, doors, staircases, fitted furniture
- Your projects sorted, titled and described in a few lines
- A form that asks for the type of work and the town
- A monthly review of enquiries received, by type of work
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.
Quote platforms, directories, comparison sites: they swim between you and your customers. Take the coin and slide it into the machine.
Slide it into the machine
JAWS OF THE WEB
INSERT COINSLIDE THE COIN INTO THE SLOT
Credit: 0
Fig. 4. Sixteen seconds. No sharks were harmed, only their commission.
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 and joinery: the questions I get asked.
I mostly work through word of mouth. Why change?
There's no question of replacing it. Someone who's given your name types it into Google before calling. If they find an empty website or a profile without photos, the recommendation loses its force. SEO starts there.
Can I compete with the window chains?
On standard products and loss-leader prices, no. On wood, bespoke work, old houses and non-standard sizes, yes, because they barely talk about them. We pick the searches where your workshop has a real advantage.
Can I stop getting enquiries for small repairs?
You can cut them down a lot. It's often enough to remove catch-all phrases, show major pieces of work and state a minimum project type. Some joiners prefer to keep a repairs page for their local customers: it's a choice.
Should I show prices for bespoke work?
Not a price list, but reference points. “A staircase like this one costs roughly this, for this reason” helps the customer know whether they're in the right place. You avoid pointless measuring visits.
I don't have good photos. Where do I start?
With the ones on your phone. A sharp photo, taken in daylight, with the room tidied, is enough. If a piece matters to you, a session with a photographer on three or four jobs is a good investment, but it's not a prerequisite.
Will my customers agree to me showing their homes?
Most will, if you ask beforehand and don't give their name or address. The town is enough. I'll suggest a simple consent sentence for them to sign with the quote.
I make in wood and also fit PVC and aluminium. How do I present that?
Honestly, with one page per material. Say what comes out of your workshop and what you buy from a manufacturer to fit. Customers appreciate that clarity, and you show up for two types of search.
Grants for replacing windows: should I mention them?
If you do this kind of job, yes, because the customer is asking themselves the question. The page describes the grants currently available and the qualifications required of the company, then links to the official source. It carries a date, and you reread it whenever something changes.
Can architects and decorators find me through Google?
They often search for a craftsman by name, after a recommendation, then check his references. A page for business clients, with projects carried out as a team, gives them what they want to see. Their own sites can also mention you, which helps your SEO.
How much time will this take me each month?
Not much. I ask you for photos of your finished jobs and a few dictated sentences about each. A half-hour conversation a month is usually enough to feed the website and the profile.
See also
Other industries
ConstructionJewelleryDigitalManufacturingSmall businesses & SMEsPlumbersElectriciansRoofersBuildersSolar panelsHeat pumpsAir conditioningPrivate clinicsLaser hair removal centresAesthetic medicine and surgeryLocksmithsPool buildersKitchen fittersEnergy renovationOpticiansHearing aid specialistsAccountantsLawyersRemoval companiesLandscapersRestaurantsBarsCaterersEvent agenciesCoachesHypnotherapistsSophrologistsBeauty salons and hairdressersGarages and body shopsEstate agentsProperty surveyorsDriving schoolsNotariesArchitectsFuneral directorsHotels and B&BsBathroomsPainters and decoratorsTilersConservatories and pergolasCarpentersFaçade specialistsStoves and fireplacesAlarms and CCTVGyms and studiosBrokersPhotographersWines and spiritsCar dealershipsTraining providersRecruitment agenciesCleaning companiesSoftware publishersFloristsBakeries and patisseriesWine shopsTravel agenciesCampsites and outdoor accommodationPrintersCommunications agenciesHauliers and logistics firmsWellbeing professionalsNaturopathsWellbeing 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.)