Spencer Gardner: How To Dominate Louisville Plumbing Market with Google’s EEAT and Local SEO Strategy

Two years into his business, Spencer Gardner wanted to rebrand and position his growing business, Golden Plumbing and Gardner’s Plumbing, as the go-to provider for homeowners in Louisville. 

When Spencer reached out, I knew we could transform his business with the right strategy. His goal was clear: to shift from property management and home warranty work to dominating the retail plumbing market. 

One of the first things Spencer mentioned was that he was rebranding and developing a new website. I pointed out a few issues that could negatively impact its SEO rankings. While it looked polished and professional, it wasn’t designed to meet Google’s critical ranking factors. I explained to Spencer the importance of a website that not only appeals to visitors visually but also aligns with search engine algorithms to boost visibility and authority online.

This reminded me of the success story with another plumbing client, Plumbing Pros, LLC.

When I worked with Salvatore Sciorta, the owner of Plumbing Pros, LLC., we focused on building a strong online presence by leveraging digital tools and strengthening local partnerships. This strategy helped him attract 95% of his business from Google searches, and the 250+ Google reviews his business has earned tell a story of hard work and happy customers, underscoring why his business became a recognized leader in their community.

Inspired by this success, I worked with Spencer to craft a roadmap grounded in the four pillars of Google’s EEAT framework to establish authority, improve SEO rankings, and position his business as the go-to provider for homeowners in Louisville. Here’s a look at the approach we took—and how you can apply these principles to your own business.

Why Google Prioritizes E-E-A-T for SEO Success

In our conversation, I emphasized the importance of Google’s EEAT guidelines—Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust. These principles are crucial for improving SEO rankings and ensuring that both users and search engines recognize your content as valuable.

Replace Stock Photos

Spencer should focus on creating authentic content instead of relying on generic stock images.

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Spencer’s Website
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Spencer’s Website

Stock photos often feel impersonal and lack the authenticity that Google values under its E-E-A-T framework.

Spencer can showcase real, genuine content, by capturing geo-tagged photos of his team working on plumbing jobs around Louisville. Adding before-and-after photos of repairs, water heater installations, and other services can further highlight the quality of work.

Additionally, recording short, candid videos of his team interacting with customers and demonstrating their expertise in real-life situations helps build trust and credibility.

Authentic visuals like these not only establish a personal connection but also signal to Google that his business is both trustworthy and relevant, ultimately boosting SEO. It shows customers, “This is who we are and how we help.”

Address Customer Questions with Depth

When homeowners search for plumbing services, they ask specific questions like, “How much does a water heater repair cost?” or “What’s the average lifespan of a sump pump?”

Creating detailed blog posts and service pages that thoroughly answer these common questions—including actionable advice, transparent pricing insights, and visual aids such as diagrams or photos—will enhance clarity for target homeowners.

Build Authority by Leveraging Local Podcasts and Collaborations

Building authority isn’t just about being the best plumber in town—it’s about making sure the community knows it. That’s why I recommended Spencer take his business’ brand to the next level with a Louisville-focused podcast.

Launching a podcast might sound overwhelming, but it’s easier than ever.

No fancy studio is required—just a mic, a Zoom call, and real conversations with local business owners and even happy customers. Talking about common plumbing issues and Louisville-specific challenges like hard water, aging pipes, and seasonal maintenance, gives homeowners expert advice that applies to their lives.

These conversations can be repurposed into blog posts, social media clips, and videos, keeping the business’ online presence strong.

Beyond the podcast, Spencer can boost credibility by collaborating and co-creating content with high-authority business owners and experts. This creates cross-promotion opportunities, reinforces expertise, and sends strong local signals to Google, helping his business rank higher in searches.

Spencer’s Website Audit: Identifying SEO Gaps

I pointed out several critical issues with Spencer’s current website. Here’s the hard truth: A visually appealing design means nothing to Google if it’s not optimized for SEO.

The goal here was to uncover key SEO weaknesses that were preventing Spencer’s website from reaching its full ranking potential. The site lacked localized content, relied too much on stock photos, and failed to properly highlight the team’s expertise—red flags when it comes to ranking on Google.

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Golden Plumbing Metrics
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Gardner’s Plumbing Metrics

Here’s what needs to be done:

Show your expertise through real-world experience. Spencer has a rock-solid plumbing team in Louisville, but if people can’t find him online, he’s missing out on business. 

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When I searched for “Spencer Gardner,” 32 results came up

Google doesn’t know who he is, and if another Spencer Gardner has better online visibility, they’ll outrank him—even if they’re not a plumber.

Google rewards businesses that prove their local relevance. This means creating Louisville-specific content, mentioning neighborhoods, local landmarks, and real customer success stories. It shows both Google and potential customers that he’s THE go-to expert in town.

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Golden Plumbing Team

The Golden Plumbing and Gardner’s Plumbing team should be on video answering common plumbing questions, showcasing finished jobs, and just being real people. That’s what builds trust and generates more calls.

But just showing up in search isn’t enough. I advised Spencer that he needs our Dollar a Day strategy to keep his business in front of homeowners before they even think they need a plumber. People buy from businesses they trust, and this strategy will ensure they see Spencer first.

The last thing: consistency matters. 

If business details (name, address, phone number) aren’t the same everywhere online, Google gets confused and ranks your business lower. Cleaning that up takes minutes but can make a huge impact.

Why AI Won’t Replace Google

Spencer asked my thoughts about AI overpowering and replacing Google.

While AI tools like Perplexity are getting a lot of attention, they’re not going to take over search engines anytime soon.

Google’s search engine runs on something called The Knowledge Graph Explorer, which organizes facts and helps determine what’s true. AI, on the other hand, can’t do that on its own.

AI, like large language models, basically relies on the data that search engines already gather. So if Spencer wants to stay ahead, he needs to make sure his content is still “Googleable.” AI needs that data to function—without it, it can’t give accurate answers.

The key takeaway? New technologies don’t replace the old ones; they build on them. Just like refrigeration didn’t replace transportation, AI will complement search engines, not replace them. To stay relevant, continue optimizing your content for search engines so both Google and AI can find it.

Creating a Content Powerhouse: Build a Scalable “Content Factory”

Content creation isn’t something you do when you only have time. It needs to be a constant, strategic effort that drives long-term growth. If Spencer is serious about dominating SEO and digital marketing, he needs to build the Content Factory—a streamlined system that consistently produces new, high-quality content designed to improve his visibility and rankings on Google.

I often talk about the importance of creating the Content Factory. It’s not about producing content in a haphazard, ad-hoc manner. Instead, it’s about building a well-oiled machine where each piece of content serves a specific purpose—whether it’s improving SEO, driving traffic, or engaging with the target audience.

For Spencer, this means a steady flow of blog posts, social media updates, and customer success stories—everything that boosts brand awareness and authority in the eyes of both Google and potential customers.

But here’s the key: you can scale content strategy without overwhelming your team. 

I shared with Spencer the benefits of hiring Virtual Assistants (VAs) to handle writing, repurposing, and distributing content across multiple channels, all while ensuring that the content is SEO-optimized and tailored to his business brand voice.

Outsourcing to a dedicated VA team means he can produce high-quality content without wearing out his in-house team. This ensures consistent SEO, higher visibility, and lots of engagement—all the ingredients for long-term growth.

Key Points to Remember

  • Website Overhaul: Start by replacing stock photos with authentic, geo-tagged images of Spencer’s team and projects.
  • Content Strategy: Build a “content factory” to consistently produce high-quality, experience-driven content that showcases Spencer’s expertise and authority in plumbing.
  • Field Content Collection: Empower employees to capture real-time content—photos, videos, and reviews—from their plumbing jobs. This content will help show authenticity and align with Google’s EEAT principles.
  • Optimize for Local SEO: Spencer should focus on creating location-specific service pages and include local keywords to improve visibility in search results.

Final Thoughts

Spencer Gardner’s journey of scaling his business towards SEO success is just beginning. By focusing on Google’s EEAT principles and using strategies we had in our session, he’s well on his way to becoming the top plumber in Louisville.

As we continue this journey together, I’m excited to see Spencer take his business to the next level. With the right strategies, Golden Plumbing and Gardner’s Plumbing will not only improve their SEO rankings but also build a trustworthy, community-focused brand.

Want to take your business to the next level? Start your journey with our Office Hours and Content Factory courses.

Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other organizations that have many locations. He has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs because of his partnership with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Companies like GoDaddy, Fiverr, onlinejobs.ph, 7 Figure Agency, and Vendasta partner with him to create training and certifications. Dennis created the Dollar a Day Strategy for local service businesses to enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring. He's coaching young adult agency owners who serve plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians in conjunction with leaders in these industries. Mr. Yu believes that there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers need to be certified and licensed. His Content Factory training and dashboards are used by thousands of practitioners.