Pool Builder Marketing Guide

With U.S. swimming pool construction valued at around $13.9 billion and growing at a steady pace of over 4%, demand is strong. But here’s the kicker: that growth doesn’t guarantee success when no one knows your business exists.If you’re still doing the outdated “word-of-mouth” marketing, you’re NOT on their radar. They’re looking you up on the web, and you are still in the newspapers that people use to start their camp fire. This means your digitally-advanced competitors are winning customers that could’ve been yours.So, let’s talk about what you can do to keep your customers coming to you – and not them.

Word of mouth really is the best form of marketing, but…

Think about this – how many friends can your customers really have with the money and space to build a pool – Two? Maybe four? IF you’re lucky.That doesn’t really sound like a winning strategy. You’re leaving millions on the table for your competitors to snatch – despite being better than them.The difference between you and them? They have diversified their marketing efforts, tapping into multiple streams to attract customers, while you still rely on the “build it and they will come” mentality.

Younger generations are becoming homeowners, ignoring that will cost you business

Millennials and Gen Z aren’t just scrolling TikTok – they’re buying homes now. And as more and more of them become homeowners, they’re going to take up an increasing chunk of your target audience. So, how you market to them matters. If you’re still doing it like it’s 1997 because “that’s what we’ve been doing for decades and it works” you’re basically handing those customers to your competitors on a silver platter. Because the reality is, these younger generations don’t read newspapers or magazines. And that glossy flyer? It’s also going to the trash along with all the other junk mail.  What they do is – search ONLINE. They’re actively looking for you, ready to find and hire you, but the question is, will they? Have you created a presence strong enough on the internet?  The marketing landscape has changed, and if you don’t adapt, someone else will.

Most of the pool builder industry missed that memo. Take advantage of it!

We looked into 300 pool builder websites and found that around 75% of them get less than 50 monthly website visits (when it should ideally be in thousands). And with a majority of them underperforming, you have an open lane to climb into the top 25% using the right strategies.Why do we say this? Because our study revealed that in any given city in the US, just a handful of pool builders put any effort into their digital marketing. For you, this means that with a little shift in your focus and some work on your website and socials, you can go from competing with the entire industry to only a few who showed up. Less competition = more wins! 

The marketing factors that put your brand in front of the right audience

Alright, so now that we understand how crazy it is to ignore digital marketing in your industry, it’s time to see what you can do about it.And NO – it doesn’t have to be you blowing your budget on ads from the get-go. You can begin by doing something as simple as sharing your expert knowledge on pool building and how to make the right decisions around choosing the right pool. Your existing in-house team can start on it TODAY. And if you decide to bring in an agency (like us) on board to do it for you, that’s a business decision for another day.For now, this guide is all you need.We’ll walk you through 7 key areas that deserve your attention – in the order in which they should be tackled. Don’t try to juggle them all at once – that’d be overwhelming. Just take it slow, focusing on one section at a time, and you’ll find it totally doable.

Google Business Profile

Anytime your Google search lands you on one of the screenshots below, know that it’s the brand’s Google Business Profile you’re looking at.  Setting these up CORRECTLY  is the first big step to showing up for your customers when they need you. These are like mini websites for your brand that give them key information about your business real quick. A GBP (Google Business Profile) tells them about:

• Your business name
• Address and phone number
• Website link
• Photos of the great work you do (installation process, completed pool installs – by you and your previous customers)
• Google reviews
• Your service area
• Business hours
• Any educational or informational content you might want to add for them to see

You can set one up in less than a day and make an impactful first start to your pool business marketing. That’s a quick win, ensuring anyone searching for your brand/services gets all the information FAST – without having to dig around or stumble onto a competitor’s site. It helps a lot with Local SEO too.

Local SEO

You’ve got your GBP all set up – great work! Now you need to ensure it shows up for search in your area – that’s when someone is searching “pool builders Las Vegas” or simply typing “pool builders near me.” The latter gets 14,800 searches per month in the U.S. Imagine how many potential customers could find you if you do local SEO. Not doing it is like creating a very nice storefront sign but then keeping it covered and letting your customers choose the business next to yours.  So, with Local SEO, your site ranks higher, your GBP ranks higher PLUS your business starts appearing in other results formats – like the “map packs”. When you see a location-specific search and get a map showing various providers, that’s various local SEO factors in play.

Key Aspects of Local SEO

While there are multiple nuances to Local SEO, it starts with your GBP and website. They work hand in hand to tell search engines (and customers) exactly what you do and where you do it. And managing to maintain consistency in sharing business details across your site and business profile is usually more than half the battle. That, too, boils down to these 3 important things:

• Your address and contact information on the website should EXACTLY be the same as your GBP.
• Don’t just say you build pools – say where you build them. Phrases like “We’ve been building pools in St. Louis for over 10 years” tell both Google and your potential customers that you’re a local expert.
• If a happy customer leaves a review, mention their suburb with the review and showcase it on your website. A simple line like “Sarah from Phoenix said…” adds credibility and reinforces your local presence.

Onsite SEO

After local SEO, onsite SEO is the next big step. It’s where the real magic happens. While it won’t give you overnight results, consistent effort here leads to long-term wins. Imagine your website ranks among the top results for local search terms, bringing in hundreds or even thousands of qualified visitors every month. More eyeballs mean more inquiries, and that eventually results in more business. That’s what effective onsite SEO can do. Now, we’re not going to get into every technical detail (we’ll save that for a dedicated guide). But for now, think of onsite SEO as refining your website to make it both search engine and user-friendly. It’s all about making sure your website clearly communicates who you are, what you offer, and why customers should choose you. So,

• Don’t leave people guessing. Spell out what you do, whether it’s pool design, installation, maintenance, or all of the above.
• Be specific about where you work. “Serving Springfield and surrounding areas” is good, but “Specializing in fiberglass and concrete pool installations in Springfield, Rivertown, and Oakwood” is better.
• Think like a customer. Share content that eases decision-making process for them. E.g. how to decide between a concrete or fibreglass pool? What size pool is most suitable for them? How to decide on a pool color? What type of chlorination system they should use etc.

The goal should be to make your website a go-to resource for every question a potential pool owner might have. The more intent-focused and informative you are, the better your rankings will be. Plus, when visitors find everything they need on your site, they’re far more likely to become your customers. Onsite SEO is a long game, but it’s one worth playing. And when you’re the first brand people see (and trust) when searching for pool builders, that’s a win you’ll feel for years to come.

Offsite SEO

Offsite SEO is all about getting other brands to talk about you online and link back to your website. Achieving this helps your overall SEO in two ways:

• The more you’re discussed and featured on other websites, the higher your chances of getting noticed by your target audience. They might not click through right away but it will build brand familiarity – when your name pops up again in their journey at some point, they’ll have that, “oh, I’ve heard of them before” moment which gives so much more trust.
• Search engines take links to your websites (known as “backlinks”) as votes of confidence in your content and expertise. It’s also one of the many factors they consider when ranking you in the search results. So, in short, high-quality, relevant backlinks mean a greater opportunity to rank in search results, allowing more and more people to find you.

Social Media

Social media has become a large part of the customer buying journey, no matter what your industry. From hair styling to wedding cakes and pool installation, it is relevant for everyone now. And for all the right reasons – it increases brand awareness, validates your process, and builds trust in your expertise and the work you deliver. Most people follow brands/businesses they’re interested in without much hesitation, and with one tap, they become a part of your engaged audience. You get a close touch-point, and all the content you share over time instills trust in your competence. This helps you attract more leads and close more deals. Particularly for pool construction, all you need to do is sit behind a desk with a smartphone and start talking about what you do and how you do it. Then, as you move forward, there are many different ways/content formats you can share to strengthen your social media presence. This is a whole topic in itself, but essentially, social media marketing is all about consistency. If you regularly post quality photos with relevant captions, your following will start to grow. (Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that, but we’ll cover those details in a separate guide.)

Google Ads

While SEO is the longer, relatively slower route to securing the top positions, Google ads is the shortcut you can take for immediate visibility. It lets you climb the ranks by simply bidding for the top spots. These ads operate on a PPC (pay-per-click) model, which is great because it charges you only when someone clicks on your ad, sending them to your website. This can be a game-changer for pool builders who want to increase their qualified leads quickly, especially waiting for longer-term efforts like SEO and social media to gain traction. Think of it as a fast track to visibility while the rest of your marketing strategy warms up. And even once your SEO efforts start pulling in leads organically, many pool builders choose to keep their Google Ads running as they continue to bring a steady stream of leads. Until you’re booking projects months in advance (which will happen with the right strategy), it makes sense to keep as many lead sources open as possible. 

Social Media Ads

Like Google Ads, social media ads also allow you to get in front of your target audience without the waiting time. You show up in their feeds even when they’re not actively looking for or following you – which is THE BEST because it reminds them of what they were looking for earlier and now they spontaneously have a visual. Social media ads are simple – you create the ads, decide who should see them, set your budget, and let the platform’s algorithm do the heavy lifting. Your pool-building projects, glowing customer reviews, and stunning before-and-after shots are all perfect content to feature. And don’t overthink the production quality. You don’t need a professional studio or a fancy camera. In this industry, people want to see the real deal – construction sites, progress shots, and the excitement of a finished pool. A quick video on your smartphone works perfectly. Besides lead generation, social media ads serve another important purpose – building follower count and increasing brand awareness. As more people join you can connect with the content you share, meaning they no longer rely on Google to tell them who to talk to.

“Surround Sound SEO”

This concept by Hubspot is all about maximizing your business’s visibility by getting mentioned on as many page-1 ranking results as possible, for relevant keywords. Here’s how it works: Someone searches for “Best Pool Builders in [your city]”, and clicks the first article that lists top 10 companies but doesn’t find your name – that’s a potential opportunity you missed. So what you can do is reach out to the publisher, ask them their criteria for curating that list, and what you can do to get featured. This allows you to piggyback off of the success of other websites until yours gets there organically. In essence, the goal is to have every possible info source talking about your brand in one way or another. To key is giving them a reason why they should talk about you.This is an advanced strategy and one that we’ll cover in more detail in a future article.

Outro

While it all sounds like a lot – it really isn’t if you do one thing at a time.    For starters, create a GBP. Once that’s done, move on to getting your website up and running while ensuring consistency in your address and contact information. The remaining, more technical aspects of SEO and PPC can be learned and done over time. In fact, we will be creating and adding detailed and in-depth guides on each of the above-discussed topics to help you do your pool business marketing effectively.