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Aaron Carmen

Solar SEO guide

SEO for Solar Installers

A practical Solar SEO guide: how solar installers get found on Google and in AI search, what to build, and where your marketing budget goes furthest.

Updated October 13, 2026

At a glance

Local Services Ads
Eligible
Google category: Solar energy contractor
Google search ads, avg cost per lead
$90.92
LocaliQ 2026, Home & Home Improvement
Typical job value
High
Marketing spend signal
High

Aaron's take

Solar is the clearest example I know of a trade where the buyer researches for weeks before calling anyone. "Solar panels" gets around 246,000 searches a month, and the related searches are almost all about cost, savings and whether it is worth it. Homeowners are also wary, because they have heard about aggressive sales tactics.

The solar companies that win online act like advisers, not salespeople. They explain costs plainly, show real installations with real system sizes, keep any page about incentives dated and current, and make reviews easy to find. That trust is what turns a long research process into a signed contract.

Aaron CarmenSenior WordPress Developer and SEO Specialist

Keywords

How homeowners search for solar installers

Group your pages around how people actually search, from urgent problems to research before they choose.

Service

Installs and add-ons

  • solar panel installation
  • home solar panels
  • solar battery

Near me

Finding an installer

  • solar companies near me
  • solar installers near me

Comparing options

Is it worth it?

  • are solar panels worth it
  • solar tax credit
  • best solar panels

Research

Cost questions

  • solar panels cost
  • how much solar panels cost
  • solar panels

Search volumes: DataForSEO (Google Ads data), US, checked October 13, 2026. "Solar panels" gets about 246,000 searches a month and "home solar panels" about 90,500.

Your website

Pages your website needs

In the order I would build them. Each page targets one group of searches.

  1. Solar cost and savings page

    Cost is the most searched topic around solar. Explain system sizes, price ranges and how savings are worked out.

  2. Solar battery page

    Battery storage gets about 14,800 searches a month and adds value to every install.

  3. Incentives page, clearly dated

    Searches for the solar tax credit are steady. Rules change, so date the page and update it whenever they do.

  4. Installation process page

    Explain the steps from assessment to switch-on, including permits and utility approval, and how long each takes.

  5. Project gallery with system sizes

    Real installs with the system size, panel type and town show your experience and help you rank locally.

  6. Is solar worth it page

    An honest answer, including who solar is not right for, builds more trust than a sales pitch.

How I plan and build sites like this

Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile for solar installers

Primary category
Solar energy company
Secondary categories
Solar energy system serviceSolar energy equipment supplierRoofing contractorElectrician

Categories checked on October 13, 2026

What to get right

  • Use Solar energy company as your primary category. Of the 9 most-reviewed US solar companies I checked, 5 added Solar energy equipment supplier and 4 added Solar energy system service.
  • Add Roofing contractor or HVAC contractor only if your own crews do that work.
  • Upload photos of finished installs with the system size and town in the description.
  • Reply to every review, especially negative ones. Solar buyers check reviews closely because of the industry's reputation for hard selling.

Reviews

Reviews that matter for solar installers

Where reviews count

  • Google
  • SolarReviews
  • EnergySage
  • Yelp
  • BBB
  • Ask every customer, not only the happy ones, right after the job is done.
  • Send one short message with a direct link, so leaving a review takes a single tap.
  • Reply to every review, good or bad, calmly and specifically.
  • Never pay for reviews or offer anything in return. It breaks Google's rules.

Ads and SEO

Local Services Ads, Google Ads and SEO

Solar Installers can advertise with Local Services Ads, the "Google Verified" ads that sit above everything else for many local searches. You pay per lead, not per click.

  • Google category: Solar energy contractor
  • The Google Verified badge is available for this category.
  • Pre-badge ads are available while verification is pending.
  • Booking leads are available.

Google is moving Local Services Ads into Performance Max with pay-per-lead goals, starting with a first US phase in August 2026.

Ads and SEO work best together. Ads buy leads while your organic and map rankings grow, and strong reviews and a complete Google Business Profile help both. As SEO brings in more leads for free, you can lower ad spend on the searches you already win.

For context, Google search ads in the Home & Home Improvement category average $90.92 per lead (LocaliQ, 2026). That is a search ads benchmark, not a Local Services Ads lead price.

Local Services Ads rules for the US, from Google Local Services Help, checked October 13, 2026.

Seasonality

When homeowners search

  1. Jan: Moderate
  2. Feb: High
  3. Mar: High
  4. Apr: Peak
  5. May: High
  6. Jun: Peak
  7. Jul: Peak
  8. Aug: Peak
  9. Sep: High
  10. Oct: Moderate
  11. Nov: Low
  12. Dec: Low
Relative search interest by month. Source: Google Trends, "solar panels", US, past 5 years, via DataForSEO, checked October 13, 2026. Searches are highest from April to August, about 1.6 times the December low.

Structured data

Schema for solar installers

Add this to your home page, filled in with your details, so search engines and AI tools know exactly what your business is, where it is and how to reach you. It uses the HomeAndConstructionBusiness type.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "HomeAndConstructionBusiness",
  "name": "Your solar company name",
  "url": "https://www.example.com/",
  "telephone": "+1-555-555-0100",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
    "addressLocality": "Your city",
    "addressRegion": "ST",
    "postalCode": "00000",
    "addressCountry": "US"
  },
  "areaServed": "Your service area",
  "openingHours": "Mo-Fr 08:00-17:00",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.google.com/maps?cid=YOUR_CID",
    "https://www.facebook.com/yourpage"
  ]
}
</script>

Mistakes

Mistakes solar installers make

  1. Sounding like a sales funnel

    Solar buyers are wary of pressure. Pages that are all forms and urgency lose to pages that explain.

  2. Out-of-date incentive information

    Incentive rules change. An old page about tax credits misleads buyers and damages trust. Date it and keep it current.

  3. No real numbers

    Buyers want system sizes, price ranges and savings examples. Vague promises send them to comparison sites.

  4. Ignoring review sites

    Many solar buyers check dedicated solar review sites as well as Google. Ask happy customers to review you there too.

FAQ

Solar SEO questions

How do homeowners research solar?

Slowly and carefully. "Solar panels" gets about 246,000 searches a month in the US, and the related searches are mostly about cost, savings and whether solar is worth it. Buyers compare installers for weeks, so clear cost pages, real project examples and strong reviews matter more than urgency.

Can solar installers use Local Services Ads?

Solar energy contractor is a Local Services Ads category in the US, with the Google Verified badge, pre-badge ads and booking leads available. Ads bring leads within days, while SEO builds rankings that keep working without a cost per lead. Google says these ads are ranked on factors such as your distance from the customer, your reviews and how quickly you respond to leads.

Should a solar company write about tax credits and incentives?

Yes, but carefully. Searches about the solar tax credit are steady, so a page on incentives is useful. Rules change, so date the page, explain who qualifies in plain language and update it whenever the rules do. An out-of-date incentive page does more harm than none.

Which review sites matter for solar companies?

Google first, then dedicated solar review sites such as SolarReviews and EnergySage, plus Yelp and the BBB. These sites show up when people search for solar company reviews. Ask happy customers to leave a review on Google and one solar-specific site.

How much does SEO cost for a solar company?

It depends on how competitive your area is, how many services and towns you want to rank for and what your website needs first. Most solar installers pay monthly, because new pages, reviews and local work need steady attention. I look at your site and the competitors near you first, then give you a fixed quote.

Related

Related guides and services

  • Local SEO

    Google Business Profile, citations, reviews and location pages, so you show up in the map pack where buyers look first.

    Learn more about Local SEO

  • Web Design

    Clean, fast designs planned around how people search and buy. Built to convert, not just to win compliments.

    Learn more about Web Design

Contact

Get a quote for your solar company

Tell me about your business and your site. Say what you want to achieve and I'll reply within one business day with any questions, then a fixed quote.

  • Reply within one business day
  • No obligation, no hard sell
  • Form and email only, calls optional
What you need

Prefer email? hello@aaroncarmen.com

Sources

  1. LocaliQ: Search Advertising Benchmarks for Every Industry [2026 Data], checked October 13, 2026Google search ads averages (CPC and cost per lead). Not Local Services Ads lead prices.
  2. Google Local Services Help: Business screening and verification requirements (US categories), checked October 13, 2026US. Badge, pre-badge, booking-lead and state-limited category rules.
  3. Google Business Profile categories, checked in a live GBP dashboard, checked October 13, 2026
  4. Seasonality: Google Trends, "solar panels", US, past 5 years, via DataForSEO, checked October 13, 2026. Searches are highest from April to August, about 1.6 times the December low.
  5. Keyword volumes (Cost questions): DataForSEO (Google Ads data), US, checked October 13, 2026. "Solar panels" gets about 246,000 searches a month and "home solar panels" about 90,500.