How to Find Customers for Metal Fabrication Shops: A Comprehensive Guide
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5 years ago weCreate was past the “struggling for credibility” point that all agencies experience in their journey. We were beginning to establish search position and authority on critical topics related to manufacturing marketing. A medium-sized fabrication shop found us online and began to dig into validating us as a service provider. A 30-year-old sales leader named Troy had championed the idea of his fabrication company hiring a marketing firm, and he liked the weCreate team. After a few months of pushing leadership, they finally allowed him to interview a handful of companies claiming to be manufacturing marketing experts. On a sunny day in August Troy reached out to me and said he was confident that we were the most qualified firm and they wanted to start the work.
At this time Custom Engineering was stable, but not growing. They weren’t generating new leads online, and their website was in shambles. To address these pain points, weCreate built a new website for Custom Engineering with a significant focus on brand message, credibility, and SEO. After the website was launched, they hired us for ongoing SEO, and Custom Engineering was stunned by the results. Consistent new opportunities, global ranking in search engines, and significant revenue growth were just part of the results. They also loved the way weCreate has a passion for manufacturing, and our broad experience over a wide swath of manufacturing types allowed us to bring new ideas to the table that caused them to think about their offerings in new ways. These ideas allowed us to position them as experts in the most profitable areas of their business. Millions of dollars later in revenue, their return on investment is in the thousands of percent.
This is how we did it:
In today’s competitive market, finding and retaining quality clients is more crucial than ever for fabricated metal manufacturers. As an SEO consultant with over 15 years of experience in the manufacturing industry, I can confidently say that search engine optimization (SEO) is the cornerstone of any effective lead generation strategy for metal fabrication manufacturers.
Why SEO is the Game-Changer for Metal Fabrication Shops
When it comes to lead generation, SEO stands head and shoulders above other marketing techniques. Here’s why:
71% of B2B researchers start their research with a generic search, highlighting the importance of SEO in capturing early-stage leads. [1]
Organic search leads (From SEO) have a 14.6% close rate, compared to 1.7% for outbound leads. [2]
Among our client base SEO and organic search accounts for over 80% of new leads. The key idea here is that if you are completing SEO correctly, it will outperform virtually any other technique you could try. So why is this? Let’s start by taking a look at some of the common techniques a fabrication company will use to generate leads. [3]
Marketing Channel | Average ROI |
SEO | 748% |
PPC | 200% |
Social Media Ads | 150% |
As you can see, SEO offers a substantially higher return on investment compared to other popular marketing channels. This is why we always recommend SEO as the foundation of any lead generation program for metal fabrication shops.
ROI isn’t the only metric to evaluate. Another important consideration is that when a fabricator uses trade shows, cold calling, or a variety of other advertising techniques, they are getting in front of potential customers who are not always what we’d call “a hot lead”, or someone that is immediately prepared to be in the buying cycle for your services.
Imagine you went to a trade show, after investing $3,000 on your setup and brochures, and then $5-10K on the booth space. Who do you see there? Maybe you had a fun game people could participate in and then gathered email addresses, and maybe you talked to 10 people who could use your services. How long will it be before any of those contacts turn into real prospects that have a job for you? Or let’s imagine that you paid a sales guy to make 50 – 70 calls per day. On average, he’s going to get around 1-5% interest. You’re then going to have to invest heavily to nurture those prospects into customers, and in many cases, it could take years to see a return on this considerable upfront investment. All the while, you are paying your salesperson $60 – 80k/year to make the contacts.
However….
What if you contrast those options against SEO? Here are the simple steps in SEO:
- You write a blog article that’s titled “Metal fabrication with heavy gauge press braking”.
- This article allows you to rank #1 in Google search for a variety of industry-related terms like “Metal fabricator with a press brake”, “heavy gauge metal fabrication”, and “Metal press brake services”.
- One month later, a heavy mining vehicle manufacturer needs a supplier, and they search for a “Metal fabricator with a press brake”.
- After the Google search, they see your company displayed as the #1 result, and since you were the easiest one to find and they need someone right now, they fill out your RFQ form.
How long will it take you to close this deal? If you have the capabilities, and the price is right, this will be quick and easy. Your revenue will go up right away and you open the door to building an enduring profitable relationship.
Understanding the Metal Fabrication Industry Landscape
Before diving into specific strategies, it’s crucial to understand the current state of the metal fabrication industry. According to recent data from the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International (FMA), the metal fabrication industry is projected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 3.8% from 2024 to 2029. [4]
This growth is likely to be even higher with Trump’s reshoring efforts and it presents both opportunities and challenges for fabricated metal manufacturers. The question is: how can your metal fabrication shop stand out in an increasingly competitive market and position itself to take advantage of reshoring?
Identifying Your Ideal Customer Profile – Step One in Finding Customers for Fabricators
The first step in finding customers for your metal fabrication business is defining your ideal customer profile. Ask yourself:
- Which industries do we serve best?
- What size companies benefit most from our services?
- What specific metal fabrication needs do our ideal customers have?
By answering these questions, you’ll be better equipped to target your SEO efforts effectively.
Leveraging SEO As The #1 Lead Generation Technique for Metal Fabrication Manufacturers
Now, let’s dive into how you can use SEO to attract more customers to your metal fabrication shop.
1. Optimize for Local Search
Did you know that “metal fabrication near me” was searched on average 11,300 times per month in mid-2024? [5]
This highlights the importance of local SEO for metal fabrication manufacturers. To better optimize your business for improved results on local search:
- Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile
- Ensure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information is consistent across all online platforms
- Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on Google and other relevant platforms
2. Create High-Quality, Industry-Specific Content
Content is king in SEO, and this holds true for metal fabrication shops as well. Writing informative blog posts, case studies, and guides that address common questions and challenges in the metal fabrication industry are all ways to get ahead of potential customers. To understand the good, we need to understand the bad. I’m going to start by giving you some BAD examples of blog articles if your goal is to get new leads fast.
- “How to Choose the Right Metal for Your Fabrication Project”
- “5 Innovative Metal Fabrication Techniques for 2025”
- “The Impact of Industry 4.0 on Metal Fabrication Manufacturing”
Why are these bad? Let’s start by explaining that the title of your blog article will represent the most likely keywords the article will get you ranked for. Now, would you rather rank for the term:
“Innovative metal fabrication” (i.e Example #2)
Or would you rather rank for the term:
“metal fabrication manufacturer”
The first keyword set is what we call a non-transactional keyword, meaning that the person who googled it is probably not looking for a service provider. The second keyword set “metal fabrication manufacturer” is a transactional keyword set, meaning that the person who searched it is most likely looking for a service provider and is more apt to complete an RFQ or Contact Form on your website. What you should take away from the conversation regarding transactional and non-transactional keywords is that your articles (if you want to get business from them) should contain transactional keywords, or in other words, the titles of your articles should contain keyword sets that you anticipate your target customers would Google.
3. Optimize Your Website for Technical SEO
Technical SEO is crucial for metal fabrication manufacturers. Ensure your website is:
- Mobile-friendly (53% of mobile site visitors will leave if a site takes more than 3 seconds to load) [6]
- Secure (HTTPS)
- Easy to navigate
- Optimized for page speed
4. Build High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks from reputable industry sources can significantly boost your SEO efforts. Consider reaching out to industry associations, trade publications, and complementary businesses for link-building opportunities. These increase the authority of your website in the eyes of Google and thus push the position upwards for key search terms.
The Long-Term Value of SEO for Metal Fabrication Shops
While other marketing strategies might offer quick wins, SEO provides sustainable, long-term results for fabricated metals manufacturers. The reason for this is that the results you obtain in the form of a higher ranking for keywords like “metal fabrication manufacturer” don’t just disappear overnight. We’ve found that a well-written article that gets a manufacturer ranked #1 in the search for the keyword set we wanted, can often maintain that ranking for 3-10 years! This means that a 12-month SEO campaign can not only double or triple your inbound leads, but even if you don’t continue the service, the results will continue to show for years to come.
PPC For Fabrication Shops
PPC (Pay-per-click) advertising mimics the effects of SEO in that your website will show up at the top of Google when someone searches a term you paid for. The downside is that when that search clicks on your listing, you pay, perhaps somewhere between $2 and $50 for that click. If you start a PPC campaign, you select the keywords you want to rank for, and then you say what you’re willing to pay for a click. You are competing against other companies paying for the same term, so the competition determines the price. You also set a monthly or daily budget which usually ranges from $1,000/month to $10,000/month. The higher your budget, the more clicks you get. When you run out of budget, you run out of clicks. Unlike SEO, your results are limited to the timeframe in which you are investing the budget, however, this technique is still very viable and can produce significant ROI for a manufacturer if implemented correctly.
Why Choose Us To Help You Get New Customers for Your Metal Fabrication Shop?
With over a decade of experience in the manufacturing industry, we understand the unique challenges faced by metal fabrication shops and we understand the manufacturing space as a whole. One of the aspects of weCreate that our customers most appreciate is that “we speak your language” Our approach goes beyond typical SEO services:
- Industry Expertise: We speak your language and understand the intricacies of the metal fabrication industry.
- Proven Track Record: We’ve generated millions in additional revenue for our manufacturing clients through strategic SEO implementation.
- Consultative Approach: We don’t just improve your rankings; we provide insights to help grow your entire business.
If you decide it’s time to look into a new business development strategy and you’d like to work with an agency that “gets it”, pick a time with the link below that works best for you, and you’ll speak directly with the owner of weCreate who will do a live walkthrough of your website and digital presence and make recommendations.
Sources:
- [1] SEO Competitive Analysis for B2B — Whiteboard Friday
- [2] SEO for manufacturing
- [3] SEO vs. PPC Statistics in 2024: Key Data-Driven Insights Revealed
- [4] Budgeting for Impact: Average Costs of Digital Marketing Campaigns
- [5] A Guide to Local SEO for Metal Fabricators
- [6] 100+ Amazing Statistics that prove SEO works
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