Content Creator Basics: Maintenance, Repair, or Replacement?

Maintenance, repair, and replacement keywords can seem similar, but there are a few distinctions between them when it comes to keyword relevancy. At WritersDomain, we consider these to be separate topics. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how WritersDomain editors distinguish these services.

Maintenance

Maintenance involves caring for an appliance or unit that is still currently functioning. In terms of relevancy, the purpose of maintenance is to prevent repairs or replacement, and thus it stands separate from other keywords. Writing about maintenance can work with approaches recommending professional intervention or do-it-yourself work.

For example, imagine that you are writing about a keyword like “AC maintenance.” Keeping up with tasks like filter changes or cleaning condenser coils would fall under maintenance because these actions are intended to keep a functioning AC unit running as usual. You will be writing to an audience that is looking to keep their AC units healthy, rather than writing to readers who have a faulty AC that is no longer running correctly.

Other topics that fall under the maintenance category include auto services like oil changes or other household services like septic pumping that occur at regular intervals.

Repair

As opposed to maintenance, repair-oriented keywords will require you to write about actions that people may take to restore functionality to something that is broken. In this case, readers will be looking beyond advice that would be appropriate for something that was still functioning. The broken element may still be fixable by an amateur, but often it will be useful to advise a reader to turn to professional services. 

For example, if a garage door is not opening because there are broken springs or misaligned tracks, the homeowner would need to address these problems to get the garage door to work again as it did before. Readers with this problem will need different advice than those looking to keep their garage doors in good shape to prevent the need for repairs.

To judge whether a particular topic is relevant to repair, it can be helpful to put yourself in the shoes of the reader. If someone types “AC repair” into a Google search, they have likely encountered an issue with their AC unit and are looking for a solution. Therefore articles that discuss how to maintain or care for a functioning unit won’t contain the solution the reader is looking for.

Some repairs require actions that seem like they would be relevant to replacement. In the example above, a repair technician may need to replace the tracks of your garage to restore the garage door to working order. If you have to replace small elements of the whole unit to restore function, that would still count as repair. If you have to replace the entire unit, that would instead be relevant to a replacement-oriented keyword.

Replacement

Replacement keywords are different from maintenance and repair keywords. As mentioned, if you would need to replace most of a unit or some appliance entirely, that will be relevant to replacement. By replacing something, the owner has moved past maintenance and repair. Readers will be looking for information about selecting new or replacement units.

For example, a car windshield with large cracks in it will likely need to be replaced with an entirely new windshield. Small repairs like stone chip repairs are not enough to restore the function of the windshield. Instead, the entire windshield will need to be replaced. 

You could choose to approach replacement topics as a DIY job or as advice recommending professional services. You could also choose to highlight signs that would indicate that a homeowner or business owner would need to consider replacement services over repeat repairs.

Some installation keywords work with this category as well. If you are choosing to replace windows on your home by installing new windows, for example, this would count as both a replacement and an installation. Since installation is an unavoidable step in any replacement process, readers will be looking for articles that help them understand the benefits of replacement or information about installation services.

Maintenance, repair, and replacement make up a trifecta of common keywords with significant distinctions. If your given keywords are attached to any of these specifications, you will need to keep these differences in mind to keep your article on-topic.