Latest / The Local Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Small Business, Google Maps, and Local SEO / How a Local Landscaper Wins on Google Maps
Transcript
- Lucas: So I was talking to a landscaping company outside Denver last week, and their Google Maps profile is doing something I think a lot of local businesses miss entirely. Luna: Okay, I'm curious. What are they doing that's so different? Lucas: Well, first, they're not a storefront. They're a crew of about twelve people who work across maybe a thirty-mile radius. So their entire presence on Maps is built around service-area pins, not a single address. Luna: Right, because nobody's driving to their office for a quote. So how do you make that work on Google Maps? Lucas: You set up your business profile with the areas you serve, and Google shows you in the local pack for searches in all of those zones. But here's the thing — most service businesses just list a city name and call it done. This company went neighborhood by neighborhood. Luna: So instead of saying 'Denver area,' they're listing specific suburbs and neighborhoods? Lucas: Exactly. They've got like fifteen service areas mapped out, from Arvada to Centennial. And they've noticed that their quote requests jumped thirty-seven percent quarter-over-quarter after they refined those pins. Luna: Thirty-seven percent, that's a serious number. But what else — because I feel like just adding pins isn't the whole story. Lucas: No, you're right. The pins get you in the door, but what seals the deal is their photo and post cadence. They upload new photos every couple of days — finished patios, retaining walls, a lawn after aeration. And every photo is geotagged to the specific neighborhood where the work happened. Luna: Oh, that's clever. So when someone in that neighborhood searches, they see work that's literally down the street from them. Lucas: That's the idea. And they're not just posting for the sake of it. They're tracking which photos get views and which ones lead to clicks on their quote button. They found that photos of backyards with fire pits outperform everything else, like three to one. Luna: Interesting. So they're basically using Maps as a visual portfolio, not just a directory listing. Lucas: And that's the shift I think a lot of local businesses don't make. They treat their Google profile like a business card, but it's really a sales page. One that shows up right when someone's searching for exactly what they sell. Luna: Yeah, and you mentioned reviews earlier. How are they handling those? Because I imagine that's a big trust factor for a service business. Lucas: They've got a system. After every job, they send a text with a direct link to leave a review, and they ask about one specific aspect — like the crew's punctuality or how the cleanup went. So reviews are full of specific details, not just 'great job.' Luna: That specificity is huge for search, right? Google latches onto those keywords. Lucas: Exactly. One review mentions 'we had them build a flagstone patio and they finished a day early.' Another says 'our HOA approved their plan without a single revision.' Those comments are gold for local SEO because they match the kind of language people actually type into search. Luna: And they respond to reviews too, I hope. Lucas: They do, and that's another layer. Their owner takes time to reply to every review, and he mentions the neighborhood or the specific project. That signals to Google that the business is active and engaged, which can boost their ranking. Luna: I love that. It's like they're having a conversation in public, and everyone watching gets a sense of how they operate. Lucas: Yeah, and honestly, that's one of the things I appreciate about this show — we get to dig into stories like this and pull out the practical takeaways. If these conversations have sparked something you've actually used in your own business, that's the kind of thing that keeps us going. Luna: And if it's worth a coffee to you, there's a simple way to say thanks. Lucas: Right, it's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just a small gesture if the show's been helpful. Luna: Yeah, we don't do ads, so this is how we keep it that way. But let's get back to the landscaping crew — because they've also got some interesting insights from Google's own data. Lucas: Oh, definitely. They check their Maps insights every week, and they noticed something surprising: a huge chunk of their searches come from people using the 'near me' filter on mobile, even when they're not in the service area yet. Luna: Wait, so someone could be sitting at home, twenty miles away, and still see them in a search? Lucas: Yes, because Google uses your location history and search patterns to infer interest. So if someone has been searching for 'patio contractors' and they're in a neighboring county, the local pack can still show this business. It's not purely geographic. Luna: That's wild. So they're not just targeting their service area, they're getting in front of people who haven't even searched yet? Lucas: Well, they have searched for something related. But the point is, by having a well-optimized profile with lots of relevant content, they're capturing demand that a purely local business might not even know exists. Luna: And what about the actual quote request process? Does that happen through Maps directly or do they drive people to their website? Lucas: They've set up the quote button on their Maps profile to open a simple form. No phone call required, no waiting on hold. Just name, address, project type, and a few details. They found that their conversion rate on that form is about double what it is on their website, because people are already in a decision mindset when they're on Maps. Luna: That makes sense. It's like the difference between browsing and being ready to act. Lucas: Exactly. And they've also started using the posts feature on their profile to announce seasonal promotions. Like in early spring, they post about aeration and overseeding packages. In the fall, it's leaf cleanup and winterization. It keeps their profile fresh and gives people a reason to check back. Luna: So it's not just a static listing — it's a living, breathing storefront. Lucas: That's the way to think about it. And the best part? None of this requires a big budget. They're not running ads. They're just being consistent and intentional about their Google presence. Luna: I think the takeaway for any local business is to stop treating Maps as an afterthought and start using it as a primary marketing channel. Lucas: Totally. And if you're a business owner listening, ask yourself: are you showing up where your customers are already looking? Because for this landscaping crew, the answer was clearly yes — and it's paying off.