Latest / The Local Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Small Business, Google Maps, and Local SEO / How a Landscaper Uses Google Maps Photo Updates to Win Contracts
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, before we start — quick visual. Picture a landscaping company in Portland. They do lawns, patios, retaining walls — classic outdoor work. Now, they post one set of before and after photos to their Google Business Profile every single Monday morning. Luna: Every Monday? That's pretty disciplined. Most local businesses I see post maybe once a quarter. Lucas: Right. And that consistency is the whole story. This company — I'll call them GreenLeaf Landscaping — saw a 40 percent increase in quote requests year-over-year just from that habit. No other marketing change. Luna: Forty percent just from Google Maps photos? That feels high. But I guess if you think about how people search for a landscaper — it's visual. You want to see the work. Lucas: Exactly. Google's algorithm actually prioritizes businesses that add fresh photos regularly — it's a relevance signal. But more importantly, the photos themselves become the sales pitch. A customer searching 'patio installation Portland' sees a gallery of actual completed patios, not stock images. Luna: So it's not just about ranking. It's about closing the deal right there in the search results. Lucas: Bingo. And GreenLeaf does something smart with how they tag those photos. When you upload a photo to Google Business Profile, you can assign it a category — like 'exterior', 'before and after', 'team photo'. GreenLeaf uses the 'before and after' tag every time, and they also add service-specific labels in the caption. Luna: Like what — 'lawn renovation'? 'Paver patio'? Lucas: Exactly. They write something like 'Before and after — full lawn renovation, June 2026. Used drought-tolerant turf and native plants.' That caption contains keywords Google can index for relevant searches. And potential customers see a specific example they can picture on their own property. Luna: So the caption is doing double duty — SEO and sales copy. I love that. Lucas: The other piece is timing. They post every Monday at 8 AM. Why Monday? Because that's when homeowners are planning their weekend projects. They're at their desk thinking, 'I need to finally fix that backyard.' GreenLeaf shows up in their search with fresh photos from last week's job. Luna: That makes so much sense. If you post a photo on a Friday, people are already checked out. Monday morning is prime planning time. Lucas: And they don't stop posting in winter. Most landscapers go dormant November through February. GreenLeaf posts photos of fall cleanups, holiday lighting installs, even snow removal if Portland gets any. That keeps their profile active and visible year-round. Luna: So when spring comes, they're not starting from zero. They've been building relevance all winter. Lucas: Right. They get a compounding effect. Google sees consistent photo uploads over six months, twelve months — it's a strong trust signal. And competitors who only post once in April look stale in comparison. Luna: How many photos are they uploading each week? Is it just one set? Lucas: Usually three to five photos per Monday post. One wide shot showing the full project, a close-up of a detail — say, a stone border or a custom planter — and one 'during' shot if they have it. The during shot adds transparency; customers see the process. Luna: Oh, I bet that builds trust. Anyone can show a finished photo. Showing the messy middle says, 'We're not hiding anything.' Lucas: Exactly. And they always include a photo of the team working. That personalizes the business. People hire people, not companies. Luna: Are you seeing any data on how many views these photos get? Like, do customers actually scroll through? Lucas: Google doesn't publish per-photo analytics, but we know from industry benchmarks that businesses with more than 100 photos get 500 percent more search views than those with fewer than 10. GreenLeaf has over 400 photos now. Luna: Five hundred percent more views. That's wild. So the sheer volume matters as much as the quality. Lucas: Volume plus freshness. A profile with 400 photos that were all uploaded in 2022 won't perform as well as one with 100 photos uploaded steadily over the last year. Freshness is a ranking factor. Luna: So for a landscaper listening right now — what's the one thing they should do this week? Lucas: Take out your phone. Walk to your most recent completed project. Shoot a wide shot, a detail shot, and a shot of the team if they're on site. Upload them to Google Business Profile with a descriptive caption. Do it Monday morning. Then do it again next Monday. Luna: That's a pretty low bar. No editing, no special equipment. Lucas: No. And that's the point — the barrier is consistency, not production value. You don't need a DSLR. You need a habit. Luna: If today was actually useful to you, the way these stay ad-free is listener support — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, that's exactly it. We keep this show free because listeners like you chip in. If these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used, toss a coffee our way. It makes a difference. Luna: And now back to the photos. You mentioned tagging — what categories does GreenLeaf use? Lucas: They stick to three main tags: 'before and after', 'exterior', and 'work in progress'. But the secret is in the caption. They always include the service name, the month and year, and one unique detail — like 'drought-tolerant turf' or 'bluestone patio'. That turns a generic photo into a searchable asset. Luna: So if someone searches 'bluestone patio Portland', that photo could show up. Lucas: Exactly. Google indexes the text in captions, so you're building a library of long-tail keyword pages essentially. GreenLeaf told me they get calls for specific materials they posted about months earlier. Luna: That's the compounding effect. Each photo becomes a tiny landing page. Lucas: Right. And they also reply to every Google review with a photo. When a customer leaves a five-star review, GreenLeaf responds with a thank-you and attaches a photo of that customer's project. That does two things: it shows future customers that you care, and it adds another photo to your profile. Luna: Oh, that's clever. Most businesses just say 'thanks' in text. Adding a photo makes the response more engaging and boosts your photo count. Lucas: And it encourages more reviews. Customers see that their project gets featured — it's a little ego boost. GreenLeaf's review count has gone from 40 to 120 in about eight months. Luna: So the photos are pulling double duty: SEO and reputation management. I'm starting to see why this one habit drives 40 percent more quotes. Lucas: One more data point: their profile views increased 300 percent in the first three months of consistent posting. That's from essentially zero effort beyond taking photos on the job site. Luna: Three hundred percent. And this is a local business, not a national brand. Lucas: A three-person operation. Owner, one crew lead, one part-time admin. The admin takes the photos — it's part of their checklist after every job. Luna: That makes it repeatable. If a three-person crew can do it, any service business can. Lucas: Totally. The template works for plumbers, electricians, painters, roofers — anyone whose work is visual. The key is to show the transformation, not just the finished product. Luna: And post on a schedule. You said Monday at 8 AM. Do they use any tools to schedule? Lucas: They actually do it manually because it only takes five minutes. But there are tools like Post Planner or Buffer that integrate with Google Business Profile if you want to batch photos for the month. Luna: If I'm a landscaper hearing this, I'm thinking, 'Okay, I need to start Monday.' But what about existing photos? Should I delete old ones? Lucas: No, don't delete. Google likes volume. Old photos still show your portfolio depth. Just add new ones on top. The algorithm weighs recency, so fresh photos will get more visibility, but old ones still contribute to your total count. Luna: Good advice. So the strategy is: start with what you have, then build the habit. Lucas: Exactly. And one more tip — use the 'update' feature on Google Business Profile to post a photo with a short message, like 'New patio complete — check out the photos!' That shows up in the 'Updates' tab and can trigger push notifications to people who follow your business. Luna: Wait, followers get notifications? I didn't know Google did push for business updates. Lucas: It's subtle. If someone follows your business on Google, they get a notification in the Google app when you post an update. It's not as aggressive as Instagram, but it's an extra touchpoint. Luna: That's a hidden gem. Most people don't even know the follow feature exists. Lucas: Right. GreenLeaf has about 200 followers now. Every time they post a Monday update, those 200 people see it. It's a mini email list without the email. Luna: So the playbook is: post weekly photos with captions, tag them as before and after, reply to reviews with photos, and use the update feature for extra reach. That's it. Lucas: That's it. The hard part is doing it every Monday. But if you do, you'll likely see the same kind of growth GreenLeaf saw. Luna: I'm actually going to recommend this to a painter I know. He's been wondering why his Google profile isn't generating leads. Lucas: Tell him to start Monday. Three photos. Caption with the service and date. Do it for a month and see what happens. Luna: Alright, Lucas. Good episode. I think we gave people a very actionable strategy today. Lucas: Hope so. Thanks, Luna.