An optimized Google My Business listing is one of the best tree service marketing tools, and it’s completely free to set up. Claiming your business on GMB can get you exposure in Google Search and on Google Maps – optimizing your listing can result in a steady flow of new tree service customers for your business.
There are many different forms of tree service marketing, from pay-per-click ads and social media advertising to email marketing – they all have the potential to deliver results, but at what cost? Customer acquisition cost is a key metric – if you cannot attract new tree service customers at an affordable cost the business will not survive.
You need to focus on platforms that have an endless supply of potential customers and there is no better source than Google. The key is to be found by those local customers who are actively looking for the services that your tree company provides.
Many business owners assume that they can simply create a Google My Business listing and sit back, waiting for leads to come in. That’s not how it works. There is a lot of competition on Google, and the only way to get your business positioned at the top of Google Maps and Search is to optimize your profile.
This is where we come in. Our tree service marketing agency specializes in delivering our clients the most impressions, click-throughs, website traffic, leads and tree service customers – all from Google My Business.
It’s important that you understand how your Google My Business profile works and how it can be leveraged, attracting new customers to your tree service business. Here are five tips to help you better understand how we use a GMB listing to bring you, new customers.
1. Optimize Your Listing for Search and Maps
When we are optimizing your Google My Business listing for the best tree service SEO results we set out to gain maximum exposure on Google Search and on Google Maps. Both have the potential to drive a lot of traffic to your website as well as direct phone calls and lead generation.
The biggest mistake a business will make it simply entering the contact details and letting the GMB listing sit idle. A website URL, phone number, and address alone will not help you get the organic exposure that you are after.
Sure, a few random people might come in contact with your listing – it may even generate a lead or two – but you will never experience the full potential of Google unless your listing is optimized for your specific location and the keywords and search (or voice) phrases that your ideal customer is using to find the tree services you offer.
Everything from the description and business category to the smallest details, like hours of operation, play a significant role in how, where, and when your listing is shown in the organic search results. This also applies to Google Maps results.
Tree service SEO is an on-going process. Even once the top position is achieved the work doesn’t end – if anything the on-going optimization becomes even more important. Reaching the top is one thing – maintaining that position is another.
2. Set Up Dedicated GMB Contact Information (for Tracking Purposes)
It’s important to know what the return is for every tree service company marketing effort, from your search engine optimization to your email marketing and social media marketing. When you know what channels are driving customer acquisition at the lowest cost, you can then scale those efforts and pull back on the channels that are acquiring customers at a higher cost.
Setting up contact information exclusively for your Google My Business profile is an easy way to determine what leads and sales originate from your GMB listing. Using a separate phone number that is only listed on your GMB profile (or using a call forwarding/tracking number) is a good first step.
Also, a website URL that features UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters will help you identify and analyze all of your website traffic that comes from Google My Business in your Google Analytics account.
It’s very easy to add UTM identifiers to the end of your website address and it doesn’t affect anything in a negative way. When we set this up it allows us to first identify all traffic from your GMB listing and follow its path, from hitting your website all the way to when and where it left or converted.
This is something we help you implement. It’s just important that you understand why this strategy is so important. The more data we have, the better we can make adjustments moving forward that result in more leads and customers for your tree service company.
3. Focus on Attracting New Google My Business Tree Service Reviews
When a local consumer finds your business online and has identified it as a “possibility” what is one of the first things they are going to do? Read your tree service Google reviews – starting with the most recent ones and going back as far as needed in order to make an educated consumer purchase decision.
Having recent reviews for potential customers to read helps you convert more customers. Ranking your listing at the top of Google is great, as it will attract a lot of attention and visitors, but if you cannot convert them into customers it’s a wasted effort.
If someone is on your GMB listing they clearly have an interest or need that they are looking to satisfy. A lot of great reviews from past tree service customers is a great way to make them feel confident about the service your business provides.
Maybe getting customers to leave tree service Google reviews on your Google My Business listing hasn’t been a priority in the past, but it needs to be, and we can help you set up a system to automatically ask every customer.
Google’s algorithm takes reviews into consideration for both its Search and Maps results. Remember, their goal is to provide users with the most helpful and accurate information. Businesses with a lot of strong reviews (and recent ones) are favored by the algorithm, as they appear to offer service that was well-received by their most recent customers.
4. Add a “Services” Listing
Does your tree service company often receive inquiries looking for price quotes on services that have a standard fee? If so, you can use a feature that Google My Business has that allows you to add a menu to your profile.
This menu allows you to list “services” and the cost of each service. The only thing that would prevent you from using this would be if you linked out to a third-party service link, which shouldn’t apply to a tree service company.
This is a little tree service local marketing hack that allows you to add a little additional information to your profile. One of the reasons we build-out our clients’ listings as fully as possible is because the “more factor” will often push consumers to contact your business over another less-complete listing in the event that they are considering multiple local options.
Also, if you have some services that you offer at a very low price to help attract customers, this is a great place to list them. It can help get potential customers excited about contacting your business. Little hacks like this can be the difference between someone contacting your business for more information or clicking back and finding another business.
You only have a couple of seconds to command attention – so we take every possible step to ensure your GMB listing is optimized to drive as many leads and potential customers your way.
5. Publish Frequent Posts
Content marketing is part of our tree service search engine optimization effort, but we tend to publish on your company’s website. There wasn’t an option to publish content directly on the Google My Business listing; until now.
Some things that you need to know regarding GMB posts. First, they are limited to 300-words or less. Second, they disappear from your listing after seven days, or you can set them to expire earlier in the event you are posting about a limited offer that won’t be valid or applicable after a day or two.
The easiest way to explain this feature is to compare it to a Facebook post. They show up on your page and you can create a headline and body, as well as include a call-to-action button.
This feature is great for special offers or to make announcements. The CTA can help you build your email list as well as direct the potential customer to a specific page or offer. They also help to draw attention to your listing and website, as they have the potential to show up in the Knowledge Panel.
That is the little information box that is displayed, containing business information like contact details and social media profiles. We like to create short eye-catching headlines and use emojis to really draw attention.
Like everything, consistency is key here. We constantly post to help improve traffic and click-through rates.
Final Thoughts
There isn’t another tree service marketing option more lucrative than Google My Business in terms of customer attention. It’s where the majority of consumers turn to when they are in need of a local service provider.
By dominating your local market on Google you can position your tree service company as the local go-to – the local experts. Once you position your business at the top of Google, in both the Search and Maps results, you are able to strengthen your footing by attracting new Google reviews. Achieving and maintaining top online visibility is an ongoing optimization task, and that is what we specialize in. We handle your entire Google My Business listing, allowing you to focus all of your effort on what you do best – running your tree service business.
If you would like to learn more about the tree service marketing services we provide and how we can help grow your online presence, contact us today for a free consultation and Google My Business audit.
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