Why Is It So Hard to Get Your Business Verified on Google Business Profile?
So....I have been trying to get "validated" by Google for about 2.5 years now and I dont understand why I need to and why it isn't easier. I own a Junk Removal company and Google is sending me through the ringer! PLEASE TELL ME IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS HAD TO DEAL WITH THIS? Does anyone have insight on what to do? Thanks in advance, Hannah, DriveBy Junk Removal, Ltd.Brand new junk removal biz grossed $9k from June 1 - June 22nd
I was learning how to market while trying to rent websites to businesses (set up a lead generating website and sell all the leads to an exclusive partner on a monthly flat rent) and realized I wanted my hands on that blue collar service. I always wanted to run a business that genuinely helps people and the community and found that junk removal could do just that. Making money of course is important. I want a good life just like everyone does. So here is what made our junk removal business start paying the bills in our first month of ditching W2. Verified Google Business Profile Clean website with SEO/Keywords Google search ads (pay per click) Google local service ads. Meta Ads Posting organically Begging on Facebook marketplace (actually got a good amount of jobs but is not super reliable or consistent. I know that customer acquisition is tough but so necessary for running a business so really focus on your online presence!How to geotag photos for Google Business Profile posts to improve local map rankings?
I wanted to share something we've been doing and an insight in to one of our company processes. When you are doing your Google My Business profile, you should be filling out the services, products and updating your status with a post a few times a week. This particular post is going to be about how we geo tag photos, make an appealing GMB update, then post it. This is the exact SOP I gave my virtual assistant so feel free to steal this OR if you have something to say about it, I'd love that feed back to! It's my understanding that these aren't super important for SEO but it helps with map rankings because of the geo tagged pictures and build trust with people that go to your page and see a very active business. Here's the loom video ... https://www.loom.com/share/3f3f0966501148a5be20311a4f0c3ecb Create and publish a daily Google Business Profile update using geotagged project photos from completed or high-value jobs. The goal is to showcase larger remodel projects, maintain consistent posting, and drive engagement with properly labeled images and a clear call-to-action. Open the required tools and prepare for photo selection. Open Jobber, Company ChatGPT, GeoImager, and Google Business Profile. Confirm you are working on the daily posting task. Choose a strong project to feature. Select a job that represents the type of work the company wants to attract. Prioritize larger remodel-heavy projects. Sort by total job value or use the most recent completed jobs. Avoid jobs still in progress unless specifically instructed. Find matching before and after photos. Open the selected job in Jobber and review the photo gallery. Identify one strong after photo and one before photo from a similar angle. Choose the most visually compelling pair that shows the transformation clearly. Prepare the photos for geotagging. Open GeoImager and upload the first photo. Place the geotag using the job location. If exact address search is unavailable, use the general area near the job site. The goal is a GPS-tagged photo, not a perfectly precise point. Geotag and download each photo. Download the photo with embedded location data, clear the image in GeoImager, then repeat for the second photo. Confirm both are downloaded before moving on. Rename the files. Go to Downloads and rename the geotagged images using a clear convention such as Project Name - Before, Project Name - After, and Project Name - Side by Side. Use the correct company name (Huge Home Pros) in all file names. Generate a side-by-side image and post copy using ChatGPT. Request file names and post copy for the before photo, after photo, and side-by-side image. Ask for text suited for a Google Business Profile update. Confirm the wording matches the company brand and project type. Upload the content to Google Business Profile. Start a new update and upload images in this order: side-by-side first, before second, after last. This order tells the project story correctly. Schedule the post and choose a call-to-action button. If a post was already published today, schedule this one for 6:00 AM the next available slot. Always include a button. Use Call Now for direct contact or Learn More linking to the relevant service page on the website. Repeat daily. Focus on larger jobs, remodel-heavy projects, and strong visual transformations. Feature specific areas like kitchens, closets, or bathrooms when relevant. Ask for direction if unsure what to post. Cautionary Notes Do not spend excessive time perfecting the geotag location if address search is unavailable. Keep the company name consistent across all files and post content. Avoid featuring jobs still in progress unless the team requests it. Always include a button on every post. Match any service page link to the project type as closely as possible. Tips for Efficiency Keep ChatGPT open throughout the workflow to quickly generate file names and copy. Use recent high-value completed jobs to save time on content selection. Stick to the same naming convention every day. Follow the same posting workflow daily to reduce decision-making. When possible, prepare the side-by-side image and post text while geotagging so tasks run in parallel.
Cleaning Company Marketing Strategies
I'm curious to hear from other cleaning company owners and operators. What has been the most effective marketing strategy for your business? Has your growth come primarily from referrals, Google reviews, SEO, social media, paid advertising, networking, door hangers, community involvement, or something else entirely? We're always looking for ways to improve and grow, and I'd love to hear what's working in different markets and what hasn't been worth the investment. If you could only choose one marketing channel for your cleaning company, which would it be and why?How's everyone creating social content without it eating up their workday?
What’s your go-to setup for capturing social media content these days? Also curious about which apps or tools people are using for filming, editing, organizing, or posting content consistently. In this episode of Masters of Home Service, PhilRisher and Hunter Patrick (Dumpire) share tips on creating social media content, including: The easiest types of video content to shoot DIY social media tools any service pro can use Why focusing on local content matters more than going viral Want to put these tips into action? Download our weekly social media plan for this episode. Never miss an episode of Masters of Home Service. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
How active are you on your social media?
I wonder how active other business owners are on social media, and if there are any cases where a majority of leads are generated through it? How active do you have to be to make that a viable source of leads coming in? What content are you posting? Are you using other apps to edit and create posts?Is anyone else using Homestars? What has your experience been like?
I have been using Homestars and I must say, it has generated me a lot of calls. I would say it's bringing in about 80% of my business right now. I took a lot of time to perfect my profile and always ask for reviews and that has really paid off. A lot of people have said the reason they requested or hired me was because of my profile and reviews. My only issue with them is tire kickers and dead leads. People who post a job then shortlist you and don't respond, shortlist multiple pros or people who are "just looking". I wish they had more of a guarantee or verification system. Also getting a refund used to be a lot easier, but they changed their system to make it harder. Is anyone else using Homestars? Any tips or tricks on how to succeed better on there? If anyone is interested in it but has questions, feel free to DM me or reply here for my advise also!Does your website focus on SEO keywords or a compelling hero message?
Hi all, I'm curious to hear from other business owners about the copy on their website. Are you strictly focused on having headers and titles on your webpages that are SEO strong/that relate to what people would be searching? For example, "Best plumber in Miami" Or are do you use hero messages about what you're actually solving / the outcome / trust For example, "Plumbing problems are stressful. We make fixing them easy." Has anyone A/B tested headlines like these? Which are more successful? My website is set up like the first bullet point, but I feel like I should lean more into the hero messages. Thoughts? Thanks in advance! Sarah
