local SEO

Genius Success Story: Four Years of Growth and Expansion

Last Updated: October 19, 2021

We’re back with a new client success story!

This week, we’re showcasing the amazing progress of Professional Answering Service.

An answering service for businesses and organizations, Professional Answering Service joined our program in March 2017. They started with a CoreSite for a single location in Cleveland, OH.

Since then, in addition to their CoreSite, they’ve signed up for several other Prospect Genius products, including:

Google Local Listing Optimization
Directory Dominator
Press Release Writing and Syndication
SocialStart
AdTrax
MapTrax
Custom Web Services
CallTrax
Facebook Ads

Thanks to their investment in our program and their own commitment to quality service, they grew and grew. In 2021, they launched their fifth location!

Today, Professional Answering Service continues to outperform expectations and dominate their sector. Their monthly lead volume over the past year—a notoriously challenging year for small businesses—speaks for itself:

Congratulations to Professional Answering Service on their incredible success!

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Genius Success Story: Recovering From a COVID Hit Thanks to Customer Reviews

Last Updated: October 19, 2021

In our weekly “Genius Success Stories” series, we showcase clients that have used our program to positively impact their small businesses. Check back each week to see a new success story!

Thanks for tuning in! Our story this week is about how one small business took a massive hit due to the COVID-19 shutdown and found a way to climb back. We think you’ll connect with it.

Tyson Whiteside Audio Video, LLC, is a Portland-based AV specialist who, like many of us, hit a rough patch this spring when the pandemic brought life as we knew it to a standstill. Their usual, steady stream of new customers dried up due to the one-two punch of a pandemic-induced shutdown and their lack of customer reviews on Google.

See, it was one thing to have the rug pulled out from under them when the local economy froze and strict social-distancing orders were in place. After all, it made sense that there would be much fewer customers calling for nonessential services at that time. But what little business *was* there, Tyson Whiteside Audio Video’s competitors were cleaning it up because they ranked higher on Google results and had more impressive customer reviews.

However, once the quarantine orders in Portland were relaxed, the AV company was able to add some reviews to their Google listing and their circumstances dramatically improved. Not only did their local ranking climb higher, but they actually started getting even *more* leads than before!

The numbers write the story themselves:

So, what’s your takeaway?

While you can’t predict or control a global pandemic, there are certain elements of your business you *can* control. Your customer rating is one of them. When you consistently provide your customers with exceptional service AND regularly encourage them to leave reviews on Google (and elsewhere), you’ll future-proof your business and have a stronger shield to protect you from unforgiving economic winds.

Tyson Whiteside Audio Video took a hit, but they fortified their Google listing with customer reviews—and now they’re stronger than ever.

If you’re still struggling to get your phone to ring, don’t lose hope! With the right moves, you can have a comeback story of your own. Call us if you need help!

Genius Success Story: Google Maps Is Indispensable

Last Updated: October 19, 2021

At this point, it’s cliché to open up with, “Now, more than ever…” or to even mention “these uncertain times.” Everyone gets it. We’ve all been existing in 2020.

So, we’ll just say this: Owning a small business right now is a harrowing battle.

BUT —

Despite everything that’s been going down, we’ve seen several clients fight and scrabble and find success—thanks in large part to smart digital marketing strategies. And we think these stories offer valuable, actionable lessons for other small businesses that might be going through a tough time.

This week, we’re showcasing Knapp’s Service & Appliance Repair. The story of this small business demonstrates how a long-term SEO strategy focused on Google Maps can be your suit of armor against a pandemic, an economic downturn, and even Google’s continued money-grabbing, pay-to-play schemes.

To find out more about Knapp’s Service & Appliance Repair’s road map to success, keep reading!

Doubling Leads During a Pandemic

Based in Portland, OR, Knapp’s Service & Appliance Repair has been a Prospect Genius client since 2016.

With our program, they got a responsive, content-filled website, an optimized Google Maps listing, and an aggressive local SEO strategy. Their incoming leads from local customers climbed steadily, and by 2019, they were receiving several hundred leads per month.

In the spring and summer of 2020, many small business owners worried, understandably, that their prospects would dry up as the economy largely shut down. However, for Knapp’s Service & Appliance Repair, the opposite happened.

The company’s incoming leads soared even higher. In August of last year, they received a total of 325 leads. In August 2020, that number nearly doubled to 631!

Not only was the appliance repair company able to keep leads coming in via their web presence, but they were able to do so even after Google rolled out its Local Service Ads product.

This product is yet another pay-to-play measure from Google that puts sponsored ads from paying businesses at the very top of the search results page—even above the Google Maps box.

For example, take a look at these two search results below.

Search results for “appliance repair portland or”:

Search results for “dishwasher repair portland or”:

As you can see, the Local Service Ads capture a user’s attention right away. Consequently, these ads funnel a lot of clicks away from results further down the page.

Thankfully, though, Knapp’s Service & Appliance Repair is ranked in the top three on Google Maps, directly below the Local Service Ads. This high visibility is how the company was still able to bring in 631 leads this August, even with Google’s Local Service Ads as a significant obstacle (in addition to a global pandemic and economic shutdown, of course).

Conclusion: Google Maps Marketing Is Mandatory

The company’s sustained success during this moment is a testament to the importance of an optimized Google Maps listing and a long-term investment in local SEO.

So, do what Knapp’s Service & Appliance Repair did: Commit to building a holistic online presence on a local scale. Fortify your Google Maps listing. Collect as many positive customer ratings as you can. As this appliance repair company will tell you, doing the work pays off.

By putting resources into Google Maps marketing now, you’ll have a defensive shield against life’s unfortunate, unforeseeable events in the future. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that preparedness is priceless.

Little Known Ways to Market Yourself in a New Location

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

So, your business is ranking pretty well in your hometown.

But what if you want to get more jobs in the next town over? Or maybe you want to expand into a different state entirely?

No problem. Prospect Genius has a handful of cost-effective strategies to help you target a new service area without going over budget.

Of course, the strategy we prescribe will depend on how far away your second address is. Thankfully, we’ve had lots of success solving this problem for clients and business owners of all kinds.

Keep reading to hear about some real-life cases in which we’ve helped business owners expand into new service areas and multiply their customer bases.

Reaching From Coast to Coast

We have one client who owns a nationwide answering service. Thanks to today’s technology, they’re able to provide virtual reception and remote answering services from anywhere, which means they can support clients in every corner of the country. As a result, we’ve had to think outside the box in our approach to their online marketing.

After evaluating the upfront costs and returns of PPC and similar paid campaigns, we determined that creating a few local SEO campaigns in different regions would be the most cost-effective route. So, our client acquired legitimate local addresses in these regions, and away we went.

We successfully marketed this client in three separate regions of the country using a combination of content writing, Google Maps optimization, and local directory optimization.

Expanding Regionally

We also worked with a client who was located in one area of New York’s Capital District and wanted to target a town 20-ish miles north. Unfortunately, this second town was just beyond the radius that makes for effective, local SEO.

So, for this client, we got creative. Ultimately, we saw a good deal of success when they set up a new, related business in their desired town. Then we launched an all-new website and local SEO campaign for this new business. However, this required having a legitimate second address, so the viability of this strategy may vary.

However, when it works, it really works. Another client successfully used this strategy and now has four or five separate websites and businesses across Long Island!

Hopping to a Nearby Town

We recently dealt with a client who was getting lots of jobs near their home base and wanted to start reaching more customers a few towns away.

Since the distance between the two locations was minimal, and they were within the recommended SEO radius, we were able to implement a strategy using their current website, which already contained specific language about the general locale. Our strategy involved a combination of directory optimization and Google Maps optimization, laser-focusing those campaigns on the client’s desired town.

For another client in a similar situation, we launched a straightforward paid ad campaign, instead, because it made sense for their budget. We did this on Google AdWords and Facebook Ads, basing our target audience on our client’s desired new location.

Building Your Own Strategy

As you can see from the above examples, the possibilities for expanding to a new territory are pretty open-ended. And the best part is, your strategy can be totally customized.

We’ll work with you to assemble the perfect combination of tactics that won’t send you over budget. Together, we’ll create a cost-effective, well-rounded approach that helps you successfully target your desired location(s).

So, whether you want calls from 20 miles away or 200, let’s chat! We’re confident we have a solution that’ll be an awesome plan of attack for you.

Why You Aren't Ranking in Search Results for That One Service

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

You feel like you have a kick-ass website with tons of great content. You’ve been promoting your business on local directories, too. You’re getting plenty of calls and leads for some of your services, yet there’s a noticeable lack of leads for one service in particular. For example, you own a landscaping company and you’re getting lots of calls for lawn mowing but no calls for tree removal–even though you’d much prefer to book tree removal jobs.
Needless to say, this is most likely caused by the fact that you’re not ranking in search results for tree removal. But why aren’t you ranking for that service? And, more importantly, how can you fix it?
There are two possible explanations for why you aren’t ranking for a given service:

You don’t have a dedicated page on your website for this particular service; or
You aren’t using the right keywords

Keep reading to hear more about these ranking issues and how to fix them!

Do You Have a Webpage Specifically for This Service?

The most common reason you aren’t appearing in search results for “X” service is simple: You don’t have a page for it on your website.
Google will only rank you for services you explicitly advertise or offer—meaning, it will only rank you for services you have dedicated content for. This is simply because Google isn’t a fortuneteller. It won’t know you offer a specific service unless you emphasize it on your site. Therefore, the ideal solution is to go through your website and make sure there’s a page for every service you offer.

Google Can’t Predict Which Services You Offer

Sometimes we think Google is smarter than it really is. Sure, when it comes to keywords, Google is good at detecting natural language and synonyms–but only when there are slight variations between words and phrases. That’s why each page can–and should–have a variety of closely related keywords.
For example, let’s say your landscaping company offers tree removal services. Google won’t automatically place you in results for tree removal searches unless you have a specific page titled, “Tree Removal.” Why? Because, linguistically, “tree removal” is different enough from “landscaping” or “lawn care” that Google won’t automatically put them together. So, if you want to get leads and book jobs for tree removal services, then you need to make sure there is content on your website dedicated to talking about this service. This is the only way your business will rank on Google for tree removal.
Appliance repair services are another great example of Google’s limitations. You can’t assume Google will rank you in searches for “refrigerator repair,” “dryer repair,” or “dishwasher repair” just because your website mentions “appliance repair” a bunch. Rather, you must write content aimed at each service specifically, including keywords closely related to these specific units.
How to fix it:
So, what’s the takeaway here? Go through your website and make sure you have a separate page for every single service you want calls for. (Or, at the very least, make sure you have a substantial amount of content dedicated to each service so Google can detect those keywords.)

Are You Using the Most Appropriate Keywords?

The other issue we see often is that you’re not using the most fitting or popular keywords for your services. This happens most commonly when there’s a certain regional slang or phrase at play.
Here’s a prime, real-life example we saw with one of our clients recently:
We were working with a towing company and testing out different keywords for their services. We were having difficulty getting this company to rank for “tow truck” in their geographic area, so our client asked us to include “wrecker” as a keyword for that service. They were right!
As it turns out, “wrecker” is a popular term for a tow truck in this client’s locale. Although Google’s natural language index didn’t consider it a synonym for “tow truck,” enough people were searching for the word “wrecker” in the context of tow trucks that this keyword wound up driving a lot of traffic for our client’s service.
How to fix it:
The takeaway here is to think about the words and phrases your local customers use most often. At the end of the day, you know your customers best! Then, make sure these overlooked keywords are included in your copy so you can capture as many keyword variations as possible.
Of course, Prospect Genius is always here to help, too! We can give you a free consultation over the phone and look into what services you rank for as compared to what services you want to rank for. Give us a call or fill out the form below!

Prospect Genius

Genius Success Story: Four Years of Growth and Expansion

Genius Success Story: Recovering From a COVID Hit Thanks to Customer Reviews

Genius Success Story: Google Maps Is Indispensable

Doubling Leads During a Pandemic

Conclusion: Google Maps Marketing Is Mandatory

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