For most junk removal companies, Google Business Profile brings more calls than any other single thing. When someone searches "junk removal near me", the map pack shows three companies, and most calls go to those three. Here is how to set your profile up to be one of them.
Category and name
- Primary category: "Junk removal service". This one matters most
- Secondary categories: add only what is true, like "Rubbish removal service", "Garbage collection service" if you do it, or "Demolition contractor" if you take on light demolition
- Business name: your real name, exactly as on your truck and your website. Adding keywords like "Best Cheap Junk Removal Hollywood" breaks Google's rules and can get your profile suspended
Service area
Junk removal is a service area business: you go to the customer. Hide your home address and list the towns you serve, up to 20. Start with the towns closest to you and your dump. A list of ten nearby towns beats a 60 mile radius you cannot really cover.
Services with prices
Add each service separately, with a short description and a price where you can:
- Junk pickup (from $95)
- Furniture removal
- Mattress removal
- Appliance removal
- Garage cleanouts
- Estate cleanouts
- Hot tub removal
- Yard waste removal
- Construction debris removal
- Same-day pickup
Use the same words customers type. Google matches these to searches.
Hours
Set real hours, and say if you take same-day jobs. If you answer the phone from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (or your receptionist does), list those hours, not 9 to 5. A profile that shows "Open now" at 7:30 p.m. gets the evening calls.
Photos
Junk removal has the best photos of any trade: before and after. Add new ones every week:
- Your truck, lettered, in front of a job
- Your crew, in shirts with your logo
- Before and after of garages, yards and rooms
- Unusual jobs: a hot tub, a piano, a full estate
Profiles with steady new photos tend to get more calls and direction requests than profiles with the same five pictures from two years ago.
Reviews: the part that moves you up
Reviews are the biggest thing you control. Google looks at how many you have, how good they are, how recent they are and whether you reply.
- Ask every customer, every time. Within an hour of the job, by text, with a direct link
- Make it easy. One tap to your review form, not "search for us on Google"
- Reply to every review. Thank good ones by name and mention the job ("glad the garage is yours again"). Answer bad ones calmly, once, with an offer to fix it
- Never buy or trade reviews. Google removes them and can flag your profile
A junk removal company that asks after every pickup can add 8 to 15 reviews a month. Within a year that is a profile few competitors can catch. JunkPilot sends the review request automatically after every job, so nobody forgets.
Posts and questions
- Posts: once a week, share a job, a seasonal tip ("Spring garage cleanouts: book early") or a same-day opening
- Questions and answers: add the questions customers ask ("Do you take mattresses?", "Do you take paint?") and answer them yourself
Your website and your profile should match
Google checks that your profile, your website and other listings agree: same name, same phone, same service area. Link your profile to your website, and make sure your site has a page for each service and each town you list. See the junk removal website checklist.
Weekly habits that work
- Upload three to five new job photos
- Reply to every new review
- Publish one post
- Check that your hours and same-day info are current
- Answer new questions
Fifteen minutes a week keeps a profile active and climbing.
What not to do
- Use a fake address or a virtual office to show up in a town you do not serve
- Stuff keywords into your name
- Create a second profile for the same business
- Ignore bad reviews
Where calls go from here
The profile gets the click. Your website and your phone close the job. If a searcher taps your number and gets voicemail, they tap the next company. Read missed calls in junk removal, and see how JunkPilot handles the rest in junk removal marketing.
Frequently asked questions
What category should a junk removal company use on Google?
Use "Junk removal service" as the primary category. Add secondary categories only for services you really offer.
How do I get more Google reviews for junk removal?
Ask every customer by text within an hour of the job, with a direct link to your review form, and reply to every review you get.