Behind the Bark
58.5% of Google searches now end without anyone clicking a single link.
That's from SparkToro's 2024 zero-click search study. For every 1,000 Google searches in the U.S. only 374 clicks (people) make it to a website.
So what does that mean for your tree service company?
Someone types "tree removal near me." Google shows them a map pack with three businesses, a review rating, maybe some photos of a crew at work, and a phone number. They tap "Call." Done.
They never saw your website. Never read your "About Us" page or scrolled through your portfolio. The decision happened on Google's page, not yours.
And it's getting more lopsided. AI Overviews now appear on roughly half of all Google search queries. Google is answering more questions directly, pulling info from profiles and reviews, and keeping people on Google longer.
This is the part that should bother you: per BrightLocal's 2026 SMB Marketing Report, only 35% of small and mid-sized businesses have even claimed a Google Business Profile.
If you've claimed yours, you're already ahead of most. But "claimed" and "fully filled out" are two very different things.
Limb of the Week
Your GBP card is probably the first (and last) impression you make.
Be honest with yourself. When's the last time you actually looked at your own Google Business Profile the way a homeowner would?
Before anyone ever visits your site, a potential customer sees:
Your business name and category
Your star rating and review count
Your photos (or lack of them)
Your hours, phone number, service area
Your business description (thin, or still the default)
Your Google Posts (probably stale)
Now ask yourself: if you were a homeowner with a leaning oak over your garage, would YOUR profile make you call... or scroll to the next guy?
Some tree service owners treat their GBP listings as set-it-and-forget-it. Post a few photos when you first claim it, maybe respond to a review or two, then ignore it for a year.
Meanwhile, the company below you in the map pack is posting weekly, has 150+ reviews with owner responses, and fresh job photos from this month. Who's getting the call?
The hidden problem is real. You can have a fast, clean website and still lose the call at the GBP card. Photos that haven't been updated in a year. Services list that's missing half of what you do. Categories that don't match half the work you actually do. Review responses that are spotty or nonexistent.
The customer doesn't care about your website if your GBP card already told them everything they needed to know... or scared them off.
Sawdust
Quick GBP audit trick: Ask a friend or family member to search for your business on their phone and take a screenshot of what they see. You might be surprised what's showing up (or not showing up).
Kickback
Tree service owners will invest in a new website. They'll drop thousands on ads. They'll pay someone to do SEO. They'll even shell out for truck wraps and yard signs.
But the one thing that's free, that Google gives you for nothing, that sits right at the top of search results when someone's ready to call...usually gets ignored.
Your GBP is a very important piece of your marketing right now.
Most of your competitors are ignoring theirs too. Which means a little consistent effort here goes a long, long way.
When was the last time you posted on your GBP? If you can't remember, that's your answer.
Want us to look at yours?
Reply with your business name or your Google Business Profile link, and we'll pull it up, go through it the way a homeowner deciding who to call would, and send you back the three things to fix first. Free, no catch. We read and reply to every one.
It's a lot easier to hear "your photos are two years old, and you haven't posted since last spring" from us than to keep losing the tap to the company below you in the map pack.
Until next Saturday, hopefully we see you in the map pack!
-Jacob Hastings
