Here’s How Chicago Window Cleaning Businesses Are Topping Google Search Results

Making it to the top of a Google search results page (SERP) is no mean feat, especially if you’re running a small services business in a fairly crowded market. 

Consider the case of three window cleaners in Chicago. 

Google lists more than 200 window-cleaning businesses in the Windy City. Search for ‘Chicago window cleaner’ and here’s what shows up in the ‘3-pack’ - the top three results of a Google search.

Source: Google search results for ‘Chicago window cleaner’.

Any potential customer looking for quality services is likely to give his or her strongest consideration to businesses that top the results page. In this case, that would be Sparkle Window and Gutter Cleaning, Urban Street Window Works, and Lux Street Window Cleaning. 

Google ranks businesses based on prominence and user engagement, among other factors. 

That means all three businesses featured in the search results page shown above are highly competent at what they do and have hundreds, probably thousands, of satisfied clients between them. 

There is something else common to these three window cleaning businesses in Chicago, however, apart from high service quality and strong reputations.

All three of them happen to be NiceJob clients. 

Coincidence?

Not when you consider what we do to help clients get more reviews for their businesses.  

Let’s understand how our reputation marketing software can help your small business dominate competitors on Google search results and make more sales. 

Factors That Determine High Rankings on Google 

Google uses automated algorithms to index, assess, and rank web pages based on a variety of factors, some of which are in your control. 

With that in mind, let’s consider the factors that are key to topping Google search results.

Keyword Optimized Content 

The use of relevant keywords in your website is an essential Google ranking factor. Google compares websites for keyword usage not only in the body copy of web pages but also in titles, links, and image captions. 

Here are some key elements that you must optimize for keywords to rank higher on Google searches: 

• Title Tags: This is an HTML element that describes the title of a web page using relevant keywords. Optimized title tags help Google find and rank your website. 
• Backlinks: These are inbound links to your website from an external source, usually another website. Google uses them to determine relevance for specific queries. 
• Internal Links: Internal links from one web page to another help Google make sense of page authority and keyword signals for your overall website.
• Anchor Text: It is the highlighted, clickable section of text that links to another page. Google uses anchor text to understand content and its relevance to a search. 

Website Structure and Speed

A well-structured and high-performing website is a significant contributor to better online visibility and higher SERP rankings.

A logically structured website makes it easier for Google to navigate your website and index web pages correctly. 

Best practices in this context include:

• Organizing content into meaningful categories and subcategories.
• Strategic internal linking to distribute authority across your website. 
• Delivering enhanced user experiences through faster loading speeds.
• Mobile-friendly design for easy navigation and user interaction. 

Customer Reviews and Online Reputation

Google evaluates customer reviews and ratings to determine how trustworthy and relevant a business is to users. 

Here’s how customer reviews contribute to higher rankings on Google: 

• Quantity: A large number of reviews positively impacts rankings even when the average rating is moderate. 
• Quality: Positive reviews and detailed feedback weigh more than generic or negative reviews. 
• Recency: Google considers new reviews more relevant, so getting fresh reviews consistently is important. 
• Star Ratings: They directly influence user perception and can influence click-through rates. 

Find out more about how franchises can manage online reputation to foster trust and increase sales.

Easily Get 4X More Reviews for Your Business!

Grow your business with NiceJob's review generation software, effortlessly boosting reviews, traffic, and sales.

Start Free

How a NiceJob-Powered Website Fares vs the Competition 

Now we’ll compare a website that partners with NiceJob with one that doesn’t. The purpose: to understand what kind of a difference we can make for your business and how we do it.

For that purpose, we’re using Sparkle Window and Gutter Cleaning, the first result from the ‘Chicago window cleaner’ search, and Twice as Brite, another prominent business that appears fourth on the list. 

Here’s what sets the two apart: 

Review Display Prominence

Both websites feature reviews on their home pages and have dedicated review pages. But this is where the similarities end. 

Sparkle displays reviews prominently, right at the top of its home page. It’s one of the first elements to hit the eyes of users landing on the page. 

Twice as Brite features reviews much further down. 

Its review page also happens to be monochrome and somewhat bland. 

Source: Twice as Brite. 

In contrast, the Sparkle review page is colourful, bright, and has many more reviews than its competitor. 

Source: Sparkle Window and Gutter Cleaning. 

Star Ratings

Star ratings wield considerable influence on brand perception and consumer behavior. They offer a visual representation of customer satisfaction, building trust and credibility. They impact purchase decisions by making it easy to gauge service quality and are central to building a business’s online reputation. 

As is clear from the two images above, Sparkle features star ratings prominently, while its competitor avoids them.

Ease of Leaving a Review

The easier it is for customers to leave feedback, the more likely they are to do so.  

A streamlined review process encourages customer feedback and eventually helps Google rank businesses accordingly. 

Sparkle features a prominent ‘Leave us a review’ button that shows multiple options on the page.

In contrast, Twice as Brite doesn’t provide a clear option for customers to leave a review. It instead features links to Google and Yelp and asks customers only to read more reviews, making no effort to encourage them to write a review themselves.

Review Volume

Even though both businesses have a 4.9 rating out of 5 on Google, Sparkle has twice as many reviews as its competitor.

It has 210 reviews against 91 for Twice as Bright. 

That’s surprising when you consider Sparkle has been in business for only 10 years, compared to 15 for Twice as Brite.

Start a free trial with NiceJob today and start earning 4X more reviews. 

Summary

Here are three takeaways that summarize our findings thus far: 

• Automated reputation marketing software can help franchises gather more reviews, boost online visibility, and drive more sales. 
• Keyword optimized content, a fast-loading website, and a high volume of quality reviews are factors that determine Google search rankings. 
• Partnering with NiceJob means enhancing the ease of leaving reviews, displaying reviews more prominently, and making the most of star ratings.

Remember, more reviews translate to better search engine rankings, which in turn leads to higher conversion rates for your franchise business!