Is Your Cleaning Business Making These 8 SEO Mistakes? (Here’s How to Fix Them)

WHY TRUST US? The ZenMaid team has eight current and past cleaning business owners, including our CEO and founder Amar, who know the ins and outs of the maid service industry like the back of their hands. They share their expertise with us in product development, with the customer success team, and content, which includes the article you’re about to read. We also partner with some amazing leaders in the cleaning industry, like Debbie Sardone, Angela Brown, Courtney Wisely, Chris Schwab, and more, to provide you with the latest industry insights. The tips and advice you’ll find on our blog have helped our team grow their maid services, and we’re excited to share them with you to help you grow your business too.

Hey there! Jonathan Rodriguez here. Through my extensive experience in the cleaning service industry, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges cleaning companies face when it comes to building an effective online presence. Whether you’re a small local business or a growing operation, ranking on search engines like Google is no longer optional — it’s essential for attracting leads, building credibility, and outpacing your competition.

Unfortunately, many cleaning companies unknowingly make critical SEO mistakes that hinder their growth. In this post, I’ll share the eight biggest SEO mistakes I’ve seen cleaning companies make and explain how to avoid them. These insights come from years of working with cleaning businesses just like yours, so you can trust that this advice will help take your business to the next level.

1. Not Setting Up a Google Business Profile 

Many cleaning companies underestimate the importance of a properly set up Google Business Profile (GBP), but it’s one of the most critical tools for local SEO success. Without a GBP, your business won’t appear in the local map pack, which is where most customers look when searching for cleaning services in their area.

When potential clients search for “house cleaning near me,” the local map pack is the first thing they see. A fully optimized GBP allows you to showcase your services, collect reviews, and provide crucial details like your operating hours, address, and phone number. Failing to set up or optimize this profile means missing out on local visibility, making it much harder for potential customers to find and trust your business.

2. Using a DIY or Low-End Web Design Service 

Choosing a DIY website builder or a low-cost web design service might seem like a budget-friendly option, but it can hinder your cleaning company’s online success. 

Why? Well, these platforms often produce cookie-cutter websites with limited customization options, poor loading speeds, and a lack of mobile optimization — all of which hurt your SEO. 

What’s more, these sites rarely include critical SEO features like proper metadata, schema markup, or internal linking, leaving your business at a disadvantage. A low-quality site reflects poorly on your professionalism, driving potential customers away before they even reach out.

I get it. We all need to start somewhere. But once you have the capital to reinvest in a WordPress website, do it. You don’t need to spend too much for higher quality — $500 to $1500 is probably all you need to spend on this type of website.

3. Not Updating Your Website

Your website isn’t a “set it and forget it” kind of thing. An outdated website can signal to search engines — and potential customers — that your cleaning company is behind the times. Regular updates are necessary to maintain a modern look, fix any technical issues, and add fresh, relevant content that improves your SEO rankings.

If you’re using WordPress for your site, not updating plugins can lead to broken pages and vulnerabilities for hackers to take over your site. Neglecting your website also puts you at risk of broken links and outdated security protocols, which can further hurt your online credibility and search rankings. Good webmasters always update outdated plugins on a regular basis, which takes a lot of the weight off your shoulders. 

The key thing to remember is search engines prioritize websites that consistently offer valuable and up-to-date information, like blog posts, service page enhancements, or customer testimonials. So, create a monthly content calendar where you or someone on your team can dedicate time to add website updates. 

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4. Having a Site That Is Broken

I have to be straight with you: a broken website is one of the quickest ways to lose credibility with both search engines and potential customers. Common issues like 404 errors, slow load times, missing images, or forms that don’t work can frustrate visitors and cause them to leave your site without taking action. These problems not only hurt user experience but also negatively impact your SEO rankings, as search engines penalize sites with technical errors.

For a cleaning company, where trust and professionalism are key, a broken website sends the wrong message and directly affects your ability to generate leads. After all, if you can’t maintain your own website, potential customers might wonder about your attention to detail in their homes.

Luckily, the fix here is easy. Here’s a simple trick: go to Google and type “site:yourwebsite.com” (replacing yourwebsite.com with your actual domain). This will show you all the pages Google can find on your site. Scan through them and look for any that say “404” or show weird titles — those are your broken pages that need fixing. Do this check once a quarter, and you should be in good shape. 

5. Using a PO Box or UPS Store 

Here’s a mistake I learned about the hard way: using a PO Box or UPS store as your business address might seem convenient, but it can severely harm your local SEO efforts. 

Let me share a quick story from my own cleaning business in Salt Lake City… Once I reached Page 1 of Google in Maps using a UPS store address (I know, I know…). Eventually, my assistant got a strange call from “Google” asking if we did business there. She was honest and told them no, and we were immediately suspended from GMB. Of course, we started again with another address, but it was a huge inconvenience to start over.

The thing is, search engines like Google prioritize businesses with a physical location that customers can visit, as this adds credibility and signals legitimacy. A PO Box, Virtual Office or UPS store doesn’t offer the same level of trust or accuracy. And worse, using those are against Google’s Terms Of Service, which means you could be permanently suspended by Google (like I was) if you don’t take the proper measures.

6. Keyword Stuffing 

Here’s another common mistake I see cleaning companies make when trying to boost their search rankings, and trust me, it almost always backfires. Keyword stuffing is an outdated practice that involves overloading a webpage with target keywords, making the content unnatural and hard to read. I’ve had clients do this after repeatedly telling them not to for some odd reason. Some habits die hard, I guess.

Not only does this harm user experience, but search engines like Google now penalize sites for this tactic, as it violates their guidelines. Effective SEO requires using keywords strategically and naturally within high-quality content that provides real value to readers — not spamming the same terms repeatedly in an attempt to game the system.

Unfortunately, the solution here isn’t a quick fix. It takes time and skill to write high-quality content. You can use AI to assist you, but you don’t want to overly rely on it as Google can penalize you for that too. If content writing is something you struggle with, you can hire a freelance writer or SEO marketing professional to do it for you. 

7. Trying a DIY Approach to SEO (Sometimes) 

Look, I understand the appeal of DIY SEO for cleaning companies looking to save money, but it’s rarely effective and often leads to wasted time and resources. Learning a completely new skill set can be time-consuming, full of traps, and very challenging. Some people do it, though, if they have a lot of interest in SEO and a lot of time on their hands.

Here’s the reality: SEO is a complex and ever-evolving field that requires expertise in technical optimization, keyword research, content creation, and your valuable time. Without proper knowledge, a DIY approach can lead to mistakes like targeting the wrong keywords, missing out on local SEO opportunities, or even damaging your site’s rankings long-term. And this brings me to the final SEO mistake: 

8. Not Hiring a Professional SEO With Experience and Proven Results 

Let’s talk about something I see all too often: hiring an inexperienced or unproven SEO provider — or worse, avoiding professional SEO altogether. Both can prevent your cleaning company from reaching its full potential online. Remember, cheaper is not always better. 

SEO requires a tailored approach based on your specific market and competition. Professionals with experience in the cleaning industry understand how to target local audiences, create optimized content, and track performance effectively. Working with a trusted expert ensures you’re investing in strategies that deliver measurable results, helping your business stand out and grow.

The Bottom Line

SEO can be a game-changer for cleaning companies that pays off the investment over time, but only if it’s done right. Avoiding these common mistakes can mean the difference between a website that generates consistent leads and one that’s virtually invisible online. As someone who has walked in your shoes as a cleaning business owner and worked with hundreds of companies to improve their online visibility, I know that SEO like the back of my hand.If you’re ready to take your cleaning company’s online presence to new heights, it might be time to invest in expert guidance. And hey, that’s where I can help! If you’re a well-established cleaning business and need professional SEO help (don’t we all 🤣), you can reach me here for a free SEO analysis to get started.