How To Show Up in The Local Map Pack: Joy Hawkins

Joy’s Start in Local SEO: A Surprising Beginning

Joy didn’t start off as an SEO wizard. She began her career in telemarketing, pitching Google Ads management to insurance agents. While Google was already big back in 2006, she’d sometimes hear prospects say “What’s Google?” or even call it “goggle.” It was during this phase that Google launched what was then Google Places, and Joy’s clients were eager to rank in these local map listings.

Despite her boss wanting her to stay in sales, Joy felt drawn to figure out how local rankings worked. She taught herself SEO by experimenting with a single client’s website—an insurance company. Even though her first steps into SEO involved “spammy” tactics (think low-quality directories and heavy keyword-stuffing), she realized she had a knack for it. Over time, she fine-tuned her skills and fell in love with local optimization.

Building an Agency: Sterling Sky Takes Flight

Joy spent 11 years at two different agencies, learning the ropes of digital marketing. But her perfectionist streak and desire to constantly test, measure, and experiment didn’t always align with her employers’ approach. So, in 2017, she launched Sterling Sky—originally imagining it’d just be her (and possibly one other person). Yet, thanks to the demand for a results-driven approach, the agency skyrocketed to a 34-person team serving businesses across Canada and the U.S.

“We wanted to be the best local SEO agency in the world,” Joy explains. “And there’s really no limit on where we can go.”

Google Business Profile: Inside Insights from a Product Expert

One of Joy’s standout credentials is being a Google Business Profile Product Expert. Essentially, she’s a volunteer moderator in Google’s official support forums. If you’ve ever had a bizarre issue—like your Google listing suddenly showing pictures of dog poop (it happened!)—the product experts are the ones who can escalate these problems to actual Google employees.

Quick Takeaways for Your Google Business Profile

1. Business Name

   • Keywords in your business name can still make a big difference in rankings. While stuffing random words can be risky (and against guidelines), using a valid DBA or rebrand that includes a core keyword (e.g., “YourName Pest Control”) might give you a serious ranking edge.

2. Categories

   • Use all the categories that make sense for your business. There can be up to nine slots, and you’d be amazed how some lesser-known categories can help you appear for more niche searches. For example, a pest control company might add “Building Inspector” or “Sanitation Service” if they actually provide related services.

3. Hours of Operation

   • In recent algorithm updates, Google started prioritizing businesses that are open when someone is searching. If you notice a dip in weekend rankings, it might be time to adjust your hours or offer an after-hours phone line, so you’re considered “open” (with real human support).

4. Reviews

   • Review velocity is huge. If you keep getting a steady flow of positive reviews, Google sees that as a strong signal. Don’t let months go by with no new reviews, especially if your competitors are piling them up.

5. Posts

   • Surprisingly, Joy believes Google Business Profile posts aren’t that important for most local businesses. They often get few clicks or conversions. Based on her analysis, the ROI is just too low for most. Google may even retire the feature in the future.

Title Tags, “Near Me,” and Other SEO Must-Dos

Joy confirmed that basic on-page SEO—especially title tags—still moves the needle. If you’re targeting “pest control near me,” it can absolutely help to put that phrase in your titles, headers, and content (within reason). The same goes for synonyms or relevant terms people actually search.

Are Long Title Tags Bad?

Nope! Joy’s team doesn’t believe in limiting themselves to 60 characters. If you have to go longer to include crucial keywords, just do it—Google will truncate it on the search results page anyway, but you can still pass important signals to the algorithm.

The Google Data Leak: Testing Theories

In mid-2023, the SEO world buzzed about a “Google Data Leak”—a set of API calls that seemingly revealed the factors Google tracks. Joy doesn’t treat it as gospel, but it sparked new test ideas at Sterling Sky. She always goes back to testing and verifying. If something in those leaked files suggests bold text is important, for example, she’ll run experiments before applying it across the board.

Why Video Content Matters (and How Roger Wakefield Proves It)

Joy has poured significant resources into growing the Sterling Sky YouTube channel (now over 40,000 subscribers!). Why? Because video is the future. She cited Roger Wakefield, a plumber whose YouTube stardom boosted his brand searches and organic rankings. He ended up ranking higher on Google—even without heavy, direct SEO—simply because his name was everywhere on YouTube.

It’s a great example of brand authority feeding organic rankings. So if you’re a local business owner who can talk shop on video, you might get that same boost over time.

Local University: Helping You Master Local Search

Local University (which Joy acquired in 2019) hosts online and in-person conferences. While the in-person events often sell out fast, they also hold free monthly webinars where Joy and other experts dive deep into ranking trends and Google changes. It’s a resource any local business or SEO nerd should know about.

Key Lessons I’m Taking to My Clients

1. Don’t ignore your website

   • A well-optimized site is crucial for ranking—both in the local pack and the organic results.

2. Check your Google Business Profile regularly

   • Ensure your hours are correct, your categories are spot-on, and your name aligns with your actual DBA or brand identity.

3. Reviews, reviews, reviews

   • Encourage consistent positive reviews and respond professionally to negative ones.

4. Test, measure, repeat

   • Joy is big on data-backed decisions. If you implement a strategy, watch the metrics for a month or two to see if it actually worked.

5. Create engaging content

   • Whether it’s text or video, make it genuinely useful. Explainer videos, interesting behind-the-scenes clips, or problem-solving how-to blogs can get you a lot of traction.

Ready to Grow Your Local Presence?

If you’re in pest control, I’d love to help you drive more leads and revenue with SEO. Feel free to explore more of my resources right here on DannyLeibrandt.com or shoot me a message.

For other industries, check out Joy’s agency, Sterling Sky. They’ve helped countless local businesses dominate in the map pack and beyond.

P.S. Check out the full episode here: