How Cowboy Went from Facebook to #1 on Google Maps
Cowboy Property Restoration, a service-based business out of Lebanon, Ohio, had been gaining traction since 2021—built entirely on the back of a Facebook page. No website. No Google reviews. Just pure word-of-mouth, boosted by local community groups and solid before-and-after project photos.
And for a while? That was enough.
They were the go-to name in their circles. But over time, it became obvious: being visible to your circle isn’t the same as being discoverable to your market.
When I first brought up the idea of building a website to Jake (the owner), it wasn’t about looking fancier—it was about opportunity cost. Real people were Googling things like “deck staining near me” and Cowboy wasn’t showing up. Not on Google Maps. Not in search. If you didn’t already know them or follow them, you weren’t going to find them.
They weren’t losing to the competition.
They were just invisible to the people searching.
Why Facebook Alone Wasn’t Cutting It
When I sat down with Jake, it was clear—they were doing fine, but not scaling. Growth had hit a wall. Everything was still coming from Facebook: posts, community tags, referrals. But that kind of growth only goes so far.
They had no website. No SEO. No Google Business Profile.
In local services, if you’re not on Google, you don’t exist.
What Google Search Told Me
I ran a quick search for “deck staining near me” from my office. Nothing. Cowboy wasn’t even in the mix.
They were invisible to:
Homeowners Googling “property restoration Lebanon Ohio”
People searching “deck staining Warren County”
The 93% of people who begin with a search engine
I even polled some friends in the area. Unless they'd been tagged on Facebook, they'd never heard of Cowboy.
Why Word-of-Mouth Has a Ceiling
Facebook’s great—if people already know you. But it doesn’t help the people who are actively searching and don’t know who to ask.
Jake’s reaction when I brought this up?
“Yeah, but Facebook’s working fine for us.”
Sure—for now. But they were missing out on hundreds of high-intent searches every month. People ready to buy, hire, book—landing on whoever actually showed up in search.
Facebook is fishing in the same small pond. Eventually, you run out of fish.
Where We Started
1. Building a Website That Worked
We launched a clean, mobile-friendly site—simple, fast, and focused on showcasing Cowboy’s best deck work. No fluff. Just easy to see his past work, adding in keywords, and ensuring it was simple to contact.
2. Google Business Profile Optimization
We got Cowboy's GBP in shape fast:
Accurate business categories and service areas
Real project photos (not stock)
Keyword-optimized service descriptions
3. Review Strategy
We created a system for review generation using printed QR cards and simple asks.
The goal? Get customers to mention:
What service they got
Where they’re located
Something about their experience
It made the reviews keyword-rich without sounding forced—and Google rewarded that.
The SEO That Actually Worked
We got specific and intentional.
Service Area Pages
Instead of one vague “we serve the area” page, we built:
“Deck staining Lebanon”
“Deck restoration Mason”
“Fence repair Loveland”
Each page had unique, location-specific content that matched real search behavior.
Review Strategy, Reinforced
We didn’t just collect reviews—we used them strategically. The combination of service + city + experience in reviews helped Google map the relevance right away.
The 30-Day Result
Within one month, Cowboy was ranking #1 on Google Maps for “deck staining” in multiple nearby cities.
Zero ad spend. Just organic traffic. And the results followed:
More calls
More form submissions
Projects in towns they’d never worked in before
They went from “that local Facebook company” to “the top result on Google”—fast.
What If We’d Done Nothing?
Let’s say we kept things the way they were. Cowboy keeps posting to Facebook. Some likes, some tags, maybe a few jobs here and there.
But…
Their reach stays limited
Algorithm changes hit visibility
They're still invisible to Google
Facebook alone would’ve left 70% of potential business untouched.
And they probably wouldn’t even know what they were missing.
Final Takeaway: Be Where People Are Searching
If your business is still Facebook-only, here’s the truth: you’re leaving money on the table. A lot of it.
Cowboy’s turnaround didn’t require a $10K site or a marketing agency. It came down to three things:
A solid, mobile-friendly website
An optimized Google Business Profile
Smart local SEO with real reviews and city-targeted content
Within 30 days, they weren’t just discoverable—they were the top result.
If you're delivering great work, your business deserves to be found. The customers are out there. The searches are already happening.
You just need to show up.
