Referrals and paid ads still matter in contract cleaning, but they’re unpredictable and hard to control long-term. According to Dave Conway, owner of Simplex360 (pictured left), the companies seeing consistent inbound leads today are those that understand Google’s latest approach to online search.
We caught up with Dave to get his expert advice, following a webinar he presented for BSCAI, “How Commercial Cleaners Win Consistent Contracts Online.” Here are six takeaways you can use today, with quick wins to get started.
1. Google Is Looking for Credibility, Not Just Keywords
Maintaining your cleaning company’s digital presence through keyword-driven SEO is no longer enough.
“Most companies think SEO is just ‘having a website and some keywords,’ but Google is looking for something much deeper: credibility signals that all point in the same direction,” Conway says.
What Google actually wants to see:
- Real experience in specific services.
- Proof of results (photos, reviews, case studies).
- Consistency across the web.
- Authority from third parties (media, backlinks, associations).
Quick win: Build depth around what you do best and where you do it, rather than trying to rank for commercial cleaning everywhere.
2. Specialization Beats Generalization (Every Time)
One of the biggest SEO mistakes in the cleaning industry is cramming all services onto one page. Conway sees better results from companies that:
- Create dedicated pages per service (office, medical, post‑construction, etc.).
- Pair each service with location-specific pages.
- Support those pages with service‑specific proof.
“Google isn’t just ranking a website anymore,” Conway says. “It’s trying to recommend the company it trusts most to solve that exact problem in that exact location.”
Quick win: If you want more medical cleaning leads, build one strong medical cleaning page, not a bullet point on a general services list.
3. You Don’t Need 50 Jobs to Look Like an Expert
Breaking into niches like medical or post‑construction cleaning can feel daunting without years of experience. But Conway sees it otherwise. “This comes down to building ‘perceived experience’ before you have a large volume of real experience to showcase,” he says.
How to build credibility in niche markets:
- Create pages that go deep on compliance, processes, and standards.
- Publish content that shows you understand a vertical’s complexity.
- Highlight related or overlapping experience.
- Document jobs early with photos, write-ups, and testimonials.
“You don’t need 50 jobs to build credibility,” Conway says. “You need a few well-documented examples that clearly show you understand the work.”
Quick win: One or two detailed case studies in a niche can outperform competitors online, even if they do more work but don’t document it.
4. Rebrands Can Quietly Hurt Your Visibility
If your company has changed names and the old one still shows up online, that inconsistency is working against you. “When Google sees multiple versions of a business name across the web, it creates confusion, and that confusion lowers trust,” Conway says.
Rebrand cleanup checklist:
- Update your Google Business Profile.
- Update your website (branding, metadata, schema).
- Use Search Console’s Change of Address for URL changes.
- Correct citations and directory listings.
- Keep Name, Address, and Phone (NAP) consistent everywhere (website footer, area pages, Google profile, etc.).
- Use URL redirects or mention the former name briefly in your About Us page.
Quick win: Think of rebranding like changing uniforms: everyone needs to switch at the same time.
5. Organic Search Is the Inbound Channel You Can Control
Referrals dry up. Ads turn off when the budget stops. But when done well, organic search works differently. “The shift is from ‘hoping people find us’ to ‘building visibility around exactly what people are already searching for,’” Conway says.
What intentional SEO looks like:
- Pages based on high‑intent services + locations.
- Pages created specifically for decision-makers (property and facility managers).
- Consistent authority-building over time through content, citations, and backlinks.
- Ongoing conversion improvements with clear messaging, proof of high-quality service with case studies and testimonials, and strong calls to action.
“When done right, this becomes a compounding asset,” Conway says.
Quick win: Organic leads show up already needing your service. You’re capturing demand, not creating it.
6. Video Builds Trust, Fast
In a high‑trust industry like cleaning, video opens the door to credibility. Conway has seen strong results from content focused on:
- Job walkthroughs.
- Before‑and‑after demos.
- Process explanations.
- Team introductions.
- Client case study videos.
“Video is one of the fastest ways to build trust,” he says, especially for property managers deciding who gets access to their building. “It also improves conversion on the website significantly. People stay longer, engage more, and are more likely to reach out.”
Video helps answer a prospective customer’s questions:
- Do they know what they’re doing?
- Are they professional?
- Can I trust them with my property?
Quick win: One simple job walkthrough video can outperform pages of written copy.
The New Way to Win Online Visibility: Credibility and Trust
SEO today is about making trust obvious. “It's no longer as simple as setting up a website with the right keywords and waiting for leads. It’s now about proving that expertise and being recognized across multiple platforms, including AI-driven search results,” Conway says. “The companies that make [the customer’s] decision easy will continue to win more and more of the market as the concept of EEAT — Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness — takes over the algorithms.”