Knoxville, TN · Tree Service
If L&M Tree Service is not in the top 3 on Google Maps, they are handing more than half of every potential customer in Knoxville to competitors who rank above them. The top 3 businesses get 50 to 60% of all clicks from people already searching for tree services. At position 12, L&M Tree Service is close — but close does not ring the phone.
We audited L&M Tree Service, a tree service company based in Knoxville, Tennessee. At Tae Results, we help local businesses show up higher on Google so their phone rings more often. In this audit, we looked at how L&M Tree Service appears on Google Search and Maps, reviewed their Google Business Profile, checked their website for common SEO issues, and assessed their citation presence across the web.
Watch the full video audit above, then read the detailed breakdown below.
We started by Googling "L&M Tree Service" to see what shows up. They do rank first for their own business name, which is the baseline expectation for any local business. However, something notable is that their website does not appear first in the organic results — their Facebook page and Yelp listing show above it. That means L&M Tree Service is losing some brand traffic to third-party platforms rather than driving visitors directly to their own site. Strengthening the website's authority with more indexed pages and better on-page SEO would help push it above those directory listings.
We also noticed competition for the L&M Tree Service name from another tree service business in a different state, which is another reason to make sure the website is well-optimized and clearly associated with Knoxville, Tennessee in Google's eyes.
For the main keyword search — "tree service in Knoxville TN" — L&M Tree Service shows at approximately position 12 in the Google Maps results. They are on the first page but not in the top 3 map pack. The top 3 competitors at the time of this audit were Hancock Tree Service, Tip Top Tree, and Smoky Mountain Tree Service. L&M Tree Service is close enough that targeted improvements could push them into the top 10 and eventually into the top 3.
L&M Tree Service has 299 Google reviews with a strong overall rating. That review count is competitive with the top 3 in the market, which is a significant advantage most businesses do not have. More importantly, their review velocity looks healthy — they have a steady stream of recent reviews coming in rather than a one-time batch. For a tree service in Knoxville, maintaining a pace of 2–3 new reviews per week is ideal for signaling to Google that the business is active and trusted. L&M Tree Service appears to have a good system in place for this.
Their GBP photos are real and show actual work being done — no stock images. This is exactly what Google and customers want to see. One improvement would be to geotag these photos with GPS coordinates from the job sites where the work was performed. Geotagging photos tells Google exactly where the business operates, which strengthens relevance for searches in those specific areas and neighborhoods.
L&M Tree Service has their primary category set to Tree Service with Arborist Service as a secondary, which is the combination we see performing best for tree service businesses. We always recommend keeping categories to a maximum of three. Too many categories can dilute the ranking power of the primary one by sending mixed signals to Google about what the business actually does. L&M Tree Service has this set correctly.
One significant gap is the GBP services section. L&M Tree Service does not appear to have their services listed on their profile. Google allows up to 99 services, and most competitors leave this blank. We recommend adding at least 30 services and writing descriptions for the top 20. This is one of the easiest wins in local SEO because it captures long-tail searches — we found the same gap in our J&J Professional Tree Service audit, and it is consistently the most impactful quick fix across every tree service we review. It captures long-tail searches — customers looking for specific things like "emergency storm tree removal Knoxville" or "stump grinding near me" — that no competitor is currently optimizing for.
The business owner has done a good job completing most of the GBP profile fields. The questions Google asks during setup appear to be answered, which puts L&M Tree Service ahead of many businesses that leave those sections blank. One item that is missing is a booking link. Adding a booking or contact link directly in the profile makes it easier for customers to take action and gives L&M Tree Service one more completed field that signals profile quality to Google.
The L&M Tree Service website has the business name, primary service category, and address visible on the homepage, which is a solid start. The H1 tag includes the right information.
The title tag currently reads "L&M Tree Service Home." This is a missed opportunity. The title tag is one of the strongest on-page ranking signals, and including just the word "Home" wastes valuable space. A better title tag would follow the format: "BEST Tree Service Knoxville TN – L&M Tree Service | Tree Removal & Trimming near me." This targets the primary keyword, the location, and the business name all in one tag.
One important NAP issue we flagged is address formatting. The L&M Tree Service GBP listing abbreviates "Highway" as "HWY." If the website writes out the full word "Highway" instead, Google may see that as a discrepancy. It sounds minor, but Google's algorithm can interpret formatting differences as two separate businesses. Every instance of the address — on the website, Facebook, Yelp, BBB, and every other directory — should use the exact same spelling and abbreviation as the Google Business Profile. If the GBP says "HWY," the website needs to say "HWY."
We also noticed the business address does not appear in the website footer. For local SEO, the standard practice is to hard-code the business name, address, and phone number in the site footer so it appears on every page. This gives Google consistent NAP data across the entire website. L&M Tree Service should add their full address to the footer and embed a Google Map alongside it to reinforce the location signal.
The site does not have LocalBusiness schema markup. Schema packages the business's name, address, phone number, services, and hours in a structured format that Google can read instantly rather than having to interpret from the page content. Adding LocalBusiness schema is a straightforward technical win that can be done with a single code addition. For comparison, Anthony's Hughes Tree & Stump Grinding is also missing schema — it is one of the most commonly overlooked technical signals in the Knoxville tree service market.
We ran the website through Google PageSpeed Insights. L&M Tree Service scored 84 on mobile and 73 on desktop, both above the 70+ threshold we recommend. Page speed is a confirmed Google ranking factor, and it also affects whether visitors stay on the site or bounce to a competitor. L&M Tree Service has no speed issues to worry about.
Citations are mentions of a business's name, address, and phone number on trusted third-party platforms. When Google sees L&M Tree Service listed consistently across multiple directories, it builds confidence that the business is legitimate, which strengthens ranking potential.
L&M Tree Service currently has presence on Facebook, Yelp, Thumbtack, MapQuest, and BBB. That is a decent foundation, and the BBB listing in particular is a strong trust signal. However, there are likely gaps in their directory coverage. We would recommend building citations on Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Nextdoor, Foursquare, Yellow Pages, and any tree service or contractor-specific directories relevant to the Knoxville market. Each new consistent citation is another trust signal for Google.
L&M Tree Service is in a stronger position than most local businesses we audit. Their review count of 299 with healthy velocity is competitive with the top 3 in the Knoxville tree service market — most businesses we see have a fraction of that. Their review generation system appears to be working well. Their photos are real and show genuine work. Their GBP categories are correctly set without over-categorization. The business owner has completed most of the GBP profile fields, which many competitors neglect. Their website loads fast on both mobile and desktop with scores above 70. They have a valid SSL certificate. They rank first for their own business name. And they are already on the first page of Google Maps results for their main keyword at position 12. The foundation is solid — the gap between where they are now and the top 3 is smaller than it looks.
1. Load services into the Google Business Profile. Add at least 30 services with descriptions for the top 20. This is the single biggest gap in the L&M Tree Service profile right now, and it is one of the easiest things to fix. Every service added is a new keyword that Google can match to customer searches.
2. Fix the title tag and add NAP to the website footer. Replace "L&M Tree Service Home" with a keyword-rich title tag that includes the primary service, location, and business name. Add the full business address and phone number to the footer of every page, using the exact same formatting as the GBP listing — including "HWY" not "Highway." Embed a Google Map alongside it.
3. Add LocalBusiness schema markup. This gives Google a structured, instant-read version of the business's key information. It takes a single code addition and immediately improves how Google understands and indexes the site.
Bonus: Geotag all photos with GPS coordinates from job sites, add a booking link to the GBP, build citations on Apple Maps, Bing Places, and Nextdoor, and make sure the address abbreviation is identical across every platform where L&M Tree Service appears.
If you are the owner of L&M Tree Service and want help fixing these issues, contact us directly or see how we can help. We would love to help you break into the top 3 on Google Maps.
See more Knoxville tree service audits: J&J Professional Tree Service · Anthony's Hughes Tree & Stump Grinding
See exactly how you show up on Google — and what to fix.
Get Your Free Audit