How I Found Movers Near Me

How I Found Movers Near Me

 

I started out like most people by doing a Google search. Most of the page one search results were populated by companies that didn’t offer moving services at all. There were in fact, almost no moving companies on page one other than those in the Google places listings. Most of the results fell into one of two categories, either third-party intermediary platforms or third-party data aggregating lead brokers.

Third-party intermediaries include websites like Angie’s List, Home Advisor, Thumbtack, Yelp and others. Often, the moving companies that spend the most on these sites get served preferred placement closer to the top of a site’s moving company listings. These are not necessarily the best movers in Tampa, Orlando and Sarasota. Other’s like Yelp, will filter or hide valuable customer reviews, selectively censoring the voice of many and giving relevance to the voice of only few.  In my opinion, this approach limits a consumer’s ability to distinguish between the good companies and the bad. Yelp says its review filter is in the best interest of  consumers, but many consumers and business owners alike believe there are ulterior motives for doing this.

What I have found is that the conflicts of interest that may exist between the consumer, the moving companies, and the third-party intermediary platforms ultimately result in higher consumer costs and misleading perceptions regarding the value and quality of the movers being researched.

The second category of businesses occupying most of page one of the search engine results are third-party lead brokers. These are deceptive and sophisticated marketers that lure consumers into submitting their contact information and move details only to bait and switch the consumer. For example, the lead broker may lure the consumer by promoting a non-existent offer like two men and truck $60. They may catch your attention with a headline like, how much does it cost to hire a mover. They may even offer access to a useful tool like a “move cost calculator” which isn’t even on their website. Often unsuspecting consumers do not even realize this is a data broker aggregating and reselling their personal information rather than a mover’s website. Once the consumer’s information is submitted it is sold to any number of moving companies that then begin emailing and calling non-stop in hopes of reaching you to sell you their services. Don’t get me wrong, increased competition is a good thing, but most of these data re-sellers do very limited if any due diligence on the companies they are selling your personal information to. And let’s be honest, no one wants to field hundreds of phone calls and emails a week from would-be movers.

So, what is someone shopping for moving services to do? Here is what I recommend. It is the process I used to find movers near me that did great work and delivered exceptional value. I started with a specific phrase match Google search “movers near me”. I ignored the paid advertisements and the top organic search results. I looked instead at the top 10 movers that showed up in the Google Places results otherwise known as Google Maps. I read their google reviews and narrowed it down to the top 5 rated moving companies. Then I clicked through to each mover’s website from the Google business listing. On the movers’ website I assessed the professional appearance of the site and the quality of the information presented. I also looked to see if each company articulated a vision, values or a reason for being in business that differentiated them from the others. Of the five, I narrowed the list further to three moving companies I felt good about. I then submitted a quote request form on all three movers’ websites and followed up with a call the next day. After receiving an estimate from each, I evaluated their price, professionalism and value.

In the end, I chose the moving company that in my opinion presented the greatest value and not necessarily the lowest price. The company I picked had the most professional communication of the three, both by phone and email. In addition to articulating core values I identified with, they offered extras the others did not. They provided free TV boxing, free mattress covers and free use of wardrobe boxes. These extra perks translated into additional cost savings and value for me and my family. On the day of the move they arrived on time and did a great job.

This wasn’t the only way I could have found great, affordable, professional movers near me, but it did work very well. Hopefully this process can assist you in your search too.

Stay tuned for my next blogger article on moving insurance.

Good luck and happy moving!