Pallet buyers search with the product, the grade and a place: "used 48x40 pallets near me", "heat treated pallets Columbus". A pallet yard gets found when its site has a page for each thing it sells or buys, names the towns it delivers to, and shows its yard address and phone as text that matches its Google Business Profile.
Pallet demand is local because freight is expensive. A warehouse manager who needs 300 grade-B 48x40s by Thursday wants a yard within a short drive, and a plant with a trailer of broken pallets wants someone who will pick them up. Both start with a search on a phone, and both decide in a few seconds from what the results show.
Most pallet yards have one page for everything, a phone number in an image, and a title that says "Home". That is fixable in a few days, and it matters more than any amount of posting on social media.
What do buyers type when they search for pallet companies?
These are the shapes of searches buyers use, drawn from search suggestions and results pages. They aren't measured volumes.
| Search | Who it is and what they want |
|---|---|
| pallets near me / used pallets near me | Buyer, short on time. Wants a phone number, a grade and whether you deliver. |
| 48x40 pallets for sale [city] | Buyer who knows the spec. A page for the standard GMA-size pallet answers it directly. |
| heat treated pallets near me / ISPM 15 pallets | Exporter. Needs to see that you supply HT-stamped pallets. |
| pallet recycling near me / pallet pickup | Seller or disposer. Wants to know if you pick up, what you pay or charge, and minimum loads. |
| who buys used pallets / sell pallets [city] | Small seller. Often has a few dozen; say what you accept. |
| custom pallets [city] / pallet manufacturer near me | Plant buyer with a spec. Wants capacity, lead time and an RFQ path. |
What does the map pack show, and how do you get into it?
For "pallets near me" Google usually shows a map with three businesses above the regular results. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and popularity. Distance you can't change. Relevance comes from your Google Business Profile categories and from what your website says. Popularity comes from reviews, links and how well known you are.
Pallet yards often lose the map pack to a bigger competitor or a directory because their profile lists one vague category and their website doesn't confirm what they do. The fix is boring and effective: the right primary category, a site that names the products and services, and the same name, address and phone everywhere.
Which pages does the website need?
One page per thing buyers search for, each with a title that names it. Example URLs are suggestions; use whatever fits your site, consistently.
- 1
New pallets
/new-palletsSizes you build, lumber, lead times, how to send a spec.
- 2
Used and recycled pallets
/used-palletsGrades (A, B, combo), sizes in stock, delivery area, minimums.
- 3
Heat-treated pallets
/heat-treated-palletsExporters search for this by name. Say whether you're an ISPM 15 certified facility or buy from one.
- 4
Pallet pickup and recycling
/pallet-recyclingFor sellers: what you take, trailer drops, what you pay or charge.
- 5
Service area
/service-areaThe towns you deliver to and pick up from, with real details per area.
- 6
Contact and directions
/contactYard address, gate hours, a tel: link, and whether walk-up buyers can load.
Worked example: Ridgeline Pallet Co. (fictional)
Fictional business Columbus, OH. A used-pallet yard with one homepage, a contact form and a photo gallery.
Before
- Title: "Home | Ridgeline"
- Phone number only in a header image
- No mention of heat-treated or grade-B pallets anywhere
- Google Business Profile category: "Wood supplier"
After
- Title: "Used & new pallets in Columbus, OH | Ridgeline Pallet Co."
- Footer with the yard address and a tap-to-call phone, matching the profile exactly
- Separate pages for used pallets, heat-treated pallets and pallet pickup
- Primary category set to "Pallet supplier", with LocalBusiness markup on the site
Mistakes we see most in pallet companies
- One page for selling, buying and recycling, so none of them ranks.
- Listing 40 suburbs in the footer as a keyword block.
- Stock photos of pallets instead of your yard, trucks and stacks.
- A different phone number on the site, the profile and the directories (often a tracking number).
Questions
Should a pallet yard have separate pages for buying and selling pallets?
Yes. A buyer searching for pallets and a seller searching for someone to take theirs want different answers. Separate pages let each one say clearly what you offer, what you need from them and how it works.
Is "pallet supplier" the right Google Business Profile category?
Pick the category that describes what most customers come to you for. Google's guidelines ask for as few categories as needed to describe your core business. If you mostly recycle, a recycling category may fit better as the primary.
Do pallet companies need city pages?
Only for areas where you can say something specific: delivery days, a drop-trailer program, customers you serve there. A list of towns on one service-area page is better than thin copies of the same page.