People search for recyclers by material and by place: "scrap copper near me", "cardboard recycling for business Dayton". A recycler gets found when each material it takes has its own clear page, its hours and scale-house rules are on the site as text, and its Google Business Profile and website agree on name, address, phone and hours.
Recycling search splits into two very different buyers. A contractor with a pickup bed of copper wants to know if you're open, what you take and roughly what to expect. A plant manager wants a commercial program: containers, pickup schedules, certificates of recycling or destruction. One homepage can't answer both.
Hours matter more here than almost anywhere. A seller who drives to a closed gate leaves a one-star review. Keep hours current on the profile and the site, and update both for holidays.
What do buyers type when they search for recycling and scrap?
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 |
|---|---|
| scrap metal recycling near me / scrap yard near me | Walk-in seller. Wants hours, what you accept and directions. |
| copper / aluminum / catalytic converter recycling [city] | Material-specific seller. A page per major material answers it. |
| cardboard recycling for business near me / baler service | Commercial account. Wants pickup, containers, rebates or fees. |
| e-waste recycling near me / certified data destruction | Business disposer. Looks for certifications you actually hold. |
| roll-off for scrap / scrap pickup [city] | Contractor or plant. Wants container sizes and service area. |
What does the map pack show, and how do you get into it?
Recyclers compete with municipal drop-off sites and big national chains in the map pack. Google says local results are based on relevance, distance and popularity, and for walk-in sellers distance usually decides it. What you control is relevance: the right primary category, the materials named on your profile and site, and accurate hours.
Price questions are common ("copper prices near me"). Post prices only if you keep them current. A stale price list does more harm than none; "call for today's price" with a tap-to-call link is honest.
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
What we accept
/what-we-acceptMaterials, preparation rules and what you refuse, in plain text.
- 2
One page per major material
/copper-recyclingCopper, aluminum, steel, cardboard, e-waste: whatever brings most sellers.
- 3
Commercial recycling programs
/commercial-recyclingContainers, pickup schedules, documentation for business accounts.
- 4
Hours and directions
/hours-directionsScale hours, holiday closures, truck entrance and ID requirements.
- 5
Service area
/service-areaWhere you pick up and place containers, with specifics per area.
Worked example: Millbrook Metals (fictional)
Fictional business Dayton, OH. A family scrap yard whose site is a single page with a price table last updated two years ago.
Before
- Prices from two years ago on the homepage
- Hours on the site disagree with the Google Business Profile
- No mention of commercial pickup, though it's half their revenue
- No LocalBusiness markup
After
- Price table replaced with "call for today's price" and a tap-to-call button
- One set of hours, kept the same on the site, the profile and Bing Places
- A commercial recycling page with container sizes and pickup area
- RecyclingCenter markup with address, telephone and opening hours
Mistakes we see most in recycling and scrap
- Out-of-date prices that sellers screenshot and argue about at the scale.
- Claiming certifications you don't hold. It's checkable and it's a fast way to lose a commercial account.
- Hours that differ between the site and the profile.
- Using a material list as an image.
Questions
Should a scrap yard post prices on its website?
Only if someone updates them as often as they change. Otherwise say which materials you buy and ask sellers to call for today's price. Out-of-date prices cause disputes and bad reviews.
Which schema type fits a recycler?
Schema.org has a RecyclingCenter type, a subtype of LocalBusiness. Use it with your name, address, telephone and opening hours.
Do commercial recycling programs need their own page?
Yes. A plant manager looking for a cardboard or scrap program is a different buyer from a walk-in seller, and needs to see containers, schedules and documentation.