Well I designed my profile that way so I can't be tracked. I don't want to be either. I had a horrible experience years ago when someone found my identity online and I had to get the police involved.
I bet you every single one of those companies have branding in their website/pages etc.
According to you - don't bother with the branding - but at the end of the day it draws you one way or the other.
I take your point about a google search - same thing if you looked up a phone book - you are looking for someone in your area. Hardly any point in finding a Garage Door sales guy that lives 500 miles away.
So you're search is down to locality. And fitting a garage door is pretty much the same experience from one place to the next.
You rely on reviews/ratings etc. to narrow down your search.
Taking your approach for Garage Doors - I've found some in my area.
I click through the websites - some are just awful - terrible pictures, branding is awful, no logo, no information.
I come across a nice website - it looks good, it looks professional - I'll probably go with that, get in touch.
Find another 2 websites that I like and easy to get in touch with - I'll ask them too.
The one I found with just text and says 'Installation Garage Doors' I won't use that one.
I mean - you wouldn't let your kids near this van
But you would this van
I had this with you before - the gardening services - 3 people came out to price - I found them all on the internet, same to finding a garage door.
Of the 3 that came out - one was extremely professoinal, branding, pens, t-shirts, nice van, clean looking.
The other 2 guys arrived in battered vans, no branding.
I went with the guy that invested in his look and his business and he did a great job.
But I lost hope in the other guys - they didn't look professional .
Here's a google search for new runners
Instantly hit with images and branding.
Another one
Nice tea cups
Instantly hit with the maker and where to buy them - who stocks them etc.
That's because they paid google to put their images up their first.
That's how google makes money - from advertising.
If a garage door sales team wanted - they could pay google to have their images who up first on the search - even their logo if they wanted.