Website
Build and host a site with a page per service and a way to book. The foundation for everything else.
Five services, usually bundled.
Local SEO
Business Profile, reviews, service pages and links. Slow to start, cheapest per lead once it works. See local SEO for contractors.
Google Ads and Local Services Ads
Paid leads from day one. The agency fee is on top of what you pay Google.
Social media
Job photos and reviews on Facebook and Instagram. Good for trust, rarely the main lead source.
Reporting
Monthly numbers. Ask for calls, booked jobs and cost per job, not impressions.
How each fee model pays the agency.
Monthly retainer: a fixed fee for a set of work. Predictable, but the incentive is to keep you, not to grow you. Setup fee plus retainer: common for website builds. Pay per lead: you pay for each call or form, which aligns incentives, but check who owns the phone number and the website if you leave.
Whatever the model, ad spend is separate from the fee. Compare agencies on what they deliver each month, in writing, and who owns the assets.
MO
Marcus Okafor1140 Fraser St · since Mar 2023
RepeatHistoryNotesPhotosInvoices
- 12 JunRekey, 4 doors$310
- 03 MarDeadbolt install, rear entry$185
- 19 NovEmergency lockout, 11:52 PM$89
- 02 AugKey fob programming$140
Note from Dane
Gate code 4417. Dog is friendly. Back door sticks in summer.
How a home services marketing agency charges
Inside Linq
Every lead lands on the board.
Calls, texts and web forms arrive with a name, a number and a job type, so you can see which channel actually books work.
See Linq marketing
Walk away if you hear these.
"We own the website"
If you leave, you lose your rankings. Your domain, your site and your Business Profile should be in your name.
Long contracts with no exit
Twelve months locked in before you have seen a lead.
Guaranteed number-one rankings
Nobody controls Google. A guarantee means a keyword nobody searches.
Reports without calls
Impressions and clicks with no booked jobs or cost per job.
Shared leads
The same lead sold to three of your competitors.
Emergency calls, ranked by speed.
A plumbing marketing agency should focus on the searches that turn into same-day jobs: "emergency plumber", "burst pipe", "water heater repair" plus your city. That means Local Services Ads, a strong map listing, and pages for each emergency service. And it means answering: an ad that rings a phone nobody picks up at 9pm is money spent twice. See plumbing software.
Fewer, bigger jobs.
For general contractors, remodelers and specialty trades, the job is bigger and the decision slower. A contractor marketing agency should build project galleries, reviews with photos, and pages per project type, and follow up every estimate. See general contractor software.
Do these first. They are free or close to it.
| Step | Why it comes first | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Answer every call | Marketing that rings a missed call is wasted | AI receptionist on Linq Growth: $179 a month, platform included |
| Complete your Business Profile | It decides the map pack | Free |
| Ask every customer for a review | Reviews drive map ranking and LSA leads | Free, or automatic on Linq |
| One page per service | Pages rank for what customers type | Linq Presence: $299 a month |
| Track where you rank | You cannot judge an agency without a baseline | Linq SEO: $49 a month |
Fourteen days. Your actual jobs.
Not a sandbox with fake customers in it. Put a real week through the board, answer real calls with it, and see what the Friday number looks like. Fourteen days, no card, cancel any day.
Marketing agency questions
Is a home services marketing agency worth it?
When it is measured on booked jobs and you own the website, yes. Before hiring one, make sure every call is answered and your Business Profile and reviews are in order, or the agency will be filling a leaky bucket.
What should a plumbing marketing agency deliver?
Local Services Ads, a strong Google map listing, a page for each emergency service, review generation, and monthly reporting on calls and booked jobs.
Should I pay per lead or a retainer?
Pay per lead aligns incentives but check the leads are exclusive and that you keep the phone number. A retainer is fine if the deliverables are written down.
Can I do contractor marketing myself?
The basics, yes: your Business Profile, reviews and a site with a page per service. Paid ads are where expertise saves money.
Fix the leaks before you pour in leads.
Answer every call, ask for every review, and get a site with a page per service. Safe & Secure Locksmith runs its site and bookings this way. Start free.
