Contractor marketing services, in the order they pay you back

I was a plumber for five years before I got into marketing. A job that pays this week beats a job that might pay next spring. I run marketing the same way.

Here’s the order, and why:

1. Tracking. Call tracking and form tracking go in before a single ad runs. If I can’t count the leads, I can’t tell you what’s working, and neither can anyone else.
2. Google Business Profile. It’s where a lot of local calls start, and fixing it is quick work that pays back in weeks.
3. Website fixes, only if needed. If your site is slow, hides the phone number, or doesn’t exist, it gets fixed before ads point at it. If it works, I leave it alone.
4. The ads that fit your trade. Local Services Ads if your trade qualifies. Google search ads for most trades. Meta for the jobs people think about for weeks.
5. Follow-up. Missed-call texts and review requests, so the leads you’re paying for don’t leak out the back.
6. SEO. Last on the list. It’s the only one that pays in quarters instead of weeks. It’s worth doing. It’s just slow, and it shouldn’t be the first bill you pay.

Lead generation

You need it if you’re buying shared leads from Angi, HomeAdvisor or Thumbtack and want leads that come only to you. Skip it if referrals already keep you booked and you don’t want more work. Lead generation for contractors

Google Ads

You need it if people search for your service by name, like “water heater replacement” or “furnace repair,” and someone can answer the phone during the day. Skip it if nobody can pick up. Fix that first, or you’re paying for missed calls. Google Ads for Utah contractors

Local Services Ads

You need it if you’re a plumber, roofer, HVAC company, electrician, handyman, or a kitchen, bath or general contractor. Skip it if you pour concrete or do demolition and don’t fit a broader category like general contractor. Google doesn’t have a category for those trades. Local Services Ads management

Google Business Profile

You need it if you want calls from Google Maps, which is pretty much everybody. Skip it if… I honestly can’t think of a contractor who should. It comes with every management plan anyway. Google Business Profile for contractors

Website design

You need it if you don’t have a site, or yours loads slow, hides the phone number, or is full of stock photos. Skip it if your site is fast, shows your real work, and the phone rings from it. Don’t let anybody talk you into rebuilding a site that works. Contractor website design

Local SEO

You need it if you plan to be around in two years and want calls you don’t pay for by the click. Skip it if you need jobs this month. Start with ads. Add SEO once the phone is ringing. Contractor SEO in Utah

Meta ads

You need it if you do remodels, concrete, roof replacements, or other work people plan out. Skip it if most of your calls are emergencies. Nobody with no heat in January goes looking on Facebook. Facebook ads for contractors

Marketing automation

You need it if you miss calls while you’re on a job, or your quotes sit for weeks while people decide. Skip it if someone in your office already answers every call and follows up every quote by hand. Keep doing that. Marketing automation for contractors

Some work is real work but never shows up on an ad report. I don’t sell it as an add-on. It’s included at every level:

• Google Business Profile management
• Replying to reviews, and asking every customer for one
• Reporting fake competitor listings to Google
• Keeping your call and form tracking working
• A monthly report of your leads and what each one cost
• A monthly strategy call with me

That’s me, by the way. P2x Scales is one person. You work with me, not a team you’ll never meet.

Pricing depends on what your business needs: which services, how many ad platforms, and whether you need a website and how big. After a call, you get a custom proposal.

Ad spend is separate. You pay Google or Meta directly once the ads are set up. I never mark it up and it’s never billed through me. How pricing works

A plumber and a concrete contractor should not get the same plan. Plumbing runs on emergencies and fits Local Services Ads. Concrete has no Local Services Ads category and depends on the weather. Remodeling runs on long decisions. See marketing by trade for how the mix changes, or start with plumbing, roofing or concrete.