If you install decks, replace roofs, remodel kitchens, or run an HVAC or plumbing crew, your problem is rarely marketing in general. It is a specific one: the phone rings when the weather turns, and then it does not. This is how to get a steadier flow of jobs.
Where contractor leads actually come from
In most US markets, in rough order of quality:
- Referrals. Best quality, zero cost, completely unpredictable.
- Google search. Someone typing “deck builder near me” has a project and a budget. Highest intent you can buy.
- Google Business Profile and the map pack. Free, and it beats most paid channels for local trades.
- Meta ads. Cheaper leads, lower intent, good for seasonal offers and for showing finished work.
- Lead marketplaces. Fast, expensive, and you are quoting against four other contractors on price.
Most contractors skip straight to number five because it is the easiest to start. It is also the only one where you never own the customer.
Start with your Google Business Profile
This is free and it is the highest-return hour you will spend:
- Correct service area, hours, and phone number.
- Every service listed separately, using the words customers use.
- Photos of finished jobs added every month, not once at setup.
- A review request sent to every customer at the point they are happiest, which is the day the job finishes.
- A reply to every review.
Reviews and recent photos are what move you up the map pack, and the map pack is where most “near me” searches end.
Search ads: the highest-intent money you can spend
Someone searching for your trade right now is worth more than anyone scrolling. For contractors, search ads work when you:
- Bid on the job, not the trade. “Composite deck installation” beats “contractor”.
- Add negative keywords aggressively. “DIY”, “jobs”, “salary”, “how to”, “free” will eat your budget.
- Set a tight service radius. You do not want calls 90 minutes away.
- Use call extensions. Many contractor leads want to talk, not type.
That is the work in Google Ads management. Costs per click in home services are high, so a careless setup burns money fast. There is a breakdown in how much Google Ads cost.
Meta ads: good for before and after
Nobody searches Facebook for a roofer. But a homeowner who sees a before-and-after of a house two streets over pays attention. Meta works for contractors when the ad is:
- A real before and after from a local job, not stock photography.
- Seasonal. Deck season, gutter season, pre-winter HVAC.
- Pointed at one offer, like a free in-home estimate, rather than a general brand message.
Run through Meta ads management, this is usually the cheaper lead source and the one that needs more filtering.
Your website has one job
Not to look impressive. To make a homeowner call. That means a phone number at the top on mobile, a short form that asks three things and not twelve, photos of your actual work, your service area written in plain words, and your license and insurance stated.
Most contractor sites fail on the form. Every extra field cuts the number of people who finish it.
Reply speed decides who wins the job
Home services is a race. The contractor who replies first usually quotes, and the one who quotes usually gets a shot. If a form comes in at 7pm and you call at 11am the next day, somebody else already booked the walkthrough. Set up a text auto-reply at minimum.
What a lead should cost you
Work backwards. If your average job is 9,000 dollars and you close one in four quotes, a 150-dollar lead is cheap. If your average job is 400 dollars, it is a disaster. Know your average job value and your close rate before you judge any channel.
Handling the seasonal dip
Do not switch ads off in your slow months. Lower the budget and change the offer: maintenance, inspections, interior work, or booking next season early at a held price. Switching off entirely means restarting the learning phase every spring.
What to track
Calls, form fills, quotes given, jobs won, and cost per job won. Not clicks. Ask every caller how they found you and write it down. After thirty calls you will know where your money belongs.
Where to start
Fix the Google profile, fix the form, then buy search traffic. In that order.
Get a free written audit and we will tell you which of those three is leaking the most jobs for you right now.