Two different situations Home services split into urgent and planned, and they advertise differently. Urgent: a burst pipe, a dead AC, a leaking ceiling. The person is searching right now, calling several numbers, and picking whoever arrives soonest. Search and a phone win here, not a beautiful website. Planned: a kitchen remodel, windows, a roof, landscaping. The decision takes weeks, people compare estimates and look at past work. Social, photos and remarketing win here. Trying to advertise both with one ad ends with neither working. # What you must have ## A phone somebody answers Obvious, and yet this is where most money is lost. If you are on a job and cannot talk, you need a person on the phone or at least an instant text reply. ## A price range "Starting at this much, depending on square footage and materials." Without a range, half your calls are people who cannot afford you, and you spend the day on conversations about nothing. ## Photos of your own work Not from the internet. Shot on a phone, but yours: the same kitchen before and after, the same yard, the same roof. In planned services this is the main argument. ## Honest geography If you will not drive forty miles, do not advertise there. The radius is set once and saves a visible share of the budget. # Negative keywords for search This field is full of searches from people who want to do it themselves or are looking for work. Mandatory exclusions: "DIY", "how to", "job", "hiring", "free", "instructions", "video". Without that list you are paying for teenagers watching how to fix a faucet. # The estimate is a sales tool In planned work the winner is not the cheapest but the one who explained what the price is made of. A one line estimate reading "kitchen remodel, 12 thousand" loses to one showing labor, materials and timing. Send the estimate the same day. In three days they have signed with someone else. # Seasons Many home services live in seasons: AC in summer, heating and roofing in autumn, landscaping in spring. Plan the budget unevenly: spend more in season, hold a minimum out of season or switch to an adjacent service. # Reviews and maps For local services the maps profile is often the main source of calls. Photos of jobs, replies to reviews, accurate hours. Ask for the review on the day you finish, while the customer is happy with the result. # Where to start 1. Separate urgent and planned services: different ads, different pages. 2. Put a price range somewhere visible. 3. Shoot ten before and after pairs on a phone. 4. Set the radius to your real service area. 5. Decide who answers the phone while you are on a job. On a review call we look at what people search for in your city and whether there is enough demand for search, or whether social is the better start.
