What we’ve learned running ads and follow-up for 35+ contractors. No theory — the numbers and the mistakes.
Published 2026 cost-per-lead figures by channel and by trade — and why the sources disagree by as much as 3x on the same trade.
Cost per booked job, speed to lead, break-even ROAS, “exclusive” leads. Twenty-eight terms in plain language, and where each gets used to mislead you.
Sixteen calculators for the arithmetic underneath all of it. No signup, no email, nothing gated.
Every contractor has hundreds of old quotes and past customers going unworked. How to reactivate them without sounding like a mailshot — and the rules.
Follow-Up · 7 min readA no-show costs the lead, the drive and the slot. The booking and reminder changes that prevent most of them, in order of effect.
Follow-Up · 7 min readAutomation books the easy half. The other half needs a phone call, and most contractors never make it. How to split the two without wasting hours.
Follow-Up · 7 min readThe five real causes, how to tell a bad lead source from a bad follow-up process, and the call cadence that lifts contact rates.
Follow-Up · 9 min readThe exact cadence, channels and scripts that turn a form fill into a booked job — plus what to do with the majority who never answer first try.
Follow-Up · 5 min readResponse time predicts booked jobs better than ad spend, targeting, or offer. What the numbers say, and how contractors fix it without hiring anyone.
Most contractor ad tests are called too early on too few conversions. How to tell a real winner from noise, and the sample size you actually need.
Metrics · 6 min readROAS says how many dollars came back. ROI says whether you kept any. When each is the right measure, and why agencies prefer the flattering one.
Metrics · 6 min readClick-through rate is a diagnostic, not a goal. What CTR tells you, what it hides, and why a rising CTR can mean your campaign is getting worse.
Metrics · 7 min readMost contractors count ad spend and call it acquisition cost. What belongs in the number, and why lifetime value changes what you can afford to pay.
Metrics · 7 min readA 4x ROAS is break-even at 25% margin and healthy at 60%. How to find the return your business actually requires, and why the number alone means nothing.
Metrics · 7 min readTypical ranges by trade and channel, why a $40 lead can lose money and a $180 lead can print it, and how to calculate your own ceiling.
Most contractor accounts are one campaign doing five jobs. How to split by intent and job value so the numbers mean something.
Paid Ads · 8 min readRetargeting is cheap and often pointless at contractor volumes. When the audience is big enough to matter, and what to show the people in it.
Paid Ads · 8 min readWhich produces cheaper booked jobs, why Meta leads feel worse than they are, and which platform to start on at your budget.
Paid Ads · 7 min readWork backward from jobs, not forward from a percentage. The math, a worked example, and the minimum budget below which campaigns stop working.
Paid Ads · 8 min readWhat Local Services Ads charge per lead, how Google decides ranking, how lead credits work now, and when LSA beats Google Ads for contractors.
Discounts attract the customers you least want. What a good contractor offer removes instead, and how to build one that filters rather than bribes.
Strategy · 9 min readWhy marketing belongs in your price, how to find your break-even acquisition cost, and what to do when ads cost more than your margin.
Strategy · 9 min readWhy cutting spend in the slow months is backwards, what to run each quarter, and how home service contractors fill the off-season.
Strategy · 9 min readNine expensive contractor marketing habits — from judging channels by cost per lead to running ads at a landing page nobody can convert on.
Every agency promises qualified leads and almost none define it. The four conditions that matter, and the questions to ask before signing anything.
Lead Generation · 9 min readAn honest comparison of cost, control and timeline — plus the hybrid split most established contractors should actually be running.
Lead Generation · 10 min readWhy shared leads cost more per booked job, what "exclusive" actually means on a contract, and the credit policies that never pay out.
Three ways to run contractor marketing, and the honest case for each. Written by an agency, including the conditions where hiring one is the wrong call.
Agency · 8 min readThe three numbers that matter, the eight questions to ask on your next call, and the red flags worth leaving an agency over.
Polished video is the wrong goal. What contractors should actually film, where each type belongs, and why the phone in your pocket is enough.
Content · 8 min readPhotographs of your own work feed your ads, your profile, your landing pages and your estimates. How to capture them so it survives a busy week.
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