Question 1

How much does a contractor website cost in Canada?

Accepted Answer

A contractor website in Canada typically runs $2,000–$8,000 for a custom build, or $50–$300/month on a template platform. But price is the wrong question — a $6,000 site that never ranks or converts costs more than a $12,000 site that books jobs every week. Judge the build by leads produced, not the invoice.

Question 2

Do contractors really need a website in 2026?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Even with a busy referral pipeline, 70%+ of homeowners search a contractor's name before calling, and a missing or weak site kills the lead. Your website is where Google, ChatGPT, and referred prospects verify you're real, licensed, and worth $40,000 of trust. A Facebook page alone can't rank in Google's map pack or answer AI search.

Question 3

Why isn't my contractor website getting any leads?

Accepted Answer

The three usual causes: nobody can find it (no local SEO or Google Business Profile), it loads slowly or looks dated so visitors bounce, or there's no clear path to contact you. A site with traffic but no leads has a conversion problem; a site with no traffic has a visibility problem. Diagnose which one first.

Question 4

What should a contractor website include to win more jobs?

Accepted Answer

A job-winning contractor site needs six things: a clear headline stating what you do and where, real project photos (not stock), visible phone number and a short quote form, per-service pages, genuine reviews, and local SEO signals (city pages, Google Business Profile link, LocalBusiness schema). Everything else is decoration.

Question 5

Why isn't my contracting business showing up on Google Maps?

Accepted Answer

Almost always one of three reasons: you don't have a verified Google Business Profile, your profile is incomplete (missing categories, services, service area, or photos), or your name/address/phone is inconsistent across the web so Google doesn't trust the listing. Verify the profile, complete every field, and fix NAP consistency — in that order.

Question 6

How do contractors rank higher in the Google map pack?

Accepted Answer

The map pack is driven by three levers: relevance (a complete Google Business Profile with the right categories and keyword-loaded services), prominence (steady, recent Google reviews and consistent citations across directories), and proximity (your service-area settings). Contractors who win the pack complete every profile field, earn reviews weekly, and keep their NAP identical everywhere.

Question 7

How do I get more Google reviews for my contracting business?

Accepted Answer

Ask every satisfied client at the moment the job is done, and make it one tap: text them your Google review link the same day you collect final payment. Contractors who systematize the ask — a saved text template plus a short link — routinely go from a handful of reviews to dozens in a quarter. Never buy or fake reviews; Google filters and penalizes them.

Question 8

How do I set up a Google Business Profile for a contractor?

Accepted Answer

Create the profile at google.com/business, choose the correct primary category (e.g. General Contractor, Kitchen Remodeler), and if you have no storefront set a service area instead of an address. Then complete every field — services with keyword descriptions, hours, photos — and verify. A half-finished profile won't rank; a complete, verified one is the single highest-ROI local SEO move a contractor can make.

Question 9

How do contractors get leads from Google?

Accepted Answer

Contractors get Google leads through three channels: the map pack (a complete Google Business Profile plus reviews), organic search (a fast website with per-service and per-city pages), and paid search or Local Services Ads for immediate volume. The durable strategy is to own the map pack and organic first, then use ads to top up — not to rent all your leads forever.

Question 10

What's the best way to get kitchen remodeling leads?

Accepted Answer

For high-ticket kitchen work, the best lead sources are Google (map pack + organic for 'kitchen remodeler [city]'), a portfolio-led website with real before/afters, and referral re-engagement. Because one kitchen is worth $30k–$80k, you can profitably invest far more per lead than most contractors dare — the constraint is close rate, not lead volume.

Question 11

Do Google Ads work for contractors?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when the math and tracking are right — but they waste money fast without them. Google Ads and Local Services Ads deliver immediate high-intent leads, but only pay off if you know your cost-per-closed-job ceiling, track conversions properly, and send clicks to a page built to convert. Most contractors 'try ads,' send traffic to a weak homepage, and conclude ads don't work.

Question 12

Why aren't my contractor leads closing?

Accepted Answer

Usually it's speed, qualification, or fit. Leads go cold if you don't respond within minutes, if they were never qualified (wrong budget, wrong project, not the decision-maker), or if your follow-up stops after one call. A 30–48% close rate on qualified booked calls is normal; if you're far below that, the problem is lead quality and follow-up, not your pitch.

Question 13

How much should a contractor spend on marketing?

Accepted Answer

A common benchmark is 5–10% of revenue for a stable business and 10–15% when actively growing. But percentage-of-revenue is a blunt tool — the sharper rule is to spend up to your cost-per-closed-job ceiling: average project value × gross margin × ~15%. As long as a marketing dollar returns more than a dollar in profit, you're spending too little, not too much.

Question 14

What is pay-per-lead (performance-based) marketing for contractors?

Accepted Answer

Performance-based marketing means you pay for results — leads, booked calls, or closed revenue — instead of a flat retainer whether or not it works. It shifts the risk to the agency: they only earn when you do. The trade-off to check is how 'a result' is defined. Paying per raw lead can reward volume over quality; paying on closed revenue aligns everyone on jobs won.

Question 15

How do I know if my marketing agency is actually doing SEO?

Accepted Answer

Ask for evidence, not adjectives. Real SEO shows up as: a Google Business Profile with completed services and keyword descriptions, consistent citations across directories, and new pages that answer the specific questions your customers search. If your agency can't point to those three things and show ranking movement in Search Console, you're paying for hope, not SEO.

Question 16

Should a contractor hire a marketing agency or do it themselves?

Accepted Answer

Do it yourself if you have the time to learn and the patience for a slow ramp — the fundamentals (Google Business Profile, reviews, a decent site) are learnable. Hire out when your time is worth more on the tools or closing jobs than on marketing, or when you want results faster. The real question isn't cost — it's whether an hour spent on marketing beats an hour spent running your business.

The questions contractors actually ask

Websites & Cost