notes from the field
Growth ideas & marketing tips for home-service businesses.
Short reads on the systems, marketing, and mindset that actually move the needle — without the buzzwords.
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33 Mile Radius Review: Water Damage Lead Costs (2026)
A straight 33 Mile Radius review: what water damage calls cost, the billable-call and dispute rules, and when building your own lead flow beats renting one.
Are Yelp Ads worth it for contractors? An honest answer
Are Yelp Ads worth it for contractors? How CPC billing really works, typical monthly spends, the ad-credit catch, and the break-even math to run before you pay.
CraftJack vs Angi: which lead service fits contractors?
CraftJack vs Angi compared for contractors: real per-lead pricing, the 20% speed-to-call discount, lead sharing limits, contracts, and which trades fit each.
Google Business Profile suspended? Contractor fix guide
Your Google Business Profile got suspended and the phone went quiet. Here's the exact reinstatement playbook for contractors — evidence, appeal, timelines.
Google Business Profile video verification failed: fixes
Google rejected your verification video and your profile is stuck. Here's exactly what the video must show for a service-area business — and how to pass.
How Much Do Angi Leads Cost in 2026? Real Numbers
Angi leads run $15-$120+ each depending on trade, plus a roughly $300 annual fee. Here's the by-trade breakdown and the cost-per-booked-job math that matters.
How to Cancel Your Angi Leads Contract (Step by Step)
Canceling Angi Leads means a phone call, a notice window, and possible early-termination fees. Here's the exact process — and what to build instead.
How to Cancel Yelp Ads (and Make Sure Billing Stops)
You can cancel Yelp Ads self-serve in minutes, but billing runs to the end of the cycle. Here's the exact path, the gotchas, and how to confirm it's off.
How to dispute Local Service Ads leads (2026 process)
The old LSA dispute button is gone. Here's how Google's automated lead credits actually work now, which leads still qualify, and how to protect your budget.
Is the Google Guaranteed badge worth it in 2026?
The Google Guaranteed badge was retired in October 2025 for the Google Verified badge. What changed, what the $2,000 guarantee was, and whether LSAs still pay.
Is Thumbtack worth it for house cleaners? Real math
Is Thumbtack worth it for house cleaners? Real lead prices, the crowded-category problem, and the recurring-client math that decides whether it pays for you.
Jobber vs Housecall Pro for a Solo Plumber (2026)
Jobber's solo plan runs about $39/month vs $59-$79 for Housecall Pro's Basic. Here's the real cost gap, the fee math, and which fits a one-truck plumber.
Local Service Ads vs Google Ads for plumbers: which wins
LSA or Google Ads for your plumbing company? Compare cost per lead, ranking control, and lead quality — plus the cost-per-booked-job math that decides it.
Networx Leads Review for Contractors (2026): Worth It?
An honest Networx leads review for contractors: how the prepaid credit system works, real per-lead costs, complaint patterns, and who should actually use it.
Questions to Ask a Marketing Agency Before Signing
The 12 questions that expose a bad marketing agency before you sign — who owns your accounts, how they report leads, and the exit terms that matter.
ServiceTitan vs Jobber for a Small HVAC Company
ServiceTitan reportedly runs $250-$500 per tech monthly plus a $5,000+ setup fee. Jobber posts $39-$199 plans. Here's the crew size where each one wins.
What Contractor Leads Cost in Every State (2026)
See what contractor leads cost in all 50 states in 2026 — shared and exclusive lead price ranges by trade and state tier, plus how to pay less per lead.
What Is a Good Cost Per Lead? Benchmarks by Trade
Cost per lead benchmarks for HVAC, plumbing, roofing, and more — plus the close-rate math that turns raw lead prices into your cost per booked job.
What ServiceTitan Actually Costs (Real Reported Pricing)
ServiceTitan doesn't publish pricing. Here's what users report paying per tech, what onboarding costs, and honest first-year math for a 3-tech shop.
How to Get Water Damage Restoration Leads (2026 Guide)
How to get water damage restoration leads: own the emergency map pack, win insurance and adjuster referrals, and use $200–$700 shared leads last, not first.
Why your business isn't showing up on Google Maps (and how to fix it)
If your business isn't showing up on Google Maps, you're invisible to the customers most ready to call. Here's every reason it happens — from verification problems to category mistakes — and the step-by-step fixes that move you back into the map pack.
How Much Revenue Do Missed Calls Cost? The Math + the Fix
How much revenue do missed calls cost? Miss five calls a week and you can lose thousands a month — here's the math and the text-back fix that stops it.
How to get HVAC leads without Angi: own your lead flow
How HVAC contractors replace Angi and shared-lead marketplaces with owned channels — GBP, LSAs, reviews, referrals — with real cost-per-lead math.
How Plumbers Get Emergency Call Leads (Without Buying Them)
How plumbers get emergency call leads without buying shared ones: win the map pack, run LSAs, reactivate past customers, and answer first every time.
Are Angi Leads Worth It? Why You're Buying a Race
Are Angi leads worth it? A no-spin look at shared leads, why you're buying a race instead of a customer, and when a marketplace still makes sense.
Marketing for the trades — the only guide you'll need
A plain-English pillar guide to marketing for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, cleaning, and landscaping businesses. From local SEO to follow-up automation to paid ads — the levers that actually move bookings, in the order to pull them.
Google Business Profile for contractors: the full playbook
The complete Google Business Profile guide for contractors — categories, services, photos, review velocity, posts, Q&A, and service areas that rank.
How to Ask for a Google Review Without Being Pushy (Script)
How to ask for a Google review without being pushy: the exact one-tap script, the best moment to send it, and how to make the ask automatic after every job.
How to market a landscaping business, season by season
Landscaping demand swings hard with the seasons, so your marketing should too. Here's a season-by-season plan to keep the schedule full year-round and turn one-time jobs into recurring revenue.
Electrician marketing: win EV charger and panel upgrade jobs
An electrician marketing plan built for the electrification wave — how to land EV charger installs, panel upgrades, and generator jobs, plus urgent calls.
How to Get Recurring House Cleaning Clients (5 Steps)
How to get recurring house cleaning clients: get found on Google, convert one-time deep cleans into biweekly plans, and reply before leads go cold.
Roofing Leads Without Storm Chasing: The 8-Step Playbook
How to get roofing leads without storm chasing: own the map pack, use LSAs for surge control, and build a website that sells trust on high-ticket jobs.
Why your leads ghost you (and the boring fix that works)
Most service businesses don't have a lead problem. They have a follow-up problem. Here's the pattern we see in almost every Growth Checkup.
How to stay booked in the slow season
The slow season is made in the busy season. Here's how home-service businesses can smooth out the valleys — with off-season offers, past-customer reactivation, and recurring revenue that doesn't care what month it is.
Local Service Ads not getting leads? 9 fixes that work
Why your Local Service Ads aren't producing — the ranking factors Google actually uses — and the nine fixes that restart lead flow for contractors.
Facebook & Instagram ads for home-service businesses in 2026
Search ads catch people who need you now. Facebook and Instagram ads catch them before they search — if you use them right. Here's what actually works for home-service businesses on Meta in 2026.
What a Growth Checkup actually finds
It's not a sales call. It's a 90-minute audit of your funnel that almost always surfaces one obvious leak you didn't know was there.
How many service area pages should a contractor have?
The direct answer on service area pages — one per town you can back with real proof — plus the full local SEO playbook for home-service businesses.
How Much Should a Home Service Business Spend on Marketing?
How much should a home service business spend on marketing? The 5–10% of revenue rule, when to push past it, and the cost-per-booked-job math to use.
Trade service pages that rank and convert (full guide)
One catch-all 'Services' page costs you rankings and jobs. How to structure individual service pages that rank for 'near me' searches — plus the site-wide checklist that turns the clicks into booked calls.
The systems that buy back your Saturday
Three small automations that quietly remove the admin work most owners do on weekends — without sounding like a tech bro.
Best CRM for Home Service Businesses (Small Crew Guide)
The best CRM for home service businesses with a small crew: the 4-job test, two CRM categories, five choosing rules, and the mistakes that waste money.
Your website is a salesperson, not a brochure
If your site doesn't help a stranger decide to call you in 10 seconds, it's costing you. Here's the simple framework we use.
Pricing nerve: why you keep undercharging
Most owners don't have a pricing problem. They have a nerve problem. Here's how to think about it without a spreadsheet.
Case study: turning route density into 22% more margin
A residential cleaning company swapped chasing new neighborhoods for filling the routes they already had. Here's what changed.
p.s.
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