9 contractor marketing myths.
And what to do instead.

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Nine things contractors hear about marketing all the time, called straight, in under five minutes.

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Myth 1: Do you need a fancy website to show up on Google?

Myth. Your Google Business Profile and your reviews do a lot of the work. A simple, well put together website will beat a fancy one that doesn't work, all day long. You don't need fancy. You need effective.

Effective means it loads fast on a phone, somebody can tap to call, the call actually rings your phone, and it lists the towns you serve. If a family member built yours, keep them. Just ask them those questions. And if you're pricing a new one, what a contractor website should cost walks through what you're paying for.

Myth 2: Is your website your most important marketing?

Not always. Marketers and web designers love to believe this one. It depends on your trade, who you serve, and how long you've been in business.

For a lot of local searches, your Google Business Profile is the first thing anybody sees, if it's set up correctly. If it isn't, they might never see you at all. And it costs you nothing. Start there, then make sure your website backs it up.

Myth 3: Is Facebook dead for local business?

Myth, 100 percent. Most people still check out your Facebook page before they call you. Even a referral does it.

What hurts you is an empty or outdated page, the kind where the last post was from a few years back. That costs you trust, and you won't even know which calls you lost.

Myth 4: Do you have to be on every platform?

Myth. This one ruffles some feathers, but no. Pick two and do them really well. If you've got a content team or a marketing crew, great, get out there as much as you can. If it's just you, two done well beats six done badly.

For most contractors, those two are your Google Business Profile and Facebook. Social media for contractors goes deeper if you want it.

Myth 5: "I don't want to be on social media."

You don't have to dance. You don't have to act like a lunatic on camera. Post job photos, before and afters, your crew, and give the guys working hard a shout out. Answer a question your customers ask you all the time. Once or twice a week is plenty.

Myth 6: Does SEO take years?

Partly true. The big stuff takes time, like the authority of a brand new domain. But the basics are the part you can fix this week, and a lot of them are free: your Google profile, your categories, your service area, your hours and your reviews. Those can have as much impact on how people find you as the big things you're picturing.

Myth 7: Are Google Ads a waste for small shops?

It depends. Google will take your money all day long, and so will Facebook. If you spend $200 or $20,000 and you don't get the jobs, it was a waste.

So fix the basics first. When your profile, your reviews and how fast you answer the phone are in good shape, your ads have a much better shot. SEO or Google Ads uses real roofing and excavation examples to help you decide where to spend first.

Myth 8: Are lead services a scam?

Myth. Some of them pay off. Some of them are reputable, and some are worth their weight in gold. Others are not. It's not a service we sell.

You have to vet them, and track them like you'd track anything else in your business. Write down every lead they send and which ones turned into jobs. The free Last 10 Jobs Sheet makes that easy.

Myth 9: "I can't afford marketing right now."

Then do the free stuff. Some of the best fixes don't cost anything: your Google profile, your business hours, your Facebook page, and asking your customers for reviews. It's not hard and it's not expensive. You just have to know what to do.

Once everything on the free end is done and lined up, then spend money. Not before. The Lost Call Finder is a good free place to start, because a call you already got is the cheapest lead you'll ever have.

Free tools that go with this

Questions contractors ask about marketing