Contents · 9 sections
Start with the bottleneck, not the shopping list
Every local service business has a point where potential customers are lost. Marketing money is best spent at that point, not spread evenly across everything. Work through the path a customer takes and find where it breaks:
- Found — do people see you when they search for what you do, in the areas you cover?
- Chosen — when they see you, does your profile or website convince them to get in touch?
- Contacted — can they call, message or request a quote in a couple of taps on a phone?
- Answered — does someone respond quickly, every time?
- Booked and delivered — do enquiries turn into jobs, and jobs into reviews and repeat work?
If people find you but do not contact you, SEO will not fix it — the website will. If they contact you but nobody answers, neither will. A free Growth Check takes a couple of minutes and points to the weakest step.
Option 1: a website
Start here if
- You have no website, or one that looks out of date or is hard to use on a phone.
- A visitor cannot find your phone number, services and areas within a couple of taps.
- Your current site is slow, or you cannot change it without a developer you can no longer reach.
- You are about to spend on ads and need somewhere worth sending the traffic.
What a good one includes
A page for each core service, clear areas covered, price guidance, real photos and reviews, registrations and guarantees, tap-to-call and WhatsApp buttons, a short enquiry form, and tracking for every call and form from launch day. It should load quickly on mobile data — see why we build on Next.js.
Cost and time
Websites start from £199 for a starter business site, with larger and custom builds quoted individually. A focused site can usually go live within weeks. See web development.
What it will not do on its own
A new website does not bring visitors by itself. It makes the visitors you already get — from your Business Profile, referrals, social media or ads — far more likely to become enquiries.
Option 2: SEO
Add it if
- Your website is solid, but few enquiries come from Google.
- Competitors appear above you on Google Maps and in search results for the services you want.
- You want visibility that keeps working without paying for every click.
- You can give it time: search results compound over months, not weeks.
What it involves
Google Business Profile optimisation and review growth, service and area pages with real local substance, technical fixes, helpful content, genuine local links and mentions, and monthly reporting that ties rankings to enquiries. Our 2026 SEO checklist lists the whole routine.
Cost and time
SEO plans start from £100 a month with a six-month minimum. Expect six to twelve months for organic and local search to compound — in the Alpha Movers case study, 60% of six months of search impressions arrived in the final 28 days. See SEO services.
Option 3: Google Ads
Add them if
- You need enquiries now, while SEO builds.
- You want to test demand for a new service or area before investing in content for it.
- You know your numbers well enough to calculate a break-even cost per lead.
- Someone will answer the phone during the hours the ads run.
What to expect
Paid campaigns usually take six to twelve weeks to reach a reliable cost per enquiry, as tracking is verified and wasted searches are filtered out. Ad spend is paid directly to Google or Meta from your own account, with no markup; management is part of your plan. Our Google Ads ROI guide walks through the maths.
When to wait
If conversion tracking is not in place, or the landing page is weak, fix those first. Ads amplify whatever they point at.
Option 4: a mobile app
Consider one if
- Customers book repeatedly and would value self-service booking, history and reminders.
- You run several teams or engineers and need dispatch, scheduling, photos and sign-off in the field.
- You sell memberships, maintenance plans or subscriptions.
- Existing off-the-shelf tools no longer fit how you work.
When not to
Most businesses do not need a custom app to win their first customers online. If a website, Business Profile and a standard booking or job management tool cover your needs, start there. An app is a separate build and ongoing product, and it pays off when repeat usage is high. See app development.
Combining them
Most growing businesses end up with a combination. Common, sensible sequences:
| Stage | Typical combination | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Just starting online | Website + Business Profile | Be findable and convert the visitors you already get |
| Established, few Google enquiries | Website fixes + SEO | Build visibility that compounds |
| Need work now | SEO + focused Google Ads | Ads cover the months while SEO builds |
| Growing team, repeat customers | SEO + ads + booking or field app | Operations need to keep up with demand |
The Alpha Movers partnership covers all four — website, mobile app, SEO, social and ads — but it was built up over time, not bought on day one.
How to pay: fixed fee, performance or tiered
Separately from what you buy, you can choose how you pay for it.
| Model | How the fee works | Best for | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat fee | A fixed monthly or milestone price for a defined scope | Predictable budgets; businesses that prefer to keep their books private | SEO plans: six-month minimum |
| Performance | A percentage — typically around 10% for standard-ticket jobs — of revenue from bookings the work generates | Owners who want fees tied to results and can share the figures | 12–24 months |
| Tiered | A fixed fee per completed job, by job type or value | High-ticket or variable-ticket work, where a percentage would eat margin | 12–24 months |
A performance deal needs more from you: agreed attribution, access to booking and revenue records, response commitments and a short paid audit to set the baseline. Our Profit-Share Handbook explains every requirement and why it exists. If you would rather keep your figures private, a flat fee is a perfectly sensible choice.
Use the pricing page to compare the models and estimate a fee.
A quick decision checklist
Answer these in order. The first “no” is where to start.
- Does your website load quickly on a phone and show your number, services and areas within two taps? If not, start with the website.
- Is your Google Business Profile complete, accurate and collecting reviews every month? If not, fix it — it is free.
- Do you get a steady flow of enquiries from Google search and Maps? If not, add SEO.
- Do you need more enquiries in the next few weeks? If so, add focused Google Ads.
- Is every enquiry answered quickly and tracked to an outcome? If not, fix the process before spending more.
- Are repeat bookings or field operations getting hard to manage? If so, consider an app.
Then choose the payment model that suits your cash flow, and talk to us — we will tell you honestly if the answer is “not yet”.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I switch from a fixed plan to a performance deal later?
- Often, yes. Many businesses start on a fixed plan, then move to a performance or tiered structure once tracking and booking records are in place. We agree any change in writing.
- Do I need SEO if I run Google Ads?
- Ads stop when you stop paying. SEO builds visibility that keeps working. Most local businesses do best with ads for immediate demand and SEO for the long term.
- Is a performance deal always cheaper?
- No. It is cheaper in weak months and more expensive in strong ones — that is the point. If you expect consistently strong results, a fixed fee usually costs less.
- What if I am not sure where my bottleneck is?
- Run the free Growth Check, or book a free growth plan call and we will review your visibility, website and enquiry handling with you.