Get more calls
from jobs worth taking.
We get your website in front of homeowners who are ready to hire — not just browsing. You take the call. We do the work.
We rank your site where real buyers search — four moves.
Technical. Content-driven. Measured every 30 days.
Audit
We find the searches your customers use and where you rank now.
Optimize
We fix what's slowing your site down and clean up the stuff Google checks.
Content
Pages that answer the questions real buyers are asking.
Report
Monthly ranking and call numbers. We move the needle or tell you why.
Calls from people ready to book — today.
Show up on page one
Buyers rarely scroll past the first page. We build the pages it takes to get you there.
Traffic that keeps paying
Unlike ads, rankings keep bringing calls after you stop paying us. The traffic is yours to keep.
Cheaper leads over time
Once you rank, calls cost you less than paid ads — so your ad budget can drop.
DIY vs. agency vs. Toughjobs.
What you actually get for the money.
| DIY | Typical Agency | Toughjobs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | Your time | $1,500–4,000/mo | $900–$3,000/mo |
| Contract length | — | 12-month lock-in | Month-to-month |
| Reporting | None | Clicks that don't pay bills | Real calls you can hear ring |
| Local specialty | No | Generic | Trades-only |
| Long-term asset | Fragile | Yes | Yes, you own it |
Big agencies bill you for dashboards. We bill you for rankings and tracked phone calls.
How we prove your SEO is working.
Baseline
We check your current rankings and call volume before we touch anything.
Work log
Every fix and every page we publish gets logged with the date, so you can see what moved your rankings.
Verified outcome
We connect ranking gains to real phone calls and booked jobs — not just clicks.
We target buyers, not window-shoppers.
SEO for contractors is more than picking a few keywords. Your site needs to show Google — and homeowners — exactly what you do, where you work, and why they should trust you enough to call.
We start with the basics: page titles, headings, and links Google reads to understand your site. That's different from your Google Business Profile and map listing — we handle both, but they're not the same job. Paid ads can bring in calls fast, but they don't replace a website that ranks on its own.
What do we fix first?
- Where your pages, rankings, calls, and forms stand today.
- A plan for what each page on your site should do.
- Fixes ordered by what will move the needle fastest.
- Reports that show rankings and real booked jobs — not just one or the other.
See how this works for your specific trade in the trades marketing hub, or ask for a free review of your site.
Ready to make your phone ring?
Let's set up a time to talk about your business. Most initial calls are less than 30 minutes.
SEO FOR CONTRACTORS AND TRADE BUSINESSES
Contractor SEO isn't about ranking for a national keyword. It's about owning the ten to forty searches homeowners and property managers actually type when they need your trade in your service area — and being the first name they see, call, and hire.
WHY CONTRACTOR SEO IS ITS OWN DISCIPLINE
SEO for a SaaS company is a long game of thought leadership and backlinks. SEO for a contractor is a knife fight over ten square miles. The intent is different — nobody is casually researching "emergency drain cleaning" on a Sunday morning. They have a problem, they have a phone, and they have thirty seconds of patience. Your job in that thirty seconds is to be the first result, look like a real business, and get the call.
Seasonality makes it harder. HVAC leads spike in July and January. Roofers get slammed after every storm. Plumbers ride steady with emergency peaks. A contractor SEO strategy that doesn't understand your booking calendar is going to spend the wrong money at the wrong time. Real campaigns are built around your capacity, your best-paying jobs, and the searches that put both to work.
WHAT A REAL SEO CAMPAIGN COVERS
Fixing your website so Google trusts it
Before we write a word, we make sure your site loads fast and Google can actually read it. That means fixing broken pages, bad redirects, and slow load times. If the plumbing's wrong, no amount of content is going to drain the sink.
The pages that rank
Every service you offer gets its own page, written for the exact phrase a customer types. Every city or neighborhood you serve gets its own page, with real local details — not the same template with the city name swapped out. Titles, headers, and links are all built the way Google reads a trade site.
Content — the reason to rank
Blog content for contractors isn't fluff. It's "How much does a new AC unit cost in Peoria?" and "What to do when your basement floods." These are the questions your customers Google before they call, and answering them well gets them thinking about you weeks before they ever type your name. We build a 12-month content calendar tied to your busy season.
Real links from real businesses
A link is when another website sends people to yours. Good links help Google see that your business is real and trusted.
We never buy links. Bought links can vanish when the payment stops, and Google may push your site down for using them.
How we get good links:
- Ask your suppliers to list you as a trusted installer
- Get your business listed by trade groups you belong to
- Help local news sites with tips and expert advice
- Ask websites that mention your company to link to you
- Create helpful guides other websites want to share
- Earn mentions from local groups you work with
No fake websites. No paid posts. No junk business lists. Real links take more work, but they give people a reason to visit your site — and give Google a reason to trust it.
WHAT DOES CONTRACTOR SEO COST?
| Tier | Typical Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| The Local Specialist 1–2 trucks, one city | $800 – $3,500/mo | On-page cleanup and city/service pages • Monthly reporting • Press releases when you hit local milestones • Paid ad support to bring in calls while rankings build |
| The Regional Powerhouse 5+ trucks, multiple counties | $3,500 – $15,000+/mo | Multi-city page buildout • Ongoing content and link work • Dedicated strategist • Regular press releases • Bigger paid ad budget that feeds both leads and rankings |
| Full Deep-Dive Audit | $497 | A 30–50 page competitor teardown — your rankings, their ad spend, and the exact moves to catch up. Credited toward your first month if you sign on. Perfect if you've got staff who can run with the plan themselves. |
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN AN SEO PROVIDER
The SEO industry is full of monthly-report factories that produce beautiful PDFs and zero leads. Real SEO is measured in ringing phones, filled forms, and booked jobs — not in vanity ranking screenshots for keywords no one searches. If a provider won't talk about leads and revenue, they're the wrong provider.
- Reports on leads and booked revenue, not just rankings and traffic
- Shows you actual case studies from trade contractors with before/after numbers
- Handles your whole website, content, and links under one roof — no finger-pointing
- Sets 6-month and 12-month milestone expectations, not "results in 30 days" promises
- Only builds real links — will show you every one before it goes live
- Gives you month-to-month or short-term contracts after an initial ramp period
Toughjobs builds SEO programs for trade contractors across the Midwest. Set up a time to talk — no pitch, just a straight read on your business.
EXPLORE SEO FAQS
Each category below jumps straight to the matching answers, so you're not scrolling past questions that don't apply to you. Want the complete list instead? Open the full FAQ hub underneath.
Two ways we give back
Go independent, backed by us
You bring the truck, tools, and skill. We hand you the website, brand, systems, and marketing to turn one truck into a real company.
Explore PartnershipA hand up when budget is tight
One day a week we help people with more grit than budget get a business off the ground — honest guidance, real direction, no pressure.
Explore Helping Hands
We’ll File Your LLC for FREE
An LLC isn’t a license — we help you sort both. You only pay the state’s filing fee; we handle all the paperwork and file it for you at no charge, ever.