Word of mouth is brilliant when it's working, but it only kicks in once you're already busy. It won't help you through a quiet January, and it dries up fast if you're not front of mind. A bit of paid marketing, even something as simple as a properly set up Google Business Profile, fills those gaps so you're not living job to job.

It depends what you need, but for established trades businesses in Cambridgeshire, our packages start from £1,200 a month for Growth: a Google Business Profile that's actually optimised, a system that texts back missed calls, quotes that go out fast, and follow-up that happens automatically so nothing gets forgotten. Our Authority package, from £1,800 a month, adds a proper website, adverts, and steady content to help you show up higher on Google, built for businesses ready to win bigger, higher-value work. We tell you the numbers upfront. No "get in touch for a quote" nonsense.

You can absolutely do it yourself if you've got spare evenings and don't mind learning new software. Most tradesmen don't. The real cost isn't the money, it's your time. Every hour spent fiddling with your Google listing is an hour not spent earning on the tools. If your time's worth more on site than at a laptop, an agency usually pays for itself.

Ideally before you're desperate for work, not after. If you're already turning jobs away, marketing can wait. But if your diary has quiet patches, you're relying purely on word of mouth, or calls are going unanswered while you're up a ladder, that's your sign.

You don't need everything at once, but for most established businesses, the fastest wins come from a Google Business Profile that's actually optimised, a missed call text back system, and an easy way to turn quotes into booked jobs, all included in our Growth package. Once that's working, Authority adds a proper website and steady visibility on Google for businesses ready to take on bigger work.

Honestly, it varies. A better Google Business Profile and missed call text back can bring in extra enquiries within a few weeks. Showing up higher on Google organically takes longer, usually three to six months to really build. Paid ads can bring leads within days, but they cost more per lead until they're dialled in. We'll always be straight with you about which is which. Don't trust anyone who promises instant results from Google rankings.

Ask for reporting or call tracking so you can see exactly where your enquiries are coming from, rather than just being told "it's working, trust us." Every package we run comes with visibility into your results, so you're never taking our word for it.

A few good ones: What will I actually get, in plain English? Is pricing one off, monthly, or both? Can I see the results? Am I locked into a long contract? Have you worked with trades businesses before? If an agency can't answer those clearly, that tells you something.

Vague promises like ‘we'll boost your online presence’, no reporting, long contracts you can't get out of, and pressure to sign on the spot. A decent agency explains exactly what you're paying for, shows you real numbers, and doesn't need to lock you in to keep your business.

A freelancer is usually cheaper but only covers one skill, like ads or a website, and can go quiet when they're busy elsewhere. An in house hire gives you someone full time, but once you add salary and training that gets expensive fast. An agency sits in between: a team with a range of skills, without the cost of employing someone yourself. For most established trades businesses, that middle ground makes the most sense.

Ours come down to three things: getting found (your Google Business Profile and local search visibility), getting booked (missed call text back, online booking, automated follow up so quotes don't go cold), and staying booked (review requests and reminders to past customers). Every package on our pricing page spells out exactly what you get. No guessing games.

Word of mouth got you where you are, and that's worth being proud of. But it also has a ceiling. It doesn't help in a quiet month, it doesn't bring in the bigger commercial contracts you might not even hear about otherwise, and it does nothing about the fact that anyone searching for a business like yours right now, without an existing personal connection to you, probably can't find you. This isn't about replacing what's working. It's about not leaving work on the table that's currently going to a competitor who simply shows up first on Google.

Anything ongoing, like ads or content, stops working once you stop paying for it, same as any subscription. But the groundwork, your optimised Google Business Profile, your website or quoting system, keeps working for you afterwards because it's built into how your business runs, not rented month to month.

If you're turning down enquiries because you're too busy, now might not be it. But if your diary has quiet stretches, you're relying entirely on the same handful of repeat clients, or you know competitors with weaker work than yours are landing bigger contracts, that's usually the sign it's time.

In rough order of how fast they pay off: a properly optimised Google Business Profile and missed call text back usually pay for themselves quickest, because they capture demand that's already out there. Review automation and reminders to past customers aren't far behind, since they're cheap and aimed at people who already trust you. Ads and steady content take longer to pay off but scale further once they're up and running.

A few things sit outside your package fee, and we'll always flag these upfront rather than let them surprise you. If you're running Google Ads, the ad spend itself goes directly to Google, separate from our management fee, so you stay in full control of that budget. Quoting system is billed directly to you as your own subscription. And if you ever want professional photography rather than using your own job site photos, that's available as an optional extra. Everything else in your package, we've already covered.