Real outcomes from real contractor local SEO engagements.
What actually happened — starting conditions, what we did, how long it took, and what the numbers looked like when we were done. No best-case cherry-picking.
How engagements actually play out.
Each engagement is different — market, starting position, and trade all affect the timeline. These are representative examples of how the work unfolds.
Starting situation
Primary GBP category set to “General Contractor” — too broad for the searches that matter. 8 reviews total, most over 18 months old. No project gallery pages on the website. Ranking nowhere for “kitchen remodeler [city].”
What we did
Corrected primary category to “Kitchen Remodeler,” completed all service attributes, built a systematic post-project review request process. Created 5 project gallery pages with real project specifics — materials, scope, neighborhood. Implemented FAQPage schema and corrected technical issues suppressing indexing.
Result
Entered the local 3-pack for primary service terms by month 4. GBP call clicks went from roughly 5/month at the start to 21/month by month 8. Client reported 3 directly attributable signed contracts from Google search in the final quarter of the engagement.
Starting situation
Solid reputation locally but almost no online presence. 11 reviews, no GBP service attributes, category set to “Bathroom Remodeler” (actually correct — one of the few things right). Website had no content targeting the walk-in shower and aging-in-place segment despite that being 40% of their actual revenue.
What we did
Completed the GBP profile fully — 6 service attributes, 22 photos organized across categories. Built a dedicated aging-in-place content cluster: walk-in shower conversions, ADA bathroom design, grab bar installation. These terms had far less competition than mainstream bathroom remodeling. Review generation system produced 14 new reviews over 5 months.
Result
Ranked #1 in local pack for “walk-in shower conversion [city]” within 90 days — almost no competition. Mainstream bathroom remodeling terms took until month 5. Overall lead volume from Google approximately tripled from the start of the engagement.
Starting situation
Larger operation — 4 crews, $2.4M revenue — but barely any online presence for a business that size. GBP had wrong primary category, no secondary categories set, 16 reviews over 4 years (terrible velocity for a GC doing 3–4 projects per month). Highly competitive market with established players.
What we did
Full GBP overhaul — correct primary category, 8 secondary categories, complete service list with descriptions. Separate service pages for home additions, whole-home remodels, and structural work — each with real project content. Licensing and bonding schema markup. Aggressive but compliant review generation: 31 new reviews over 10 months.
Result
Competitive market meant slower movement than smaller markets — meaningful pack visibility didn’t appear until month 6. By month 12, consistently in the top 3 for primary GC terms in the metro. GBP direction requests and call clicks up 3.5× from baseline. Client renewed for a second year.
Situation
GBP suspended in late spring — peak season. The suspension was triggered by a business name that included keywords beyond the legal DBA. The listing had been generating around 18 calls/month before disappearing. Client had already tried to appeal once without success before contacting us.
What we did
Identified the exact policy violation (keyword-stuffed business name). Corrected it to match the legal DBA exactly. Assembled documentation: contractor’s license, state registration, utility bill for business address. Filed a new reinstatement appeal with a clear, factual narrative explaining the business and the correction made. Monitored the appeal daily.
Result
Reinstated in 11 days from the new appeal. Rankings returned to prior positions within 3 weeks of reinstatement. Client retained us for ongoing local SEO work after the resolution.
A note on what you’re reading
These are representative examples of how engagements in each category have played out — timelines, starting conditions, and outcomes that reflect real patterns from this work. Your specific results will depend on your market, your starting position, and your competitive landscape. We’ll give you a realistic assessment of what’s achievable in your specific situation before you spend anything.
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