Tired of seeing your competitors’ trucks in the next town over? You can win those jobs. The secret is simple: build a “digital billboard” for every single town you want to work in. You do it with a smart website, a Google Business Profile that shines, and simple ads that actually get your phone to ring.
This is how you become the first and only call for customers in new areas. It’s how you turn your website from a dusty online brochure into a Lead Machine that brings in real jobs, day in and day out. And guess what? It’s easier than you think.
Your Simple Plan to Win Jobs in New Towns
Are your trucks ready to go, but the phone is dead silent for jobs just one town away? You’re not alone. So many great contractors think growing their business online is some techy nightmare. It’s not. It’s about being smart, not just working harder.
Forget the confusing gobbledygook. This is your easy-to-follow plan to get seen—and get calls—from everywhere you want to work.
When someone in a nearby town needs what you do, your business needs to be the first one they find. Period. This guide will show you exactly how to make that happen. You can do this!
Your Online Expansion Toolkit
Here’s a quick list of the simple tools you’ll use to plant your flag in new towns. Think of this as your toolbox for getting seen where you used to be invisible.
| Tool | What It Does for You | Why It’s a Must-Have |
|---|---|---|
| A “Lead Machine” Website | Creates a special page for each town, so you show up when people search there. | A normal website only gets you found in one city. This makes you a local hero everywhere. |
| Google Business Profile | Puts you on the Google map! This gets you into that special “map pack” at the top. | This is like having the best spot in town. Being here means you get the call first. |
| Google & Facebook Ads | Puts you in front of people in new towns who are ready to hire someone today. | Local SEO takes time. Ads get your phone ringing this week, not six months from now. |
Learning to use these tools is what separates the contractors who are booked solid from the ones wondering where the work went.
The Core Tools for Expansion
You don’t need a giant marketing team or a ton of money. Winning new towns online comes down to using three powerful tools.
- A Website That’s a Lead Machine: Your website needs to do more than just look pretty. It has to be built to grab attention and make people call you, fast. It should be a job-getting machine!
- A Perfect Google Business Profile: This is how you win on the Google map. It’s free, and we’ll show you how to set it up to cover every single town you work in. Getting tons of 5-star reviews here is key.
- Simple, Smart Ads: Need leads from a new town right now? Google Ads and Facebook Ads put you right in front of the best customers immediately, without wasting a dime.
This plan works because it puts you exactly where your customers are looking. In the booming U.S. construction market, which is on track to hit $2.23 trillion by 2025, contractors who get this right see huge growth in leads—often 200-300% in the first year.
Key Takeaway: You don’t need to be a computer whiz to grow your business online. You just need a good plan. By focusing on a great website design, a strong map presence, and smart ads, you can stop being invisible and start winning in new towns.
Getting this right is everything. For more ideas on growing your business, check out these proven strategies for growing your online business.
And here’s the best part: you can do this. The steps are simple, and the results are real. We build websites designed to be unstoppable lead generators from day one. We can help you build a Lead Machine that’s ready to bring in new business.
Let’s get to it!
Turning Your Website Into a Lead Generation Machine
Let’s be honest. Most contractor websites are just like a business card nobody looks at. They list a few services, show a picture of a truck, and maybe have a phone number at the bottom. That’s not a tool for growth; that’s just… there.
If you want to actually win jobs in new towns, you need to turn that website into a Lead Machine.
A normal website just sits there. A Lead Machine works for you 24/7 with one goal: making your phone ring with calls from customers who are ready to hire you. It’s your best salesperson, and it never calls in sick or complains about the coffee.
The secret isn’t some complicated computer magic. It’s a super simple idea that most of your competitors are totally missing.
Build Your Digital Kingdom, One Town at a Time
If you want to land jobs in Springfield, you can’t just hope someone from Springfield finds your website. They won’t. You need to build a special page on your website called something like “Excavation Contractor in Springfield.”
Want to do septic work in Shelbyville, too? You guessed it! You need a “Septic Installation in Shelbyville” page.
Every single town you want to work in needs its own page on your website.
This tells Google you’re not just some guy passing through—you’re a serious, local expert in that specific town. When someone there searches for what you do, Google sees your page and says, “Aha! This is the perfect match!”
These pages are your digital billboards, planted firmly in every town you want to win. This is the heart of good local SEO.
The Big Idea: Stop making Google guess where you work. Tell it loud and clear with a page for every town and every service. This one trick is the fastest way to start showing up in searches outside your hometown.
Of course, just putting up a blank page won’t work. Each one needs to be built to turn a visitor into a phone call. This isn’t brain surgery; it’s about making it super easy for someone to hire you.
What Every City Page Must Have
To make your website design a true Lead Machine, every single city page has to be built for one thing: getting a lead. Forget the fancy stuff. Focus on these simple things that actually make your phone ring.
- A Giant, Can’t-Miss Phone Number: Put it right at the top, big and bold. On a phone, it must be a click-to-call button. More than half of all searches happen on a phone, so make it a one-tap job to call you.
- A Super Simple Contact Form: Don’t ask for their whole life story. All you need is a name, phone number, email, and a little box for a message. Put this form right on the page where they can’t miss it.
- Proof You’re the Real Deal: Add pictures of your crew and trucks on real jobs. Put a couple of your best 5-star reviews right there on the page. This builds trust right away and shows you do great work.
- Clear, Simple Words: Write like you talk to a customer. No fancy jargon. Just explain how you solve their problem. You’re a contractor, not a rocket scientist.
Getting the website design right is what turns a visitor into a lead. For some good ideas on layouts that work, check out some of the best landing page designs to skyrocket conversions.
The best part is, you can totally do this. Building these pages is easy, and it’s the foundation of growing your business online. For a deeper look, check out our complete guide on lead generation website design for home services contractors.
If you’d rather focus on running jobs while we build your Lead Machine, we can help with that, too. The important thing is to get started!
Winning the Local Map with Google Business Profile
You know that little map box that pops up at the top of a Google search? That’s the jackpot. Getting your business in there is like hitting a grand slam. The key to getting in is your Google Business Profile (GBP), and it’s totally free.
Most contractors mess this up. They just list their main office and hope for the best.
Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work. That’s not how Google thinks.
To get found in all the towns you serve, you have to tell Google exactly where you work. You draw your own map, and Google will listen if you do it right. This is the secret to great local SEO.
Tell Google Where You Really Work
Your Google Business Profile has a special spot to list your service areas. Don’t just put your county name. Get specific. List every single city, town, and little village you’re willing to drive your truck to.
Think of it like this: each town you add is like planting a flag. Someone in “Oakwood” isn’t searching for contractors in “Metropolis.” They’re searching for “septic repair in Oakwood.” If you’ve told Google you serve Oakwood, you have a great chance to show up.
- List up to 20 locations: Google gives you lots of room. Use every spot!
- Be honest: Don’t list towns you won’t actually go to. That just makes people mad.
- Think like a customer: What towns and neighborhoods are near you? Add them all.
This simple step can make a huge difference in the number of calls you get from other towns. It costs you nothing but a few minutes of your time.
The Power of 5-Star Review Generation
Once you tell Google where you work, you need to prove you’re good at it. The best way to do that is with a lot of glowing, 5-star reviews. Think of reviews as your reputation, shouted from the rooftops for free.
Google loves happy customers. A steady stream of great reviews tells Google that you’re a trusted, top-notch business. That pushes you higher on the map, making you more visible than the other guys.
Your Google Business Profile is your storefront in every single town you want to work in. 5-star review generation is the big, flashy sign that says, “We’re the best around—just ask our customers!”
Making it a habit to ask for reviews is a game-changer. Just asking a happy customer for a review after a job can make all the difference. This turns every finished job into a magnet for your next one.
For a detailed plan on this, check out our full guide on how to optimize your Google Business Profile for more leads.
Make Your Profile a Lead Machine
Your Google Business Profile is more than just a map listing. It’s a mini-website that can get you leads right away. Make sure you fill out every single part of it.
- Add your services: List everything you do. Be specific.
- Upload real photos: Show off your best work. Pictures of your crew, your gear, and finished jobs build trust instantly.
- Use the Q&A feature: Answer common questions before people even have to ask.
Contractors who skip these simple steps are leaving a ton of money on the table. In fact, companies that focus on winning in multiple towns get 150% more leads.
With 67% of construction companies planning to hire more people in 2025, there’s a lot of work out there. You’re either going to get that work, or your competitors will.
Your Google Business Profile is one of the easiest and most powerful tools you have. Fill it out, get reviews, and it will become a Lead Machine that works for you all day, every day.
Using Simple Ads for Leads Right Now
Waiting for your local SEO work to kick in is smart, but it takes time. It’s like planting a tree—it’ll be great someday, but you can’t sit in its shade tomorrow.
What if you need jobs now?
That’s where simple paid ads come in. Google Ads and Facebook Ads are your secret weapon for getting the phone to ring in a new town, sometimes overnight. Don’t think of ads as complicated or expensive. Think of them as gas for your growth engine.
You turn them on when you need jobs. You turn them off when you’re busy. And you can aim them like a laser at the exact towns you want to work in. It’s the fastest way to see if a new town is a goldmine.
This isn’t about being a computer expert. It’s about using two simple, powerful tools to make your phone ring.
Google Ads: Your On-Demand Lead Machine
Imagine this: a homeowner in a town 40 miles away has a flooded basement. He grabs his phone and searches “excavation contractor near me.”
With a simple Google Ad, your business can be the very first thing he sees, right at the top. That’s the magic. You’re showing up as the answer to a problem he has right now, when he’s ready to pay someone to fix it.
- Pay for Results: You only pay when someone actually clicks on your ad. No click, no cost. It’s that simple.
- Target a Tiny Area: You can tell Google to only show your ad to people in specific zip codes or towns. This stops you from wasting money on calls from too far away.
- Get Leads Fast: Unlike local SEO, which takes months, your ad can be live and getting you calls in just a day or two.
You don’t need a huge budget. A small, smart ad spend of just $20-$30 per day is often enough to test a new area. If it works, you keep it on. If it doesn’t, you turn it off and try another town. Easy peasy.
Facebook Ads: Find Customers Before They Search
What about the people who will need you but aren’t looking right now? That’s where Facebook Ads are awesome. Think of it as putting a flyer right into the hands of your perfect customer while they’re scrolling on their phone.
Facebook knows a lot about people, and you can use that to your advantage. You can show your ads to people based on things like:
- Location: Target homeowners in an entire county or a 50-mile circle.
- Who they are: Focus on people who are a certain age and own their homes.
- What they like: You can even target people who are interested in home improvement or real estate.
This is super powerful for contractors. A septic company can show an ad for “septic system check-ups” to every homeowner in a county. A land clearing guy can show cool before-and-after videos to people who own big properties.
The Big Picture: Google Ads grabs people who are looking for help right now. Facebook Ads helps you find great customers before they even know they need you. Using both is how you totally win a new town online.
These aren’t complicated plans for giant companies. They are simple, effective tools that any contractor can use to get leads right away. Getting started is easier than you think, and we have a complete guide to help you launch your first super simple ads campaign without the stress.
The goal is to turn a little bit of ad money into real, profitable jobs. It’s the fastest way to find out which new towns are full of customers for you. The most important step is to just get started!
Your Action Plan for Winning New Towns
Alright, enough talk. Let’s do this. We’ve talked about turning your website into a Lead Machine, winning the Google map, and using ads to get the phone ringing now. It’s time to put it all together into a simple plan.
This is your roadmap. Follow it, and you’ll go from being invisible in the next town over to being the go-to contractor in your whole region. I’ll break it down into easy steps. You can absolutely do this, one step at a time.
First: Draw Your Map
Before you do anything online, grab a map and circle every single town and county you’re actually willing to drive to for a job. Be honest. Don’t circle a town two hours away if you know you’ll never go there.
This makes everything super clear. These are the places where you’re about to put up your “digital billboards.” This list is the master plan for your website design and your local SEO.
Once you have this map, your mission is simple: make your business show up online in every one of those places.
Second: Build Your Online Foundation
Now, let’s turn that map into a real online presence. This is where your website stops being a boring brochure and starts working as a real Lead Machine. Your goal is to create a special page on your site for every important town you want to target.
- Create Your City Pages: For every key town on your map, build a dedicated “city page.” For example, if you’re an excavator in Newark, you need a page called “Excavation Services in Granville” and another for “Land Clearing in Heath.” This is the best local SEO move you can make.
- Update Your Google Business Profile: Log in to your profile and list every single one of those towns from your map in the “Service Areas” section. This tells Google exactly where you work. Don’t skip this—it takes 15 minutes and can get you leads for years.
Building these pages is the most important work for winning new areas. To see what makes these pages actually turn visitors into paying customers, check out our guide on effective contractor city pages.
Third: Run a Small Ad Test
With your website and Google Profile ready, it’s time to get the phone ringing right away. Pick just one new town from your list—maybe one where you know there’s a lot of work.
Now, launch a small, targeted ad campaign using Google Ads or Facebook Ads. We’re not talking about a lot of money here. Think $20 a day. The goal is just to see what happens. If you spend $100 and get two or three good leads, you’ve struck gold.
This picture shows how simple it is to use ads for fast leads while your local SEO builds up for the long run.
It’s easy: Google Ads gets people who are already searching, while Facebook Ads finds great customers in that new town.
Fourth: Make 5-Star Reviews Your Secret Weapon
As you start getting jobs in these new towns, you have to turn every happy customer into a walking, talking billboard for your business. This is where 5-star review generation comes in. It’s not hard. It’s as simple as asking.
Pro Tip: After you finish a job and the customer is happy, just say, “We’d be so grateful if you could leave us a quick review on Google. It really helps our small business out.” Make it super easy for them by sending a link to your review page right to their phone.
A steady flow of great, new reviews tells Google you’re the real deal. This helps you rank higher on the map and gives new customers the confidence to call you instead of the other guys.
Your Simple Checklist for Growth
This whole thing is a proven plan for growth. To make it even easier, here’s a checklist to follow.
| Step | Action Item | Why It’s a Big Deal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Map Your Real Service Area | Gives you a clear plan for every town you’ll target online. No more guessing. |
| 2 | Build City Pages for Key Towns | Tells Google and customers you are a local expert in their town, not just yours. |
| 3 | Update Your GBP Service Areas | Tells Google exactly where you work, which makes you show up on the map more often. |
| 4 | Launch a Small, Targeted Ad Campaign | Gets you leads right away and shows you which new towns are the most profitable. |
| 5 | Always Ask for Reviews | Builds trust, improves your map ranking, and turns happy customers into a marketing team. |
You can do this yourself, or if you’d rather focus on your business, we’re here to build and manage this entire Lead Machine for you. The most important thing is to start.
Common Questions About Growing Your Business
You’ve got questions, we’ve got simple answers. When contractors think about growing, a few worries always pop up. Let’s clear those up so you can get back to what you do best—running your business and making money.
This is simple, practical advice. No confusing stuff.
Do I Need a Physical Address in Every City?
Nope! Absolutely not. This is a huge myth that stops contractors from growing.
You do NOT need an office or a P.O. box in every town you want to work in. That’s old-school thinking, and it’s just not true anymore.
Your Google Business Profile has a special spot where you list all the towns you serve. That’s how you tell Google your real territory.
The real secret weapon is having a special page on your website for each city. A “Septic Repair in Springfield” page tells Google you’re a serious expert there, even if your shop is 50 miles away. This simple website design is what turns your site into a real Lead Machine.
How Much Should I Spend on Ads in a New Area?
You can start getting leads for less than you think. You don’t need a ton of cash to test a new city with Google Ads or Facebook Ads. In fact, starting small is the smart way to do it.
A small budget of just $15-$25 per day is often plenty to see if the phone rings in a new town.
The goal isn’t to spend a lot of money; it’s to find out if a new town has good customers. If you spend a little and get a few good leads, you know that town is worth spending more on. It’s all about smart, targeted spending to see if there’s gold in them thar hills.
Think of it as a cheap test. If it works, you do more. If it doesn’t, you try the next town on your list. No big deal.
How Long Until I Get Leads from a New City?
This is the big question! The answer depends on which tools you use.
- For Leads Right Now (This Week): Paid ads are your best friend. A simple Google Ads or Facebook Ads campaign can start getting you calls from a new town in just a few days. It’s that fast.
- For Long-Term Leads (3-6 Months): Building your presence with Local SEO—fixing up your Google profile and creating those city pages on your website—takes more time. You can usually expect to see free leads coming in after about 3 to 6 months of doing the right things.
The best plan? Do both at the same time. Run simple ads for quick jobs and cash flow while your powerful, long-term local SEO foundation gets stronger and stronger in the background.
Can I Really Do All of This Myself?
Yes, you definitely can. The things we’ve talked about aren’t that hard. Fixing up your Google Business Profile and adding new pages to your website are things you can totally learn to do. It just takes a little time.
However, we know most contractors would rather be running a machine than a computer. Your time is valuable, and it’s often better spent on the job site.
That’s where we can help. We build the Lead Machine website and the simple ad campaigns that make it work, so you can focus on what you do best. Whether you do it yourself or have us help, the most important thing is to take action and start today.
Ready to stop being invisible in the towns you want to work in? The team at The Cherubini Company builds lead generation websites and systems that get your phone ringing. Schedule a free consultation and let’s build your Lead Machine today.
