The right plumbing marketing agency measures its work in booked jobs, builds every account in your name, and refuses the shortcuts that get plumbing companies suspended or sued. Most bad agency experiences come from the same few gaps: nobody tracked calls, the agency owned the accounts, or the contract made leaving painful. This guide gives you the questions to ask in the first meeting, the contract terms to read before signing and the red flags to walk away from. It applies whether you hire us or anyone else. Our own answers are on the FAQ page.
Start with what you want to buy
The short answer: you're buying booked jobs at a cost you can afford, not clicks, rankings or "visibility".
Before talking to any agency, write down:
- The jobs you want more of (water heaters, drains, repipes, commercial service).
- The towns you want them in.
- What each job type is typically worth to you in gross profit.
- How many more of each you could actually handle next month.
That list turns a sales pitch into a working conversation. An agency that can't engage with it is selling something generic. Our cost-per-booked-job guide shows how to put numbers on point 3.
Ten questions to ask in the first meeting
- "How will you measure success?" You want to hear "booked jobs" and "cost per booked job", not just "traffic" or "leads".
- "Who owns the website, domain, Google Business Profile and ad accounts?" The answer should be you, with the agency added as a manager.
- "How will you track calls?" Look for a tracking number per channel, call tagging and a way to match calls to your job records.
- "Can I see the ad account myself?" You should have full access at any time.
- "Where does my ad money go?" Ask whether media spend is billed directly from your own account, and get any arrangement in writing.
- "How do you get reviews?" The right answer includes asking every customer, with no screening and no incentives.
- "What do you do about area pages?" Listen for "only where we can write something genuinely local". Be wary of "a page for every town within 100 km".
- "What happens in the first 90 days?" Expect a specific plan: tracking, profile, a few campaigns and a review routine.
- "Who will I actually talk to?" Find out whether you'll speak with a senior person or rotate through junior account managers.
- "What happens if I leave?" Notice period, handover process and what you keep.
Contract terms to check
Read the agreement for these, and get anything unclear confirmed in writing:
- Term and notice. Month-to-month, or a minimum term? How much notice to cancel?
- One-time fees. Set-up, website build or onboarding charges, listed up front.
- Ad spend handling. Paid directly to platforms, or through the agency, and on what terms?
- Ownership. Domain, website files, content, photos, accounts and call data stay with you.
- Scope. Which services are included at your plan level, and what costs extra?
- Reporting. What you'll receive and how often.
- Exclusivity. Will they also market your direct competitor in the same town?
Canada's Competition Bureau warns about drip pricing, where advertised prices leave out mandatory extra fees. It's worth holding your agency to the same standard you'd hold yourself to with customers: the full price, up front.
Red flags to walk away from
- Ranking or lead promises. No one controls search results or how many people search.
- Fake or incentivised reviews. Google's content policy prohibits offering incentives for reviews and soliciting reviews that don't reflect genuine experiences. An agency suggesting otherwise is putting your profile at risk.
- Review gating. Software that sends only happy customers to Google and unhappy ones to a private form.
- Doorway pages. Dozens of near-identical town pages, which Google's spam policies describe as doorway abuse.
- Keyword stuffing your business name on the profile, such as "Best 24/7 Emergency Plumber [City]".
- The agency owns your accounts, or "manages" the domain so you can't move it.
- Reports full of impressions and no calls.
- Long lock-in contracts with heavy cancellation fees.
How to compare proposals
Put the proposals side by side and score each on:
| Factor | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Measurement | Cost per booked job, by job type |
| Ownership | Everything in your name |
| Tracking | Number per channel, tagging, job matching |
| First 90 days | Specific, sequenced plan |
| Reviews | Every customer, no gating, no incentives |
| Area pages | Fewer, genuinely local |
| Terms | Clear notice, clear fees, clear scope |
| Proof | Named, linkable results, honestly labelled |
On proof: ask whether case studies are from your trade. If they're not, as with ours, which are results from our HVAC work, the agency should say so plainly and explain what carries over.
Check references the useful way
When an agency offers references, ask to speak to a client in a trade like yours who has worked with them for at least a year. Ask that client three things: what changed in booked jobs, how quickly the agency answered when something broke, and whether they'd find it easy to leave. If the agency can't offer a reference in your trade, as we can't yet for plumbing, ask how it will prove itself instead: clear tracking, a short notice period and reporting you can check against your own records.
Running a fair trial
Once you've chosen, set the ground rules together:
- Agree targets for cost per booked job by job type.
- Get tracking live before any spending increase.
- Review paid search monthly for the first three months.
- Give organic work a full six to twelve months, with progress markers along the way.
- Keep your own record of booked jobs by source, so you're not relying only on the agency's numbers.
If the numbers don't hold after a fair period, leave cleanly. If you own everything, leaving is easy.
Where we fit
Plumbing.Agency runs the marketing side for Canadian plumbing companies, measured on booked jobs, built in your name, on month-to-month terms. See services and pricing. If what you need is a business adviser rather than an agency, for pricing, hiring or capacity, plumber.consulting is our sister practice for that.
Frequently asked questions
Should I hire an agency that only works with plumbers?
Trade focus helps, because the agency will understand job types, emergency calls and seasonal swings. But focus matters less than measurement, ownership and honesty. A specialist that won't track booked jobs is still the wrong hire.
How long should I give an agency before judging it?
Paid search should show a clear trend within two to three months. Local SEO needs six to twelve. Agree on what you'll judge at each point before you sign.
Is it a red flag if an agency promises first-page rankings?
Yes. Nobody controls search rankings. Promises like that usually come with tactics that put your business at risk, such as fake reviews, keyword-stuffed profile names or doorway pages.
What should I do when I leave an agency?
Confirm you have admin access to the domain, website, hosting, Google Business Profile, ad accounts and call tracking before you give notice. Then remove the agency's access once the handover is done.