The home service marketing checklist

Marketing a home service business isn't about doing everything. It's about getting the basics right, then keeping them going week after week. This checklist covers the essentials in the order most businesses should tackle them: your foundations, your website and Google presence, reviews, how you handle leads, bringing customers back, referrals, paid ads and tracking. Tick off what you already do, then pick the three unchecked items that would make the biggest difference this month.

Foundations

Write down the three services you most want more of this year
Define your service area by town or ZIP code and use the same list everywhere you market
Write one sentence that says what you do, where you do it and why customers choose you
Work out your average job value and how much you can afford to spend to win a new customer
Make your business name, logo and colors look the same on your trucks, uniforms, website and invoices
Set a monthly marketing budget and review it every quarter

Website

Put your trade and main city in your homepage headline and page title
Add a tap-to-call phone link in the header of every page
Add a short quote form or online booking link near the top of your homepage
Build a separate page for each of your main services
Show real reviews, your license, insurance and any guarantee near the top of the homepage
Replace stock photos with real photos of your team, vehicles and work
Test your site on your own phone using mobile data and fix anything slow or hard to tap
Make sure your site loads securely on https and the plain address forwards to it

Google and listings

Claim and verify your Google Business Profile
Complete every section of your profile: categories, services, service area, hours, description and photos
Add new job photos to your profile every week or two
Post a profile update at least twice a month with recent work or seasonal advice
Claim your listings on Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Yelp and Facebook
Make your business name, address and phone number identical on every listing
Set holiday hours on every listing before each holiday

Reviews and reputation

Save your direct Google review link in your phone and your job software
Ask for a review at the end of every job, then send the link by text the same day
Make one person responsible for review requests and check your review count every week
Reply to every review within a day or two
Handle a negative review by calling the customer, fixing what you can, then replying calmly in public
Never offer incentives for reviews or ask only the customers you expect to be happy

Answering and following up

Answer calls live during business hours, or forward them to someone who will
Set up an automatic text reply for every missed call
Reply to web form requests and messages within the same business hour
Give everyone who answers the phone a script covering the greeting, the problem, the address, availability and the next step
Explain your diagnostic or trip fee on the first call so there are no surprises
Send a booking confirmation by text with the date, arrival window and technician's name
Send an "on the way" text when the technician leaves for the job
Follow up on every unsold estimate two days after sending it and again a week later

Keeping customers

Keep every customer's contact details, address, equipment and job history in one system
Get permission before sending marketing texts or emails, and include an easy way to opt out
Send a thank-you message after every job
Send seasonal reminders, such as AC tune-ups in spring and heating checks in fall
Offer a maintenance plan or recurring service where it fits your trade
Email past customers useful seasonal tips a few times a year
Contact customers when equipment you installed is due for service

Referrals and partnerships

Ask happy customers directly whether they know anyone who needs your service
Set up a simple referral thank-you, such as a credit on the customer's next service
Give every technician leave-behind cards or magnets with your phone number
Build relationships with local realtors, property managers and home inspectors
Trade referrals with non-competing trades you trust
Join your local chamber of commerce or a trade association

Paid advertising

Decide which services and areas are worth paying for before you spend anything
Check the current terms and costs of Local Services Ads, search ads and lead marketplaces before signing up
Track every paid lead from the first call to a booked job to a paid invoice
Pause any channel that doesn't produce booked jobs at a cost you can afford
Compare ad spend with booked revenue every month

Post real job photos and short videos on one or two social platforms you will actually keep up
Share seasonal tips that help homeowners, such as how to shut off the water or change a filter
Get permission before posting a customer's home, face or address
Publish one new helpful page or project write-up on your website each month
Reply to comments and messages within a day

Measurement

Ask every new customer how they found you and record the answer
Track calls, form requests and bookings from your website
Add a tracking tag to the website link on your Google Business Profile
Review leads, booked jobs and revenue by source every month
Choose three marketing priorities for the next quarter based on what the numbers show

Not sure which unchecked item to start with? The free Zome AI report checks your website, Google profile and reviews and lists what to fix first.