CK Plumbing & Maintenance | Case study
A $10,000 job in the first two weeks, then 224% growth in monthly calls.
The bottom line
A $10,000 plumbing job inside the first two weeks.
It answered the question CK was really asking after a bad experience with a previous marketer: does this actually work?
Then 224% average growth in monthly call volume.
From the Google Business Profile alone.
Plus 127% more profile visibility in three months and 92.6% more organic traffic.
All of it from inside the 30km service radius.
All of it from inside the 30km service radius.
We built CK a local position inside a 30km radius, so the high-value renovation and emergency work comes to them instead of the other way round.
Client overview
CK Plumbing & Maintenance is an Australian family-owned business based in Brisbane, with more than 13 years behind it. Emergency plumbing, bathroom renovations, hot water systems and underground sewerage, serving clients within about 30km of base.
The workmanship was never in question. The marketing was.
The workmanship was never in question. The marketing was.
The challenge
CK came to us carrying a bad experience:
A previous marketer had delivered no measurable result, which left real trust issues before we started.
Leads were not specific enough, so high-value renovation and specialist work was not coming through.
Jobs outside the 30km radius cost travel time that ate the margin.
The online reputation was underbuilt relative to the quality of the work.
Every marketing dollar had to prove itself, and prove it quickly.
A previous marketer had delivered no measurable result, which left real trust issues before we started.
Leads were not specific enough, so high-value renovation and specialist work was not coming through.
Jobs outside the 30km radius cost travel time that ate the margin.
The online reputation was underbuilt relative to the quality of the work.
Every marketing dollar had to prove itself, and prove it quickly.
Our approach
Local precision inside a 30km radius.
For a trade business, the wrong lead costs more than no lead. Every part of this build was about narrowing, not broadening.
01.
Phase 1
Targeted Google Ads
Campaigns built around the four services that actually carry margin: emergency plumbing, bathroom renovations, hot water system installation and repair, and underground sewerage.
Geographic targeting kept ads inside the 30km radius, so no budget went to jobs that would lose money in travel time. Ad copy led with the specialisations and the 13 years behind them, and landing pages were rebuilt for conversion with clear calls to action.
Geographic targeting kept ads inside the 30km radius, so no budget went to jobs that would lose money in travel time. Ad copy led with the specialisations and the 13 years behind them, and landing pages were rebuilt for conversion with clear calls to action.
02.
Phase 2
Local SEO foundation
Ads buy attention now. Search earns it permanently. Three layers built the organic position underneath.
Layer 1
Intent research
Keyword research on high-intent Brisbane plumbing terms, then site content rewritten around the specialist services rather than generic plumbing copy.
Layer 2
Location targeting
Location-specific content built for the suburbs inside the service area, so local searches had something to land on.
Layer 3
Technical
Technical SEO improvements for site performance and user experience, which is where the 46.6% lift in engagement came from.
03.
Phase 3
Google Business Profile
For a local trade, the profile is the shopfront. We rebuilt it properly: accurate business information, high-quality images of completed projects and the team at work, service categories matched to the specialisations rather than generic plumbing, and regular posts featuring promotions and finished jobs.
Profile visibility rose 127% in the first three months.
Profile visibility rose 127% in the first three months.
04.
Phase 4
A reputation system
A system for collecting and managing reviews rather than hoping for them. A follow-up process encouraging satisfied customers to leave a Google review, prompt responses to all feedback, and the 100% customer satisfaction promise carried consistently across every platform.
The result was a verified 100% satisfaction rating, which is what converts a search into a phone call.
The result was a verified 100% satisfaction rating, which is what converts a search into a phone call.
What these numbers mean
The first job paid for the engagement
A $10,000 renovation job inside two weeks. For a client who had been burned before, that single result did more for trust than any report could.
Every lead came from inside the service radius
Geographic targeting meant no margin lost to travel time on jobs that were never going to be profitable. Fewer leads, better leads.
Positioned as a specialist
CK ended the period established as a premier service provider in Brisbane rather than one more name in the results. Thirteen years of specialist experience became the thing the advertising led with, instead of a line buried on an about page.
Reputation as an asset
A verified 100% customer satisfaction rating, built through a review system rather than left to chance. For a trade business choosing between quotes, that rating is often the deciding factor.
The results
Metric
Growth
Monthly call volume
+224%
Profile visibility (3 months)
+127%
Organic search traffic (3 months)
+92.6%
Profile interactions (5 months)
+59%
Website engagement (3 months)
+46.6%
Growth by metric
Each measured against the period before the engagement began.
Client feedback
What the client says
“I had a bad experience with my initial marketer which made me hesitant in choosing someone else, but Brock was great from the get go. Only about 6 weeks in and already getting results that I wanted. Thanks for helping my small plumbing business grow mate.”
What CK Plumbing gained
Immediate impact
A $10,000 job inside two weeks.
224% average growth in monthly call volume.
127% more Google Business Profile visibility in three months.
Consistent high-quality leads for the specialist services rather than general callouts.
224% average growth in monthly call volume.
127% more Google Business Profile visibility in three months.
Consistent high-quality leads for the specialist services rather than general callouts.
Long-term assets
92.6% more organic search traffic and 46.6% better website engagement.
59% more profile interactions across five months.
A verified 100% customer satisfaction rating and a review system that keeps building it.
A position as a premier service provider in Brisbane, inside the radius that actually pays.
59% more profile interactions across five months.
A verified 100% customer satisfaction rating and a review system that keeps building it.
A position as a premier service provider in Brisbane, inside the radius that actually pays.
Common questions
I've been burned by a marketer before. Why would this be different?
It is a fair question and CK asked it. The answer was a $10,000 job inside two weeks, then measurable growth every month after. We report on calls and jobs, not impressions.
Can you keep leads inside my service area?
Yes, and it matters more than most operators realise. CK's campaigns were geographically fenced to 30km, because a job an hour away can cost more in travel than it returns in margin.
How do I get more of the high-value jobs?
By advertising the specialisations rather than the trade. CK's campaigns were built around renovations, hot water systems and underground sewerage, not around the word plumber. Specific searches bring specific jobs.
How much do reviews really matter?
For a local trade, more than almost anything else. A homeowner comparing three quotes will often choose on the rating. We built CK a system for collecting and responding to reviews, and it holds at 100% satisfaction.
Want the jobs worth having?
CK went from a bad marketing experience to a $10,000 job in two weeks and 224% growth in calls, by narrowing rather than broadening.
If you run a trade business and you are tired of leads that are too far away or too small to be worth it, we can build the same thing for you.
If you run a trade business and you are tired of leads that are too far away or too small to be worth it, we can build the same thing for you.
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