Scaling Home Services without Paid Ads: How Industry Experts Are Winning With Smarter Growth Strategies

28th August 2025

By Andrew Juma – Founder of The AJ Center, an award-winning end-to-end digital marketing firm. Follow Andrew on LinkedIn.

In the home services sector—whether HVAC, plumbing, landscaping, pest control, roofing, or junk removal—the conversation around growth often defaults to paid advertising. Google Local Service Ads, boosted Facebook posts, and seasonal PPC campaigns are frequently viewed as the only way to compete in crowded markets.

But while paid ads can generate short-term leads, they’re not always the most efficient or sustainable way to scale revenue. In fact, many of today’s fastest-growing service businesses are proving that alternative strategies—rooted in SEO, reputation management, customer experience, and local optimization—can not only reduce dependency on ad spend but also drive stronger, more qualified revenue growth.

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Ryan Farley, CEO of LawnStarter, explained that their highest returns come not from ad dollars, but from SEO-driven content campaigns.

“Ads definitely have their place in our marketing strategy, especially on the local level, but effective SEO has really been the way we get our services out there. Content marketing especially, with an eye toward effective SEO optimization, has been key. I think this type of marketing and optimization can be especially effective in the service industry just because people are going to be looking for services that can clearly demonstrate expertise.”

For Farley, the combination of informative content and search visibility does two things simultaneously: it positions the company as a trusted authority and captures buyers at the exact moment of intent. That dual effect has turned organic search into their strongest growth lever.

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Carr Lanphier, CEO of Improovy, has leaned heavily on reputation management—pairing it with select local ads—to scale revenue more effectively than traditional paid campaigns.

“Combining local ads with reputation management across the board has been the most effective way I have found to gain repeat clients and boost our revenue,” Lanphier said. “The exact methods I like to use are first of all, some kind of referral program on the local level. This encourages current clients to tell their friends, family, coworkers, etc., about our business, and it's a great way to bring on new clients and use that word of mouth marketing to our advantage.”

In service industries where trust is everything, online reviews and referrals serve as digital word-of-mouth. A five-star track record compounds over time, lowering acquisition costs while increasing conversion rates.

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Sarah Trujillo, Operations Manager at Wagner Mechanical, emphasized the transformation that occurred when their website shifted from a static brochure to a dynamic lead engine.

“We invested heavily in building out core service pages for every major line of business in our main market,” she shared. “Each one goes deep into the problem, the solutions, and why we're the best local choice. From there, we built secondary location pages that target broader keywords like ‘Plumber in [Nearby Town]’ or ‘AC Repair in [Suburb].’ Even if those aren't right in our backyard, the pages still bring in qualified leads from areas where homeowners don't have many options.”

That long-tail, hyperlocal strategy ensures visibility not just in the core market but in neighboring communities—effectively multiplying opportunities without multiplying ad spend.

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David Joles, COO of PURCOR Pest Solutions, attributes much of his company’s revenue growth to operations and support rather than marketing spend.

“Really focusing in on operations and customer support and experience on the local level, along with careful reputation management, are what I have personally had the best success with,” Joles explained. “Positioning ourselves as a great, local, pest control solution who will work with homeowners to develop a strategy, rather than simply coming in and spraying, has been a very effective strategy.”

By investing in customer support, Joles ensures that clients don’t just buy once—they buy again, and they tell others. In industries built on recurring service cycles, retention often outpaces acquisition as the true driver of sustainable revenue.

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Erwin Gutenkunst, President and Owner of Neolithic Materials, local optimization has proven far more effective than ads—particularly when tied to case studies showcasing real, regional projects.

“Publishing case studies tied to projects in Malibu, Scottsdale, and Austin directly translated into contracts exceeding six figures because clients saw their region reflected in our work,” he said. “Reputation management also proved more powerful than ad spend: every positive review we earned fueled trust with discerning homeowners, which no campaign could replicate.”

Gutenkunst went a step further by streamlining scheduling and design approvals. That operational shift cut project timelines by 20%, allowing the business to take on more work without expanding headcount. The results were staggering: revenue doubled from $1.8M to $3.6M in just two years—without increasing ad budgets.

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