What does MyBizGrade check?

We analyze your website speed, SEO tags, Google reviews, social media presence, and accessibility. Each area gets its own score and letter grade.

How is the grade calculated?

Each category is scored from 0 to 100 based on real data from your site. The overall grade is a weighted average across all five categories.

Yes, the full audit and grade are completely free. You can upgrade to a Pro report with copy-paste fixes for $39 if you want help improving.

What's in the Pro report?

You get a priority action plan, copy-paste ready fixes for every issue, time estimates, and a downloadable PDF. It tells you exactly what to change and how.

How long does the audit take?

Most audits finish in under 30 seconds. Complex sites with many pages may take up to a minute.

Do you store my data?

We store your audit results so you can revisit your report. We never sell your data or share it with third parties.

How often should I check my grade?

We recommend running a new audit every month. Your online presence changes as you update your site, get new reviews, and post on social media.

MyBizGrade was built by a small team of developers who wanted to make online presence auditing simple and affordable for small businesses.

How Plumbers Get Found Online: A No-Nonsense Guide

# How Plumbers Get Found Online: A No-Nonsense Guide When a pipe bursts at 10 PM, nobody flips through the Yellow Pages. They grab their phone and search "emergency plumber near me." The plumber who shows up first on Google gets the call. The second-best plumber gets nothing. Plumber online marketing does not require a big budget, a marketing agency, or a fancy website. It requires doing a handful of things well and doing them consistently. This guide covers exactly what those things are. ## Why Most Plumber Marketing Advice Wastes Your Money The marketing industry loves selling expensive solutions to plumbers. SEO agencies charging $2,000 per month. Google Ads campaigns burning through $500 per week. Social media management packages for $1,000 monthly. Most plumbers do not need any of that, especially when starting out. The plumbing businesses getting the most calls from the internet focus on three free or cheap channels: Google Business Profile, reviews, and a simple website. Everything else is secondary. Let's start with the one thing that matters most. ## Google Business Profile: Your Free Lead Machine When someone searches for a plumber, Google shows a map with three businesses listed below it. This is called the "map pack" or "local pack." It appears above all regular search results. Getting your plumbing business into the map pack is the single most valuable thing you do for your online marketing. And Google Business Profile is how you get there. **Set up your profile correctly from the start:** - Use your real business name (no keyword stuffing like "Bob's Plumbing - Best Emergency Plumber Dallas") - Choose "Plumber" as your primary category - Add secondary categories: "Drain Cleaning Service," "Water Heater Installation Service," "Sewer Service" based on your offerings - Enter your service area if you travel to customers (you do not need a storefront) - Add your phone number, website, and hours - Write a description mentioning your city, services, and experience **Optimize it for maximum visibility:** - Upload at least 20 photos: your van, your team, completed jobs (before and after), your equipment - Add new photos every week or two - Post updates on Google at least twice per month (seasonal tips, service reminders, special offers) - List every service you offer in the Services section with descriptions - Answer questions in the Q&A section before customers ask Google rewards profiles that are complete, active, and relevant. A plumber who posts weekly and has 100+ photos will rank above a plumber with a bare-bones profile, even if both do identical work. ## Reviews: The Reason Customers Pick You Over the Competition Plumbing is a trust-based business. Customers are letting a stranger into their home to work on systems they do not understand. Reviews are how they decide which stranger to trust. **The numbers speak clearly:** - Plumbing businesses with 50+ Google reviews get 3x more calls than those with fewer than 10 - A 4.5-star rating converts significantly better than a 4.0 - Recent reviews matter more than old ones. A review from this week counts more than one from two years ago **Build a review system:** After every completed job, send a text message with a direct link to your Google review page. "Thanks for choosing [Business Name]! If you were happy with the work, a quick Google review helps us a lot: [link]" Most plumbing customers are grateful when you fix their problem. Asking right after the job, while relief is fresh, gets the best response rate. **Create a short link for your review page.** Go to your Google Business Profile, find the "Ask for reviews" button, and copy the short link. Save it in your phone so you text it after every job. **Leave business cards with a QR code.** After finishing a job, hand the customer a card with a QR code linking to your review page. Include a simple message: "Happy with our work? Scan to leave a review." **Respond to every review.** Positive reviews get a thank you. Negative reviews get a professional response offering to resolve the issue. Future customers read your responses and judge your professionalism. [Want to see your review score and overall online grade? Get a free report at GradeMyBiz](https://grademybiz.vercel.app). ## Your Plumbing Website: Keep It Simple Plumbers do not need a complicated website. You need a fast, mobile-friendly site with clear information and an obvious way to contact you. **Essential pages:** 1. **Homepage:** Your business name, location, services overview, phone number (clickable on mobile), and a "Call Now" button 2. **Services page:** List each service you offer with a short description. Separate pages for major services (drain cleaning, water heater installation, sewer repair) help with SEO 3. **About page:** Your photo, years of experience, licenses, insurance, and service area 4. **Contact page:** Phone, email, service area map, and a simple contact form **Three rules for your plumbing website:** - **Phone number at the top of every page, clickable on mobile.** Plumbing is an emergency business. When water is flooding a kitchen, nobody fills out a contact form. - **Fast loading speed.** Under 3 seconds on mobile. Compress your images and avoid heavy design elements. - **Show your service area clearly.** List the cities and neighborhoods you serve. This helps Google match you with local searches. Skip the stock photos of smiling plumbers in crisp uniforms. Use real photos of your team and your work. Authenticity builds trust. ## Local SEO: Get Found for "Plumber Near Me" Local SEO is the process of making your business visible to people searching in your area. For plumbers, this is the most relevant type of SEO. **NAP consistency is critical.** NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number. Your business information needs to be identical everywhere it appears online: your website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, Angi, HomeAdvisor, Facebook, and every other directory. If your Google listing says "Bob's Plumbing LLC" but your website says "Bob's Plumbing," Google sees these as potentially different businesses. Consistency across all listings strengthens your search rankings. **Get listed on these directories:** - Google Business Profile (most important) - Yelp - Angi (formerly Angie's List) - HomeAdvisor - Thumbtack - BBB (Better Business Bureau) - Your local Chamber of Commerce - Nextdoor Business - Facebook Business Page Each listing is a "citation" in Google's eyes. More consistent citations from trusted directories boost your local rankings. **Create city-specific pages on your website.** If you serve multiple cities, create a page for each one. "Plumber in Richardson, TX" and "Plumber in Plano, TX" as separate pages. Include the city name in the page title, the header, and naturally throughout the content. Describe specific neighborhoods or landmarks. ## Google Local Services Ads: Pay Per Lead, Not Per Click If you have budget for advertising, Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) are the best option for plumbers. Here is why: - They appear at the very top of Google, above regular ads - You pay per lead (phone call or message), not per click - Customers see your star rating and a "Google Guaranteed" badge - Average cost per lead for plumbers ranges from $15-$50, far cheaper than traditional Google Ads To qualify, you need to pass Google's background check and verification process. This takes a few weeks but builds significant trust with customers. LSAs work especially well for emergency services. When someone searches "emergency plumber" at midnight, an LSA with a Google Guaranteed badge and strong reviews gets the call. ## Nextdoor and Community Groups Nextdoor is an underrated channel for plumbers. Homeowners frequently post asking for plumber recommendations, and neighbors respond with suggestions. **Claim your Nextdoor Business page.** It is free. When someone in your service area asks for a plumber recommendation, your business appears as an option. **Encourage happy customers to recommend you on Nextdoor.** A single recommendation on Nextdoor reaches every homeowner in the neighborhood. This is digital word-of-mouth at its best. **Join local Facebook community groups.** Most cities have "Recommendations" groups where residents ask for service providers. When someone asks for a plumber, your past customers will tag your business. Build enough happy customers and the recommendations come without you lifting a finger. ## What to Skip (For Now) **Skip Instagram and TikTok.** Nobody searches for a plumber on these platforms. Your time is better spent on Google and reviews. **Skip SEO agencies until you max out free channels.** If your Google Business Profile is incomplete, you have fewer than 20 reviews, and your website barely exists, an SEO agency will not help you. Fix the fundamentals first. **Skip Yelp advertising.** Yelp's paid programs are expensive relative to the leads they generate for plumbers. A strong organic Yelp presence (free) is sufficient. **Skip blogging unless you enjoy it.** A plumbing blog takes significant time and generates minimal leads compared to optimizing your Google profile and getting more reviews. ## Track Your Marketing Results You do not need complicated analytics. Track these numbers monthly: - **Google Business Profile insights:** How many people saw your listing, called you, or requested directions - **Review count and average rating:** Is the number going up each month? - **Phone call volume:** Are you getting more calls than last month? - **Where calls come from:** Ask every new customer how they found you Write these numbers down once a month. After three months, you will see clear patterns about what drives the most business. ## Your Plumber Online Marketing Checklist - Set up and verify Google Business Profile - Choose correct primary and secondary categories - Upload 20+ photos (van, team, jobs, equipment) - Post on Google twice per month minimum - Create a Google review short link - Text review requests after every completed job - Respond to all reviews within 48 hours - Build a simple, fast, mobile-friendly website - Put a clickable phone number on every page - List your business on 8+ directories with consistent NAP - Create city-specific service pages on your website - Claim your Nextdoor Business page - Consider Google Local Services Ads when budget allows - Track calls, reviews, and GBP insights monthly ## For more on this topic, read [How to Respond to Negative Google Reviews (With Templates)](/blog/respond-to-negative-google-reviews). For more on this topic, read [Business Directory Listings: Which Ones Actually Matter](/blog/business-directory-listings-matter).Grade Your Plumbing Business Where does your plumbing business stand online right now? [GradeMyBiz](https://grademybiz.vercel.app) gives you an instant, free grade on your entire online presence. See how your Google profile, reviews, website, and listings stack up in 30 seconds. [Get your free grade →](https://grademybiz.vercel.app)