Search Ads or Performance Max: Where a Contractor’s Ad Budget Goes
Direct Answer: For most Monterey County contractors, Search ads come first because buyer intent is highest there. Performance Max extends reach after Search is fully funded, not instead of it. An owner in Seaside called me a while back with a question I hear constantly. He was spending a few thousand a month on Google […]
Google Now Bills for Calls You Never Answered. What That Costs a Shop.
Direct Answer: A missed call during your posted hours can now be billed as a valid lead if the caller stays on the line long enough. The ring itself costs money, not just the lost job. Most owners I talk to still think a missed call is a lost opportunity and nothing more. The phone […]
Google Is Moving Local Services Ads. What Central Coast Trades Should Check
Direct Answer: Google is moving Local Services Ads into the main Google Ads platform as a pay-per-lead campaign type. Your ads and billing model stay. The separate dashboard, manual bidding, and old reports go away. If you run trucks out of Salinas, Seaside, or Watsonville, you may have seen a headline saying Google is killing […]
A license lapse mid job no longer erases your right to be paid
Direct Answer: Starting January 1, 2027, SB 342 lets a contractor who was duly licensed when the contract was signed recover pay for work performed while licensed, on specified public works, commercial, and multifamily projects. A renewal notice goes to an old address. Your license sits lapsed for five weeks while you are three months […]
AI Named You in Monterey. What the Homeowner Checks Next.
Direct Answer: Yes. Research on AI local recommendations found nearly all users cross-check them against real reviews, and most fact-check the reviews themselves. Being named starts the vetting, it does not end it. You got named. Someone in Monterey asked ChatGPT who the most reliable HVAC company in the area is, and your business came […]
Video Building Inspections Become a Right for Reroofs and Heat Pumps in California
Direct Answer: AB 1738, signed September 18, 2026, requires most California cities and counties to offer remote video inspections on covered home projects. Larger jurisdictions must comply by January 1, 2028, smaller ones by July 1, 2028. Your crew strips a roof in Salinas by 11 a.m. The deck is clean, the nails are in, […]
The Job Photos on Your Phone Are the Content No Competitor Has
Direct Answer: Job photos are first party data: proof you own that no competitor can copy and no AI tool can generate. Paired with a written caption naming the city, problem, and fix, they rank. Most crews I work with in Monterey County finish a week with dozens of job photos and publish exactly none […]
Shared Leads From Angi and HomeAdvisor: What the Money Buys
Direct Answer: A shared lead buys a contact record, not a booked job, and the same homeowner is usually sold to several contractors. Owned visibility keeps producing calls without a per-contact charge. Read enough public complaints against the big lead aggregators and the same sentences keep showing up. Owners say they were receiving absolutely nothing […]
Does Your License Number Show Up Everywhere Your Business Does Online?
Direct Answer: California requires licensed contractors to include their license number in all advertising, and CSLB has said that includes websites and online postings, not just print and radio ads. Most contractors I talk to in Monterey County know the license number belongs in their advertising. What almost nobody has done is actually walk every […]
Cost Per Lead Is the Wrong Number to Judge Marketing By
Direct Answer: Cost per lead can fall while your schedule empties, because cheaper traffic is usually worse traffic. Judge marketing by qualified call rate, booked jobs, and cost per booked job instead. Your monthly marketing report shows cost per lead cut almost in half. The chart is green. The owner reads it, feels good, and […]
