How much does lead generation cost?

Media budget is derived, not quoted: work backward from your average job value, close rate, and how many jobs you want, and the number falls out. Our observed sensible test ranges run from about $3,000/month in lighter trades to $15,000–$30,000 for personal-injury law, where a single click can cost $250. The budget calculator in our Knowledge Center runs the same five-line math we run on a first call.

How long before it works?

Plan on 30–60 days to gather real conversion data and a judgment at 90. Most accounts that end up working show the trajectory by month two — falling cost per lead with a stable close rate. If nothing is trending by day 90 with tracking properly wired, the problem is structural rather than a matter of more time, and we will say so.

We already buy leads from Angi. Why change?

You may not need to change entirely — platforms can earn a place as capacity fill when trucks are idle. What they cannot be is the growth strategy: the lead is shared with competitors, the platform owns the reviews and the customer, and nothing compounds to you. We run both in parallel for 60–90 days, grade them on cost per booked job, and move the budget toward whichever wins.

Do we own the campaigns and data?

Yes — accounts, pixels, landing pages, tracking, and the data live in your name. That is the point of building a pipeline rather than renting one, and it is the difference between an asset and a subscription. If we ever part ways, everything stays with you.

Which channel should we start with?

Usually demand capture — Local Services Ads and Google Ads on searches that already exist — because it books work fastest and funds everything else. The exceptions are trades with genuine elective or seasonal demand, where Meta's job of creating the pipeline starts earlier. The honest answer depends on your trade, market, and capacity, which is what the audit determines.

What does reporting look like?

One page: spend, leads, booked jobs, cost per acquisition, and ROAS, each with a trend line and a sentence on what we changed and why — plus a dashboard you can log into at 2 a.m. Phone calls are tracked so they count, and booked jobs are imported back to the ad platforms so the algorithms optimize toward customers rather than form fills.

Lead Generation

Leads you own, measured to booked jobs.

Not a channel — the whole pipeline. Ads, pages, tracking, and follow-up built as one system, graded on cost per booked job, with an asset that compounds instead of a faucet you rent.

Get a free pipeline audit Or call (818) 305-5441

The choice underneath everything

A faucet you rent, or a well you own.

Shared-lead platforms sell the same homeowner to four contractors and stop the moment you stop paying. Your own pipeline costs more per lead and leaves something behind.

Shared-lead platforms

A pipeline you own

Exclusivity

Sold to several competitors at once

Only your phone rings

What it costs

Low per lead, high per booked job

Higher per lead, lower per booked job

Who owns the customer

The platform — its brand, its reviews

You — your data, your reviews, your list

When you stop paying

Everything stops

Rankings, reviews, and audiences remain

What accrues

Nothing

Conversion data that lowers cost every month

	Shared-lead platforms	A pipeline you own
Exclusivity	Sold to several competitors at once	Only your phone rings
What it costs	Low per lead, high per booked job	Higher per lead, lower per booked job
Who owns the customer	The platform — its brand, its reviews	You — your data, your reviews, your list
When you stop paying	Everything stops	Rankings, reviews, and audiences remain
What accrues	Nothing	Conversion data that lowers cost every month

We do not tell owners to cancel Angi on a Friday — the sane transition runs both for 60–90 days and lets cost per booked job decide. The full arithmetic is here.

What we actually build

Six layers. One scoreboard.

A lead-generation engagement is not a channel purchase. These are the pieces, and a gap in any one of them shows up as “the ads don't work.”

01

Demand capture

Google Ads and Local Services Ads on the searches that already exist — the fastest path to booked work, and where most budgets belong first.

02

Demand creation

Meta and emerging channels for the customer who has not searched yet, so you are the name they remember when the emergency arrives.

03

The landing experience

Pages built per intent rather than one homepage for everyone — the difference between 3–6% and 12–25% in our plumbing accounts.

04

Measurement

Call tracking, conversion tracking, and offline imports so the platforms optimize toward booked jobs instead of form fills.

05

Speed to response

Instant notification and follow-up automation, because most customers buy from whoever answers first.

06

The compounding base

Reviews, Business Profile, and AI-answer visibility — the free layer every paid channel converts against.

What it looks like when it works

Two engagements, same operating system.

Air 1 Moving & Storage

$700 → $400

Cost per client

Untracked ads and a 4.0 rating became a measured pipeline: cost per lead $70 → $40, qualified leads up 4.4×, ROAS 200% → 400% while spend scaled. Read it.

Energy Star Builders

5 → 30+

New clients per month

One service to lead with, one page, one scoreboard — $14.4K of spend produced $74K+ in tracked revenue over four months at roughly $60 per lead. Read it.

Testimonials

Energy Star Builders

Shawn & his team at growth key marketing have done an exceptional job bringing my business up to speed with all of the modern tech & automations.

Koalaty Remodel

My vision came alive effortlessly. Their blend of casual and professional approach made the process a breeze. Creativity flowed, and the results were beyond my expectations.

Lumiere Catering

Working with Growth Key Marketing has been a fantastic experience! They helped me set up Facebook Ads that actually work. I was blown away by how quickly the ads started bringing i...

Air1 Moving and Storage

It was an absolute pleasure working with them to create a website that truly reflects the quality and professionalism of their moving and storage business. We're thrilled to hear that the new site is making such a big difference! Our goal is always to deliver a seamless experience—both for our clients and their customers—so it's amazing to know that their new website is not only looking great but also helping build credibility and improve functionality. We truly appreciate their trust in GrowthKey, and we're here whenever they need us. Wishing them continued success! 🚀

Space Production

Growth Key Marketing completely transformed our lead generation. Their targeted Facebook campaigns delivered high-quality inquiries almost immediately, and the ROI has been outstanding from day one. Highly recommend their expertise!

NAVA Management

The team at Growth Key took our outdated online presence and turned it into a sleek, high-converting website with smart automations. Leads are coming in consistently now—it's made running the business so much smoother. Truly impressed!

Alluna Dental

We partnered with Growth Key for both website redesign and ongoing digital marketing. The new site looks professional and patient-friendly, while their Facebook ad strategy brought in a steady stream of new appointments. Excellent communication and real results!

CIG Law

Growth Key Marketing nailed our rebranding and online marketing needs. From custom automations that save us hours every week to effective ad campaigns that attract the right clients, they've been a game-changer for our firm. Professional, creative, and dependable.

Move Happy Moving

I can't say enough good things about working with Shawn and the Growth Key team. They built us a modern website that showcases our services perfectly and set up automations for inquiries and follow-ups. Our online bookings have doubled—worth every penny!

Air1 Moving and Storage

It was an absolute pleasure working with them to create a website that truly reflects the quality and professionalism of their moving and storage business. We're thrilled to hear that the new site is making such a big difference! Our goal is always to deliver a seamless experience—both for our clients and their customers—so it's amazing to know that their new website is not only looking great but also helping build credibility and improve functionality. We truly appreciate their trust in GrowthKey, and we're here whenever they need us. Wishing them continued success! 🚀

Lead Gen, Answered

What owners ask before they sign.

Budgets, timelines, ownership, and the honest answer on whether the platform leads you already buy still have a place.

Free pipeline audit

See what a booked job actually costs you today.

We map your six layers, find the gaps, and put a real number on cost per booked job — including the honest verdict if a channel you are paying for is not earning its place. Yours to keep either way.

Get my pipeline audit

Who We Help

Built for the businesses that book jobs.

Pick your industry — the playbook already exists.

Knowledge base

The Thinking Behind The System

The same arithmetic we run on your account, written down.

Shared leads vs. exclusive leads: the real math

The $25 Angi lead usually costs more than the $80 exclusive one. The arithmetic — and the Angi vs. Thumbtack mechanics — the platforms hope you never run.

7 min read | 15 May 2026

Angi vs. Thumbtack for contractors: the operator's comparison

Different billing, same footrace. How the two platforms actually charge, where each fits, and the comparison both of them lose.

4 min read | 20 Jul 2026

Why your Google Ads leads are bad: the five causes, in order

It is almost never the platform. The diagnostic we run on every "junk leads" account — five causes, checked in order, each with its fix.

4 min read | 29 Jul 2026

Leads you own, measured to booked jobs.

A faucet you rent, or a well you own.