How Johnson Plumbing Achieved a 300% Increase in Qualified Leads

Client Background

Johnson Plumbing has been a cornerstone of the Baltimore community since 1998, providing residential and commercial plumbing services across the metropolitan area. Founded by Mike Johnson, the company built its reputation on exceptional craftsmanship and customer service, maintaining an impressive 4.9/5 customer satisfaction rating. With a team of 12 licensed plumbers and 5 support staff, they offer comprehensive services including emergency repairs, installations, remodeling, and maintenance.

Despite their strong reputation and extensive experience, Johnson Plumbing faced increasing competition from newer, more digitally-savvy competitors who were capturing market share through effective online marketing strategies.

The Challenge

When Johnson Plumbing approached us in June 2023, they were experiencing several critical challenges:

Digital Presence Issues

• Outdated Website: Their existing website was over 5 years old, built on deprecated technology, and performed poorly on mobile devices (which accounted for 67% of their traffic).
• Poor Technical Performance: Page load speeds averaged 8.2 seconds on mobile—far exceeding the recommended 2-3 second threshold—resulting in a high bounce rate of 78%.
• Limited Content: The website lacked comprehensive service descriptions, educational content, and location-specific pages needed to rank for valuable local keywords.

Marketing & Lead Generation Challenges

• Declining Organic Visibility: Despite their established business, they ranked outside the top 5 positions for 87% of their target keywords.
• Inefficient Ad Spend: Their Google Ads campaigns were generating leads at an unsustainable cost of $187 per lead, with poor targeting and landing page conversion rates.
• Inconsistent Local Listings: Their business information was inconsistent across directories, with outdated hours, services, and contact details.
• Limited Online Reviews: Despite excellent service, they had accumulated only 37 Google reviews compared to competitors' 100+ reviews.

Business Impact

• Seasonal Revenue Fluctuations: Lead volume varied dramatically by season, creating cash flow challenges during slower periods.
• Underutilized Capacity: Their team was operating at only 65% capacity due to insufficient lead volume.
• Limited Growth: Despite plans to expand into new service areas, they lacked the consistent lead flow needed to support hiring additional technicians.

Our Comprehensive Approach

After conducting a thorough audit of Johnson Plumbing's digital presence, competitive landscape, and business objectives, we developed a multi-phase strategy designed to transform their online presence and lead generation capabilities.

Phase 1: Strategic Foundation (Weeks 1-2)

• Comprehensive Digital Audit: We analyzed their existing website, SEO performance, Google Ads campaigns, and local presence to identify critical improvement opportunities.
• Competitor Analysis: We examined the digital strategies of their top 5 local competitors to identify gaps and opportunities.
• Customer Journey Mapping: We developed detailed customer personas and mapped the typical journey from initial problem awareness to service booking.
• Keyword Research: We identified 127 high-value, service-specific keywords with strong commercial intent and moderate competition.
• Service Area Analysis: We mapped their primary service areas and identified 12 high-potential neighborhoods for targeted local campaigns.

Phase 2: Website Redesign & Development (Weeks 3-6)

We completely rebuilt Johnson Plumbing's website with a focus on user experience, conversion optimization, and technical performance:

• Mobile-First Design: We implemented a responsive design that prioritized the mobile experience while maintaining a professional appearance on desktop devices.
• Strategic Information Architecture: We restructured the site navigation to highlight their most profitable services and create clear pathways to conversion.
• Trust-Building Elements: We prominently featured their 25+ years of experience, 4.9/5 customer rating, licensing credentials, and 24/7 emergency availability.
• Conversion-Focused Elements: We implemented strategically placed call-to-action buttons, a simplified contact form, and click-to-call functionality for mobile users.
• Technical Optimization: We built the site using Next.js for optimal performance, implemented lazy loading for images, and utilized modern compression techniques.
• Schema Markup: We implemented LocalBusiness, Service, and Review schema to enhance search visibility and enable rich results.

Phase 3: Content Development & SEO Implementation (Weeks 5-8)

• Service Page Optimization: We created 14 comprehensive service pages with detailed descriptions, benefits, process explanations, and FAQs.
• Neighborhood-Specific Landing Pages: We developed 12 geo-targeted landing pages for priority Baltimore neighborhoods, each with unique content addressing local plumbing challenges.
• Educational Resource Center: We created a blog with 15 initial articles addressing common plumbing problems, maintenance tips, and emergency situations.
• On-Page SEO Implementation: We optimized all pages with strategic keyword placement, semantic HTML structure, internal linking, and optimized meta data.
• Technical SEO Enhancements: We implemented a clean URL structure, XML sitemap, robots.txt configuration, and canonical tags to improve crawlability.

Phase 4: Local SEO & Citation Building (Weeks 7-10)

• Google Business Profile Optimization: We completely revamped their GBP with updated business information, service categories, high-quality images, and Q&A content.
• Citation Building Campaign: We created and corrected business listings across 50+ directories, ensuring consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information.
• Review Generation Strategy: We implemented a systematic review request process integrated with their CRM system to encourage satisfied customers to leave Google reviews.
• Local Link Building: We secured 18 high-quality backlinks from local business associations, suppliers, and community organizations.

Phase 5: Conversion Rate Optimization & Analytics (Weeks 9-12)

• Conversion Tracking Setup: We implemented comprehensive tracking for phone calls, form submissions, and chat interactions to measure lead sources accurately.
• Google Ads Restructuring: We completely rebuilt their Google Ads campaigns with tightly themed ad groups, location targeting, and service-specific landing pages.
• A/B Testing: We conducted tests on call-to-action placement, form length, and headline variations to optimize conversion rates.
• Analytics Dashboard: We created a custom dashboard providing real-time visibility into website performance, lead generation, and ROI metrics.

Detailed Results & Impact

Within 90 days of implementing our comprehensive strategy, Johnson Plumbing experienced transformative results across all key performance indicators:

Search Visibility & Traffic Improvements

• 84% increase in organic traffic compared to the previous quarter
• 92% increase in mobile visitors, with mobile bounce rate reduced from 78% to 32%
• Top 3 rankings for 27 high-priority keywords, including "emergency plumber Baltimore" and "licensed plumber near me"
• 5 neighborhood service pages ranking on page 1 for targeted local keywords
• 68% increase in direct traffic as brand awareness improved in the local market

Lead Generation & Business Impact

• 300% increase in qualified leads from their website and Google Business Profile
• 42% decrease in cost per lead from Google Ads campaigns
• 23% increase in average ticket value as the improved website better showcased their premium service options
• Increased capacity utilization from 65% to 94%, necessitating the hiring of two additional plumbers
• Reduced seasonal fluctuations with more consistent lead flow throughout traditionally slower periods

Website Performance Improvements

• Page load speed improved from 8.2 seconds to 1.9 seconds on mobile devices
• Core Web Vitals scores improved to "Good" across all metrics
• Form conversion rate increased from 3.2% to 8.7%
• Average session duration increased by 127%, indicating higher user engagement
• Google Business Profile views increased by 215%, with a 173% increase in direction requests

Ongoing Strategy & Long-Term Impact

Following the initial 90-day transformation, we've continued working with Johnson Plumbing to build on these successes:

• Content Marketing Calendar: We maintain an ongoing content strategy targeting seasonal plumbing issues and emerging service opportunities.
• Expansion Support: We've developed digital marketing strategies for their expansion into two additional service areas.
• Reputation Management: Their Google review count has increased from 37 to 156, maintaining their 4.9/5 rating.
• Competitive Monitoring: We provide quarterly competitive analysis reports to identify new opportunities and potential threats.
• Performance Optimization: We conduct regular conversion rate optimization tests to continuously improve lead generation efficiency.

Key Learnings & Takeaways

The Johnson Plumbing case study demonstrates several important principles for successful digital marketing in the home services industry:

• Integrated Strategy: The most powerful results come from aligning website design, SEO, content, and paid advertising around a unified strategy.
• Local Focus: For service businesses, dominating local search is often more valuable than broader visibility.
• Mobile Optimization: With over 67% of plumbing searches occurring on mobile devices, mobile performance is critical for conversion.
• Trust Signals: Prominently featuring reviews, credentials, and guarantees significantly improves conversion rates for home service businesses.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Regular analysis of performance metrics allowed us to continuously refine our approach for maximum ROI.

Client Testimonial

"Dylan completely transformed our online presence. We're now getting consistent, quality leads every day, and our technicians are fully booked. The return on investment has been incredible - we've had to hire two new plumbers to keep up with demand! What impressed me most was how thoroughly he understood the plumbing business and our specific challenges. The website he designed perfectly represents our company values and has become our most valuable marketing asset."