Marketing for builders and building contractors. Glasgow-based, working across the UK.
Builder marketing that brings in the projects you want.
We work with builders to grow their presence online, and we have active builder clients we’re generating leads for every month. Extensions, renovations, new builds, loft conversions and groundwork: we build the marketing around the projects that make you money, in the areas you want to work.
10 years in business · Rated 5.0 on Google · No minimum contract
How do builders get more work online?
Building work is high-value and slow to decide. Someone planning an extension or a renovation searches, shortlists two or three builders, looks hard at their past projects and reviews, and might take weeks to pick one. So a builder’s marketing has two jobs: get found for searches like “house extension [town]” or “builders near me”, and then prove you’re the safe pair of hands once they land on your site.
That means proof does most of the selling: photos of finished projects, before-and-afters, short case studies, video of your team on site, and reviews from real customers. Builders who rely on word of mouth and lead platforms often have great work and almost no trace of it online, which is why they lose jobs to companies that simply look more established.
We have active builder clients we’re consistently generating leads for. One builder in the West of Scotland got 7 enquiries from £304 of Google Ads spend in a month, about £43 each, for jobs worth many times that. For a step-by-step breakdown, read our guide on how to get more building work.
What we do for builders
Get found, look established, win the project.
One team handling your website, rankings, ads and content, built around the projects you want more of.
A project-led website
A website that puts your finished projects first, with galleries and short case studies for each type of work, clear information on the size of jobs you take on, and an easy way to request a quote.
SEO for builders
Pages for each type of project and the towns you cover, so you rank for “extension builders East Kilbride” or “home renovation Falkirk”, not just your company name. Each page carries real examples of your work.
Google Ads for building projects
Campaigns aimed at the projects worth having, with job seekers, suppliers and DIY searches blocked. Because building jobs are big, even a modest budget can pay for itself many times over.
Google Maps and reviews
A properly set-up Business Profile with project photos, services and service areas, plus a simple way to ask for reviews at the end of every job.
Photos, video and social
Progress shots, finished projects and short site videos are the best marketing a builder has. We help capture them and put them to work on your site, your Google profile and social media.
Tracking you can check
Every call and form is tracked back to where it came from, so you can see which channel and which type of project is bringing in work, and what each lead cost. You get the figures every month in plain English.
Beyond Google search
Social media and AI search bring in building projects too.
Google search isn’t the only place homeowners find a builder any more. These two channels bring in real enquiries for our clients.
Lead-generation social media campaigns
We’ve run successful lead-generation campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, and building is one of the best trades for them. Extension and renovation transformations, progress shots and short site videos stop people scrolling, especially homeowners already thinking about a project. A simple enquiry form lets them ask for a quote without leaving the app. More about social media.
Enquiries from AI search
Our clients regularly see enquiries come in from AI search, from homeowners who asked ChatGPT, Google’s AI answers or a similar tool to recommend a builder for an extension or renovation near them. Those tools favour businesses with clear project pages, genuine reviews and consistent details across the web, which is exactly what we build. More about SEO and AI search.
How it works
Built around the projects that pay.
A builder who wants two big extensions a month needs different marketing from one who wants a steady run of small repairs. We start by finding out which you are.
1
Audit
Your website, Google profile, reviews and ads, compared with the builders winning work in your area.
2
Pick the projects
Which types and sizes of job you want, and where. That decides every page, ad and photo we put out.
3
Build and launch
Project pages, galleries, Business Profile, tracking and ads. You approve everything before it goes live.
4
Report and improve
Monthly enquiries and what each cost, plus new project content added as you finish jobs.
Common problems
Why good builders lose projects online.
It’s rarely the quality of the work. It’s that the customer couldn’t see enough of it to feel safe.
“Builders tend to have the best work and the weakest websites. They’re too busy on site to photograph anything. Yet a homeowner about to spend tens of thousands wants to see proof, and they’ll pick the builder who shows it over the one who just says it.”
Yas, Director
No photos of real work
Stock images of hard hats tell a customer nothing. Your own finished projects are the strongest thing you can show them.
Unclear what you take on
If the site doesn’t say whether you do extensions, new builds or small repairs, you get the wrong enquiries and miss the right ones.
Invisible outside word of mouth
Referrals are great until they dry up. Without search visibility, there’s nothing to fall back on in a quiet patch.
Price wars on lead platforms
Bought leads go to several builders at once. Your own marketing brings customers who contacted you because of your work, not your price.
Results for builders and trades.
About £43 an enquiry
Builder, West of Scotland, 7 enquiries from £304 of Google Ads in a month
£100k to £2 million
Roofing company, Glasgow, from SEO, turnover over five years
37 more leads a month
Flooring company, Glasgow, from Google Ads, within three months
We don’t publish client names without permission. Ask and we’ll put you in touch.
Builder marketing questions
What builders ask us.
What’s the best way for a builder to get more leads?
For most builders: a website that shows your finished projects, pages for each type of work and area you cover, a strong Google Business Profile with reviews, and Google Ads for the projects you want more of. Proof of your work does more selling than anything else.
Does Google Ads work for builders?
It can work very well, because building jobs are high-value. One West of Scotland builder we work with got 7 enquiries from £304 of spend in a month, about £43 each. It needs the wrong searches blocked and ads pointing at proper project pages, not the homepage.
How long does SEO take for a building company?
Google Maps rankings often improve within a couple of months once your profile and reviews are sorted. Ranking project pages in competitive areas usually takes six months or more. Ads can bring enquiries in while that builds.
I don’t have many photos of my work. Is that a problem?
It’s the most common situation we see, and it’s fixable. We’ll show you a quick routine for capturing progress and finished shots on site, and we can arrange photography and video for your best projects.
How much does builder marketing cost?
It depends on where you’re starting from and the market you work in. We review your existing online presence and your area first, then explain the cost and the return you can expect. Ad spend is separate and paid directly to Google.
Do you work with builders outside Scotland?
Yes. We’re based in Glasgow and work with businesses across the UK. Almost everything is delivered remotely, by phone, video call and WhatsApp.
Find out which projects you’re missing.
Send us your details and we’ll put together a free audit of your building company’s website, Google profile and ads. You’ll get a plain-English rundown of:
- Where you rank for the projects you want, in the areas you cover
- Which builders are winning the work, and why
- Whether your website shows enough proof to win a big job
- The three fixes that would bring in the most enquiries
Prefer to talk? Call 0141 378 0881, WhatsApp 07542 737977 or email hello@istratagem.co.uk.