Word-of-mouth is great — until it’s not.
If you run a plumbing company, roofing crew, electrical team, or any service-based business in Vancouver or anywhere in BC, you’ve probably felt the panic when referrals dry up. One quiet month can turn into three, and suddenly you’re scrambling to keep your crew busy.
At Silver6, we’ve seen it over and over: amazing trades businesses stuck on the feast-or-famine rollercoaster because they never built reliable ways to consistently get found by new customers.
Today, I’m giving you 5 practical, proven ways to finally stop relying only on word-of-mouth — and start owning your lead flow instead.
Think of Google like the modern word-of-mouth — but bigger and faster.
When homeowners in Vancouver type “roofers near me” or “best plumber in Burnaby”, Google shows them local businesses first. If you’re not showing up there, you’re invisible to people actively looking for your services.
How to do it:
Claim your profile: Go to Google Business Profile and claim or create your listing.
Add photos: Upload real project photos, team shots, and your logo.
Fill out every detail: Hours, services, service area, contact info.
Ask for reviews: Happy clients? Send them a quick link to leave a review — it massively boosts your ranking.
Pro tip: Businesses with 20+ fresh, 4-5 star reviews dominate local search.
Too many trades businesses think a basic one-page site is enough. It’s not.
A good website is a 24/7 sales rep. It should answer common questions, show real proof of your work, make it easy to contact you, and build trust in seconds.
What your site needs:
✔️ Clear contact info & click-to-call buttons.
✔️ Service pages for each main service (SEO boost!).
✔️ Local landing pages if you serve multiple cities.
✔️ Photo galleries of real work.
✔️ Reviews & testimonials.
✔️ Fast loading, mobile-friendly design.
If your site is older than 5 years, looks clunky on mobile, or takes forever to load — fix it now. Studies show 75% of people judge your credibility just from your website.
No photos? No trust. It’s that simple.
Homeowners and property managers want proof. They don’t want to hope you can do the job — they want to see it.
How to fix it:
Take before/after photos on every project.
Post these on your website, social media, and Google profile.
Get video walk-throughs if you can — they perform great on Facebook & Instagram.
Keep it real. Messy job sites and progress shots are fine — they show you do real work.
Bonus: This gives you unlimited content to share, so your online presence stays fresh.
Want leads now while your organic SEO builds up? Paid Google Ads done right can deliver calls this week.
For trades businesses, focus on:
Local search ads: Appear when someone searches “emergency plumber Vancouver”.
Service-specific ads: Target profitable jobs (roof replacement vs. gutter cleaning).
Clear call extensions: Make it easy for searchers to tap & call.
Tip: Ads fail when you don’t target locally, have no landing page, or let Google auto-spend without smart bidding. Hire a pro (or at least run a tight, small test) to avoid burning cash.
If you rely only on new calls, you’re leaving money on the table. Stay top of mind with past customers — they’re your easiest source of repeat work and referrals.
Easy ways to do this:
Send a seasonal reminder (e.g., “Book your winter furnace check-up now!”).
Offer a loyalty discount or referral bonus.
Send a project completion follow-up asking for a Google review.
Keep a simple list in Mailchimp or your CRM — send 1 email per month with helpful tips or offers.
"A good website is a 24/7 sales rep. It should answer common questions, show real proof of your work, make it easy to contact you, and build trust in seconds."