Foundation repair marketing: where your inspections come from
Every foundation company fills its inspection calendar from some mix of lead sites, Google Ads, Local Services Ads, referrals and search. Here’s how each one works, what it really costs you, and where we fit.
What you're paying for, and what you keep.
The last column is the one most owners never ask about.
| Channel | How you pay | Who else gets the homeowner | What's left when you stop paying |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared lead sites | Per lead, or a subscription | Usually other contractors bidding on the same job | Nothing |
| Exclusive lead vendors | More per lead than shared | Just you (if the vendor keeps its word) | Nothing |
| Google Ads | Per click. "foundation repair near me" averages $22.74 | Every company in the ad auction | Nothing |
| Local Services Ads | Per lead, through Google | The other companies in the LSA panel | Your reviews on the LSA profile |
| Realtor and inspector referrals | Time and relationships | Depends who else they refer | The relationships |
| SEO and your Google Business Profile | Monthly work | Whoever else ranks, but the homeowner chose to call you | The pages, reviews, links and rankings you built |
Cost per click: Semrush, US, October 2026. Lead prices vary by market and vendor, so we don't quote them here.
If you're buying leads now.
Buying leads isn't wrong. It's fast, and when the crew calendar has holes, fast matters. The problem is what it does over time: the price goes up as more companies join, the same homeowner gets several calls, and you've spent the year building the lead site's business instead of yours.
The way out isn't to cut leads off. It's to build a channel you own alongside them, then compare. Track cost per signed contract, not cost per lead. To use made-up numbers: a $60 lead that closes one time in ten costs you $600 per job. A $150 lead that closes one time in three costs $450.
More on this: how to get foundation repair leads without paying per lead.
Fast, expensive, and worth tracking properly.
Ads put you at the top today. In foundation repair you're paying about $22 to $27 a click for the main searches (Semrush, US, October 2026), and a click isn't a call, let alone an inspection.
Local Services Ads charge per lead instead of per click, and the ranking inside the LSA panel leans heavily on your reviews and how fast you answer.
We don't manage ad accounts. What we do is give every channel its own tracking number, so the monthly report shows ad calls next to organic calls. Then you can see what each one costs you per job.
Four questions to ask any agency, including us.
Do you work for anyone else in my trade, in my city?
If the answer is "yes, but we keep it separate," you're paying someone who also works for your competitor.
Who owns the website, the profile and the content?
You should own the domain and the Google Business Profile outright. Get the answer in writing.
Can I see calls by source?
Without tracking numbers, nobody can tell you which channel produced the job. Including the agency.
Will you report by town?
A single "average ranking" hides the towns where you're invisible. Ask to see positions town by town.
One foundation repair company per city. Then we close the door.
- We won't work for the company down the roadIf we take you on, we turn away other foundation repair companies in your city for as long as you're with us.
- Checked before you signThe free audit starts by checking whether your city is still open for your trade. If it isn't, we tell you and that's the end of it.
- More cities, more locksServe more than one city? Each extra city you want locked is a separate line on your plan, so you know exactly what you're paying for.
Before you ask.
Do you run Google Ads or Local Services Ads?
Not as part of our plans. If you run them, we give them their own tracking numbers so the report shows ad calls and organic calls side by side, and you can decide where the money works.
I'm getting leads from a lead site and they're fine. Why change?
Maybe you shouldn’t, yet. Keep them while your own channel builds, and compare cost per sold job in the report. If the lead site is still cheaper per signed contract in six months, keep it.
Do you work with other foundation companies?
Yes, in other cities. Never two in the same city. That’s the point of exclusivity: your agency isn’t also working for the company you’re losing jobs to.
What about social media?
It’s useful for job photos and for staying in front of past customers and realtors. It rarely brings in a homeowner with a cracked wall today. We’d spend your money on search first.
Related.
Find out which channel is costing you the most.
The free audit shows where you rank in your towns, who’s beating you, and whether your city is open.
Free audit. We check your city is open for your trade before anything else.