Free tool

Contractor marketing budget calculator

Enter your revenue and what you are trying to do, and see a sensible monthly marketing budget plus a starting split across the channels that actually win contractor work. A planning range, not a hard rule.

Your numbers

A sensible budget

Suggested per year

$0

Suggested per month

$0

Pick your numbers to see the math.

  • Website + local SEO foundation: $0/mo
  • Google Business + reviews: $0/mo
  • Paid ads for speed: $0/mo
  • Content + everything else: $0/mo

How to spend it

Foundation first, then speed

The split this calculator suggests puts most of the money into the foundation, because that is what keeps producing after you spend it. A website that converts and the local-search work that gets it found, a Google Business Profile run like the asset it is, and a steady flow of reviews are the things that bring calls month after month without a per-lead charge. Build those first and every other dollar works harder.

Paid ads sit on top of the foundation, not under it. Ads buy speed, which is exactly what you want when you need work this week or you are heading into your busy season, but the leads stop the day the budget does. Spending heavily on ads while your site and profile leak visitors is pouring water into a bucket with holes. Fix the bucket, then turn on the tap. You can read the trade-by-trade detail in your contractor marketing budget.

Finally, weight the split toward how your customers actually search. An emergency trade should lean on always-on search and Google Business; a seasonal trade should shift more into ads just before its window opens; a high-ticket trade should invest more in proof and reputation because the decision is slow and careful. The numbers here are a baseline to adjust, not a law.

FAQ

Questions about the budget

How much should a contractor spend on marketing?
A common rule of thumb is about 5% to 10% of revenue, with the lower end to hold your position and the higher end when you are pushing for growth. A newer business trying to get established often spends more as a percentage, because it has to build awareness it does not have yet. Treat the result as a starting range, not a hard rule.
Where should that budget go first?
For most local contractors the foundation comes first: a website that converts and the local-search work that gets it found, plus a well-run Google Business Profile and a steady flow of reviews. Paid ads buy speed on top of that foundation. Spending on ads while your site and profile leak leads is pouring water into a bucket with holes.
Does the split change by trade or season?
Yes. Emergency trades lean harder on always-on search and Google Business, seasonal trades shift more to paid ads before their busy window, and high-ticket trades invest more in proof and reputation because the decision is slower. Use the starting split as a baseline and weight it toward the channels your buyers actually use.
Is a flat monthly program cheaper than doing it piecemeal?
Often, yes, because piecemeal means paying separately for a site, hosting, a profile manager, a review tool, and content, then coordinating it all yourself. A flat managed plan rolls the foundation into one fee, and you own every asset. Use the calculator number to sanity-check any quote you are given against your real budget.

Put your budget to work without the guesswork.

See what a flat managed plan covers, get a free audit, then decide. You own every asset from day one.

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