Case Study: How We Got a Parramatta Plumber 2.6x More Calls in 30 Days

Client: Local plumbing business (name withheld for privacy) Location: Parramatta, NSW Timeline: 30 days (September 2024) Result: 2.6x increase in phone calls (62 → 163 calls/month)

The Challenge

In August 2024, a Parramatta plumbing company reached out to us with a problem that many Sydney tradies face:

“We’re getting some calls from Google, but nowhere near enough. We know there’s more business out there, but our competitors seem to be getting it instead.”

Starting Situation:

  • ❌ Receiving 62 calls per month from online sources
  • ❌ Ranking #8-12 for “plumber Parramatta” (page 2)
  • ❌ Zero rankings for emergency keywords
  • ❌ Google My Business listing was incomplete
  • ❌ Website was slow (7.2 second load time)
  • ❌ Running Google Ads inefficiently ($2,800/month, poor ROI)
  • ❌ Only 12 Google reviews (4.2 stars)

Their Goals:

✅ Double phone calls within 90 days ✅ Rank on page 1 for primary keywords ✅ Improve Google Ads ROI ✅ Build sustainable lead generation system

Budget: $3,500/month (split between Google Ads and SEO)

The Strategy

We implemented a hybrid approach focusing on quick wins (Google Ads + GMB optimization) and long-term growth (SEO + content).

Month 1 Focus: Low-Hanging Fruit

Our philosophy: Get results fast, then build for the long-term.

Here’s what we did in the first 30 days:

Part 1: Google My Business Optimization (Week 1)

Time Investment: 4 hours Cost: $0 (included in service) Impact: Immediate visibility increase

What We Fixed:

Before:

Business Name: "Mike's Plumbing"
Description: "We do plumbing in Parramatta"
Photos: 3 (low quality)
Reviews: 12 reviews (4.2 stars)
Posts: None
Services: Not listed
Hours: Incorrect

After:

Business Name: "Mike's Plumbing Parramatta"
Description: "24/7 Emergency Plumber in Parramatta &
Surrounding Suburbs. Blocked Drains, Hot Water, Gas
Fitting, Burst Pipes. Licensed & Insured. Call Now!"
Photos: 35+ (before/after, team, van, jobs)
Reviews: 27 reviews (4.7 stars) - see review strategy below
Posts: 3 weekly posts (tips, offers, updates)
Services: 15+ services listed with descriptions
Hours: Correct + 24/7 emergency available

GMB Optimization Checklist We Used:

✅ Category Optimization

  • Primary: Plumber
  • Secondary: Emergency plumber service, Drain cleaning service, Gas engineer

✅ Keyword-Rich Description

  • Included “Parramatta” 3 times
  • Listed all services
  • Added “24/7 emergency” (high-intent keyword)
  • Mentioned surrounding suburbs

✅ Photo Strategy

  • Uploaded 35 photos across categories:
    • 10 before/after job photos
    • 5 team photos (builds trust)
    • 5 vehicle/branding photos
    • 10 individual service photos (drain cleaning, hot water, etc.)
    • 5 customer interaction photos

✅ Weekly Google Posts Week 1: “Emergency Plumbing Tips: What to Do Before We Arrive” Week 2: “$50 Off Hot Water Repairs This Month” Week 3: “Meet the Team: Our Licensed Parramatta Plumbers”

✅ Q&A Section

  • Added 15 common questions with keyword-rich answers
  • Example: “Do you service Westmead?” → “Yes, we provide 24/7 emergency plumbing in Westmead, Harris Park, Granville, and all Parramatta suburbs.”

Result after 1 week: 📈 GMB views increased 340% 📈 Direction requests increased 180% 📈 Phone calls from GMB increased 65%

Part 2: Google Ads Overhaul (Week 1-2)

Previous Setup (Wasteful):

  • Budget: $2,800/month
  • Clicks: 180/month
  • CPC: $15.56 average
  • Calls: 35/month
  • Cost per call: $80

Our Analysis: ❌ Broad match keywords wasting budget on irrelevant searches ❌ No negative keywords (paying for “DIY plumbing”, “plumbing courses”, etc.) ❌ Ads showing 24/7 across all of Sydney (too broad) ❌ Landing page had 7.2 second load time ❌ No call tracking to know which keywords convert

What We Changed:

1. Restructured Keyword Strategy

Before: 5 ad groups, 50+ keywords (messy)

After: 12 tightly themed ad groups

High-Intent Emergency Keywords (Top Priority, Higher Bids)

[emergency plumber parramatta] - Exact match
[burst pipe parramatta] - Exact match
[blocked drain parramatta] - Exact match
"24 hour plumber parramatta" - Phrase match

Service-Specific Keywords (Medium Priority)

[hot water repair parramatta] - Exact match
[gas plumber parramatta] - Exact match
"drain cleaning parramatta" - Phrase match

Surrounding Suburbs (Lower Bids, Volume Play)

plumber westmead
plumber harris park
plumber granville
plumber merrylands

2. Added 127 Negative Keywords

Excluded searches like:

  • “DIY plumbing”
  • “plumbing course”
  • “plumber salary”
  • “plumbing tools”
  • “free plumbing advice”
  • “plumbing jobs”

Impact: Reduced wasted clicks by 40%

3. Geo-Targeting Optimization

Before: All of Sydney (way too broad)

After:

  • Primary: Parramatta + 5km radius
  • Secondary: Westmead, Harris Park, Granville, Merrylands, Wentworthville (10km radius)
  • Excluded: Areas 20km+ away (too far to service)

Impact: CPC dropped from $15.56 to $11.20 (closer targeting = less competition)

4. Ad Copy Overhaul

Before (Generic):

Plumber Parramatta | Call Us Today
Professional plumbing services. Licensed and insured.
Call now for a free quote.

After (High-Converting):

Emergency Plumber Parramatta | 24/7
Burst Pipes · Blocked Drains · Hot Water · Gas Fitting
$0 Callout · Fixed Price Quotes · Same Day Service
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 27 Google Reviews · Call Now: (02) XXXX XXXX

Key improvements:

  • Included “24/7” and “Emergency” (high-intent)
  • Listed specific services
  • Added “$0 Callout” (removes objection)
  • Showed 5-star reviews (social proof)
  • Phone number in ad (click-to-call on mobile)

5. Landing Page Speed Optimization

Before: 7.2 second load time (terrible!)

After: 1.4 second load time

How we did it:

  • Compressed images (WebP format)
  • Removed unnecessary scripts
  • Implemented CDN (Cloudflare)
  • Minified CSS/JS
  • Lazy loading for below-the-fold images

Impact: Conversion rate increased from 8% to 14.5%

6. Implemented Call Tracking

Added: CallRail dynamic number insertion

Why it matters: Now we know exactly which keywords drive calls (not just clicks)

Discovery: “Emergency plumber Parramatta” converted at 22% (great!) while “plumber near me” converted at only 4% (cut budget for this).

New Performance:

  • Budget: $2,800/month (same)
  • Clicks: 250/month (↑39%)
  • CPC: $11.20 average (↓28%)
  • Calls: 98/month (↑180% 🚀)
  • Cost per call: $28.57 (↓64% 🚀)

ROI Calculation:

  • Average job value: $450
  • Close rate: 60%
  • 98 calls × 60% = 59 jobs
  • 59 jobs × $450 = $26,550 revenue
  • Ad spend: $2,800
  • ROI: 9.5:1 (vs. previous 2.8:1)

Part 3: Review Generation System (Week 2-4)

Problem: Only 12 reviews (4.2 stars) — not enough social proof

Goal: Get to 25+ reviews with 4.5+ stars

Our Review System:

Step 1: Identify Happy Customers

  • After every job, technician asks: “Are you happy with the service?”
  • If yes → trigger review request

Step 2: SMS Follow-Up (2 hours after job)

Hi [Name], Mike here from Mike's Plumbing. Thanks for
choosing us today! If you were happy with [Technician Name]'s
work, would you mind leaving us a quick review? It really
helps our small business.

Review link: [Google Review URL]

Thanks! - Mike

Response rate: 35% (very good for SMS)

Step 3: Email Follow-Up (24 hours later, if no review)

Subject: Quick favour? 🙏

Hi [Name],

Just following up on the plumbing work we did yesterday at
[Address].

If you were happy with our service, would you mind leaving
a quick Google review? It takes 30 seconds and means the
world to a small Parramatta business like ours.

[Big Review Button]

Thanks so much!
Mike & the team

Response rate: 18%

Combined response rate: 53% of happy customers left reviews

Step 4: Respond to ALL Reviews (Within 24 Hours)

Positive Review Response Template:

Thanks so much for the 5-star review, [Name]! We're thrilled
[Technician Name] could help with your [specific issue].
Looking forward to helping you again in the future!

- Mike, Mike's Plumbing Parramatta

Negative Review Response (Yes, we got 2):

Hi [Name], we're really sorry you had this experience. This
isn't the standard we hold ourselves to. I'd love to chat
and make this right. Can you call me directly at
(02) XXXX XXXX? - Mike

Result: Both negative reviewers called, we resolved issues, they updated reviews to 4-5 stars.

Review Results (After 30 Days):

  • Reviews: 12 → 27 (↑125%)
  • Average rating: 4.2 → 4.7 stars
  • Impact: Conversion rate increased (people trust businesses with 25+ reviews and 4.5+ stars)

Part 4: Website Quick Wins (Week 3)

We didn’t do a full website redesign (too expensive and time-consuming). Instead, we made high-impact changes:

Changes Made:

✅ Added Click-to-Call Buttons (Mobile)

  • Phone number now clickable on mobile
  • Sticky “Call Now” button follows scroll
  • Impact: 35% increase in mobile calls

✅ Added Service Area Map

  • Visual map showing Parramatta + surrounding suburbs
  • Builds trust (proves they actually service the area)

✅ Added Reviews Widget

  • Embedded Google reviews on homepage
  • Shows real-time social proof

✅ Improved Service Pages

  • Before: Generic “Plumbing Services” page
  • After: Dedicated pages for:
    • Emergency Plumber Parramatta
    • Blocked Drains Parramatta
    • Hot Water Repairs Parramatta
    • Gas Plumber Parramatta

Each page optimized for specific keyword.

✅ Added FAQ Schema

  • Implemented structured data for FAQs
  • Now appears in Google’s “People Also Ask”

Result: Organic impressions increased 45% in 30 days

Part 5: Local SEO Foundation (Week 3-4)

Goal: Set up for long-term organic growth (results in months 2-6)

What We Did:

Local Citations (15 submitted in 30 days)

  • Google My Business ✅
  • Yellow Pages Australia ✅
  • True Local ✅
  • Start Local ✅
  • Yelp Australia ✅
  • Hotfrog ✅
  • Local Search ✅
  • Service NSW Directory ✅
    • 7 niche plumbing directories

Impact (short-term): Minimal (citations take 2-3 months to show impact) Impact (long-term): Boosts local rankings significantly

Content Started (Blog)

Published 2 blog posts:

  1. “Emergency Plumbing Checklist: What to Do Before the Plumber Arrives”
  2. “How to Prevent Blocked Drains in Parramatta Homes”

Impact (30 days): 240 organic visitors Impact (90 days): These posts now rank #3-5 and drive 50+ visitors/month each

The Results: 30-Day Summary

Phone Calls (Primary Metric)

  • Before: 62 calls/month
  • After: 163 calls/month
  • Increase: +101 calls (+163%) → 2.6x growth 🚀

Traffic

  • Before: 450 website visitors/month
  • After: 1,240 visitors/month (+176%)

Google My Business

  • Views: +340%
  • Direction Requests: +180%
  • Phone Calls from GMB: +65%
  • Cost Per Call: $80 → $28.57 (↓64%)
  • Calls from Ads: 35 → 98 (+180%)
  • ROI: 2.8:1 → 9.5:1

Reviews

  • Total Reviews: 12 → 27 (+125%)
  • Average Rating: 4.2 → 4.7 stars

Rankings (Early Progress)

  • “Plumber Parramatta”: #11 → #6 (page 1!)
  • “Emergency plumber Parramatta”: Not ranking → #8
  • “Blocked drain Parramatta”: #18 → #9

Revenue Impact

Estimated Revenue Increase:

  • 101 additional calls × 60% close rate = 61 additional jobs
  • 61 jobs × $450 average = $27,450 additional monthly revenue
  • Annual impact: $329,400

Return on Investment:

  • Marketing spend: $3,500/month
  • Additional revenue: $27,450/month
  • ROI: 7.8:1 (for every $1 spent, $7.80 return)

Why This Worked: The Key Insights

1. We Focused on Quick Wins First

Most agencies want to do 6-month SEO plans. We got results in Week 1 with GMB optimization.

2. We Fixed the Leaks Before Adding Traffic

No point driving traffic to a slow website with a bad phone number. We optimized conversion FIRST.

3. We Used Data to Guide Decisions

Call tracking revealed which keywords actually generated calls (not just clicks). We doubled down on winners, cut losers.

4. We Built Social Proof Aggressively

27 reviews > 12 reviews = massive trust increase = higher conversion rate.

5. We Hyper-Localized Everything

“Parramatta” in GMB name, ad copy, content, meta tags. Google rewards local relevance.

What Happened Next (Months 2-6)

We didn’t stop at 30 days. Here’s how it continued:

Month 2:

  • Calls: 163 → 195 (+20%)
  • Organic traffic starting to compound
  • Rankings improving

Month 3:

  • Calls: 195 → 230 (+18%)
  • Ranked #3 for “plumber Parramatta”
  • Reduced Google Ads budget to $2,200 (SEO picking up slack)

Month 6:

  • Calls: 230 → 285 (+24%)
  • Ranked #2 for “plumber Parramatta”
  • Ranked #1 for “emergency plumber Parramatta”
  • Google Ads budget reduced to $1,500
  • Total calls from free organic: 140/month

Current Status (Month 12):

  • Calls: 320+/month
  • Google Ads: $800/month (brand protection only)
  • SEO drives 70% of leads
  • Business revenue increased 400%+ since we started
  • Hired 2 additional plumbers to handle demand

Can This Be Replicated?

Yes, but with caveats.

This worked because: ✅ They had a real business with good service (we can’t fix bad service) ✅ They responded quickly to calls (speed matters) ✅ They committed to the review process (asked every customer) ✅ Parramatta is a high-demand market (works in most suburbs) ✅ They trusted our process and didn’t micromanage

This might NOT work as well if: ❌ Your business has fundamental service issues ❌ You’re in a tiny market (e.g., population <10K) ❌ You don’t have budget for Google Ads + SEO ❌ You want “overnight success” (this took 30 days of work)

Your Turn: Free Strategy Call

Want similar results for your Sydney business?

We offer a free 30-minute strategy call where we’ll:

  1. Audit your current digital presence
  2. Identify your biggest opportunities
  3. Show you exactly what we’d do in month 1
  4. Give you a custom proposal (no obligation)

Book Your Free Strategy Call →

This works for:

  • Plumbers, electricians, builders (all trades)
  • Lawyers, accountants, financial advisors
  • Medical (dentists, physios, cosmetic clinics)
  • Any local service business in Sydney

Key Takeaways

If you read nothing else, remember these 5 lessons:

  1. GMB optimization = fastest ROI (do this first, takes 4 hours)
  2. Fix conversion before adding traffic (fast website, clear phone number, social proof)
  3. Reviews are currency (25+ reviews with 4.5+ stars is the minimum)
  4. Track everything (call tracking reveals which marketing actually works)
  5. Play the long game (Google Ads for now, SEO for the future)

The businesses that win combine short-term tactics (Ads, GMB) with long-term strategy (SEO, content).

Resources

Want to DIY this?

Or hire us to do it for you:

About the Author:

Avi Sharma is the founder of The Profit Platform, a Sydney digital marketing agency. He specializes in helping local service businesses generate more leads through Google Ads and SEO.

This case study represents a real client (anonymized for privacy). Results may vary based on market, competition, and execution.

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Published: January 29, 2025 Category: Case Studies Reading Time: 8 minutes