Google is quietly releasing a new local search feature called the "Online Estimates" filter, and it could seriously impact how contractors show up in search results.This isn't a ranking update or an ad change - it's a search filter that prioritizes businesses offering visible pricing, cost ranges, or online estimates. If your website doesn't clearly mention estimates, you could be filtered out before proximity, reviews, or SEO even matter.

Full text associated with this episode: https://www.footbridgemedia.com/marketing-tips/google-new-search-filter-online-estimates-impacting-contractor

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Podcast by Footbridge Media - A marketing agency with 20+ years of experience exclusively helping contractors and home service providers just like you.

It starts with a phone call: "We're having an urgent issue with the keywords on your Google Business Listing, and we'd like to get this fixed before the end of the day…"

Sounds legit, right?

But here's the truth: Google will never call you like that. And this common scam is tricking contractors out of time and money.

Full text associated with this episode: https://www.footbridgemedia.com/marketing-tips/google-business-profile-scam-call

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Podcast by Footbridge Media - A marketing agency with 20+ years of experience exclusively helping contractors and home service providers just like you.

Most contractors know they should be asking for reviews. But knowing when to ask - and when not to - is the difference between a five-star reputation and a silent customer base.

If you're asking too soon, too late, or without context, you're missing the moment when your customer is most likely to follow through.

Full text associated with this episode: https://www.footbridgemedia.com/marketing-tips/best-time-ask-review-home-services

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Podcast by Footbridge Media - A marketing agency with 20+ years of experience exclusively helping contractors and home service providers just like you.

Think people are finding your website on Google like they used to?

Think again.

AI answer engines are changing how homeowners get information - and if your business isn't showing up in those answers, you're already falling behind.

Full text associated with this episode: https://www.footbridgemedia.com/marketing-tips/aeo-contractors-home-service-companies

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Podcast by Footbridge Media - A marketing agency with 20+ years of experience exclusively helping contractors and home service providers just like you.

If you've tried postcard marketing and walked away thinking it doesn't work, it's probably not the postcard's fault. It's the strategy behind it. Postcards still work - but only if you're doing them right.

Postcards aren’t outdated. Lazy postcard strategy is.

Full text associated with this episode: https://www.footbridgemedia.com/marketing-tips/postcards-arent-dead

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Podcast by Footbridge Media - A marketing agency with 20+ years of experience exclusively helping contractors and home service providers just like you.

Most contractors don't lose jobs because they're bad at their trade. They lose them because they didn't prepare in January.

Let's review a checklist of the things contractors should be doing before demand ramps up - starting with the biggest shift most contractors are still underestimating heading into 2026.

Full text associated with this episode: https://www.footbridgemedia.com/marketing-tips/2026-contractor-business-growth-checklist

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Podcast by Footbridge Media - A marketing agency with 20+ years of experience exclusively helping contractors and home service providers just like you.

AI isn’t just some futuristic buzzword anymore – it’s actively changing how people search online. If you’re a contractor trying to win more leads, the way your business shows up in search results is already being shaped by tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude.

And here’s the truth: If your SEO strategy hasn’t adapted, you might be invisible to these AI-driven platforms. Let’s break down what’s going on and how to stay ahead.

Full text associated with this episode: https://www.footbridgemedia.com/marketing-tips/ai-tools-contractor-seo

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Podcast by Footbridge Media - A marketing agency with 20+ years of experience exclusively helping contractors and home service providers just like you.

Imagine a homeowner asks ChatGPT, "Who's the best HVAC company near me?" If your business doesn't get mentioned, you've lost that lead-before you even had a shot at it. That's not a futuristic 'what if.' That's how AI-driven search is already working today.

Enter Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO. While SEO focuses on helping your website rank in Google, GEO is about showing up in answers generated by tools like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, and Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE). In a world where fewer people are clicking and more are getting instant answers, showing up in those AI results is the next big battleground for visibility.

Full text associated with this episode: https://www.footbridgemedia.com/marketing-tips/geo-vs-seo-for-contractors

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Podcast by Footbridge Media - A marketing agency with 20+ years of experience exclusively helping contractors and home service providers just like you.

If you log into your Google Business Profile and suddenly see a big red banner saying your business needs to be reverified… you're not alone.

More and more home service businesses are getting caught up in Google's reverification sweeps. And if you're like most contractors, your Google Business Profile is a lifeline to steady leads and trusted reviews. So when it suddenly disappears or becomes unverified, it's not just a hassle - it's a real threat to your business.

That's why it's important to understand what triggers reverification, how to avoid making things worse, and how to get through the process smoothly so you can get back to showing up in search and maps.

Full text associated with this episode: https://www.footbridgemedia.com/marketing-tips/google-business-profile-reverification-home-service-company

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Podcast by Footbridge Media - A marketing agency with 20+ years of experience exclusively helping contractors and home service providers just like you.

If you're in the trades, you already know winter can feel like business is frozen. But what if the slow season was actually the best time to leap ahead of your competitors?

While most contractors wait for the phone to ring again, the smart ones treat the off-season like a launchpad.

This is the time when real business growth starts - not when you're buried in jobs, but when you have space to think, plan, and build.

Full text associated with this episode: https://www.footbridgemedia.com/marketing-tips/smart-contractors-build-marketing-winter

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Podcast by Footbridge Media - A marketing agency with 20+ years of experience exclusively helping contractors and home service providers just like you.