CASE STUDY: PLUMBING
AMN Plumbing: #1 on Google. 90 Leads and $130K+ in 30 Days.
A Year with Another Agency. Nothing to Show for It.
AMN Plumbing had been paying another marketing agency for a full year. The result? Zero organic traffic. Zero page 1 rankings. No Google Analytics installed. No Search Console verified. Not a single tracked lead from search. The site was a digital business card that nobody could find.
When Alan reached out to Watson & Co. in January 2026, Ahrefs showed 0 estimated monthly organic visits for the entire previous year. The Domain Rating had dropped to 0.9. The site had exactly 1 referring domain for 21 consecutive months. Whatever the previous agency was doing, it wasn't working.
AMN does excellent plumbing work across Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach, and the entire Volusia County area. The problem was simple: when homeowners searched for a plumber, AMN didn't exist. BrightLocal data shows 98% of consumers search online before hiring a local service company. AMN was invisible to every single one of them.
Build the Foundation. Then Turn On the Lead Machine.
Website Rebuild
The previous site had no SEO foundation. Watson & Co. rebuilt the site with 27 dedicated service and area pages covering every offering: general plumbing, water systems, gas lines, fixtures, and more. Each page targets the specific keywords homeowners actually search when they need that service.
Local SEO
Built the entire local SEO strategy from scratch. Optimized for "plumber near me," "plumber Ormond Beach," "plumber Daytona Beach," and dozens of service-specific keywords across Volusia and Flagler counties. The previous agency never touched any of this.
Analytics Setup
Installed GA4 and verified Google Search Console. Basic stuff that the previous agency never did. You can't improve what you don't measure. From day one, Watson & Co. tracked every session, every click, every ranking change. No guessing. Just data.
Geographic Targeting
AMN serves Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach, Palm Coast, and the broader Flagler/Volusia area. Watson & Co. built content and signals targeting each market individually. Within 5 months, AMN appears in search results across every city in their service area.
Apex AI for Google Business Profile
AMN's Google Business Profile runs on Watson & Co.'s proprietary Apex AI system. Automated posts, review response workflows, and profile optimization that keeps AMN visible in the Map Pack and local results without Alan lifting a finger.
Paid Lead Generation
Once the SEO foundation was producing organic traffic, Watson & Co. layered paid lead generation on top. Exclusive leads delivered directly to AMN. No shared leads, no lead brokers. Every lead is a homeowner in AMN's territory looking for a plumber right now.
From Invisible to #1 on Google. Zero Ad Spend.
| Metric | Before | After 5 Months |
|---|---|---|
| "Plumber Near Me" | Not ranking | #1 on Google |
| Organic Search Traffic | 33 sessions/mo | 157 sessions/mo |
| Total Website Traffic | 71 sessions/mo | 279 sessions/mo |
| Average Ranking Position | Page 3 (28.4) | Page 1 (12.7) |
| Service + Area Pages Indexed | 0 | 27 |
| Organic Engagement Rate | n/a | 57% |
90 Exclusive Leads. 83% Close Rate. $130K+ Revenue.
Once the SEO foundation was producing, Watson & Co. layered paid lead generation on top. The results in the first 30 days speak for themselves.
These are exclusive leads. Not shared with competitors. Not scraped from directories. Homeowners in AMN's territory who need a plumber right now, delivered directly to Alan's phone.
By June 2026, AMN is pacing at 372 sessions per month. That's 5x where they started in January.
12 Months vs. 5 Months. Side by Side.
Previous Agency (12 Months)
- Zero organic traffic for all of 2025
- Zero page 1 rankings achieved
- No Google Analytics installed
- No Google Search Console verified
- Domain Rating dropped from 2.3 to 0.9
- 1 referring domain for 21 months
- No trackable leads from search
- Couldn't track or measure anything
Watson & Co. (5 Months)
- #1 on Google for "plumber near me"
- 376% organic traffic growth
- 27 service and area pages indexed
- 90 exclusive leads in first 30 days of paid lead gen
- 83% close rate
- $130,000+ in new revenue
- GA4, GSC, and full tracking from day one
- 5x total traffic growth
Stuck with an Agency That's Not Delivering?
You're not the first contractor to waste a year and a budget on marketing that produces nothing. If your phone should be ringing and it's not, let's talk.
Get Your Free Growth Audit5 Months. Zero to #1 on Google. Then $130K.
Foundation (January 2026)
Installed GA4 and verified Google Search Console. Rebuilt the website with dedicated service pages targeting plumbing keywords across Volusia and Flagler counties. Set up proper tracking so every visitor, click, and ranking change is measurable. First month: 71 sessions, mostly direct traffic. The SEO clock started ticking.
Traction (February 2026)
Sessions tripled from 71 to 200 in one month. Organic search emerged as the #1 traffic channel. Google started recognizing AMN as a legitimate plumbing business in the Volusia/Flagler market. Service pages began indexing and appearing in search results.
Page 1 (March - April 2026)
"Plumber near me" broke into the top 5. Multiple keywords climbed to page 1. Average position moved from page 3 to page 1. Organic engagement rate hit 57%. These are real homeowners with real plumbing problems, actively evaluating AMN.
#1 Ranking + Paid Lead Gen (May 2026)
"Plumber near me" hit #1 on Google. Organic traffic reached 157 sessions per month, up 376% from where they started. Watson & Co. layered paid lead generation on top of the SEO foundation: 90 exclusive leads, 83% close rate, $130,000+ in new revenue in the first 30 days.
"Started with Watson & Co. in January. It's currently May and we've seen an incredible increase in leads, SEO, and visibility. I have no idea what my other marketing company was doing for the last year."
Alan N., Owner, AMN Plumbing LLC, Ormond Beach, FL
What You're Probably Wondering
How long does SEO take to work for a plumbing company?
Most local SEO campaigns take 6-12 months to show meaningful results. AMN Plumbing hit #1 for "plumber near me" in 5 months. The difference was starting with the right foundation: 27 dedicated service and area pages, proper analytics, and a strategy focused on the keywords that actually generate phone calls. Organic traffic grew 376%. Not every plumbing company will see results this fast. Market size, competition, and starting point all factor in. But the system works.
Can a plumber rank #1 on Google without paying for ads?
Yes. AMN Plumbing ranks #1 for "plumber near me" through organic SEO alone. No ad spend behind that ranking. The SEO foundation produces free traffic every day. Watson & Co. then layered paid lead generation on top to maximize total lead volume, but the #1 ranking is organic.
What does ranking #1 for "plumber near me" mean for lead generation?
"Plumber near me" is the highest-intent local search term in the plumbing industry. Someone typing that has a problem right now and wants to hire a plumber today. Position #1 typically captures 25-30% of all clicks. AMN went from invisible to owning that top spot in 5 months.
What results did paid lead generation produce for AMN?
In the first 30 days: 90 exclusive leads, 83% close rate, and $130,000+ in new revenue. These are exclusive leads delivered directly to AMN. Not shared leads, not scraped from directories. Homeowners in AMN's territory who need a plumber right now.
What results should a plumber expect from local SEO in the first 6 months?
In the first 6 months, a plumbing company should see: indexed service pages appearing in search, "near me" keywords entering the top 20, organic traffic growing month-over-month, and the first leads from search. AMN achieved #1 by month 5. The compounding effect accelerates as keywords on the cusp of page 1 break through. Check if your market is available.
Is Your Market Still Available?
We only work with one home services company per market. Check if your territory is still open before your competitor does.
Get Your Free Growth AuditOr call 844-717-6024