What you’ll get from this page
No fluff – just actionable tips that you can implement.
Most of the recommendations involve no financial cost for you to get more business from the households that you want to be buying from you. Those that do require cost can be initially experimented with on a small scale.
If you would like some free non-salesy human interaction about how to apply these recommendations in your business, feel free to contact us to book in a free 20 minute chat.
How to get the most benefit from this page
Want to actually implement what you’re about to read – without feeling overwhelmed?
All you need is an AI prompt to break any of the strategies below into simple, 30-minute daily tasks.
Just copy and paste this into ChatGPT (or another AI assistant), editing the parts in square brackets:
I run a [type of business] in [town or area] and want to get more leads from my website and marketing. These are the tips I’m working from: [paste in one or more strategies below]. Please expand on the information provided within each tip and also break them down into one practical 30-minute task per weekday, focusing only on the ideas mentioned and expanded upon.
Then just copy/paste the daily task suggestions into your calendar so that you can gradually implement the recommendations.
This is ideal if you’re a solo operator or juggling multiple roles – it gives you momentum without needing a full-time marketing team.
Quick list of the lead generation ideas
- Make the most of the visitors you already get
- Identify website visitors by their home address
- Include case studies linked to specific services
- Use video testimonials
- Show your pricing
- Add calls-to-action (CTAs) that convert
- Retarget local website visitors
- Boost trust with visible social proof
- Get found more often by local buyers
- Optimise your Google Business Profile
- Do a local SEO audit
- Write location-specific content
- Create downloadable local guides
- Bring in more local traffic
- Run postcode-targeted Facebook or Instagram ads
- Local Google Ads
- List on directories your clients (and competitors) use
- Post in Facebook and Nextdoor groups
- Use community print wisely
- Turn interest into enquiries
- Follow up with past clients
- Make referrals effortless
- A/B test offers and layouts
- Use quizzes or polls
Make the most of the visitors you already get
Identify website visitors by their home address
Benefit:
Turn anonymous website visitors into the home addresses of warm leads who are already interested in your service, even if they didn’t contact you.
How to implement it:
Most visitors to your site will leave without filling in a form or making contact. This doesn’t mean they aren’t interested. They’re likely browsing multiple providers, doing early-stage research.
Using a tool like Who Visits My Website, you can identify the home addresses of many visitors even if they never clicked a button.
Here’s an example of an identifiable address and what the visitor (via Google Ads) looked at page by page:
This allows you to send a brochure or other quality printed materials a day or two later, arriving as seemingly as a coincidence that they had recently been researching what you offer.
If you know which homes visited your website but your competitors don’t, you can be the only business that has a quality printed item (e.g. a brochure) arrive through their letterbox and them being able to share that with other decision makers.
For example, a kitchen fitting business in Nottingham might see 20 home addresses of visitors from the Nottingham area during a week and then mail a brochure with a covering letter containing: “Thinking about a new kitchen from a 5-star rated independent Nottingham kitchen design and installation business? Take a look at some of our reviews in this brochure and quote BROC1 to get a 15% discount if you order from us”.
Free to try and easy to prove the return on investment, capitalising on home addresses identification is under-utilised by the majority of B2C-focused small businesses in the UK.
Include case studies linked to specific services
Benefit:
Help prospective customers picture themselves working with you by showing plenty of real examples of success related to each individual service you offer.
How to implement it:
Case studies don’t need to be long to be effective. The key is to show clear outcomes for real people in your service area – and as many of those as possible. The more you have on your website, the more enquiries you will get.
Each main service page should start with a very brief introduction to your service, followed by at least nine (three across by three deep) case study summaries that people can click through from to see the full case studies. Each of those case study pages would contain the following information:
- What the customer needed
- What you delivered
- The results or impact
- Images if a visual-applicable service provided (e.g. new windows)
- Testimonial from the client if possible
For instance, a physiotherapy clinic could write a brief case study excerpt of: “From chronic neck pain to 70% pain reduction and returning to work”, followed by the call to action to click through to the full case study.
People relate to other people like them. Showing familiar problems and successful solutions creates emotional connection and trust.
This should apply to every service page on your website. Generic case studies are not good enough.
For example, a chiropractor would have pages on sciatica, neck pain, back pain, and more. Each of those service pages would have case study excerpts (and links to full details) purely about the service type of the page (e.g. sciatica).
Use video testimonials
Benefit:
Strengthen trust, increase engagement, and boost time on site using authentic customer experiences.
How to implement it:
Video adds a layer of credibility that text alone can’t provide. Ask satisfied customers if they’d be willing to record a short testimonial. Keep it simple – a 60-second clip filmed on a smartphone is enough.
Good questions to prompt them include:
- What problem did you have before working with us?
- What made you choose us?
- What’s changed since we worked together?
Upload the videos to YouTube and embed them on your site within case studies and on specific service pages.
Also share them on your social platforms. Don’t worry about them being polished – viewers value authenticity more than production value.
Example: a fencing company might film a client standing beside their new garden fence saying, “We’d spoken to three companies but [your company name] really listened. They finished on time, under budget, and we’re thrilled with the result.” That’s more convincing than any sales pitch.
When you scale this up to multiple video testimonials for each type of service/product you offer, then those clearly-genuine testimonials will help encourage people to make contact with you.
Show your pricing
Benefit:
Clear pricing, or ranges of pricing remove distrust. People want an idea of what your services typically cost. B2C businesses that show pricing get more leads than those that don’t.
How to implement it:
Create a pricing page within your website, highly visible in your main navigation bar and with regular links to that page from other pages within your website.
You don’t have to give people exact pricing, but they do expect a rough guideline.
For some services it’s easy to include pricing (e.g. a chiropractor has a set fee per session).
Other services it’s not so easy but you can provide price ranges for services. For example, a wedding venue may have a pricing page that clearly shows what people could get within certain budget ranges.
Add calls-to-action (CTAs) that convert
Benefit:
Get more enquiries from the same website traffic by guiding users to take the next step.
How to implement it:
Many small B2C business websites rely on vague CTAs like “Contact us” or “Learn more.” These don’t prompt action. Instead, make your CTAs specific, actionable, and relevant to the service and location.
Examples include:
- “Get a free quote for your new driveway in Preston”
- “Book a no-obligation call with our mortgage expert”
- “Download our 2026 wedding venue brochure”
Position CTAs at multiple points across your site: after service descriptions, within blog posts, and in your header or sidebar.
Make them visually distinct using bold colours and clear buttons. For mobile users, use sticky bars or floating CTA buttons that are always visible.
Retarget local website visitors
Benefit:
Re-engage people who’ve already shown interest by visiting your website, following them with adverts that keep your brand in their mind. It also costs you nothing to be visible – only a small amount if they click on your advert to go to your website again.
How to implement it:
Retargeting allows your ads to follow people who’ve previously visited your website.
Google Ads is an example of this. All you need to do is get graphic images created and let the Google network show those adverts to only the people who have been to your website before. You’ll have seen this yourself when an advert appears somewhere as a reminder of a website you’ve been to before.
While there are other networks to use this on (e.g. Facebook), the principle is similar – remind people who you are with a message that encourages them to come back to your website.
An example of this could be someone who has been researching getting a home extension built in the next year, who has been to an architects website and then sees adverts related to that architect for up to 18 months after their original visit. If those adverts are intelligent (e.g. Click to see our 200+ happy customer home extension experiences) then they will be effective.
Boost trust with visible social proof
Benefit:
Customer reviews are one of the most trusted sources of information for B2C buyers and while there are certainly advantages in creating detailed case studies within your website, people will often gravitate more towards making contact when they have access to reviews that have been gained and are normally displayed outside your website (e.g. Google reviews).
How to implement it:
You probably already have reviews in one or more locations. For example, Google reviews, Trustpilot, Checkatrade, and other B2C review locations.
They’re great, but you can capitalise on them more by using tools or plugins to pull in live reviews from those sources and embedding them in these key places:
- Your homepage near your main service promise
- Next to contact forms or CTAs
- At the bottom of each service page
The presence of this social proof automatically pulled into your website via plugins reduces hesitation and builds credibility with new visitors.
Get found more often by local buyers
Optimise your Google Business Profile
Benefit:
Appear in more local Google searches and get found by nearby buyers looking for services like yours. Many businesses are dominating local visibility but there is also a lot of complacency and therefore opportunity for you in your B2C business type and geographic location.
How to implement it:
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is a powerful, free tool that directly influences your visibility in local search results and Google Maps.
When people search for services like “roof repairs Derby” or “private dentist near me,” your GBP is often what they see first.
To optimise your profile:
- Fill in all available fields: business name, category, hours, phone, and website.
- Write a keyword-rich business description that includes your location and core services.
- Upload high-quality, recent photos that showcase your work, staff, or premises.
- Regularly update your profile with posts about offers, events, or news. This is an action that is missed by most and so will help you substantially if you implement it.
- Collect reviews consistently, and always reply to them (even the negative ones).
Example: A window installer in Leeds could add a weekly photo showing completed projects with captions like “New sash windows fitted on York Road this week.” These updates signal activity to Google and reassure potential clients they’re looking at a trusted local provider.
Do a local SEO audit
Benefit:
Improve your website’s visibility in local and AI-driven search results and attract more qualified traffic at no cost to you after implementing the recommendations and ongoing adjustments.
How to implement it:
Local SEO helps ensure your business shows up when potential customers are actively looking for services in your area. Even small improvements can lead to meaningful gains in visibility and leads.
Here’s how to perform a practical, effective local SEO audit in under an hour:
- Search like your customer would. Open an incognito browser window and search for your main service plus your location (e.g., “conservatory builder Bristol” or “emergency plumber in Leeds”). Do the same in an AI search assistant like ChatGPT or Perplexity with a prompt such as: “Who are the top-rated [service] in [town]?” This gives you a sense of whether you’re being surfaced in natural language queries. In both cases, note where you appear and who dominates the results.
- Check your contact details across your website. Your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) should appear in the footer of every page, exactly as they appear on your Google Business Profile. Inconsistent or missing location info is one of the most common local SEO errors.
- Review your page titles and meta descriptions. These are what show in Google search results. Each page should have a unique title and description with your town and service name. For example:
- Title: “Garden Landscaping in Exeter | Free Quotes Available”
- Description: “We transform Exeter gardens into beautiful outdoor spaces. See our local projects and get a free consultation.”
- Audit your homepage and service page content. Does your text mention your service area naturally and clearly? Include local place names, boroughs, and regional landmarks where relevant. For instance, a roofer in Nottingham might mention Sherwood, Beeston, and Mapperley within the content.
- Check mobile performance and page speed. Google’s local search results favour fast-loading, mobile-friendly sites. Use free tools like PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix to test your homepage and identify slow-loading images or scripts. Then fix or compress where needed (you may want to ask your website developer to help with this).
- Use tools to uncover keyword opportunities. Free levels of Ubersuggest, Moz Local, or Google Search Console can show you which search terms are bringing people to your site – and which aren’t. You can also use AI tools like ChatGPT to brainstorm location-based keyword phrases. For instance, prompt ChatGPT with: “What are some search phrases a homeowner in Reading might use to find a garden designer?” This can reveal terms or questions you haven’t considered yet. Look for local modifiers (like town names, village names, or ‘near me’) that your site isn’t yet targeting.
- Compare to a local competitor. Pick a competitor who ranks above you and run their site through the same checks. What keywords are they using in their titles? How often do they update their site? What’s different about their Google Business Profile?
- Create an action plan. From your audit, identify 3-5 improvements you can implement over the next week. These might include:
- Updating or writing a new service page for a nearby town
- Adding more photos with geo-tagged filenames (e.g., “bathroom-fitters-hitchin.jpg”)
- Creating internal links between blog posts and service pages
- Registering with a high-quality directory that shows up in local searches
By investing even a small amount of time into your local SEO presence, you increase the chances that someone searching in your area chooses you – not your competitor.
Sometimes it’s the small SEO wins that gain you enough extra business to then have spare budget to invest in those SEO professionals that can take you to a different and higher level via their expertise.
Write location-specific content
Benefit:
Show up in more long-tail searches and connect with people looking for services in your area. This means being visible for more niche search phrases but being highly relevant to the people who click through to your website from Google or AI searches.
How to implement it:
Creating content around local topics helps Google understand your geographical relevance. It also demonstrates your expertise and connection to the community.
Ideas for blog posts could be:
- “How to Choose a Wedding Venue in Cheshire”
- “Sciatica remedies in Maidstone”
- “The Best Time of Year to Replace a Roof in Devon”
- “5 Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Physiotherapist in Swindon”
Link these articles to relevant service pages and mention local landmarks, postcodes, or client stories to reinforce your local authority.
Example: A wedding planner in Kent could write “Top 10 Outdoor Wedding Venues in Kent,” then include a CTA like “Need help planning your big day? Book a free 20-minute planning call.”
Create downloadable local guides
Benefit:
Capture leads early in the buying journey by offering helpful, high-value content.
How to implement it:
Think about the common questions or pain points your potential customers have before they contact you. Then create a downloadable PDF guide that helps solve that problem while showcasing your expertise.
Examples:
- “10 Things to Know Before Replacing Your Boiler in Bristol”
- “Guide to Planning a Garden Makeover in Northampton”
- “2025 Mortgage Checklist for First-Time Buyers in Cambridge”
You have a choice of whether to make that content instantly downloadable or not.
If you insist on people supplying their email address then you get them onto your list (for follow up messages) BUT many people would refuse to part with their email address, not wanting to be on a list.
If you make the information freely available then you won’t get the email addresses to follow up on but you will get more people accessing the information and noticing your brand as the provider of genuinely useful information.
A good compromise is to make the downloadable guides free to access but offer an additional download/offer of even more value within that downloadable guide – one that requires people to supply their email address to get access to that. For example, that extra guide for a garden landscaping company could be a breakdown of the most popular features and plants included in the most recent 100 customers within the geographical area.
These kind of lead magnets position you as a helpful local expert and gives you a warm list of people to stay in touch with.
Bring in more local traffic
Run postcode-targeted Facebook or Instagram ads
Benefit:
Reach nearby homeowners with highly relevant, affordable ads that turn casual interest into qualified traffic.
How to implement it:
Social media advertising is a powerful way to target potential customers in your immediate area. Both Facebook and Instagram allow you to define a specific geographic radius around your business or target postcodes.
Start by identifying a recent project in a recognisable local area. Then create an ad campaign showing the before-and-after transformation with a headline like, “See how we upgraded this garden in BA1.” Use high-quality images or short video walkthroughs as part of the creative.
Choose your target area by postcode or radius (e.g., 5 miles around Bath). Set a small daily budget (£5-£10) and keep your messaging local, specific, and focused on a single service. Link directly to a relevant website landing page rather than your homepage to maximise conversion.
Local B2C service examples that benefit from this include builders, landscapers, wedding venues, decorators, and estate agents.
Of key importance is to fully utilise work you’ve already done and then target other people within that postcode area.
Local Google Ads
Benefit:
Appear at the top of local search results at the exact moment someone is looking for your service.
How to implement it:
Unlike organic SEO, which takes time, Google Ads allow you to pay for instant visibility in front of your B2C target market (typically, people in their own homes). The key to success though is avoiding wasted clicks and only targeting high-intent local searches.
The topic of Google Ads is immense and there are many pitfalls to avoid (that benefit Google but not the advertiser), but when familiar with how to manage it properly, it can be highly profitable.
This shouldn’t be considered a full strategy, but some tips to help you avoid wasting budget are:
Exact match
Use the “exact match” setting for keywords like [loft conversion Wakefield] or [back pain clinic York]. Avoid broad terms like “home improvement” that attract unqualified traffic. Focus on:
- Service + town combinations
- Long-tail, problem-solving phrases
Negative keywords
Create a list of negative keywords in your campaign, which stops people from seeing your adverts when they include those words in their searches. For example, if someone types ‘garden landscaping jobs Maidstone’ and ‘jobs’ is one of your negative keywords, then your Google Ad won’t be made visible to that person.
Low budgets and detailed tracking
Start with a low daily budget for your clicks (e.g. £5-10) and monitor which keywords generate calls or form submissions.
Using clever analytics software you can track each click from Google Ads including the date and time, which you can use to match up the actual dates and times of enquiries you gained. That helps to show which keywords are getting you results (and which aren’t) when you track those over a few weeks.
Get expertise in Google Ads
Google Ads can be very successful and also very unsuccessful. If in doubt, it’s highly worth your investment in an expert who can help you to set them up and manage them in the right way. Saving on wasted click costs alone will cover the investment in their expertise.
Just watch out for people who want to create very elaborate campaigns with lots of keywords (and that takes them longer to do). All you actually need is a fairly simple setup, well targeted to your local area, and close monitoring of results. Once those results are being achieved you can then focus on scaling up.
List on directories your clients (and competitors) use
Benefit:
Get found where your target audience already searches and improve your chances of showing up in both traditional and AI-driven results through strong, consistent local signals.
How to implement it:
Many customers still use directories when looking for local services, especially those over 40.
What’s more, both Google and AI search engines increasingly surface directory listings when responding to local queries like “best garden designers in Milton Keynes” or “trusted roofers near me.”
These platforms often prioritise high-authority directories when answering questions – especially when the AI assistant doesn’t have enough website-specific context.
Being well-represented in multiple directories increases your chance of appearing in these responses, even if your own website isn’t ranking highly.
Start by identifying niche and general directories that rank well in your sector by searching (Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity etc.) for search phrases people may type to find you or your competitors.
Example: a search for “house extensions builders Croydon” brings up Google and AI results that mention directories such as MyBuilder, Checkatrade, etc., which tells you that it may be worth being listed in those directories – particularly if your competitors are visible as well.
It’s very much worth your time doing many searches to see how many different directories appear, and then research whether they offer free listings, as well as paid listings/memberships.
There may be some that appear more consistently than others, that have an associated cost, but you may consider it worth it compared to the value of a sale via that directory/search visibility. A builder offering house extensions for example, would pay their paid directory listing many times over from just one job gained.
It’s also advisable to ensure that your NAP (name, address, phone number) is consistent across all directory listings and that you include:
- A clear business description that naturally includes your location and services
- High-quality photos of your work or premises
- Customer reviews, where the platform allows it
It’s also worth setting a reminder to review and update your directory listings quarterly. If your services, opening hours or contact details change, outdated profiles can confuse search engines/AI systems and reduce your visibility.
Post in Facebook and Nextdoor groups
Benefit:
Build credibility and attract warm leads by becoming a known, trusted presence in local online communities.
How to implement it:
Facebook and Nextdoor groups for towns, villages, and neighbourhoods are filled with people asking for recommendations and advice. Instead of pushing your service, focus on being helpful and visible.
Join the most active local groups (e.g., “St Albans Residents,” “Sheffield Gardening Advice”) and get involved in posts that are unrelated to your core service offering – this will build up trust in you, vs being seen as just looking for work.
Do of course also monitor for posts asking about your service category but rather than dropping a sales pitch, reply helpfully: “Hi Alice, we’re local and recently helped a family on Willow Lane with something similar – happy to DM you some before/after photos?”
Over time, regular, thoughtful participation gets you tagged in recommendation threads even when you didn’t reply yourself. Use your personal profile smartly, with a clear link to your business page/website in the bio.
Use community print wisely
Benefit:
Reach potential clients who don’t respond to digital ads, especially homeowners who engage with local magazines and newsletters.
How to implement it:
While digital often gets the spotlight, local print still works – particularly in suburban or rural areas with strong community publications. Options include:
- Parish newsletters
- Local lifestyle magazines
- School PTA or sports club programmes
Because adverts or advertorial in local print publications has a cost it’s important to design your advert so that it has a clear, measurable offer like: “Quote code GARDEN20 for 10% off installations booked before 30 August.” You could also use trackable QR codes that take people to a specific page of your website with an offer that they can only get via that link (and so is easy for you to track return on investment).
Provided it fits within your budget, you could run a repeat ad in one publication over 2-3 months. Familiarity builds trust, especially when combined with flyers or digital ads in the same geographical area.
It’s certainly worth you accumulating print publications that are distributed in your target geographical area, look at the adverts in those, and consider how you could stand out from any competitors and ensure that enquiries can be linked back via unique codes that people use to contact you.
Turn interest into enquiries
Follow up with past clients
Benefit:
Generate repeat business and referrals from people who already know, like, and trust you.
How to implement it:
Your previous customers are one of the warmest sources of future work, but they’re often overlooked. Reconnecting a few months or even years after a project can unlock new opportunities.
Use your customer list to send a friendly email or postcard, ideally referencing the previous work you did. For example: “Hi James, it’s been a year since we installed your new windows. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your conservatory too, we’re offering 10% off for returning customers this summer.”
Other ideas:
- Offer seasonal checkups or maintenance reminders
- Share a new service that complements their original project
- Ask how things are going and whether they’d be willing to refer a friend
The more personal your outreach, the better. A short phone call can be particularly effective in rekindling the relationship because it stands out in a digital world where people don’t get that same human connection.
Make referrals effortless
Benefit:
Turn happy customers into your best salespeople by rewarding word-of-mouth.
How to implement it:
The best referral schemes are easy to understand and simple to share. Let your clients know they can benefit by recommending you.
Ideas include:
- “Get a £50 Amazon voucher for every friend you refer who books with us”
- “Refer a friend and you’ll both get 10% off your next service”
- “For every successful referral, we’ll donate £10 to [Local Charity]”
Print simple cards with the referral message or create a shareable page with a unique referral form. Follow up with a thank-you note or gift even if the referral doesn’t convert right away – it shows you value the gesture.
Example: A domestic cleaner could hand clients three branded postcards they can pass to friends. Each has a unique code linked to the referrer and a discount for the new client.
A/B test offers and layouts
Benefit:
Increase conversions by discovering what messaging and layout actually works best for your audience.
How to implement it:
A/B testing (also called split testing) involves creating two versions of a page or ad with one variable changed – like the headline, CTA wording, or image. You then track which version performs better.
Use free tools like Microsoft Clarity and Google Analytics to run tests and gather data on:
- Form placement (top of page vs. middle or bottom)
- Call-to-action copy (“Book now” vs. “Get a free quote”)
- Button colour or position
- Service page headlines
Example: A dentist might test whether “Book a free smile consultation” gets more clicks than “See if Invisalign is right for you.” Once you know what works, roll it out across the site to boost overall results.
Use quizzes or polls
Benefit:
Engage visitors in a fun, interactive way while capturing useful data and guiding them to your services.
How to implement it:
Interactive tools like quizzes and polls can boost engagement and help segment your audience. Use them to educate, pre-qualify, or simply start a conversation.
Examples:
- “What’s your kitchen style?” quiz for a kitchen fitters website
- “Is your back pain treatable at home?” for a physiotherapy website
- “Are you ready to move?” quiz for an estate agents website
At the end, offer a tailored result and a relevant next step: “Based on your answers, you’re a perfect fit for our [service]. Book a free call to get started.”
Tools like Typeform, ScoreApp, or even Google Forms can help you build and embed quizzes easily.
Where to start?!
There’s a lot to digest on this page.
If you’re wondering where to start, feel free to contact us to share a bit about your B2C business and we’ll (no cost to you) point you in the right direction to start, looking for free options to start you off.
Alternatively, if you’re happy with AI tools such as ChatGPT and others, all you need to do is copy elements above and ask the AI for more depth and how you could apply those in your specific business.
Good luck on your journey to getting more leads for your B2C-focused business!
