Whittaker Water case study
From struggling to fill one plumber’s schedule to hiring an apprentice
Whittaker Water started working with TB Marketing in spring 2024 as a brand-new plumbing and water treatment company with no website or established digital advertising system. When lead volume still was not where the owner wanted it in fall 2025, the strategy was rebuilt around stronger local search coverage, expanded website content and a heavier investment in Local Services Ads.
By spring 2026, the business had added an apprentice as workload increased.
Results at a glance
573%
increase in tracked LSA conversions
June to August 2025 vs. October to December 2025
170%
more Google Search impressions
62%
more organic clicks
October to November 2025 vs. February to March 2026
Starting point
A new business with no website to inherit
When the engagement began around May 2024, Whittaker Water was brand new. The first job was not to repair an existing marketing system. It was to build the digital foundation the business could grow from.
TB Marketing built the original website, created the Google Ads setup and implemented conversion tracking. Search and Performance Max were active in the first months of the relationship, giving the business a way to start generating and measuring demand.
May 2024
The starting point
The original website structure still makes up much of the site today, with later aesthetic and functional changes made after the engagement.
Building the foundation
The engagement grew beyond a one-time website project
As the business developed, the website, paid campaigns and search strategy were expanded together rather than treated as separate projects.
01
Website
Original website build, service pages, location pages and ongoing functional improvements.
02
Paid acquisition
Google Search, Performance Max, Local Services Ads and ongoing budget allocation.
03
Measurement
Conversion tracking, lead monitoring and regular review of incoming paid leads.
04
SEO strategy
Keyword research, competitor research, local content, service architecture and internal linking.
The turning point
Fall 2025: the owner wanted more consistent work
Whittaker Water was not as busy as the owner wanted it to be. Rather than simply raising the ad budget, the broader marketing strategy was revisited.
The website was expanded, local and service content was strengthened, the SEO structure became more deliberate, and most of the paid budget was moved toward Local Services Ads as that channel became a stronger source of leads.
What changed
01 · Expand useful website content
Broaden service and location coverage around the work Whittaker Water actually wanted.
02 · Tighten the local SEO structure
Separate emergency, service, local and water treatment intent so pages had clearer jobs.
03 · Move more paid budget toward LSA
Shift spend toward the channel that was producing the clearest stream of incoming leads.
Paid result
573%
increase in tracked Local Services Ads conversions
11 tracked conversions from June to August 2025 compared with 74 from October to December 2025.
Lead generation
Local Services Ads became the clearest paid lead source
From October 2025 through May 2026, the Local Services Ads inbox recorded 171 inquiries, with 126 recorded by Google Ads as conversions.
Those 126 conversions generated approximately $8,373 in LSA lead charges, or about $66 per recorded conversion.
Conversion actions were reviewed during regular client meetings and were understood to be accurately reflecting incoming leads. These figures represent tracked inquiries and conversions, not booked-job or revenue totals.
Organic search
Search visibility expanded after the strategy reset
Google Search Console provides the cleanest organic comparison because GA4 tracking was inconsistent during parts of the engagement.
170%
increase in search impressions
Oct-Nov 2025 vs. Feb-Mar 2026
62%
increase in organic clicks
Same comparison period
1.4
average position for “aylmer plumber”
April to May 2026
Monthly search impressions reached 11,663 in February 2026, approximately 3.8 times the level recorded in September 2025.
How the engagement evolved
From launch to a broader lead-generation system
01
May 2024 · Build the foundation
Launch the website, Google Ads and conversion tracking for a brand-new local service business.
02
May 2025 · Add Local Services Ads
Introduce another high-intent paid channel and begin learning where the strongest lead flow was coming from.
03
Fall 2025 · Rebuild the strategy
Expand website content, formalize the local SEO architecture and move most paid budget toward LSA.
04
Spring 2026 · More visibility, more tracked leads, more capacity
Organic visibility was stronger, LSA continued producing tracked inquiries, and Whittaker Water had brought on an apprentice as workload increased.
Business change
Owner/operator → owner + apprentice
Client-reported operational change during the engagement.
The most meaningful result was not a Search Console metric
In fall 2025, Whittaker Water had told TB Marketing that the owner was struggling to consistently fill his full-time schedule. During the months that followed, paid lead volume increased, organic search visibility expanded and the business reported a stronger workload.
By the later part of the engagement, Whittaker Water had hired an apprentice.
Marketing was one contributor among referrals, repeat customers and other sources of work, so the hire is presented as business context rather than a direct attribution claim.
The bigger picture
Marketing changed as the business changed
Whittaker Water did not need the same marketing strategy in 2024 that it needed in late 2025. The engagement started with the essentials for a new company, then shifted toward local search coverage, stronger service content and putting more paid budget behind the channel producing the clearest lead flow.
What this project demonstrates
Start with a conversation
Need a marketing system that can change as your business grows?
Tell me where the business is now, what has been tried and where you want the next stage of growth to come from. I’ll review the details personally and recommend the most practical next step.