What is the best marketing for plumbers?
Market for how jobs arrive. Emergency jobs come from Google Maps and a phone that gets answered. Planned work like boilers and bathrooms comes from a website with reviews, photos and quote follow-ups. Repeat work comes from service reminders. If you do gas work, show your Gas Safe registration everywhere.
Key takeaways
- ✓Emergency jobs are won on Google Maps and by answering the phone.
- ✓Planned jobs are won by reviews, photos and following up quotes.
- ✓Annual boiler services bring customers back if you remind them.
- ✓Anyone doing gas work for payment must be on the Gas Safe Register; show your number.
A burst pipe at 7pm and a new boiler next spring are both plumbing jobs, but they reach you in completely different ways. The emergency caller searches “plumber near me”, looks at the map and rings until someone picks up. The boiler customer reads reviews, checks your Gas Safe registration and asks for three quotes. Good marketing for plumbers treats those as two different problems.
Marketing for plumbers: emergency jobs
Emergency work is won in the first few minutes, on Google Maps and on the phone.
- Google Business Profile. Choose Plumber as your main category, set it up as a service-area business with the towns you cover, and hide your home address. Say clearly whether you do emergency call-outs and when.
- The phone. You can’t answer with your hands in a boiler, and an emergency caller won’t leave a voicemail. An AI receptionist for tradesmen answers, takes the address and the problem, and texts you so you can call back the urgent ones first.
- Gas. If a caller says they can smell gas, they need the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 before they need a plumber. Make sure whoever answers your phone says so.
For the profile settings that move you up the map, see how to rank higher on Google Maps.
Planned work: boilers and bathrooms
Planned jobs are bigger and slower. The customer compares you with two or three others, so this is where trust matters.
- Gas Safe, front and centre. By law, anyone doing gas work for payment must be on the Gas Safe Register. Put your registration number on your website and quotes; customers can check it on the Gas Safe Register’s website.
- Reviews that name the job. “Fitted our new combi in two days” helps more than “great service”. Ask after every job and send the link by text so it takes seconds.
- Photos of real work. Before-and-after shots of bathrooms and boiler installs do more than any stock image.
- Follow up every quote. A polite message a few days after quoting, sent automatically, so you don’t have to remember.
Your website needs your number and a WhatsApp button on every page, and a page for each main service. There’s a full list in website design for tradesmen.
Paying for leads vs owning your leads
Lead websites can fill quiet weeks, but you pay for every lead and compete with other plumbers for the same customer. A strong Google profile, reviews and your own website keep bringing in work without a fee per job.
Repeat work: the annual service
A customer whose boiler you serviced last October is the easiest job you’ll ever win, if you remind them. Keep a list of service dates and send a reminder a few weeks before each one, with a link or number to book.
| Task | Done? |
| Google Business Profile verified, category “Plumber”, service areas set | |
| Every service listed on your profile and website | |
| New review requested after every job | |
| Phone and WhatsApp on every page of your website | |
| Gas Safe number shown (if you do gas work) | |
| Every call answered, even on a job | |
| Quotes followed up after a few days |
We’ll check how you show up on Google Maps, how many calls you’re missing, and the quickest ways to win more jobs.
Get your free checkSee our work for plumbers and how we help trades never miss a call.
Frequently asked questions
How do plumbers get more customers?
Emergency jobs come from Google Maps and an answered phone; planned jobs from reviews, photos and quote follow-ups; repeat jobs from service reminders.
Is Checkatrade or MyBuilder worth it for plumbers?
They can fill quiet periods, but you pay for leads and compete for the same job. Your own Google profile and website bring in work without a fee per lead.
Do I need to show my Gas Safe number?
If you do gas work for payment you must be Gas Safe registered, and showing your number on your website and quotes lets customers check it.
Should a plumber show their home address on Google?
No. Set up your profile as a service-area business, list the areas you cover and hide your address.
What if I can’t answer calls while I’m working?
Use call answering. An AI receptionist picks up, takes the job details and texts you, so the customer doesn’t ring someone else.
Sources
- Manage your service areas for your Business Profile — Google Business Profile Help
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google — Google Business Profile Help
- Gas Safe Register — Gas Safe Register
Co-Founder, ShiftDeploy
Samiullah is a co-founder of ShiftDeploy. He works with clinics, trades and local service businesses on getting found on Google, earning more reviews and turning more enquiries into booked work.