A long way around to building websites.
Before I understood Google, I was the guy doing the work. Cleaning carpets. Running air ducts. Mold restoration. Painting houses. Swinging a demo hammer. I mowed lawns. I helped remodelers tear stuff down.
Then I ran a pool company. I made handmade door hangers. I used Google Maps to find houses with green pools and knocked on those doors. I posted on Craigslist and got some cheap jobs. I had 15 clients in one neighborhood at one point. No car magnet, no uniform, no website. Just showing up and doing good work. Great customers. No idea how to get more of them consistently.
Great customers. No idea how to get more of them consistently.
After the pool company I went back to school. Graphic design, UX, SEO. Spent a couple years at a big corporation doing UX. Then transitioned to another doing SEO for car dealerships. I always wanted to work for myself, so eventually I took everything I learned and went back out on my own.
The first person I tested my system on was a friend. Same situation I'd been in. Good at his trade, nobody finding him online. I updated his website and fixed his Google Business Profile. He hasn't had to worry about customers since. That was Roland. His story is here.
A newer client, Sean at North Austin Junk Removal, started with nothing. No site, no GBP, no reviews. That case study is tracked live as the results come in.