Why Local Contractors Should Ditch Ahrefs (And What to Do Instead)
If you’re a plumber, HVAC contractor, or other local service provider, your marketing dollars should be focused on driving results—phone calls and form fills. Not paying for tools that chase rankings no one clicks on.
In this post, we break down why tools like Ahrefs are unnecessary for local businesses and how reallocating that budget can lead to better ROI and more leads.
Ahrefs Doesn’t Help You Rank in the Map Pack
Ahrefs is a powerful tool for large-scale SEO campaigns, but it’s overbuilt and overpriced for local contractors. It doesn’t track what actually matters in local search:
- No visibility into your Google Business Profile or Map Pack rankings
- Inaccurate data for low-traffic local sites
- Keyword suggestions that don’t match local buyer intent
For local service businesses, Ahrefs is mostly noise. What you need is direct, local insight—and you can get that with tools like Google Search Console and Google Ads Keyword Planner, both free.
Use Google’s Free Tools More Effectively
Google Search Console (GSC) is one of the most underutilized resources in local marketing. It provides first-party data directly from Google—real search terms, real impressions, real clicks.
Here’s how we use it:
- Identify high-impression keywords that aren’t getting clicks
- Track performance by city, zip code, or service area
- Improve mobile usability, load speed, and Core Web Vitals
No third-party tool gives you better data for local SEO than GSC—especially when your goal is to generate leads, not vanity traffic.
Hire a Local SEO Expert Who Understands Leads
Knowing what the data says is one thing. Knowing what to do with it is another.
A local SEO expert doesn’t just run reports. They turn your Google Business Profile into a lead-generating machine and build content or ads that drive high-intent clicks.
We specialize in:
- Optimizing Google Business Profiles for Map 3-Pack visibility
- Managing manual-bid Google Ads campaigns that target your zip codes
- Setting up call tracking and lead attribution through tools like CallRail
This is how you get more booked jobs, not just more traffic.
Google Ads Wants to Maximize Its Profits—Not Yours
Google’s default Smart Bidding is designed to help them, not you. It makes PPC easy to launch but hard to control—and it usually leads to wasted spend.
Most agencies go along with it. We don’t.
We build campaigns with:
- Tight keyword targeting
- Manual bidding and geo-targeting
- Transparent cost-per-lead reporting
You should know what you’re paying per call or form fill—and what’s working.
AI Search Is Coming, and We’re Already Preparing
The next big shift in search is already happening. AI models like ChatGPT and Google Gemini are changing how people find service providers.
We’re already testing how to win visibility in AI-driven search results, while still dominating the Google Map Pack today.
If your current agency isn’t planning for the future, they’re falling behind.
Better Budget Allocation = Better ROI
You don’t need to spend $100 a month on Ahrefs. You need to spend that money on work that actually delivers customers.
- Map Pack visibility brings more calls
- PPC provides immediate leads
- Manual bidding keeps your costs in check
- Transparent reporting keeps you informed
That’s how we help contractors grow.
Next Steps:
- Log into Google Search Console and review your top search terms and pages.
- Identify high-impression, low-click keywords that need attention.
- Reach out to us—we’ll show you how to turn that opportunity into real leads.
Or, talk to one of our clients. Ask them what happened when they stopped paying for tools and started investing in what works.