If you’re a contractor or remodeler in the Des Moines metro, you don’t just want more leads—you want the right leads. High-value kitchen remodels, whole-home renovations, additions, custom homes…not just the odd handyman job or small repair.
The problem?
Referrals and word-of-mouth are still great, but they’re no longer enough to keep your calendar full year-round—especially as more contractors invest in SEO, ads, and sharper websites.
That’s where digital marketing for contractors comes in.
In this guide, we’ll walk through:
- Why contractors need a real marketing plan (not just random Facebook posts)
- 7 contractor digital marketing tactics that consistently work in markets like Des Moines
- How to prioritize your budget so you’re not overspending or under-investing
- When it’s time to call in a construction marketing agency to run point
Why Contractors Need a Real Digital Marketing Plan
Most contractors we talk to describe the same pattern:
- Spring and summer: feast – too many inquiries, not enough time.
- Late fall and winter: famine – the pipeline slows down and stress creeps in.
A real digital marketing plan is about smoothing that curve so you’ve got a steady flow of high-value projects coming in all year.
Referrals Are Great—But They’re Not a Strategy
Referrals will always matter. But if:
- Your best clients age out or move away
- There’s a new remodeler across town aggressively running Google Ads
- National franchises start bidding on “kitchen remodel Des Moines” and “home addition near me”
…then relying on word-of-mouth alone gets risky fast. We’re already seeing more competition and squeezed margins across the home building and remodeling space.
Homeowners Start Online (Even If They Heard Your Name Offline)
Even when someone gets your name from a neighbor, they still:
- Google your business
- Scan your reviews
- Look through your website and project photos
If your online presence looks dated—or worse, doesn’t exist—you’re quietly losing jobs you never even knew about.
What a “Real” Contractor Marketing Plan Looks Like
A real plan for marketing for construction companies usually includes:
- A website that shows off your best work and makes it easy to contact you
- Local SEO so you show up when people search “kitchen remodeler near me” or “home builder in Des Moines”
- Paid search ads that target your highest-value services and ZIP codes
- Content (blogs, guides, FAQs) that answer the questions homeowners actually ask
- A review system and simple email/CRM follow-up to stay in front of leads and past clients
The good news? You don’t have to do everything at once. Let’s start with the seven tactics that deliver the biggest lift for digital marketing for contractors.
7 Digital Marketing Tactics That Actually Work for Contractors
You didn’t start a remodeling business to become a full-time marketer—and you don’t need to. But a handful of focused tactics can put you miles ahead of “guy-with-a-logo-and-a-truck.”
Here’s what works right now for contractors, remodelers, and home builders.
1. Build a Website That Works as Hard as Your Crew
Your website isn’t just a digital brochure—it’s your 24/7 project manager.
At minimum, a contractor website should:
- Load fast and look great on mobile
- Showcase real projects (before/after photos, galleries, case studies)
- Clearly list your services and service areas
- Make it effortless to contact you or request a quote
If your site was built by a friend or relative a decade ago, or you’re still using a generic template that doesn’t show your best work, you’re leaving serious money on the table.
On the Farmboy side, we’ve helped home builders like KRM and Tanzanite Homes turn updated branding and a stronger website into measurable gains in traffic, applications, and leads.
If you’re ready to treat your site like the core of your marketing, our Web Design & Digital Marketing Services are built for exactly that.
2. Use Local SEO So “Near Me” Searches Find You First
Local SEO is the digital version of having your yard sign on every street in town.
Key pieces of contractor digital marketing SEO:
- Google Business Profile
- Claim it, fill it out completely, and keep it updated
- Add real project photos, not stock images
- Respond to every review—good or bad
- Local service area strategy
- Make sure your website clearly mentions the cities and neighborhoods you want to work in (West Des Moines, Ankeny, Waukee, etc.)
- Build content around “kitchen remodel in [CITY]” or “basement finishing in [CITY]”
- Reviews and consistency
- Keep your Name, Address, and Phone number consistent across directories
- Build a simple process to ask happy clients for Google reviews
Done well, local SEO is one of the reasons remodeling clients like Reese Builders now rank in the top spots for high-intent remodeling searches in their core Central Iowa communities and see significantly more online leads and high-value project inquiries.
3. Run Targeted Search Ads for the Jobs You Actually Want
SEO is the long game. Google Ads and paid search are your “we need leads now” lever.
For contractors in the Des Moines area, smart paid search might look like:
- Campaigns built around specific services:
- “kitchen remodel Des Moines”
- “bathroom remodel West Des Moines”
- “home addition Ankeny”
- Focusing on high-value projects instead of “anything and everything”
- Turning off broad keywords that attract low-budget leads
- Directing clicks to focused landing pages—NOT just your homepage
The goal isn’t to spend the most on ads. It’s to only pay for clicks with a real shot at turning into profitable projects.
4. Create Content That Answers Real Homeowner Questions
Contractor blogs still work—if they’re written for real people with real questions, not just search engines.
In our post on Marketing for Contractors: Creating Engaging Content to Attract New Clients, we break down how blog posts, videos, and infographics can set you apart from competitors and build long-term trust.
For remodeling and home building, winning content often answers:
- “How much does a [kitchen/bath/basement] remodel cost in the Des Moines area?”
- “How long does a typical home addition take?”
- “What’s the best time of year to start a remodel?”
- “What should I look for in a contractor’s proposal?”
When your site answers those questions clearly—with helpful visuals and honest guidance—you become the obvious choice, not just another bid.
5. Turn Photos and Video Into a Sales Tool
Homeowners don’t always understand construction lingo—but they do understand before-and-afters.
Make visuals a core part of your digital marketing for contractors:
- Project galleries organized by service (kitchens, baths, additions, whole-home)
- Before/after sliders that make your transformations obvious
- Short walkthrough videos of finished spaces
- Video testimonials where clients talk about what it was like to work with you
In our contractor content work, we’ve seen just a few minutes of focused video content contribute to tens of thousands of dollars in project revenue because it builds trust so quickly.
Pair that visual storytelling with case studies like our work with Reese Builders or Tanzanite Homes and you’ve got a powerful proof engine that doesn’t sleep.
6. Build a Review & Reputation Machine
For most homeowners, reviews are the tiebreaker.
If you and another remodeler look similar on paper, the business with more recent, detailed 5-star reviews usually wins.
Make reviews part of your process:
- Ask every happy client to leave a Google review when you wrap up a project
- Make it easy: send them a direct link in email or text
- Encourage them to mention specific services or neighborhoods (“kitchen remodel in Waukee”)
- Respond to every review with gratitude and professionalism
7. Track Leads with a Simple CRM and Follow-Up
You work hard to generate leads—don’t lose them in a notebook or inbox.
A basic CRM (Customer Relationship Management system) helps you:
- See where leads come from (SEO, ads, referrals, social, etc.)
- Track how many turn into consultations and signed contracts
- Follow up automatically with people who weren’t ready yet
For contractors, even a simple setup—tags for “kitchen lead,” “bath lead,” “addition,” and a few automated reminders—can mean the difference between one follow-up email and a $75,000 project that slips away.
How to Prioritize Your Contractor Marketing Budget
Once you buy into the idea that digital marketing for contractors matters, the next question is always:
“So how much should we actually spend—and where?”
There’s no one-size-fits-all number, but here’s a practical way to think about it if you’re a remodeler or home builder in the Des Moines area.
1. Fund the Foundation First (40–50% of Budget)
These are your non-negotiables:
- A modern, high-converting website
- Google Business Profile and basic local SEO setup
- Analytics and call tracking so you know what’s working
If your site is outdated, start here. There’s no point driving more traffic to something that doesn’t convert.
2. Add the Growth Levers (30–40% of Budget)
Once the foundation is in place, allocate budget toward:
- Targeted Google Ads for your highest-margin services
- Ongoing SEO/content to gain ground in your core cities
- Review generation and reputation management
Think of this layer as your “pipeline control”—where you go when you want to increase or stabilize leads.
3. Support With Relationship Builders (10–20% of Budget)
Finally, invest in marketing that keeps you top-of-mind:
- Email newsletters with project spotlights and seasonal tips
- Social media that highlights your crew, your process, and your work
- Occasional brand campaigns (video, storytelling, etc.)
You don’t have to do everything at once. The key is to pick a few channels, do them well, and measure results instead of dabbling everywhere.
When to Bring in a Contractor Marketing Agency
You can DIY a lot of your marketing. But there are clear moments when bringing in a construction digital marketing agency is the smarter, more profitable move.
Here are a few signs:
- Your annual revenue is growing, but your lead sources are a mystery
- You’re fielding more low-budget or wrong-fit inquiries than quality projects
- Your team is too busy building to also manage SEO, ads, and content consistently
- You’re about to expand into new neighborhoods or services and want to launch strong
A specialized construction digital marketing agency understands:
- Seasonality in remodeling and home building
- How to aim campaigns at high-margin projects
- How to translate your craftsmanship into messaging that actually converts
At Farmboy, our Remodeling & Home Building Marketing solution is built specifically for growth-minded contractors and remodelers who want to become the go-to name in their market.
We bring together:
- Strategy and consulting
- Website design and development
- SEO and local search
- Paid search and social campaigns
- Review management and CRM support
Backed by real-world results from remodelers and home builders across Iowa—like increased qualified leads, higher organic rankings, and record years for large-scale projects.
FAQ: Digital Marketing for Contractors
Q: How long does it take to see results from contractor digital marketing?
A: Most contractors see early signs—better-fit leads and more local visibility—within 60–90 days, with stronger, compounding results from SEO and content over 6–12 months.
Q: Do I need to be on every social platform as a contractor?
A: No. Most remodelers and builders do best focusing on a strong website, Google, and one or two visual platforms (often Facebook and Instagram) instead of trying to be everywhere.
Q: What’s the first thing I should fix if I’m getting a lot of bad leads?
A: Start with positioning and your website: make your ideal projects, price range, and service area crystal clear so the wrong-fit leads filter themselves out before they ever call.
Ready to Keep High-Value Projects Booked All Year?
If you’re a contractor or remodeler in the Des Moines metro who’s tired of feast-or-famine seasons, now is the time to shore up your digital marketing for contractors.
You have the craftsmanship.
Let’s make sure the right people actually see it.
- Explore our Remodeling & Home Building Marketing solution to see how we help contractors grow.
- Or start a conversation with the Farmboy team and we’ll help you prioritize what to do first.
Real. Good. Work. starts with a real plan—on the job site and online.
