SEO & Google Ads Specialist for Local Home Services

Project Description We are looking for an experienced SEO and Google Ads specialist, freelancer, or agency to help improve and grow our local home services website. Company provides electrical, plumbing, and related home services in California. We prefer working with providers who understand local service businesses in California, especially the Bay Area, Sacramento, or Los Angeles. However, we are open to strong candidates from other locations. The website is already built and hardcoded. We have a web developer available, and we can involve a designer or content writer if needed. We need someone who can lead the SEO and Google Ads process, not just send a generic audit. Goal is to make the website a real lead-generation channel. We currently receive around 300 leads per month from other advertising platforms. The website itself is currently neglected — we are not actively working on it, and it brings in only about 10–19 leads per month from organic traffic alone. We believe a professional can grow this significantly. Our target is approximately 100 additional leads per month through SEO and Google Ads combined. We understand this is a gradual process — we are not expecting instant results, and we realistically expect meaningful growth to take at least two months to build, with steady, measurable progress rather than an overnight spike. Single Specialist vs. Team Ideally we would like one person who can handle both SEO and Google Ads, because we expect Google Ads to be the faster, more measurable lead channel in the short term, while SEO builds results over time. Google Ads gives us clear attribution — we can see which action led to which result — whereas SEO results are harder to track immediately. That said, we are flexible: -A strong SEO specialist who can confidently deliver results without Google Ads is welcome. -An advanced Google Ads specialist who can deliver results without heavy SEO is also welcome. -A small team or agency covering both areas is fine too. Tell us honestly which model fits you best. Main Tasks -Review current website analytics -Analyze current website structure and SEO status -Prepare page titles, meta descriptions, H1/H2 recommendations -Analyze provided keywords and map them to service pages -Review local competitors and provide a practical correction list -Prepare the website for Google indexing -Review sitemap, robots.txt, crawlability, canonicals, and indexability -Recommend and help implement schema markup -Review Core Web Vitals and page speed issues -Create clear technical tasks for our web developer -Set up or optimize Google Ads campaigns -Review keywords, negative keywords, ads, locations, and landing pages -Set up or verify conversion tracking for calls, forms, and quote requests -Provide weekly updates and monthly performance summaries Expected Deliverables -Technical SEO audit with priority list -Keyword map for SEO and Google Ads -Page title/meta/H1/H2 recommendations -Competitor analysis with specific website corrections -Indexing checklist and Google Search Console recommendations -Schema markup recommendations -Google Ads setup or optimization plan -Conversion tracking checklist -Weekly progress report in simple language -Monthly report with traffic, leads, cost per lead, and next steps Competitor Research We will provide a list of local competitors in electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and home services. The selected contractor should compare our website against these competitors and identify what they are doing better in SEO, Google Ads, landing pages, service pages, local SEO, calls to action, page speed, and lead generation. Preferred Experience -We prefer someone with experience in: -Local service businesses -Home services -Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, handyman, or construction companies -California local SEO -Google Ads for lead generation -Technical SEO for custom or hardcoded websites -Google Search Console -GA4 -Schema markup -Core Web Vitals -Conversion tracking What We Are Not Looking For -Generic SEO packages -Random backlink packages -Blog posting without strategy -AI content spam -Reports with no clear action items -Google Ads management without conversion tracking -A one-time PDF audit with no implementation support -Reporting and Workflow -We expect transparent work. Please be ready to: -Track time through Upwork -Send short weekly updates -Create clear tasks for our developer -Explain technical recommendations in simple business language -Get approval before major changes Budget & Compensation Our compensation structure is: Fixed monthly retainer of $1,200–$1,500 per month, targeting approximately 100 additional leads per month. Additional performance bonuses for organic growth and lead volume beyond the target — to be discussed and agreed individually as results develop over time. Important — what this budget covers: this amount is the compensation paid directly to the freelancer or agency for their work only. It does NOT include: Advertising spend (Google Ads budget will be funded separately by us). Content creation, if needed (handled and paid separately). Web developer time (we have a developer available, paid separately as needed). We are open to discussing the exact structure, but we value clear deliverables, time tracking, and measurable progress over the lowest price. Once organic growth and lead volume become measurable, we are glad to discuss additional compensation tied to the number of extra leads generated — this is a conversation about the longer-term partnership, since we expect this process to take at least two months to show meaningful results.