What to Do When Leads Slow Down
Every local business goes through slow stretches. The question isn't if it will happen. It's whether you have a plan when it does. This lesson gives you a way to figure out what's wrong and what to do about it.
Figuring Out Why Leads Dropped
Before reacting, find out what's actually happening:
Check your GBP insights: Did your views, searches, or calls drop? If yes, your visibility is down. If calls dropped but views didn't, something is stopping people from calling.
Check your rankings: Search your main keywords. Did you fall out of the top 3? Something changed, maybe a competitor made moves or Google updated its system.
Check your reviews: Did you get a bad review recently? Did reviews stop coming in? Both hurt your ranking over time.
Check the season: Some industries slow down at certain times of year. Know your patterns and plan for them.
Short-Term Fixes
When you need leads now:
- Run a Google Local Services Ad (you pay per lead, it's quick to set up)
- Text or email past customers and offer a referral bonus
- Post an offer on your GBP ("Free estimate this week")
- Reach out to businesses that work with the same customers (pool companies, landscapers, etc.)
Long-Term Prevention
Slow periods hit hardest when leads come from only one place. Build more than one source:
- Organic GBP rankings
- SEO landing pages
- A referral network
- A system to stay in touch with past customers
- Ads you can turn on quickly when needed
When you have multiple sources, no single slow month can shut you down.