How to Get More Leads: The Three Levers of Growth on Google

If you run a business in Cheshire, you already know what it takes to build something real.

You have staff to pay. You have customers to look after. You have jobs to deliver.

You are not paying for nice reports. You are paying for results.

Most owners come to us for one reason. They want to know how to get more leads from Google and their website, without wasting money.

You want one thing:

More good leads. More profit. Less guesswork.

Most businesses like yours do not need twenty marketing tactics. They need to pull the right levers, in the right order, and keep it simple.

That is what this is about.

The Three Levers of Growth

For most established Cheshire businesses, growth comes from three places on Google:

1. Google Maps (your Google Business Profile and the Map Pack)
2. SEO (your website showing in the normal search results)
3. Google Ads (paid ads at the top of Google)

If you work all three, you show up more often, in more places, for searches that already exist.

That is the key. We are not trying to create demand from thin air. We are putting you in front of people who are already looking for what you do.

SEO is the engine. The businesses getting the best results are the ones we work with month in, month out.

This works best for established Cheshire businesses with a decent budget and ideally a team in place. Architects. Kitchen and bathroom firms. Builders. Garden designers and landscapers. Commercial cleaning. IT support. Removals. Self storage. And agriculture linked firms that serve the farms and rural businesses around here.

Lever 1: Google Maps gets you chosen locally

When someone searches “near me” or adds a town name, Google often shows a map and three local listings first. That is the Map Pack.

If you are not in there, you are missing high intent leads.

Google Maps ranking is powered by your Google Business Profile. Most businesses have one. Most businesses also leave it half done.

A strong profile does a few things:

• It proves you are real
• It shows you are active
• It gives quick answers like opening hours, services, areas covered
• It shows reviews, which is what people trust most

This is usually the quickest lever to pull because you can improve it while a new website is being built.

The basics matter:

• Right categories, services, and service areas
• Good photos of real work and real people
• A solid stream of reviews, not one big burst then nothing
• Clear contact details that match your website and other listings
• Posts and updates so it does not look abandoned

If you want Cheshire leads, Google Maps is not optional. It usually sits in the prime space at the top of the results, above the normal listings, with Ads and AI Overviews.

If you want to see what Google says influences local rankings, here’s their guidance on local ranking factors.

Lever 2: Website and SEO foundations win the long game

Search Engine Optimisation is how your website shows up in the normal search results.

This is where people go when they are comparing options, checking credentials, and doing proper research.

It is also where the bigger jobs tend to come from. The work that pays well. The work you would rather be doing.

Here is where a lot of businesses get stitched up.

They get sold a nice looking website, but it is built with no real structure for search.

Then later someone says, “we can do SEO for you”, like it is a bolt on extra.

In reality, SEO needs to be built into the site from day one.

That is why we build lead generating websites with SEO foundations baked in.

Good SEO foundations look like this:

• Clear pages for each core service
• Pages that match how people search in Cheshire
• Simple layout, loads fast, and looks good on a mobile
• Proper headings and structure so Google can understand the page
• Strong trust signals like reviews, accreditations, and case studies
• Real answers to real questions, written in plain English
• Clean technical setup so Google can crawl and index the site properly

If your foundations are weak, you will feel it everywhere.

Your rankings will be slow.
Your cost per click in Ads will be higher.
Your conversion rate will be worse because people do not trust what they see.

And if there is no clear next step, you lose leads. People do not guess. They leave.

One more point that matters now.

AI search is changing how people find things, but it does not remove the need for SEO. If anything, it makes solid SEO more important, because a clear, trusted site is easier for search engines and AI tools to understand and use.

So no, you do not need an “AI package”.
You need a site built properly.

Lever 3: Google Ads gives you speed and control

SEO is powerful, but it takes time.

Google Ads is what you use when you want visibility now.

It is also how you control lead flow.

• Want more leads this month? Turn the dial up.
• Fully booked? Turn it down.
• Want to push a high value service? Aim Ads at it.

Ads work best for searches with clear intent, like:

• emergency call outs
• same week bookings
• “near me” searches where someone is ready to call
• high value commercial services where the customer is shopping around

But Ads can also become a money pit if it is handled badly.

Common mistakes:

• Ads showing outside Cheshire
• Paying for irrelevant searches
• Sending traffic to the home page instead of the right service page
• No tracking, so nobody knows what is working
• Too much time spent on clicks, not enough on leads

Good google ads management is not about “getting traffic”.
It is about getting enquiries that turn into profit.

If you want help with that, here is our Google Ads management in Cheshire.

Why all three levers beat doing just one

Each lever helps the others.

Maps builds trust that supports everything

Even if someone finds you through SEO or Ads, many will still check your Google profile. They look for reviews, photos, and signs you are legit.

If your profile looks weak, you lose the lead at the last moment.

SEO makes Ads work better

Google charges less, and converts better, when your website is relevant and useful.

If your site is thin, slow, or confusing, you pay more per click and get fewer enquiries.

Ads fills the gap while SEO grows

A new site can rank fast for some things, but most SEO gains take time.

Ads give you lead flow while the foundations settle and the SEO builds momentum.

This is why the best approach for most established Cheshire businesses is not picking one channel.

It is building a simple system where all three support each other.

How we deliver this: The Business Amplifier Growth Plan

Most business owners do not need more marketing ideas. They need a clear plan, built around their business, and then someone to implement it properly.

That is why we deliver the Three Levers through our Business Amplifier Growth Plan.

It is a straight talking growth plan that answers three questions:

1. Where are you losing leads right now
2. What should we fix first to get the fastest win
3. What is the plan to build steady enquiries over the next 3 to 6 months

Here is what it usually covers.

Step 1: Quick audit of the three levers

We look at your Google Business Profile, your website, and your current visibility in Cheshire.

We do not drown you in data. We show you what matters and what is costing you money.

Step 2: A clear plan, in the right order

You get a simple roadmap. What we do first, second, and third.

No scattergun tactics. No busy work.

Step 3: Build and improve the assets

For most clients that means a new site built with SEO foundations, plus the work needed to improve Maps performance.

Step 4: Add Ads when the base is solid

Once the site and tracking are right, we layer in Ads to scale lead flow.

Step 5: Keep it measured

We track calls, enquiries, and cost per lead.

Everything we do comes back to ROI. Calls, enquiries, cost per lead, and what you take home. Not vanity metrics.

Message from Jeanette…

In an ideal world, we would do every channel at once. Reality is, budgets are not always there and it is easy to feel overwhelmed. So my advice is simple. Just make a start.

Start with a plan. That is our digital strategy piece. It is a one off small project where we audit what you have, map out what you need, and show you the steps. There is no pressure to implement everything at once. Once you know the cost and the steps, you can come back when you are ready.

If you want a quick, lower cost win, start with your Google Business Profile. We can improve it and give you a stronger local presence without a huge upfront spend.

After that, you can layer on a new website and SEO foundations when the timing is right. Then ongoing SEO and ads can follow, and other channels like email if they make sense for your business.

The main thing is this. Doing something is better than doing nothing. And if you are not sure where to start, we can help you figure that out.

FAQs

1. How much does it cost

It depends on the gap. Where you are now versus the competitors winning the leads you want. We audit your visibility across Maps, SEO, and Ads, then build the plan to close that gap. The size of the gap drives the work, and the work drives the cost.
As a ballpark, most clients invest £1,200 to £5,000 per month plus VAT, not including ad spend.
That is for the Business Amplifier, where we act as your marketing team. It includes strategy and thinking, not just ticking boxes. At the higher end, this can also include extra growth work like email marketing and CRM and lead management systems.

2. How long does it take to see results

Google Business Profile and Maps can move in weeks, sometimes quicker if there are obvious fixes.
If we are building you a new website, the usual timeline is 12 weeks from start to launch.
If you already have a decent site and we are not rebuilding, we can start with an SEO Jumpstart, which is a 30 day delivery to tighten the foundations around your key services and Cheshire searches.
For SEO results, expect 3 to 6 months for early movement, but 6 to 12 months is where the rubber hits the road. That is why ongoing SEO matters. Google shifts, competitors invest, and if you stop, you can lose ground.

3. Do we really need all three channels

In an ideal world, yes. Maps help you get chosen locally. SEO builds steady long term enquiries. Ads add speed and control. Together they cover more of the search page and reduce risk if one channel dips.

4. We have tried SEO or Ads before and it did not work. What is different

Most of the time it is the basics. Poor tracking, weak landing pages, broad targeting, or work that looks busy but does not move the needle. We keep it simple and measure what matters. Calls, enquiries, cost per lead, and what you take home.

5. What do you need from us

Two things. Clear input on your best services and best jobs, and quick feedback when we need it. We handle the heavy lifting. You do not need a marketing person in house.

6. What about AI search?  Do we need to do anything special

Not really. The fundamentals stay the same. If your website is clear, fast, and built around what people actually search for in Cheshire, you are already doing the work that helps you show up in normal search and in AI results too. We build pages that answer real questions in plain English, with a clean structure Google can understand. That is the best way to stay future ready without paying for an “AI package”.