SEM: You Can’t Win Work If You Can’t Be Found

Businesses like residential plumbers, electricians or roofers live and die by the amount of leads that come in every day. That’s why they spend thousands of dollars each month on Google Ads and digital campaigns. They know when a homeowner’s roof leaks, they don’t send out RFP’s, they Google. 

But if you’re in the B2B side of the building industry, say you’re a metal fabricator, engineering firm, or commercial subcontractor, you might be thinking, “That’s not us.” You're not going to land a multimillion-dollar project because someone clicked an ad. 

You’re not wrong.

But you’re also not entirely right.

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Search Engine Marketing Fits Even in the Building Industry

For decades, the building industry has run on relationships, referrals, and reputation. That’s still true — but those conversations now start online.

No matter how complex your clients’ projects are, they still start with research. Before they ever pick up the phone, they’re clicking around, sizing up potential partners. And statistically, that first stop is almost always Google.

Digital marketing is how you get found in a crowded field. Even if your building business runs on reputation, having an inbound strategy at the top of your funnel ensures prospects who haven’t heard of you can find and consider you.

No, It's Not The Yellow Pages

A lot of builders push back about SEM. Most of you report that you were talked into it at one time but gave it up after 6 weeks or so, convinced it was a waste of money. 

The problem is, you thought of it like the old Yellow Pages. You put in a small monthly budget—say $500—and expected that ad to sit there, visible to anyone who needs your service, delivering an instant steady stream of phone calls.

Google Ads is an auction, not a directory. Your budget becomes the bids you place for search terms, competing in real time against other companies. If your competitors are bidding twice as much—or simply have larger campaigns—your ad stops showing once your budget runs out. That small spend might feel safe, but in a crowded market, it’s often just a drop in the bucket.

SEM: A Builder’s Inbound Toolbox

For builders and contractors, the point of search engine marketing isn’t to close deals online. It’s to get on the radar of the people who might one day give you a call. SEM fills the top of your funnel. It makes sure new people are discovering who you are long before your sales team makes contact.

When a developer or GC needs a specialized subcontractor, they often start with the companies they’ve seen around, online or otherwise. Maybe they watched your project video. Maybe they saw your name in a blog article about sustainable materials. Or maybe they simply Googled “steel fabricator Oregon” and your site came up clean, current, and credible.

That’s the quiet power of search marketing: being found online at the right time during their research process. And to be truly effective you have to use it in close partnership with your SEO strategy.

SEO is About Organic Attraction

Search Engine Optimization, on the other hand, is the nectar in the flower that attracts the bees. Compelling, useful content supports your SEM efforts by signaling to search engines that your site is more trustworthy and relevant than your competitors—helping it rank higher and draw better-quality traffic.

This is where you invest in articles, white papers, graphics, videos, and other helpful resources your prospective clients are already searching for. When you layer that content into your digital marketing campaigns, it adds fuel to the fire, making every advertising dollar work harder and every click more valuable.

Peas and Carrots: How SEM and SEO Work Together

Think of SEM (paid ads) and SEO (organic search optimization) as a tag team.

• SEM gets you immediate visibility. You can buy your way onto the first page today if you want to.
• SEO builds your long-term authority. It earns your spot through content, reputation, and consistency.
  

The mistake a lot of companies make is treating them as competitors instead of collaborators. Or focusing on one while ignoring the other. When they work together, they can create a flywheel effect.

Let’s say you’re a structural steel fabricator. Someone searches “commercial steel fabricators near me.”

• Your Google Ad shows up first. That’s SEM at work: instant presence.
• Your organic listing shows up right below it, supported by blog content about “How to Choose a Steel Fabricator for Mid-Rise Projects.”
• Now you own half the screen. That dual visibility increases your credibility, even if the user doesn’t click the ad, they’ve seen your name twice.
  

And when they finally do click, it’s likely on your organic result, saving you money on ad clicks and building long-term trust.

The Other Valuable Players

Landing Pages

When someone clicks a digital ad, a landing page should greet them with one clear message, one call to action, and zero distractions. A focused landing page turns casual curiosity into qualified leads by meeting visitors exactly where their interest lies.

Social Proof

In the building world, reputation is currency. Online, that reputation shows up as social proof : testimonials, project photos, star ratings, and case studies. This is what reassures new visitors that you actually deliver what you promise. 

Retargeting

Most people don’t call or fill out a form the first time they visit your site. Retargeting keeps your company in front of those visitors through follow-up ads on Google, YouTube, or social media. It’s a friendly reminder: “Hey, remember us?” 

Old School Meets New School

So even if you live by the motto “do good work and more work will come,” remember that good work also needs good visibility.

In an online world where everyone is looking for proof before they call, a strong inbound marketing plan - built on SEO, SEM and providing helpful resources your ideal future clients can use gives your reputation a bigger stage.

Whether you’re a roofing company spending five figures on Google Ads or an engineering firm building your next partnership pipeline, digital marketing isn’t optional anymore. It’s the new first impression of the modern handshake before the handshake.

Make it count.

Written by Rusty George, with as little help from ChatGPT as possible. A little nip and tuck here and there, but the bulk of the article is from his human brain. Pinky Promise.

Rusty George leads a branding, website design and marketing agency serving Seattle and Tacoma area construction companies, developers, subcontractors, manufacturers, material fabricators and suppliers. His goal is to help the building industry become more attractive to the skilled workforce of the future. Reach out to us at any time to get some ideas on how you can modernize your website to land more quality projects.