You’re an asphalt paving contractor.
You know how to lay down a smooth parking lot, fix crumbling driveways, and sealcoat like a pro.
But instead of owning your lead generation, you’re renting it from Angie’s, HomeAdvisor, Networx, and other lead-slinging middlemen who exist purely to make your life miserable.
Tell me, why exactly are you paying them to do something you could be doing yourself?
And here’s the real honest truth—they’re not even good at it.
They’re just better than you at understanding how Google works.
But that’s an easy fix.
So, let’s break this down. I’m going to show you exactly how these lead-gen companies operate, how they’re making a killing off your money, and how you can rip their strategy straight from their playbook and dominate your market.
Here’s how it works:
They show up on Google when customers search for paving contractors.
They collect leads and sell them to as many contractors as possible.
They laugh all the way to the bank while you fight over scraps.
Meanwhile, you’re stuck bidding against five other contractors for the same customer, and the lead cost keeps going up. Sound familiar?
Of course it does, because that’s exactly how they designed it.
But here’s the fun part: they’re not magicians. They’re just using three simple marketing tactics:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Ranking at the top of Google so they show up before you do.
Google Ads – Paying to get seen first in local searches.
Massive branding campaigns – Using TV and radio to convince homeowners they’re the place to go for a contractor (instead of going to an actual contractor).
Notice anything?
There are two things on that short list that you could be doing yourself.
Ever searched for “asphalt paving near me” or “driveway paving contractor” and wondered why the first thing you see is an ad for Angie’s, HomeAdvisor, or Networx instead of an actual paving company?
That’s because they’ve got Google on lock. They dominate search results in two ways:
Google Ads – They dump piles of cash into ads that appear at the very top of search results, making sure they’re the first thing a homeowner sees when they look for paving services.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – They create tons of location-specific pages (like “Asphalt Paving in [Your City]”) that rank organically on Google, meaning they show up in search results even without paying for ads.
And they’re not the only ones. Yelp is in on it too.
Instead of selling leads, they focus on getting their SEO dialed in so when someone searches for a paving contractor, Yelp shows up first. Then, instead of handing you leads directly, they make you pay for advertising on their platform just to be seen.
Sound familiar?
So, while you’re waiting around for a lead, HomeAdvisor, Angie’s, Networx, and Yelp are catching all the customers first.
They collect their info, then turn around and sell that same lead to you and five other contractors at $75+ a pop.
And you’re out here scrambling to be the lowest bidder.
It’s a racket.
Lead-gen companies have massive websites with millions of pages.
You don’t need that.
You just need a well-optimized site that tells Google exactly what you do and where you do it.
Here is a great example in a small town doing just that.
Here’s how to do it:
You do this right, and guess what happens?
You start showing up before HomeAdvisor, Networx, and Yelp.
Those top few spots on Google?
The ones you scroll past while muttering about how expensive they must be?
Yeah, that’s where HomeAdvisor and Networx are spending their money so they can charge you for leads.
They’ll pay $200 for a lead, sell it to five different contractors for $75 each, and walk away with $175 in profit.
Now, let’s do some math. If you ran the ad yourself, you’d get the same lead—for a fraction of the cost.
You control the budget.
You control where your ads show up.
You control who gets the lead. (Spoiler alert: just you.)
You don’t need to be a Google Ads wizard to make this work.
You just need basic targeting and a clear landing page that turns searchers into callers.
Or, you know, you can keep paying a middleman to do it for you.
Your call.
HomeAdvisor, Networx, and Angie’s are not in the paving business.
They are in the marketing business—and you should be too.
Every time you buy a lead from them, you’re proving that their system works. The only problem?
You’re not the one benefiting from it.
So here’s the plan:
Set up a real website. (Not one your nephew built in 2012.)
Optimize it for SEO. (So you show up on Google before the middlemen do.)
Run your own Google Ads. (Stop paying for leads that aren’t even exclusive to you.)
Do this, and you’ll never have to fight over overpriced, recycled leads again. You’ll have direct customers, no middleman, and more control over your business.
Or, you know, keep cutting checks to HomeAdvisor and hope they send you something better next time.
Let me know how that works out.
Need help setting this up? That’s what we do.
Reach out, and we’ll show you how to take control of your leads—forever.
