CASE STUDY: MILWAUKEE PLUMBER USES WEBSITE TO RECRUIT TOP TALENT AND WIN BIDS

A Website That Does More Than Get Calls

When most plumbers think about their website, they think about one thing: getting phone calls from homeowners.

And yeah, that's the main job. But Greg in Milwaukee discovered something most plumbers miss.

Your website can be a recruiting tool, a bid-winning asset, and a credibility machine all at the same time.

Here's how.

The Problem: Couldn't Find Good Help

Greg's been plumbing in Milwaukee for 16 years. His business was growing. He had more work than his 3-man crew could handle. He needed to hire.

But finding good plumbers? In 2024? Good luck.

He posted on Indeed. Got applications from people with no experience, no license, and in some cases, no pulse.

He asked around at supply houses. Crickets.

He even put a "Now Hiring" sign on his truck. Got zero calls.

Meanwhile, the bigger shops in Milwaukee were scooping up every apprentice and journeyman who came along.

Greg needed an edge. And he found one in an unexpected place.

The Careers Page That Changed Everything

When we built Greg's website, we included something most plumber websites don't have: a dedicated Careers page.

Not a generic "We're hiring" blurb. A real, compelling careers page that sold the opportunity of working for Greg's company.

Here's what we included:

### The Culture Pitch - Photos of Greg's crew on job sites (real, candid, not staged) - A section called "Why Work Here" that highlighted what made Greg's shop different: no micromanaging, flexible scheduling, paid training, and a boss who actually does work alongside his crew - Starting pay range, benefits, and growth opportunities (specific numbers, not vague "competitive pay")

### The Career Path - A visual showing how apprentices grow to journeymen to foremen at Greg's company - Timeline: "Most apprentices become journeymen within 3-4 years with us" - Certification support: "We pay for your continuing education and licensing exams"

### The Easy Application - A simple form: name, phone, experience level, and an open-text "tell us about yourself" box - No resume upload required (most trade workers don't have a polished resume, and that's fine) - Response guarantee: "We respond to every application within 48 hours"

### SEO Targeting We optimized the page for: - "Plumbing jobs Milwaukee" - "Plumber apprentice Milwaukee" - "Plumbing career Milwaukee" - "Hiring plumbers Milwaukee"

Within 6 weeks, the page ranked on page 1 for "plumbing jobs Milwaukee."

The Results: Recruiting

In the first 4 months after launch:

1. 14 applications through the website (compared to 3 from Indeed in the previous 4 months)
2. Application quality was dramatically better. Most applicants had some experience and referenced specific things from the careers page ("I liked what you said about paying for certifications")
3. Greg hired 2 new crew members directly from website applications
4. Cost per hire: essentially $0 (compared to $200-500 on Indeed per hire)

One of the new hires, a second-year apprentice, told Greg: "I almost applied at a bigger company, but your website made me feel like I'd actually matter here. That's what sold me."

That, friends, is the power of a careers page that doesn't suck.

The Bonus: Winning Commercial Bids

Here's the part Greg didn't expect.

After the website launched, Greg started winning more commercial bids. Property management companies. Small commercial build-outs. Tenant improvement work.

When we dug into why, the answer was obvious.

Property managers and general contractors were Googling Greg's company before awarding bids. And what they found was a professional, well-built website with:

1. A portfolio of completed projects
2. Detailed service capabilities
3. Insurance and licensing information
4. A strong review profile (65+ Google reviews)
5. An active, professional online presence

One property manager told Greg directly: "I got three bids. Yours wasn't the cheapest. But when I looked up all three companies, you were the only one with a real website. That mattered."

Greg won a $45,000 commercial repiping job because he had a website and the other guys didn't.

Think about that. A $45K job. Because of a website.

The Full Picture: 6-Month Results

### Customer Acquisition - Monthly website visitors: 180 to 1,600 - Monthly inbound calls: 8 to 36 - Monthly revenue from website: ~$4,800 to ~$21,000

### Recruiting - Applications received: 14 - Quality hires: 2 - Cost per hire: $0 - Indeed budget eliminated: $400/month saved

### Commercial Work - Commercial bids won (attributed to website credibility): 4 - Total commercial revenue: $72,000 - Previous year commercial revenue: $15,000

### Total Impact Greg's business grew by roughly $220,000 in annual revenue. Not all of it is directly from the website. But the website was the catalyst for everything... more residential calls, better recruits, and commercial credibility.

What Greg Learned

> "I thought a website was just for getting homeowner calls. I had no idea it would help me hire better people and win bigger jobs. It's not just a marketing tool. It's a business tool. Every serious plumbing company needs one."

What This Means for You

Your website can do more than ring your phone. It can:

1. Recruit: Good plumbers and apprentices research companies before applying. Give them something impressive to find (see our apprentice recruiting page guide)
2. Win bids: Property managers and GCs Google you. A professional website gives you an edge over competitors who don't have one
3. Build authority: A well-built website positions you as the established, professional choice in your market (learn about Google E-E-A-T for plumbers)
4. Compound over time: Every review, every project photo, every piece of content adds to your online presence

Stop thinking of your website as an expense. Start thinking of it as your hardest-working employee.

Check out our packages to see what a complete plumbing website looks like. We build careers pages, project portfolios, and commercial capability sections into every site.

Read what other plumbers say about the impact on their business.

Ready to build a website that does more than get calls? Get your free website audit.

P.S. Greg's two new hires are now fully ramped up. His crew went from 3 to 5, and he's handling 40% more jobs per month. The recruiting page that cost him nothing continues to bring in applications every month. Meanwhile, his competitors are still posting on Indeed and wondering why nobody good applies. Don't be them.