E48: How to Fill Your Sales Funnel and Actually Get Customers to Your Website
If you have a website but still feel invisible online, this episode is for you. I see too many local service businesses build the foundation and then stop, expecting customers to magically show up. That’s not how growth works.
In part two of the Marketing Domination series, I walk through exactly how to start filling your sales funnel once the foundation is built. I break down organic versus paid traffic, explain what a real holistic SEO strategy looks like today, and show you how social media and paid ads should actually fit into your marketing plan.
If you want more traffic, better leads, and a system that compounds over time instead of burning money, this episode will give you the clarity you’ve been missing.
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P.S. When you are ready, here are a few ways I can help…
Get Your FREE Marketing Domination Checklist: https://www.seangarner.co/
FREE Marketing Assessment | Discover what's wrong with your marketing & get a FREE customized plan to fix it: https://www.seangarner.co/marketingreport
Schedule A Call to Build, Fill, and Optimize Your Sales Funnel For More Leads: https://www.seangarner.co/
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Sean Garner is a marketing consultant and Certified StoryBrand guide dedicated to helping small business owners grow and dominate their industries. He created the Marketing Domination podcast to teach people how to combine storytelling with strategic marketing to help businesses connect with customers and stand out online.
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MARKETING DOMINATION PODCAST
Introduction
Sean Garner [00:00]: Okay, here we go. So if you are a local service business that is looking to dominate online with your marketing in 2026, this is part two of our series on everything you need to make sure your business grows and stands out from the competition. And it is all about the most important thing. How do you actually get customers to come to your website once you have built the thing? We are going to break it down step by step so you know exactly what you need to do to make your business stand out online. Welcome to Marketing Domination.
Building the Sales Funnel Foundation
Sean Garner [01:38]: Okay, so this is part two in our series. If you have not watched part one, you need to go back to the previous episode. It lays the foundation for this marketing domination framework that we use at our agency, Sean Garner Consulting. We have seen this work for hundreds of local service businesses to grow and stand out online so they can dominate as industry leaders. And it is all about laying the foundation of building your sales funnel.
We talked about what a sales funnel is. It is not a landing page or a piece of software. It is a relationship journey from start to finish, from people not knowing who you are to becoming super fan customers for life. It is everything you need to build to lay the foundation of your marketing.
We started with a quick recap. Number one is your brand. Remember, your brand is the visual aspect and the words that you use. As a certified StoryBrand guide, we love the StoryBrand framework and we use it to create all of the brand messaging for our clients. The second thing you need is a website. Remember, the point of your website is to do two things. Make you money and collect leads. If it is not doing those things, we do not need it to be a digital billboard. We want to grow our business.
We walked step by step through all the different sections you need on your homepage, how to structure your sitemap to know what pages to build, and how to make sure you have a solid website that actually works. The third part of the sales funnel is a lead generator. This is something on your website that creates an exchange of value. It does three things. It has a clear and catchy title. It positions you as the guide and expert. And it gives your customer a quick win or first step in the process.
This can look like PDFs, checklists, mini courses, quizzes, anything where we can capture their information so we can move them into the next part of the sales funnel, which is a sales sequence. This is a series of five to six emails that remind the customer of the problem they are dealing with, position your product or service as the solution, show case studies and testimonials, and include a strong call to action sales email.
After that, we talked about building out your complete digital storefront. This includes your Google Business Profile, other directories like Yelp, Bing Places, all the different citations you can get, and all of your social media profiles. You want to make sure they all have a consistent, clear image, your bio filled out, and your contact information listed. Phone number, website, email, however you want customers to reach out to you.
Locking Down Your Digital Storefront and CRM
Sean Garner [03:36]: Even if you are not posting on those profiles, we want to lock all of them up because people are searching everywhere. We want our business to show up everywhere. Then we get into what we are talking about today, which is cross posting content. But first, we want to make sure we have all of those profiles locked down.
The last part of the sales funnel is a CRM. This is where all of your customer data lives in one place so it is not lost in spreadsheets or buried in email inboxes. It is a place where we can remarket, retarget, and communicate with our customer data. Your customer list is the most valuable asset you have, way more valuable than any social media platform.
All of these things need to be built in order to have the foundation of your marketing set. To me, having these pieces in place means you can finally start doing real marketing. One of the biggest mistakes I see local service business owners make is trying to use fill tactics before the foundation is set. What happens is you waste money on paid ads and content creation and wonder why nothing is working. The reason is simple. You have holes in your bucket.
This gives you a solid bucket. When you start filling it with leads, you have a place to capture them, nurture them, and move them through the relationship stages. After that, the second phase of marketing domination is filling the funnel. Just because you built it does not mean your business will grow. It means you now have the capacity to fill it and a better chance to convert prospects into paying customers.
When it comes to filling your sales funnel, there are really only two ways to do it. Organic or paid. Time or money. I think you should do both, but what I personally like to start with is organic. The reason is simple. I do not want to pay for things I can get for free. I see too many businesses waste money on ads when they have not even optimized the organic opportunities they already have.
The Five Pillars of a Holistic SEO Strategy
Sean Garner [05:51]: So what I mean by organic is that the main focus for us with local service businesses is SEO, search engine optimization, which is now really search everywhere optimization. There is a big misconception among local business owners about what SEO actually is. Just like we talked about in the last episode with websites, people check the box and say, I have a website.
They do the same thing with SEO. They check the box and say, no, I am doing SEO. But because they do not fully understand what a holistic SEO strategy looks like, they might be paying an agency or paying someone and think they are doing SEO, without understanding what it actually takes.
At our agency, Sean Garner Consulting, we focus on a holistic SEO strategy. What that means is there are five pillars of SEO, and we want to make sure all of those boxes are checked. If even one is missing, that is when SEO does not work. SEO only works as well as your ability to execute the full strategy.
So a holistic SEO strategy looks like this. Number one is technical SEO. This includes things like site title tags, meta descriptions, making sure links are working, and making sure your website is technically sound. If we think about your website and your entire sales funnel as a house, the technical SEO is the foundation and the studs. It is the stuff you cannot really see, but if it is not done right, the whole thing falls apart.
A lot of technical SEO is a one time setup. Typically, when you build a new website and someone says it is SEO optimized, that usually means they handled the technical setup. They fixed broken links, made sure every page has proper title tags and meta descriptions, and structured the pages the way search engines want to see them.
A lot of business owners are paying for ongoing technical SEO services, but it is not really moving the needle. The reason is because they are missing the other four pillars of a holistic SEO strategy. Once your technical SEO is set, unless you are adding content, which is another major pillar, there should not be constant fixes needed. You do need to maintain it, but technical SEO on its own is not the full strategy.
Sean Garner [07:54]: The second pillar of SEO is UX, or user experience. This is one of the biggest ranking factors for search engines like Google. When someone comes to your website, do they actually take an action?
Think about how Google works. Their primary revenue source is ad revenue. They make money because they are really good at showing people what they are looking for. So if someone searches for Plumber Dallas, your website shows up, they click it, and then immediately leave without scrolling, clicking, or engaging, Google sees that as a bad result.
In Google’s algorithm, that tells them this website did not give the user what they were looking for. As a result, they will push that website lower in the rankings. That is why user experience matters so much.
We want your website set up to do what we talked about earlier, make money and collect leads. That means fast load times, clean and clear navigation, and a site structure that makes it easy for people to find what you do. This goes back to having solid brand messaging. Your website should quickly and clearly communicate what you do, how you help, and what action someone should take next.
Your call to action buttons need to work. That ties back into technical SEO. No broken links. No dead ends. You also want engaging content, like video or interactive elements, that keeps people on the page longer. All of this plays into user experience, and all of it impacts how well your website ranks as part of a holistic SEO strategy.
Sean Garner [10:09]: The third pillar of a holistic SEO strategy is content. This is what most people think of when they hear SEO. They say, yeah, we have a content writer. We are adding blogs and content to the website, which is great. But remember, if you do not have the technical setup and the user experience dialed in, your content is going to fall flat.
When we create content, Google wants to see that we are adding information to the website on a regular and consistent basis. At a minimum, we are typically adding at least one page of content per week for our clients. That can look like blogs, but I do not want you to get locked into thinking that weekly blogging is the only option. You can do it, and you should, but it is not always the best strategy for every market.
One of the most important things to understand about SEO is that it is a competition. If your competitors are doing something and you are not, you have to catch up. You are competing in the same training program. SEO, or search everywhere optimization, is all about proving to Google that you deserve to rank where you are. It is not about tricking the algorithm. It is about being very clear about what you do and how you do it.
If your competitors are adding a lot of content and you are not, Google may see them as having more knowledge and authority on the topic. That is why content matters. As you create content, you want to think in terms of a topical map. That means covering all the different angles of your core topic.
For example, if you are a medical spa in Miami, you want content that covers all of the treatments you offer and all the reasons people would be searching for your services. People may not read those blogs and convert right away, but that content builds topical authority. Your main service and location pages then have a better chance to rank higher because you are supporting them with internal links from your content.
Sean Garner [12:19]: This structure helps Google see you as an expert, an authoritative, and a trustworthy source for the products and services you sell. The fourth pillar of holistic SEO is authority.
When we talk about authority, we are talking about backlinks, citations, and digital referrals. Google uses authority as one of the main signals to decide who should rank where. Authority is built when other websites that Google already knows, likes, and trusts link back to your website.
This is why we do things like digital press releases, guest posting on other websites, building citations, and creating directory listings. We take trustworthy sources and point them back to your site. This is one of the most overlooked parts of SEO because a lot of business owners do not fully understand how important it is.
This is especially true now with large language models like ChatGPT. One of the authority signals these platforms look for is brand mentions. When you are doing digital PR, guest posting, appearing on podcasts, and getting mentioned across the internet, your brand starts to show up everywhere. As these models crawl the web, they see your brand consistently connected to your industry.
Building backlinks and authority is one of the most time consuming, difficult, and expensive parts of SEO. But when I see businesses get stuck, this is almost always the piece they have neglected. It does not matter how much content you add, how fast your website loads, or how clear your calls to action are. If there is no authority and no trust, Google will not show your business when potential customers are searching for what you offer.
Sean Garner [14:26]: The fifth and final aspect of a holistic SEO strategy is local SEO. This is making sure your local directories are set up properly, starting with your Google Business Profile. This is huge for local search because it helps your business show up in the top three map pack results when someone searches for your service in your area.
That is obviously important for Google, but remember, we are talking about search everywhere optimization. We also want to make sure your listings are built out on platforms like Bing Places, Yelp, Trustpilot, and other directories. What we have found with our clients is that large language models like ChatGPT and Perplexity are not only pulling from Google Business Profile reviews. They are also pulling from third party sources like Yelp, Trustpilot, and other review platforms.
To maximize local SEO, we want to lock up all of those citations, directories, local chamber links, and listings. This shows Google and other search engines that your business is everywhere and that you are a real local entity. You are not a national company trying to rank everywhere. You are a local business serving a specific city, and all of this needs to be set up correctly.
That is a holistic SEO strategy. I know I talk fast, but if you have been listening to all of this and thinking, we are not doing all of that, then in my mind, you are not really doing SEO. You might be doing part of it, but not the whole thing.
It is very similar to health and fitness. If you only fix your nutrition, you will get a little healthier. But unless you combine nutrition with workouts, recovery, supplementation, and consistency, you are not maximizing your results. SEO works the same way.
If you do not have this full holistic SEO strategy in place, that is probably why organic marketing has not been working for you or why you are frustrated with the results. If you want to show up everywhere, Google, Bing, Perplexity, Claude, ChatGPT, all of these platforms require this type of strategy.
And by the way, at Sean Garner Consulting, this is exactly what we do for local service businesses every single day.
Using Social Media Without Burning Out
Sean Garner [16:43]: If you want us to implement a strategy like this inside your business, book a call with me at seangarner.co. I would love to talk with you and show you how we can help your business grow.
The next aspect of filling your sales funnel is still organic, and that is social media. I know when social media comes up, a lot of businesses cringe and think they have to make TikTok dance videos. You do not. That is not for every brand. But in today’s world, you do need to have a presence on these platforms.
You need to be there, but you do not need to do the trendy stuff if it does not fit your brand. There are really two ways to use social media as a business. The first is as a sales tool. This means posting thought leadership content, teaching and training on what you do, positioning yourself as the expert, and using direct messages to turn conversations into clients.
That approach can work, but it is not for everyone, especially a lot of local service businesses. It may not be the best place to start. I would start with organic search and SEO first and make sure that is locked down.
For most local service businesses, social media should be more of a billboard strategy. Instead of feeling like you need to post three times a day or go live constantly, focus on simple, consistent content. Things like graphics, case studies, testimonials, job site photos, before and after pictures, helpful tips, or quick videos shot on your phone.
You do not need to go extreme. What I see work really well is around 12 posts per month, something like a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. On top of that, you can add automations, which we will talk about in the next video, and repurpose things like Google and Yelp reviews into posts. When you add it all up, your social profiles stay active without you needing to film 30 videos a month, because nobody has time for that.
Sean Garner [19:04]: You are a business owner, and you are busy. If you do not want to use social media as a direct sales channel, that is fine. Just make sure you understand how it fits into your overall marketing plan. Do not feel pressured to create a ton of content just to keep up, because that leads to frustration when it does not work. What you do need is a simple plan that creates consistent posting.
Personally, the easiest way I have found to create video content is a video podcast like this. I believe every local service business should consider doing one. Not to create the next Joe Rogan podcast, but to get the knowledge out of your head and recorded. From one long form video, you can create tons of short clips.
A lot of the thought leadership content you see online is not even a real podcast. It is just someone talking through a topic on camera, but it looks like an interview. That works. You can also use a video podcast to build relationships, grow your network, and connect with people in your local market or your dream 100 list.
It is not for everyone, but I wish it were, because even if the podcast never gets huge downloads, the return on your time is massive. You get your ideas out there, and your content team can turn that transcript into written content that actually sounds like you. It is your perspective, not generic advice pulled from the internet. That matters a lot in today’s AI heavy world.
So to recap, organic is where you start. SEO and social, using them in the right way. The second way to fill your funnel is paid ads. When it comes to paid ads for local service businesses, my favorite place to start is Google, specifically something called LSA, or local service ads.
Paid Traffic That Actually Makes Sense for Local Businesses
Sean Garner [21:20]: This service is not available for every industry or every market, but if it is, it delivers one of the best returns on your ad spend. Here is why. It is a Google ad product called Local Service Ads. You can literally search Google for local service ads.
If you are, for example, a hair salon, you can set up your Google LSA account so your ad only shows to people searching for hair salon services in the areas you serve. The best part is you only pay when you get a lead.
When you search for something like a plumber in Chicago and see the first results labeled Google Guaranteed or Sponsored with a small photo, those are LSA ads. The business does not pay for impressions and does not pay for clicks. They only pay when someone calls them or sends a message through the ad.
That is what makes this so powerful. It is not like pay per click ads or Meta ads where you pay for views or clicks. You only pay when a real lead comes in. The tradeoff is that the leads cost more, but they are much higher quality. These people are actively looking for your service, and if you have a decent sales process, they are very close to becoming a customer.
This is why I like to start businesses here, especially if they are new to paid ads. If you have never run ads before, check if your business is eligible for Google LSA and get it set up as soon as possible.
The next paid option is Google pay per click ads, also known as PPC. I like this option as well, especially for newer businesses that are struggling to rank organically for certain keywords. Remember, SEO and authority take time to build. While that is happening, PPC allows you to show up for the keywords your customers are already searching for.
This gives your business visibility right away and the opportunity to convert those searches into customers. You can also start PPC with a smaller budget and scale it as you see results.
Sean Garner [23:41]: If you are looking for a starting point on budget, start with around 20 to 30 dollars a day. That gives you enough data to see how your market responds. Pay per click ads can be a great return on investment, but only if you have your foundation set up first.
Where I see people struggle with PPC is when they drive traffic to landing pages or websites that were not converting organically and then wonder why they do not convert when they add ad spend. You have to make sure the foundation is in place. The sales funnel we talked about in the previous video needs to be fully built before you run PPC. Otherwise, you are wasting money filling a bucket with holes.
The next paid way to fill the funnel is social ads. This includes platforms like TikTok, Meta on Facebook and Instagram, and LinkedIn. For most local service businesses, these are not the most profitable or highest return options.
All of these strategies layer on top of each other. If you are eligible, start with LSA. Then move to PPC. After that, you can consider paid social ads. When it comes to paid social, this is usually not for cold traffic. Cold traffic means people who do not know your brand.
For local service businesses, paid social should focus on retargeting. That means showing ads only to people who have already visited your website or landing page but did not book a call or download your lead magnet. I always tell clients, you are not that special. People do not scroll Instagram thinking they need a new garage door or a plumber. But if they were already searching and then jump over to social media, that is where retargeting ads work. Those ads remind them to go back and finish booking the service.
I do not believe that cold traffic social ads are the best use of budget for most local service businesses. It can depend on the market, but I have rarely seen it be the most effective option. Typically, that money is better spent on LSA, PPC, or other channels.
What Comes Next Optimizing and Scaling the Funnel
Sean Garner [25:52]: The last paid ways to fill the funnel are things like networking groups, conferences, meetups, local chamber of commerce events, and even going on other people’s podcasts. Some of these are paid, and some are free. These are usually lower priority for me.
My general order is LSA, then PPC, then local networking, then paid social, and finally other paid opportunities. These could include influencer partnerships with local influencers who have strong blogs or social followings in your area.
As you can see, there is a lot that goes into getting people to show up on your website, and it only works if you have a solid sales funnel foundation. Once that is in place, you move into phase two, filling the funnel and driving traffic.
The next step is optimization. How do we make sure the traffic coming in is the right traffic? How do we automate and scale this process? That is what the next video is all about, step three of marketing domination, optimizing your sales funnel.
Make sure you watch that video. If you have not watched the previous one, go back and make sure your foundation is solid. We just covered how to fill the funnel. Next, we will show you how to optimize it.
Sean Garner [28:13]: You want to make sure these strategies are executed at a high level. I would love the opportunity to speak with you. These are the exact types of strategies our agency, Sean Garner Consulting, implements for local service based businesses just like yours. Go to seangarner.co and book a call with me. I will personally do a deep dive audit of your marketing. You and I will jump on a call, and we will show you how to implement these strategies so your business can grow and dominate online.
