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Build demand for your business

Angi and Thumbtack alternatives for service businesses

Bring customers to your business through a website you own, local SEO and Google Ads, with fees agreed before the work starts.

Build my next source of leads Call our AI receptionist now (503) 766-5964
Drake’s 7 Dees garden center and landscaping website homepage
744leads in 60 days (Drake’s 7 Dees)
Google Partner badge Google PartnerView our Partners listing 5.0on Google · read our reviews
2010Lithium Marketing, established in 2010
$10M+Over $10 million in Google ad spend managed

Businesses we’ve worked with

  • Willard Power Vac
  • Sarkinen Plumbing
  • Robinson Restoration
  • Town & Country Glass
  • Dixie Glass
  • Byers Septic Service
  • F&W Fence Co.
  • Drake’s 7 Dees
  • Rickabaugh Construction
  • Hillsview Building
  • Dozer Dave
  • Mt. Hood Pro Painting
  • On-Target Landscape
  • Atiyeh Bros Carpet
  • Lovett
  • Westmore Construction
  • Northwest New Homes
  • Porter Sealcoating & Paving
  • RescueHero Restoration
  • Panda Plumbing
  • Biermann Plumbing & Heating
  • Ballistic Junk Removal
  • Smart Doors LLC
  • Peak Performance Roofing
  • Deluxe Heating & Cooling
  • Lifetime Exteriors
  • Bruce Johnson Construction
  • Madrone Painting
  • Smart Tree Service
  • Premier Gutter Cover
  • NW Pacific Electric
  • Universal HVAC
  • Lenny Martin Painting
  • Next Level Decks & Exteriors
  • Prodan Construction
  • Smooth Rollin’ Sealcoating and Paving
  • Lovett Restoration
  • Greenlight Titles
  • G.W. Hartley IV
  • Advanced Coatings
  • Thomson Equipment
  • MyADU

Build demand for your business

Give customers a reason to ask for your company by name.

You have work to finish and a schedule to fill. Marketing should help the right customers find you before you spend your afternoon chasing them.

Lithium Marketing is an Angi and Thumbtack alternative for owners who want to build their own source of inquiries. We build the website, improve your local search presence and manage Google Ads around the services and areas that make sense for your business.

A prospective customer can see your projects, understand the work you take on and contact your team directly. That gives them a reason to choose you beyond being one of the contractors responding to a request.

You keep the website and content you paid for. As your business grows, those pages can keep introducing customers to your work.

Agreed work. Clear fees. Your ad account.

Lithium charges for the website, SEO or advertising work you agree to. There is no additional fee from us each time your website or SEO brings an inquiry.

You own your Google Ads account and pay Google directly. Our management fee is separate, so you can see the advertising charges and the cost of managing the campaigns without untangling a combined bill.

See the cost of working with Lithium

The short answer

How the costs work, channel by channel.

Compare what you are buying and what stays with your business. Website, SEO and advertising work can be scoped separately.

What you pay for

Angi Leads
A fee for each matched lead, with fees varying by job size
Thumbtack
Thumbtack describes charging for customers who contact you directly
Lithium Marketing
A website (typically $5,000 per project), SEO ($1,300–$3,000 a month) or Google Ads management (from $500 a month, plus ad spend)

Other pros on the same request

Angi Leads
Its FAQ says requests connect consumers with multiple professionals
Thumbtack
Customers can approach other pros; a lead is not a guaranteed booking
Lithium Marketing
Your website inquiry comes to you. The customer can still shop around independently

If you don’t win the job

Angi Leads
Nonresponse and losing a job do not qualify for credits. Some mismatches, duplicates and incorrect contact details may qualify
Thumbtack
Check the refund policy for your current plan and interaction type
Lithium Marketing
No per-lead charge from Lithium for website or SEO inquiries. Google Ads charges for clicks, including clicks that do not become jobs

Policy sources: Angi Leads FAQ (opens in a new tab); Angi credit guidelines (opens in a new tab); Thumbtack moderator’s July 2024 explanation of direct leads (opens in a new tab). Reviewed October 18, 2026. Check the current terms of your own plan.

Why owners look for alternatives

A paid inquiry still has to earn its place in your day.

Unanswered messages, shared requests and disappointing job economics recur in contractor discussions about Angi and Thumbtack. Your time belongs in that calculation too.

Spend your quoting time on work that fits.

Calling an unresponsive prospect three times takes you away from a customer you already have. When the request finally turns into a conversation, you still need to find out whether the job fits your service area, crew and schedule.

Lithium puts those decisions into the marketing. Service pages explain the work you accept. Local search and advertising focus on the places you serve. Your project examples help customers recognize the right company before they call, giving your team a more useful starting point for the estimate.

Related concerns: A handyman’s Angi Ads experience (opens in a new tab). This account concerns Angi Ads, not every Angi Leads plan.

Let customers get to know you before comparing quotes.

When several contractors pursue the same request, you can spend the first conversation finding out how far the customer has already shopped. Your own website gives you room to show what your crew does well, explain your process and make the next step clear.

An inquiry through that site comes to your business; Lithium does not distribute it to a list of participating pros. Customers can still compare providers independently, and no lead source guarantees a job. The opportunity is to enter that conversation with a customer who has already seen a reason to hire you.

Related concerns: An electrical contractor’s Thumbtack experience (opens in a new tab). The contractor also credits Thumbtack with an excellent major project. These are individual accounts, not typical-results data.

Your own channels

Build a source of work you can keep improving.

Start where your business needs the most help, whether that is getting found, turning visitors into inquiries or handling the calls you already receive.

Make your work easier to chooseA WordPress website puts your services and project examples in front of customers, with a clear way to call or request a quote. Typical builds take six to nine weeks.Learn more Get found for the services you want to sellLocal SEO, useful service pages and Google Business Profile work help customers discover your company when they search for the work you do.Learn more Put your budget behind suitable searchesGoogle Ads targeting and relevant landing pages connect your offer to what a customer needs. GA4 and call tracking help show which campaigns bring inquiries.Learn more Keep taking inquiries while you workOur managed AI receptionist answers around the clock, qualifies callers and books appointments. It can transfer a call to your team using your business’s rules.Learn more

The work behind the results.

Read the case studies
Drake’s 7 Dees: leads in 60 days with website, SEO and Google Ads work
744
Drake’s 7 Dees: leads in 60 days with website, SEO and Google Ads work
Robinson Restoration: organic traffic with SEO alone
26X
Robinson Restoration: organic traffic with SEO alone
Byers Septic Service: organic traffic with website, SEO and Google Ads work
9X
Byers Septic Service: organic traffic with website, SEO and Google Ads work

See the projects: Drake’s 7 Dees, Robinson Restoration and Byers Septic Service. These are individual client results; your market and starting point will differ.

Put the jobs beside the bill

A cheaper lead can still buy you a more expensive job.

Track the work you book, not the number of notifications. A busy inbox is little comfort when the crew still has a gap on Thursday.

Here is an illustration, not an industry benchmark. Imagine spending $1,000 on 20 inquiries and booking two jobs. The inquiries cost $50 each, but acquiring each booked job cost $500. A different channel spending the same $1,000 and booking five jobs costs $200 per booked job, even if it sends fewer inquiries.

Then look at the margin on those jobs. A full day of low-margin work may be less useful than one suitable repair or installation. Include your time returning calls and preparing estimates when judging whether a source deserves more attention.

For Google Ads, count both the ad charges and management fee. For SEO, use the agreed retainer and give the work a meaningful evaluation period. Do not compare a marketplace bill with an ad budget that leaves out the agency’s fee.

Know which marketing deserves more budget.

Lithium uses GA4 and call tracking to identify inquiry sources. Your job records add the part that matters to the business: what booked and whether it was worth doing.

Together, those records let us discuss the services bringing useful work and the inquiries taking your team off course. You can make the next spending decision with more than a lead count.

A transition you can afford

Build the next source of work before cutting off the last one.

A marketplace that brings profitable jobs can remain part of your plan. Build your own search presence alongside it, then move budget as you see which sources bring the work you want.

Your first call is with co-founder DJ Van Zanten. Bring your website address, recent lead costs and a few examples of jobs you would like more of. We will discuss where your marketing is losing opportunities and which work deserves your next investment.

You do not need a perfect spreadsheet or a decision to cancel anything before we talk.

Plan my next source of jobs with DJ

FAQ

Angi and Thumbtack questions from pros.

DJ Van Zanten

Still curious?

Call (503) 766-5964 or email [email protected].

Do I need a new website to work with Lithium?

That depends on the site you already have. Bring its address to your strategy call so we can discuss whether it supports the services you want to promote. Website, SEO and Google Ads work are scoped separately.

How soon can my own search presence bring inquiries?

Google Ads typically produces initial results within the first week; SEO takes longer. Local and long-tail rankings typically move in 60 to 90 days, with revenue building from month four. Your competition and starting point affect the timeline.

How much do service businesses typically spend on Google Ads?

A typical service business working with Lithium Marketing budgets $2,000–$5,000 a month for Google Ads, paid separately from the management fee.

Will I be locked into a long contract to build my own channels?

Service agreements typically start with six months, then renew monthly with 30 days’ cancellation notice. The AI receptionist has no contract, and you can cancel it anytime.

Who owns the website if I change agencies later?

You own the domain, hosting, content and WordPress installation. Another WordPress developer can maintain the site. Your investment in the website stays with your business if you choose a different provider.

Should I cancel Angi or Thumbtack before starting SEO?

Keep a channel that produces profitable jobs while you evaluate other sources. SEO takes time, so replacing an active source of work overnight can create a gap. Compare booked jobs and costs, then decide what to retain, reduce or replace. Review any existing agreement before changing a subscription or payment arrangement.

Can Google Ads also produce poor leads?

Yes. Search terms, geographic targeting and landing pages need attention as a campaign runs. Tell us which inquiries are unsuitable and which become valuable jobs, so campaign decisions reflect the work your business can use.

Is an agency worthwhile for a small service business?

Start with the value and margin of the work you want, your capacity to take it, and the budget you can sustain. A small operator may need a focused website or one acquisition channel rather than a large package. Bring your current lead costs to the first call so the discussion starts with the economics of your business.

Angi, Angi Leads and Thumbtack are trademarks of their owners. Lithium Marketing is not affiliated with either company. Policy descriptions cite their help pages and moderator guidance; customer accounts are attributed separately. Terms can change, so confirm them in your pro account.

Free action plan

Talk through your lead costs with DJ.

Book a 30-minute strategy call with DJ, or call (503) 766-5964.

What we’ll cover

  • What’s working (and what isn’t) in your current marketing
  • Site and funnel gaps that are costing you leads
  • Local SEO and paid traffic opportunities
  • Simple tracking and KPIs to measure success
(503) 766-5964 [email protected]

2000 NE 42nd Ave Ste D Unit 2370, Portland, OR 97213

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