Last updated: October 2026
The main alternatives are Google Local Services Ads, your own Google and Meta Ads, local SEO with a strong Google Business Profile, referral partnerships, and done-for-you advertising with appointment setting. Which one fits depends on whether you want to share inquiries with competitors and who calls new inquiries back within minutes. MJPromo is one of these options: we run ads for one security company per territory and book qualified appointments into its calendar.
On lead marketplaces, one request is usually sold to several companies at once. Contractors commonly report three to five, sometimes more. Whoever calls first or quotes lowest tends to win, which pushes security companies into price competition on jobs that should be sold on trust and system design. You also pay for leads that do not always match your services or your area. Angi and HomeAdvisor belong to the same company today. In 2023 the Federal Trade Commission finalized an order against HomeAdvisor over how it marketed its leads to service providers.
| Option | Who else gets the inquiry | Who qualifies it | How you pay | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angi or HomeAdvisor (for reference) | Several companies | Nobody | Per lead | Filling gaps in the schedule |
| Thumbtack | Several companies can respond | Nobody | Per lead | Small residential jobs |
| Google Local Services Ads | The company the customer contacts, shown next to competitors | You, when you call back | Per lead | Companies with strong reviews that answer fast |
| Your own Google and Meta Ads | Only you | You, unless someone does it for you | Ad spend plus management | Companies with a team for fast follow-up |
| Local SEO and Google Business Profile | Only you | You | Time or an SEO retainer | Long-term visibility, slow to build |
| Referral partners | Only you | Your partner pre-screens | Relationship, sometimes a referral fee | Established companies with a network |
| Done-for-you ads plus appointment setting (MJPromo) | Only you, one company per territory | US-based team by phone | Program fee plus your own ad spend | Established companies that want booked appointments |
Local Services Ads appear at the top of Google for searches like security system installation near me. Home security is an eligible category in the US. You pay per lead, need a verified profile and good reviews, and the customer sees you next to other providers. It works well for companies that answer the phone immediately, because you do the qualifying yourself.
With your own campaigns every inquiry belongs to you. Google captures people already searching; Meta reaches business and property owners before they search. The catch is follow-up: an inquiry that waits hours for a call back is often gone, and someone has to sort out bad fits and out-of-area requests.
A complete Google Business Profile, steady reviews and service pages for your area bring inquiries you do not pay for per click. It takes months to build and works best as a long-term base next to a faster channel.
Property managers, insurance agents, electricians, builders and IT providers meet your buyers every day. A few good partners can send steady, pre-qualified work. Referrals are hard to plan, though, and slow down when your partners get busy.
This is what MJPromo does. We run Meta and Google Ads only inside your license area, work with one security company per territory, and have a US-based team call every inquiry, check service fit, location, decision authority and contact details, and book the appointment into your calendar. It is built for established companies with a team, not for anyone just getting started.
Ask yourself three questions:
If you want to own your inquiries but have no one to call them back fast, a done-for-you model with appointment setting fits best. If you have a fast office and strong reviews, Local Services Ads and your own ads are a good start.
Yes. Both belong to Angi Inc. For service providers, HomeAdvisor's lead program now runs under the Angi brand.
A Local Services lead goes to the company the customer contacts, but your ad is shown next to competitors, you pay per lead and you qualify the inquiry yourself.
Per lead, usually yes. Per booked appointment and per signed contract they can work out cheaper, because nobody else competes for the same inquiry. That is why we plan with cost per booked appointment, not with the price of a lead.