Obieo case study · My own roofing company
I spent tens of thousands on an agency. Then I rebuilt the site myself.
The new Lapeyre Roofing site brought in 755 clicks from Google in three months—up 54% from the previous period.
Chapter 1
The $2,500/Month Disappointment
I run Lapeyre Roofing — a real roofing company serving Texas and Louisiana. Real crews. Real trucks. Real customers who need their roofs fixed after storms.
Like most home service business owners, I knew I needed to show up on Google. So I did what everyone tells you to do: I hired an agency. A reputable one. The kind with case studies and testimonials and a slick sales process.
The invoice was $2,500 per month. And for months, I paid it. Trusting the process. Waiting for results.
"Every month I got a report I didn't understand, sent by a person I'd never met, about work I couldn't verify."
Chapter 2
The Moment I Knew
It hit me during one of those monthly "strategy" calls. The account manager — my fourth in two years — was walking me through another PDF full of graphs. He couldn't tell me which services were actually generating leads. He didn't know my service area. He mispronounced my company name.
I wasn't a client. I was a line item.
The agency had 200+ clients. My account was managed by someone who managed 40 other accounts. They were applying the same template to my roofing company that they applied to dentists, lawyers, and plumbers. No understanding of storm season. No understanding of what makes homeowners trust a roofer.
I had spent tens of thousands of dollars and felt no closer to dominating my market.
Chapter 3
I Did It Myself
I canceled the contract. Then I did something that would have seemed crazy a year earlier: I rebuilt everything myself.
I learned what makes a local company show up on Google. Then I rewrote the site using the knowledge you only get from actually running a roofing company. I made it easier for homeowners to find the right service, understand their options, and feel confident enough to call.
Most importantly, I understood something the agency never did: homeowners don't want a vendor. They want someone they can trust with their biggest investment.
Every word on my new site was written to build that trust. No stock photos. No generic "we're the best" claims. Just honest, specific information about how we work and why.
Chapter 4 · The result
More people found the business—and clicked through
From May through July 2026, Google sent 755 people to Lapeyre Roofing. That was 54% more than the previous three months.
The business appeared in search nearly 155,000 times. Not every ranking improved; the pages that slipped also gave us a clear next list to fix.
Google Search performance · verified
Latest three months
154,951
times seen by homeowners
Previous three months
122K
times seen by homeowners
Clicks to site
755
More clicks
+54%
Previous clicks
489
Chapter 5
Homeowners Are Asking AI Who to Call
Six weeks after launching the new site, I asked Gemini: "I need a roof replaced here in Austin, Texas. What are some companies I should call?"
Community favorites highly mentioned on Reddit and Nextdoor
Recent threads from Austin homeowners often highlight smaller or more specialized companies that excel at communication and insurance handling.
Lapeyre Roofing
Multiple recent discussions identify this company as a strong choice for insurance claim handling (specifically with carriers like State Farm) and responsiveness. Users have noted them for being a "smaller company with good people" and for effective communication during the claims process.
Lapeyre Roofing is being recommended alongside companies that have been in business for 40-50 years — Kidd Roofing (since 1982), Ja-Mar (50+ years), Wilson Roofing. Companies with decades of brand recognition.
Homeowners are no longer using Google alone. They are asking AI tools who to call, and the companies those tools trust can make the shortlist before a homeowner ever visits a directory.
Most agencies are still catching up. I have been building for this new way of searching from day one.
What I Learned
The Agency Model Is Broken for Home Services
Most SEO agencies are built to scale. More clients, more revenue, more account managers managing more accounts. It works for their business model. It doesn't work for yours.
Here's what they don't understand about home service businesses:
- 01
Busy seasons change the plan
A roofer in Texas has different busy seasons than one in Minnesota. Your marketing should match when homeowners actually need you.
- 02
Trust gets the call
Homeowners are inviting strangers onto their property to work on their biggest investment. That requires a different kind of marketing.
- 03
A strong local name opens the next market
The contractor with great reviews in one city has something real to build on when expanding into the next one.
- 04
Homeowners are asking AI who to hire
ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI are becoming another place where homeowners build their contractor shortlist.
The Mission
Why I Started Obieo
I know how hard it is to earn a dollar in this industry. I know what it feels like to write a $2,500 check every month and wonder if anyone at that agency actually cares whether your phone rings.
Obieo exists to save other home service business owners from that experience.
I keep my client list small — intentionally. I'm not trying to build a 200-client agency. I want a handful of home service companies I can actually help. Companies where I learn your specific market, understand your seasonality, and care about your results like they're my own.
Because in a way, they are. I'm still running Lapeyre Roofing. I'm testing every idea on my own business before I recommend it to you. When something stops working, I know before you do — because I see it in my own numbers first.
- Work with me directly
- No account managers or hand-offs. You text, email, or call me; I am the one doing the work.
- Tested on my own company
- Everything I recommend has faced a real test inside Lapeyre Roofing first.
- A deliberately small client list
- I work with a handful of companies so I can understand each market and stay close to the result.
- Built for the way search is changing
- I prepare clients for the places homeowners now build a shortlist—including Google and AI search.
Tired of Feeling Like a Number?
Let's talk. No sales pitch. No pressure. Just a conversation about your business and whether I can actually help.
Or email me directly: hunter@obieo.com