These are the questions Manitoba trades owners ask most often before working with us. The short answers are above; the sections below cover the questions that need more space. If yours isn't here, call, text or email and ask it directly.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Manitoba.Network cost?
Our lowest plan, Growth, runs $1,999 a month or $1,499 a month on a yearly bill, and Manitoba clients add 5% GST. Google ad spend is separate. The pricing page shows all three plans.
Do I have to sign a long contract?
No. Plans are month-to-month with 30 days' notice to cancel. Annual billing lowers the monthly price in exchange for an annual commitment.
How long until I see results?
Profile and review improvements can change what customers see within weeks. Ads can produce calls within the first month. Organic ranking gains in Winnipeg usually take three to six months, sometimes less in regional centres.
We tried an agency before and it didn't work. Why would this be different?
Ask what went wrong first: usually it is untracked calls, one province-wide campaign, or reports full of clicks instead of jobs. We report booked jobs by town where we can match them, and you can leave with 30 days' notice if it isn't working.
Who owns the website, Google profile and ad accounts?
You do. They stay in your business's name, and if you leave you keep them, along with their history and data.
Can you promise rankings or a number of leads?
No. Nobody controls Google's results, and anyone who promises them is guessing or gaming the system. We commit to the work in the plan and to honest reporting.
Are you a contractor or a referral network?
Neither. We are not a contractor and don't install, repair or service anything. We don't list member firms, sell leads or run a paid membership. We market and advise your business.
Do you work outside Winnipeg?
Yes. We plan for Brandon and Westman, Steinbach and the southeast, Winkler and Morden, Portage la Prairie, Thompson and the north, and the towns around them.
What do the monthly reports show?
Calls from your profile, website and ads, booked jobs where we can match them, reviews and replies, referral sources and cost per booked job, split by town or Winnipeg community area.
Do you meet in person?
Yes. Consultations are available in person or by video call, as well as by phone, text, email and screen share, so clients in Thompson and Winnipeg get the same service.
Can you help with French-language marketing?
We can plan French pages and replies for businesses that can serve customers in French, for example in St. Boniface. We only recommend it if your team can deliver the service in French.
Do you give advice on licensing, permits or codes?
No. We aren't qualified to, and it isn't our role. We link to bodies such as the Office of the Fire Commissioner and Apprenticeship Manitoba so you can check your obligations directly.
Which trades do you work with?
Trades and home-service businesses in general, including heating and HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, renovation and outdoor trades. Our proven results are from our HVAC work, and we say so.
Costs and commitments
For a Winnipeg or regional trade the starting figure is $1,999 a month (or $1,499 a month paid annually) before 5% GST. Terms are month-to-month with 30 days' notice to cancel. Google ad spend is paid to Google, separately, and is set with you.
The question behind the question is usually "will it pay?" The honest test is simple: divide your monthly marketing cost by your gross profit per job. That is the number of extra jobs a month you need just to break even. Our pricing page walks through a worked example for a Brandon heating company.
What makes Manitoba different
Manitoba's population is concentrated in Winnipeg, with regional centres such as Brandon, Steinbach, Winkler and Portage la Prairie serving trading areas much larger than their own populations. That shapes everything:
- In Winnipeg, you compete for your part of the city, and visibility plus fast response wins.
- In regional centres, reputation and referrals carry more weight, and the job is to reach the towns around you.
- In the north, distance changes how customers find and book trades.
Each region has its own page in areas we serve.
If you've been burned by an agency before
Many owners we talk to have been. The common causes are worth knowing even if you never hire us:
- Nobody tracked the calls, so nobody knew what worked.
- One campaign covered all of Manitoba, and Winnipeg clicks ate the budget.
- Reports showed clicks and impressions, not jobs.
- The agency owned the accounts, so leaving meant starting over.
- Reviews were bought or faked, and the profile was penalised.
We fix the first four by design: call tracking, town-by-town campaigns, job-based reporting and accounts in your name. The fifth we simply never do. See how our reviews service works within Google's rules.
Timelines, in more detail
A Brandon furnace company and a Winnipeg roofer will see their first signs of progress in different places, so here is roughly what moves when.
- Weeks 1–3: access to your accounts, call tracking, profile fixes. Customers may notice a better profile almost immediately.
- Month 1: ads, if used, start producing calls. Expect adjustments as we learn which towns and searches pay.
- Months 2–3: the review routine is running and new town or community-area pages are live.
- Months 3–6: organic gains in Winnipeg start to show; in regional centres they often show earlier.
If your busy season starts in six weeks, say so on the first call. We will tell you honestly what can be ready in time and what can't. A heating trade calling us in late October, for instance, can usually have tracking, profile fixes and fenced ads ready for the first cold spell, but new organic rankings will mostly help the following winter. An outdoor trade calling in February is in a better spot: there is time to have pages, reviews and ads in place before the frost leaves the ground.
Ownership and leaving
Your Google Business Profile, website, domain, ad accounts and call-tracking numbers should all be in your business's name. If an agency set them up in its own name in the past, we help you recover access. If you leave us, you keep everything and give 30 days' notice. Nothing is held back.
What we will never do
- Promise rankings, leads or revenue
- Write or buy reviews
- Create profiles at addresses you don't operate from
- Give licensing, permit, code or legal advice
- Do or subcontract any trade work
We are a marketing and consulting service, not a contractor. If you want to talk it through, see the contact page, or start with our services.