Let me be straight with you: Search Engine People is the real thing at scale. Founded in 2001, offices across Canada, 3,000+ clients, Google Premier Partner, calling themselves Canada’s largest digital marketing agency — and refreshingly honest, too: they openly say they cannot guarantee rankings or outcomes, and they publish rough engagement ranges, starting around $1,000/month and climbing to $30,000/month for complex work. For a mid-market company that needs SEO, paid, social, and analytics under one roof, they’re a legitimate choice.
But here’s the thing about being client number 2,847 at a generalist: your plumbing company is a vertical, not a specialty. They serve every industry in established markets; the person on your account may have spent last week on a SaaS funnel and next week on a retail launch. And while they recommend 4–12 month engagements with a notice period, what happens to the ad accounts and assets when you leave isn’t spelled out publicly — ask.
We’re the opposite animal on purpose. One niche — local service trades — for 15 years, 500+ owners, $20M+ in client revenue. One machine: done-for-you Google Ads in your account, your landing page, your call tracking, from $699/month public, month-to-month, 7-day full money-back guarantee, live in ~48 hours after setup. And if you genuinely need the full-stack agency — SEO retainers, social, HubSpot — we don’t do those; SEP may be your pick, and we’ll say so on the call.
| Search Engine People | Local Service Mastery (LSM AI) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Full-service Canadian digital agency: SEO, PPC, social, CRO, AI search — since 2001 | Done-for-you Google Ads + your own AI account manager, personally overseen by Lior |
| Specialization | All industries, all channels — 3,000+ clients | Local service trades only — HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical and kin |
| Published pricing | Ranges only: from ~$1,000/mo up to $30,000/mo — consultation required for a quote | Public, on the page: $699 / $1,499 / $2,450 per month |
| Commitment | No minimum contract, but 4–12 month engagements recommended, with a notice period | Month-to-month. Cancel anytime. 7-day full money-back guarantee |
| Guarantee | Honestly none — they state outcomes can’t be guaranteed | 7-day full money-back guarantee; you approve everything before launch |
| Who owns the ad account | Not stated publicly — ask what transfers when you leave | You. Your Google Ads account, your name — forever |
| Daily management | Account team cadence across a large client base | AI checks your account daily — trained on 8,600+ real coaching sessions |
| Time to launch | Typical agency onboarding — timelines not published | Live in ~48 hours after setup |
Search Engine People details from public sources (searchenginepeople.com) as of July 2026. Pricing and terms change — confirm directly with Search Engine People. Search Engine People™ is a trademark of its respective owner. Local Service Mastery is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Search Engine People. Comparison is based on publicly available information (searchenginepeople.com) as of July 2026; features and pricing change — verify all details directly with the vendor.
I’ve watched this movie for 15 years: an HVAC owner in Mississauga signs with a big, reputable agency. The team is smart, the reports are professional — and the strategy is the same playbook they run for lawyers, dentists, and e-commerce stores, with the trade names swapped in. Nobody on the account has ever heard a dispatcher book an emergency furnace call at 11pm, so nobody optimizes for the thing that actually matters: the phone.
The trades aren’t a vertical to me — they’re the whole business. Fifteen years of nothing but local service owners teaches you things no generalist deck contains: which keywords bring tire-kickers, what a landing page needs so a stressed homeowner calls instead of browsing, how seasonality should move budgets week by week. That knowledge is baked into an AI trained on 8,600+ of my real coaching sessions, working your account every day.
And the machine it manages is YOURS: your Google Ads account, your landing page, your call tracking numbers — in your name from day one, live in ~48 hours after setup, with me personally overseeing every account. 15–40 qualified calls per month typical in a medium market with a $1,000 ad budget — run the free estimate for your market. Big agencies are fine businesses. Owning your lead machine is a better one.
— Lior Vaknin, founder, Local Service Mastery
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— Lior Vaknin, founder, Local Service Mastery
Everything built inside your accounts. Owned by you.
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Starter
$699/mo
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Most popular
Growth
$1,499/mo
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Pro
$3,500/mo
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Enterprise
Custom
Book a call
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Included in every plan | ||||
| Google Ads campaign built for you | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| High-converting landing page | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Call tracking setup | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Competitor click blocking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Daily AI optimization & negative keywords | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Monthly performance report | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| LSM AI manager — 24/7 Q&A on your account | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Campaigns & coverage | ||||
| New campaigns per month | 1/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Cities covered | Start with 1 | Full area | Full area | Full area |
| Campaign duplication | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Support & extras | ||||
| Support | Standard | Priority | Live | Dedicated |
| Local SEO management | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Facebook / Meta Ads management | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| ChatGPT Ads management | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full LSM training access | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Weekly group coaching with Lior | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| White-label & custom solutions | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Book a call | ||||
The opposite of an agency. We build it inside your accounts. You own it all.
One city or your whole service area. The free audit tells you exactly what to expect in your market.
Your AI marketing manager builds your Google Ads, call tracking, fraud protection, and landing page — inside your accounts. You approve before a single dollar is spent.
Most clients are live within 48 hours. Your AI optimizes bids and keywords daily — results compound over time.
Built on 8,600+ real LSM coaching sessions. Trained in Lior's exact voice.
The moment you sign up, your LSM AI knows your plan, your city, your service. No setup call. No briefing a stranger.
Google Ads. Call tracking. Fraud protection. Your landing page. Built inside your accounts, step by step.
Before a single dollar is spent, your AI walks you through everything it built. You approve. Then it goes live.
Ask it anything, anytime. 8,600+ real LSM coaching answers. Available instantly.
The day you leave an agency, your Google Ads account, tracking numbers, and landing page are gone. You spent $30,000 building their asset.
Impressions. Clicks. CTR. Beautiful PDF every month. But when you ask how many jobs you closed — nobody has a straight answer.
You need answers now. A human account manager you can never reach isn't service — it's a subscription to uncertainty.
Not sure which plan fits your market? Book a free 15-minute call. I'll tell you honestly if I can help — and if I can't, I'll tell you that too.
— Lior
I built Local Service Mastery because I watched too many great contractors get burned by agencies — overcharged, locked out, left with nothing. So I flipped the model: your accounts, your data, your asset. We build it. You own it.
Peace,
Lior Vaknin
Only for the paid-search lead-generation piece. SEP is a full-stack agency — SEO retainers, social, content, CRO, HubSpot — and we deliberately do none of that. We build and run one thing: a Google Ads machine you own, for local service trades. If your company needs the multi-channel apparatus more than owned lead flow, SEP may be your pick — we’ll tell you honestly on the call.
They publish rough ranges rather than packages: ongoing work starting around $1,000/month, with complex engagements reaching $30,000/month or more — final numbers come from a consultation, and they recommend 4–12 month engagements. LSM’s pricing is fully public: $699, $1,499, or $2,450 per month, month-to-month, no setup fee, 7-day full money-back guarantee.
Yes — the machine is market-agnostic: high-intent Google Search in your city, dedicated landing page, call tracking, daily AI bid management, whether that city is Toronto, Calgary, or Halifax. 15–40 qualified calls per month typical in a medium market with a $1,000 ad budget — run the free estimate for your market and see your local numbers.
Depends on what you’re buying. Multi-channel breadth and enterprise process: big agency wins. Cost-effective lead flow from one high-intent channel: the specialist usually wins, because every lesson from 500+ shops in your exact trade compounds into your account. Either way, insist on owning your ad accounts — that question matters more than the logo on the proposal.
Start with Starter if you want to get your phone ringing in one city and grow from there — one new campaign gets added each month. Go with Growth if you're ready to cover your full service area right away. Pro adds local SEO, Facebook Ads, and weekly coaching with me directly. If you're still not sure, run the free audit — it'll tell you what to expect in your market.
Most clients are live within 48 hours of completing setup. Your LSM AI builds everything, you review and approve, then it goes live. The only exception is if Google requires advanced verification for your category (locksmith, garage door) — that's a direct process between you and Google, and we walk you through it.
Depends on your trade, your city, and your ad budget. The free audit gives you a real estimate pulled directly from Google's own Ads data — not a made-up projection. In a medium-to-large market with a $1,000/month ad budget, most clients get 15–40 qualified calls per month. Run the audit first to see what's realistic in your specific area.
Yes. The Google Ads account, the call tracking numbers, the landing page — all built inside your accounts, in your name. If you ever cancel, you walk away with everything you paid to build. That's not a policy. That's the whole point.
No contract, ever. Every plan is month-to-month. Cancel anytime — if we stop earning your business, you should stop paying.
No problem. You can connect your existing accounts, or we set everything up fresh for you. Your call — you pick during onboarding.
Yes — Google requires advanced verification for locksmith and garage door services before ads can run. We build your campaign and all your keywords, but you'll need to complete that verification with Google directly (we walk you through it). If for any reason you can't complete it, you're covered by our full 7-day refund.
We specialize in home and local services — HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, locksmith, garage door, pest control, carpet cleaning, water damage, tree service, and more. Run the free audit and you'll instantly see if we're a fit.
It's your personal AI marketing manager — trained on 8,600+ real LSM coaching sessions. Sign up and it's ready to go: builds your full campaign setup inside your accounts, reviews everything with you before anything goes live, and stays on 24/7 to answer any question about your campaigns, leads, or marketing strategy. In Lior's exact voice.
If you sign up and decide within 7 days that this isn't right for you — for any reason — you get a full refund. No hoops. We'd rather lose a bad fit early than keep a client who isn't seeing value.
Check your market, pick your plan, or grab 15 minutes with me. Let's get your phone ringing.
Local Service Mastery