
Lead Generation Vs Marketing Agencies: What Local Businesses Actually Need
Compare lead generation vs marketing agencies, including cost, results and control, so you can choose the right growth model for your business.
I’m Brad Russell, a digital marketer specialising in SEO-driven lead generation for local service businesses.
I started in SEO in 2009 and began building lead generation websites in 2015, focusing on local service niches where strong search intent, local SEO, and the right content strategy could drive consistent enquiries. In 2016, I co-founded Digital Hitmen, which went on to become one of Perth’s most awarded digital marketing agencies. That experience gave me a broader view of how agencies operate, what local businesses actually need, and where many marketing models become more complex than they need to be.
Before founding Digital Hitmen, I built much of my early commercial search experience at Kitchen Warehouse, where I helped scale the business from start-up into Australia’s largest online kitchenware retailer within five years. That period shaped how I think about SEO, not as a vanity play, but as a system built around visibility, conversions, and commercial outcomes.
Today, my focus is on lead generation, local SEO, keyword research, and SEO content strategy through The Lead Gen Lab. I came back to this model because I believe performance-driven lead generation is often a better fit for tradies and local service businesses that care less about marketing jargon and more about qualified leads, booked work, and clear return on investment. That practical, results-first mindset is what sits behind every site, strategy, and asset we build.

Compare lead generation vs marketing agencies, including cost, results and control, so you can choose the right growth model for your business.

Learn how to run a technical Google Business Profile audit using AI. Fix NAP mismatches, schema errors, citation conflicts and local SEO trust issues.