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The Best Review Sites for Local Contractors

If you’re looking to get brand new customers, signing up to different review sites can be a fantastic way to gain customers in your local area.

Did you know that 88% of people say reviews influence their online purchasing decisions? Most people do not mind using reviews and testimonials from those they do not know to decide which local contractor to use.

Having a solid collection of high-quality reviews for your company is really great for business. These reviews will help you stand out from your competitors, provide you with credibility and even help to give your business a boost on search engines!

We’ve put together a list of our favourite review sites, with reasons why they will provide a real boost to your business.

Sign your contractor business up to these sites and start encouraging your customers to leave a five-star review if they’re happy with the service you provided!

HomeAdvisor

HomeAdvisor is a great way to receive leads, no matter what trade you work in.

Prospective customers can search for trades in their local area, and you pay a small amount to receive their details and submit a quote.

Customers can submit reviews through the website once they have used your services. You can also get badges on your page if you have been with HomeAdvisor for a certain amount of time, have a set amount of reviews on your profile and have had no complaints.

A great feature Home Advisor offers is fixed price services. If you provide a service at a set price, you can promote this on the site and customers can then book online straightaway.

If you know other local contractors, HomeAdvisor operates a referral scheme where you can get $100 worth of leads if they sign up to the system.

HomeAdvisor also offers an app on IOS and Android so you can check your leads on the go.

Angie's List

The interesting thing about Angie’s List is that it is free for businesses to sign up and receive leads (although you can pay to advertise on the site if you like). It is the customers that pay to set up an account. This means that you can be guaranteed that the customers who use the site are of good standing.

All businesses are graded from ‘A’ through ‘F’ depending on the feedback they receive from customers. Companies in good standing may receive a special ‘service award’ badge.

As well as quoting for customers, you can list special deals and money-off coupons that your company provides.

Angie’s list also has an app, so you can look at your quotes when you are out and about at work.

Houzz

The Houzz website focuses on home renovations, making it the perfect choice if you specialise in home and garden remodelling or construction. There are currently about 1.5 million businesses that use the site.

It’s free to set up a directory listing and receive leads through Houzz. However, you can also pay monthly for additional features, including the option to use the mobile app, the ability to create your own website as well as track invoices. You can even create floorplans and 3D renderings if that is something relevant to your business.

Houzz is dedicated to excellent customer service, providing a free onboarding call with all paying customers so you can get to grips with the website and find out how it can work for your business.

Your customers can leave reviews and ratings on your listing, as well as follow your updates to keep track of all your latest project news and photos.

Porch

Like most of the other listings in this article, Porch is free to sign up for a listing, and you just pay to receive leads from prospective customers. You can buy leads on an individual basis or set a monthly budget and receive leads automatically.

You can also pay for an annual ‘Vetted Pro’ account which comes with a lot of attractive benefits. You get leads five minutes ahead of other businesses, get discounts on leads and also rank higher on the site. If you reach out to a customer with a quote and they do not get back to you, Porch will refund the money you spent to reach out, which is a really nifty feature.

The great thing about Porch is that it is partnered with a wide range of other businesses including Lowe’s and Walmart, further amplifying the reach of your business and increasing the likelihood of getting positive reviews.

Trust a Trader

One of the benefits of Trust a Trader over other websites on this list is that only a limited number of contractors are allowed to sign up in each area. This prevents the site from becoming oversaturated and means less competition, as well as more eyes on your individual listing.

It’s free to sign up, add a listing, receive leads and get reviews. Trust a Trader is heavily advertised on the television and radio, meaning that there is always a steady stream of customers coming to check out your business and what you can do for them.

Another bonus of Trust a Trader is that your customer can pay you through their online system, ideal if you don’t have your own payment terminal. Trust a Trader charges a small commission for this service.

Like a lot of the sites on this list, Trust a Trader has a downloadable mobile app for Android and IOS.

ThumbTack

It is entirely free to sign up for a listing on Thumbtack and provide information about the services you provide. You have to pay for credits for contacting potential leads. You start appearing in Thumbtack’s search results when you have got at least one review from a customer, so don’t forget to encourage all of your customers to leave feedback!

Unlike most sites on this list, you do not pay a flat rate for leads. Costs vary depending on where you are based and the industry you are in. You can set very detailed targeting so that you will be sent only the most accurate and relevant leads.

You can pay extra to promote your listing above other contractors. If you use this system you get an additional 20% off any credits you buy.

There is also an app available for checking your quotes and replying to customers when you are on the go.

Trusted Pros

Canada-based Trusted Pros is one of the largest contractor databases in Canada. It is free to set up a listing with photos, contact information and videos. The website also allows customers to post reviews.

You need to upgrade before you can reply to leads, but the interesting thing about Trusted Pros is that you can see the type and amount of leads that are coming in, helping you decide as to whether you need to upgrade or not.

You can list your business in up to three different categories. You can add it to more, but you need to get a review in a new service category before you get the opportunity to be listed. So make sure you get your customers to review you!

Trusted Pros has a stringent review validation system meaning that contractors who use the service will not be put at a disadvantage by fake or unfair reviews.

Better Business Bureau (BBB)

Unlike the other review sites on this page, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a non-profit organisation, dedicated to providing clear information about over five million businesses and charitable organisations across the US, Canada and Mexico.

It is free to list your business on the BBB site. As well as customer reviews, BBB assigns a rating to each business from A+ to F. This rating is dependent on a number of factors including the length of time the company has been in business, the number of complaints the business has received and whether the business has the correct licences.

You can apply for BBB Accreditation; there is a charge for this. Having accreditation means that you have been verified by the BBB, and they have trust in your business. With accreditation, customers can apply for quotes directly from your page, and it gives you extra exposure in the website’s search.

Homestars

Homestars is a review system dedicated to contractors working in the home improvement sector. You can access Homestars via the website as well as the mobile app.

It is free to sign up to the website and set up the profile. From your profile, you can receive customer reviews and acquire leads. If you pay for the next level of access (‘Brandbuilder’), you will be recommended on your competitors’ pages, get profile statistics and receive extra leads from Homestar.

All reviews are thoroughly verified by Homestars, reducing the risk of you receiving fake or inaccurate reviews. If you have the app, you can also send a notification to your customers, reminding them to leave a review on your profile.

A nice additional feature of Homestars is that it provides an advice section for contractors, giving them information about how to boost their profile, market their business and win more jobs.