Hi {{first_name | there}},

Back in August I wrote about general contractors becoming the most hired pro in remodeling. That issue got more opens than anything I've sent. The Houzz data had GCs at 29% of homeowner hires, more than double builders at 13%.

So homeowners understand the role. That's settled.

Here's what I got wrong in my own head until I went and looked at the search data. Knowing they need a general contractor and typing "general contractor" into Google are two different behaviors, and they happen at two different moments.

Google sorts searches by what the person is trying to accomplish. "What is a general contractor" is informational. Somebody is figuring out how a project works, who does what, whether they need one person or five. That's a homeowner three months from spending money.

"Bathroom remodeler near me" is transactional. That's someone ready to contact a business.

Same person. Different week. Completely different value to you.

Nationally, "bathroom remodeling contractors" runs about 110,000 searches a month. "Bathroom remodel near me" runs about 90,500. "Kitchen remodeler near me" comes in around 18,100.

And here's the number that should get your attention: "bathroom remodel contractors near me" runs roughly 14,800 searches a month at an average cost per click north of $30. Advertisers pay that because those people hire somebody within days.

Notice what every one of those phrases has in common. The project comes first. The role comes second, if at all.

I'm not telling you to drop "general contractor" from your site. You're licensed as one, homeowners search it while they're researching, and it belongs on your about page and in your Google Business Profile category.

What I'm telling you is that leading with it puts your best real estate on the lower-intent search.

Three things worth changing this week:

Name the projects on your homepage. Not "full-service general contracting." Something closer to "Kitchen and bathroom remodeling in [your city]." The homeowner ready to hire is searching the project. Make the words on your page match the words in their head.

Give your top two or three project types their own pages. A homeowner searching "kitchen remodeler" and landing on a page about your company generally is a worse experience than landing on a page about kitchens with photos of kitchens. One page trying to serve every project serves none of them well.

Ask for reviews that name the project. When you follow up with a past client, ask them to mention what you actually did. "They remodeled our kitchen" does more for you than "great contractor, highly recommend." It's a small ask and most people are happy to be specific.

Homeowners know what a general contractor is. They just don't type it when their card is out.

Keep the license, keep the credential, keep the term where it belongs. Lead with the work.

Timothy Dahl
[email protected]
Founder, Builder Playbook
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