Hi {{first_name | there}},

Something changed in how homeowners find contractors and most of the industry hasn't caught up to it yet.

A year ago, someone looking for a kitchen remodeler in their city typed that into Google and got a list of websites. They clicked around, read some reviews, maybe checked a Houzz profile, and made a call. That process still happens. But a growing number of homeowners are skipping it entirely. They're opening ChatGPT or Perplexity or Google's AI Overview and typing something like "who are the best remodelers in Scottsdale" or "find me a contractor who specializes in ADUs in Austin." The AI answers them directly. It names contractors. It summarizes what they do and why they're worth calling.

Some contractors are in that answer. Most aren't.

This isn't about gaming an algorithm or running ads. It's about whether AI tools have enough public information about your business to say something confident about you. If the only digital footprint you have is a Facebook page you haven't posted to in eight months and a Google Business Profile with three reviews from 2021, the AI has nothing to work with. It moves on to someone who does.

Here's what the contractors who show up have in common. They have a website that actually describes what they do, where they do it, and what kinds of projects they take on. They have a Google Business Profile with recent photos, updated hours, and a steady trickle of reviews. They have at least a few project pages or blog posts that answer questions homeowners actually type into search bars -- things like "how long does a bathroom remodel take" or "what's the difference between a renovation and a remodel." They've been mentioned somewhere online beyond their own site, whether that's a local news story, a Houzz feature, or a supplier's case study.

None of that is complicated. All of it is free or close to it.

The practical starting point is your Google Business Profile. Log in this week and look at it like a homeowner would. Are your photos from the last 90 days or the last three years? Does your description actually say what you specialize in and what cities you serve? Do you have at least a handful of reviews with real detail in them, not just five stars and a first name? Those three things alone move the needle more than most contractors realize because AI tools treat your Google Business Profile as one of the most reliable sources of information about a local business.

The second thing worth doing this month is writing up two or three finished projects on your website. Not a portfolio gallery -- actual written descriptions. What the homeowner came to you with, what you did, what it cost in rough terms, and what the result looked like. Three hundred words and a few photos. That's the kind of content AI can read, understand, and cite when someone asks who does good addition work in your area.

This is early enough that doing it now puts you ahead. It won't be early for long.

Timothy Dahl
[email protected]
Managing Partner - Framing Content
Founder - Builder Playbook
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