Now worth more than $600 billion, the home services industry shows zero signs of slowing down — partially because of the increased need for on-demand home services. With websites like Amazon and Bark, businesses are meeting this demand, as well as redefining lead generation for home services.
Do a few searches for lead generation sites, however, and you’ll find there are dozens of lead generation websites for home services. Which ones should your company use, though, and what can you expect when it comes to fees?
Keep reading this go-to guide to find out!
Or, discover how your website can generate leads with the award-winning expertise and machine learning software of WebFX, the full-service digital marketing company that increases client revenue by an average of 20 percent. Contact us online or call us at 888-601-5359 to learn more!
With more than 50 percent of all product searches happening on Amazon, rather than Google, you can bet that your target audience buys their televisions, faucets, fans, and more on Amazon. All these items require installation — which is why Amazon launched Amazon Home Services.
Amazon Home Services allows consumers to purchase home services via Amazon.
Companies can offer their services in a few ways:
Whether users purchase your standalone or add-on service, they select a few ideal service dates and times when they checkout. Your company then picks the best one. Later, you receive payment from Amazon.
It’s free to become part of Amazon Home Services, which is free of subscription, startup, and advertisement fees. Amazon, however, does follow a revenue share model for its Amazon Home Services.
How does that work?
Amazon bases its fee, which ranges from 15 to 20 percent, on the price of your services. For services that cost up to $1000, Amazon takes 20 percent. For services priced at more than $1000, Amazon takes 15 percent.
If you offer a recurring service, like landscape maintenance, Amazon takes 15 percent.
Why do companies use Amazon Home Services for lead generation? A few reasons, including:
While Amazon Home Services offers several benefits, it does have some drawbacks, including:
If you’d like to generate more leads for your business, it’s worth trying Amazon Home Services. It doesn’t cost your company anything to join — plus, it connects you with shoppers that may not find your business otherwise.
With the increased presence of Amazon in the home services market, this lead generation platform can help your business get ahead of your competition. It can also serve as an additional tactic in your lead generation strategy.
More than six million households use Angie’s List, a home services website. This site features more than 10 million verified reviews from users, which can connect your business with high-quality leads in your service area.
On Angie’s List, users can look for service providers in their area for a variety of services.
A user can visit your profile by clicking on your paid advertisement listing or your organic listing. With a paid ad, your company has more visibility in search results, but you pay every time a user clicks on your ad. In comparison, if a user clicks on your organic or free listing, it doesn’t cost you anything.
Whether a consumer finds your business through your paid or organic listings, they have the choice to contact your company. If they decide to reach out, there is no lead generation fee. The only time you pay is when you advertise on Angie’s List.
Like Amazon Home Services, it’s free to list your business on Angie’s List.
If you want to advertise on Angie’s List, the average cost-per-click (CPC) is $4 to $8. What that means is that every time a user clicks on your listing, that is the price you pay — and that doesn’t guarantee the user will call your business or purchase your services.
Angie’s List offers your home services business a few benefits, including:
For home service providers, Angie’s List also offers some disadvantages:
As Angie’s List is free for businesses to join, it’s worth claiming or listing your company. While you may not generate an excessive amount of leads from this platform, you at least have a presence on it. That can help your business earn a few leads and close some sales — without any financial investment.
While one of the newest home services lead generation websites, Bark features more than 20 million users worldwide. The platform adopts a different approach to lead generation. It allows you to pick-and-choose your leads, versus accepting any lead that comes your way.
On Bark, people post what they’re looking for, such as a birthday party photographer or flooring contractor. They provide Bark with all the details, from the location to the deadline, and then Bark finds matching businesses. Only five companies may contact a lead.
If you receive a lead from Bark, you have the option of contacting the person. To connect with them, however, you need to spend a credit — each credit is worth $1.65, and each lead is worth a certain number of credits, generally between 1 and 20.
Once you spend your credit, that’s all you pay for that lead.
Becoming a “Pro” on Bark is free. The only cost comes from credits, which cost $1.65 per credit. If you buy credits in bulk, Bark offers a discount of up to 20 percent, which can help your company minimize its lead generation costs.
With Bark, there are several advantages, including:
Like all lead generation websites for home services, Bark comes with a few disadvantages, including:
While Bark offers a business model that appeals to home service providers — you pick and choose your leads and then pay to connect with them — the platform appeals to an audience that doesn’t necessarily need home services.
However, if you’re looking to experiment with different lead generation websites for home services, it’s worth trying Bark. You can create your account, buy some credits, and see what happens. With the low cost of credits, it’s a small investment to try Bark.
With more than 20 years of history and more than 30 million users, HomeAdvisor is a staple when it comes to lead generation websites for home services. Its merge with Angie’s List, however, has introduced some problematic features.
HomeAdvisor operates by connecting companies with quality leads. To provide your company with relevant matches, it gathers several essential pieces of information from shoppers, such as their project timelines and locations.
When HomeAdvisor delivers a lead, you pay for it — the site operates on a pay-per-lead basis. After HomeAdvisor connects your company with a lead, it’s up to your team to convince that lead to partner with your business.
Unlike other lead generation websites for home services, companies must pay to join HomeAdvisor. In addition to paying for each lead, your company must also subscribe to a service plan that costs almost $300 per year.
For leads, your business can expect to pay $15 to $60 per lead. The price of a lead depends on a few factors, including the predicted cost and scope of the job. A lead that’s looking to spend more costs more.
HomeAdvisor offers businesses a few benefits, including:
Before you use HomeAdvisor, there are some drawbacks to know about, including:
Companies often feel conflicted when it comes to using HomeAdvisor. If you’re on Angie’s List, you may receive identical leads, which can make your company appear spammy to users. Plus, you have to pay to become a HomeAdvisor member. Angie’s List, however, is free to join.
While it’s worth considering HomeAdvisor, it’s not a requirement. Build a pros and cons list for this lead generation website and see if it’s worth the investment. If not, see how your lead generation efforts go on other sites.
With more than 40 million homeowners, Houzz is a go-to website for users looking to remodel or redecorate their home. For companies in the home services industry, it’s become a trusted platform for generating high-quality leads.
Houzz operates as both a lead generation and design inspiration website. Via the site, users can browse photos of kitchens, baths, patios, and more. Or, they can shop for home products and browse service professionals.
A user can find your Houzz profile by searching for a professional or using the drop-down menu, “Find Professionals.” If you advertise on Houzz, they can also reach your profile that way, though you pay for the click.
Via your profile, users can:
Your profile can also feature several trust signals, such as a badge for a Better Business Bureau (BBB) affiliation or a Best of Houzz service. Each of these features can motivate shoppers to partner with your business for their next project.
Creating a profile on Houzz is free.
Houzz does offer some paid options, however. You can advertise on the platform, as well as purchase a Houzz Pro+ account, which provides some additional perks, like a better spot in directory or search rankings.
The costs for Houzz Pro+, as well as advertising on the platform, vary. Rates depend on your location, as well as industry. For example, some companies have paid $1500 per month for Houzz Pro+ while others have paid $250 to $300 to advertise on Houzz.
With Houzz, you receive several perks, including:
Houzz does feature some drawbacks, including:
Like other free lead generation websites for home services, it’s worth creating a free account on Houzz. That way, your company at least has a presence on the site. Your profile on Houzz also makes it easy for users to contact you by phone, which saves you from checking your account 24/7.
NextDoor, a private social media network for neighborhoods, allows users to connect with their neighbors — including local businesses. The website features more than 180,000 neighborhoods. According to NextDoor, more than 90 percent of those neighborhoods use it to find recommendations.
NextDoor isn’t your typical lead generation site for home services. It focuses more on connecting neighborhood residents than with businesses. The website, however, has helped companies generate new leads and brand awareness.
On NextDoor, you can advertise with Sponsored Posts — these posts appear in user news feeds. Your organization can claim its business page. With your business page, you can provide users with valuable information about your company, as well as interact with users that engage with your page.
If users request recommendations, like for a plumber or a house painter, your company can respond to these requests. You can also post a comment on your personal account too, though NextDoor requires that you disclose your affiliation to your business.
Unlike Angie’s List, Bark, or Amazon Home Services, NextDoor does not focus on generating leads for your business. Instead, it prioritizes your interactions with users. That’s why the site doesn’t focus on lead generation.
From one perspective, you can look at NextDoor as a social media platform only, like Facebook.
Becoming a part of NextDoor is free. It also doesn’t cost anything to generate leads — your company doesn’t have to advertise on the site. If you do promote your business, the CPC varies and depends on factors related to your audience and area.
NextDoor offers a few benefits, including:
The unique approach of NextDoor to lead generation does give it some drawbacks, including:
While you may not use NextDoor to generate all your leads, it’s at least worth claiming or creating your business page. That way, other users on the platform can recommend your business to others, which can lead to users contacting your company.
Porch features more than three million home services professionals, which can seem intimidating to companies considering the platform. Its focus on home services, however, and convenient payment options makes Porch a go-to choice for businesses looking for a new lead generation website.
Like Bark, Porch allows you to filter your leads — you only pay and work with the leads that you want. Porch accomplishes that by acquiring essential information from users to develop an accurate price estimate.
For example, if a user wants a home painter, Porch asks how many rooms need painted. It follows up by asking what parts of each room need done, such as the walls or the trim. With these questions, Porch provides businesses with a detailed write-up of each job.
Porch then matches companies to the user request, referencing your profile and the provided project details. Based on your account type, you can either receive and pay for the lead automatically or review the lead before deciding to pay.
From there, it’s up to you to close the deal.
The cost of Porch varies and depends on your account type. Porch offers two business accounts:
According to Porch, lead costs depend on the size or value of the job. For remodeling tasks, which Porch considers a larger project, the cost-per-lead is between $35 to $65. A smaller job, like lawn maintenance, comes with a cost-per-lead of $5 to $20.
Porch offers several advantages for home service companies, including:
With Porch, there are some cons, including:
As a home-services focused website, Porch offers a unique option for companies in the industry. Due to its different payment and account options, as well as minimal drawbacks, it’s worth seeing what Porch can do for your business.
Start with a pay-as-you-go account and then move onto a subscription if it’s driving results for you.
Thumbtack features more than 1000 services and more than 10 million users, which makes it a viable lead generation option for companies in the home services industry. It’s also a useful site for businesses looking for an alternative to saturated websites like Angie’s List.
Like Bark and Porch, Thumbtack operates on a similar business model. Shoppers tell Thumbtack what they’re looking for, whether it’s a house painter, electrician, or landscaper, and then Thumbtack provides a list of relevant search results.
Unlike Bark, however, it’s the user that decides whether they message your company.
When a shopper decides to connect with your business, you pay Thumbtack. You can, however, receive a refund if the client’s request changes significantly, if their first message declines your service, or if they’ve matched with you more than once in the past 72 hours.
With Thumbtack, prices vary. They depend, however, on several factors, including:
In some cases, companies have reported paying $15 to $70 for a lead — Thumbtack automatically charges these rates to your credit card on file. You can, however, view the cost of leads in the “Jobs” tab of your account. Businesses can also set a budget, which also controls how many leads you receive.
If you promote your business, Thumbtack discounts your lead costs by 20 percent. Instead of paying $70 for a lead, you would pay $56. Promoting your services helps Thumbtack match your business to more leads, which means you’re paying for more leads.
For billing, Thumbtack offers two charge options. For companies that spend $1 to $999, Thumbtack charges each lead separately. If you spend $1000 or more, Thumbtack issues a bulk charge every Sunday.
Thumbtack offers several perks to home services companies, including:
This lead generation website for home services also comes with a few drawbacks, however:
If your business doesn’t mind experimenting with lead generation websites for home services, it’s worth trying Thumbtack. You can create your account, set your budget, and see what happens. If you’re not thrilled with the platform, you can deactivate your account.
More than 30 million unique visitors turn to Yelp each month. The lead generation website, which is known for its restaurant reviews also provides home services companies the chance to generate and connect with quality leads.
Like many other lead generation websites, Yelp features customizable profiles for businesses. On your profile, you can upload images, respond to reviews, accept reservations, highlight deals, and more. You can also advertise your business across the platform to appear at the top of search results.
Yelp is free to use — you can create your account, as well as interact with reviewers for no charge.
The only paid feature of Yelp is advertising. The cost for advertising on Yelp varies as it operates on a CPC model, meaning you only pay when a shopper clicks on your advertisement. In most cases, the competition for a keyword influences your CPC the most.
A few case studies on the cost of advertising on Yelp versus Google indicate that Google is generally more cost-effective. For example, one study found that the cost-per-lead on Yelp was three times higher than Google.
Yelp offers a few advantages to companies in the home services sector, including:
Like other lead generation website for home services, there are a few drawbacks to Yelp, including:
As a free lead generation website and service, it’s worth spending some time on Yelp. Your team can claim or create your profile, as well as respond to user reviews on it. While you may want to experiment with advertising on Yelp, you may earn better results from your ad budget on Google.
Ever consider generating leads with your website, versus a lead generation site, but not sure how?
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A few ways our digital marketing services can generate leads for your business include:
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Discover the power of your company’s website by partnering with WebFX, the full-service digital marketing agency that increases its client revenues by an average of 20 percent. Contact us online or give us a ring at 888-601-5359 to learn more!
Call 888.449.3239 or contact us online today to see how WebFX can improve your online performance.