If you’re a homeowner, you’ve likely scoured the internet in search of the best contractors to work on your home. You’ve searched high and low, but you never know which sources to trust. Sure, the contractor’s website might have glowing reviews, but maybe their Google reviews tend to be a bit more negative. You can try and find unbiased, reliable review sites, but can you actually trust them? Many review sites or contractor marketplaces allow everyone and anyone to advertise on their platform. That can make it difficult to distinguish between reliable contractors and bad ones.
For contractors, that can be a problem, too. Suppose you actually deliver good, quality services for homeowners, but you’re on a platform that is directly tied to a bunch of low-quality providers. In that case, people will perceive your brand as another low-quality contractor. That’s not good.
Today we’re talking about two specific contractor platforms that can benefit contractors and homeowners but are far from perfect: Angie’s List and HomeAdvisor. We’re breaking down the pros and cons of each, which is better, and an alternative out there that both contractors and homeowners should consider.
The Pros of Angie’s List
Angie’s List isn’t without its benefits. Here are some of the main ones:
No annual setup/usage fee – If you’re looking to limit your marketing expenses, Angie’s List doesn’t have annual usage fees. That being said, if you want to succeed on Angie’s List, you’ll likely need to pay up. More on that later.
Good reviews will help elevate your profile – If you do good work, more people will likely be able to see your profile, and therefore you may receive more leads.
Paywall that may limit consumer reach – On the homeowner side of things, you’ll have to pay to use Angie’s List. This may deter a lot of potential leads from finding your contractor business.
Tend to have higher quality leads than other providers – While they aren’t without their spammy leads, Angie’s List tends to have better marks for the overall quality of the leads they provide for contractors.
The Cons of Angie’s List
Here are some of the downsides to marketing your business on Angie’s List:
Pay to play means it really isn’t free – Nothing in life is free. The same can be said for Angie’s List, where you’ll likely have to pay to advertise there if you want to beat out your competitors who are likely doing the same.
Legacy companies tend to be prioritized over newcomers – It can be hard to break into the Angie’s List game, as contractors that have been present longer tend to be prioritized over newer members. That’s a shame because there are many new contractor companies out there that deserve to be showcased.
Pay to play means homeowners might not actually be seeing the most deserving contractors – Homeowners may be wary of choosing Angie’s List, knowing that the most visible contractors are oftentimes the ones that are paying the most, not necessarily the best.
The Pros of HomeAdvisor
Now moving on to the benefits of HomeAdvisor:
No paywall won’t limit consumer reach – With no paywall for homeowners to navigate, no potential leads will be blocked from finding your profile.
Simple setup and user-friendly – HomeAdvisor is often lauded for its user-friendly interface for both contractors and homeowners.
A large volume of users – Because there is no paywall, there is a high volume of homeowners on the site. That has its drawbacks, though—we touch on this below.
The Cons of HomeAdvisor
Just like Angie’s List, HomeAdvisor isn’t without its cons:
Annual setup and listing fee – HomeAdvisor will take a consistent investment from contractors. But, as we mentioned, you’ll also likely be paying for Angie’s List with their pay-to-play format.
Free for the homeowner, meaning they might not be interested in looking for someone to work with – The problem with not having a paywall is that many of the users on HomeAdvisor aren’t actually looking for your services. They just want to get some inspiration for a project or look for estimates but already know who they are working with.
Why the Roofing Insights Directorii is the Best Option For Both Contractors and Homeowners
Perhaps the biggest drawback of these contractor marketplace providers is that it’s difficult to figure out which contractors are legit and which are not.
Contractors don’t want to be found on the same platform that low-quality, scammy service providers are on. Homeowners just want a single source they can trust that only allows the best to be shown to them.
That’s where the Directorii from Roofing Insights comes from. We heavily vet any roofing service provider that is interested in being in our directory. They have to pass our extensive checklist, including being properly licensed and insured, having good reviews, no past legal issues, and a passion for what they do.
To get started on applying to get your roofing company on the Directorii, click here!
For homeowners that use Directorii, you can be confident that the roofer you find on there is the best of the best. They wouldn’t be there without it.
To find the perfect roofer for your home project, head over to the directory here!
