7 ways to get home remodeling leads

Key takeaways

• Build relationships with complementary local businesses that can pass exclusive home remodeling leads your way
• Include keywords describing your services and service area on every page of your website so your business has the chance to show up prominently on search engine results pages
• Post client testimonials and positive reviews to show your company is trustworthy

Attracting home remodeling leads is mainly about helping potential customers discover your company right at the moment they need you. These clients are already out there looking for the types of services you provide, so you don’t need to pay for expensive advertising or deal with lead generation companies’ high pricing structures and often inferior leads. 

Here are seven low-cost online and offline ways you can nab more home, kitchen, and bathroom remodeling leads yourself. Each tactic is easy to enact and can help attract high-quality leads at little or sometimes even no cost. Trying them can help your home remodeling business gain new customers and stay on top of mind with your existing clients. 

7 tactics to bring in more home remodeling leads

When homeowners start searching for remodeling services, these low-cost DIY strategies can help them find your remodeling company first—before they find a competitor. Each of them can help you attract high-quality leads without having to pay a lead generation service. Depending on your budget, time, and personality, pick and choose the ideas that feel most viable for your particular home remodeling business.

1. Partner with other local businesses

Every small business should get involved in their local business community. Join your local chamber of commerce to find out about networking events and other business resources in your area. Not only will you discover a network of support, but you’ll also start building relationships that can lead to more business.

Try forming partnerships with complementary business owners whose clients may also be looking for home remodeling contractors. Real estate agents, insurance claims adjusters, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, property management companies, and roofing companies can all send referrals your way.

If you form a strong relationship with another local business, they may even send you exclusive leads. For example, you could partner with a carpenter or a local kitchen cabinet showroom. When customers who don’t yet have a remodeling contractor come in, they can refer the customer to you—giving you a new kitchen remodeling lead. In exchange, you can refer your kitchen remodeling clients to their business when your customers are ready to pick out new cabinetry.

Try to only partner with companies that you believe do good work as your reputations will be linked. Anytime you refer a client to a partner, their work will reflect on you and vice versa, so be selective about the partners you work with.

2. Use positive customer feedback to your advantage

Past clients are another excellent source of referrals. Even in the digital age, word-of-mouth marketing is still one of the most effective ways to promote a business. But word-of-mouth referrals don’t have to just come from friends and family as a way to build trust with potential clients. 

According to a local consumer survey by BrightLocal, 76% of customers “always” or “regularly” read online reviews when they’re looking for local businesses. When it comes to customers specifically looking for local contractors and tradespeople, 84% say online reviews play an important or very important role when choosing that type of business. 

So how do you get good reviews? The key is to provide the best service possible to your clients so they’ll be inspired to leave you a review. It’s also important to respond to as many customer reviews as you can to continue building trust. According to the same BrightLocal survey, 88% of consumers are likely to use a business if they can see the business owner responds to all reviews, whether positive or critical.

Having more positive reviews than other contractors in your service area is one of the best ways to bring in remodeling leads and increase your conversion rate (the percentage of people who take action). To start reviewing and responding to customer feedback, claim your Yelp Business Page, where you can add your business description, contact details, and photos of your work as well as respond to customer reviews. Plus, take advantage of the Request-a-Quote feature where potential customers can reach out to you directly with details of their project, and you can respond to them right on Yelp.

3. Offer incentives for customer referrals

To increase word-of-mouth referrals, offer incentives to past customers if they refer a friend or family member to your business. You can promise a discount on future remodeling projects, which has the added benefit of encouraging repeat customers in addition to bringing in new leads.

If discounts are beyond your marketing budget, offer a smaller incentive that’s still relevant to your customers, like a gift card to a home improvement store. Keep track of referrals by adding a question on your contact form asking new customers how they heard about you. Every so often, send out emails to past customers as part of your email marketing strategy to remind them of your rewards for referrals.

4. Update your online presence

Customers who don’t find your home remodeling business through a referral will most likely discover it online. Even customers who get a word-of-mouth referral may research your business online before they commit to working with you.

Having a professional online presence can bring in more remodeling leads by showing that your company is legitimate and trustworthy. If you don’t already have a company website, you can build one yourself, or consider hiring a web design agency or a freelancer from a site like Upwork and Fiverr. 

Use the same brand elements—including your small business logo, colors, and tagline—on your website and all of your social media platforms to create a consistent look. This ensures that potential customers know they’re looking at the same company on each platform. 

Lastly, be sure your company website and your listings on business platforms like Yelp clearly display your phone number and other contact information so that potential leads can easily reach out to you no matter where they find out.

5. Showcase your past work

When homeowners look for remodeling services, results matter. The quality of your past work will show potential customers that you can create the home design they’re after. 

Use before-and-after photos from your past remodeling jobs to show your skills. These make great content for your company’s social media pages, and you can add a photo gallery to your website to show your previous work. In addition to encouraging more remodeling leads to reach out and contact you, you can also use this content in your sales meetings to increase conversion.

Yelp tip: With Portfolio, a Page Upgrade on Yelp, you can show off photos of your best projects and use your own words to tell people more about your work.

6. Sign up for cost-per-click (CPC) advertising

Cost-per-click (CPC) advertising, also called pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, is a cost-effective digital marketing strategy where advertisements for your business appear when potential customers search for the types of services you offer. No matter how many times your ad appears, you’ll only have to pay when customers actually click on the ad.

For example, Yelp Ads put your business listing at strategic locations on the site, including above the search results when people search for kitchen, bath, and home remodeling, and on competitors’ pages. Potential customers could see your ad dozens of times, but you’ll only pay when they click on your ad. It’s a cost-saving advertising strategy that could help you bring in more home remodeling leads.

7. Use local search engine optimization (SEO)

SEO or search engine optimization is how you make sure your business comes up on search engines like Bing or Google when potential customers search for “home remodeling,” “bathroom remodeling,” “kitchen remodeling,” or other related services in your service area.

Start by enacting a few local SEO strategies. Add your business phone number, address, and service area (such as Austin, Texas, or West Los Angeles) to every page on your website. Make sure this information is listed on any other platforms where your business is listed as well.

You can also devote a separate page of your website to each of the services you offer. By having one page that highlights your bathroom remodeling services and another that features your kitchen remodeling, you’ll be more likely to rank for these search terms, and you’ll bring in more remodeling leads in those areas.

Becoming a leader in home remodeling

You can attract high-quality home remodeling leads without paying for a lead generation service or pricey marketing firm. 

Instead, get involved in your local business community and form partnerships with related businesses that can send customers your way. 

Respond promptly to positive and critical customer reviews, display positive reviews on your website and social media platforms, and set up an incentive or rewards program to generate referrals from satisfied customers. Update your online presence using search engine optimization (SEO), high-quality before-and-after images of your past work, and cost-per-click (CPC) advertisements.

These techniques can bring you more home remodeling leads so you can move on to effectively manage your leads, close the deal and grow your small business.