Contractor leads: where to find them and what they cost

Where do contractors get leads?

From two pools that work differently. Residential leads come from homeowners; commercial leads come from businesses, developers, main contractors and the public sector.

Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking, and that there's no way to pay for a better one. That's why the free sources compound: every finished job can bring a review that brings the next enquiry. Our local SEO playbook for contractors covers that side step by step.

Which lead sites do contractors pay for in the US, UK and Australia?

Each country has its own big names, and none of them works the same way. What we found on their own pages and help centres:

Prices change often and most sites show the real lead price only inside your account, so get the price for your trade and area in writing before you start.

Are paid contractor leads worth it?

They can be, if you judge them by cost per signed job rather than cost per lead. A cheap lead you rarely win can cost more than an expensive one you often do.

Work it out from your own numbers after a few weeks: total spent on the source ÷ jobs signed from it = cost per signed job. As an illustration only: if a site costs you $600 in a month for 20 leads, you visit 8 and sign 2, each signed job cost $300 before your time. Compare that with the profit on an average job from that source, and with what your own Google profile and referrals bring in for free.

• Shared leads go to several firms, so speed decides most of them. Reply within minutes in working hours and book the visit on the first call.
• Track every lead in one sheet: source, date, visit booked, quote sent, signed, value.
• Drop a source after a fair trial if its cost per signed job stays above your other channels.

Want to compare sources side by side? The free cost per lead calculator does the sums.

How do contractors get commercial construction leads?

Mostly through tenders and relationships: public-sector tender portals, main contractors' subcontractor bid lists, developers and facilities managers. The government portals are free to search in all three countries:

Start small: a council or school maintenance job you can deliver well builds the track record that larger bids ask for. For private commercial work, get onto two or three main contractors' approved subcontractor lists and keep your insurance, health and safety and accreditation paperwork ready to send.

How can contractors get leads without paying for them?

By making every finished job produce the next one: a review, a referral and proof on your website and Google profile.

1. Ask every client for a Google review at handover, by text with a direct link and the finished photos. Google's policy bans offering anything in return and asking only the clients you expect to be happy, so ask everyone the same way.
2. Ask for a referral in the same conversation, and check in with past clients once a year.
3. Add the finished project to your website and Google profile with before-and-after photos. Our guide to contractor website design shows how to build project pages.
4. Reply to every review, including the critical ones, calmly and without naming the client's address.

What should you check before signing up with a lead company?

The contract, not the sales call. The details that cost contractors most are in the terms:

• Shared or exclusive: how many other firms get the same lead?
• Bad leads: can you return wrong numbers or out-of-area jobs, and how quickly? Bark, for example, returns credits within 14 days of purchase for invalid contact details, duplicate or test leads and leads submitted by minors; not winning the job isn't on its list.
• Expiry: Bark says its credits are valid for 3 months from purchase.
• Contract length and renewal: a competing site reports hipages' first term is 6 months, then rolling 12-month blocks. Diary the notice date.
• Minimum spend: Checkatrade's pay-per-lead option is pitched at established regional or national firms, typically with 10 or more staff, ready to invest more than £1,500 a month. Smaller firms join on its other plans.
• Reviews: does the site let you import or ask for reviews, and do those reviews stay yours if you leave?

Whichever sources you use, the leads you don't answer are the most expensive. Flexi Local's Reviews + Leads plan ($197 a month, £159 in the UK) texts back missed calls, puts texts, email, website chat, Facebook and Instagram messages in one inbox, takes bookings online and sends review requests after every job. 14-day free trial: card needed, cancel before day 14 and you pay nothing. See plans and prices.