The short answer
- 1Complete your Google Business Profile with the right category, your real service area and new project photos every month.
- 2Build one page per service (kitchens, bathrooms, additions, basements) and one page per finished project.
- 3Publish cost guides. "How much does a kitchen remodel cost in [town]" is what homeowners search before they call.
- 4Ask every client for a review that mentions the project type and the town.
- 5Keep your business details identical on Google, Bing, Houzz, Angi, Yelp and the BBB. That is also what gets you recommended by ChatGPT.
Know what your customers type into Google
Contractor searches are mostly research. A homeowner might search ten times over a month before they ask for a quote. Each of those searches is a chance to be the company they remember.
| They search | What they want | Page that wins it |
|---|---|---|
| "general contractor near me" | A short list of local companies | Google Business Profile and homepage |
| "kitchen remodel cost [your town]" | A realistic budget before calling | Cost guide with local price ranges |
| "bathroom remodeler [your town]" | A specialist with photos of past work | Bathroom service page with projects |
| "home addition contractor" | Someone who handles permits and design | Additions service page |
| "how long does a kitchen remodel take" | To plan around the disruption | Article with a week-by-week timeline |
| "licensed contractor [your town]" | Proof they are legitimate | About page with license and insurance |
| "basement finishing ideas" | Inspiration before budgeting | Project gallery with costs |
Want to know where you rank today? The free keyword rank checker shows your Google position for any of these phrases.
Set up your Google Business Profile properly
When someone searches "contractor near me", Google shows three companies on a map before any website. Your Google Business Profile decides whether you are one of them, and photos matter more for contractors than almost any other trade.
Primary category
General contractor
Secondary categories to look for
Remodeler, Kitchen remodeler, Bathroom remodeler, Construction company, Deck builder. Only add the ones you actually sell.
- Choose the primary category that matches the work you most want. If 70% of your jobs are kitchens, test "Kitchen remodeler" as primary.
- Upload photos from every finished job, ideally with the town in the caption. A profile with fresh project photos gets more calls.
- Add each service with a short description and, where you can, a starting price.
- Set the service area to the towns you actually work in, not a 100-mile radius.
- Post finished projects as weekly updates. "Kitchen remodel finished in Oak Park" is a two-minute post.
Google renames categories from time to time. Pick the closest match from the list in your profile dashboard.
Build the pages Google needs to see
Your website is where homeowners decide whether you are the right fit. It also tells Google which kinds of projects you do and where.
One page per service
Kitchens, bathrooms, additions, basements, decks. Each page covers what is included, typical timelines, price ranges and photos of that kind of work.
One page per finished project
Before and after photos, the town, the budget range, how long it took and a quote from the client. These pages rank for "[project] in [town]" searches and prove you do the work.
Cost guides
An honest guide to what a kitchen, bathroom or addition costs in your area. These pages attract homeowners early, and the ones who read them call with realistic budgets.
An about page with proof
License number, insurance, years in business, the team and the towns you serve. Homeowners check this before letting anyone into their house, and AI tools quote it.
Add LocalBusiness schema to your homepage so Google and AI tools read your name, address, phone and service area correctly.
Get reviews that mention the job and the town
Homeowners read contractor reviews closely because the job is expensive and hard to undo. Reviews that mention the project and the town also help you rank for those searches.
Text you can send after a job
Hi Mark, it was great working on your kitchen in Oak Park. If you are happy with how it turned out, a Google review mentioning the project would really help us: [link]. Thanks again!
- Ask at the final walkthrough, when the client is happiest, and send the link by text the same day.
- Ask for reviews on Houzz and Angi too. Homeowners check them, and so do AI tools.
- Reply to every review and mention the project type. Never pay or discount for reviews.
Publish before the busy season, not during it
Most homeowners plan projects months ahead. Publish content for the season before they start planning it.
Winter: publish spring content
Kitchen and bathroom planning guides, cost guides, how to choose a contractor.
Spring: publish summer content
Decks, patios, additions, exterior work, permit timelines.
Summer: publish fall content
Basement finishing, getting projects done before the holidays, window and door upgrades.
Fall: publish winter content
Interior remodels that work in winter, planning next year's projects, budgeting guides.
Get recommended when customers ask ChatGPT
More people now ask AI tools for a recommendation instead of scrolling Google. ChatGPT answers with a short list of names, and the businesses on it are the ones it can find clear, consistent information about.
A customer asks ChatGPT
"Can you recommend a reliable kitchen remodeling contractor in Naperville?"
- ChatGPT builds its answer from your website, review sites and local lists. If they disagree about your name, address or phone, it is less likely to name you.
- Claim Bing Places. ChatGPT's web search leans heavily on Bing, and most contractors only set up Google.
- Keep a complete Houzz profile with photos and reviews. Houzz pages show up often when AI tools answer remodeling questions.
- State your services, towns, license number and years in business plainly on your homepage. Clear facts are easy to quote.
- Get mentioned in local "best contractors" lists, neighborhood groups and local news features on finished projects.
Check where you stand with the free AI visibility checker, then follow our step-by-step guide on how to get ChatGPT to recommend your business.
Mistakes that keep contractors off page one
A gallery with no words
Google cannot read photos alone. Every project needs a short write-up with the town, the scope and the timeline.
One "Services" page
A bullet list of kitchens, bathrooms and decks cannot rank for all three. Each service needs its own page.
No prices anywhere
Homeowners search for costs first. If you never mention a range, they find a competitor who does and call them instead.
Relying only on lead sites
Paying per lead on home-service marketplaces gets expensive, and the same lead goes to your competitors. Your own rankings bring leads only you get.
Do it yourself, hire an agency, or use software?
Everything above works no matter who does it. The question is whether you have the hours each week to keep it going.
| Do it yourself | SEO agency | GrandRanker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Your time | $1,500 to $5,000 a month | From $0.79/day |
| Time from you | 3 to 5 hours a week | Monthly calls and approvals | About 5 minutes to set up |
| New pages and articles | When you find time | Usually 1 to 4 a month | Published to your site every week |
| Map Pack and ChatGPT tracking | Manual searches | Monthly report | Tracked for you |
| Contract | None | Often 6 to 12 months | Cancel anytime |
Want this done for you?
GrandRanker writes and publishes the service pages, town pages and seasonal articles from this guide, posts to your Google Business Profile, and tracks where you show up on Google and in ChatGPT.
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