20+ SEO & AI Search Statistics Contractors Should Know (2026 Homeowner Study)

Where do homeowners look for a contractor, and what makes them pick up the phone? We asked 1,113 Canadian homeowners who had searched online for a local contractor in the last three months. The short answer: they start on Google, they decide on reviews, and the contractor who replies first usually gets the job.

I run marketing for contractors, and most of this matches what we see in our clients' accounts every week. What surprised me was how short the shortlist is, and how much more people will pay a contractor they trust. Here are the numbers, in plain words, with what to do about each one.

Where do homeowners look for a contractor?

On Google, by a long way. 76% of homeowners used Google Search to find a contractor. Nothing else comes close.

Local directories like HomeStars, Houzz and Yelp come second at 31%. Referrals from friends and family are third at 27%, and AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews are right behind them at 26%.

So a homeowner might find you on Google, check your HomeStars profile and scroll your Instagram before they call. Every place they look has to tell the same story.

How many contractors do homeowners compare?

Fewer than you think. 65% consider three contractors or fewer, and 38% only ever look at one.

If you aren't one of the first two or three names a homeowner sees, you're usually not in the running. A smaller group, 23%, shops around hard and looks at six or more. That's common on bigger renovations and new builds.

In an emergency, the first to answer wins

A burst pipe, a dead furnace or a leaking roof doesn't leave time to compare. For plumbers, HVAC companies, roofers and restoration companies, answering the phone is the sales process.

What makes a homeowner pick one contractor over another?

Reviews, then price. 87% put reviews in their top three reasons to hire, ahead of price at 71%. How fast you reply is third at 42%.

Look at the bottom of the list. Years in business (7%) and company size (5%) barely register. Homeowners care far more about what past customers say and how quickly you get back to them than how long you've been around.

How many Google reviews does a contractor need?

More than 25 for most homeowners. 62% want to see more than 25 reviews before they feel comfortable hiring, and the most common answer was 26 to 50.

Fewer than 1 in 10 homeowners are happy with 10 reviews or less. For comparison, when we scored 99 BC construction companies on Google, the typical one had 28 reviews, only just past that line, and 45 put a company in the top quarter.⁸ How many Google reviews a construction company needs has the targets for your area.

More reviews or a perfect score?

We asked homeowners to choose between two contractors in two different trades.

For a plumber, homeowners trust volume. For a custom home builder, a perfect record edges ahead, likely because builders finish fewer, bigger jobs and people expect fewer reviews.

What star rating do you need?

A 4.0 rating is close to invisible. Even 4.5 stars costs you about a third of the people who find you. In our BC study, commercial contractors averaged 4.38 stars, below that line, partly because neighbours of their job sites leave reviews too.⁸ Who writes commercial contractors' reviews has the details.

How recent, and what about bad reviews?

• Recent reviews count. 39% expect your latest review to be from the last 60 days. Only 28% don't care when it was posted.
• People go looking for bad news. 85% have searched for negative reviews when they researched a contractor.
• A few bad reviews won't sink you. Only 18% would drop a contractor over one or two negative reviews. 47% draw the line at three to five.

What makes homeowners trust a contractor's website?

Being easy to reach. 65% say an easy way to get in touch is what makes them trust a contractor's website, ahead of any design feature.

Real faces matter too. 53% trust a site more when it shows the actual team or owner, ahead of photos of past projects at 34%. Stock photos of smiling strangers in hard hats work against you.

Why do homeowners leave without calling?

The top reasons are no reviews (33%) and a site that looks outdated (31%). A slow site (26%) and a phone number nobody can find (22%) round out the list. On speed, other research backs this up: 53% of phone visitors leave a page that takes longer than 3 seconds to load.⁹ Our contractor marketing statistics have more numbers like it.

Will homeowners pay more for a contractor they trust?

Yes. Only 10% would always take the cheapest quote, and the most common answer was 16% to 20% more.

More than half (56%) would pay over 15% extra for a contractor they trust over an equally qualified one, and one in four (25%) would pay over 20% more.

Do homeowners use ChatGPT to find contractors?

More every year. One in four homeowners (26%) used an AI tool such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini to find or research a contractor in the last 12 months.

Those homeowners are split on Google's AI Overviews, the AI answers at the top of many Google searches.

52% trust AI Overviews at least somewhat, and 37% don't trust them at all. So homeowners use AI to build a shortlist, then check reviews and websites before they call.

Do referrals still matter?

Yes, but they get checked on Google. 69% of homeowners wouldn't hire a contractor a friend or family member recommended if that contractor had a Google rating of 4.0 stars or lower.

Word of mouth gets you considered, but your online reputation closes the deal. For most homeowners, a strong online presence can stand in for a personal recommendation.

How fast should a contractor reply to a lead?

As fast as you can. 97% of homeowners say an immediate reply would make them more likely to hire a contractor.

Every homeowner we asked expects a reply within 24 hours, and 58% will contact someone else if they don't get one. Other studies say the same: leads called within 5 minutes converted 8 times as often as leads called later.¹⁰ Our contractor marketing statistics cover speed to lead in more detail.

The phone still wins

Most homeowners reach out by phone (63%) and most want a call back (59%). Website forms come second for reaching out (21%). Only 10% send an email first, but 31% would like an email reply.

How to win more jobs in 2026

The homeowners in this study told us what earns their call. To show up and get picked:

• Own Google first. Work on your Google Business Profile and local SEO until you're in the top three on the map. 65% of homeowners only consider three contractors or fewer.
• Get past 50 reviews. Ask every happy customer, keep new reviews coming every month, and keep your rating above 4.5 stars.
• Reply to negative reviews. 85% of homeowners go looking for them, so show how you handle a problem.
• Make your website easy to contact. A tap-to-call number on every page, real team photos, your reviews on the page, and a site that loads fast on a phone.
• Reply right away. Answer calls, set instant replies on forms, and call leads back within the hour.
• Keep your details the same everywhere. Directories, social media and AI tools all draw on the same information, so keep it accurate.