64 of 73
contractors an assistant picked for a homeowner's job were independent local companies, not franchises or lead sites.
Picked by Agents runs, 13 trades in Austin and Columbus, Sept 2026
25 of 26
of those jobs ended with the homeowner told to call or fill in a form. The assistant could not see an opening.
Picked by Agents runs, 13 trades in Austin and Columbus, Sept 2026
50 of 73
picks came with a price the assistant needed and could not find. A fee, a starting price or a range.
Picked by Agents runs, 13 trades in Austin and Columbus, Sept 2026
The homeowner asks an assistant who to call
We gave an assistant the jobs homeowners actually hand off, across 13 trades in Austin and Columbus. AC repair, a backed up drain, a snapped garage door spring, pest control, a roof, a burst pipe, lawn care, junk removal and more. It searched, read contractor sites, and named two or three companies each time.
Independent local contractors won almost every pick, and they won it on their own websites. Then the job stalled. In 25 of 26 runs the assistant sent the homeowner to a phone number or a form, because nothing on the site let it go further.
“Local contractors are winning the pick and then losing the job at the phone number.”
What stops the assistant
- 01
No price
A diagnostic fee, a dispatch fee, a starting price or a typical range. The assistant was asked what it will cost and in 50 of 73 picks could not say.
- 02
No opening it can see
Same day service is claimed everywhere. An actual window the assistant could offer was shown almost nowhere.
- 03
A service area it cannot confirm
The assistant has an address. If your towns and ZIP codes are only in a map image, it cannot tell whether you serve it.
- 04
Scope left unclear
Which pests a plan covers, whether a mattress costs extra, what a warranty includes. The assistant flags what it cannot confirm, and hedges.
What wins the pick
The contractor that gets named answers the homeowner's question on its own site. A price or a fee the assistant can quote. The towns and ZIP codes you serve, in text. What the job includes. Openings it can see and a request it can complete. Hours and a phone number that match your Google profile.
That is contractor SEO for the reader that now builds the shortlist, and it helps your search rankings too.
What we do for a contractor
- 01
Run the real questions, monthly
Your customers' jobs in your metro, through the assistants people use, against the companies that beat you. You see who got named and why.
- 02
Publish the deciding facts
The fee, the starting price, the service area and the scope, written so an assistant finds them on the first pass.
- 03
Make the request work for an agent
A path from the assistant to a requested visit that needs no phone tree. We tag AI-sourced calls and forms so you see picks become jobs.
- 04
Fix the profile and the directories
Google Business Profile and the directories the assistants cite, made consistent with your site.
- 05
Keep measuring
New failures found and fixed every month, with a pick report on what moved.
Who this is for
Home service contractors of any trade. HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, remodeling, garage doors, pest control, restoration and the rest. From a single shop to a regional group. Several trades have their own page, linked below.
We are not a replacement for your agency. They run your ads and your SEO. We make sure the assistant names you, and we prove it.
Contractor SEO as usual vs Picked by Agents
| Contractor SEO as usual | Picked by Agents | |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Rankings, clicks, cost per lead | Whether the assistant named you, and why, every month |
| Where the homeowner decides | A map pack, ads and lead marketplaces | One answer with about three contractors |
| What it fixes | Content volume, backlinks, ad spend | The price, the service area, the scope, the request path, the profile |
| Proof | A traffic report | The assistant's own words, then AI-sourced calls in your call tracking |
| Leads | Bought and shared | The assistant names you to the homeowner directly |
| When it stops working | When you stop paying for ads | The fixes stay on your site. You keep them if you leave. |
Questions we get asked
Is this contractor SEO or something else?
- Both. The facts that get an assistant to name you, a price, a service area, the scope and a way to request a visit, are what search engines reward too. We test whether the assistant names you, every month.
Do assistants pick franchises over local contractors?
- Not in our runs. Of 73 contractors an assistant picked across 13 trades, 64 were independent local companies. It picked the ones whose sites answered the homeowner's question.
We are busy already. Why does this matter?
- Because the shortlist is forming now and it is cheap to get on. The assistant names about three companies. Being one of them costs nothing per lead once your site answers the question.
Do we have to publish prices?
- Publish something the assistant can use. A diagnostic or dispatch fee, a starting price or a typical range. We help you choose a number you can stand behind.
Does this replace our agency or our lead services?
- No. Keep them. We fix the one thing they do not measure, whether the assistant names you when a homeowner asks who to call.
Your next step
See which contractors the assistants name in your market.
The report is free. It shows who they named for your customers' jobs and where they stopped on you. Then we fix it, guaranteed.
Or write to Greg at greg@pickedbyagents.com.