Contractor growth · Data
What 2,343 contractor homepages say, and what they leave out
Our first study counted what a customer can do on a contractor's homepage. This one reads what the homepage says: whether it shows a license number, a star rating, financing, 24/7 service, a free estimate or how long the business has been around. These are the things a homeowner checks before calling.
Contractor guidesBy Landon LittleOctober 29, 20266 min read
How we read them
Same sample as our contractor website study: contractor homepages from OpenStreetMap across 21 states. We loaded each again as an iPhone on October 29, 2026; 2,343 loaded. We then searched each page's visible text for specific wording, and checked samples of every match by hand before counting it.
- License number: wording such as 'License #', 'Lic. No.', 'CSLB', 'ROC #' or Texas 'TACLA' and 'TECL' numbers.
- Star rating or review count: a rating such as '4.9 stars' or '4.7 out of 5', or a labeled count such as '640 Google reviews'.
- Financing: the word financing, finance options or 0% APR.
- 24/7 or emergency service: '24/7', '24-hour service', 'emergency service' or 'round-the-clock'.
- Free estimate: a free estimate, quote, inspection or consultation.
- Years in business: 'since' or 'established' with a year, or 'X years of experience'.
What the homepages say
| The homepage | Share |
|---|---|
| States how long the business has been around | 40% |
| Offers a free estimate, quote or inspection | 38% |
| Claims 24/7 or emergency service | 37% |
| Mentions financing | 35% |
| Shows a license number | 23% |
| Shows a star rating or review count | 14% |
The biggest gap is reviews. Google shows a business's star rating right next to its name in Maps results, yet only about one homepage in seven repeats a rating or review count where a visitor can see it. A license number appears on fewer than one in four.
By trade
| Trade | Sites | License # | Rating or reviews | Financing | 24/7 or emergency | Free estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | 615 | 29% | 12% | 59% | 55% | 29% |
| Roofing | 487 | 22% | 21% | 47% | 29% | 67% |
| Plumbing | 446 | 33% | 14% | 32% | 58% | 29% |
| Landscaping | 225 | 8% | 15% | 8% | 16% | 40% |
| Electrical | 222 | 23% | 7% | 14% | 32% | 28% |
| General contractor | 124 | 10% | 6% | 22% | 11% | 26% |
| Carpentry | 114 | 4% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 16% |
| Painting | 110 | 11% | 15% | 10% | 4% | 55% |
Each trade's homepages lean differently. HVAC homepages push financing and emergency service, which fits replacement systems and no-heat calls. Plumbers lead on emergency service and license numbers. Roofers and painters lead with free estimates and inspections, which fits trades that sell a quote before a job.
License numbers by state
| State | Sites | License # | Rating or reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 96 | 48% | 18% |
| California | 308 | 47% | 12% |
| Florida | 228 | 38% | 21% |
| Texas | 274 | 25% | 13% |
| Illinois | 149 | 19% | 11% |
| Washington | 123 | 17% | 14% |
| Ohio | 118 | 14% | 11% |
| Pennsylvania | 168 | 13% | 8% |
| Colorado | 142 | 11% | 20% |
| North Carolina | 105 | 10% | 10% |
| New York | 129 | 9% | 15% |
License numbers cluster in Arizona, California and Florida. We have not checked each state's advertising rules here, so read the gap as a habit, not a compliance finding. Texting rules for each state are in texting laws by state.
Limits
- Homepage text only. A license number on an inner page, or a rating inside an image or a separately loaded widget, is not counted, so these figures are floors.
- Wording matches were checked by hand on samples, not on every site.
- The sample comes from OpenStreetMap: large and real, but not a weighted census of every contractor.
What to check on your own homepage
- Put your star rating and review count near the top, in text, not only in a widget.
- Show your license number in the footer of every page.
- Say plainly whether you offer financing, emergency service and free estimates.
- Keep the reviews coming: Nova Solutions review automation asks every finished job for a Google review for $149 a month, and Google review request texts has the wording to do it yourself.
Questions this post answers
- How many contractor websites show a license number?
- 23% of the 2,343 contractor homepages we read in October 2026 showed a license number. It was most common on plumbing (33%) and HVAC (29%) sites and in Arizona (48%) and California (47%), and least common on carpentry (4%) sites and in New York (9%).
- How many contractor websites show their Google rating or reviews?
- 14% showed a star rating or a review count in the page text. Roofing sites were highest at 21%. Review widgets that load as images or in a separate frame are not counted, so the true figure may be somewhat higher.
- How many contractor websites offer financing or 24/7 service?
- 35% mentioned financing and 37% claimed 24/7 or emergency service. HVAC led on both, with 59% mentioning financing and 55% claiming 24/7 or emergency service; plumbing was at 58% for emergency service.
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