Why homeowners call the contractor down the road.

Score 74/100

The basics are there, but the contractor down the road is getting calls that should be yours.

1. 1

   Hide your home address and list your service towns.

   Google's rules say a business that serves customers at their location should hide its address and list service areas instead. A plumber who works from home is Google's own example.

   The fix: In your profile, clear the address so it does not show, then add your service areas (up to 20). Keep the whole area within about 2 hours of where you are based.

2. 2

   Get a new review every week.

   A steady flow shows you are busy and still in business. One burst three years ago and nothing since looks like a company that stopped trying.

   The fix: Make the review ask part of closing out every job, so it happens every week without you thinking about it.

3. 3

   Close the review gap with your local top 10.

   Google says more reviews and good ratings can help you rank. They also decide who the homeowner calls when they see three names.

   The fix: Ask every customer, every job. Aim to beat the middle number for your trade in your town, not the record holder.

   Half of the 1,439 top-10 listings we checked had 230 reviews or more. But in 117 of 140 searches, the business with the most reviews did not hold the number 1 spot.