Why many roofers who do quality work can’t keep the phone ringing
You know your crews do solid work. Paint lines are straight, shingles are cut clean, and customers send thank-you notes. Yet new jobs slow to a trickle between storms and referrals dry up faster than a week-old job site. That mismatch - excellent field work paired with unstable lead flow - is common. Industry data shows roofing companies that rely heavily on referrals and storm-chasing fail 73% of the time because their online listings go inactive or fall out of sight. Active listings are the difference between sporadic bursts of business and predictable revenue you can plan around.
This problem hides in plain sight. Owners assume referrals will always come, or that a banner ad or a lead vendor will plug the gap. Many don’t realize a single broken Google Business Profile, a duplicate directory entry, or months of unresponded reviews can erase visibility across search and maps. The result is gaps in your pipeline, rush hiring after storms, and empty weeks that chase your cashflow and sanity.
How inactive listings destroy revenue and create urgency
Here’s the blunt impact. When your listings drop in search rankings or show incorrect information, prospective customers won’t call. They call competitors who appear active and responsive. That means:
- Lost jobs you never even knew you missed - no inquiry, no lead, no estimate. Big swings in monthly revenue tied to external events like storms instead of steady demand. Wasted marketing spend on ads that point to broken listings or unconverted landing pages. Higher cost per install because you need to buy emergency leads or give deeper discounts to win work fast.
The 73% failure rate ties back to one simple fact: visibility. If customers can’t find accurate, trustworthy information about your company when they search, they won’t trust you. That leads to slow months, missed payroll, and owners burning out trying to chase one-off opportunities.
Three common reasons listings go dark and leads dry up
Understanding why listings fail helps you fix the problem for good. Here are three root causes I see over and over.
1. Listings become inaccurate or fragmented
Small differences in your company name, phone number, or address create duplicates across directories. One directory shows "Frank's Roofing LLC", another "Franks Roofing", and a third lists the old phone number. Search engines and mapping services treat that confusion as reduced trust and push your profile down. The effect compounds when a roofing company moves offices, changes numbers, or uses multiple phone lines without updating every citation.
2. No system for review generation and response
Customers expect active businesses to have recent reviews and replied-to feedback. When you ignore reviews or don’t ask for them, your profile looks stagnant. Negative reviews that go unaddressed do the most damage - they tell prospects you don't care about problems. An inactive review profile signals lower reliability even if your work is excellent.
3. Over-reliance on storm-chasing and lead marketplaces
Relying on intermittent storm-driven demand or buying leads from marketplaces creates boom-and-bust cycles. Lead vendors often handle listings poorly or fail to pass on assets like review platforms and tracking numbers. Without ownership of your own visibility - and without active listings you control - you're at the mercy of third parties and market swings.
How active listings convert searchers into steady, predictable leads
Fixing listings isn’t a one-off task. It’s a repeatable system that turns local search presence into a dependable lead generator. The core idea: make your business information accurate, visible, and trustworthy across every place people look. Then build simple conversion mechanics so each click or phone call becomes a booked estimate.
This approach prioritizes owned assets first. That means your Google Business Profile, your website’s service pages, and your name/phone/address consistency. Paid channels like PPC have a place, but they perform much better once your organic visibility and conversion path are fixed. That’s the contrarian bit most contractors find unintuitive - throwing money at ads while your listings are broken just magnifies wasted spend.
5 steps to reactivate listings and lock in consistent leads
Follow these steps as a checklist. Do them in order and set ownership for each task - who on the team is responsible. Small consistent effort beats one-off fixes.
Step 1 - Complete a listings audit
Find every place your company appears online and map it into a single spreadsheet. Include:
- Google Business Profile (GBP) entries Major directories: Yelp, Facebook, Bing Places Local directories and trade sites Industry sites and lead marketplaces
Look for duplicates, old phone numbers, inconsistent names, or wrong addresses. Tools like free Google searches, Google Maps, and paid services (optional) can speed this up. The goal is a master list you can use to systematically correct every citation.
Step 2 - Standardize NAP and remove duplicates
Pick one official version of your name, address, and phone number (NAP). Use this everywhere. Replace old numbers and retire temporary tracking numbers that aren’t tied to your core website or CRM. Claim ownership of each listing where possible and submit edits for duplicates or closed locations. Removing duplicates alone often gives a swift boost in visibility.
Step 3 - Optimize your Google Business Profile for conversions
GBP is the most visible local asset. Treat it like your digital storefront.
- Set accurate business hours and service areas, and list specific services you offer. Add recent photos of projects and teams. Visual proof builds trust and differentiates you from competitors who use stock photos. Post updates and offers regularly - weekly if possible - to show activity. Enable messaging or appointment booking if you can respond within a short window. Respond to every review within 24-72 hours, acknowledging praise and resolving complaints professionally.
Step 4 - Systemize review collection and customer follow-up
Make asking for reviews part of every transaction. Scripts for techs and office staff help. Examples:
- After the final inspection: "If you're happy with the work, a quick review helps other homeowners. Can I send you a link?" Follow-up SMS or email templates with a one-click review link.
Track review requests and set a cadence so you hit a steady flow of new reviews each month. Also, train staff to ask for specific feedback items customers can mention - response time, communication, cleanup - that highlight strengths customers care about.
Step 5 - Build a conversion system and diversify channels
Active listings get eyeballs. To turn those into booked jobs you need straightforward conversion mechanics:
- Service-area landing pages on your website optimized for local queries - each town or neighborhood gets a short, useful page with local photos and a clear call to action. Call tracking numbers tied to campaigns and listings so you can see what drives calls. A lightweight CRM or spreadsheet to capture leads, schedule inspections, and track follow-up until closed. Small, targeted ad tests only after listings and pages are fixed - use them to supplement organic leads rather than replace them. Retargeting ads for visitors who viewed your site but did not call - these are cheap and remind prospects to schedule.
What to expect: A realistic 0-180 day timeline and outcomes
Expect incremental improvements rather than overnight miracles. Here’s a practical timeline and the kinds of outcomes business owners usually see when they follow the steps above.
Timeframe Actions Realistic Outcomes 0-30 days Full listings audit, correct NAP, claim and verify GBP, remove duplicates Reduced errors in search, initial visibility improvements, baseline metrics established 30-60 days Optimize GBP, add photos, set up review process, fix website service pages Noticeable uptick in calls from organic search, steady flow of new reviews, better caller quality 60-90 days Run small ad tests, implement call tracking and CRM, train staff on follow-up Higher conversion on inbound leads, clearer cost-per-lead data, improved booking rate 90-180 days Scale what works, refine ad targeting, expand service-area pages, continued review growth Predictable monthly pipeline, smoother scheduling, less reliance on storm-chasing, better marginsNumbers you can expect will vary by market size, competition, and season. As a general ballpark: a small local roofing company that implements these steps can often double organic inquiry volume within 3-6 months and reduce their paid lead spend by 20-50% as internal conversion and visibility improve.
A candid look at what doesn’t work and a contrarian take
Many roofers believe buying more leads or hiring a marketing agency is the single solution. That’s rarely true. Buying more leads without fixing listings and conversion is like pouring water into a bucket with holes. You might see temporary spikes, but the underlying leak eats your budget. Likewise, over-optimizing for vanity metrics like impressions or social followers distracts from what matters - calls and booked estimates.
Another common misstep is chasing every marketing tactic at once. Publications and agencies pitch complex plans with lots of channels. In practice, roofing businesses do best when they fix the fundamentals first: accurate listings, a working GBP, Find more information consistent reviews, and a simple follow-up system. Once those foundations are solid, selective spending on local PPC or targeted mail campaigns can scale predictable results.
Take action now - a simple checklist to start today
- Run a quick Google search for your company name and note all listing locations. Pick your official NAP and update your Google Business Profile now. Create a one-step review request message for techs to use after every job. Set up call tracking and a simple CRM or spreadsheet that logs caller source and outcome. Schedule a 90-day review to measure leads, bookings, and whether paid spend is needed.
Fixing inactive listings is not glamorous. It is detail work. It is tracking and consistency. But it is also the single highest-return activity for roofing companies that want predictable work without chasing the next storm or burning money on poorly targeted leads. Do the basics well, own your listings, and build simple systems that turn searchers into customers.
If you want, I can help you build a customized 90-day plan for your company: audit pointers, a sample review script for your techs, and a checklist to hand to your office manager. Say the word and I’ll tailor it to your market size and current listing status.