In this article, I’m going to reveal a free and effective strategy for advertising your handyman services.
That’s right, it’s free…and effective. And, it will work just about anywhere in the world.
So, do you remember the phone book? Well, I’m not talking about that. That’s a waste of time.
Instead, I’m talking about something similar, but way better: getting your handyman business listed in the online directories. I’m sure you have heard of several of these already. Examples include Yelp, Yahoo Local, and let’s not forget the almighty Google My Business.
Why is this so effective?
First, it’s a free way to get exposure. Just by simply listing your business here you will get more eyes on your business. Since those websites already have tons of traffic, this is your opportunity to tap into that at no cost.
Even if you don’t see a lot of business directly from these directories, customers will often check to see if you are listed and if you have any reviews. I’ve talked to a couple of customers that have mentioned that one of the reasons they called me was because I was listed on Angie’s List. They didn’t find me on Angie’s List, but they checked there to see if I was legit. I gained credibility just by being listed.
Secondly, because nobody uses a phone book anymore. It actually pisses me off that they still drop phone books off at my house. What a waste of paper! The internet is the new phone book.
Lastly, most of these directories allow you to add a link to your website. You do have a website, right?. This is good because it helps your website show up on the first page of Google when somebody searches for your services. Basically, it’s a form of SEO (search engine optimization) which is a fancy name for getting found online.
Bottom line, you want to get your business on these directories, and the sooner the better.
Which Directories Should You Sign Up With?
There are lots of directories to advertise your handyman business, and the list is growing all the time. So, I’ll just make this easy and provide you with a list of some of the main free ones so you can get started right now.
Simply click the links below, create a business profile on each site, and start generating leads (for free) today.
Google Places
Yahoo Local
Local.com
YellowPages.com
Angie’s List
Yellowbot
Yelp.com
Superpages.com
Localeze
Bing
DexOne
Manta
Best of the Web
HotFrog
SmartGuy
Once you have registered for all of the above directories, you’ll probably want to search for a few more. You can do this by doing a simple google search for your services in your area to see which directories pop up. Go through the results on the first few pages and keep a look out for sites that may be business directories. If you find any, make sure to sign up.
Easy money!
Quick Tips
- Make sure that the information you enter such as your company name, address, phone number, etc. is consistent and free of spelling and grammatical errors. This will help with ranking higher in Google My Business.
- Fill out all of the information that you can. If they allow 5 images, upload 5 images. If they allow for 10 keywords, try and fill out all 10. The directories tend to favor the more complete profiles.
- Always link to your website if the option is available.
- Some of these directories allow you to add a lot of information. I would recommend that you save whatever you write for the first couple of directories so you can just copy and paste it into other directories. This will save you a ton of time. Trust me!
- Some of these directories offer paid listings. I didn’t sign up for any of them. To me, there are just too many online directories for me to pay for any of them. I’d rather put my efforts into getting my website to rank in Google’s search engine.
I found the task of registering my handyman business in the online directories to be especially boring. The good news is that you only have to do it once and it’s completely free. It’s really a no-brainer for marketing your handyman business.
Take Your Handyman Marketing To the Next Level
The main reason my handyman business was so successful so quickly, despite the fact that I look like a high schooler, is that I invested time marketing my business.
Instead of falling into the word of mouth trap, I took control and learned how to generate my own leads and it has paid off very well, allowing me to average nearly $100 per hour for my services.
Anybody can do the same with the right marketing strategy.
Unfortunately, though, most handymen look at advertising as something they just need to get past so they can start making money. This leads them to rush through the marketing, do it half-heartedly, or try to skip it all together. The sad thing is that this thought process leads to low profits, working for bad customers, and just struggle in general.
Don’t do that. There is a better way, and you don’t have to spend hundreds of hours learning the basics like I had to do.
In fact, I’ve put together a complete handyman marketing training system, that will take you from zero customers to a schedule filled with high-paying customers in just four weeks. It’s called Handyman Marketing Machine, and it’s already helped dozens of others just like you grow their businesses.
My brother suggested I might like this web site.
He was totally right. This put up truly made my
day. You cann’t consider simply how much time I had spent for this info! Thank you!
Big D,
Hi. I used Yahoo’s free business scan at http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/localworks/ to see which directory listings my business might be listed in and it returned 248 possible directories. That’s a long list and I don’t know which of those directory services may offer free business listing; however, I thought I’d mention it for anyone who might be interested.
Thank you! for all the information you provide. I felt helpless until I came across blog. Again, thank you!
Rolly
No, thank YOU for reading and leaving a comment. I really appreciate it as well as the link you shared.
Thanks D, I dont have a website yet, only one month into my new buisness. thanks for the info . working a fulltime job and a P/T buisness can be a handful not to mention wearing several different hats when starting your own buisness. Thanks for the tips.
Your welcome, Ron.
Hey Dan
Can you tell exactly how to clean up the listings on other sites that direct My customers to Home Advisor site. How do I change the listings in their sites ?
It’s different for every directory. In some cases you can just claim the listing and change the number. In other cases, you’ll need to contact a representative. It’s a pain in the ass, and some of them you may never get cleaned up, but I would still recommend trying.
Hi! I’ve been reading your blog for some time now and
finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Huffman
Tx! Just wanted to tell you keep up the fantastic work!
Thanks! will do.
Hi, Dan
I’ve also been following your blog for several months now and found the information to be tremendously valuable and informative. I’ve discovered that there’s actually a whole industry devoted to managing people’s presence and ranking on the web. One company I found is called Blue Corona. Have you heard of these guys? here’s their website. ~Eric
http://www.bluecorona.com/
Hi Eric,
You’re right, the small business online marketing industry is pretty huge. As with anything, you get what you pay for. For me, outsourcing my web presence to the kind of talent that I trust would be too expensive.
As far as Blue Corona is concerned, I can’t say I know too much about them.
Dan
Dan
As you know I signed up with you several months ago. I read everyone of your emails and listen to every podcast. Great information. Please keep up the good work.
Thanks Wade! Thanks for showin some love.
Nice post Dan.
At the highest level, the web is a real estate game. Some ‘neighborhoods’ are (still) way undervalued while others are (already) way overvalued. Small businesses interested in growth need to cost-effectively maximize their real estate. The smaller your marketing budget, the more targeted you need to be and/or the more you need to hunt for deals (undervalued property). The way to find deals is to a) know your numbers, b) track everything, and/or c) talk to a professional. If you think hiring a pro is expensive, wait until you’ve hired an amateur!
Ben
PS – @Eric K – I’m the president of Blue Corona. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have. Just drop me a line through our site.
Thanks Ben. That’s an interesting way to look at the web. Thanks for sharing and I’ll be sure to take a loot at your site!
Dan
Hi Dan, Thanks for the info. However, I tried signing up with the first three directories and each asked for $. Perhaps I’m missing something???
Hi Sean,
Most of them have paid services in addition to free listings. Often times there is the option to create a free listing that is less obvious but it’s there. I’ve never paid for a listing other than on Angie’s list which didn’t work out well.
I really enjoyed the article. I have signed up for all the listings as you suggested or at least the free ones. I will let you all know how it worked out.
Good for you. Action and execution will win every day. Congratulations.
Hi Dan.
I know you wrote this post a long time ago, but just wanted to tell you that it was very helpful to me. I have had a handyman business for quite a long time but it’s always a good idea to get more online marketing. I found the tip about searching for directories using my keywords especially helpful. Thank you.
If you want to do a full sweep of your online listings, google your telephone number. If you want to know all the places your HA number is listed for your business, Google the number Home Advisor has on your profile.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the results. Home Advisor is very good at generating profit as part of a Fortune 500 company – by grabbing many free listings. (They also generate and own a bunch of generic contractor lead listing sites to gather more calls to your HA lead gen number.) There’s only 30-50 or so listing sites online that matter. I’m working on a new report – “Take Back Your Good Name.” which should help you with this.
In the meantime (forgive me for saying this)…if you’re really angry about this and want to yell at somebody about it, grab a mirror. In 4 years there, only 2 contractors even asked me what the terms and conditions were! Let’s call it 2 out of 1,000 enrolled contractors. Sure. I agree it’s a tad sneaky the way the company arranges the enrollment process so you can so easily and smoothly give up the rights to your own good business name. (It took me a year there to figure it all out.) Maybe the worst part is that, unwittingly, those listing for *your company* usually end up pushing leads to your competitors.
There’s three hand grenades hiding in the bushes with HA: 1) internet listings, 2) billing and 3) reviews. Fortunately, I was able to penetrate the *WALL” corporately constructed to keeps reps out of those areas and learn the operations there. Stay awake, stay alert, and act fast is my opinion on those areas.
BTW, a nice shout out to Dan who runs and writes this blog. I think his article is a fair and honest representation of the experiences related to partnering with HA. I’d be sure to subscribe to this particular blow. I’m really sorry some of you guys have had so much trouble.
Here’s a disclaimer – I believe in Home Advisor. I enrolled more than a few contractors who were down to their last $50 and we used that to revive their business and get their momentum going it the right direction. One handyman started with me with a total of $45 dollars. That’s all he had…two years later his monthly spend target was $800 and he was quite successful. The truth is that the vast majority of my contractor clients ignored my advice and suggestions – I’ve been in business development for 40+ years – and didn’t get the results they wanted and could have had. Good luck and stay tuned to Dan’s blog here. He’s steering you right.
great info thanks, just what i was looking for.
Any tips for using yext?
Don’t Use: Yext !
They are horrible and try strong arming you into a paid account,…they are blackmail marketers – Had to deal with them many times in the past and it was a full blown nightmare.
Please – For Gods Sake – Stay Away from Yext..!!!
Some great info here. I thought I had signed up for most of the directories. However I just checked on Yext the Yahoo power listing and it give a long list and lets you know if the info is correct. I guess I better get filling out the forms.
Is yext an extension of yahoo? Also they have free listing available. Is that worth having? Thank you, entrepreneur.
I started a business in 2004, my first 8 months was word of mouth. Then I moved into a big warehouse of my own real space. Felt amazing and I didn’t have a clue to what would attach to my business name until 11 years later. FYI when you first move into any location do a search online to the address. If you are the same exact type of business, every negative review from previous business will attach to yours. Doesn’t matter who you are.
I found this out , and was crushed. I couldn’t remove any. Best advice is when you place your new business name online (which i didn’t) Make sure you can change, edit, or even delete negative info about your business name. If you can’t dont sign up. Yelp sent us a email offer $750 per month to control reviews.
I have completely started over and have left out our location due to if your a service. You don’t need customers coming to your shop.
Every contractor – all of us always call and go to the clients job.
Your business name & address & personal info in my opinion should not be on the internet.
No site will keep you private.
Try this out- smile too 10 customers daily. See what happens. Learn to just smile all the time.