How To Register My Company On Hime Advisor

Last updated: July 20, 2021

HomeAdvisor PRO (at present chosen Angi Leads) is a fast and easy style to get customers and abound your business concern. In fact, information technology's where I found some of my all-time clients for my handyman business organisation.

However, it'south a controversial subject field for contractors. Some businesses are experiencing massive success with the service, while others trash talk and describe information technology as a scam.

So who's right? And most chiefly, should y'all use them to generate leads? That is the ultimate question I'll reply in this article.

Here's what I embrace in this HomeAdvisor Pro (aka Angi Leads) review:

Controversial issues to be aware of with HomeAdvisor
Quick Facts and Stats
The pros and cons of using HomeAdvisor
Should you lot utilize HomeAdvisor to grow your business?
Tip for getting improve (and cheaper) leads while using HomeAdvisor

Why the Controversy?

Event #i: Lots of complaints from other businesses

HomeAdvisor has had over 1,900 client complaints with the Better Business Bureau in the last three years. Even though they accept an A rating, that'southward still a lot of complaints.

(Side note: This article lone has received over 280 comments from local businesses most HA – ninety% of which are negative reviews. Feel free to scroll downward and read them.)

This doesn't necessarily bother me, though, considering they deal with tens of millions of projects every twelvemonth and have over 100,000 small-scale businesses using their platform. When you lot deal with that many people, complaints are inevitable.

The real problem is with what those complaints are about.

Issue #2: Fake leads

Many of the complaints in the comments on this page and on BBB are about HomeAdvisor "scamming" contractors with low-quality or fake leads.

I've personally dealt with dozens of bad leads. Some of them are "expressionless leads" who don't even reply the phone or respond when y'all follow up with them. Some of the bad leads are homeowners who are price shopping and don't realize their curiosity costs contractors real coin. And some of the bad leads are from competing businesses that are doing market research.

Low-quality leads are a existent result, but I wouldn't phone call it a scam.

When you pay $fifteen per lead, these bad leads get abrasive. But when you are paying $150 for a lead (which is the case for some services), it can be downright painful.

However, I think that a big source of these complaints is business organisation owners who tin't close the sale. They are unable to turn leads into customers and stop upward blaming HomeAdvisor.

Low quality leads

Information technology'south important to know that HomeAdvisor provides leads, not customers, and if a business organisation doesn't follow best practices for turning leads into customers, they'll likely waste a lot of money with little results.

A tool is just as good as the mitt that's using it, after all.

Issue #3: Deceptive marketing practices (This is a BIG one)

If you lot make up one's mind to sign up for HA, be sure to read the fine print because by signing up, you requite them the right to use your concern name, logo, and images for marketing purposes, such as directing links back to their ain site.

That means they tin get out, create a bunch of profiles on other online business concern directories in your business proper noun using your logo and pictures, and then indicate those directories back to HA, where they tin can so sell the leads to other contractors (or to you).

Several contractors and handymen have found out the difficult manner (including myself). Not only does HA build links dorsum to their own site in the small business'due south proper noun, but they also list HA'southward phone number. When a potential customer calls that number, they forrard information technology to yous, the business owner, and charge you for what they telephone call an "Exact Friction match Lead."

I couldn't believe information technology myself until I read their terms of service and and then did a quick Google of my business organization proper name. Sure enough, I found that my YP.com list had all of my concern information but the wrong telephone number. Upon dialing that number, I was continued with HomeAdvisor! Not only that, but they spelled my business name incorrect.

Not cool, HomeAdvisor, not absurd at all.

This is a pretty big issue for me, and it definitely hurts HomeAdvisor's paradigm in my eyes. Although it is clearly explained in their terms of service, this is not something they explained when I signed up. Information technology's flat-out deceptive.

However, this event can exist mitigated past simply doing some cleanup piece of work online. I've sought out these imitation listings and changed them to reflect my business's correct information.

One thing I recommend doing before signing upwards for HA is creating your own online listings. Past doing and so, y'all reduce the gamble of this happening to you.

Consequence #4 – Pushy and misleading sales tactics

Many of the complaints occur considering pros were promised the globe past cold-calling HomeAdvisor salesmen, only to be immediately disappointed by what they actually get.

1 pro complained that when he signed upwards, the salesmen said he would receive most two leads per week. Then, in the first week, he received ten leads, many of which were bad leads.

Unfortunately, the salesman failed to mention something that is stated in HA terms of service – which is that in some cases you tin can receive leads to a higher place your spend target. And then, if your profile isn't advisedly configured, yous could end upward spending more on leads than you are prepared for.

Some other matter I dislike most HA and other websites like YELP is that they are constantly cold-calling pocket-sized businesses in an attempt to sell them ads or premiere placement on their platforms. They are unremarkably pushy and persistent, wasting the precious fourth dimension of already time-poor business concern owners.

At that place'due south a Better Way To Fill Your Schedule

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HomeAdvisor/Angi Leads Quick Facts and Stats

HomeAdvisor certainly has some questionable business practices, but they must exist doing something right. Otherwise, how would they have built a billion-dollar business?

Originally called ServiceMagic, HomeAdvisor was founded in 1998.
ServiceMagic rebranded in 2012 as HomeAdvisor.
HomeAdvisor merged with Angie's List in 2017, forming Angi Homeservices Inc. (NASDAQ: ANGI), which is the world's largest digital marketplace for abode services, including everything from maids to handymen to contractors.
In 2020, over 240,000 businesses used Angi Homeservices to connect with customers, and over 32 million projects were requested in more than than 500 categories.
In 2020, Angi Homeservices had revenue of $one.47 Billion, 10.5% higher than in 2019.
In 2021, HomeAdvisor Pro was rebranded to Angi Leads.

Source: Wikipedia, ANGI 2020 annual report.

The Pros and Cons of HomeAdvisor

Pros

It's constructive. In that location's one major reason that HA is nonetheless in business, and that's because information technology works. With more and more people turning to the web to find service providers, having a stiff online presence is essential. HomeAdvisor has an extremely powerful web presence and a well-designed website that makes it easy for homeowners to find pros. Later all, they are part of the biggest digital marketplace for home services in the world.
High long-term ROI. To some people, the toll of leads seems expensive, but if you consider that many of the customers you connect with on HomeAdvisor will end up condign long-term clients, the value proposition becomes more bonny. For example, I paid $twenty for a atomic number 82 to mount a TV and that customer ended up hiring me for over $xx,000 in work over the following years.
Good for new businesses. Before you can commencement generating customers from word of rima oris, you demand to actually have customers. HA allows you lot to leverage their brand to gain trust and gain your kickoff clients. It also allows y'all to achieve customers that you otherwise wouldn't have the marketing abilities or funds to reach.
Piece of cake to manage. Once yous've gear up up your account, it'south straightforward to manage. Yous can even turn your leads on and off whenever yous cull. This allows you to only use the service when you lot are irksome or trying to expand your business organization. They even accept an app where you can manage customer requests and collect payments. HA clearly understands how to leverage technology to brand their platform easier for both customers and service pros.
You choose which jobs yous become leads for. One of my favorite things about HomeAdvisor is how you lot can selection and choose which jobs you get leads for. If you only desire leads for Tv wall mounts, yous can do that. If you discover that certain leads don't turn into customers, you tin can modify your profile to end getting those item leads.
Great for filling gaps in your schedule. One of the best uses of HomeAdvisor is to fill gaps in your schedule during slow times – like during wintertime when business tends to boring down or while yous work on other marketing strategies that free you from having to pay for leads.

Cons

Giving up some rights to your brand. HA's terms of service clearly state that HA can employ any information on your profile to straight links to their site. This substantially allows them to use your proper noun to promote their business organisation – so charge you for information technology. And this extends to any pictures you upload, your logo, or even pictures of y'all. They get irrevocable access to use this however they desire if you sign up and concord.
Bad leads. I've received several leads that were merely people toll shopping with no interest in actually hiring anybody. Sometimes leads won't even answer the phone. A refund will be granted in some cases, but I've yet paid for several bad leads. This isn't surprising since it conspicuously states in HA's terms of service that they make no guarantees on the quality of the leads you get.
Information technology tin get expensive. Paying for leads tin can consume into profits fast, specially if yous are signed upwardly for more expensive leads like kitchen or bath remodel leads and cannot convert leads into customers effectively. But lead fees aren't the merely fees. Y'all tin also pay for a subscription to merely have your concern listed with your telephone number (instead of HA'due south). You often take to pay an enrollment fee of $300 just to get started. They volition try to sell you other services like website development and hosting. There'southward even an option to pay to use HA's seal on your website. If y'all're not careful, the fees can add up quickly.
It tin exist a headache. When you get fake leads or leads that don't even respond the telephone, information technology gets frustrating – especially when yous shelled out cash for those leads. Additionally, it can be tough to differentiate yourself from the competition on HA. That often leads to having to exist more than competitive on toll, which can further consume into profits.
Reviews aren't yours. The reviews you work hard to earn while using the platform are endemic solely past HomeAdvisor, and they clearly state that you cannot apply these or republish them in any form. The only mode to legally post the reviews on your website is to purchase your website and hosting from HomeAdvisor, which I wouldn't recommend for anyone.
Feeding the "beast" – Every bit I talk well-nigh in this article, using services like HomeAdvisor farther strengthens their already dominant position as the go-to place for homeowners to observe pros. Equally useful equally information technology may be, this gives the middle man a lot of power, which may not exist so practiced for small business profits in the long run.

Should you lot employ HomeAdvisor?

Hither is the ultimate question, and the answer is that it depends.

Personally, I believe it's effective and I take personally had success using the service. In my showtime yr of business concern, I spent $1,152 advertisement with HA and gained $4,425 in business directly from leads received. Those numbers may sound small, only as a handyman, my average job size is just a few hundred dollars. The real value came from helping me build a client base from nothing while working on other, long-term marketing strategies that I rely on now. I was able to gain some excellent customers and advance my business in the short term, which gave me time to invest in less expensive and amend marketing strategies.

However, I don't agree with some of their business practices, namely how they utilize a company's name to straight leads back to their website. This is a real problem for me.

I no longer use HA, and I dropped them equally presently as I could keep my schedule filled without them. I view this service as a tool for jump-starting a small business just not a long-term marketing tool.

Hither's What I Recommend

If you are starting your business and can't await to grow your business slowly while implementing your ain marketing strategies, so HomeAdvisor is worth a test run. The potential upside outweighs the downside. Yes, you volition waste money on bad leads, but sometimes you have to spend money to make money and the momentum it tin give your concern is very nice.

Information technology's likewise worth testing if yous are already established and need a method to quickly ramp upwardly leads either during the wearisome season or if you are hiring assistance to scale your business upwards.

Just exist careful of which services you sign up for. HomeAdvisor does far more transport yous leads now. They will build and host websites for y'all, allow you to use their seal, have a subscription service, and even collect payments from customers. Who knows where things will go adjacent since they are part of a huge east-commerce conglomerate that too owns Angi and Handy platforms.

I wouldn't recommend having HomeAdvisor build or host your website – especially given how easy information technology is to do it yourself. It will merely further lock you into a visitor that you may not enjoy partnering with over the long term.

I wouldn't recommend their subscription fellow member service either since all you are paying for is a listing on their directory. If you are going to pay to be in a directory, y'all might as well pay to be featured on YELP.

I too do NOT recommend paying to take their seal on your website. This is silly and would just give a marginal improvement to conversions at best. As well, it volition only matter if your website generates lots of traffic already, which if it did, yous probably wouldn't need HomeAdvisor in the showtime place.

At present, if yous don't demand customers immediately to survive, and so there are improve ways to generate leads that I recommend focusing on first.

Either mode, don't make the error of totally outsourcing your marketing to Home Advisor, Thumbtack, or other lead generation companies. If you lot do, then you don't really accept a business organization. You take a job. Think about that for a minute.

Quick Tips to Maximize ROI with HomeAdvisor

If you lot exercise determine to use HA to abound your business, here are some insights that I've gained from my feel that will help you shut more leads and spend less.

Tip #1: Telephone call leads immediately

This is the single about of import tip for making HA piece of work for yous, fifty-fifty more and so than having skilful reviews. I've found that nine times out of x, if I call within minutes of receiving the lead, I get the business organisation. Some customers accept even told me that they always choose the offset person that calls without even entertaining what the adjacent service pro has to say.

So, if you desire to get the business, call immediately. Don't even waste ten seconds. As before long as you get that lead, pick upwards your phone and phone call them.

Tip #2: Just sign up for pocket-size job leads (at first)

Leads for big jobs are expensive at $50 and up. With price shoppers all over the place, this can eat into your profits really fast. That's why I recommend only signing upwards to receive leads that cost under $25 (commonly includes small repair jobs and handyman jobs). This way, yous can still go your foot in the door, build your customer base of operations, and so bank on the return business.

Once you get your sales process dialed in, then it makes sense to first paying for the bigger jobs like kitchen and bathroom remodels.

Tip #three: Eliminate leads that don't pay

After you've been using the service for a while, it's a good idea to become dorsum over your past leads and run across which lead categories paid off and which ones provide mostly junk leads. When I did this, I noticed that leads for certain projects nearly always turned into customers, while leads for "general handyman – multiple projects" NEVER turned into a single customer. I too noticed that this was my most common lead. And so, I changed my profile to no longer get leads for "general handyman – multiple projects." The issue was lower lead costs, fewer bad leads, and just as many good leads.

Tip #four: Read the Terms of Service thoroughly

Non only volition reading HA'southward Terms of Service page requite you a better understanding of what you're signing up for, but it will likewise help you understand the different ways to use the platform. HomeAdvisor is constantly creating and testing new ways to connect service pros with customers. In fact, buying leads is merely one mode to use HA to gain customers. By taking thirty minutes to read the terms and conditions carefully, you lot will gain insights into different programs they are running and be better armed to talk to the salesman before signing upwardly.

Tip #5: Don't be afraid to negotiate

Just similar cable companies, HA has designed its pricing to maximize profits. That means those who are lazy will pay a premium. But, if yous are willing to ask a few questions and even threaten to quit or walk away, you can likely get out of paying huge enrollment fees and high subscription rates. At a minimum, it never hurts to ask for a better deal.

Conclusion

HomeAdvisor (at present Angi Leads) can be an effective tool to concenter customers and grow your business. Merely just similar any tool, if it's used incorrectly, it tin can end upwards hurting you. Use it with caution.

A good dominion of thumb is to use information technology equally much as necessary, and equally little as possible.

I hope you found this article helpful. If you lot'd like to proceeds more insights, tips, and practical strategies for growing a better business as a service pro, consider signing upward for my email newsletter. You'll learn improve means to attract customers and grow your business concern. I've got a no BS approach, and y'all tin can unsubscribe at whatsoever fourth dimension.

To sign up, click the push below to download the free report.

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Paying for leads has its place, but there are ameliorate means to market your business.

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