Field Notes

They searched for a roofer. You didn't come up.

Why a homeowner with a leak picks from the three roofers on Google's map, what Google says decides who shows up there, and what you can fix this month.

By Alan · · Updated

A homeowner notices a stain spreading across the bedroom ceiling. They don’t have a roofer. Nobody in the family is in the trades. So they pick up their phone and type “roofer near me.”

Before any website, Google shows a map with three names, their stars and a call button. The homeowner taps one. You do good work three miles away. You weren’t on the map.

The map is where a lot of homeowners choose

Most homeowners still start with a name from someone they trust. In Roofing Contractor’s 2026 survey, 74% follow a recommendation from a neighbor, friend or family member, and about half use a search engine. Owens Corning, which sells roofing materials, sponsored it. (Roofing Contractor)

Most look you up either way. In Roofr’s survey of 292 homeowners who hired a roofer in the past two years, 82% checked online reviews before hiring. Roofr sells roofing software. (Roofr)

That map shows up a lot. In a May 2025 study of local searches for six kinds of businesses, like plumbers and dentists, Google’s map showed up for 93% of them. Roofers weren’t in that study, and Whitespark, which ran it, sells local search software. (Whitespark)

What Google says decides who’s on the map

Google says local results come mainly from three things. How well your listing matches what the homeowner searched. How far you are from them. And how well known you are, partly from your reviews and ratings. Google also says you can’t pay for a better spot in its regular map results. Ads are separate. (Google)

You can’t move your shop closer. The other two are mostly in your hands.

Homeowners are also strict about the reviews they see. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey of US adults, 74% look for reviews written in the last three months, and 68% only use businesses rated four stars or more. The survey covered local businesses of all kinds, and BrightLocal sells review software. (BrightLocal)

A great roofer with a listing nobody has touched in two years, and a newest review from last spring, can lose to a newer crew that keeps theirs up.

What to fix this month

  1. Look yourself up the way a homeowner would. On your phone, search “roofer” and your town, and do it again for the next town over. Note who’s on the map and what their stars and newest reviews look like.
  2. Fill in every part of your Google listing. Use “Roofing contractor” as the main category. Add your towns as service areas, your real hours, and photos of your own jobs. Google names complete, current information as one of the main things you control.
  3. Ask every customer for a review before the crew leaves. Text them the link that night. Most people look for recent reviews.
  4. Reply to every review, good or bad. Google lists replies as one of its tips. A short, calm reply to a bad review also shows the next homeowner how you handle problems.
  5. Make your details match everywhere. Your phone, address and hours should read the same on Google, your website, Facebook and any lead service. A homeowner who finds two different numbers may call the next name.

Most of this is an afternoon of work, then a habit. You don’t need a long contract with anyone to do it.