Every directory wants you to “claim your free profile” and then upsell you on paid placement. Most contractors waste time and money on directories that don’t move the needle. Here’s the honest decision matrix on the four big ones in 2026.
Yelp
Claim it: yes. The free profile is worth having even if you never pay for ads. Your Yelp profile shows up in Google search results, Apple Maps, and the Yelp app itself. Skipping it means a competitor’s profile takes the visibility for free.
Optimize: yes. Photos, services, hours, business description, response rate. 30 minutes to set up properly.
Pay for Yelp Ads: probably not. Yelp Ads CPL runs $18 to $45 with a 15 to 25% close rate. The math works in some metros (dense urban service areas), not most. Yelp’s reputation for aggressive sales tactics and review-filtering algorithms (real reviews from real customers get hidden as “not recommended”) is well-documented.
Verdict: claim and optimize the free profile. Skip the ads unless you’ve tested CPA and it beats Google LSA.
Houzz Pro
Claim it: yes, if you do remodeling, design-build, or any work where homeowners shop visually. Houzz’s audience is 65M+ monthly homeowners researching specific projects. Lead intent is higher than Yelp or Angi.
Optimize: yes, with project photos. Houzz is a visual platform. Profiles with 30+ project photos get more saves, more inquiries, and more leads. Profiles with 5 photos get ignored.
Pay for Houzz Pro: yes if you’re a remodeler. Houzz Pro at $85 to $399/mo bundles marketplace lead access with proposal and CRM software. The lead quality is meaningfully higher than Angi or Thumbtack because Houzz users are project-shopping, not price-shopping.
Verdict: claim and load it with photos for any remodeling business. Skip if you’re a same-day service trade (HVAC repair, plumbing emergency); Houzz isn’t built for that.
BBB (Better Business Bureau)
Claim it: yes. Whether you pay for accreditation or not, claim the free listing. Customers still check BBB before hiring contractors, especially older homeowners.
Optimize: yes. Address complaints fast. Even one unresolved complaint hurts you. The BBB rating (A+, A, B, etc.) shows up in Google search results.
Pay for BBB Accreditation ($500 to $1,500/year): debatable. The accreditation badge does build trust with a specific demographic (older, more conservative homeowners). Younger homeowners largely don’t care. Run the math: if you serve a customer base where the BBB matters, pay for it. If you serve millennials in dense metros, the money is better spent on GBP optimization.
Verdict: claim the free listing always. Pay for accreditation only if your audience values it.
Angi (formerly Angie’s List + HomeAdvisor)
This is where opinions diverge sharply. We covered the full lead-gen analysis in our contractor lead generation tools guide; here’s the short version.
Claim the free profile: yes. Same logic as Yelp. The free profile shows up in search results and the absence is a vacuum a competitor will fill.
Optimize: yes. Photos, services, response rate. Don’t fake reviews; Angi catches them.
Pay for Angi Leads (shared): no. CPL is $30 to $75, shared with 3 to 8 other contractors, 10 to 15% close rate. Effective cost per booked job runs $200 to $750. BBB has logged 1,800+ complaints against Angi from 2023 to 2026, including bot leads, wrong numbers, surprise auto-charges, and cancellation fees up to $1,200.
Pay for Angi Exclusive Leads: maybe. $80 to $150 CPL, exclusive to you, 35 to 45% close rate. Effective CPA $180 to $425. Math works in some markets and trades; test before committing.
Verdict: claim the free profile. Skip shared leads. Test exclusive leads with a small budget if your other channels are tapped.
The decision framework
For each directory, ask three questions:
- Does my customer demographic actually use it? Yelp leans urban and millennial. BBB leans older and trust-focused. Houzz leans remodel-shoppers. Angi leans price-shoppers.
- Is the free profile worth the 30 minutes? Almost always yes, even if you ignore the paid tier.
- If I’m paying, what’s the cost per booked job vs. my other channels? Run the math. Don’t pay because the directory’s sales rep called you.
The 4-directory minimum every contractor should have
If you do nothing else, claim and optimize these four free profiles. Total time: 2 hours.
- Google Business Profile (the one that matters most). See our GBP setup walkthrough.
- Yelp (free profile, no ads).
- BBB (free listing, accreditation optional).
- Facebook Business Page (free, often pulled into Google’s knowledge panel).
Add Houzz if you do remodeling work. Add Angi free profile for the search visibility, skip the paid tier. Add Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, and Nextdoor as a tier-2 cleanup project.
The hidden cost most contractors miss
Every directory you list on becomes a citation. Citations are NAP signals (name, address, phone) that Google uses to verify your business. Each consistent citation is a small ranking signal in your favor.
The flip side: each inconsistent citation is a small ranking signal against you. If you claim 30 directories and 8 of them have an old phone number, you’ve made yourself worse in Google’s eyes.
Before you claim anything, settle on a master NAP format and use it everywhere. Our NAP consistency guide walks through the audit.
The simple plan
- Week 1: claim Google Business Profile, Yelp, BBB, Facebook. Use the same NAP everywhere.
- Week 2: add Houzz (if you do remodeling) and Bing Places.
- Week 3: review whether you want to pay for Angi Exclusive Leads or Houzz Pro. Run a small test budget if you do.
- Week 4: use BrightLocal or Whitespark to scan for any other citations and clean up mismatches.
2 hours of free profile setup will outperform $2,000 a month on Angi shared leads in almost every market. Start with the free moves.