Reports

Reports and playbooks

Demand data, lead-cost benchmarks and practical playbooks for contractors and media buyers.

Demand and costs

Data reports

Seasonal outlook

Winter 2026–27: where heating, plumbing and water damage demand will land

A strong El Niño points to a softer Northeast and a colder West. Here's what that means for calls, by trade.

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Benchmarks

Lead costs in 2026: what home-service companies are paying now

Google lead costs rose sharply in a year, shared leads are losing favor, and exclusive calls are back in demand.

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Platform change

Google Local Services Ads are moving into Performance Max. What contractors should do

Pay-per-lead is going automated: less manual control, no manual disputes. Here's a short plan.

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Run a better phone

Playbooks for contractors

For contractors

Cost per booked job: the one lead number that matters

Cost per lead tells you what you paid. Cost per booked job tells you what worked. Here’s how to track it in 10 minutes a week.

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For contractors

Speed to lead: why the first few minutes decide the job

Homeowners call the next company when nobody picks up. The research on response time, and a simple plan to answer faster.

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For contractors

How to answer a paid call so it books

A simple call flow your office can use today: greet, locate, understand, book, confirm.

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For contractors

Hail season playbook for roofing companies

Storm reports tell you where the work will be before the phones ring. A week-by-week plan after a hail event.

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Calls, leads and reporting

Playbooks for media buyers

For media buyers

Pay-per-call terms every media buyer should get in writing

Billable duration, duplicates, hours, caps and disputes: the rules that decide whether a call pays.

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For media buyers

Ping/post for home-service web leads, explained simply

How a form lead is offered to buyers, why consent proof matters, and the numbers to watch.

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For buyers and sellers

Reading a call report: 12 numbers that matter

Whether you buy calls or send them, these are the columns that tell you what’s working.

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The Radar Weekly

Where home-service demand moves next. Every Monday.

Storms, freezes and disasters by trade and state, plus what we see in lead costs. One short email, free.