Most builders get work three ways: referrals, a lead site, and whoever happens to call. That works until it doesn’t. Referrals dry up in the slow months. Lead sites sell the same homeowner to other builders. And many calls come from people who don’t own land yet.
You don’t fix that with one more lead source. You fix it with a few sources you own, set up in the right order, and a fast way to sort real buyers from dreamers. Here’s lead generation for contractors, in the order we’d set it up.
How many construction leads do you need?
- How many jobs do you want this year?
- Out of 10 qualified leads, how many do you sign? That’s your close rate.
- Jobs ÷ close rate = qualified leads you need.
Say you want 24 jobs and you sign 2 out of 10 qualified leads (20%). 24 ÷ 0.20 = 120 qualified leads a year, or 10 a month. Getting 4 a month today? You’re 6 short every month.
| Your business (hypothetical) | Jobs wanted per year | Close rate | Qualified leads per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom home builder | 8 | 20% | 40 | 3 to 4 |
| Barndominium builder | 12 | 25% | 48 | 4 |
| Pool builder | 40 | 25% | 160 | 13 to 14 |
| Remodeler | 30 | 30% | 100 | 8 to 9 |
| Metal building contractor | 20 | 15% | 133 | 11 |
No idea what your close rate is? Count your last 20 qualified leads and how many signed.
Do the math1minute,free Calculator No email neededHow many leads do you need?Try the leads calculator →
What counts as a qualified lead
A name and a phone number is not a lead. A qualified lead meets all five of these:
- Owns the land or the home. Or is under contract on it.
- Budget at or above your minimum. If your smallest custom home is $400,000, a $250,000 budget is not your lead.
- Has a way to pay. Cash, a construction loan, a pre-approval, or a HELOC in process.
- Wants to start within 12 months.
- Is inside your service area.
Only count leads that pass all five when you do the math above.
Quality vs quantity: why 10 good leads beat 40 raw ones
Say you get 40 raw leads a month and 10 are qualified. At 20 minutes per callback, that’s over 13 hours on the phone, and 30 calls go nowhere. A few turn into wasted site walks at half a day each.
Now say you get 10 leads a month and 8 are qualified, because the form asked the right questions first. About 3 hours on the phone, and nearly every site walk is a real buyer. Similar signed jobs, a fraction of the time.
So the first fix is usually not more leads. It’s asking the qualifying questions on the form, before anyone calls. We wrote out the 10 questions we put on builder websites, with answer options you can copy.
Sort every lead into hot, warm or later
| Bucket | What it means | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Hot | Meets all 5 checks, wants to start within 3 months | Call within the hour. Book a site walk this week. |
| Warm | Meets all 5 checks, wants to start in 3 to 12 months | Call within a day. Send a past project. Follow up monthly. |
| Later | Missing land, budget or financing, or 12+ months out | Send one helpful email. Check back in 90 days. |
Never delete “later” leads. They’re next year’s hot leads.
1. Past clients and old bids (database reactivation)
How it works: You go back to past clients, people you bid and didn’t sign, and people who asked for a price and went quiet.
What it costs: Nothing but an afternoon.
How fast: Replies come the same day.
Set it up:
- Pull every lead, bid and past client from the last 2 to 3 years: email, texts, estimating software, notebooks.
- Put them in one sheet: name, phone, email, project, date, why it didn’t sign.
- Send each one a short, personal message. Call anyone who replies.
Copy and change these:
Hi [name], this is [you] with [company]. We talked last year about the [project] on [road]. Are you still planning it? Happy to update the numbers if it helps.
Hi [name], [you] here from [company]. We're putting together our build schedule for [season]. Is the [project] still on your list? If so, I can hold a spot.
More ready-to-send messages are in our text templates.
Pitfalls: A generic blast with no name or project. Giving up after one message.
2. Referral partners: realtors, lenders, architects, designers, suppliers, subs
How it works: Other people meet your buyers first. A realtor sells someone a lot. A lender pre-approves a construction loan. You want them to say your name.
What it costs: Your time and lunch. Rules on paying referral fees vary by state and license type (real estate agents especially), so check before you offer money.
How fast: Months, then it grows every year.
Best for: Custom home builders, barndo builders and remodelers. Commercial builders, with architects and developers.
Set it up:
- List 20 people who meet your buyers first: land agents, construction lenders, architects, designers, your lumberyard, your subs.
- Pick the 5 who see the most of your kind of buyer.
- Call or stop by. Ask about their business before you talk about yours.
- Give them a one-page sheet on your process and price range, and promise to call their client within a day.
- Close the loop. Text them when you’ve talked to their client, and again if you sign.
A script for a land agent or lender:
Hi [name], I'm [you] with [company]. We build [custom homes / barndos] on owners' land around [area]. When your buyers close on a lot, they usually need a builder next. Could I buy you lunch and show you how we work, so you know who you're sending them to?
A thank-you that keeps referrals coming:
[Name], thanks for sending the [last name] family. We walked the lot today and I'm working up numbers. I'll keep you posted.
Pitfalls: Slow callbacks. Nothing burns a partner faster than their client saying “he never called me.”
3. Google Business Profile
How it works: When someone searches “pool builder near me” or “custom home builder [town],” Google shows a map with three businesses. Your Business Profile is what gets you in it. Google says local ranking is based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. Reviews feed prominence.
What it costs: Free.
How fast: Calls can start within weeks of a complete profile. Ranking higher takes months of steady reviews.
Best for: Every residential builder. Many commercial ones too.
Set it up:
- Claim your profile at business.google.com. Pick the primary category that matches your main work.
- If clients don’t come to your office, Google says you must hide your address and set a service area. You can add up to 20 service areas, and Google recommends staying within about 2 hours’ drive of your base.
- Add 20+ real photos of finished jobs, with the town in the description.
- List each service. Ask every finished client for a review. Get your link in the profile under Read reviews, then Get more reviews.
Google’s rules say no incentives for reviews and no asking only happy clients. Full steps in Google Business Profile for contractors and how to get more Google reviews.
Pitfalls: A fake office address. 6 photos and 3 reviews from 2021.
4. Your website and SEO pages
How it works: Under the map, Google shows websites. A page for each thing you build and each town you serve can rank for those searches for free.
What it costs: The site, plus time or a person to write pages.
How fast: New pages take months to rank. This is next year’s free leads.
Best for: Anyone who plans to be in business in 3 years.
Set it up:
- One page per service: custom homes, barndominiums, kitchen remodels, inground pools, metal shops. Not one “Services” page.
- One page per main town or county, with jobs you built there.
- On every page: real photos, a starting price, your process, and a form with the qualifying questions.
- A tappable phone number at the top.
How to plan the pages is in SEO for contractors.
Pitfalls: A form that only asks “Tell us about your project.” No prices anywhere. Stock photos.
5. Google search ads
How it works: You pick searches you want to show up for. Your ad shows at the top. You pay when someone clicks.
What it costs: With cost-per-click bidding, you pay for each click, within a daily budget you set. Click prices depend on your trade and town. Work out a monthly budget with the ad budget calculator.
How fast: Clicks start within days of approval.
Best for: Builders who need work in the next 60 days.
Set it up:
- Create a Search campaign. Turn off the Display Network.
- Set your locations to your real service area.
- Add keywords that show buying intent. Use phrase match (in quotes) or exact match (in brackets) to start, which Google’s match type guide explains.
- Add your negative keywords before you launch.
- Send clicks to a landing page with the qualifying quiz and your phone number, not your home page.
- Track calls and forms so you know which keywords sign jobs.
Example keywords by trade:
| Trade | Keywords to start with |
|---|---|
| Custom homes | “custom home builder [town]”, “build a house on my land”, “home builders near me” |
| Remodels | “kitchen remodel contractor”, “bathroom remodel [town]”, “home addition contractor” |
| Pools | “pool builder [town]”, “inground pool installation”, “pool contractor near me” |
| Barndos | “barndominium builder [state]”, “barndominium contractor”, “barndo builders near me” |
| Metal / commercial | “metal building contractor”, “steel building erector”, “commercial building contractor [city]” |
A starter negative keyword list (keeps out searches you don’t want to pay for):
- jobs, job, careers, hiring, salary, apprentice
- diy, how to, kit, kits, plans, blueprint
- cheap, free, used, rent, rental
- mobile home, manufactured, tiny house (unless you build them)
- course, school, license, exam, software, game
Google’s help page notes that negative keywords don’t match close variants like plurals, so add both “job” and “jobs.” Check your search terms report weekly for the first month.
Pitfalls: Sending ads to your home page. No negatives. Judging after 2 weeks.
6. Google Local Services Ads
How it works: A separate Google ad type for local service businesses. Google screens your business first. Then you pay per lead (a call, message or booking), not per click.
What it costs: A price per lead that depends on your trade and area. You set an average weekly budget. Google’s help page says your monthly max is your weekly budget × 30.4 ÷ 7. Leads Google judges invalid aren’t charged, and in the US and Canada you can dispute certain charged leads within 30 days, at Google’s discretion.
How fast: Leads start once Google’s screening is done.
Best for: Residential trades, where Google offers it for your trade and area.
Set it up:
- Sign up on Google’s Local Services Ads page, pick your trade, and finish every screening step.
- Pick only the job types and areas you want. Add photos and a bio.
- Answer every call. Google says missed calls may hurt your responsiveness, which affects where you rank. Rating, number of reviews and response time count too.
Pitfalls: Letting calls go to voicemail. Not disputing bad leads within 30 days.
7. Facebook and Instagram ads
How it works: Meta shows your ad to people in your area while they scroll. They aren’t searching yet. You catch them early, with photos of your work.
What it costs: You set a daily or total budget.
How fast: Leads in days. Since people aren’t searching yet, the form questions matter a lot.
Best for: Visual work: custom homes, barndos, pools, outdoor living, big remodels.
Set it up:
- Creative. Your own photos and short videos. A 30-second walk-through of a finished barndo beats any stock image.
- Copy. What you build, where, and a starting price: “Custom homes on your land in [county], from $350/sq ft.”
- Form questions. Meta’s lead forms let you add your own questions, including multiple choice. Ask: Do you own your land? What’s your budget? How are you paying? When do you want to start? What’s the project address or town?
- Speed. Send every form to your phone and text back within minutes.
Pitfalls: A form with only name and phone. Stock photos. Waiting a day to call back.
8. Lead sites
How it works: Angi, Thumbtack, Houzz Pro and others send you homeowners who asked for quotes. Most charge per lead or per month, and many send the same lead to several pros.
Best for: Filling gaps, testing a new area, smaller residential jobs.
Pitfall: You don’t own the lead, and you’re often racing other builders. We compared how each one charges and how to tell if one pays in lead sites for contractors.
9. Free leads for contractors: permits, bid boards, groups, signs
These cost time, not money. Give them an hour or two a week.
Building permits
Permits show who’s building and where. Use them to find partners and busy neighborhoods. Ask your city or county building department whether it publishes issued-permit reports and how often.
Bid boards for commercial work
- SAM.gov: federal contract notices. SAM.gov says anyone can search contract opportunities without an account.
- Your state, county and city purchasing pages: schools, utilities and public works post bids there. Sign up for their vendor lists.
- BuildingConnected: an Autodesk product general contractors use to invite subs to bid. If you’re a sub, get in the GCs’ databases.
- Paid project lead services like Dodge Construction Network and ConstructConnect track commercial projects from planning on. Ask them for pricing in your region.
Nextdoor and Facebook groups
Nextdoor offers a free Business Page where neighbors can recommend you, with unlimited free posts. In local Facebook groups, people ask for builder recommendations all the time. Answer helpfully, post finished local jobs, don’t spam.
Yard signs and your truck
Put a sign at every job, with the owner’s OK and within local and HOA rules. Neighbors have the same lots and budgets. Put your trade, town and phone on your truck, big. Use a separate number or short web address so you can track them.
Commercial construction leads for general contractors
Commercial work comes from relationships more than ads. The buyer is a business owner, developer, church board or public agency, and decisions take longer.
Where it comes from:
- Owner-direct work. Owners who need a shop, warehouse or office. Reach them through business groups, commercial lenders and land brokers.
- Developers. One developer who likes you can feed you several buildings a year. Watch county records for who’s buying land, and ask for a meeting before their next bid.
- Architects and engineers. They often recommend builders before a job is bid. Offer to help price designs early.
- Metal building suppliers. Some owners buy a building package first and then need an erector or GC. Get on your supplier’s list of builders.
Follow up on every bid you lose. Ask why, and ask to be on the next one. Our bid follow-up scripts help. If you build metal or commercial buildings, see what we do for commercial builders.
Residential vs commercial construction leads
| Residential | Commercial | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | Homeowner couple | Owner, board, developer or agency |
| Time from lead to contract | Weeks to months | Months to a year or more |
| Best sources | Google, referrals, Meta ads, past clients | Relationships, architects, bid boards, developers |
| What wins | Speed, trust, photos, reviews | Price, schedule, track record, bonding |
| How to sort leads | Land, budget, financing, timeline | Funding approved, site, scope, bid date |
A 90-day plan to set it all up
| Weeks | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Fix the leaks: phone number at the top of the site, a form with qualifying questions, an automatic text back, a lead log. |
| 2 to 3 | Database reactivation: message every past client and old bid. Call everyone who replies. |
| 3 to 4 | Google Business Profile: fill every field, add 20+ photos, ask your last 10 clients for reviews. |
| 4 to 6 | Referral partners: list 20, meet 5. Send each a one-page sheet. |
| 5 to 8 | Turn on Google search ads or Local Services Ads to your landing page. Add negatives weekly. |
| 7 to 10 | Add Meta ads with a qualifying form if your work photographs well. |
| 8 to 12 | Build service and town pages. One or two a week. |
| 12 | Review your lead log. Cut what doesn’t sign jobs. Put more into what does. |
If slow months are coming, start ads 2 to 3 months before you need the work.
How to track construction leads
A spreadsheet works. Use these columns:
| Date | Name | Source | Project | Budget | Owns land? | Start date | Bucket | Minutes to first call | Site walk? | Proposal $ | Signed $ |
|---|
Ask every lead “How did you hear about us?” and write it down.
Then work out cost per signed job for each source:
Cost per signed job = total spent on a source ÷ jobs signed from it
Say you spent $4,500 on Google ads over 3 months and signed 2 kitchen remodels. $4,500 ÷ 2 = $2,250 per signed job. If each job is $65,000, that’s about 3.5% of the contract. Compare every source the same way.
Common mistakes
- Buying more leads before fixing follow-up. Harvard Business Review’s research on online leads found firms that contacted leads within an hour were nearly 7 times as likely to qualify them as firms that waited longer. See speed to lead for contractors.
- A form that asks nothing. You’ll spend your week calling everyone.
- Quitting ads in 2 weeks. Construction buyers take weeks to decide. Give a source 90 days with real tracking.
- Never going back to old leads. “Not yet” is not “no.”
- No source column. Without it, you’re guessing which spend works.
Frequently asked
What’s the best way to get construction leads?
Start with sources you own: past clients, referral partners and a strong Google Business Profile. They cost the least per signed job. Add Google ads when you need work faster, and send them to a page that asks qualifying questions.
How do I get free construction leads?
Message past clients and old bids, ask for Google reviews, post on Nextdoor and local groups, put signs on jobs, and search public bid boards like SAM.gov. They cost time, not money.
How do general contractors get commercial leads?
Mostly through relationships with architects, developers, brokers and lenders, plus bid boards. Follow up on every lost bid.
How much should a construction lead cost?
It depends on your trade, town and job size. Don’t judge cost per lead. Judge cost per signed job, and compare it to the profit on that job.
Are lead sites like Angi worth it for builders?
They can fill gaps, but you usually share the lead with other pros and pay whether you win or not. Read our comparison before you sign.
If you’d rather have someone set up and run all of this, that’s what we do.
