January
is the top search month for 4 of 6 builder trades
4.9×
more pool searches in June than in December
44%
of a year’s pool searches happen May to July
+24%
“find a builder” searches in 3 years, while cost searches fell 25%
Most trades peak in January, not spring
Ask builders when it’s slow and most will say winter. The search data says homeowners don’t stop looking in winter. For custom homes, remodels, barndominiums and metal buildings, January is the busiest search month of the year. New year, new plans.
Search interest by month, U.S., by trade
100 = an average month. Four-year average, October 2022 to September 2026.
Custom homes
Peak Jan · slowest Dec
Remodels
Peak Jan · slowest Dec
Barndominiums
Peak Jan · slowest Jun
Metal buildings
Peak Jan · slowest Dec
Decks and outdoor
Peak May · slowest Dec
Pools
Peak Jun · slowest Dec
Source: Google Ads search volume via DataForSEO, 37 homeowner searches. Analysis: LeadLiners.
View as table
| Series | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom homes | 116 | 100 | 105 | 95 | 93 | 92 | 108 | 98 | 104 | 112 | 90 | 88 |
| Remodels | 123 | 102 | 111 | 97 | 97 | 93 | 95 | 91 | 108 | 99 | 96 | 89 |
| Barndominiums | 119 | 97 | 101 | 96 | 96 | 95 | 101 | 96 | 95 | 101 | 100 | 104 |
| Metal buildings | 122 | 99 | 112 | 101 | 100 | 92 | 94 | 96 | 93 | 102 | 97 | 91 |
| Decks and outdoor | 82 | 90 | 117 | 122 | 130 | 124 | 116 | 106 | 94 | 87 | 70 | 63 |
| Pools | 61 | 65 | 93 | 111 | 140 | 202 | 184 | 100 | 95 | 64 | 45 | 42 |
So why do builders go quiet in February? It’s the lag. A homeowner who starts looking in January signs weeks or months later, and breaks ground later still. The calls you get in winter are next season’s jobs. If you pause marketing when you’re busy in the fall, you miss the January rush and feel it in spring. We wrote about that cycle inwhy builders are slammed in October and dead in February.
Pools are the exception, and the timing is backwards
Pool searches follow the weather. They climb through spring, peak in June at about five times December’s level, and 44% of a year’s pool searches land from May to July. Only 12% happen from November to January.
That’s backwards from how pools get built. Design, permits, financing and digging take time, so the homeowner searching in June is usually too late for this summer. The builders who fill spring are the ones selling in winter, when few people are searching and fewer builders are advertising.
How seasonal pool search is, by state
Peak month ÷ slowest month. Higher = more of the year’s demand packed into a few months.
Four-year average, October 2022 to September 2026. Source: Google Ads search volume via DataForSEO. Analysis: LeadLiners.
View as table
| Item | Peak ÷ slowest month |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 9.2× |
| Ohio | 8.3× |
| Pennsylvania | 8.1× |
| New Jersey | 7.1× |
| Illinois | 6.7× |
| Minnesota | 6.1× |
| North Carolina | 6.1× |
| Georgia | 5.4× |
| New York | 5.4× |
| Washington | 4.9× |
| Tennessee | 4.7× |
| California | 4.1× |
| Texas | 3.8× |
| Arizona | 3.2× |
| Florida | 2.5× |
| Colorado | 2.1× |
Pool search interest by month, six states
100 = an average month in that state. Same scale on every panel.
Michigan
Peak is 9.2× the slowest month
Pennsylvania
Peak is 8.1× the slowest month
New York
Peak is 5.4× the slowest month
Texas
Peak is 3.8× the slowest month
Florida
Peak is 2.5× the slowest month
Colorado
Peak is 2.1× the slowest month
View as table
| Series | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 44 | 49 | 77 | 109 | 166 | 249 | 206 | 102 | 83 | 54 | 34 | 27 |
| Pennsylvania | 48 | 51 | 84 | 103 | 156 | 236 | 227 | 102 | 79 | 51 | 35 | 29 |
| New York | 55 | 52 | 80 | 103 | 146 | 214 | 217 | 103 | 89 | 59 | 40 | 42 |
| Texas | 74 | 84 | 103 | 110 | 128 | 180 | 156 | 102 | 99 | 69 | 49 | 47 |
| Florida | 83 | 85 | 112 | 124 | 131 | 139 | 131 | 95 | 98 | 86 | 61 | 55 |
| Colorado | 110 | 70 | 74 | 106 | 97 | 132 | 129 | 125 | 130 | 90 | 75 | 62 |
In Michigan the peak month is 9.2 times the slowest. In Colorado it’s 2.1 times, and in Florida 2.5 times. In cold states, pool builders have a short, intense buying window, which makes winter selling even more important. More on that inhow pool builders get customers in the off-season.
January is strong in every state we checked
January custom-home searches vs an average month, by state
How far above an average month January runs. Every state is above average.
Four-year average. Source: Google Ads search volume via DataForSEO. Analysis: LeadLiners.
View as table
| Item | January vs average month |
|---|---|
| Arizona | +32% |
| Tennessee | +23% |
| Georgia | +22% |
| North Carolina | +21% |
| New York | +21% |
| Washington | +21% |
| Texas | +21% |
| Colorado | +17% |
| California | +16% |
| Florida | +15% |
| Ohio | +14% |
| Pennsylvania | +14% |
| Illinois | +13% |
| Michigan | +12% |
| Minnesota | +11% |
| New Jersey | +10% |
People research elsewhere, then come to Google to hire
Over three years, searches about what things cost and what to build fell, while searches for someone to build it grew. “Cost to build a house” fell by two-thirds. “Custom home builders near me” nearly doubled. We can’t prove why, but it fits what we see: homeowners now get cost and planning answers from AI assistants and Google’s own AI answers, then search to find and hire a builder.
Change in yearly searches, 3 years
October 2022–September 2023 vs October 2025–September 2026, U.S.
GrewFell
Bars longer than 120% are cut off at the edge; the label shows the full change. Source: Google Ads search volume via DataForSEO. Analysis: LeadLiners.
View as table
| Item | Change |
|---|---|
| barndominium builders (Finding a builder) | +366% |
| home remodeling contractors (Finding a builder) | +112% |
| custom home builders near me (Finding a builder) | +97% |
| deck builder (Finding a builder) | +61% |
| custom home builder (Finding a builder) | +52% |
| pool builders (Finding a builder) | +27% |
| deck builders near me (Finding a builder) | +20% |
| remodeling contractors near me (Finding a builder) | +16% |
| bathroom remodel cost (Cost and plans) | −1% |
| barndominium builders near me (Finding a builder) | −8% |
| home builders near me (Finding a builder) | −9% |
| kitchen remodel cost (Cost and plans) | −12% |
| pool builders near me (Finding a builder) | −22% |
| house plans (Cost and plans) | −23% |
| barndominium floor plans (Cost and plans) | −24% |
| home addition cost (Cost and plans) | −25% |
| pool companies near me (Finding a builder) | −28% |
| inground pool cost (Cost and plans) | −40% |
| metal building cost (Cost and plans) | −50% |
| barndominium cost (Cost and plans) | −56% |
| cost to build a house (Cost and plans) | −67% |
For builders this means two things. Your website and Google profile have to win the “who should build it” search, because that’s where the hiring happens. And your cost and process answers should be on your site in plain words, so AI assistants have something good to quote when homeowners ask them.
What this means for builders
Be visible in January. For most trades it’s the busiest search month of the year. Don’t let your ads and Google profile go quiet over the holidays.
Start before you need the work. The jobs you want in spring are searching in winter. Count back your lead-to-start time with theslow-season forecast.
Pool builders: sell in winter. Searches peak after most spring slots are gone. Winter design consultations and honest early-booking calendars fill the season before the rush.
