Agents look you up before they refer you. Inspectors without a website fail that check
A big share of home inspectors have no website, and their review counts trail far behind. What that gap means for agent referrals and what to fix this week.
When a buyer's agent hands a client three inspector names, the client looks every one of them up. So does the agent, the first time they consider adding you to their list. If your name leads to a Google profile with no website link, you have just given them a reason to pick the next name.
Here is the number from our benchmark report that makes the point, and what to do about it this week.
The number
Across 27,687 home inspection listings, 35.4% have no website linked on their Google profile.
That alone is not the whole story. The part that matters is what comes with it. Inspectors with a website have a median of 16 Google reviews. Inspectors without one have a median of 0.
We are not claiming the website causes the reviews. The more likely explanation is that inspectors who build a website are also the ones who ask for reviews, answer the phone and treat the business like a business. But from the buyer's side it does not matter why. They see two inspectors, one with a real site and a stack of reviews and one with neither, and the choice makes itself.
Why it hurts inspectors more than most trades
A home inspection is booked under pressure. The buyer has a short inspection window, often a week or ten days, and is being asked to pick someone they have never heard of. They are looking for proof that you are real, licensed and thorough.
A website is where that proof lives:
- A sample report they can open
- Your license number and certifications
- What the inspection covers and what it does not
- Prices or price ranges by square footage
- Add-ons like radon, sewer scope, mold or termite
- A way to book or text
The Google profile cannot hold most of that. A buyer who cannot find it calls someone who shows it.
Agents are even pickier. An agent who refers you is putting their reputation on your report. Before they do it, they want to see what their client will see.
What to do this week
You do not need a big site. You need a clean one that answers the questions buyers and agents ask. The website essentials guide covers it in detail. Here is the short version, in order.
Day one: get a domain and a one-page site live. Your business name, your service area, your license number, a phone number people can tap, and a short paragraph about who you are. Ugly and live beats perfect and planned.
Day two: add a sample report. Take a real report, remove the address and client name, and post it as a PDF. This is the single most persuasive thing you can put on the page. Agents forward it to nervous buyers.
Day three: add pricing. Ranges by square footage plus add-on prices. For example: under 1,500 square feet, one price; 1,500 to 2,500, another; and so on, with radon and sewer scope listed separately. The pricing guide shows how to lay it out.
Day four: link it from your Google profile. Add the URL in the website field. Make sure the phone number and business name match exactly.
Day five: ask for reviews. Send a short text to your last 20 clients. "Hi [name], it's [you], who inspected [street] last month. If the report was helpful, a quick Google review would mean a lot: [link]." Then ask every client after delivery from now on. The review guide has timing that works around closing.
A page for agents
Once the basics are live, add one page aimed at agents. Keep it practical: how fast you deliver the report, whether you offer weekend inspections, how you talk to buyers during the walk-through, and how agents can book for a client. A short line like "Report delivered within 24 hours, usually the same night" does more than a paragraph of promises, as long as it is true.
What it costs
A simple site built on a basic website builder runs roughly $15 to $40 a month, plus your time. A built-for-you site from a freelancer often runs a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars. Either is small next to the value of a single agent who sends you work every month.
The short version
35.4% of inspectors have no website, and their median review count is 0. Buyers and agents check before they call. A one-page site with your license, a sample report, prices and a way to book puts you on the right side of that gap within a week.
If you want the site and the sample report page built for you, the free 14-day trial covers any one service, no card: text or call (385) 526-5050.
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, home inspectors among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor