- The basics are table stakes. 100% of sites use HTTPS and 100% are set up for mobile. Missing either one now puts a business behind nearly everyone it competes with.
- 77% use business-type structured data, the code that tells Google and AI tools exactly what a business is and where it works.
- Only 19% mark up FAQs and 21% mark up reviews, two of the clearest signals answer engines can quote.
- 30% already publish an llms.txt file for AI tools, many generated automatically by a website plugin.
- Half (50%) have no contact form on the homepage.
- 36% leave more than a quarter of their images without alt text.
- 18% of sites showing a copyright year still show 2024 or earlier, the oldest from 2013.
- 5 of the 121 sites we sampled were down or returning errors when we checked.
Why we did this
Contractors ask us the same question constantly: what does a website actually need to compete today? Instead of guessing, we looked at the websites homeowners actually see. These are businesses that already appear in search results for roofing, plumbing, HVAC, landscaping, remodeling, painting, electrical, concrete, and exterior work around Louisville and Southern Indiana. In other words, this is the competition.
The basics: nearly universal
Every site we checked uses HTTPS and includes a mobile viewport setting. Most have a written meta description, the summary that often appears under a link in search results. These are no longer advantages. They're the minimum.
Structured data and AI readiness
Structured data is invisible code that labels a page for machines: this is a roofing company, here's the phone number, here are the questions it answers. Search engines and AI assistants rely on it to understand a business with confidence. Most sites in our sample have the basic version. Far fewer go further.
Only 1 site in the sample blocked AI crawlers outright. The bigger gap is the opposite problem: most sites never give AI tools clear, quotable answers in the first place.
Turning visitors into calls
Almost every site has a tap-to-call link, which matters because most homeowners search on a phone. Only half put a contact form on the homepage, and about three in ten had no Google Analytics or Tag Manager we could detect, which makes it hard to know what's working.
Upkeep: the quiet signals
Small details tell visitors, and search engines, whether anyone is still minding the site. More than a third of sites leave a large share of images without alt text, the descriptions screen readers and search engines use. Among sites that show a copyright year, nearly one in five still shows 2024 or earlier.
For context, 52% of the sites run on WordPress and 13% on hosted builders like Wix, Squarespace, and Duda.
What this means for your business
- Treat the basics as the starting line. Secure, mobile-friendly, and clearly titled is what everyone already has.
- Add business structured data if you don't have it. Most of the competitors you appear beside already do.
- Answer real questions on your site, and mark them up as FAQs. Fewer than one in five competitors do this.
- Make it easy to reach you from the homepage: a call button and a short form.
- Keep the site alive. Current copyright, described images, and analytics so you can see what works.
Methodology
On October 12, 2026, we ran 25 public web searches for contractor services in Louisville, Kentucky and Southern Indiana communities including Jeffersonville, New Albany, Clarksville, Sellersburg, and Floyds Knobs. From the results we collected 121 websites belonging to local contracting businesses, excluding directories, lead marketplaces, and national franchise sites. An automated check reviewed each homepage, its robots.txt file, and its llms.txt file. 111 sites were checked successfully, 5 blocked automated checks with bot protection, and 5 were down or returned errors.
Limitations. We checked homepages only, so a business may have features on other pages that we didn't count. The sample is made of sites that already appear in search results, so it describes the competitive set rather than every contractor. Automated detection can miss tools that load in unusual ways. We report totals only and do not name or score individual businesses.
Download the summary data (CSV)
Cite this study: Letke & Associates, "What It Takes to Show Up: 111 Contractor Websites Analyzed," October 2026, letkeandassociates.com. Summary data licensed under CC BY 4.0.