Citations for Roofers: Yelp, Angi, Houzz, BBB and the Cleanup That Matters

For most roofers, the directory listings that matter fit on one page: Google, Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp, Angi, Houzz, BBB, Facebook and Nextdoor, plus a few local ones like your chamber of commerce. Getting those right is worth more than adding hundreds of new listings on sites no homeowner visits.

The cleanup is where the value is. A roofing company that moved shops a few years ago, changed its main number when the old salesman left, and added "& Sons" to the name somewhere along the way often has three versions of itself scattered across the web. Google sees the mismatches, and so does the homeowner who calls a dead number.

Citations are one part of local SEO for roofers. Your Business Profile and reviews carry more weight in the Map Pack, but messy listings hold both back. Here's the cleanup, in the order we do it.

Step 1: Write down the one correct version

Before you touch a listing, decide exactly how your business appears everywhere. Put it in a text file and copy from it every time.

• Name: your real business name, as it appears on your trucks and paperwork. Not "Smith Roofing | Roof Replacement Dallas". Stuffing keywords into a Google Business Profile name is against Google's guidelines and can get the profile suspended, and it looks just as spammy on every other directory.
• Address: one format, used every time. Pick "Suite 200" or "Ste 200" and stick with it. If you run a service-area business, Google lets you hide your address and show a service area instead. Decide if the address will appear on other directories too, and be consistent.
• Phone: your main local number. Not a tracking number you might drop next year, and not a cell phone that leaves with an employee.
• Website: the exact address your site loads on, with or without "www".
• Hours and categories: the same as your Google profile.

Step 2: Find every version of you that's out there

Spend an hour in Google with a spreadsheet open. Search for:

• your business name in quotes, plus your city
• your current phone number in quotes
• every old phone number you've ever had, in quotes
• every old address, in quotes
• name variations: with and without "LLC", "Inc", "& Sons", "Roofing" vs "Roofing and Construction"

For each listing, record the site, the URL, the name, address and phone as shown, if it's claimed, and which email address owns the login. That last column saves the most time later. Plenty of the listings you'll find were set up by a former office manager, a previous marketing company, or the directory itself pulling your data from somewhere else.

Step 3: Fix the listings homeowners actually use

Work through these first. Claim each one, verify it, and match it to your text file.

• Google Business Profile. Everything else follows this one, so fix it first.
• Apple Business Connect. This controls how you appear in Apple Maps and when iPhone users ask Siri for a roofer.
• Bing Places. Fewer searches than Google, but it's free and quick to set up.
• Yelp. Homeowners read it, and it often shows up when people search your name. Yelp discourages businesses from asking for reviews, so read its rules before you send a Yelp link to customers.
• Angi. It sells leads and ads, but your profile details should be accurate whether or not you buy anything. Read the terms before signing up for paid features.
• Houzz. Homeowners planning projects browse it for photos. Upload real project photos with captions, the same way you would on your website.
• BBB. A BBB profile can exist whether or not you pay for accreditation. Plenty of homeowners still check it before signing for a big job, so make sure the details on yours are right.
• Facebook and Nextdoor business pages. Neighbors tag roofers in local groups and recommendation threads, and the page they land on needs the right number.
• Manufacturer contractor locators, if you hold a certification. Homeowners who start on a shingle brand's website get sent to the listing there.
• Local and trade listings: your chamber of commerce, your state roofing contractors association, the local home builders association.

Step 4: Get rid of duplicates

Duplicates cause the most trouble, especially on Google. They split your reviews between two listings, confuse Google about which one is real, and send homeowners to the wrong phone number.

• On Google, don't just stop using a duplicate. If it's one you control, ask Google to remove or merge it through Business Profile support. If someone else controls it, report it.
• On Yelp, Facebook and most other sites, claim both listings and ask the site's support team to merge or close the extra one. Never close the one that holds your reviews.
• Write down which listings you closed and why, so nobody "fixes" them back next year.

Step 5: The cleanup after a move or a new number

Moving the shop or changing the main number is when listings go bad. Do it in this order:

1. Update your Google Business Profile first. An address change can trigger re-verification, so plan for a delay and don't change your name or categories at the same time.
2. Update your website: footer, contact page, any schema markup, and location pages.
3. Update Apple, Bing, Yelp, Facebook, BBB, Angi, Houzz and Nextdoor.
4. Search the old address and old number in quotes every couple of weeks and fix whatever turns up.
5. Keep the old number forwarding to the new one for as long as you can afford it. That keeps old fridge magnets, invoices and yard signs working.

A rebrand works the same way, with one addition: put a line on your About page saying the company used to be called [Old Name]. Homeowners who search the old name will find the connection, and so will Google.

Step 6: Keep it from drifting again

• Keep every directory login under a company email address you control, not a salesperson's personal Gmail.
• Recheck the main listings once a quarter. Google and some directories accept suggested edits from the public, so your hours or phone number can change without you knowing.
• Before you change your name, number or address again, write the update list first and work through it the same week.

What to skip

Directory-submission packages that promise hundreds of listings mostly pay for sites no homeowner ever visits. Some listing-sync subscriptions only hold your corrections while you keep paying, so ask what happens to your listings when you cancel before you sign up.

And never create listings at addresses where you don't have a real office. Google's guidelines don't accept a virtual office as a business location unless it's staffed during business hours, and an address that breaks the guidelines can get a profile suspended.

If you'd rather not spend the hour in Google yourself, ask for a free SEO inspection and mention any old addresses and numbers you've had. That gives us a head start on finding the listings that still point to them.