Research · For customers
What local business websites promise
We read 85,783 local business websites in our directory. 24.8% say the business is licensed, but only 6.9% show a license number, and 3.1% publish a price or starting rate.
Key findings
- 24.8% of the 85,783 local business websites we read say the business is licensed; only 6.9% show a license number a customer could look up.
- Of the sites that say "licensed", 86.4% give no license number anywhere on the pages we read.
- Most likely to show a license number: HVAC contractors (18.5%), plumbers (17.8%) and home inspectors (14%).
- 31.7% mention a warranty or guarantee and 33.3% offer a free estimate or quote, but just 3.1% publish a price or starting rate; the trades most likely to do so are HVAC contractors (7.5%), pest control (7.2%) and appraiser (6.9%).
- 14.8% let customers book online, led by limo service (45.9%), podiatrists (45.8%) and doctors and clinics (40.9%); 13.5% mention financing.
- Ownership claims: 15.3% say they are family-owned, 8% locally owned, 1.3% veteran-owned and 0.8% woman-owned.
Page One Partner Research · 85,783 businesses · Updated September 2026 · Methodology
What local business websites say
Share of 85,783 local business websites in our directory that mention each claim.
- Years in business or experience37.6%
- Free estimate or quote33.3%
- Warranty or guarantee31.7%
- 24/7 or emergency service25.4%
- Licensed24.8%
- Insured19.4%
- Family-owned15.3%
- Online booking14.8%
- Financing13.5%
- Locally owned8%
- License number shown6.9%
- BBB mention5%
- A price or starting rate3.1%
- Background-checked staff2.4%
- Spanish spoken1.6%
- Veteran-owned1.3%
- Woman-owned0.8%
Say "licensed", by trade
Share of each trade's websites that say the business is licensed.
- Plumbers53.8%
- Electricians47.3%
- Tree Services45.7%
- Home Inspectors43.7%
- Pest Control42.2%
- Locksmiths41.8%
- Damage Restoration39.7%
- Roofing Contractors38.9%
- HVAC Contractors37.1%
- Painters32.3%
- Pressure Washing & Exterior Cleaning30.9%
- Appraiser28%
- General Contractors27.6%
- Remodeling Contractors26.1%
- Fence Contractors24.8%
- Concrete, Masonry & Paving24.2%
- Handyman Services23.4%
- Drywall & Insulation23%
- Pool Contractors22.3%
- Landscaping & Lawn Care22.1%
- Limo Service21.6%
- Windows, Doors & Garage Doors20.2%
- Solar Installation18.8%
- Towing Services17.4%
- Cleaning Services17.2%
- Real Estate16.3%
- Home Builders15.8%
- Flooring & Tile12.3%
- Doctors & Clinics8.4%
- Interior Design & Architecture7.6%
- Auto Repair & Detailing6.4%
- Podiatrists4.3%
Show a license number, by trade
Share of each trade's websites with a license number on the pages we read.
- HVAC Contractors18.5%
- Plumbers17.8%
- Home Inspectors14%
- Electricians13.7%
- Pool Contractors12.6%
- Locksmiths11.4%
- General Contractors11.3%
- Remodeling Contractors10.9%
- Roofing Contractors10.6%
- Damage Restoration9.7%
- Painters9.2%
- Pest Control8.7%
- Solar Installation8.6%
- Tree Services7.8%
- Drywall & Insulation7.6%
- Windows, Doors & Garage Doors7.5%
- Concrete, Masonry & Paving7.1%
- Fence Contractors6.8%
- Home Builders6.7%
- Real Estate5.6%
- Landscaping & Lawn Care5.2%
- Handyman Services4.1%
- Flooring & Tile3.5%
- Interior Design & Architecture2.5%
- Appraiser2.3%
- Pressure Washing & Exterior Cleaning1.2%
- Cleaning Services1.1%
- Auto Repair & Detailing1.1%
- Towing Services0.7%
- Limo Service0.4%
- Doctors & Clinics0.3%
- Podiatrists0.1%
What websites say, by trade
Download CSV| Trade | Websites read | Licensed | License no. shown | Insured | Warranty | Free estimate | Price shown | Financing | Online booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbers | 2,042 | 53.8% | 17.8% | 38% | 43.9% | 31% | 4.1% | 28.9% | 32.9% |
| Electricians | 3,348 | 47.3% | 13.7% | 30.1% | 29.5% | 30.9% | 1.5% | 10.2% | 13.4% |
| Tree Services | 1,229 | 45.7% | 7.8% | 50.8% | 23.6% | 67% | 1.1% | 3.9% | 9.7% |
| Home Inspectors | 3,078 | 43.7% | 14% | 18.7% | 38.4% | 11.2% | 4.2% | 1.5% | 36% |
| Pest Control | 746 | 42.2% | 8.7% | 21.3% | 52.5% | 58.2% | 7.2% | 4.8% | 13.8% |
| Locksmiths | 1,657 | 41.8% | 11.4% | 36.9% | 28.7% | 29.3% | 2% | 0.7% | 11.4% |
| Damage Restoration | 1,112 | 39.7% | 9.7% | 31.4% | 32.4% | 35.9% | 1.2% | 12% | 11.5% |
| Roofing Contractors | 3,353 | 38.9% | 10.6% | 36.1% | 57.1% | 71% | 2.8% | 40.4% | 11.3% |
| HVAC Contractors | 2,400 | 37.1% | 18.5% | 24% | 52.4% | 32.9% | 7.5% | 66.4% | 38.7% |
| Painters | 1,861 | 32.3% | 9.2% | 36.3% | 37.6% | 62.8% | 1.2% | 6.9% | 10.6% |
| Pressure Washing & Exterior Cleaning | 1,160 | 30.9% | 1.2% | 44% | 43% | 65.3% | 2.8% | 2.5% | 13.3% |
| Appraiser | 1,545 | 28% | 2.3% | 3.6% | 26.1% | 9.8% | 6.9% | 7.1% | 2.8% |
| General Contractors | 8,729 | 27.6% | 11.3% | 20.7% | 24.3% | 33.1% | 1.1% | 12.2% | 5.7% |
| Remodeling Contractors | 842 | 26.1% | 10.9% | 20.5% | 35.6% | 47.1% | 3% | 17.3% | 11.3% |
| Fence Contractors | 2,431 | 24.8% | 6.8% | 24.8% | 37% | 59% | 1.4% | 17.1% | 5.5% |
| Concrete, Masonry & Paving | 1,170 | 24.2% | 7.1% | 22% | 28.5% | 48.1% | 1.3% | 9.8% | 4.4% |
| Handyman Services | 2,367 | 23.4% | 4.1% | 25.2% | 38.9% | 41.1% | 4% | 5% | 16% |
| Drywall & Insulation | 956 | 23% | 7.6% | 22.2% | 24.6% | 41.2% | 2.1% | 7.7% | 6.6% |
| Pool Contractors | 525 | 22.3% | 12.6% | 14.7% | 33.7% | 35.8% | 2.7% | 45.1% | 6.9% |
| Landscaping & Lawn Care | 7,110 | 22.1% | 5.2% | 19.3% | 23.9% | 42% | 2.4% | 5.8% | 7.3% |
| Limo Service | 1,600 | 21.6% | 0.4% | 16.6% | 25% | 12.9% | 6.1% | 0.3% | 45.9% |
| Windows, Doors & Garage Doors | 2,120 | 20.2% | 7.5% | 20.2% | 44.7% | 50.3% | 2.3% | 19.5% | 16.2% |
| Solar Installation | 2,271 | 18.8% | 8.6% | 8.8% | 39.6% | 33% | 4.9% | 34.8% | 5.2% |
| Towing Services | 1,691 | 17.4% | 0.7% | 17.4% | 18.3% | 14.5% | 1.5% | 0.8% | 6% |
| Cleaning Services | 5,483 | 17.2% | 1.1% | 30.4% | 38.7% | 45.7% | 4.5% | 1.4% | 25.7% |
| Real Estate | 8,063 | 16.3% | 5.6% | 2.3% | 16.9% | 6% | 4% | 7.8% | 2.7% |
| Home Builders | 570 | 15.8% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 34.2% | 12.8% | 4.2% | 19.1% | 6.1% |
| Flooring & Tile | 3,325 | 12.3% | 3.5% | 10.7% | 37.8% | 44.1% | 2.6% | 36.5% | 14.7% |
| Doctors & Clinics | 793 | 8.4% | 0.3% | 1% | 5.2% | 1.8% | 1.4% | 4.3% | 40.9% |
| Interior Design & Architecture | 714 | 7.6% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 6.7% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Auto Repair & Detailing | 5,286 | 6.4% | 1.1% | 4.6% | 46.8% | 21.4% | 3.4% | 14.6% | 27.7% |
| Podiatrists | 1,038 | 4.3% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 5.1% | 1.3% | 0.3% | 1.9% | 45.8% |
All claims
Download CSV| Claim | Share of websites |
|---|---|
| Years in business or experience | 37.6% |
| Free estimate or quote | 33.3% |
| Warranty or guarantee | 31.7% |
| 24/7 or emergency service | 25.4% |
| Licensed | 24.8% |
| Insured | 19.4% |
| Family-owned | 15.3% |
| Online booking | 14.8% |
| Financing | 13.5% |
| Locally owned | 8% |
| License number shown | 6.9% |
| BBB mention | 5% |
| A price or starting rate | 3.1% |
| Background-checked staff | 2.4% |
| Spanish spoken | 1.6% |
| Veteran-owned | 1.3% |
| Woman-owned | 0.8% |
Answers
Questions this research answers
Do contractors put their license number on their website?
Most do not. Of the local business websites in our directory that say the business is licensed, 86.4% show no license number on the pages we read (Page One Partner Research, September 2026). Ask for the number and look it up on your state licensing board's website before you hire.
Do plumbers list their license number online?
53.8% of the plumbers' websites in our directory say they are licensed and 17.8% show a license number (Page One Partner Research, September 2026).
Does "licensed and insured" on a website mean it has been checked?
No. It is what the business says about itself. A license number lets you check it with the state board; for insurance, ask for a certificate of insurance naming you or your address.
Do local businesses post prices on their websites?
Rarely: 3.1% of the local business websites in our directory publish a price or starting rate, while 33.3% offer a free estimate or quote instead (Page One Partner Research, September 2026).
Methodology
How we measured it
Scope: every figure here describes businesses listed in the Page One Partner directory, not every business in the United States. Counts are businesses in our directory, not totals for a trade, state or city; percentages and benchmarks describe our listings and can differ from the whole market.
Websites: the 85,783 websites of businesses in our directory whose pages were captured by Common Crawl, the public web archive, in September 2026 (usually the homepage, sometimes one or two linked pages). Each website counts once, filed under the trade most of its listings belong to. Only trades with at least 500 websites read are shown.
Claims are found by phrase matching in the page text: "licensed" (not "licensed under"), "insured", a license number ("License #", "Lic. No." or "License number" followed by digits), warranty or guarantee, free estimate/quote/consultation/inspection, a price ("starting at $…", "as low as $…", "$… per hour", "$…/month" and similar), financing, 24/7 or emergency, years in business ("20 years of experience", "since 1998"), family-, locally, veteran- or woman-owned, background checks, online booking ("book now", "schedule online"), Spanish ("se habla español") and BBB.
A claim is what a website says, not something we verified. A site can hold information on pages the crawl did not capture, so every share is a lower bound for "mentions anywhere on the site". Photos and images of text (a license number in a logo, for example) are not read.
Figures are aggregates. Page One Partner does not publish business-level rows from this research. The aggregate tables are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit "Page One Partner Research" with a link to the study.
Recomputed weekly from the live directory; this edition was computed in September 2026. Small shifts between editions are expected as businesses are added and ratings change.
Cite this study
Page One Partner Research. "What local business websites promise." September 2026. https://pageonepartner.com/research/website-promises/
Link to it
<a href="https://pageonepartner.com/research/website-promises/">Page One Partner Research: What local business websites promise</a>
Press and data questions: info@pageoneinsights.com
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Own a local business? See how you show up.
Your business may already have a page in the Page One Partner directory. Claiming it is free: correct the details, add photos and receive quote requests with no fee per lead. Rankings here are never sold.
Writing about this data?
Every figure is free to cite and chart under CC BY 4.0. Credit “Page One Partner Research” and link to this page. The numbers describe businesses listed in our directory, not every business in the country.