How contractors look for supply
Most contractors buy from distributors they already know. But they search when they’re working somewhere new, need a part urgently, want a brand their usual branch doesn’t carry, or need a specialist — lighting, controls, solar, EV charging. More of those searches now happen on maps and in AI assistants as well as on Google. The branch that shows up is the one whose details clearly answer the question: what it carries, where it is and when it’s open.
Step 1: A complete Google Business Profile for every branch
Each branch that serves customers in person should have its own profile.
- Choose the category that best describes the branch, with relevant secondary categories.
- Keep hours current — including counter hours, will-call hours and holiday changes.
- Add the branch phone number and a link to that branch’s page on your website.
- Add photos of the counter, showroom, warehouse and trucks.
- Post updates — new product lines, training sessions, events.
Step 2: A real page for every branch
A single “Locations” list isn’t enough. Each branch should have its own page with:
- Address, map and directions
- Counter and will-call hours
- Phone number and key contacts — branch manager, counter, inside sales
- Delivery area and job-site delivery options
- Lines and specialties stocked at that branch
- Services — quoting, kitting, training, showroom
- A quote request form and a way to contact the branch directly
Write each page for that branch. Near-identical pages with only the address changed tell search engines and contractors very little.
Step 3: Make your line card searchable
When a contractor searches for a particular brand near them, your site needs to say — in plain text — that you carry it, and which branches stock it. A line card published as a searchable web page, linked from each branch page, does exactly that.
Step 4: Keep branch details identical everywhere
Name, address, phone number and hours should match exactly across:
- Your website
- Google Business Profile and other maps
- Business directories
- Manufacturers’ “where to buy” and distributor locators — ask your manufacturers to keep these listings current
- Trade association listings, such as NAED
Inconsistent details make it harder for search engines and AI assistants to be sure they have the right branch.
Step 5: Tidy up after acquisitions
If branches have joined through acquisition, old names, old websites and old phone numbers often linger online.
- Decide how each branch will be named and use that name everywhere.
- Redirect old websites to the new branch pages, so their visitors — and search engines — follow.
- Update or remove old listings in directories and maps.
Step 6: Earn reviews from contractors
- Ask contractors you serve well to leave a review for their branch.
- Reply to reviews — briefly, professionally and by name where you can.
- Never buy or fake reviews.
Step 7: Write for AI answers too
AI assistants draw on information about your business from across the web. Help them get it right:
- State plainly who you are, what you carry and where — for example, which branches serve which areas and which specialties each offers.
- Answer common questions on branch pages: hours, will-call, delivery area, returns, how to get a quote.
- Use structured data for each location, so addresses, hours and phone numbers are machine-readable.
- Be present beyond your own site — manufacturer locators, trade associations and reputable directories.
Step 8: Make it easy to act
A contractor who finds your branch should be able to call it, send a material list for a quote, or check will-call and delivery options in a few taps on a phone.
Step 9: Help your hiring too
Branch pages and a clear careers page help counter, inside sales, warehouse and delivery candidates find you when they’re looking for work nearby.
Common mistakes
- One profile for the whole company instead of one per branch
- Out-of-date hours, especially around holidays
- A locations list with no real branch pages
- A line card that exists only as a PDF
- Old names and websites from acquired branches still competing online
- Manufacturer locator listings that point to the wrong branch or phone number