TikTok Just Built a Local Search Engine. Most Contractors Aren’t On It.
Most contractors think TikTok is for teenagers doing dances. That’s been wrong for two years. And as of February 2026, it’s completely disconnected from reality. On February 11, TikTok launched the Local Feed — a dedicated tab on the home screen that shows users local business content, services, and creators based on their location. This […]
AI Doesn’t Care About Your 5-Star Rating. It Reads Every Word Your Customers Write.
You’ve worked hard for your 4.9 stars. You’ve asked every customer for a review. You’ve got 180 of them. And when a homeowner asks ChatGPT or Google AI “best HVAC contractor near me,” you still don’t show up. Here’s why: the stars are almost irrelevant. What the AI is actually reading is the text. Every […]
Hiring an Electrician Now Takes Longer Than Hiring a Programmer. The Government Just Noticed.
For thirty years, the message was clear: go to college, get a desk job, make good money. The trades were the fallback. The backup plan for kids who didn’t test well. That narrative just died. New data from Randstad, analyzing over 150 million U.S. job postings, confirms what every contractor already knows: it now takes […]
The 2026 NEC Just Created $38 Billion in Work. AI Decides Which Electricians Get It.
The 2026 National Electrical Code dropped in September 2025. States are adopting it now. And it didn’t just move some articles around — it created billions of dollars in mandatory electrical work that didn’t exist 12 months ago. Expanded GFCI requirements. A brand new Class C device category for HVAC equipment. Restructured EV charging rules. […]
Plumbers Lose $125K a Year to Missed Calls. AI Answers in 100 Milliseconds.
Here’s a number that should make every plumbing contractor sick: 74% of calls to plumbing businesses go unanswered. Not because plumbers are lazy. Because they’re under a sink, inside a crawl space, or driving to the next emergency. Meanwhile, the homeowner with a burst pipe at 11 PM hits voicemail. They hang up. They call […]
Roofing Costs Just Hit $19,800. Tariffs, AI Drones, and Who Wins the Price War.
A roof replacement that cost $18,000 in 2024 now costs $19,800 or more. And it’s going higher. Owens Corning, GAF, and CertainTeed raised shingle prices 6-10% in early 2025. That wasn’t a one-time bump. It set a new baseline. Then Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum doubled to 50% in mid-2025. Copper tariffs hit […]
The $2,000 Heat Pump Tax Credit Is Dead. The Heat Pump Boom Is Not.
The federal Section 25C tax credit — the one that gave homeowners up to $2,000 back for installing a qualifying heat pump — is gone. The Big Beautiful Bill, signed in mid-2025, ended it effective January 1, 2026. No more 30% federal credit on heat pumps. No more credit for duct sealing. No more credit […]
Google Is Auto-Editing Your Business Profile With AI. If You Don’t Control It, Your Competitors Will.
Most contractors set up their Google Business Profile once and never touch it again. That was fine in 2023. In 2026, it’s a death sentence. Google’s generative AI is now actively scanning your website, your reviews, and your competitors’ profiles to auto-populate your GBP services section. If your profile has gaps, Google fills them in […]
Gemini Is Replacing Google Assistant on Every Android Phone. Your Business Needs to Be in Its Answers.
Google confirmed it late last year: Google Assistant is being retired. Gemini — Google’s conversational AI — is replacing it on every Android phone and tablet running Android 10 or newer with at least 2GB of RAM. That covers the vast majority of the 3.3 billion Android devices on the planet. This isn’t a feature […]
93% of Google AI Mode Searches End Without a Click. Your Website Is Irrelevant.
Google just turned its search engine into a walled garden. And most contractors are still optimizing for a game that no longer exists. Google AI Mode — the conversational search tab powered by Gemini 2.5 Pro — launched in March 2025, hit all U.S. users by May 2025, and has since expanded to over 180 […]