It is important to fill in each aspect of the profile page, which is really your online resume. For best success, don’t fill in the fields “off the top of your head.” Take the time to thoughtfully consider what you want to say.

After filling in company basics such as company name, contact persons, address information, and web site URL, you will have the opportunity to provide a Company Overview. This will be a summary of the type of services your company provides. It might also include how many years the company has been in operation, and what the vision or goal of the company is.

Use this section to really make your company shine. It can be a very basic overview of the types of services provided, bulleted or otherwise. Or use creative copy that highlights an advantageous aspect of the company, or a sales pitch that reaches out to the reader and grabs their attention.

Example: “If you’re tired of the runaround every time you’re in the market for a service provider to complete a business or home renovation on time, you’ve come to the right place. Renovations Unlimited not only provides quality work by highly skilled professionals, but we guarantee project completion time! (see exclusions below)”

Whichever style you prefer using, remember – the targeted audience is potential clients. Let them know what you can do for them, and how they can benefit if they decide to hire you. Write your company overview down on paper, before filling in the field. And then read it aloud; how does it sound to you? If you were a project owner, would you be compelled to read further?

If you have any Special Offers this is where you want to list them! This might be a senior citizen’s discount, a free on-site estimate, or a discount if the client mentions they saw your profile at Homii.ca. If you are not offering a discount, no need to add anything about it.

Fill in the Services Offered section. Although the list of choices is lengthy, be sure and include all services you and/or your company provide.

The more services you provide, the more new project email notifications you receive; increasing your chances of winning a project bid. However, increasing your list of services will decrease your ranking within our popular contractor directory. If you’re concerned about your company ranking in our directory, start with selecting only the services your company specializes in.

Another important aspect of the contractor profile page is the Licensing, Bonding, and Insurance Information section. Without fail, every business and residential renovation project owner who posts their project online at Homii.ca will take note of a contractor’s licensing, bonding, and Insurance information.

Contractors who bid on a project but fail to provide this information in their profile can jeopardize their online success. They will either be asked by the project owner to provide it, or will be overlooked entirely in lieu of another contractor who took the time to provide the information in their profile.

After you have completed your contractor profile page, look it over carefully before submitting. Check for possible spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. Does the profile reflect what a good online resume would contain?

Make sure your profile says exactly what you want it to say. Although time consuming, remember: by taking the time to fill out your profile page to the best of your ability, you are investing in your business and will reap the rewards of greater response potential.

Finally – if you really want an edge over other contractors, do what the most successful contractor members do; fill out the Portfolio page. Various completed projects can be highlighted, pictures of successful projects can be posted, and brief testimonials from satisfied clients can greatly influence a project owner.

One other aspect of the profile page that helps to build credibility with project owners is the Ratings/Reviews feature. Every client you’ve done work for, even clients for projects that were completed prior to joining Homii.ca can submit their reviews.

For our Members, in order to access projects for each service you offer, beyond the main services you’ve selected, you must obtain reviews from your clients related to each one of those services.

Not only will reviews help increase confidence with homeowners but it will also improve your ranking in our popular contractor directory and ultimately enhance the success you’ll have with Homii.ca.

Previous clients can sign up at Homii.ca for free, locate the contractor’s profile, and submit their review.

As you bid on jobs and complete projects posted at Homii.ca, ask each client to take a few minutes to rate you and review your service.

NOTE: Your client(s) MUST submit their ratings and reviews themselves, you cannot post it on their behalf and all reviews must adhere to our Review Guidelines.

Not only will your portfolio help increase your response rate, but it will also help increase your ranking and exposure in our contractor directory and also in major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing etc. The key to improving your exposure is to ensure each photo album you create is properly categorized according to the project type i.e. “Kitchen Remodeling”, “Bathroom Renovation”, “Roofing” etc. You also want to make sure that each album is properly titled to describe the pictures included.

 The following is a brief overview of how companies are listed within the directory:

• Contractor members will be listed within the service areas and categories they have selected. 
• To increase your exposure to our community of homeowners across Canada, contractors can increase their service areas and categories. There is no limit on our site – the world is yours! 
• Homeowners can find your company in two ways:
  • Homeowners can search by Service Type & Location, perusing our directory of available contractors specific to their search; OR
  • Homeowners can post their project directly to our site, and contractors that match their criteria (Service offered in their City) will be notified and can respond to hopefully win their business

In addition to the category placement setup of each company Homii.ca has implemented a system that awards our contractor members points for completing and maintaining their profile, adhering to our Ethical and Professional Code of Conduct and for acquiring positive reviews from their clients. The more information provided in your profile and the more positive reviews you receive, the more points you have, the higher your company profile will be listed in our contractor directory. Points are awarded for the following:

• Customer Reviews/Rating: Points are awarded for each positive feedback posted by your customers. Points are also deducted for any negative feedback posted.
  • Each positive review you receive will help increase (or decrease for negative reviews) your overall ranking.
  • Positive reviews received in the past 6 months hold more ranking value then older reviews.
  • In addition to the basic points received, reviews are assigned to a specific category relevant to the work described in your clients reviews; additional points will be assigned to your listing in each category that has a review(s) assigned to that particular category. Example: If your company is listed under “Plumbers” and has 4 reviews related to plumbing your ranking points for this category will be greater than the ranking points you would have if you were also listed under “Carpenters” but had only one review related to carpentry. Request reviews from your clients!  All feedback posted will be verified by our staff members to ensure its authenticity.
  • Why You Need Reviews: This builds trust and confidence in you and your brand by allowing potential customers to see your public testimonials. Online reviews are second only to personal advice from a friend as the driver of purchase decisions. In fact, 62% of internet users read reviews written by fellow homeowners and 80% say their recommendations influence their buying decision.
• Description of Services: Adding detailed descriptions to each category you selected from the list of services. Adding the right description for each service you offer can convince homeowners you’re the right choice for the type of work they need completed. It can also increase the number of views your profile receives, ultimately leading to more business. Add your description of services.
• Company Overview: The more information you provide about your company, the more likely a homeowner will select you for their project. Update your company overview on a regular basis.
• Adding Your Licensing Information
• Adding Your Insurance Information
• Portfolio Albums/Pictures: Provide a description for each picture you submit to your portfolio. Be sure to separate albums based on project type (i.e. Bathroom Renovations, Kitchen Remodeling, Roofing Projects etc). Separating your albums will help your ranking for each category you assign an album. Manage your portfolio
• Adding a Company Logo – Add your logo

Remember
Keep your online resume current; update your profile and portfolio and seek reviews from your clients regularly. This will lend credibility to your professionalism and quality of service, heightening your potential for success at Homii.ca.

After receiving a  homeowner’s project from Homii.ca, you may decide to (or not to) contact them to discuss their project. Second only to your profile page, your first contact with the project owner is very important to online success.

Your message to the homeowner doesn’t have to be stiff and formal to be professional; it can have a conversational tone. You should not, however, try and solicit work by sending a vague, non-committal message such as “Hi – I saw your project online and would like to meet with you and possibly provide an estimate.” That is not why homeowners post projects online.

Business and homeowners who post projects online at Homii.ca want responses from contractors who can add value and provide insight on their prospective projects.