If you sell windows and doors, you have probably paid for a lead from Angi, Modernize, or HomeAdvisor and wondered who else got the same phone number. Our window and door contractor marketing page puts it plainly: those platforms capture homeowner searches at enormous scale, then “sell each lead to three to five competing contractors.” That is our description of the model, so ask your own rep how many contractors get each lead you buy.
This post is a practical way out. It does not tell you to quit shared leads tomorrow. It shows how to build lead sources you own, in the order that makes sense, and how to step down the shared ones without starving your schedule.
The short version
- Work out what your shared leads really cost per booked job.
- Start Google Search ads built for replacement searches.
- Check whether Local Services Ads are open to your type of work.
- Stay in front of homeowners during their long decision.
- Build local search rankings in the background.
- Step shared-lead spend down only as your own leads replace it.
What you are really buying from a shared-lead platform
Our window and door page lays out three differences between renting a pipeline and owning one. These are our views, not measurements:
- Exclusivity. The page describes a speed-dial race for shared leads. Calling back fast still matters on your own leads. Search leads are not sold to other contractors by the platform. For LSA, check how Google distributes leads in your account before you assume exclusivity.
- Price. Per-lead prices “rise once you're dependent,” and pausing means the pipeline “vanishes overnight.”
- Brand. Homeowners remember the platform, not you.
There is also a trust question. In March 2022 the Federal Trade Commission issued a complaint against HomeAdvisor, Inc., which the FTC's release describes as a company affiliated with Angi. The FTC alleged that HomeAdvisor made “false, misleading, or unsubstantiated claims about the quality and source of the leads” it sells. It also alleged that “many of the leads it sells are actually purchased from affiliates and did not come from HomeAdvisor's website.” Those are the FTC's allegations in a complaint, about HomeAdvisor only. The FTC's release said “the allegations will be tried in a formal hearing before an administrative law judge.” The case did not end in a trial. In April 2023 the FTC approved a final order that requires HomeAdvisor to “pay up to $7.2 million for redress” and bars it from making false or misleading claims about its leads. The allegations concern HomeAdvisor only. They are a good reason to check the leads you buy, not a verdict on every platform.
To be fair, shared leads are not worthless. Our page says they “can bridge a slow season, and some contractors run them profitably with ruthless speed-to-call discipline.” Our position is narrower: they should never be the foundation. A pipeline you rent can be repriced or shut off by someone else's business decision.
Step 1: Find your real cost per booked job
Before you change anything, get one number: what you spend per job you actually book from shared leads. Add up a month of lead fees, then divide by the jobs booked from those leads. Do the same for any other source, even if it is just a few calls.
Here is an illustrative example, with numbers we made up to show the math. Say you spend $3,000 in a month on shared leads and book 4 jobs. That is $750 per booked job. Say you spend $3,000 on Google clicks and book 5 jobs. That is $600 per booked job. The point is not which number wins. The point is that you cannot compare sources until you count the same thing for each.
Ask yourself two questions while you do this. How many of those leads were people who never answered? And how many were already talking to other companies?
Step 2: Build Google Search ads for replacement searches
In our opinion, Google Search is a good first source to own. A person typing “window replacement near me” is looking for what you sell right now, and the click goes to your website, not to a platform.
On cost, Red Door's 2026 estimate for residential trades, which includes windows and doors, is $4 to $14 per click in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic markets. Our window and door page adds that replacement-intent terms sit at the high end of that band. These are our estimates, not a public benchmark and not a promise. Check them against Google Keyword Planner for your own area.
A click is not a lead, so use our formula: cost per lead = cost per click ÷ conversion rate, where the conversion rate is the share of clicks that turn into a call or form. Illustrative example, with assumptions we chose: at $10 a click and 1 click in 20 becoming a call, a lead costs $10 ÷ 0.05 = $200. Change either number and the answer moves a lot, which is why the next two points matter.
Block the wrong searches before you spend. Our page warns that wrong-intent clicks drain window and door budgets from two directions: leaks every contractor account shares (DIY searches, job seekers, suppliers) and ones specific to this trade (tint, treatments, auto glass). We publish the window and door layer free in the negative keyword section of that page.
Count real leads only. Our starter-campaign advice is to count “phone calls over 60 seconds and estimate requests as conversions” and nothing else, so Google's automated bidding learns from real leads. You can copy the rest of the account setup from the starter campaign structure, which is free on the same page. For a longer look at what Google Ads costs, see how much contractor PPC costs.
Step 3: Check whether Local Services Ads fit
Local Services Ads, or LSA, charge differently. Google's Local Services help page says “You only pay when you get a lead.” It also explains how price is set: “When similar local businesses bid on the same lead, those bids determine how much the lead is worth.” Google recommends “a minimum budget of 10 leads per week for optimal results.”
Our guide puts LSA at $18–$65 per lead for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. We have no window-and-door-specific LSA figure, so check your own LSA quotes. Whether LSA is open to your type of work and area is something to check in your Google account. Our post on contractor PPC vs. LSA explains how each one charges and how to split a first budget.
Step 4: Stay visible during a long decision
A window or door replacement is not an emergency. Our page says the decision “forms over one to three months,” or 30 to 90 days, with measuring visits and three quotes in between. In our opinion, a shared lead gives you one chance to call, while your own channels let you stay present as the homeowner compares.
Retargeting does this. It shows your company to people who already visited your website. Our window and door page lists it at $0.02 to $0.05 per view. That is our estimate for the channel, not a benchmark, and the page describes its job as staying “in front of the homeowner through the 30–90 day decision.”
Step 5: Build local search in the background
Local search rankings for phrases like “window replacement [your city]” are the slowest channel and the one that adds up over time. Our page calls this “a 4–8 month build to meaningful rankings.” Start early, because it will not help this quarter.
Our AI search offer says more customers are asking AI who to hire. We cover that in AI marketing for window and door companies.
Step 6: Step down shared leads on a schedule
The exit from shared leads is a transition, not a cliff. The plan in our complete guide to marketing for window and door contractors is to launch owned paid search and LSA first, “let them prove lead flow for a quarter, then step aggregator spend down as owned volume replaces it.” Keep your speed-to-call discipline on whatever shared leads you still buy.
Use your Step 1 number as the check. Cut shared-lead spend only when your own channels are booking jobs at a cost per booked job you can live with. If they are not, fix tracking, the ad pages, and the phone answering first. Adding budget to a leaky account makes it leak faster.
Three mistakes to avoid
- Quitting all at once. Pausing a pipeline before your own leads exist leaves a gap in the schedule.
- Counting form spam as leads. If tracking counts junk, the ad system buys more junk.
- Letting calls go unanswered. Whether a lead is shared or your own, the first company to call back often has the advantage. Our page describes a speed-dial race for shared leads. Calling back fast still matters on your own leads.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get window and door leads without Angi, Modernize, or HomeAdvisor?
Build the same sources they use for yourself: Google Search ads on replacement searches in your area, Local Services Ads if they are open to your work, retargeting through the 30 to 90 day decision, and local search rankings over time. It takes longer than buying leads. Search leads are not sold to other contractors by the platform.
Are shared leads from aggregators ever worth it?
Sometimes. Our page says they can bridge a slow season and that some contractors run them profitably with fast calls. Measure your cost per booked job, and do not let them become the foundation of your business.
How long until my own leads replace shared ones?
It depends on your market and your website. Our PPC guide says to start new campaigns on Manual CPC or Enhanced CPC for the first 30 to 45 days, and our guidance is to let owned channels prove lead flow for a quarter before stepping shared spend down. Local search is slower: our page calls it a 4–8 month build to meaningful rankings.
What does a Google click cost for window and door companies?
Red Door's 2026 estimate for residential trades, windows and doors included, is $4 to $14 per click in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic markets. It is our estimate, not a public benchmark or a guarantee. Your cost per lead depends on how many clicks become calls.
Should I use Local Services Ads for windows and doors?
Google says you only pay when you get a lead, and it recommends a minimum budget of 10 leads per week. Our guide puts LSA at $18–$65 per lead for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. We have no window-and-door-specific LSA figure, so check your own LSA quotes and confirm in your Google account that your type of work is open to LSA. Then compare it against Search using cost per booked job.
How do I know if my website is costing me calls?
Every ad and search result you earn sends people to your website. If it is slow on a phone, shows a “not secure” warning, or has no tap-to-call number, some of those visits may not turn into calls. Our free check-up looks at how the site loads on a phone (Google's mobile speed test), whether your phone number is tap-to-call, any “not secure” warnings, and your page titles.
Not sure your website is costing you calls?
Our Free Website Check-Up is simple. We'll check it and send you a one-page report. It looks at how your site loads on a phone (Google's mobile speed test), whether your phone number is tap-to-call, any “not secure” warnings, and your page titles.
Get my free check-up, or call Red Door Marketing Co. in Levittown, PA at (267) 574-6444. If you want to know what our work costs first, our pricing is published, and the method we use to size up a market is public on our recon method page.