Advertiser disclosure

How LocalServiceHQ makes money

LocalServiceHQ is free for homeowners. Here is exactly how we earn money, and the lines payment cannot cross.

Last updated Oct 29, 2026 · LocalServiceHQ editorial team

Revenue

  • Contractor listings. Pros can claim a free listing or pay for a Verified, Pro or Featured plan.
  • Sponsored slots. Featured pros appear in up to three slots labeled “Sponsored” at the top of a page.
  • Quote requests. Pros may pay for requests that homeowners choose to send them.
  • Advertising and affiliate links. Later, some pages may show ads labeled “Advertisement” or include affiliate links to products we compare.
  • Data and widgets. We may license our price index and calculators to other sites.

What payment does not buy

  • A place in the organic list of pros. That order follows our published ranking rules.
  • A different price range, rule summary or review.
  • Badges. Each badge needs its check to be completed.

Links

Links to paid pros’ websites are marked rel=”sponsored”; links on free profiles are marked rel=”nofollow ugc”.

Business relationships

LocalServiceHQ is operated by Local Revenue Flow, LLC, which also provides marketing services to some contractors. Any of those clients listed here will carry the note “LocalServiceHQ has a business relationship with this company”, and they get no advantage in the organic ranking.

Revenue lines and the lines payment cannot cross

Where the money comes from

Revenue lineHow it worksWhat it changes
Directory listingsFree listing, or paid featured and backlink plansPosition inside the directory for a city, and the link attribute on a paid plan
Quote requestsA homeowner request can be passed to one relevant local companyNothing on the price pages; the company contacts the homeowner directly
Sponsored slotsClearly labelled placements offered to businessesVisibility of the slot only, never the organic order of a guide

What money cannot buy

ThingWhy
A place in a price tablePrices are set by our methodology
A calculator resultThe formula is public and runs on your inputs
A licence summaryState rules come from the licensing board
A star ratingReviews are tied to real requests, or not shown
An editorial mentionMentions follow the source, not the invoice
Removal of a bad reviewRemoval follows the review policy, not payment

How quote requests work

When you send a job through a calculator or the quote form, you consent to being contacted about that job. The job details are matched to a relevant local company. Your contact details are shared only for that job, and only after the match is accepted. We do not sell your details to a list or resell the same request repeatedly.

How sponsored content is labelled

Paid directory placements carry a sponsored or featured label. A dofollow directory link is disclosed as part of the backlink plan. If a page has an affiliate relationship, the relationship is disclosed on the page where the link appears. The labels are not hidden in a footer.

Questions

How does LocalServiceHQ make money?

Two lines: directory listings, free or paid, and quote requests that can be passed to one relevant local company. Sponsored slots are labelled. The full split is described on this page.

Do paid listings change the organic ranking?

No. Money buys visibility inside the directory and a labelled sponsored slot, never a place in a price table, a calculator result or the organic order of a guide.

How is a quote request sold?

A homeowner request can be matched to one relevant local company. The company sees the job details first, and the homeowner's contact details are shared only for that job after the match is accepted.