Where your competition is in Iowa
The largest concentrations of insulation companies in our Iowa data are in Sioux City, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Ankeny, Waterloo, Council Bluffs and Marion. Competition for the map pack is heaviest there, and so is the reward: the same review count that dominates a small town is invisible in Sioux City.
The map pack in Iowa
Google shows three businesses in the map pack for a search like "insulation company near me" in Sioux City. In Iowa the shops that hold those spots usually sit near the 90th percentile, 22 reviews, not the median. 0.8% of Iowa insulation companies have passed 100 reviews; the other 99.2% are competing for whatever is left below the fold.
The website gap in Iowa
A website is the clearest marker of a insulation company that is going to compete for the map pack, and 42.1% of insulation companies in Iowa do not have one linked. Across the country the median review count with a site is 10, without one 1. If your shop is in the 42.1%, start there.
How Iowa compares
Of the 49 states in our data, Iowa ranks 23rd for the number of insulation companies, 39th for median review count, and 10th for the share with no website, which leaves more room than most states for a shop that builds a real site. The review bar is lower than in most of the country, so a few months of asking every customer moves you up fast.
| State | Listed | Median reviews | No site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 133 | 2 | 42.1% |
| Illinois | 210 | 4 | 34.8% |
| Indiana | 161 | 5 | 35.4% |
| Kansas | 78 | 5 | 33.3% |
| Michigan | 246 | 6 | 30.5% |
| Minnesota | 232 | 4 | 43.1% |
| Missouri | 152 | 5 | 34.9% |
| Nebraska | 65 | 7 | 20% |
| North Dakota | 43 | 2 | 25.6% |
What to do first in Iowa
- Put up a real website if you are in the 42.1% without one. Service pages, city pages for Sioux City, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, tap-to-call on every screen.
- Set a review velocity. One review per job day, asked at the door, moves a 2-review shop past the Iowa 75th percentile (7) within a year. The guides have the scripts.
- Finish the Google profile: primary category, every service you offer, real job photos, and hours that match reality. It is free and it is where Iowa customers decide.
- Follow up every lead within five minutes. Speed to lead beats ad spend in a trade where the customer is collecting three quotes. The calculator shows what slow replies cost.
- Then, and only then, spend on ads. Pointed at a profile with 2 reviews and no website, ads pay for your competitor's education. Pointed at a finished profile, they work.
The full national picture, with percentiles, ratings and hours, is in the benchmark report. The method is on the about page.