Where Iowa's solar installers are
The largest concentrations of solar installers in our Iowa data are in Des Moines, Mason City, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Marshalltown, Dubuque, West Des Moines and Ankeny. 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 Des Moines.
The map pack in Iowa
Google shows three businesses in the map pack for a search like "solar company near me" in Des Moines. In Iowa the shops that hold those spots usually sit near the 90th percentile, 233 reviews, not the median. 23.7% of Iowa solar installers have passed 100 reviews; the other 76.3% are competing for whatever is left below the fold.
The website gap in Iowa
Website presence in Iowa: 89.8% of solar installers link one, 10.2% do not. The national figure is 13.1% without. Google and the AI answer engines both use the site to confirm what you do and where, so a missing site costs more than the leads it would have produced on its own.
What to do first in Iowa
- Set a review velocity. One review per job day, asked at the door, moves a 17-review shop past the Iowa 75th percentile (87) 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 17 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.