Does Roofing Company Business Age Matter?


A roofing company’s business age matters for several reasons. First, companies that have sustained success for a period of 5+ years have developed business processes that work well enough to keep them in business.

Secondly, consumers largely gravitate towards established roofing companies compared to new ones. In addition, digital platforms like Google are making it easier for users to distinguish which companies have tenure with “years in business” labels on Google Business Profiles.


Roofing Company Business Age

Key Takeaway

Roofing businesses with 5+ years of experience have developed sustainable business practices and can more easily sell services because of accumulated trust.


How Long Do Roofing Companies Stay in Business?

The average roofing company only stays in business for four years. As a consumer, this may not seem important to you, but it is just as important to you as it is to anyone considering becoming a roofing contractor. That’s because experience matters when it comes to choosing a roofing contractor.

Whether you are a contractor, prospective contractor, or consumer, you should be concerned with the question: how long do roofing companies stay in business?

After all, when you look up roofers in your area on Google, you are guaranteed to have no shortage of choices. However, the sheer volume of roofing companies currently in operation in any given city in the United States belies the average lifespan of companies in this industry. 


Google Business Profile "Years in Business" Label (Screenshot)

Google Business Profile Shows a “Years in Business” Label for Roofing Companies


Why Roofing Business Age Matters

Tenure impacts business success for several reasons that concern both the consumer and the contractor. In the following post, Roofer’s Guild will show you why.

If you are a roofing contractor with the ambition to make it past that elusive 4-year mark, we can help.


Pricing

In one way or another, it all boils down to experience. However, this point has to do more with how a new contracting company prices jobs.

Many people don’t realize that roofing has a slow season in most regions of the United States. A seasoned roofer will know how to price jobs so that their company makes it through those quiet months.

A newer contractor may offer lower prices for a roofing job, but that may only be because they haven’t been around long enough to know that they need to retain enough earnings to carry them through the slow season. 


You may still be wondering why this matters as a consumer. For example, let’s say you hire a roofer in the summer to build your new roof.

The company has been in business for a couple of years and just gave you the lowest bid. Now, let’s say a problem with your roof arises in the following January.

Unless the roofer you hired was wise beyond their years, they might not even be in business anymore. The fact is that many new roofing companies fail during the slow season because they didn’t price jobs prudently.


The warranty you got from your roofer in the summer will mean nothing if the business doesn’t last past the winter.  You will be left high and dry – or, in the case of a leaking roof in the winter, high and wet. 


Notierity

Being an experienced roofer is essential. More specifically, however, you need experience with your local market. Not every region of the country deals with the same kinds of roofing problems as others.

For instance, some of the most common roofing problems entail intense UV rays deteriorating roof shingles. 

While on the other side of the country, the most common problems are hail storm damage in Florida. Where a roofer’s experience is vital to the contractor and the consumer. 


A roofing company may have been in business for 20+ years but has only been operating in your local area for one or two years. If they lack the expertise to address your problems, it may be a regional ignorance.

On the other hand, as a contractor, your foray into a new market may cost your company if you don’t have specialized experience. 

As a consumer, you have to ask how long the company has been in business, but how long they have been in business in your area.


As a contractor, you must carefully consider the pros and cons of entering a new market. Hiring local roofers could be a way to negate this danger, however. 


Performance

Last but certainly not least, it matters how long a roofing company has been in business because it speaks volumes about the quality of its work.

Think about it: would you hire a company that has been in business for 50 years or 15 years to build your roof?

Experience matters because the longer you’ve been in business, the more consumers will perceive your company as one of quality.


Longevity speaks to a commitment to quality roofing work, good customer service, and responsibility. However, building trust and credibility takes years to establish.

That’s not to say that there aren’t any good and new roofing companies. On the contrary, the roofers, who are now considered 50-year veterans, started in year one, just like the latest contractors on the market. Still, a lack of experience requires the consumer to take a more considerable risk.


Marketing

Experience can matter from a digital marketing standpoint, too. For example, it can be challenging for new companies to get enough online reviews for customers to feel comfortable pursuing their services.

Online reviews go hand-in-hand with consumer trust. Most consumers read a six to ten reviews before deciding which product or service they should use.

Unfortunately, the fact is that newer roofing companies may not be able to get enough reviews to sway first-time customers. 


Stay in Business Longer With Roofer’s Guild

If we have impressed anything upon you in this post, we hope this simple sentiment is that experience matters!

Here at Roofer’s Guild, we have vast digital marketing experience in the specific market of roofing. How long do roofing companies stay in business?

The answer to that could be the difference between an effective and ineffective digital marketing strategy.