Here’s your Thumbtack profile guide.Making a great profile isn’t hard, but it does take time. The good news is that it’s worth it—the better your profile, the more work you’ll get.

This is what a customer sees. They come to Thumbtack, search for what they need, and get a list of pros that looks something like this. You can see yourself what makes certain pros stand out:

• A professional photo

• A lot of good reviews

• Showing up near the top

If you were a customer, who would you click on?

This is your business card. When a customer sees that list, it’s like you and all your competitors are handing them business cards. The customer isn’t going to make a decision based on that card alone, but it does need to get their attention.

This pro would probably get a customer’s first click. They have the best card:

Great photo Good lighting, solid background, professional clothing. It makes a difference.

Great reviews The key is a large number of good quality reviews. That’s the first thing a customer checks before making their decision.

Near the top Thumbtack boosts up pros who have great reviews, turn targeting on, and respond to customers fast.

This is your storefront. Once a customer takes your business card, they’ll go into your store to see what you have to offer. Your full profile has to answer all their basic questions and convince them to contact you.

The profile answers all the questions a customer has:

Is this person professional? A good photo and short and sweet intro (with no typos) shows that you take your job seriously.

Are they any good?Good reviews speak for themselves. Replying to reviews — positive and negative — also shows professionalism.

Can they do exactly what I need?Past projects and special offers showcase the full range of your work.

Are we going to be a good fit?High-quality, large photos with helpful captions prove to customers that they’ll like your work.

How much do they charge?A general idea of how much the job will cost is hugely helpful to customers.

Will they be easy to work with? Adding a payment method shows you’re easy to work with and helps set expectations.

We asked hundreds of customers: What are you looking for?Your typical customer is looking for a trusted professional who’s available when they need them, and has the experience to get the project done.

Here’s what’s important to them:

Background checkIt’s simple to do but proves that you’re trustworthy.

ExperiencePlenty of good reviews, past projects and photos of your work are helpful.

PriceWe know it can be tricky, but customers want to see prices. Being up-front with your prices helps customers whose budgets aren’t a good fit weed themselves out early.

BareMinimum Decent Strong

Reviews

Profile photo

Photos and videos

Introduction

Background check*

Years in business*

Pricing

FAQ

Payment methods*

Business hours

* Quick wins that you can knock out fast

What goes into a strong profile?

Get as many good reviews as possible. We know how infuriating it is: You can’t get reviews until you get the job, but you can’t get the job without reviews.

Here are a few things that can help:

1. Import old reviews from Google. 2. Ask past customers to review you on Thumbtack. We can even

email them for you if you’re not comfortable. 3. Follow up with every new Thumbtack customer. Remind them

to review you before you leave. We’ll also send them reminder emails automatically.

How to import reviews from Google:

Click the Reviews link under the My Account tab.

Click the Ask for Reviews button.

Click the Add Reviews from Google button and follow the instructions to link your business’ Google page.

Take really good photos of your work. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to take photos of, especially if your work is very messy or not very visual. But customers want photos no matter what. So here are a few ideas:

Do• Try to get 6 photos or more. • Take before/after photos.• Take photos of your team, equipment and workspace.• Try to capture a range of different projects.

Don’t• Take photos of awards, certificates, badges, avatars,

etc. It ends up not looking professional. • Use low quality or poorly lit images. • Post unrelated photos, like from your personal life. • Take photos of testimonials. Have those past customers

give you Thumbtack reviews instead.

How to add photos to your Profile: Go to your Profile and find the Photos & Videos section.

Click the +, then click Upload to add photos, or add videos by embedding YouTube or Vimeo links directly to your profile.

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Need help? We got you. help.thumbtack.com