The Digital Remodeler

Carl Willis - Remodeling Marketing Team
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

The Digital Remodeler is a podcast that explores the latest trends, tools, and strategies for transforming your home remodeling business in the digital age. Join host Carl Willis, a seasoned home services digital marketing consultant, as he interviews industry experts, shares success stories, and provides actionable tips to help you stay ahead of the curve and build a successful and sustainable home remodeling business in today's ever-evolving market. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, this show is the ultimate guide to help you modernize your business and thrive in the digital world.

  1. 3d ago

    Aging in Place Remodeling: How One Contractor Turned a Niche Into a Mission | Chris Moore

    Most contractors chase any project that comes through the door. Chris Moore took a different path — and built a thriving specialty remodeling company that serves one of the fastest-growing and most underserved markets in North America: homeowners who want to age safely and comfortably in their own homes. In this episode of the Digital Remodeler podcast, host Carl Willis sits down with Chris Moore from Senior Remodeling Experts — a 40-year industry veteran, certified aging in place specialist, and CAPS-certified instructor — to talk about how specialization, mission-driven business, and a completely restructured sales process transformed his company and his life. What's covered in this episode: ✅ How Chris got his start in construction 40 years ago — and the master builder who shaped his standards ✅ The personal experience that led him to specialize in aging in place and accessibility remodeling ✅ Why aging in place isn't really about age — it's about the disconnect between the built environment and a person's abilities ✅ The psychological resistance homeowners have to accessibility modifications — and how to reframe the conversation ✅ What actually triggers a homeowner to finally take action (and why waiting until a crisis makes everything harder) ✅ Where most contractors miss the mark when working with older homeowners ✅ The critical technical skills required for aging in place work — curbless showers, grab bar anchoring, and waterproofing ✅ Why Chris stopped doing free estimates after watching a client build his exact deck design with someone else ✅ His structured consultation and project development process — including a paid estimate model that weeds out tire kickers ✅ How to position your company as the premium choice during times of economic uncertainty ✅ The CAPS certification and how contractors can become true specialists — not just add it as a service ✅ Why collaboration with occupational therapists and other professionals is the key to doing this work right If you're a remodeling contractor looking to differentiate, command better margins, and serve a growing market with real purpose — this episode is for you. 🔹 Connect with Chris Moore — Senior Remodeling Experts: 🌐 ageinplacespecialists.com / seniorremodelingexperts.com 🔹 Ready to build a marketing system that positions your remodeling company as the go-to specialist in your market? Schedule a free strategy session with Remodeling Marketing Team 👉 https://www.remodelingmarketingteam.com/get-started 📞 888-350-7859 #AgingInPlace #AccessibilityRemodeling #SeniorRemodeling #CAPSCertified #UniversalDesign #RemodelingContractor #ContractorSpecialization #HomeModification #AgingInPlaceSpecialist #ContractorMarketing #RemodelingBusiness #ContractorGrowth #HomeRenovationBusiness #CurblessShower #GrabBars #ContractorTips #NicheMarketing #ContractorSuccess #PremiumRemodeling #DisabilityRemodeling #ContractorSalesProcess #PaidEstimates #DigitalRemodeler #SeniorReModelingExperts #RemodelingMarketingTeam #TradeBusinessGrowth #ContractorEducation #HomeAccessibility #AgingWell #ContractorLife Send us Fan Mail Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. What if you could remotely qualify leads, create accurate estimates, and manage multiple projects—all without ever leaving your office? That's exactly what LiveSwitch does for remodeling contractors. Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Visit us online - remodelingmarketingteam.com Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/remodelmarketing Subscribe to our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnqpHHqgpvEs1wkfDMt95uA

    57 min

  2. May 29

    Google IO 2026 Recap: What Every Remodeling Contractor Needs to Know About the New Search

    Google just changed the game. Again. And if you're still marketing your remodeling business the way you were 12 months ago, you're already behind. In this episode of the Digital Remodeler podcast, Carl Willis breaks down everything Google revealed at IO 2026 and Internet Marketing Live — and what it means specifically for remodeling contractors competing for local visibility, leads, and trust in an AI-driven search environment. The headline: Google has officially shifted from search engine to AI decision engine. And the contractors who understand what that means right now have a 3 to 5 year window to establish AI authority in their market before everyone else catches up. What's covered in this episode: ✅ The core shift from ranking pages to assembling AI answers — and what that means for your visibility ✅ Why keyword targeting is being replaced by intent plus context signals ✅ How AI agents are now the new website visitors — evaluating your business before a homeowner ever calls ✅ Why the ecosystem strategy Carl has been teaching aligns almost perfectly with Google's 2026 direction ✅ Why video is no longer optional — and how Google's AI now extracts expertise and authority directly from video ✅ The difference between weak reviews and strong AI-readable reviews — and how to coach your clients to leave the right kind ✅ Why your content must mirror how homeowners actually decide — fears, situations, and life decisions — not just keywords ✅ Decision path content vs. keyword content — the shift that separates visible contractors from invisible ones ✅ How Google's AI Max, Performance Max, and Demand Gen are changing paid search — and why manual keyword micromanagement is becoming obsolete ✅ Seven actions you can take right now to stay visible as AI transforms local search ✅ What Remodeling Marketing Team is doing differently for clients in response to these Google changes ✅ The risk of standing still — and why contractors who ignore this shift won't disappear overnight, they'll fade silently The window to build AI authority in your local market is open right now. This episode tells you exactly how to use it. 🎯 Want to find out how AI-ready your remodeling business is today? Schedule a free remodeling growth audit 👉 https://www.remodelingmarketingteam.com/get-started 📞 888-350-7859 #GoogleIO2026 #AISearch #RemodelingMarketing #ContractorMarketing #GoogleAI #AIVisibility #LocalSEO #RemodelingBusiness #ContractorSEO #AIDecisionEngine #VideoMarketing #ContractorGrowth #HomeRenovationMarketing #AIAuthority #DecisionPathContent #ContractorTips #RemodelingContractor #AIOverviews #ContractorSuccess #GoogleAds2026 #PerformanceMax #HomeImprovementMarketing #ContractorLeadGeneration #AITrustSignals #DigitalRemodeler #RemodelingMarketingTeam #TradeBusinessMarketing #ContractorEducation #LocalSearchMarketing #ContractorVisibility Send us Fan Mail Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Visit us online - remodelingmarketingteam.com Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/remodelmarketing Subscribe to our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnqpHHqgpvEs1wkfDMt95uA

    19 min

  3. May 29

    Remote Staffing for Remodeling Contractors: How to Scale Without Burning Out | Shy Poosti

    You're good at what you do. Good enough to stay busy. But at some point, you can't be the tradesman, the estimator, the admin, the follow-up guy, and the CEO all at once. Something has to give — and if you don't build systems and get the right people in place, what gives is your growth. In this episode of the Digital Remodeler podcast, host Carl Willis sits down with Shy Poosti from Hard Hat Helpers, a remote staffing agency that works exclusively with contractors and home service companies. Shai breaks down how remote staffing actually works, what it costs, which roles make sense, and how to set it up so it doesn't become another thing that falls apart. What's covered in this episode: ✅ Why most contractors are both overloaded AND disorganized — and how remote staffing addresses both ✅ The moment contractors finally reach out for help (and why they waited too long) ✅ The shift every growing contractor has to make — from tradesman to CEO ✅ The most commonly placed remote roles: dispatchers, bookkeepers, drafters, and office admins ✅ Why dispatchers alone can transform your schedule efficiency and crew profitability ✅ Roles contractors assume can't be done remotely — that actually can ✅ The one role Shai strongly recommends against for remote staff (and why) ✅ What separates contractors who succeed with remote staff from those who struggle ✅ How to build culture with a remote team — not just hand them a task list ✅ What healthy onboarding actually looks like and how to document your processes simply ✅ The real economics: remote staff at $12–$14 per hour, saving up to 70% vs. a local hire ✅ Why Hard Hat Helpers maintains a 96% retention rate when most contractors can't keep anyone ✅ Remote staff vs. AI — and why it's not an either/or conversation ✅ What to have in place before you bring on your first remote hire You can't delegate chaos. But if you build the foundation first, remote staffing can become one of the most powerful growth levers in your business. 🔹 Connect with Shy Poosti — Hard Hat Helpers: 🌐 hardhathelpers.com 📱 Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube: @HardHatHelpers 🔹 Ready to build a smarter marketing system for your remodeling business? Schedule a free strategy session with Remodeling Marketing Team 👉 https://www.remodelingmarketingteam.com/get-started 📞 888-350-7859 #RemoteStaffing #ContractorStaffing #HardHatHelpers #RemodelingBusiness #ContractorGrowth #HomeServiceBusiness #RemoteWork #ContractorTips #ScaleYourBusiness #ContractorOperations #RemodelingContractor #HomeRenovationBusiness #VirtualAssistant #ContractorDispatcher #BusinessSystems #ContractorSuccess #ContractorLife #DelegateToGrow #HomeImprovementBusiness #SOPForContractors #RemoteHiring #ContractorCEO #DigitalRemodeler #RemodelingMarketingTeam #TradeBusinessGrowth #ContractorEducation #HomeServiceMarketing #BuildYourBusiness #RemoteTeam #ContractorMarketing Send us Fan Mail Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. What if you could remotely qualify leads, create accurate estimates, and manage multiple projects—all without ever leaving your office? That's exactly what LiveSwitch does for remodeling contractors. Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Visit us online - remodelingmarketingteam.com Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/remodelmarketing Subscribe to our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnqpHHqgpvEs1wkfDMt95uA

    39 min

  4. May 22

    The Remodeler's Guide to Local Agentic Search | How AI Agents Are Changing Contractor Visibility

    This isn't another tactics webinar. It's a strategic briefing for serious remodeling contractors who want to understand what's actually changing in local search — and what to do about it before your competitors figure it out. AI agents are quietly reshaping how homeowners find and choose contractors. Not someday. Right now. In this webinar replay, Carl Willis, founder and CEO of Remodeling Marketing Team, breaks down exactly what's happening, why your current playbook is losing effectiveness, and what the contractors who dominate their markets in the next 24 months are doing differently today. Recorded live during Google's I/O 2026 conference — where Google publicly announced the rollout of Google Spark, their AI agent launching inside Chrome this summer — this briefing gives you a real-time look at the shift as it's actually happening. What's covered in this webinar: ✅ How AI agents — not homeowners — are starting to make contractor discovery decisions ✅ What Google Spark is and what its Chrome browser rollout means for your local visibility ✅ Why the old five-step buyer's journey is collapsing to two steps — and what that means for contractors not on the AI short list ✅ The restaurant menu vs. personal chef metaphor — the simplest way to understand the new internet ✅ The four foundation problems Carl finds in almost every contractor audit (and how each one gets you quietly excluded) ✅ Why trust is the new ranking factor — and how AI actually scores your business ✅ The six strategic priorities every remodeling contractor needs to focus on right now ✅ Why your Google Business Profile is now your most valuable piece of online real estate ✅ How to build a review engine based on recency and frequency — not just star rating ✅ What schema markup and structured data actually do — and why your competitor having it puts you at a disadvantage ✅ The new metrics you need to track beyond clicks, sessions, and map pack position ✅ What AI recommendation rate is and why it matters more than traditional SEO rankings The contractors starting this work now are the ones who will be untouchable 24 months from now. This webinar gives you the blueprint. 🎯 Want us to assess how AI currently sees your remodeling business? Schedule you remodeling growth audit 👉 https://www.remodelingmarketingteam.com/get-started 📞 888-350-7859 Request our latest white paper - "Search After Search" by emailing info@remodelingmarketingteam.com #AgenticSearch #GoogleSpark #AIAgents #LocalSEO #RemodelingMarketing #ContractorMarketing #GoogleIO #AISearch #RemodelingBusiness #ContractorVisibility #GoogleBusinessProfile #ContractorSEO #EntityData #StructuredData #SchemaMarkup #ContractorGrowth #HomeRenovationMarketing #AIRecommendation #ContractorLeadGeneration #ContractorTips #RemodelingContractor #WebinarReplay #DigitalFootprint #ContractorSuccess #RemodelingMarketingTeam #TradeBusinessMarketing #ContractorEducation #LocalSearchMarketing #AIMarketing #HomeImprovementMarketing Send us Fan Mail Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. What if you could remotely qualify leads, create accurate estimates, and manage multiple projects—all without ever leaving your office? That's exactly what LiveSwitch does for remodeling contractors. Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Visit us online - remodelingmarketingteam.com Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/remodelmarketing Subscribe to our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnqpHHqgpvEs1wkfDMt95uA

    51 min

  5. May 15

    The 70 20 10 Rule For Predictable Remodeling Leads

    Your marketing budget can either buy random activity or build a system that reliably fills your pipeline. We’re talking straight to remodeling company owners who are doing real revenue and can’t afford inconsistent lead flow, wasted ad spend, or “we’ll see what happens” marketing. The shift is simple but powerful: stop treating marketing like an expense to manage and start treating it like an asset you measure, optimize, and scale. We walk through a practical framework for remodeling marketing and contractor advertising using the 70 20 10 rule: 70% into proven channels that already generate leads, 20% into growth channels that expand visibility, and 10% into controlled testing so you stay competitive without gambling your budget. You’ll also get a clear channel allocation range for SEO for remodelers, Google Ads and paid search, social media marketing, reputation management and online reviews, email marketing, and offline marketing based on how homeowners search across multiple platforms over time. Then we make it real with budget scenarios by revenue level, including what tends to work at $1M and what changes at $3M to $5M when positioning and authority matter more. We cover efficient, high ROI tactics like Google Business Profile optimization, content that builds trust before the sales call, systematized referral programs, and the social proof that creates confidence. Finally, we get tactical on tracking: cost per lead, cost per acquisition, conversion rates, attribution, and the core tools that keep your decisions grounded in math. Subscribe for more practical remodeling business growth strategies, share this with another builder who’s tired of guesswork, and leave a review with the one metric you want to improve next. Send us Fan Mail Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Visit us online - remodelingmarketingteam.com Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/remodelmarketing Subscribe to our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnqpHHqgpvEs1wkfDMt95uA

    19 min

  6. May 9

    What Happens When Nobody Visits Websites

    Google is quietly replacing the familiar search results page with something far more powerful and far more disruptive: an agent manager that can research, plan, negotiate, and transact while you are away. That is why we call it the end of the click. When search becomes an orchestration layer, you do not “browse” for answers anymore, you delegate outcomes to AI agents that run multiple threads in the background and persist until the task is complete. We break down what agentic search changes for marketers, publishers, and business owners, starting with the reality that websites are shifting from destinations to data sources and service endpoints. We point to live examples already rolling out in Google AI Mode, including agentic calling with Gemini and Duplex to verify inventory, Canvas to assemble multi-step travel plans, and property-level price tracking that turns search into a persistent watchdog. Each feature reduces app switching and removes reasons to visit a site, while increasing the need for clean machine-readable information. We also tackle the “intelligence overhang” and why 2027 is shaping up to be a major inflection point as organizations catch up to what AI agents can already do. From there, we get practical: structured data and schema become the language of agent-to-agent negotiation, real-time inventory and pricing need to function like an API, and entity authority becomes the trust signal agents can verify across the web. Finally, we dig into the measurement gap: when an agent uses your content or calls your business without a click, how do you prove value and protect your growth? If you want to stay visible in the agentic search era, subscribe, share this with a business owner who still thinks in “blue links,” and leave a review with the biggest change you are making next. Schedule your Remodeling Growth Audit: http://remodelingmarketingteam.com/get-started Send us Fan Mail Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Visit us online - remodelingmarketingteam.com Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/remodelmarketing Subscribe to our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnqpHHqgpvEs1wkfDMt95uA

    25 min

  7. May 2

    How AI Agents Are Rewriting Local Search For Contractors And Service Businesses

    Google’s CEO spent an hour talking about the future of search and barely hinted at the one thing local businesses depend on: humans clicking through results. That silence is the signal. When “agentic search” becomes normal, your next homeowner may hand the job to an AI agent, get one recommendation back, and never visit a website, a map pack, or a reviews page the way they do today. If you rely on Google for leads, that’s not a trend to watch. It’s a shift to prepare for.  We walk through what Sundar Pichai actually said about AI completing tasks across multiple threads, why the search box is starting to look more like an “agent manager,” and how Google is already training users with early rollouts in places like Google Flights and restaurant discovery. Then we dig into the harder questions he didn’t answer: what happens to pay-per-click ads when agents don’t click, what happens to the content economy when pages become background data, and why Google isn’t guaranteed to be the default agent if ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, or vertical AI tools become the recommendation layer.  From there, we get practical. We share the new priorities that help a business become legible to machines: entity clarity, consistent NAP across every directory, ecosystem completeness beyond a single platform, structured signals that AI can read, and review patterns that show real operational trust. You’ll also get four quick tests you can run today to see where you stand, including an unprompted citation test inside AI tools and a knowledge panel check that reveals whether Google understands your entity.  If you want to stay visible as search becomes more agent-driven, subscribe for more episodes on AI search and local marketing strategy, share this with a business owner who still thinks “ranking” is the whole game, and leave a review telling us what part of agentic search you want us to unpack next. Send us Fan Mail Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. What if you could remotely qualify leads, create accurate estimates, and manage multiple projects—all without ever leaving your office? That's exactly what LiveSwitch does for remodeling contractors. Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Visit us online - remodelingmarketingteam.com Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/remodelmarketing Subscribe to our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnqpHHqgpvEs1wkfDMt95uA

    36 min

  8. Apr 24

    Cracking the Code of AI and Local SEO for Home Remodelers

    Google is no longer just a search engine. It's a decision engine — and by the time a homeowner calls you, their decision is already mostly made. If your business isn't showing up across the 7 to 12 touchpoints that happen before that first call, you're losing jobs before the conversation ever starts. In this webinar replay, Carl Willis, founder and CEO of Remodeling Marketing Team, breaks down exactly how AI has changed local SEO for remodeling contractors — and what you need to do right now to win the invisible research phase that determines who gets hired. What's covered in this webinar:  ✅ How Google evolved from a search engine to a decision engine — and what that means for you  ✅ The hidden buyer's journey — 7 to 12 touchpoints happening before homeowners contact you  ✅ Why SEO isn't dead, but the rules have completely changed  ✅ The new game: entity, authority, and trust vs. keywords and backlinks  ✅ What your digital footprint really is — and why consistency across every platform is critical  ✅ The four pillars AI uses to evaluate your structural integrity (presence, consistency, authority, engagement)  ✅ The five load-bearing assets every remodeling company must control  ✅ The content matrix — how to create high search volume, client-serving content that AI rewards  ✅ Why raw job site video outperforms polished written content every time  ✅ The 90-day structural build plan to go from invisible to everywhere  ✅ Why the best marketer wins the job — not always the best builder The companies winning right now are the ones homeowners say "I see you everywhere" about. That's not luck. It's structure by design. This webinar gives you the blueprint to build it. 🎯 Want us to audit your digital footprint and show you exactly where you stand?  Schedule a free remodeling growth audit 👉 https://www.remodelingmarketingteam.com/get-started  📞 888-350-7859 #LocalSEO #AISearch #RemodelingMarketing #ContractorSEO #GoogleAI #HomeRenovationMarketing #ContractorMarketing #DigitalFootprint #RemodelingBusiness #GoogleBusinessProfile #ContractorLeadGeneration #AIOverviews #RemodelingContractor #ContentMarketing #VideoMarketing #ContractorGrowth #HomeImprovementMarketing #EntitySEO #OnlineReviews #ContractorSuccess #RemodelingCompany #OmnipresenceMarketing #ContractorTips #WebinarReplay #RemodelingMarketingTeam #HomeRenovationBusiness #TradeBusinessMarketing #ContractorEducation #LocalSearchMarketing #AIMarketing Send us Fan Mail Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. What if you could remotely qualify leads, create accurate estimates, and manage multiple projects—all without ever leaving your office? That's exactly what LiveSwitch does for remodeling contractors. Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Stop Driving. Start ClosingStop wasting time on tire kickers. Qualify and estimate remotely with AI-powered video technology. Visit us online - remodelingmarketingteam.com Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/remodelmarketing Subscribe to our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnqpHHqgpvEs1wkfDMt95uA

    42 min
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About

The Digital Remodeler is a podcast that explores the latest trends, tools, and strategies for transforming your home remodeling business in the digital age. Join host Carl Willis, a seasoned home services digital marketing consultant, as he interviews industry experts, shares success stories, and provides actionable tips to help you stay ahead of the curve and build a successful and sustainable home remodeling business in today's ever-evolving market. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, this show is the ultimate guide to help you modernize your business and thrive in the digital world.

Information

  • Creator
    Carl Willis - Remodeling Marketing Team
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    177
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Digital Remodeler
  • Show Website
    The Digital Remodeler