Ask Claude for a roofer and then for a kitchen remodeler, and the two answers lean on different sites and repeat different details about the companies. We counted both, trade by trade, in the same answers as the rest of the study.
Original study · v1.0
The sites Claude cites and the details it repeats, by trade
For six home service trades, the sites Claude cited and the details it repeated about the companies it named: maker programs for roofers, James Hardie for siding, “Best of Houzz” for remodelers, BBB ratings and warranties for foundation repair.
By Found ClearlyPublished October 31, 20266 min read
Part 6 of 6 in our study How Claude picks contractors, with the method and the other parts.
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Abstract
In October 2026 we asked Claude 9 buyer questions about 6 home service trades in 4 US metros, each question four times in each city and trade: 864 answers, 36 for each city and trade. That is 144 answers for each trade. For each trade we counted the answers that cited a page of each site, and the answers whose text repeated a detail about the companies, such as a maker's program or a BBB rating. The sites changed with the trade: Claude cited a Houzz page in 62.5% of kitchen remodeling answers and in none of the 144 roofing answers, a Yelp page in 75.0% of window and door answers, and an Angi or HomeAdvisor page in 78.5% of siding answers. So did the details: a shingle maker's contractor program in 61.1% of roofing answers, James Hardie in 84.7% of siding answers, “Best of Houzz” in 45.8% of kitchen remodeling answers, and a lifetime or transferable warranty in 63.2% of foundation repair answers. We counted what Claude said about the companies, not why it named them.
Key points
- Roofing: a shingle maker's contractor program came up in 61.1% of the answers (88 of 144) and a BBB A+ rating in 69.4%. No roofing answer cited a Houzz page.
- Windows and doors: Yelp pages in 75.0% of the answers, more than in any other trade.
- Siding: James Hardie came up in 84.7% of the answers, and Angi or HomeAdvisor pages in 78.5%.
- Kitchen and bathroom remodeling: Houzz pages in 62.5% and 56.9% of the answers, and “Best of Houzz” in 45.8% and 37.5%.
- Foundation repair: a BBB A+ rating in 68.8% of the answers, a lifetime or transferable warranty in 63.2%, and BBB pages in 41.0%.
Our data · Oct 2026 · Claude · Method →
Six trades
Each trade, its own sites
The numbers on this page come from 864 answers: each question asked four times in each city and trade, 36 answers for each.
That is 144 answers for each trade. For each site we counted the answers that cited at least one of its pages, sorted by the same dictionary of known domains as the rest of the study.
Answers citing each site, by trade (144 answers per trade)
| Trade | Yelp | Angi or HomeAdvisor | Houzz | BBB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing | 38.9% (56) | 27.1% (39) | 0.0% (0) | 20.8% (30) |
| Windows and doors | 75.0% (108) | 28.5% (41) | 34.7% (50) | 27.8% (40) |
| Siding | 54.2% (78) | 78.5% (113) | 41.7% (60) | 14.6% (21) |
| Bathroom remodeling | 48.6% (70) | 38.9% (56) | 56.9% (82) | 16.0% (23) |
| Kitchen remodeling | 61.8% (89) | 38.9% (56) | 62.5% (90) | 1.4% (2) |
| Foundation repair | 54.2% (78) | 53.5% (77) | 0.7% (1) | 41.0% (59) |
| All six trades (864 answers) | 55.4% (479) | 44.2% (382) | 32.8% (283) | 20.3% (175) |
No answer in any trade cited a Google Maps or Business Profile page (0 of 864), yet 350 of them gave a company’s Google rating or number of Google reviews in the text. Where the links went instead, and where the ratings came from, is in Does Claude use Google Maps for contractors?.
Details Claude repeated about the companies, by trade
| Trade | A BBB A+ rating | The trade’s own detail |
|---|---|---|
| Roofing | 69.4% (100) | A shingle maker’s program: 61.1% (88) |
| Windows and doors | 31.9% (46) | — |
| Siding | 34.0% (49) | James Hardie: 84.7% (122) |
| Bathroom remodeling | 25.7% (37) | “Best of Houzz”: 37.5% (54) |
| Kitchen remodeling | 13.2% (19) | “Best of Houzz”: 45.8% (66) |
| Foundation repair | 68.8% (99) | A lifetime or transferable warranty: 63.2% (91) |
| All six trades (864 answers) | 40.5% (350) | — |
A detail counts when the answer’s text holds its phrase. We read a seeded sample of the answers holding each phrase by hand, and each trade’s card below gives those counts. Of all 789 sentences with “A+”, 783 named BBB in the same sentence. We counted what Claude said about the companies, not why it named them.
Our data · Oct 2026 · Claude · Method →
Roofing
Maker programs and BBB, and no Houzz
61.1%
of roofing answers mentioned a shingle maker’s contractor program, such as GAF Master Elite or President’s Club, Owens Corning Platinum Preferred or CertainTeed ShingleMaster (88 of 144)
69.4%
mentioned a BBB A+ rating (100 of 144)
0 of 144
roofing answers cited a Houzz page, against 38.9% for Yelp and 27.1% for Angi or HomeAdvisor
83.3%
cited a page that lists several local roofers (120 of 144), the most of the six trades
Checked by hand: 15 of 15 sampled answers mentioned a maker’s program in this sense, 14 of them about a company the answer named, and the rest as advice to look for one. For BBB A+, 10 of 10.
For roofers: if you hold a maker’s program, name it and its level on your own website, and check what the maker’s contractor locator, your BBB profile and the list pages for your city say about you.
Our data · Oct 2026 · Claude · Method →
Windows and doors
Yelp first
75.0%
of window and door answers cited a Yelp page (108 of 144), the most of the six trades
34.7%
cited a Houzz page (50 of 144), and 28.5% an Angi or HomeAdvisor page
27.8%
cited a BBB page (40 of 144), and 31.9% mentioned a BBB A+ rating
39.6%
cited a page that lists several local companies (57 of 144)
For window and door companies: Yelp came first here, so start with your Yelp page and check that what it says about your services, the areas you serve and your hours is current. Then do the same on Houzz, Angi or HomeAdvisor and BBB.
Our data · Oct 2026 · Claude · Method →
Siding
James Hardie, and Angi
84.7%
of siding answers named James Hardie (122 of 144)
41.7%
mentioned a James Hardie program status, such as Elite Preferred or Preferred Remodeler (60 of 144)
78.5%
cited an Angi or HomeAdvisor page (113 of 144), the most of the six trades
16.0%
cited a page that lists several local companies (23 of 144), the fewest of the six trades
Checked by hand: 15 of 15 sampled answers for the program status and 10 of 10 for James Hardie, all about companies the answers named.
For siding companies: if you install James Hardie siding under one of its programs, say which on your own website, and check what the James Hardie contractor directory and your Angi or HomeAdvisor profile say about you.
Our data · Oct 2026 · Claude · Method →
Bathroom remodeling
Houzz and its award
56.9%
of bathroom remodeling answers cited a Houzz page (82 of 144)
37.5%
mentioned a “Best of Houzz” award (54 of 144)
16.0%
cited a Thumbtack page (23 of 144), as often as kitchen remodeling and more than the other four trades
57.6%
cited a page that lists several local companies (83 of 144)
Checked by hand: 10 of 10 sampled answers named “Best of Houzz” as an award of a company they named.
For bathroom remodelers: keep your Houzz profile current, with photos of finished bathrooms, the areas you serve and your reviews.
Our data · Oct 2026 · Claude · Method →
Kitchen remodeling
Houzz and Yelp, and almost no BBB
62.5%
of kitchen remodeling answers cited a Houzz page (90 of 144), the most of the six trades, and 61.8% a Yelp page
45.8%
mentioned a “Best of Houzz” award (66 of 144)
2 of 144
kitchen remodeling answers cited a BBB page, the fewest of the six trades
79.2%
cited a page that lists several local companies (114 of 144)
Checked by hand: 10 of 10 sampled answers named “Best of Houzz” as an award of a company they named.
For kitchen remodelers: Claude cited Houzz and Yelp about as often here, so keep both current, with photos of finished kitchens and the areas you serve.
Our data · Oct 2026 · Claude · Method →
Foundation repair
BBB, and lifetime warranties
68.8%
of foundation repair answers mentioned a BBB A+ rating (99 of 144)
63.2%
mentioned a lifetime or transferable warranty (91 of 144)
41.0%
cited a BBB page (59 of 144), the most of the six trades
1 of 144
foundation repair answers cited a Houzz page, and 25.0% a page that lists several local companies
Checked by hand: 10 of 10 sampled answers for BBB A+ and 15 of 15 for the warranty, all about companies the answers named.
For foundation repair companies: if your warranty is lifetime or transferable, state its terms on your own website in plain words, and check what your BBB profile says about you.
Our data · Oct 2026 · Claude · Method →
What this cannot tell you
- We asked Claude outside the Claude app. The app can answer differently: it may know where you are, remember earlier chats and use other settings.
- Claude and the way it searches the web change over time, so read this as a snapshot of October 2026.
- The study covers 4 metros and 6 home service trades. Other cities, trades and wordings can give other lists.
- Link groups come from a dictionary of known domains. Pages from domains it does not know are counted as not sorted, so the other shares are lower bounds.
- The trade counts were added after the answers were collected. They describe the data and test no hypothesis.
- A detail counts when the answer's text holds its phrase, such as “Master Elite” or “Best of Houzz”. We read a seeded sample of each phrase by hand; each trade's card gives the counts.
- We counted what Claude said about the companies it named, not why it named them, and not whether what it said is right.
How to cite this
Found Clearly. "The sites Claude cites and the details it repeats, by trade", from "How Claude picks contractors", version 1.0. Published 2026-10-31. Data: Claude (Anthropic), October 2026.
The text and the figures on this page are under CC BY 4.0: quote, chart and republish them with credit to Found Clearly and a link to this page. That includes competitors.
Primary sources
FAQ
Related questions
Does Claude use Houzz to recommend contractors?
It depends on the trade. In our data Claude cited a Houzz page in 62.5% of kitchen remodeling answers (90 of 144) and 56.9% of bathroom remodeling answers, but in none of the 144 roofing answers and in 1 of 144 foundation repair answers (our data, October 2026).
What does Claude say about roofing contractors?
In 61.1% of our roofing answers (88 of 144), Claude mentioned a shingle maker's contractor program, such as GAF Master Elite or President's Club, Owens Corning Platinum Preferred or CertainTeed ShingleMaster, and in 69.4% a BBB A+ rating (our data, October 2026). We counted what it said about the companies, not why it named them.
Does Claude mention James Hardie when you ask for a siding contractor?
Usually. James Hardie came up in 84.7% of our siding answers (122 of 144), and in 41.7% Claude mentioned a James Hardie program status, such as Elite Preferred or Preferred Remodeler (our data, October 2026).
Which sites does Claude cite for foundation repair companies?
In our foundation repair answers, Claude cited Yelp pages in 54.2%, Angi or HomeAdvisor pages in 53.5% and BBB pages in 41.0%, more BBB than in any other trade (our data, October 2026). Its text mentioned a BBB A+ rating in 68.8% of those answers and a lifetime or transferable warranty in 63.2%.
Keep reading
Ask Claude twice, get a partly different list of contractorsDoes Claude use Google Maps for contractors?Who writes the “best contractors” lists Claude citesWhat the websites of contractors Claude names have in commonWhat Claude searches for when you ask for a contractorHow Claude picks contractors: the study and its methodAll research
Evidence you can check. Public prices, month to month.