Where your competition is in Iowa
The largest concentrations of fence companies in our Iowa data are in Cedar Rapids, West Des Moines, Des Moines, Davenport, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Ottumwa and Sioux City. 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 Cedar Rapids.
The map pack in Iowa
Google shows three businesses in the map pack for a search like "fence company near me" in Cedar Rapids. In Iowa the shops that hold those spots usually sit near the 90th percentile, 166 reviews, not the median. 13% of Iowa fence companies have passed 100 reviews; the other 87.0% are competing for whatever is left below the fold.
The website gap in Iowa
32.6% of Iowa fence companies list no website on their Google profile, more than the national 22.8%. Nationally, fence companies with a website have a median of 23 reviews against 3 without. A five-page site with tap-to-call and a page per service is the cheapest gap to close.
How Iowa compares
Of the 49 states in our data, Iowa ranks 31st for the number of fence companies, 29th for median review count, and 12th for the share with no website, which leaves more room than most states for a shop that builds a real site. The review bar sits in the middle of the pack.
| State | Listed | Median reviews | No site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 92 | 15.5 | 32.6% |
| Illinois | 249 | 24 | 18.1% |
| Indiana | 165 | 29 | 22.4% |
| Kansas | 87 | 9 | 25.3% |
| Michigan | 214 | 23 | 26.2% |
| Minnesota | 105 | 22 | 10.5% |
| Missouri | 159 | 15 | 28.3% |
| Nebraska | 58 | 10 | 22.4% |
| North Dakota | 29 | 3 | 44.8% |
What to do first in Iowa
- Put up a real website if you are in the 32.6% without one. Service pages, city pages for Cedar Rapids, West Des Moines, Des Moines, tap-to-call on every screen.
- Set a review velocity. One review per job day, asked at the door, moves a 15.5-review shop past the Iowa 75th percentile (57) 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 15.5 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.