Where your competition is in California
The largest concentrations of kitchen remodeling companies in our California data are in Los Angeles, San Diego, Anaheim, Irvine, Pasadena, Sacramento, Torrance and Riverside. 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 Los Angeles.
The map pack in California
The map pack is a three-slot race, and in California it is won by review count and recency far more than by rating: 81.6% of California kitchen remodeling companies are already at 4.5 stars or better, so stars do not separate anyone. The 75th percentile is 26 reviews and the 90th is 49. Those are the numbers to plan around, not the median.
The website gap in California
A website is the clearest marker of a kitchen remodeling company that is going to compete for the map pack, and 20.2% of kitchen remodeling companies in California do not have one linked. Across the country the median review count with a site is 13, without one 1. If your shop is in the 20.2%, start there.
How California compares
Of the 43 states in our data, California ranks 2nd for the number of kitchen remodeling companies, 29th for median review count, and 10th for the share with no website, which leaves more room than most states for a shop that builds a real site. The review bar is lower than in most of the country, so a few months of asking every customer moves you up fast.
| State | Listed | Median reviews | No site |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 595 | 9 | 20.2% |
| Hawaii | 22 | 1.5 | 18.2% |
| Oregon | 82 | 15 | 6.1% |
| Washington | 153 | 15 | 12.4% |
What to do first in California
- Set a review velocity. One review per job day, asked at the door, moves a 9-review shop past the California 75th percentile (26) 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 California 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 9 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.