Every week, in neighborhoods all over the country, someone posts the same question on Nextdoor: “Can anyone recommend a good roofer?” Within an hour, there are 20 replies, each one naming a business.
If your name is in those replies, you just got a referral you didn’t pay for. If it isn’t, a competitor did. On Nextdoor, the best ad is a neighbor saying your name. This post shows you how to set up Nextdoor the right way and get recommended more often.
Why Nextdoor matters for home service businesses
Nextdoor is built around neighborhoods. People use it to ask for local help, and home services are among the most common requests. A recommendation there is basically a public referral from someone who lives down the street.
That’s powerful, because people trust recommendations from people they know more than any ad. Read more about why in our guide on getting more referrals.
Step 1: Claim your free Business Page
Nextdoor says claiming a Business Page is free, posting from it is free, and verification takes about a minute. Your page should include:
- Your business name, phone and website, exactly as they appear on your Google Business Profile.
- Your service area and the services you offer.
- Real photos of your work, trucks and team.
- A short story: who you are, how long you’ve been in business, what makes you different.
Step 2: Know the 2026 self-promotion rule
In August 2026, Nextdoor changed its self-promotion policy. In Nextdoor’s words: promoting a business, service or paid opportunity “must be done from a free Business Page, not a personal neighbor account.”
What’s still allowed from your personal account: asking who to call, recommending businesses you love, and normal neighbor activity. What’s not: posting “I own a plumbing company, call me!” from your personal profile. Use the Business Page for that.
Step 3: Earn recommendations
Recommendations from real customers matter more than anything you post yourself. To get more:
- Ask happy customers who use Nextdoor to recommend your Business Page. Do it at the same moment you ask for a Google review.
- Send a direct link to your Business Page so it takes one tap.
- Thank every recommendation publicly. Other neighbors see it.
- Work in clusters. When you finish a job, the neighbors already saw your truck. A recommendation from that street lands with people who watched you work.
Use our review request templates and add a line like: “If you’re on Nextdoor, a recommendation there helps us a lot too.”
Step 4: Post like a neighbor, not a billboard
Be the helpful neighbor, not the billboard. Posts that do well on Nextdoor are useful, not salesy:
- Seasonal tips: “Three things to check on your roof before winter.”
- Local warnings: “We’re seeing a lot of frozen pipes this week. Here’s how to prevent them.”
- Finished work in the area, with permission: before-and-after photos from a nearby street.
- Answers to questions where you’re the expert, without a hard pitch.
Tie posts to the season with our seasonal marketing calendar.
Step 5: Respond fast when someone reaches out
A recommendation only turns into a job if you answer. When a neighbor messages or calls from Nextdoor, treat it like any other lead and respond within minutes. Turn on missed-call text-back so no one goes to voicemail.
Should you pay for Nextdoor ads?
Nextdoor sells ads that show in local feeds. Start with the free Business Page and recommendations. If neighbors already recommend you, a small test in your best neighborhoods can make sense. Judge it the same way as any lead source: cost per booked job.
Your Nextdoor checklist
- Claim and verify your free Business Page
- Match your name, phone and website to your Google profile
- Add real photos and your service area
- Promote only from your Business Page, never your personal account
- Ask every happy customer on Nextdoor for a recommendation
- Thank every recommendation publicly
- Post one helpful, seasonal tip a month
- Respond to Nextdoor leads within minutes
The bottom line
Nextdoor works best for contractors who do great work and make it easy for happy customers to say so. Claim your page, follow the rules, ask for recommendations and answer fast. The Booked Solid System automates the asking and the answering, so word of mouth turns into booked jobs.