Creating Content That Homeowners — and AI — Recognize as Authoritative
For years, contractors have been told they need to “create content.” Write blogs. Post on social media. Make videos. Improve your SEO. Add more pages to your website. We were all in a race to fill up the internet. Today, that advice still holds true, but the reason for doing it is changing dramatically.
Your content is no longer being consumed only by homeowners and traditional search engines. Increasingly, it is being discovered, interpreted, summarized, and sometimes recommended by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
A homeowner may never type “metal roofing contractor near me” into Google. Instead, they will ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, or another AI system a question such as:
“What type of roof would be best for my 40-year-old home?”
“Is a metal roof worth the extra cost?”
“What should I look for in a metal roofing contractor?”
“Who installs high-quality residential metal roofing in my area?”
The question contractors need to ask is no longer simply, “Can homeowners find me?” but also: “Does the internet contain enough credible information about me for AI to understand who I am, what I know, and why I should be trusted?”
AI Is Now Leading The Buying Process
For decades, the contractor controlled much of the homeowner’s education. The homeowner called. The salesperson came to the house. The contractor explained roofing systems, materials, warranties, ventilation, installation methods, and pricing.
Now, though, homeowners educate themselves before contacting contractors. Instead of reading ten websites and sorting through conflicting information, homeowners now ask AI to do that work for them.
Think about the implications. AI may help that homeowner determine what questions to ask you before you even know the homeowner exists. It may help them compare aluminum roofing with steel roofing. It may explain exposed versus concealed fasteners. It may tell them why ventilation matters. It may help them understand PVDF coatings, warranties, energy efficiency, or installation over existing shingles.
Increasingly, homeowners will ask AI which manufacturers, products, and contractors they should investigate. And, to succeed in this new world, AI must know who you are.
AI Doesn’t Need More Marketing Fluff
This is where I think many contractors will get AI content wrong. The answer isn’t to start producing hundreds of generic articles stuffed with phrases like:
“Your trusted roofing experts.”
“Quality you can count on.”
“Serving homeowners with integrity.”
“We’re the area’s premier roofing contractor.”
While there is nothing inherently wrong with those statements, virtually any contractor can make them. They don’t demonstrate expertise. The content that establishes authority answers real questions with specific, useful answers.
For example, instead of writing, “Metal roofing is an excellent choice for homeowners,” write about “When is metal roofing NOT the best choice for a homeowner?”
Instead of “We install energy-efficient roofing,” explain “How does a metal roof actually affect attic temperatures and cooling costs?”
Instead of “We install quality metal roofing,” explain: “What are the differences between metal shingles, standing seam, exposed-fastener roofing, aluminum, and steel?”
That is the expertise both homeowners and AI need to understand your authority.
Answer the Questions You Hear Every Day
You already have a tremendous content library – inside your head. Think about the questions homeowners ask your salespeople every week and make them your editorial calendar.
Every legitimate homeowner question can become a webpage, article, FAQ, video, podcast segment, or social media post. And it’s really critical to answer the difficult questions, too.
Talk about price. Talk about disadvantages. Talk about potential problems. Talk about situations where your product isn’t appropriate. Talk about how your product compares to alternatives. Talk about what can go wrong during installation. The company willing to answer these questions becomes far more credible than the company whose website simply says everything it sells is wonderful.
Specificity Builds Authority
AI and homeowners both recognize generic language. Specificity is one of your greatest opportunities.
Consider these two statements: “We have extensive experience installing metal roofing,” compared to “We’ve installed more than 600 residential metal roofs since 2008, including metal shingles and standing seam systems on homes ranging from 1920s construction to new custom homes.” Which tells you more?
“Our installers are highly trained” versus “Every crew leader completes manufacturer installation training covering flashing details, valleys, penetrations, ventilation, and snow management before supervising one of our projects.”
Because specificity creates credibility, use real numbers when you can substantiate them. Dates, locations, product names. Explain processes. Identify the people behind your company. Show completed projects and explain what made them challenging. Demonstrate what you know rather than simply telling people that you know it.
Put Real People Behind Your Expertise
If your company has someone with 25 years of roofing experience, say so. If someone is certified in ventilation, explain their credentials. If your project manager has installed hundreds of metal roofs, introduce them. If someone has particular expertise in historic homes, coastal environments, complicated flashing, solar integration, or metal roof restoration, build content around that expertise.
Your expertise belongs to your people. Put those people on camera. Create biographies explaining their experience. Have them answer homeowner questions. Let homeowners and AI connect your knowledge with identifiable human experts.
Don’t Just Create Content. Create Evidence.
There is another distinction I think will become increasingly important. Anyone can publish a claim. Authority requires evidence.
If you say your roofing system performs well in severe weather, show projects that have experienced severe weather. If you claim expertise with complicated roofs, create case studies showing complicated installations. If homeowners praise your company, publish legitimate reviews and testimonials. If you have been installing a particular product for 20 years, document that history. If your team has specialized training, show it.
Photos, videos, project histories, customer experiences, credentials, technical explanations, and case studies all help create a web of evidence around your expertise. That evidence matters to homeowners. And, increasingly, it will matter to AI helping homeowners evaluate contractors.
Becoming authoritative doesn’t happen because you publish one 2,000-word article about metal roofing. Authority accumulates. Completed projects become case studies. Frequently asked questions become educational pages. Customer questions become short videos. Your sales team’s knowledge becomes website content.
Start With 25 Questions
If you’re wondering where to begin, here’s the exercise I’d give every residential metal roofing contractor. Sit down with your salespeople, installers, project managers, and office staff. Ask “What are the 25 questions homeowners ask us most often?” Write them down and then answer every one.
Give the clearest, most useful, most accurate answer your company can provide. Then publish those answers on your website. Record videos answering them. Link related answers together. Update them when your knowledge changes. And then identify the next 25 questions.
Do that consistently and you’ll create something your competitors cannot easily copy: a digital library of your company’s actual expertise. Contractors who clearly document the answers to those questions are positioning themselves for a world in which homeowners increasingly have an AI assistant helping them make purchasing decisions.
Get Better at Putting Your Real Intelligence Online
You don’t need to become an artificial intelligence expert. You need to become better at putting your real intelligence online. Because the ultimate goal isn’t to convince AI that you’re an authority. It’s to genuinely be an authority—and make sure the digital world has enough evidence to recognize it.
Want to talk more about making your company a trusted authority? I’d love to connect. Drop me an email or schedule a Zoom call with me.
Todd Miller has spent his entire career in the metal building products manufacturing industry. He is president of Isaiah Industries, an organization recognized as one of the world’s leading metal roofing manufacturers. Todd is currently Vice President of the MRA (Metal Roofing Association) and a Past Chair of MCA (Metal Construction Association). Through his website, he strives to raise the bar on standards and practices to provide property owners with the best possible products for successful roofing projects.
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