Where your competition is in South Dakota
The largest concentrations of solar installers in our South Dakota data are in Brookings, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Watertown, Mitchell, Aberdeen, Piedmont and Spearfish. 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 Brookings.
The map pack in South Dakota
In South Dakota, 48.3% of solar installers have fewer than ten reviews. That is the good news if you have twenty: most of your local competitors are not trying. The bad news is that the three shops in the map pack for Sioux Falls searches are not in that group. They are near 460 reviews and they ask every customer.
The website gap in South Dakota
A website is the clearest marker of a solar company that is going to compete for the map pack, and 7.9% of solar installers in South Dakota do not have one linked. Across the country the median review count with a site is 24, without one 2. If your shop is in the 7.9%, start there.
How South Dakota compares
Of the 51 states in our data, South Dakota ranks 48th for the number of solar installers, 46th for median review count, and 48th for the share with no website, so a website alone will not set you apart here. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | 89 | 11 | 7.9% |
| Illinois | 771 | 18 | 11.3% |
| Indiana | 244 | 20 | 9% |
| Iowa | 342 | 17 | 10.2% |
| Kansas | 298 | 17 | 13.8% |
| Michigan | 639 | 25 | 9.7% |
| Minnesota | 640 | 23 | 11.7% |
| Missouri | 487 | 21 | 10.1% |
| Nebraska | 251 | 16 | 9.6% |
What to do first in South Dakota
- Set a review velocity. One review per job day, asked at the door, moves a 11-review shop past the South Dakota 75th percentile (51) 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 South Dakota 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 11 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.