Where Iowa's auto body and collision shops are
The largest concentrations of auto body and collision shops in our Iowa data are in Sioux City, Des Moines, Davenport, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque, Iowa City and Council Bluffs. 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 Sioux City.
The map pack in Iowa
In Iowa, 22.2% of auto body and collision shops 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 Des Moines searches are not in that group. They are near 415 reviews and they ask every customer.
The website gap in Iowa
A website is the clearest marker of a auto body shop that is going to compete for the map pack, and 22.6% of auto body and collision shops in Iowa do not have one linked. Across the country the median review count with a site is 91, without one 21. If your shop is in the 22.6%, start there.
What to do first in Iowa
- Set a review velocity. One review per job day, asked at the door, moves a 51-review shop past the Iowa 75th percentile (149) 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 51 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.