I've been involved with a contractor who relied exclusively on internet leads (nobody in their right mind would recommend him) and much of his time was spent giving quotes for low value work that rarely materialised into an order.
Most people using the internet for sourcing a tradesman, in my experience, are those looking for the cheapest price or just fantasists and time wasters.
I think most consumers expect a contractor/tradesman to have some kind of web presence but it really should be just a brochure type site and/or blog. The best work is almost always going to come from word of mouth referrals.
I found my doctor, dentist, plumber, roofer, landscaper, and am currently looking for an electrician online. All through: google and Angie's List.
I immediately excluded anyone who has no website, and will continue to do so. It just means you don't care about your business, if I have the choice I'll also exclude people who have no online reviews.
The only time I myself could be described as a "time waster" was with the landscaper, but in fairness that was because they were completely booked up until the following season.
The whole thing seems like an age issue, people who grew up with the internet use the internet to find places and services, people who didn't still open a Yellow Pages and dial the biggest advert.
I second the Angie's List recommendation. If you go with only people who have an A rating and many reviews, I've never gotten poor service. Also, when you think about the hundreds or thousands you could lose with a bad contractor, the annual fee for access is a drop in the bucket.
My fiance and I have good and bad experience with Angie's list. The plumber we hired from Angie's was excellent, but the painter was bad, had to repaint everything ourselves again. But we had good lock using Nextdoor to find an excellent painter.
My wife and I recently (under a year ago) moved into a house in an area that was totally new to us. If it wasn't for Angie's List we'd have been screwed. Really great website there for people new to an area, absolute bargain.
We received a couple of referrals from our otherwise excellent realtor. One turned out okay, but we could tell immediately that one was going to be bad and didn't go with him.
Most people using the internet for sourcing a tradesman, in my experience, are those looking for the cheapest price or just fantasists and time wasters.
I think most consumers expect a contractor/tradesman to have some kind of web presence but it really should be just a brochure type site and/or blog. The best work is almost always going to come from word of mouth referrals.