What we mean by "customer journey"
Every customer follows a path from "I don't have solar" to "I just signed a contract." If you understand the path, you can position your business at the moments that matter. Most UK installers never map this out, which is why they end up paying for Google Ads to do something they could've done for free with better SEO.
Here's what the path actually looks like in 2026, based on what we see across the Presencly client base.
Step 1: The triggering event
Nobody wakes up and decides to research solar panels for fun. There's always a trigger:
- Energy bill spike — the most common, especially in October when winter rates kick in. A direct debit doubles from £180 to £350 and the conversation starts.
- A neighbour's installation — physical scaffolding on a nearby roof generates more enquiries than any ad campaign. People literally Google "solar installers" the same week they see panels go up next door.
- Government news — Warm Homes Plan, ECO4 grants, Smart Export Guarantee changes. National headlines drive 2–3 day enquiry spikes.
- House move — new owners doing renovations bundle solar into the works.
You can't manufacture triggers, but you can be findable when they happen. Which means everything from this point on matters.
Step 2: The Google search
The triggered homeowner pulls out their phone and types one of about six queries:
- "solar panels near me"
- "solar installers + [town]"
- "MCS solar installer + [town]"
- "best solar panels UK"
- "how much do solar panels cost in [year]"
- "solar panel installation cost UK"
The first three are local intent — they want to find an installer to call. These are the queries you want to rank for, because they're closest to a sale. The last three are research intent — those people are 2–6 weeks from a decision and need content to convert (we cover this in how to do SEO for your website).
The first three queries trigger Google's Local Pack — the Maps three-pack at the top of the results, above the regular blue links. About 60% of all clicks for local-intent queries go to one of those three Maps listings, not to the regular results. If you're not in the Maps three-pack for "solar installers [your town]," you're invisible to the majority of buyers.
Step 3: The 10-second comparison
The homeowner now has 3–5 options open in browser tabs. They spend roughly 10 seconds on each before deciding which to call. Here's what they're checking, in this order, even though they don't know they are:
1. Does this look like a real business? Stock photos, no team page, no real reviews = next tab. 2. Are they local? Address in the right town, MCS certification visible, photos of UK installs = stay on the page. 3. What does a job cost? Even ballpark pricing reassures. No pricing at all = "they'll be expensive." 4. Can I see other people's installs? Real photos with house addresses (even just street names) build trust faster than any sales copy. 5. How do I contact them? Phone number tap-to-dial on mobile. Quote form short enough to finish in 60 seconds. If the form has 14 fields, they bounce.
Most installer sites fail at points 1, 4, and 5. We see it constantly: gorgeous brand work, zero real install photos, a 12-field contact form gated behind a cookie banner. The visitor closes the tab.
This is also where the Google Business Profile pays off. A profile with 30+ reviews at 4.7 stars wins against a profile with 4 reviews at 5.0, every time. Recency matters too — reviews from this month signal an active, real business.
Step 4: The call or form
If you survived step 3, the homeowner either calls or fills the form. Two notes:
On the call: 78% of all installer enquiries in the UK still happen by phone, not by form. If your phone goes to voicemail during work hours, you're losing about a third of your enquiries to whoever picks up first. We've seen installers double conversions by hiring a part-time receptionist for £600/month.
On the form: The shorter the better. Name, postcode, phone, "anything we should know?" — four fields max. Every extra field cuts completion by ~10%.
Where most installers leak customers
Most UK solar installers leak customers at step 2 (not in the Maps three-pack) and step 3 (site looks generic, no real install photos, no real reviews). Step 1 is out of your control. Step 4 you usually handle fine.
If we had to pick one fix per step:
- Step 2: Claim and fully complete your Google Business Profile (we cover this in why isn't my business on Google?)
- Step 3: Add 6 photos of real installs to your homepage, with postcode area captions. Embed your 3 most recent Google reviews as live text (not screenshots).
- Step 4: Strip your contact form to four fields. Make sure the phone number is `` on every page.
Want the work done for you?
Presencly builds websites and runs local SEO for UK renewable installers — solar, heat pump, battery, EV charger. £999 build, £99/month hosting, plus the 90-day page-1 Google guarantee on one agreed keyword if you want the SEO work too. We cover 15 priority UK cities and the surrounding regions.
Or just request a free audit — we'll send a 2-minute Loom showing exactly where you lose customers in the four-step journey, within 24 hours.