How Do You Get on Angie's List? A Step-by-Step Guide

How do you get on Angie's List is a question that comes up constantly even though the platform rebranded to Angi back in 2021 — the process to get listed hasn't changed dramatically, but it's worth walking through step by step since a lot of outdated information about the old Angie's List membership model still circulates online.

Step One: Create a Business Profile

Getting on Angi starts with creating a business profile through their pro sign-up portal, providing basic business details — service categories offered, service area, years in business, and contact information. This step is free and doesn't require any upfront commitment, and it's the foundation everything else builds on.

Step Two: License and Insurance Verification

For trades requiring state licensing, Angi typically requests documentation to verify license status and general liability insurance coverage before a profile goes fully live and starts receiving matched leads. This verification step exists to build homeowner trust in the platform overall, and skipping or delaying it is one of the most common reasons a new business profile stalls before ever receiving real inquiries.

Step Three: Background Check for the Business Owner

Angi generally runs a background check on the business owner or a designated principal as part of the verification process, checking for certain criminal history and confirming business legitimacy. This step usually takes a few business days to process and is a standard part of getting fully approved and visible to homeowners searching the platform.

What It Costs to Get on Angi

• Basic profile creation and listing: free, though visibility without paid participation is typically limited.
• Paid lead and advertising options: pricing varies by trade, market, and lead volume selected, often running from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars monthly depending on category competitiveness.
• Some markets and trade categories offer pay-per-lead options rather than requiring a flat monthly advertising commitment.
• Angi Certified badge or additional certifications sometimes carry a separate verification fee on top of standard listing.

Building Out a Strong Angi Profile

Once approved, a complete profile — photos of past work, a detailed service description, and accurate service-area targeting — meaningfully affects how often a business appears in homeowner searches and how likely a homeowner is to reach out after viewing it. Businesses that treat their Angi profile as seriously as their own website, keeping it updated with current photos and services, generally see better results than those that set it up once and never revisit it.

Managing Reviews on the Platform

Review volume and rating on Angi directly affect how a business ranks in search results within the platform, similar to how reviews function on Google. Requesting reviews consistently from satisfied customers after each completed job, and responding professionally to any negative reviews rather than ignoring them, both meaningfully improve a profile's long-term performance on the platform.

Using Angi Alongside Other Lead Sources

Getting listed on Angi is worth doing for most home service businesses given how widely homeowners recognize the brand, but it works best as one channel among several rather than a sole source of business. Many companies combine an Angi presence with purchased leads from a dedicated marketplace and their own referral network, since relying entirely on one directory platform leaves a business exposed if that platform's algorithm or pricing changes.

What Happens if Verification Gets Denied or Delayed

Occasionally a business hits a snag during Angi's verification process — a license that's technically active but not yet updated in the state's public database, or insurance documentation that's expired and needs renewal before approval. In these cases, contacting Angi's pro support directly with updated documentation typically resolves the issue faster than waiting for an automated re-check. Businesses that keep licensing and insurance paperwork current and easily accessible before starting the sign-up process generally move through verification without any delay at all.

Keeping an Angi Profile Active After the Initial Setup

Getting approved is only the first step — a profile that sits untouched after setup tends to lose visibility over time as competitors update photos, respond to reviews, and refresh their service descriptions more actively. Setting a recurring reminder to check the profile monthly, upload recent job photos, and respond to any new reviews keeps a listing competitive within the platform's search results, rather than slowly falling behind more actively managed competitor profiles in the same service area over the following months.