You install solar systems in Houston, or you supply panels, batteries and inverters to homeowners, small businesses and contractors. After every big storm and every grid scare, more people start researching backup power and rooftop solar. The trouble is that they research online, and they keep landing on someone else. Sooner or later a marketing firm offers to fix that, with a 12-month contract. Before you sign, you need to ask the right questions.
A year-long commitment is a real decision for a solar business, where cash flow often depends on deposits, permitting timelines and equipment shipments. The questions below help you separate a serious partner from a promise salesman, and sign knowing exactly what you are paying for.
Why solar needs visibility, and why the choice of partner matters
A homeowner thinking about solar does not decide in five minutes. They compare installers, try to understand the difference between two battery options, wonder whether the company will still be around when the warranty matters. They search Google, ask an AI assistant which installers in Houston are reputable, read reviews, then call or fill in a form with two or three companies. The installers who show up at that moment collect the quote requests. Everyone else waits for referrals. To put a figure on that gap, read our guide on the cost of being invisible for a solar installer.
Because the stakes are real, the space also attracts providers who overpromise. That is why the questions matter.
Questions about results
What exactly are you guaranteeing?
A reassuring answer: the provider commits to what it controls, meaning what will go live, on what schedule, and how results will be measured. A worrying answer: a guarantee that you will be number one on Google or recommended by AI. Nobody controls what Google or an AI assistant decides, and anyone who says otherwise is either misleading you or does not understand the work. We cover that trap in detail in our guide on promises of a top position.
How will I know it is working?
Insist on measurement you can check yourself, in your own accounts, rather than a dashboard the provider builds and controls. A regular, dated report and direct access to your website data are the minimum. Be wary of anyone who only talks about impressions or reach and never connects their work to quote requests.
What should I expect at three months?
An honest partner will not promise a number of new customers by a certain date. They will tell you what will be in place, which early signals to look for, and when you will sit down together for a measured review to decide what comes next.
Questions about the contract
Why 12 months?
Visibility builds gradually and then accelerates. A short contract does not give the curve time to rise. A good answer explains that logic and includes an interim review. A poor one simply says it is company policy.
What happens if you do not deliver?
The contract should spell out a clear remedy if the provider misses its delivery commitments. Without one, you are paying for twelve months no matter what.
Do you also work for my competitors?
Solar companies often forget to ask this. If the same agency represents ten installers in the Houston area, it cannot put all of them ahead of each other. Ask how many clients in your sector it accepts in your market, and get the answer in writing.
Who owns what gets built?
The website, the pages and the accounts should remain yours if you leave. Otherwise you start from scratch at the first disagreement.
For a fuller checklist that applies to any industry, see our guide on questions to ask before signing a visibility contract.
How Traffic Engine answers these questions
Traffic Engine is Kolonell's service for making your business visible when people search for a solar installer in Houston, on Google and in AI assistant answers, so that you receive qualified enquiries. Here is how it answers the questions above.
- What is guaranteed: what your plan includes goes live on schedule, or the following month is free. Kolonell guarantees delivery and measurement, not what Google or an AI decides.
- Measurement: a dated report every week, and results tracked in your own Search Console.
- Review: a measured review at three months, within a 12-month commitment.
- Competitors: no more than 3 standard seats per sector and per area, plus an exclusive option while the sector is still empty.
- Proof: Kolonell applied the approach to its own website first, and the Search Console curves are published on the offer page and updated every day.
On budget, the Visibility Audit costs $750 and is deducted from the $1,650 setup if you start within 30 days. Monthly plans run from $1,200 for Presence to $2,100 for Momentum and $3,850 for Flood. Review the offer and see which seats are available.
Before you sign anything
Set aside an hour to send these questions in writing to every provider you are considering, and compare the answers side by side. Check your own starting point too, with the free website score at the top of the Traffic Engine page, then use the payback calculator to see how many extra installations it would take to cover the investment. For any question, message the team on WhatsApp at +221 77 596 93 33 and expect a reply within 24 working hours.