What should a contractor website have?

What should a contractor website have first? What homeowners look for

A homeowner looking for a contractor is usually on a phone, comparing two or three names, and slightly nervous about letting a stranger into the house or near the roof. They give each site a few seconds to answer three questions: do you do this kind of job, do you work where I live, and can I trust you? A site that answers all three on the first screen gets the call.

1. A first screen that says what you do and where

The top of the home page should say, in plain words, what you do and the area you cover, with your phone number and a button to ask for a quote right beside it. 'Kitchen and bath remodeling across the north side of the county' does more work than a slogan. Skip the slideshow; one strong photo of your own work is better.

2. Your own photos, not stock

Photos of your own finished jobs are the most persuasive thing a contractor site can have. Homeowners can spot a stock photo of a perfect kitchen, and it makes them trust everything else less. Use your own pictures, even phone pictures, with a short caption saying what was done.

Before-and-after pairs work especially well for remodelers, painters, roofers and concrete crews. Group them the way customers think: decks, kitchens, driveways, roofs.

3. A page for each main service

One page per service you want more of. Each page says what the job involves, how long it usually takes, what affects the price, and what the customer needs to do. This helps visitors, and it gives search engines a clear page to show when someone searches for that exact job.

If you do both repair and replacement work, or both homes and businesses, split them so each visitor finds their own path quickly.

4. Proof you are real and established

This is where contractors lose the most calls. Show the things that separate you from a stranger with a truck:

• Your license number, if your state or trade requires one, and your insurance, stated only as far as you can prove it
• The towns or areas you actually serve
• Reviews from real customers, quoted word for word with their permission, or a link to your reviews on Google
• A short page about who you are and who will show up at the door
• Any promise about your workmanship that you really make, written the way your contract says it

5. A quote request that is easy on a phone

A good quote form asks only what you need to call back with a useful answer: name, phone, address or town, the kind of job and a box for details. Every extra field loses people. Put a tap-to-call button beside it for the customers who would rather talk.

Say what happens after they send it, and when. 'We call back within one business day' is a promise you can keep and a homeowner can plan around. Only write the response time you really manage.

6. Speed, phones and the basics search engines read

Most visitors will be on a phone, often on a weak signal outside a house. The site has to load fast, the text has to be readable without zooming, and buttons have to be large enough to tap. Each page needs its own title and description, and your business details need to match your Google Business Profile exactly.

What to leave off

Leave off claims you cannot back up: superlatives nobody can check, ratings you made up, a promise your contract does not include. Leave off a home street address if customers do not visit you there. Leave off a long history page before the services are clear. And leave off anything you will not keep current, like a news section with one post from three years ago.

Want to see how your current site does on this list? Our free audit scores your current site's speed, how it works on a phone and its search basics in about 30 seconds, and it costs nothing. Enter your website and email: your results show on the screen and we email you the full report. Our pages for roofers, plumbers and general contractors show what we build for each.