What should a contractor website have?
By Grady Truitt · Updated
A contractor website has to answer four questions in a few seconds, on a phone: what you do, where you work, whether you’re any good and how to reach you. Every part below helps answer one of them.
Before I build a site for a trade business, I look at the one they have now and the ones their competitors have. Most of them aren’t missing anything fancy. They’re missing the basics, or the basics are buried under things nobody reads.
Your trade and service area, up top
The first screen should say what you do and where, in plain words. “Excavation and site work across Northwest Arkansas” beats a clever slogan. People decide in seconds whether they’re in the right place, and if they have to think about it, they go back to Google.
A phone number you can tap
Put your number at the top of every page, set up so it dials when someone taps it on a phone. Add a way to text you too. Plenty of people would rather text a photo of the problem than make a call.
A short quote form
Ask only what you need to price the job or call back: name, phone, town, the kind of job and an optional photo. Every extra question means fewer people finish the form. Have each request sent to your phone right away, so you can call back while they’re still looking.
A page for each main service
If you do drain cleaning, water heaters and repiping, each one gets its own page with what’s included, what it typically costs and photos of real jobs. That’s how you show up when someone searches for the service, not just for your company name.
The towns you serve
Name your region and list the towns. People search “fence company Rogers” or “plumber near Bentonville,” and Google looks for those places on your site. Skip the radius maps and mileage. Nobody knows how far 35 miles reaches.
Real photos of your work
Phone photos of finished jobs beat stock photos. Customers can tell the difference, and a handshake in front of a glass office says nothing about your work. Show finished jobs and your crew on site. Before-and-after pairs work especially well.
Reviews, right on the page
Put your best Google reviews on the site, with the customer’s first name and town, and link to your Google profile so people can read the rest. Reviews do more to convince a first-time visitor than anything you write about yourself.
Prices, or at least ranges
You don’t have to publish a price list. But a line like “most of our water heater installs fall between $1,800 and $3,200” helps people decide to call, and it filters out the ones hoping for $400.
Proof you’re the real deal
Show your license number if your trade needs one, mention that you’re insured, and say how long you’ve been in business. Put the owner’s name and photo on the site. Customers want to know who’s showing up at their house.
Fast on a phone
Most people looking for a contractor are on their phone, often outside or in a hurry. The site should load in a couple of seconds and work with one thumb. Test yours on your own phone using cellular data, not your office Wi-Fi.
Set up for Google and AI search
Behind the scenes, every page needs a clear title and description, and the site needs structured data that tells Google your business name, phone number, service area and services. Link it to your Google Business Profile. Do-it-yourself sites often skip this part, and it’s a big reason they don’t show up.
What to leave off
- “Welcome to our website” and other lines that say nothing.
- Photo sliders that rotate on their own. Most people never see past the first slide.
- Stock photos of people who don’t work for you.
- Pop-ups that cover your phone number.
- A long company history on the home page. Save it for the about page.
The checklist
- Your trade and service area on the first screen
- A tap-to-call number on every page, plus a way to text
- A short quote form that reaches your phone
- A page for each main service
- Your region and towns named
- Real photos of your work
- Google reviews on the page
- Price ranges where you can
- License, insurance and the owner’s name
- Fast on a phone
- Titles, descriptions and structured data for Google
Quick answers
- How many pages should a contractor website have?
- A home page, one page for each main service, an about page and a contact or quote page. For most trade businesses that comes to 6 to 12 pages.
- Do I need a blog?
- Not to start. A page for each service does more for most contractors than blog posts. Later, a few articles that answer the questions customers ask you on every job can help.
- Should I put prices on my website?
- Price ranges, yes, where you can. A typical range helps people decide to call and saves you time on calls that were never going to work out. You don’t need to publish a full price list.