What a trade website needs: the checklist
A trade website doesn't need to be big. It needs to answer a customer's questions in the first few seconds: do you do this job, do you cover my area, can I trust you, and how do I get in touch? Here's the checklist we build to.
Updated
The first screen
What you do
In plain words: plumbing and heating, electrical work, roofing. Not a slogan.
Where you work
The towns and areas you cover, so a customer knows straight away you'll come to them.
How to reach you
A phone number that dials with one tap on a phone, and a button to send an enquiry.
A real photo
You, your van or a finished job. Stock photos of smiling models in hard hats tell a customer nothing.
Things that build trust
Photos of real work
Before and after, with a line on what the job was and where.
Reviews
Your Google rating and some of your reviews, shown as they are.
Accreditations you genuinely hold
Gas Safe, NICEIC or NAPIT, a trade association. Only the ones you hold, with your number where the scheme allows it, and used the way the scheme's rules say.
Insurance
If you have public liability insurance, say so.
Who you are
A short about section with a name and a face. People like to know who is coming to their house.
Your business details
A limited company must show its registered name, company number and registered office on its website.
Prices, or how you price
Most trades can't give a fixed price for every job, but you can say how you price: free quotes, a call-out charge, day rates, or a typical starting point for common jobs. It saves you both a phone call when a job isn't a fit, and it shows you're straightforward to deal with.
Making it easy to get in touch
- An enquiry form that asks what you'd ask on the phone: the job, the address or area, and the best way to reach them.
- Click-to-call, so a visitor on a phone can ring you with one tap.
- Your hours, and how soon you aim to get back to people.
- Online booking for jobs with a set length, such as services, inspections or cleans.
The technical bits that matter
Works on a phone
Many of your visitors will be on one, often standing in the room with the problem.
Loads quickly
Light pages and properly sized photos, so it opens on a weak signal.
Your own domain, in your name
So you keep the address whoever builds or hosts the site.
Secure
An address that starts https, so browsers don't warn visitors off.
A privacy notice
If the site collects personal details, through an enquiry form for example, UK data protection law says you must tell people what you collect and why.
Easy to read
Clear text, good contrast and buttons big enough to tap, which helps every visitor, not only those with a disability.
Pages worth having
- Home
- Services, with a short section for each main job
- Areas you cover
- About
- Reviews
- Contact
Don't add pages for the sake of it. A clear, well-made short site is more use to a customer than a long one with nothing to say.
How our packages cover it
Every package includes your website built and hosted on your own domain, an enquiry form, click-to-call, your Google review strip and an offers strip. Core adds online booking, your Google profile set up for you and an enquiry and booking pipeline; Plus adds a newsletter, a loyalty card and our Premium designs.
Starter
1 change a month
A proper website that brings in enquiries.
Your website, built and hosted, Enquiry form, Click-to-call, Google review strip, Offers strip.
£35a month, plus £249 for the build
Core
2 changes a month
For businesses that take bookings and want every enquiry tracked.
Everything in Starter, Online booking, Google profile set up for you, Enquiry and booking pipeline.
£59a month, plus £249 for the build
Plus
4 changes a month
Every tool, and a showpiece design.
Everything in Core, Newsletter, Loyalty, Full CRM, Any of our Premium designs.
£99a month, plus £399 for the build
Questions
How many pages does a trade website need?
Fewer than you might think. Home, services, the areas you cover, about, reviews and contact cover most trades, and a small business can fit all of that on a few well-made pages.
Do I have to show prices on my website?
No, but saying how you price, such as free quotes, a call-out charge or a typical starting point, helps customers decide whether to get in touch.
Do I need a privacy notice?
If your website collects personal details, for example through an enquiry form, UK data protection law says you must tell people what you collect, why and how long you keep it.
Can I show the logo of a scheme I belong to?
Usually, while you're a current member and within the scheme's own rules, so check them. Never show the logo of a scheme you don't belong to.
Is a social media page enough instead of a website?
It helps, but you don't control it, it looks different on every phone, and customers searching for a trade often want a website to check before they call. Many trades use both.
See your price
Pick a package, switch on the tools you want, and see the total before you commit to anything. No VAT currently charged.