The only 5 things your contractor website actually needs
Web designers love to upsell you on features. Chatbots. Fancy animations. Interactive portfolios. Custom this, premium that.
Most of it is nonsense. You don't need it.
Here's what you actually need if you want people to pick up the phone and call you:
1. Your phone number - BIG and obvious
This sounds stupid, but you'd be amazed how many contractor sites bury their phone number. It should be:
- In the top corner of every page
- Clickable on mobile (so people can tap to call)
- In the footer
- On the contact page
The whole point of your website is to make people call you. Make it easy.
2. What you do and where you do it
Within 5 seconds, someone should know:
- What services you offer (roofing, electrical, plumbing, whatever)
- What area you serve (Victoria, Vancouver Island, etc.)
Don't make people guess. Don't be vague. "Quality workmanship for your home" tells me nothing. "Roof repairs and replacements in Victoria BC" tells me everything.
3. Photos of your actual work
Real photos. Not stock images. People can tell the difference.
Before/after shots are gold. Show a busted roof, then show it fixed. Show old wiring, then show the new panel. This is proof that you know what you're doing.
Don't have great photos? Start taking them. Every job is a chance to build your portfolio.
4. Mobile-friendly design
More than half your visitors are on phones. If your site is hard to use on mobile:
- Text too small to read
- Buttons too small to tap
- Have to zoom and scroll sideways
...they're gone. They'll find someone whose site actually works.
5. Fast loading
If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, you're losing people. They're impatient. They have other options. They'll hit the back button and try someone else.
This usually means: don't use huge image files, don't have a million fancy animations, don't use a cheap hosting service that's slow.
That's it. Seriously.
You don't need:
- A blog (unless you'll actually write posts)
- Social media integration (your followers aren't hiring you)
- Live chat (you're not sitting there waiting to chat)
- Fancy animations (they slow things down)
- A million pages (keep it simple)
The basics done right will outperform a fancy site that's confusing or slow.
The test: Can someone land on your site, understand what you do, find your phone number, and call you - all within 30 seconds? If yes, your site is doing its job.
What about SEO?
SEO (showing up in Google) matters, but it's built on the basics:
- Your city/area mentioned on the site
- Your services mentioned clearly
- A Google Business Profile (free, set it up if you haven't)
- Fast loading site
- Mobile-friendly design
Fancy SEO tricks won't help if your site is slow and confusing. Get the basics right first.
Want a site that does these 5 things right?
We'll show you what it could look like. Free. No strings attached.
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