What to put on a trade website: a simple checklist

Every site I build is planned around the same five questions. They come up whatever the trade, whether it’s a rewire, a loft conversion or a new kitchen. Get clear answers to these on your website and you’ve done most of the work.

1. “Do you do what I need?”

People want to know in seconds whether you do their kind of job. “General building” or “all aspects of joinery” doesn’t tell them.

• Your main services near the top, led by the jobs you want more of.
• One plain line about each. Say what’s included, not just the name of the job.
• A separate page for each main service if you want to be found for it in search, like “loft conversions Leeds”.
• What you don’t do, if people often ask. It saves you calls that go nowhere.

2. “How good is your work?”

This is where most jobs are won. Customers can’t judge your skill from a list of services, but they can from photos.

• Your own photos, never stock images of someone else’s work.
• Grouped by type of job, so a kitchen customer sees kitchens.
• Before-and-after shots where you have them.
• Close-ups of the detail, like joints, edges, pointing or finishes, next to the wide shots.
• A short caption with the job and the town.
• Only your best. Leave out blurry, dark or half-finished shots.

Phone photos are fine. Take them in daylight, hold the phone level, and clear the tools and dust sheets out of the shot. More tips on photographing your work.

3. “Can I trust you in my home?”

Letting a stranger into your house for days, and paying them a lot of money, takes trust. Show people why they can.

• Your Google reviews on the site, with a link to the full list. Short of reviews? Here’s how to get more.
• Who you are, with a photo of you rather than a logo. People hire people.
• How long you’ve been doing it.
• Insurance, qualifications and trade memberships, but only the ones you really have.
• Any guarantee you genuinely give, in plain words.

4. “Do you cover my area?”

Nobody wants to ring and find out you don’t travel to them. It also matters for Google, which needs to see where you work before it shows you to people searching nearby.

• Where you’re based, and the towns you cover, written as text on the page, not only in a picture.
• A map if it helps, but not instead of the town names.
• For bigger firms, a page for each main town you work in.

5. “How do I get a quote?”

The fewer steps between a customer and you, the fewer enquiries slip away.

• Your phone number at the top, tappable on a phone.
• A short quote form asking for name, number, town and the type of job. That’s enough to reply properly.
• WhatsApp, if you use it for work. Plenty of customers would rather message.
• How quickly you usually reply.

What to leave out

• Stock photos. Customers can spot them, and they make the rest of the site look less real.
• A long company history at the top. Put it lower down, or on an about page.
• “No job too small”, if what you actually want is bigger jobs.
• Pop-ups and auto-playing videos. They get in the way on a phone.
• Prices you can’t stand behind. “From” prices are fine if they’re real.

Make it work on a phone

A lot of people find a trade on their phone, often in the evening or on a break. Check your site on your own phone, not just on a computer:

• Can you tap to call without zooming in?
• Does it load in a couple of seconds on 4G?
• Are the photos sharp but not slow?

You can test the speed for free at Google PageSpeed Insights. Every site I build scores 90 or more, and Elite Interior’s scores 99.

Checklists for your trade

Every trade has its own questions on top of these five. Electricians get asked about certificates, roofers about emergencies, kitchen fitters about who does the design. See what I’d build for yours:

• Bathroom fitters
• Builders
• Driveways & paving
• Electricians
• Fencing & decking
• Flooring fitters
• Gardeners
• Handymen
• Joiners & carpenters
• Kitchen fitters
• Landscapers
• Loft conversions
• Painters & decorators
• Plasterers
• Plumbers
• Roofers
• Tilers
• Tree surgeons
• Window & door fitters

Already have a website and not sure it does all this? Read what to check when a site isn’t bringing in work, or get a free website check and I’ll tell you what to fix first.