What Should a Tradesperson's Website Actually Include?
A lot of tradespeople either have no website at all or have one that was set up years ago and has not been touched since. If your site is not generating regular enquiries, the problem is almost always the same: it is missing one or more of the six things below. Here is a practical checklist of what every tradesperson's website needs to convert visitors into actual phone calls.
1. A headline that says who you are and where you work
The first thing a visitor should see is a clear statement of what you do and where you do it. Something like 'Reliable Plumber Covering Bristol and the Surrounding Area' or 'Gas Safe Boiler Engineer Serving Leeds, Bradford and Harrogate'. This is not just good for visitors; it is one of the most important local SEO signals on your page. Including your trade and your location in your main heading tells Google exactly what your site is about.
2. Specific services listed clearly
Do not just say 'we offer a full range of services'. List them: boiler installation, emergency call-outs, bathroom fitting, general repairs. Specific service names help visitors find what they need quickly, and they also create more opportunities to rank in targeted local searches. 'Bathroom fitter Leeds' and 'emergency plumber Bristol' are the kinds of phrases that bring warm, ready-to-book traffic to your site.
3. Your phone number at the top, clickable on mobile
Over 70% of people searching for tradespeople do so on their phone. Your number needs to be at the top of the page and formatted so that tapping it dials you directly. Every extra step between a visitor and calling you is a chance for them to go elsewhere. This is one of the simplest improvements to make and one of the highest-impact.
4. Your service area written out clearly
Write out the towns, cities, and areas you cover. This is important for two reasons. First, it tells potential customers immediately whether you serve their area. Second, and crucially for local SEO, it helps your website appear in searches from each of those locations. A simple sentence like 'We cover Manchester, Salford, Stretford, and surrounding areas' is enough to start showing up in relevant local searches across that region.
5. Real photos of your actual work
Generic stock photos look impersonal and are immediately recognisable as filler. Photos of your actual completed jobs, even ones taken on your phone, build far more trust. Before and after shots are particularly effective. They show the transformation and demonstrate the standard of your work in a way that words simply cannot.
6. Customer reviews prominently displayed
A handful of genuine customer reviews is worth more than any amount of marketing copy. Include two or three quotes on your homepage with the customer's name and town. Better yet, link directly to your Google review page so visitors can read the full history.
Should I put prices on my trades website?
This is a common question and the honest answer is: it depends on your trade. For fixed-price services like boiler servicing or certain electrical tests, showing a price reduces friction and helps you attract customers who are ready to book. For project-based work where the cost varies, a 'from' price or a prompt to get a quote is more practical.
Do I need a blog on my trades website?
Not to start with. Get the six essentials above right first. A blog becomes valuable once your foundations are solid, because it gives you a way to rank for additional search terms and build authority over time. But a well-built one-page site with strong local SEO will outperform a poorly built multi-page site with a blog every time. Our Get Found plan at £79 a month covers all six essentials above, professionally designed and maintained for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Should I put prices on my trades website?
- It depends on your trade. For fixed-price services like boiler servicing or electrical tests, showing a price reduces friction. For project-based work where costs vary, a 'from' price or a prompt to get a quote is more practical.
- Do I need a blog on my trades website?
- Not to start with. Get the six essentials right first. A blog becomes valuable once your foundations are solid, but a well-built one-page site with strong local SEO will outperform a poorly built multi-page site with a blog every time.