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Contractor and Trade websites are generally brochure style websites and we often find them outdated, clunky and hard to use. Every business needs a website but for HVAC, Roofers, Plumbers and other trades – is your website really working for you?
We’ve put together a list of key features each contractor should have on their newly redesigned or refreshed website. Is your website missing some of these key components?
Clear Calls to Action
Calls to action are simple and you’ve seen them on most websites. “Click here to get a quote” or “Call us today” with a clearly defined goal. It’s amazing how this simple step can be easily forgotten.
The placement of a Call to action is important as well. Don’t make them hunt for the phone number. If their hands are wet from a plumbing leak, that button needs to be right there.
We recommend having your contact information in the header and the footer of each page as a minimum. It’s good practice to consider how Calls to Action can change on various devices. The 368 Durham website for example has Calls to Action that are mobile specific and easily allow the client to call or email with a click of a button.
This is equally important for emergency contractors. Emergency contractors get a huge volume of mobile traffic (people searching when their basement leaks or their furnace breaks) and they want to quickly find you and call.
Social Proof
Is your website over 10 years old? Was it made before you had collected all those Google reviews? Are you part of associations or in good standing with WSIB?
Showcasing these logos or reviews on your website is a big deal. Homeowners are terrified of “fly-by-night” contractors and building trust is crucial to starting a business relationship.A row of logos including WSIB compliant, Liability Insured, Homestars Verified, or local awards (e.g., “Oshawa/Whitby Readers’ Choice Winner”) can help boost confidence in your service.
Don’t have Google reviews yet? Get started right away with these articles:
"Before & After" Sliders
Any photos are better than nothing but we always recommend focusing on quality over quantity. 2 high quality good photos can have a higher impact than 10 terrible blurry photos.
Before & After sliders are a big deal and they can showcase how you handle yourself and how the final project looks.
Before and after sliders have a hidden benefit as well – when a user “plays” with the slider, they spend more time on the site (good for SEO) and the visual impact of the transformation is much stronger than two separate photos.
"Service Area" Landing Pages (The SEO Goldmine)
This is more on the technical side but we find many contractors have single page websites. These websites are good to get you started but you are missing out on Search Engine traffic. Most contractors say “Serving all of Durham Region” on their home page and leave it at that.
Google works on authority and they want to know your service areas.Google prefers specific answers. A page dedicated to ‘Roofing in Whitby’ tells Google exactly where you work, making it much more likely to rank for that specific search than a generic home page.
Consider having pages dedicated to each service and service area. For example “Roofing in Whitby,” “Roofing in Oshawa,” “Roofing in Ajax.” & “Flat Roofing in Whitby”, “Flat Roofing in Oshawa”, etc.
If your current website is just a digital business card, it might be costing you jobs. You spend your day building quality projects; your website should reflect that same level of craftsmanship.
At 368 Durham, we build websites specifically for the trades. We understand the local market in Oshawa, Whitby, and Clarington, and we know how to turn visitors into leads.
