• The ORB Team
• Websites

What Every Tradesperson's Website Needs

Most people who look for a plumber, electrician or builder are in a hurry. Something has broken, or they have a job they want sorted before the weekend. They search on their phone, open two or three sites, and call the one that answers their questions fastest. So what every tradesperson's website needs is not flashy design. It needs to tell a stranger, in a few seconds, what you do, where you do it and how to reach you.

Here is what we look for when we build or review a site for a trade business. None of it is complicated, but a lot of trade websites miss at least half of it.

A Clear Headline That Says What You Do

The top of your homepage should answer one question: am I in the right place? A line like "Emergency plumber covering Canterbury and Whitstable" does more work than a slogan. Put your main trade and your area in the headline, then a phone number right next to it. If someone has to scroll or hunt for the number, many will simply go back to Google and try the next result.

A Page For Each Service

If you fit boilers, fix leaks and install bathrooms, give each one its own page. This helps customers find the exact job they need, and it gives Google a clear page to show for each search. A single "Services" page with a list of bullet points rarely ranks for anything. Each service page should explain:

• What the job involves and roughly how long it takes
• The kind of properties or problems you deal with
• Any certifications or registrations that apply to that work
• What happens after someone gets in touch

You do not need to publish fixed prices if every job is different. Saying "free quotes" or "prices from" still helps people decide whether to call.

The Areas You Cover

Customers want to know if you will come to them. List the towns and villages you cover, and if you have the time, write a short page for your main areas. Keep each one genuinely different. A page about working in an older seaside town can talk about period properties and damp, while a page for a newer commuter town might focus on extensions and loft conversions. Copying the same text and swapping the town name does not help anyone.

Proof That You Do Good Work

Trust is the biggest hurdle for any trade. People have heard the horror stories. Your site can calm those nerves with:

• Photos of your own finished jobs, not stock images of someone else's kitchen
• Before and after shots where they make sense
• Reviews, ideally pulled from or linked to your Google profile
• Trade body logos and registrations you actually hold
• Your real name and, if you are happy to, a photo of you or your van

If you are registered with a scheme, link to your listing so customers can check it themselves. For general guidance on hiring trades and home improvement rules, customers often turn to GOV.UK, so it is worth making sure anything you say about regulations matches what is published there.

A Google Business Profile That Matches Your Site

For most trades, the map results bring in more calls than the website itself. Your Google Business Profile should use the same business name, phone number and service areas as your site. Add photos regularly, pick the right categories and reply to every review. The Google Business Profile help centre walks through each setting. We have also written a longer guide on getting the most from your Google Business Profile.

Fast Loading On A Phone

Your customers are often standing in a flooded kitchen or a cold hallway, holding a phone with one bar of signal. A slow site loses them. Keep images compressed, avoid heavy sliders and video backgrounds, and test your pages on a real phone rather than a desktop. Buttons should be big enough to tap with a thumb, and the phone number should be a tap-to-call link.

Easy Ways To Get In Touch

Some customers want to ring. Others would rather send a message after the children are in bed. Give them both options:

• A tap-to-call number in the header on every page
• A short contact form that asks for name, number, postcode and a description of the job
• An option to upload a photo of the problem, which saves you a wasted visit
• WhatsApp or text if you are happy to take messages that way

Keep the form short. Every extra box you add is another reason for someone to give up.

Pages Written For Your Trade

Different trades have different customers. An electrician's visitors often want to know about testing, safety certificates and rewires. A builder's visitors want to see finished projects and understand how the process works from quote to handover. We cover this in more detail on our pages about websites for plumbers, websites for electricians and websites for builders. If your trade is not listed there, our general page on web design for tradesmen covers the basics.

A Plan For Getting Found

A good site still needs visitors. For most trades, the steady route is local SEO: service pages, area pages, reviews and a well-kept Google profile. That takes a few months to build up. If you need calls sooner, for example when you have just started out or taken on a new van, paid ads can fill the gap while the organic side grows. Our pay per click management keeps Google Ads budgets tight and focused on the jobs you actually want.

Keep It Up To Date

An out-of-date site puts people off. If your homepage still mentions a phone number you stopped using or a price from years ago, customers notice. Add new job photos every month or two, update your service areas when they change and check that your contact form still sends messages to the right inbox.

Where To Start

You do not need everything on day one. Start with a clear homepage, a page for each main service, your areas, some real photos and an easy way to call. Then build from there. If you would like a hand, we build trade websites by hand in Ramsgate and work with trades right across Kent. Give us a call and you will speak to the person who will actually build your site.

• The ORB Team
• Websites

What Every Tradesperson's Website Needs

Most people who look for a plumber, electrician or builder are in a hurry. Something has broken, or they have a job they want sorted before the weekend. They search on their phone, open two or three sites, and call the one that answers their questions fastest. So what every tradesperson's website needs is not flashy design. It needs to tell a stranger, in a few seconds, what you do, where you do it and how to reach you.

Here is what we look for when we build or review a site for a trade business. None of it is complicated, but a lot of trade websites miss at least half of it.

A Clear Headline That Says What You Do

The top of your homepage should answer one question: am I in the right place? A line like "Emergency plumber covering Canterbury and Whitstable" does more work than a slogan. Put your main trade and your area in the headline, then a phone number right next to it. If someone has to scroll or hunt for the number, many will simply go back to Google and try the next result.

A Page For Each Service

If you fit boilers, fix leaks and install bathrooms, give each one its own page. This helps customers find the exact job they need, and it gives Google a clear page to show for each search. A single "Services" page with a list of bullet points rarely ranks for anything. Each service page should explain:

• What the job involves and roughly how long it takes
• The kind of properties or problems you deal with
• Any certifications or registrations that apply to that work
• What happens after someone gets in touch

You do not need to publish fixed prices if every job is different. Saying "free quotes" or "prices from" still helps people decide whether to call.

The Areas You Cover

Customers want to know if you will come to them. List the towns and villages you cover, and if you have the time, write a short page for your main areas. Keep each one genuinely different. A page about working in an older seaside town can talk about period properties and damp, while a page for a newer commuter town might focus on extensions and loft conversions. Copying the same text and swapping the town name does not help anyone.

Proof That You Do Good Work

Trust is the biggest hurdle for any trade. People have heard the horror stories. Your site can calm those nerves with:

• Photos of your own finished jobs, not stock images of someone else's kitchen
• Before and after shots where they make sense
• Reviews, ideally pulled from or linked to your Google profile
• Trade body logos and registrations you actually hold
• Your real name and, if you are happy to, a photo of you or your van

If you are registered with a scheme, link to your listing so customers can check it themselves. For general guidance on hiring trades and home improvement rules, customers often turn to GOV.UK, so it is worth making sure anything you say about regulations matches what is published there.

A Google Business Profile That Matches Your Site

For most trades, the map results bring in more calls than the website itself. Your Google Business Profile should use the same business name, phone number and service areas as your site. Add photos regularly, pick the right categories and reply to every review. The Google Business Profile help centre walks through each setting. We have also written a longer guide on getting the most from your Google Business Profile.

Fast Loading On A Phone

Your customers are often standing in a flooded kitchen or a cold hallway, holding a phone with one bar of signal. A slow site loses them. Keep images compressed, avoid heavy sliders and video backgrounds, and test your pages on a real phone rather than a desktop. Buttons should be big enough to tap with a thumb, and the phone number should be a tap-to-call link.

Easy Ways To Get In Touch

Some customers want to ring. Others would rather send a message after the children are in bed. Give them both options:

• A tap-to-call number in the header on every page
• A short contact form that asks for name, number, postcode and a description of the job
• An option to upload a photo of the problem, which saves you a wasted visit
• WhatsApp or text if you are happy to take messages that way

Keep the form short. Every extra box you add is another reason for someone to give up.

Pages Written For Your Trade

Different trades have different customers. An electrician's visitors often want to know about testing, safety certificates and rewires. A builder's visitors want to see finished projects and understand how the process works from quote to handover. We cover this in more detail on our pages about websites for plumbers, websites for electricians and websites for builders. If your trade is not listed there, our general page on web design for tradesmen covers the basics.

A Plan For Getting Found

A good site still needs visitors. For most trades, the steady route is local SEO: service pages, area pages, reviews and a well-kept Google profile. That takes a few months to build up. If you need calls sooner, for example when you have just started out or taken on a new van, paid ads can fill the gap while the organic side grows. Our pay per click management keeps Google Ads budgets tight and focused on the jobs you actually want.

Keep It Up To Date

An out-of-date site puts people off. If your homepage still mentions a phone number you stopped using or a price from years ago, customers notice. Add new job photos every month or two, update your service areas when they change and check that your contact form still sends messages to the right inbox.

Where To Start

You do not need everything on day one. Start with a clear homepage, a page for each main service, your areas, some real photos and an easy way to call. Then build from there. If you would like a hand, we build trade websites by hand in Ramsgate and work with trades right across Kent. Give us a call and you will speak to the person who will actually build your site.