Contractor website design: what homeowners look for before they call

Before a homeowner lets a contractor into their house, they check them out online. They’ll look at your website, your Google reviews and your photos, usually on their phone and often the same evening a neighbour gives them your name. In a few minutes they decide whether you look like someone they can trust with their kitchen, their roof or a new garage door.

Good contractor website design makes that decision easy. Below are the things homeowners look for, and what to put on your site so they find them quickly.

Photos of your own work

Homeowners want to see your work before they hire you. A gallery of real jobs, with a line on each about what you did and where (for example, “Basement finish in Kingsville with a new egress window”), shows them what you can do better than any page of text. Before and after photos work especially well for renovations, roofing and landscaping.

Take photos at the end of every job. Your phone is fine for this. Every few months, add the best ones to your site.

A clear list of what you do and where

Spell out the services you offer and the towns you work in. A homeowner in Harrow wants to know if you’ll come out to Harrow. Separate sections for your main services, like decks, siding, garage doors or renovations, help people find the right one. They also help Google show your site when people search for that work.

If you don’t take on small jobs, say that too. It saves you a lot of phone calls.

Proof you’re insured and here to stay

Hiring a contractor feels risky, and most homeowners have heard a horror story. Put the details that lower that risk where people can see them: WSIB coverage, liability insurance, trade licences, manufacturer certifications, the warranty on your work and how long you’ve been in business.

A real photo of you or your crew helps too. People want to know who’s going to show up at their door.

Reviews from local homeowners

A review from someone a few streets over means more to a homeowner than a general claim about quality. Show a few recent Google reviews on your site with the customer’s first name and the type of job, and link to the full list.

The best time to ask for a review is when you finish a job and the customer is happy with it.

An easy way to ask for a quote

Keep your quote form short: name, phone number, town, the type of job and a place to upload photos. Photos let you give a rough idea of the work before you drive out.

Put your phone number at the top of every page as a tap-to-call button, and tell people how soon you’ll get back to them. If you’re on a roof all day and return calls in the evening, say so.

A site that works on a phone

Test your site on your own phone. Tap the phone number, fill in the quote form and scroll through the gallery. If anything is slow or hard to tap, fix that first. Large photo galleries are the usual reason contractor sites load slowly, so make sure your images are sized for the web.

Keep your Google Business Profile current

A lot of homeowners find contractors in Google Maps before they see a website. Keep your hours, service area and photos up to date, and link the profile to your website. If you work from home and customers don’t visit, set it up as a service-area business so your home address stays hidden.

Our guide to setting up a Google Business Profile walks through it step by step.

Where to start

If your website is missing a few of these, start with the photos and the quote form, since those are what homeowners look for first.

Cowlick Studios has built over 300 websites for small businesses in Windsor and Essex County since 2009. Website design with us starts at $1,999, and you can spread payments over 6 months. If you’d like help with your site, book a time to chat.

Contractor website questions

How much does a contractor website cost?

It depends on how many pages you need and what features you want. At Cowlick Studios, websites start at $1,999, and our website design cost page explains what’s included.

What should a contractor website include?

A home page, your services, a gallery of real jobs, reviews, the area you serve, and a contact page with a quote form.

Do I need a website if most of my work comes from referrals?

Referred customers still look you up before they call. A current website backs up what your past customer told them, and an outdated one can make them second-guess the referral.

How long does it take to build a contractor website?

Most of our sites take 6 to 8 weeks from the first chat to launch.