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A tradesperson's website is nothing like a brand website. Visitors are not browsing for pleasure: they have a leak, a breakdown or work starting on Monday. They open three tabs, call whoever inspires the most trust in ten seconds and close the other two.
Everything needs to be built around those ten seconds.
What visitors look for, in order
- Do you do exactly what I need?
- Do you cover my area?
- Can I reach you now?
- Have other customers been happy?
Those four answers need to be visible on a phone without scrolling. Everything else, the company history, values and team photo, comes afterwards to confirm the choice rather than make it.
Your service area: the most expensive omission
This is the information most often missing from tradespeople's websites. Visitors do not know whether you will come to them, so they call someone else rather than risk a wasted call.
State it clearly, naming towns rather than just the department. ‘We cover Reims, Tinqueux, Bezannes, Cormontreuil and a 25-kilometre radius’ answers the question and also helps you appear in searches for those towns.
Be careful, though: listing eighty towns in the footer with no other content fools nobody, and Google treats those lists as filler. Name the places where you actually work.
One page per service, rather than a catch-all page
This is the change that pays off fastest. An ‘our services’ page listing eight services in three lines ranks for none of them.
Eight separate pages, one per service, explaining what it is, who it is for, how it works, how long it takes and what changes the price: that gives you eight entry points on Google instead of one.
Write them using your customers' words. A roofer writes ‘roofing metalwork and waterproofing’; customers search for ‘roof leaking water’. Both pages may be good, but only one will be found.
Photos of your work are worth more than any copy
This is a tradesperson's natural advantage over a less tangible service provider: your work is visible. A terrace before and after, a completed roof frame or a finished bathroom is immediately convincing.
Take photos yourself, on your phone, in daylight, at the end of every job. It takes two minutes and builds up evidence over a year that nobody can copy. Visitors recognise a stock photo in a second, and the conclusion they draw is not flattering.
Your Google profile comes before the website
For tradespeople, a Google Business Profile often brings in more than the website. It is free, appears above organic results and occupies the entire first screen on a phone.
If your budget cannot cover both immediately, start there: a complete profile, your service area, recent photos and regular requests for reviews rather than one burst.
What adds nothing to a tradesperson's website
- An introductory animation. Visitors are in a hurry, not watching a film.
- An eleven-field contact form. Three are enough: name, phone number and what is needed.
- An ‘our values’ page. Nobody chooses a plumber for their values.
- A homepage carousel. People only read the first image; the others slow the page down.
- An automatic online quote. When prices depend on the job, it either misleads people or drives them away.
A realistic budget
A tradesperson's business website that does its job costs between €1,500 and €5,000. Above that, you are paying for design that will not change the number of calls in this trade. Below that, service pages are almost always missing, even though they are precisely what brings traffic.
Before choosing, calculate what an average job is worth to you. With an average job worth €3,000, two customers pay back a €4,000 website. That relationship decides the value, not the advertised amount.
Frequently asked questions
01Does a tradesperson really need a website?
A Google profile, yes, without question. A website becomes useful when people search for your services online and you want to explain more than a phone number. Many tradespeople gain more from completing their profile than ordering a website.
02How much does a tradesperson's website cost?
Between €1,500 and €5,000 for a website that does its job. Above that, you pay for design that does not change the number of calls. Below it, service pages are usually missing, even though they bring the traffic.
03Should I list every town I cover?
Name the places where you actually work, along with your service radius. A list of eighty towns in the footer without other content is treated as filler and can work against the website.
04Should I display prices?
When prices depend on the job, a fixed price is misleading. But giving an indicative range, and especially explaining what changes the price, reassures customers and avoids unsuitable enquiries.
