Tradie Websites – The Essentials
What every tradie website needs
As people are using the more traditional forms of advertising less and less to find a local tradesman (think Leader Newspaper and Yellow Pages) it is becoming increasingly important for every tradie (from one man businesses to larger enterprises) to have a website. However not every website is designed well – which means a lot of money can be spent for very little return. So what does every tradie website need to include?
1. Mobile friendly website with click to call
It is now estimated that more than 50% of people are Now using their mobile phone to search the internet, it is now essential that ALL tradesmen websites be mobile friendly. ‘Mobile friendly’ simply means that a website can be easily read on a mobile phone. It is also important that that photos size to the width of the screen and the website itself is easily navigable. It is also worth remembering that when people search ‘on the go’ on their mobile phone you have even less time to engage them. This means that you have to capture their attention very quickly and make it easy for them to find the information they want or they will just click away.
All of this means is that if your website is not mobile friendly you are potentially missing out on 50% of your business. In addition, if you are using Google AdWords, Google will charge you more for your adverts if your website is not mobile friendly as a penalty.
‘Click to call’ is also an important feature to have. It means when someone is searching the internet using their mobile phone they can simply click onto the phone number and the call will be connected automatically.
2. Gallery to showcase your work
For the majority of tradie websites it is important to have a gallery to showcase the work you have done. Words simply can’t match the power of photos. For example, photos can easily show the many different types of fences you build or the many types of hot water systems you install. Photos of your work are also a great way for customers to easily gain confidence that you have the expertise you claim you have.
3. Services you provide
It is particularly important if you are a tradesmen who does emergency repair work (such as an electrician or plumber) you clearly list out all the work you perform. If someone has a burst hot water system they will want to make sure that you can provide this service before they decide to make contact with you via either email or phone. Even if you do not provide emergency work it is still is important to list out the work that you do. For example, if you are a cleaner and you do both domestic and commercial cleaning you need to make sure this is clearly stated on your website. You will miss lots of potential customers if you do not list out fully the services you provide.
4. Where you provide your services
Have you ever come across a tradie website and have no idea of where they are based? Sometimes you can’t even tell what state they are based in as they only provide a mobile phone as a contact. This is an example of a badly designed tradesman website as people want to make sure that you provide services in their area before they make contact. If they cannot find this information quickly they will just click away and find a website that does provide this information.
5. Have a plan to get your website found on the internet
Quite often tradies think that just having a website is enough. However, it is not. If you want to use your website to generate sales you will need to have a plan. There are a lot of businesses just like yours on the internet and it is hard to get found. For example, if you type in ‘Melbourne Plumbers’ into Google, you come up with 603,000 results.
There are two main ways you can get found on the internet – Google Adwords and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). The first method can be expensive but you will get instant results. SEO may not be as expensive but it can take quite a few months before you will see any results.
Dynamic Websites specialise in small business web design. We are based in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn and provide services throughout Australia. We understand what it takes to get a small business online at an affordable price and with the minimum of fuss. Along with designing websites for small business, tradies and NDIS service providers we provide online marketing services. Our online marketing for small business extends to Google Ads, Google My Business, Microsoft Advertising, search engine optimisation (SEO), content writing and, blog writing.
