7 Things Every Tradesperson's Website Needs

You’re an electrician, painter, carpenter, or plumber. Your business runs on referrals, word of mouth, maybe a Google listing. Why would you need a website?

Because your next customer will google you before they call. And when they land on your website, you have about 5 seconds to make a good impression.

These 7 things determine whether they call you — or click through to your competitor.

1. Phone number — immediately visible, immediately tappable

This sounds obvious. It’s not.

I constantly see trade websites where the phone number is buried somewhere in the legal notice. Or embedded as an image that you can’t tap on a phone.

Your number belongs in the header. Top of every page, as a clickable link. Someone searching for “emergency electrician” on their phone wants to call right now — not scroll around looking for your number.

One tap and it rings. It needs to be that simple.

2. Your services — specific, not generic

“We offer all types of electrical installations” doesn’t tell anyone anything. That’s on every other electrician’s website.

Instead: Write down what you actually do. Be specific.

• Fuse box upgrades to current standards
• Smart home retrofitting in existing buildings
• Electrical safety certificates for landlords
• EV charger installation

The customer searching for “EV charger installation” will only find you if those words are on your website. And they’ll immediately see that you offer exactly what they need.

3. Your service area

“We serve the local area.” Yes — but where exactly?

Sounds like a small detail, but it’s one of the most important SEO factors for local businesses. Google needs to know where you work to show you in local searches.

Name the places. Not just your city, but surrounding towns and neighborhoods too. “We cover Manchester, Salford, Stockport, and the Greater Manchester area” — that helps Google and the customer.

4. Real photos of real work

Stock photos of smiling models holding power drills convince no one. Everyone spots them immediately.

What convinces: Real pictures of your work. The finished fuse box. The new kitchen. The renovated bathroom. Before and after, if possible.

You don’t need a photographer. A smartphone is enough. What matters:

• Good light (daylight, not dark basement shots)
• Clean background (no tool chaos in the frame)
• Show the finished result, not the construction site

This builds trust. The customer sees: someone who works cleanly, someone I can rely on.

5. Reviews and references

92% of consumers read online reviews before hiring a tradesperson. This isn’t some marketing statistic — it’s reality.

If you have good Google reviews, show them on your website. Not as a vague “4.8 stars” badge, but as real quotes with names:

“Mr. Bergmann replaced our entire fuse box — clean work, on time, fair price. Highly recommended!” — Family M., Essen

That reads differently than an anonymous star rating.

Even better: reference projects with a photo and short description. “Complete electrical rewiring, 1962 building, 3 weeks, customer satisfied.” Done. That’s all you need.

6. Emergency service info (if you offer one)

Do you offer emergency call-outs? Then it needs to be immediately visible. Not in a submenu, not after three clicks.

An emergency banner right at the top of the page: phone number, availability, brief note. “24/7 Emergency Service — weekends and holidays included. Just call.”

Why this matters so much: someone with a burst pipe or power outage is stressed. They google, click the first result, and call the number they see first. If they have to search for yours, they’re already with the next guy.

7. A simple contact form

Not everyone wants to call straight away. Some people browse in the evening when your office is closed. They want to quickly write: “Need a quote for XY, please get in touch.”

For that, you need a simple contact form. Four fields are enough:

• Name
• Phone number or email
• What do you need?
• Submit

No captcha puzzles, no 12 required fields, no account creation. The simpler it is, the more enquiries you’ll get.

What this looks like in practice

All these points together create a website that actually brings customers rather than just existing. You can see what this looks like in our example project for an electrical company — with emergency banner, service overview, reference projects, and click-to-call.

The honest quick test

Go to your current website and check these 7 points:

• Phone number immediately visible and tappable?
• Services specifically listed (not “one-stop shop for everything”)?
• Service area named with actual locations?
• Real photos of your work?
• Reviews or references visible?
• Emergency info prominent (if applicable)?
• Contact form available and simple?

Fewer than 4 ticks? Then you’re probably losing customers to competitors whose websites are better set up.

The good news: this can be fixed. And it doesn’t have to take months or cost a fortune.

In a short initial consultation we’ll look at where you stand and what’s worth doing. 15 minutes, free, no sales pressure.