Why contractors should have a website

A good website is a must-have for any contractor. You can skip a website only if you have very good partners with whom you do daily business, and they can offer you enough jobs from year to year. In such cases, you are covered with enough work well in advance, and you also probably receive offers from word of mouth. Word of mouth is the best source for getting leads. 

But only a few contractors are privy to such clients and partners. So most contractors must pay attention to their websites. Let’s see what should be included in a great website. For example, we will use one of our partners websites, Thompson & Underwood. 

What services do you offer?

The first impression is a must have for any website. Research shows that once the user enters your website, he will spend around 5 seconds confirming that he is in the right place. If he can’t see that, he will close and move on to the next search result. This then damages your SEO statistics, and in the end, you don’t receive free traffic from Google. This is the main reason why most construction web sites lack Google traffic. Because, for example, concrete installers often show on their first page pictures of finished houses. That is not true; they offer concrete work. They should have pictures of concrete work. 

In our case study, we can clearly see that Thompson & Underwood, in their first screen, clearly communicate that they are excavating and moving earth with a picture of an excavator. There is no doubt that they do something else. 

Portfolio

A contractor’s portfolio is a place where he will showcase his work, and their clients will look at what they have done and decide whether they want to work with them.

Another reason you need a portfolio is to attract great talents. It is becoming more and more difficult to attract new talents because fewer people are willing to work in the construction industry. New great talents will seek out companies where they can work on interesting projects. So before applying to your company, they will seek your work. 

Your team 

This page will not always be looked after by your clients. But for sure, it will be looked at by new potential hires. When you have open positions, your new hires, before applying, will review your team. What do you say about your team, and who are they? This is the place where they will imagine whether they are suitable for your company and whether they want to work with you. Great talents are looking for leaders and companies that value their employees. 

On this page, for specialty contractors who are performing site work, it is important to show people from the site. You definitely don’t want to show only office workers because people who perform site work are your real assets! 

Thompson & Underwood have clearly pointed out some of their workers and even have some stories about each of them! 

Contact us

Once your client visits your website and wants to order or request an offer from you, he wants to get in touch directly with your sales team. This is a place where you definitely can’t show your office email or have a contact us form. You need someone from your sales team so your clients can get directly in touch with your sales team. 

What is the main message of the contractor’s website?

Any contractor’s website should send two messages.

One message for your potential clients is what services you offer, what you have performed before, and what your values are.

The second message often forgotten is a message for your potential new hires. It is getting harder and harder to attract new talents, and new talents will look you up before they join you. If they don’t see you as attractive, they will not apply. 

Where should you start from

The construction business and industry are completely unique. We have completely different problems and philosophies. Most agencies are not used to working with construction companies, and it is very important to find the right agency to design and improve contractors brand awareness. 

We have found that in Europe and Scandinavia, EContractorsLab is the strongest while in the US market, Buildwitt is one of the strongest and well recognized. They are both niche agencies specializing only in the construction industry. 

Author – Emil Berzins. Follow me on