Websites for Tradies – How to Keep it Simple

Before the internet took over the world….

The printed copy of the Yellow Pages commanded a monopoly on ad spend for businesses of all sizes and was the marketing staple of every tradie wanting to make themselves known in the local area.

But times, they are changing, and internet-connected smartphones have been altering the face of marketing for the last couple of decades. Most marketing budgets are moving towards online portals, while physical media advertising revenue dwindles every year.

Various surveys reveal that only 15% of consumers did not use the internet to search for a new business.

Those numbers mean that at least 85% of people looking for a new business turned to the internet first to do their research, and that was six years ago. Smartphones are now even more accessible, and internet enabled.

For tradies, the move towards making themselves available online via a website is even more crucial.

A tradie’s website doesn’t need to be flashy or complicated; for most trade businesses a simple, low-key site is often the best solution.

Here are a few of the essentials a tradie website must include if it is to be effective in attracting new business.

Prominent contact details and a simple contact form

If a visitor has found your business by typing a search into Google or one of the other search engines, then it’s reasonable to expect that they want to get in touch with your business.

Ensure your contact details are prominent on the front page. A dedicated contact page will also give customers an easy form to fill out with their phone number, email address and enough room for a brief message so that you can get back to them as soon as possible.

Create a mobile-friendly layout

Google has been harping on about mobile first design for a while now, so if your website doesn’t transition well to the small screen –  technically referred to as a mobile responsive design – then it will get booted from the search results page.

Google also officially stated that the number of smartphone search queries have recently overtaken desktop; probably because a mobile phone is always handy, and searches can take place while sitting on the bus, plane, train, and let’s face it, the porcelain throne as well.

An always-on smartphone also means there’s no reason to wait for the desktop to boot up just because they want to get in touch with their local plumbing service.

Testimonials are gold

When your webpage is telling your visitor how great you are you can validate your statements with a few testimonials from previous customers. These can be text only, but if you can convince one of your favourite customers to sit down in front of a camera and speak from the heart about how fantastic your services are, then the testimonial will be all that more convincing.

Smartphones of today can also produce an excellent quality video, so there’s no expense for extra equipment.

List your services

Sounds easy, but you’d be surprised at how many tradies don’t make their services clear to the searching customer.

Let your visitors know exactly what you do in your business.

List all your services in the one place so they receive a good overview of your experience and qualifications, and whether or not you can help them with their problem.

The nice extra things that customers love

While tradies websites need to be precise and straightforward, a few other pages can help your customers as well.

An About Us page can tell a brief story about how you got into the industry, your level of experience, and make you more approachable in general.

And don’t forget a nice professional picture of you and the team. It’s one of those small things that simply has a way of putting customers at ease and get that phone ringing.

A FAQs page may also provide answers to the most common questions about your services and what they can expect. FAQ pages are worth their weight in gold because every question they answer is time you don’t have to spend on the phone.

Websites are now the first contact for over 61% of Australians looking to do business with a tradie or business local to them.

You don’t need a flashy, complicated (and expensive!) website, but you do need a professional looking presence on the web if you are to remain competitive in today’s digitally connected world.

Need Help In Growing Your Trade Business?

Contact us at Tradebusters for a FREE Tradie Help Consultation. We have specialist solutions for trades including Website Design, Local Area Lead Generation Strategies, Social Media and Marketing Support, Business Coaching and more. Contact us today.