One of the most common mistakes we see on contractor websites is trying to say too much — or the wrong things. A homeowner searching for a plumber or an electrician doesn't want to read an essay. They want to know three things as fast as possible: Can you help me? Are you legit? How do I reach you?

Your website's job is to answer those three questions and get out of the way.

Here's a practical breakdown of what belongs on a contractor or service business website, and what you can safely leave off.

What to Include

A Clear, Specific Headline

Your homepage hero section — the first thing visitors see — should have a headline that says exactly what you do and exactly where you do it. Not "Quality Service You Can Trust." That says nothing. Instead, something like:

  • "Licensed Roofing Contractor Serving Colorado Springs & El Paso County"
  • "HVAC Installation & Repair — Monument, Fountain & Woodland Park"
  • "Colorado Springs Plumbing — Available 24/7 for Emergencies"

Specific beats generic. Every time.

Your Phone Number — Prominent, Everywhere

In the header. On the homepage. On the contact page. In the footer. Wherever a potential customer might decide they're ready to call, your number should be right there. On mobile, it should be a clickable link that opens the phone dialer automatically.

A List of Your Specific Services

Don't just say "we do plumbing." List your actual services — water heater installation, sewer line repair, leak detection, bathroom remodels, emergency shutoffs. The more specific you are, the better Google understands your site, and the more likely you are to rank for those specific searches.

Your Service Area

Name the cities, communities, and zip codes you work in. Colorado Springs is obvious, but what about Fountain? Manitou Springs? Monument? Woodland Park? Black Forest? The more specifically you list your coverage area, the better you'll rank in those local searches — and the less time you'll waste on calls from people outside your zone.

Photos of Real Work

Not stock photos. Not clipart. Real before-and-after shots of jobs you've completed. Real photos of your truck, your team, your equipment. They don't need to be professional photography — clear smartphone photos are fine. Real images build trust in a way that stock images never can.

Proof of Legitimacy

Your license number. Your insurance status. Any relevant certifications or manufacturer authorizations. BBB membership if you have it. Years in business. These elements matter enormously to homeowners who are inviting a stranger into their home to work on their property.

Customer Reviews

Even three or four genuine testimonials make a meaningful difference. If you have strong Google or Yelp reviews, display them on your site. Social proof is one of the most powerful conversion tools available, and it costs nothing to include.

A Simple Contact Form

Not everyone wants to call. Some people prefer to send a quick message and wait for a response. A simple form — name, email, phone, brief description of the project — is enough. Keep it short. The longer the form, the fewer people fill it out.

What to Skip

Long Company History Essays

Nobody reads the five paragraphs explaining that your grandfather started the business in 1978 and your family has been serving the community ever since. A sentence or two about how long you've been in business and what makes you different is plenty. Save the longer story for your About page — but even there, keep it focused on what matters to the customer, not on you.

Autoplaying Music or Videos

This should go without saying, but it still happens. If your website plays sound automatically, people leave immediately. If you have a video you want to include, make it muted by default and user-controlled.

Pop-Up Offers

Pop-ups that cover the page within two seconds of arrival are universally annoying and counterproductive for service businesses. If you have a promotion, put it in the hero section or in a banner — not in a disruptive overlay.

Cluttered Navigation

If you have more than seven items in your main navigation, start cutting. Most service business websites need four to six pages: Home, Services, About, Service Area, Gallery or Portfolio, and Contact. That's it. The simpler the navigation, the more likely visitors are to find what they need and take action.

Testimonials From 2012

If your most recent review is dated several years ago, it actually works against you. It suggests you're either not getting new customers or not paying attention to your website. Keep reviews current. Rotate in new ones as you receive them.

Let us build it right from the start.

When we build your site, we handle the strategy — what to include, how to structure it for search, what call-to-actions to use. You focus on your work. We handle the web presence.

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One Final Rule: Make Every Page Answer "Why You?"

Every page on your site should make a visitor feel like you're the right contractor for the job. Not just any contractor — you, specifically. That means being specific about your experience, your coverage area, your work quality, and your reliability.

Generic websites get ignored. Specific, credible, well-organized websites get calls.

If you're not sure whether your current site is doing that job, take ten minutes to look at it the way a homeowner would — someone who's never heard of you and is deciding in 30 seconds whether to call. What do they see?