So you’re a general contractor. You can estimate the time needed to remodel a home right down to the minute, recite every permit and zoning ordinance necessary in each home’s construction, and you are your own personal stud-finder.
You know the difference between backfill, backflow and backhand. It’s plain to see you’re a master of your craft – but when it comes to building and promoting your website, you’re not quite sure where to start.
Having a well-planned, professional site can add credibility to your business, and be the key to increase customers, especially if most of your customers are referrals. With the site building tips we have here, your contracting business will be on its way to growth in no time!
The Foundation for Your House
Think of it this way, when it comes to site building, your homepage is the foundation for your house. If you have a poorly laid foundation, your home will not inspire visits, and a poorly designed homepage will do the same for your website. Take a look at our homepage templates for construction websites.
It’s no secret that a visitor whom stumbles across your website makes a decision about your business in a brief 10 seconds. In those mere moments, your visitor needs to decide whether click that forsaken “back” button, or whether your page is worthy enough to click around a little longer.
Now the age-old (or at least Internet-old) question remains – how do you keep your visitors interested?
Give your visitors enough information to hold their attention, but not so much that they’re overwhelmed. A great start is a good banner image. Whether you take a photo yourself or use a stock photo, it should be eye-catching and show you have an eye for design (which is mandatory when it comes to building or remodeling homes). Consider using a picture of you in front of a home you’ve worked on will make your viewers curious enough to at least click through your gallery, and it adds a human element to construction.
Before you know it, your customers will be telling you, you had them at hello your homepage.
Kay Lambert Contracting has an attractive homepage, displaying a custom banner, along with a beautifully redone home.
Building Trust
As you know, remodeling a home is not a small expense, which makes deciding on a contractor frightening. Customers are, after all, leaving you in their homes for multiple days at a time. In the age we live in, a person will not just pick any contractor out of the phone book. Not only do you have to show potential customers that you do great work, but in addition that you’re trustworthy.
A great way to build trust between you and your potential clients is to display a testimonial page. Statistics say 72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from real people (One reason why social media is also very effective). Displaying customer reviews will not only put the mind of your potential customers at ease but will also leave your previous customers with the notion that you value their opinion.
For bonus points, add a link to your Yelp reviews on your testimonials page. It’s common knowledge that no business owner in their right mind would leave bad testimonials on their website. Displaying public reviews shows viewers that you’re not just displaying the good ones.
Extend Your Portfolio
One of the most valuable tools a personal contractor has in selling themselves to new clients is their personal portfolio. Short of blueprints and conceptual drawings, there are no test runs when it comes to remodeling. In order to acquire new clients, you need to be able to ensure the quality of your previous work, and from there, visualize how you can improve their home.
You most likely carry a book of a portfolio to each of your appointments, displaying beautiful homes you’ve built and remodeled in the past, but you’re only able to show this after your client has decided to contact you. Include parts of your portfolio into a gallery page of your website. Before and after photos are really effective. You can even start a blog about the projects you’re working on. This will help incentivize your viewers to make that initial appointment.
Kay Lambert Contracting’s gallery displays a gorgeous kitchen remodel, focusing on both before and after.
Reach Out to Your Customers
Your contact page is one of the most imperative pieces to your site-building puzzle. Once your viewer has fallen in love with you and your work, they will need to be able to reach you.
Make getting in contact with you easy. Don’t let your customers get lost while you wait for them to call you. Be proactive and reach out to them. Make a custom form with the “forms” widget, asking your visitor to leave their name, email and phone number. Their contact information will pop right in your inbox once they’ve clicked simply clicked “submit.”
We know your home building experience open and ready to be put to the test – use your newly founded site building expertise to make it happen. We hope these tips help you give your business the boost that it needs. If you have any questions on how to make a great general contractor website, feel free to ask us in the comments below.
Check out our previous posts of the “Make Your Own Website” series: