What should a tradesperson's website include?

A tradesperson's website has one job: to get the right customers to pick up the phone. It does not need clever animations or pages of company history. It needs to answer the questions a homeowner has in the 30 seconds before they decide whether to ring you or the next name on the list. This checklist covers what to include, in roughly the order a customer looks for it.

Your phone number, everywhere

Most people searching for a trade are on their phone, and many are dealing with a problem right now. Put your number at the top of every page and make it tappable so it dials straight away. A call button that stays on screen as people scroll is even better. If you prefer WhatsApp or text for quotes, say so.

What you do, in plain words

Say it in the first line: "Plumbing and heating in Ballincollig and across Cork" beats "Welcome to our website". Then give each main service its own short section: boiler servicing, bathroom installs, emergency call-outs, heat pump installs. Use the words your customers use, not trade terms they might not know. Each service you describe is another search you can show up for.

The areas you cover

List the towns and areas you work in, by name. People search for "electrician Navan" or "roofer near Thurles", and Google needs to see those place names on your site to match you. Be honest about your range. Listing every town in the country makes you look less local, not more.

Registrations and memberships

Irish homeowners increasingly check for these, and for some work they are a legal requirement. Show the ones you genuinely hold, near the top of the page:

• Gas installers: RGII registration. Only Registered Gas Installers can legally carry out domestic gas work in Ireland.
• Electricians: Safe Electric registration. Domestic electrical work that requires certification must be done by a Registered Electrical Contractor.
• Builders: CIRI (Construction Industry Register Ireland) membership, if you are registered.
• Energy upgrades: SEAI registered contractor status, if you do grant-aided work like insulation or heat pumps.
• Insurance: mention that you are fully insured if you are. Some customers will ask for proof.

Only list registrations you currently hold, and keep them up to date. Claiming one you do not have is misleading to customers and can be checked in minutes on the public registers.

Photos of your real work

Nothing sells a trade like photos of finished jobs. A tidy bathroom, a neat fuse board, a new roof from across the road. Phone photos are fine as long as they are in focus and well lit. Before-and-after pairs work especially well. Stock photos can fill a gap at the start, but replace them with your own as soon as you can, because customers can usually tell the difference.

Reviews from real customers

Point people to your Google reviews, and consider quoting a few on your site with the customer's permission. Never write reviews yourself or edit what a customer said. Our guide on getting more Google reviews explains how to ask in a way that stays within Google's rules and Irish consumer law.

Prices, or at least a guide

You do not have to publish a full price list, and for many jobs you cannot quote without seeing the work. But a guide helps: "Boiler services from €X" or "Free quotes, usually within two working days". It filters out people looking for a price you would never match, and it shows the rest that you are upfront.

An easy way to ask for a quote

Some customers will not ring, especially in the evening. A short form asking for their name, number, area and a description of the job lets them get in touch on their own time. Keep it short. Every extra box loses a few people. Make sure enquiries go somewhere you check daily.

The legal basics

• If you trade as a limited company, the Companies Act 2014 requires your website to show your company name, legal form, place of registration, company number and registered office address.
• If your site collects personal data through a contact form, you need a privacy notice explaining what you collect and what you do with it, under GDPR.
• If your site uses non-essential cookies, such as analytics or advertising trackers, you need consent first. A simple site with no tracking may not need a cookie banner at all.

It has to work properly on a phone

Check your site on your own phone. Can you read it without zooming? Does the number dial when tapped? Do the photos load quickly on mobile data? A site that only looks right on a desktop is losing you work every week.

What you can leave out

• Long "about us" histories. A few lines about who you are and how long you have been working is plenty.
• A blog you will not keep up. An empty news page from 2022 does more harm than none.
• Sliders and auto-playing videos. They slow the page down and people scroll past them.
• Vague claims like "best in the business". Specific details, registrations and real reviews are far more convincing.

Getting it done without the hassle

Sitefront builds tradesperson websites with all of this set up from the start: a tap-to-call button, your services written up, your towns listed, room for your registrations and an enquiries inbox. You change anything you like before publishing. See examples for plumbers, electricians, builders and other trades, from roofers to painters.