What Should a Tradesman Website Include? (The Complete Checklist)

If you're thinking about getting a website for your trade business, one of the first questions is: what does it actually need to include? A lot of tradesmen end up with websites that look fine but bring in zero enquiries. The reason is almost always the same -- they're missing the things that actually matter to Google.

This guide covers everything a tradesman website should have, in order of importance.

1. A Page for Every Service You Offer

This is the most important thing and the one most websites get wrong. Google ranks individual pages, not websites. If you want to rank for 'boiler repair,' you need a page specifically about boiler repair. If you want to rank for 'bathroom installation,' you need a page for that too.

Don't lump everything onto one Services page. Split it out. A plumber might have:

• Boiler installation
• Boiler servicing and repairs
• Emergency plumbing
• Bathroom installation
• Leak detection
• Central heating
• Underfloor heating
• Outside taps

Each of those is a separate page targeting a separate search term. Each one is another chance for Google to show your business.

2. A Page for Every Town or Area You Cover

If you cover multiple towns -- and most tradesmen do -- you need a dedicated page for each one. A page titled 'Plumber in Portsmouth' targeting the search 'plumber Portsmouth' will rank independently from a page targeting 'plumber Fareham.'

Most tradesman websites have no location pages at all. Just 'we cover Hampshire.' That's not a page Google can rank for anything specific.

3. Service + Location Combination Pages

Take your services and your locations, and combine them. Every combination gets a page.

• Boiler repair Portsmouth
• Boiler repair Fareham
• Emergency plumber Portsmouth
• Emergency plumber Fareham
• Bathroom installation Portsmouth

This is how you end up with 200 pages. And this is why a tradesman with 200 pages will almost always outrank one with 5 pages, regardless of who has the nicer design.

4. Your Phone Number on Every Page

Sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many tradesman websites bury the phone number on a Contact page. Your number should be in the header of every page, clickable on mobile. Someone looking at your 'boiler repair Portsmouth' page at 10pm with no hot water should be able to call you with one tap.

5. Clear Call to Action on Every Page

Every page should tell the visitor what to do next. 'Call us for a free quote.' 'Request a callback.' 'WhatsApp us now.' Without a clear next step, people leave. With one, they contact you.

6. Customer Reviews and Testimonials

Before most people hire a tradesman, they want to know someone else has used you and been happy. Even a handful of genuine reviews make a significant difference to your conversion rate -- the percentage of people who visit and then get in touch.

If you have Google reviews, show them on your website. If customers have said nice things, quote them. Real words from real people carry more weight than any marketing copy.

7. Fast Loading on Mobile

Over 60% of local searches happen on mobile. If your website takes more than 3 seconds to load on a phone, a significant portion of visitors will leave before it finishes loading. Google also uses page speed as a ranking factor.

Check your site at Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool. A score below 50 on mobile is a problem.

8. An HTTPS Certificate

If your website URL starts with http:// rather than https://, Google marks it as 'not secure' in the browser. This puts visitors off and causes Google to rank it lower. HTTPS is free with most hosting providers -- if yours doesn't have it, that's a problem worth fixing immediately.

9. A Google Maps Embed or Address

Including your address and a Google Maps embed helps Google understand where you're based and what local searches you're relevant for. It also helps customers find you. If you work from home and don't want to display your address, at minimum include the towns you serve prominently on your pages.

10. SEO-Optimised Page Titles and Descriptions

Every page needs a unique title that includes the main keyword you're targeting. 'Boiler Repair Portsmouth | Dean's Plumbing' is infinitely better than 'Services | Dean's Plumbing.' Google uses page titles as one of its strongest ranking signals.

Each page also needs a meta description -- the short text that appears under your link in Google results. It doesn't directly affect rankings, but it affects whether people click on your result versus a competitor's.

What Most Tradesman Websites Are Missing

The honest answer is: most of the above. A five-page brochure website with no location pages, no service-specific pages, no phone number in the header, and no reviews will not bring in enquiries. It's not a bad website -- it's just not a marketing asset.

The websites we build for tradesmen start with all of this built in. 200+ pages, proper SEO structure on every one, fast mobile performance, and clear calls to action throughout.