Your business website matters.
According to data from marketing firm Blue Corona, 63% of consumers find contractors and service professionals through their website.
When a potential customer searches for your company or your services, it’s usually the first thing they see. If your website doesn’t present the information they’re looking for, is difficult to use, or just turns the customer off, they may write off your company forever. That means it’s not only your first impression, it could also be your last.
Just like plumbing, web design is a specialized skill that takes training and experience.
How to Build an Awesome Site on a Modest Budget
You wouldn’t advise a customer to hire a teenager from down the street to fix their leaky pipes. And you shouldn’t hire an amateur to build your plumbing website.
The good news is that you don’t need to trust your online reputation to your cousin’s nephew’s son-in-law (even if he is “good with computers!”) And you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg to get an effective website, either.
Many new services allow small businesses like yours to get a modern, functional, and well-designed website at a reasonable price.
Website templates designed specifically for plumbers can be a great place to start. They generally offer all of the features that you need to get your site up and running, plus they’re simple to use and designed to work right off the shelf.
So how do you put these templates to use? There are a few options to consider.
How to Build a Successful Website for Your Plumbing Business
Okay, let’s say you’re ready to build a great website for your plumbing business. You’re on board with the idea of using a plumbing site template to get the ball rolling.
Now what?
You have a few basic options about how to move forward.
1. Use a DIY website builder with a plumbing template
One of the best new services for small business owners in the last few years has been companies like SquareSpace, Wix, and Weebly.
These do-it-yourself website builders are like training wheels for setting up your own site.
This is a pretty good option for a lot of business owners. But you do have to roll up your sleeves and dig into the process. That means it’s not for everyone.
Is there still a learning curve? Yes.
Do you probably need a tiny bit of technical knowledge to really pull it off well? Yes.
So, if you don’t have the time, knowledge, or patience to build a site yourself (even from a template), then Housecall Pro’s Website Builder is probably a better choice for your plumbing company.
Housecall Pro Website Builder
That’s right, Housecall Pro is more than just a plumbing software, Housecall Pro’s Website Builder is an easy page builder tool that helps home service businesses build their website (even for free). It is free to build a website by using a step-by-step template that includes the following:
- Photo gallery
- Reviews
- On-page SEO
- Videos
- FAQ’s
- Awards
You simply have to fill in your company information by following easy page template instructions. There is no technical background needed to build a Google search-friendly site for your plumbing business. It works in just a few minutes.
2. Hire someone to build you a site with a template
Here’s a good middle ground.
Say you’re okay with having a plumbing site template as the basis for your web presence. But, you really just don’t feel like spending the time and energy figuring out how to use the tools and customize the site to match your needs.
Totally fine. There are people who can help you with exactly this problem.
SquareSpace offers a service that can help you match up with a dedicated designer that will build you a site based on a SquareSpace site template. This is sort of like a perfect compromise between ease and outcome.
But, if you’re hiring someone to create a site, you’re not limited to templates built specifically for DIY site builders. You can also have a site built on a content management system (CMS) like WordPress or with an HTML template.
There are a ton of pre-made website templates and Wordpress theme out there, especially for plumbers. From your perspective, all you need to do is plug in a bit of information to customize the site and let it rip.
You can find purpose-built plumbing website templates on websites like:
Some of these website themes and templates are even free to download.
If you want to go this route, just make sure that whoever you find to help understands that your goal is to use a plumbing site template and customize it to your business. This should be significantly simpler and cheaper than the third option below (starting from scratch).
3. Hire someone to build you a custom website from scratch
Lastly, there’s the non-template option. Many web design firms will happily build you a custom website from scratch. Your site will be 100% unique and built to your exact specifications. Of course, this is a great option if you can afford it and you can identify a firm that specializes in building sites like this for home service businesses.
However, there’s a decent chance this would be overkill for your needs. With the power of web templates and DIY website builders, you can get a proven site up and running in just a few days or weeks — and at a fraction of the cost, it would take to build one from scratch.
Especially if you need a quick, simple, and relatively inexpensive way to boost your online presence and start generating more visibility for your business, using a website builder with a template can be an easy and effective way to go from zero to 90%.
If you go with one of the first two routes and use a plumbing site template, there are some other things you’ll want to know about your site and setting it up for success.
Building a site with a service like Squarespace is pretty dang simple, even if you aren’t super tech savvy. Their service is specifically built for non-technical business owners and weekend warriors.
Even so, there are some things you should plan out before diving in.
Let’s walk through those together.
Planning Your Plumbing Site: What Pages and Content You’ll Need
Before you get started on your website, you want a basic plan for what pages and content will be included.
The good news is you don’t need a million pages on your website for it to be effective. Your prospective customer probably isn’t looking to spend hours reading up on your entire company history.
But they will want to see enough substance to know what you offer, gain a bit of trust, and find the information they need to contact your company.
Here’s what you definitely need to include on your website:
1. Homepage: The Face of Your Plumbing Site
Your homepage is the first thing most people will see on your site. It should immediately tell the customer that they are on the right site for the company they’re looking for or the services they need.
You can get creative with language and photos on this landing page, but don’t make people guess whether you’re a plumbing company or a poodle breeder by looking at your homepage.
Lead with what you do and what makes your company worth their time. Be sure to include a company description, information, booking options, and even social media buttons on the homepage. Adding these elements to your business website can be extremely helpful too:
- Testimonials
- FAQs
- Contact Form
- Reviews
- Phone Number
- Online Booking
- Photos and Videos
- Service Area
- Plumbing Services You Offer
2. Contact or Booking Page: How You Generate Leads
Probably the most critical page on your whole site is the booking and contact page. This is where the wrench meets the pipe, so to speak.
The goal of your website should be to get as many leads as possible to contact you. That means your contact or booking page should be front and center in your web design (make sure there’s a prominent link to it from every other page) and it should be as easy to use as possible.
Of course, list your name, phone number, address and email.
But you can make life even easier by providing online booking directly on your site.
This will allow customers to visit and book a service in minutes.
3. Plumbing Services and Pricing: The Details Your Plumbing Customers Need
Potential customers need to feel fairly confident that you provide the right services they’re looking for before they’ll contact your company.
Put your services on your site so customers can see what you can do and make sure it fits their needs. You might also want to include some basic pricing information to help qualify those customers. Otherwise, if they’re looking for dirt-cheap service or something else you don’t offer, you could just end up wasting time for both you and the customer.
4. About Page: The Faces Behind the Plumbing Business
Business is business. But it’s still about people.
Many customers will want to know a bit about you and your company before they take the leap. If they are not familiar with you or your business, a bit of personal information can help them feel comfortable enough to pick up the phone or submit a form.
You don’t need to share your entire life story in the site. But offer a bit of information about the company and employees. Photos would be nice, too.
Plumbing Website Templates: 3 Tips for Choosing an Effective Design
Finding the right plumber website template is a matter of preference. But there are some standard design items you should look for that will help your website stand out and generate new business.
Here are some tips on what to look for when choosing the right website design for your plumbing company.
1. Make it dead simple for people to contact and hire you
The last thing you want is for someone to come to your site, be ready to contact you for a job, and not be able to figure out how to get in touch. Truth is, even a bit of friction in the process could send a potential lead off to check out a competitor instead.
So, make it clear as day for anyone who wants to get in touch about a job.
Core Plumbing does this masterfully with 4 different ways to contact them as soon as you load their homepage.
This is practically fool-proof for generating the maximum number of inquiries from visitors to your website.
2. Build trust by showing reviews and testimonials
Nothing boosts your credibility and customer confidence like having some social proof. If you can, try sprinkling ratings, reviews, testimonials, or awards throughout your website.
While it’s a small thing to add to your website, social proof can be just the boost you need to turn an on-the-fence visitor into a new sales lead.
3. Make the navigation simple and intuitive
Making it around your site shouldn’t be a chore. Have a clear site navigation with links to your most important pages.
This may seem obvious, but many websites use “fancy” designs that look cool but can actually make it more difficult for the user to find their way around. Show the template design to a friend or family members to see if it’s intuitive for them to use before making a final choice.
Making Your Plumbing Site Work For Your Business
Choosing a template and launching your website is an important first step – but there’s more work to be done. Ultimately, your site needs to help you generate business by attracting new leads and customers.
Housecall Pro can power-up your website and turn it into a plumbing lead generation machine. Our all-in-one suite of tools will help you run and manage every aspect of your plumbing business, including:
- Online booking
- Scheduling and dispatching
- Sending email and SMS reminders
- Payment processing
- Follow-up marketing
