What Should a Builder Website Include?

If somebody is thinking about spending hundreds of thousands of rand on a renovation, extension or new home, they are probably going to do a little homework before phoning a builder.

And that homework increasingly happens online.

They may have received your name from a friend. They may have seen one of your vehicles. They might have found you on Facebook or Google.

But before contacting you, there is a good chance they are going to look for your website.

What they find can either reinforce the recommendation they received or make them keep looking.

So what should a builder’s website actually include?

1. A Clear Explanation of What You Build

Don’t make visitors work it out.

Your website should immediately explain what type of work you do.

For example:

• New residential homes
• Renovations
• Home extensions
• Alterations
• Commercial construction
• Roofing
• Boundary walls
• Paving
• General building work

If you specialise in something, say so.

“Professional building services” sounds impressive, but it doesn’t tell a potential customer whether you can build the double garage they need.

Clear normally beats clever.

2. The Areas You Serve

Location matters enormously when people choose a builder.

A customer in Worcester isn’t particularly interested in discovering a fantastic contractor who only works in Durban.

Your website should clearly state the towns, suburbs or regions in which you operate.

This also gives search engines useful information about where your business operates.

If your company works across several areas, dedicated service-area information can help people searching for builders in those locations find you.

3. Real Project Photographs

For builders, this is one of the most important parts of the entire website.

People want to see what you have actually built.

Not generic photographs of luxury homes downloaded from an image library.

Your work.

Show:

• Completed projects
• Before-and-after renovations
• Work in progress
• Kitchens and bathrooms
• Extensions
• Roofing
• Brickwork
• Finishes
• Commercial projects

A strong project gallery can answer one of the biggest questions a prospective client has:

“Can these people actually do the job?”

Even smartphone photographs are useful if they are clear, well lit and genuinely show your work.

4. Proof That You’re a Real Business

Construction requires trust.

Customers are potentially giving a builder access to their home and committing a significant amount of money to the project.

Your website should make it easy to establish who you are.

Useful information can include:

• Your business name
• Contact details
• Physical or operating area
• Years of experience
• Team information
• Company registration details where appropriate
• Industry registrations
• Testimonials
• Photographs of actual projects and staff

For South African home builders, NHBRC information is especially relevant where applicable. The NHBRC states that people in the business of home building must be registered and renew their membership annually.

If you’re registered, don’t hide it.

It’s a trust signal.

5. Testimonials and Reviews

A builder saying, “We provide excellent workmanship” is advertising.

A customer saying it carries considerably more weight.

Ask satisfied customers for short, genuine reviews and use them throughout the site.

Good reviews often mention things potential customers genuinely worry about:

• Quality
• Reliability
• Communication
• Staying on budget
• Finishing the project
• Keeping the site organised
• Solving problems

Those details are far more convincing than five generic stars.

6. An Easy Way to Request a Quote

Don’t make somebody hunt for your phone number.

Every important page should have a clear next step.

That could be:

Request a Quote

Discuss Your Project

Call Us

WhatsApp Us

Your contact form shouldn’t ask for twenty pieces of information either.

Start with what you actually need to begin a conversation.

Name, phone number, email, location and a short description of the project are usually enough.

You can get the rest later.

7. A Website That Works Properly on a Phone

Many people looking for a builder will first visit your site on a mobile phone.

If the text is tiny, buttons don’t work, photographs take forever to load or the customer has to zoom around the page, you are making it harder for them to contact you.

A builder’s website should be designed for mobile users from the start.

8. A Proper Google Presence

Your website and Google Business Profile should support each other.

Google recommends that businesses keep their Business Profile information complete, accurate and current because this helps Google understand what the business does and where it operates.

Your website can then provide the depth that a Google listing cannot: your services, projects, experience, testimonials and reasons to choose you.

Your Website Doesn’t Need to Be Complicated

A builder doesn’t necessarily need a massive website.

You need a website that answers the questions a potential customer is already asking:

What do you build?

Where do you work?

Can I trust you?

Can I see what you’ve built before?

How do I contact you?

Get those five things right and you already have the foundation of a useful builder website.

If you’re looking at improving your construction company’s online presence, take a look at our dedicated website solutions for builders.

A website shouldn’t just prove that your business exists.

It should help bring the next project through the door.