Why a Profile in an Online Professional Directory Is Not Enough for Your Contractor Business

As a local contractor, you have dozens of ways to connect with your customers online. Websites like Facebook, Nextdoor, Houzz, Angie’s List, and others give you the option to create a free profile where customers can see your services, information, and reviews. It is worth having a profile on each of these directories – they’re free and require little time to create – but a profile does not replace a website.

A website of your own is essential for marketing and branding your business. Not only is it more professional to help you build trust, it also gives you complete control over how you present your company on the web. Instead of limiting your business to customers browsing online directories, you can put your website directly in front of clients whenever they search for a contractor.

Advantages of Your Own Website

Whether you’re a roofing company, flooring contractor, plumber, handyman, pest control business, or another company providing home services, consider your website the equivalent of a physical storefront in retail. It should be a place where customers can get a feel for who you are and know they can always find reliable information about you.

More important is the control you have over a website that you own or rent. There are no limitations to what you can put on your website. You control your own marketing and you have complete data on your site traffic so that you know who is viewing your information and what they are engaging with.

Customers rely on the internet to find contractors. Even if they have a recommendation from a friend, many will still do an online search to find out what you offer. Having a website for customers:

  • Confirms Your Existence – While the truth is that anyone can create a website for a minimal cost, we still give credibility to companies with a website. Seeing a professionally designed site instead of just a free profile reassures customers that they are interacting with a real business. Since your business exists largely on the road, choices that increase your permanence are ideal.
  • Far Reaching – Not everyone uses Facebook or Houzz or Nextdoor. But almost every person uses the internet. If someone uses a search engine to find a contractor, you can make your primary website a leading result and one of the first companies they see. Otherwise, you have to rely on them clicking through to another site before they get to you.
  • Provides Branding – Your website is entirely customized. Your logo, photos, tone, videos, and other content you upload gives your customers a clear idea of what interacting with your company will be like. Unlike a generic Facebook or Nextdoor page, this grows their trust and makes you more memorable.
  • Marketing Tool with SEO – By creating a functional website and adding useful content to it, you can organically push your site to the top of search results for local contractors. This means when someone searches for a service you offer, your website can come up first, rather than your name being buried in another website.

Most people choose a Facebook business page or Angie’s List profile because they are free and easy to set up. But the reality is that failing to have a website can cost you far more in missed customers than the price of building and maintaining a website.

Options for Creating a Website

Modern tools and services provide several methods for launching a professional looking website for your business. This variety of tools makes it possible to find a solution within your budget and timeline. While a website is not free – there is at least the cost of a domain name and server space – there are options that make pricing flexible. These include:

  • Hire a Designer – A designer can take all the work out of building your site. They work with your ideas and specifications to create a site that reflects your brand. Because they bring web design knowledge, this is the most expensive option, usually between a few hundred dollars and several thousands.
  • Build Your Own Website – If you have time and some technical knowledge, you can create a site yourself. Many online platforms exist that make it straightforward to build a website without needing coding knowledge. This option costs you only time and the base costs of your URL and server space.
  • Rent a Website – With contractor website rentals, you get a unique site with your name, logo, and information, but do not design the entire site to your specifications. You can still add content and make updates as needed. As a midway option, renting a website often costs around $50 to a few hundred dollars a month depending on the site’s complexity.

If you are ready to build your own website, we salute you. We also encourage you to browse our blog for tips on how to make an SEO website and take advantage of content marketing so that your website can be a valuable marketing tool.

If you know you need a website for your contractor business but want a professional handle to creation, contact us at Great Leap Studios. We build custom websites, designed based on your ideas and to your specifications. We also offer rental websites to get you up and running quickly with a high quality site without the initial design costs.

All of our services are affordable and backed by our years of experience with web design, content marketing, and SEO. Contact us to discuss your business and the type of website you need.

Author

  • Micah Abraham

    Micah Abraham is the owner and lead content writer at Great Leap Studios (https://GreatLeapStudios.com) and High Volt Digital (https://HighVoltDigital.com).
    Micah has over 15 years of content writing and digital marketing experience, and has owned and operated Great Leap Studios since 2013 and High Volt since 2022.
    He has a degree in Psychology from the University of Washington, and has researched and written content on a wide range of topics in the medical and health fields, home services, tech, and beyond.
    Micah lives with his family in California.

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