Category: Websites

A contractor FAQ page should answer the questions callers ask before they book: what you do, where you work, whether you are licensed and insured, how estimates and scheduling work, how payment works, and what happens after the job. Put the answer in the first sentence, in plain words, using your real details.

A good FAQ page is a list of the phone calls you are tired of taking. Every question you answer in writing is one a homeowner can settle at 9 p.m. on their couch, without waiting for you to call back.

It also gives search engines and AI assistants something clean to quote. They tend to pick pages that state the answer directly.

What questions belong on a contractor FAQ page?

Start with what every trade gets asked, grouped the way a homeowner thinks about hiring.

Group	Questions to answer
Before you call	What do you do and not do? Which towns do you serve? Are you licensed and insured?
Estimates	Do you charge for estimates? How soon can you come out? What do you need from me?
Scheduling	How far out are you booked? What happens if you are late or it rains?
The work	Who will be at my house? Do you use subcontractors? Do you pull permits?
Payment	How do I pay? When is payment due? Do you take a deposit?
After the job	Is the work warrantied? Who do I call if something is wrong?

Answer only the questions where you have a real, stable answer. Skip the rest for now.

What are the FAQ questions for each trade?

The universal list is the base. Then add what your trade gets asked that others do not.

Trade	Add questions like
Roofing	Do you inspect before quoting? Do you work with insurance claims? How long does a replacement take? What happens to the old shingles?
Plumbing	Do you take emergency calls? Do you give a price before starting? Can you fix this without opening the wall?
HVAC	Do you service the brand I already have? Is a repair or a replacement better? Do you offer maintenance visits?
Electrical	Do I need a permit for this? Can you add a circuit or panel? Do you handle EV charger installs?
Landscaping	Do you offer one-time or recurring service? What happens in bad weather? Who removes the debris?
Painting	Do you move the furniture? How many coats? Who supplies the paint and what brand?
Remodeling	How do you handle changes mid-project? Who manages the schedule? How do you handle dust and daily cleanup?
Tree service	Do you haul the debris? Are you insured for work near buildings? Do you grind stumps?

Only list services you actually perform. An FAQ that promises work you refer out will earn you calls you cannot take.

How do you write an answer an AI can quote?

The rule is simple: the answer comes first, in a sentence that still makes sense if someone lifts it out of the page.

1. Use the question as a heading. Write it the way a homeowner would say it.
2. Answer in the first sentence. Yes or no, then the detail.
3. Keep it to about 40 to 80 words. Long enough to be complete, short enough to quote.
4. Use your real specifics. Town names, hours, brands, what is included.
5. Say what it depends on. “It depends” followed by the two things that change the answer.
6. Say the same thing everywhere. Your FAQ, service pages and Google profile should agree on hours, area and phone number.

Here is a fill-in template:

Do you offer free estimates for [service]? [Yes/No]. [One sentence on what the estimate includes and how long it takes.] [One sentence on how to book it: call, text, or form.] [One sentence on any exception, such as emergency or very small jobs.]

What does a weak answer look like next to a strong one?

Here is a made-up plumbing example.

Weak: “We pride ourselves on fair, transparent pricing. Contact us for details.”

Strong: “Yes, we quote before we start. For most repairs we give you a price at the door, after we look at the problem, and you approve it before any work begins. Larger jobs, like a re-pipe, get a written quote after a site visit. Call or text to book a visit.”

The strong one gives a reader a fact. The weak one gives them a reason to hit the back button.

Should the FAQ page list prices?

Only if you will keep every number current. Prices change with materials, labor and the job itself, and a stale number on your page can cost you calls or a fight at the door.

A safer answer explains how you price. Something like: “Most repairs are priced by the job, not the hour, and we confirm the price before work starts.” It stays true, and it tells the homeowner what to expect.

Are you licensed and insured?

Answer this one directly, because homeowners really do look for it. Use the real license type and number your state or town issues, and name your coverage in plain words. If you are not sure what the rules are for your trade and area, check with your state or local licensing office before you publish the claim. Never state coverage you do not carry.

How should you format the page so it works on a phone?

• Put each question in its own heading, with the answer as plain text under it.
• Group questions under a few short headings, as in the table above.
• Test it on your own phone. If an answer is hidden behind a tap that does not work, rewrite the page.
• Put your phone number and a call button at the bottom, so the next step is one tap away.

Our post on what pages a contractor website needs shows where an FAQ fits next to your service and contact pages. For a longer look at the whole site, see the contractor website guide.

A 30-minute checklist

1. Write down the last 10 questions callers asked you.
2. Group them under the six headings in the first table.
3. Draft a 40-to-80-word answer for each, with the answer first.
4. Cut any answer that depends on a number you will not keep current.
5. Check your license and insurance wording.
6. Publish the page and link it from your menu and your service pages.
7. Add a calendar reminder to review it in six months.

If building and maintaining pages is the part you keep putting off, a website built for contractors is part of the Builders Presence plan, and the questions above are yours to fill in either way.

Common questions

How many questions should a contractor FAQ page have?

Start with the 10 to 15 questions you hear most and add more as callers ask. A short page where every answer is real beats a long one padded with filler. If a question has never come up on a call or a quote, it probably does not belong yet.

Should I put prices on my FAQ page?

Only if you will keep them current. A wrong price is worse than none. Most contractors are better off explaining how a price is set, what changes it, and how quickly you quote. That answer stays true, and it still helps a homeowner decide whether to call.

Where should the FAQ page link from?

Link it from your main menu or footer, and from the service pages it relates to. If an answer is only about one service, such as drain cleaning or roof inspections, repeat that answer on the service page too. People often land deep in your site, not on the FAQ.

How often should I update my FAQ page?

Review it twice a year, and any time something real changes: your hours, your service area, your license, how you take payment. Add a question whenever a caller asks one that the page does not answer. An FAQ that stays current is one a stranger can trust.

A contractor about page should say who runs the business, what work you do, where you do it, what you hold in licenses and insurance if it applies, and what a customer can expect from first call to finished job. Add a real photo of you or the crew. Skip stock images and mission statements.

A homeowner about to let a stranger into the house wants to know who that stranger is. The about page is where they look. Most about pages waste that look on a mission statement.

What is the job of a contractor about page?

It answers one question: can I trust this person in my home and with my money? Everything on the page should help a stranger say yes, quietly and with facts.

What should a contractor about page include?

Section	What to write	Example pattern
Who runs it	Your name, role and a real photo	“[Name] runs [Business] and does the estimates.”
What you do	The work, in plain words	“We replace and repair [type] in [Town] and nearby.”
Where you work	Towns or county	“We serve [towns].”
License and insurance	What you hold, if it applies	See the next section
How a job goes	The path from call to cleanup	Four to six short steps
Who shows up	Who is in the truck	“You will see [name] or one of our two-person crew.”
How to reach you	Phone, hours, form	Tap-to-call at top

How do you handle license and insurance on the about page?

State what you hold and nothing more. Rules differ by state, sometimes by city or county, and by trade, so check yours before you write the line. Details on wording are in how to show license and insurance on a contractor website.

If you hold a license, give the license number where it is easy to find. If you carry insurance, name the kind and say a certificate is available on request. Do not suggest you hold something you do not.

What does a good about page sound like?

Compare two versions of the same opening. This is a hypothetical for a painting company:

Weak: “We are passionate about quality and customer satisfaction and treat every home like our own.”

Better: “[Name] started [Business] after [number] years working for other painters. It is a two-truck company in [Town]. We paint interiors and exteriors for homeowners, and we prep every surface before we open a can. [Name] does every estimate.”

The second version says what the company is, who runs it, what it does and one thing it does differently. A homeowner can picture it. An AI assistant asked “who is [Business]?” could quote it back and be correct.

What is a template for a contractor about page?

Copy this and fill it with true facts:

“` [Business name] is a [trade] company in [Town]. [Name] started it in [year, if true].

We do [main services] for homeowners in [towns].

What you can expect:

1. You call or send a request. We reply [when].
2. [Name] or [role] comes out and looks at the job.
3. You get a written quote.
4. We schedule the work and keep you posted.
5. We clean up and walk you through it.

License: [license type and number, if you hold one]. Insurance: [type] insurance. Certificate on request.

[Phone] | [Hours] | [Service area] “`

What should you leave off a contractor about page?

• Mission and values statements. They could describe any company, so they tell a visitor nothing.
• Claims you cannot prove. “The top choice,” “best around,” “highest rated” with no source.
• Stock photos of smiling crews. A homeowner can tell. Use your own.
• Badges and logos you do not hold. Showing a manufacturer or association mark you are not entitled to is a fast way to lose trust, or worse.
• Awards you cannot document. Leave them off unless you can name who gave them and when.
• A made-up team. If you are a crew of two, say so.
• A personal story with no link to the work. One sentence of why you got into the trade is fine. A page of it is not.
• Your home address, unless it is also your business address and you want it public. A service-area business can state its area instead.

How does the about page help you show up in search and AI answers?

An about page is where the basic facts about your business live in plain text: name, trade, towns, phone, license, hours. When your name, phone and service area match your Google Business Profile and other listings, search engines and AI assistants see the same facts everywhere, and are less likely to get you wrong.

Nobody can promise an about page will move you up in the results. What it does is remove a reason for a homeowner to back out after they landed on your site.

Does a one-person shop need an about page?

Yes. If anything, more. A homeowner choosing between a one-person company and a bigger one is asking who will be at the door. Answer it with your name and photo.

Before you publish

• [ ] Your name and a real photo of you or the crew
• [ ] The trade, the work and the towns, in plain words
• [ ] License and insurance stated only as far as they are true
• [ ] How a job goes, from call to cleanup
• [ ] Phone number tap-to-call at the top
• [ ] No mission statement, no stock photos, no unprovable claims
• [ ] Name, phone and area match your Google Business Profile

Most of this takes an hour. For the other things that quietly cost you calls, see contractor website mistakes that cost calls. If you would rather not write it alone, the website in the Builders Presence plan includes one, built in 7 to 10 days. The pricing page has the details.

Common questions

How long should a contractor about page be?

Two to five short paragraphs plus a photo and a few facts is plenty. A homeowner wants to know who they are letting into their house, not read a history of the company. If a section does not help them decide to call, cut it. You can always add detail later from real jobs.

Should I put my name and photo on the about page?

Yes, if you are comfortable with it. A name and a real photo of you or the crew make a stranger more willing to call, because they know who will show up. If you have employees who will be in homes, say how you introduce them. Skip stock photos entirely.

Do I need to say how long I have been in business?

Only if it is true and you can state it plainly, such as the year you started. Leave it out if it is short or you are not sure of the date. Do not round up. A new business can say what experience the owner brings from the trade instead.

What if I am a one-person business?

Say so. A one-person business is a selling point for many jobs because the person who gives the quote is the person who does the work. Say who you are, what you do, and how you handle jobs you cannot take. Do not use “we” and a made-up team to sound bigger.

Your site is fast enough if it loads quickly on your own phone, on cell data with Wi-Fi off, and someone can read it and tap your number without waiting or pinching to zoom. If you find yourself waiting, a homeowner probably is too.

Picture a homeowner on their driveway, thumb on a phone, looking for someone to fix something. They tap your result. If the page hangs, they back out and tap the next one. You never know it happened.

Speed is not a tech project. It is whether a person on a phone can reach you.

How do you test your website on a phone?

Do this now. It takes five minutes and costs nothing.

1. Turn Wi-Fi off so your phone uses regular cell data. Your office Wi-Fi hides problems that customers on the road will see.
2. Search for your business the way a customer would and tap your own site.
3. Watch the first screen. Can you tell who you are, what you do and where, and can you see your phone number, without scrolling?
4. Count while it loads. If you are waiting long enough to look away, that is your answer.
5. Try to call. Tap your number. Does it open the dialer?
6. Try to fill out the form, then check that it arrives (see contact form vs call button).
7. Do it again on a second page, like a service page. Home pages are often the best-tuned page on a site.

Test on an older phone if someone in the family has one. Your newest phone may be faster than what some of your customers carry.

What slows a contractor website down?

Problem	How to spot it	Fix
Giant photos	Slow to load, images pop in one by one	Resize before uploading, or have your site tool compress them
Autoplay video at the top	The page stalls or the phone gets warm	Use a still image with a play button
Slider or carousel	Big images cycling, hard to tap	Use one strong image or a simple grid
Too many add-ons	Chat popups, booking widgets, badges, trackers	Remove what you do not use; keep the ones that bring calls
Cheap or overloaded hosting	Slow even on a simple page	Ask your host or builder; compare options
Heavy custom fonts and effects	Text jumps or flashes on load	Use simple, common fonts

Most contractor sites are slow because of the first row. It is also the easiest fix: good job photos still need to be sized for the web.

How can you tell what is slow if you cannot see it?

Free tools can look at a page and list what is slow. Google’s PageSpeed Insights is one, and there are others. Paste in your address, read the plain-language list, and start at the top.

A caution: do not chase a perfect score. Scores measure what a machine can measure. Your customers care about whether the page shows up and works. If the tool says “reduce image size” or “remove unused code,” do the image one first. It is the one that moves the needle for a small business site.

Google has not published exactly how much speed counts toward rankings, so anyone who tells you a precise number is guessing. The reason to care is simpler: a slow page loses people before they read a word.

Is your site actually built for a phone?

Fast is one half. Usable on a small screen is the other. Check each of these while holding the phone in one hand, like a person on a ladder would.

• [ ] Text is readable without pinching to zoom
• [ ] Your phone number is a tap-to-call link at the top
• [ ] Buttons are big enough to hit with a thumb, with space between them
• [ ] Nothing pops up over the page and covers the number or the form
• [ ] The menu opens and closes without fuss
• [ ] Nothing scrolls sideways
• [ ] Form fields open the right keyboard (number pad for phone)
• [ ] The most important thing on the page is a way to reach you

What is the fastest fix if you are stuck?

If your site is slow and you have little time, do these three:

1. Shrink the top-of-page image to a size that fits the screen, not the size that came off your camera.
2. Delete one widget you do not need. A chat box nobody answers is a good candidate.
3. Put your phone number in the top corner as a tap-to-call link.

Retest on cell data. If it is better, keep going down the list. If it is still bad, the site builder or host may be the limit. That is when you ask them plainly what they can do, or look at a different setup.

Where does mobile fit with the rest of your site?

Speed and phone-readiness are part of the same list as clear services, a visible number and real photos. Our list of seven mistakes that cost you calls puts them in context, and what pages a contractor website needs covers the rest.

If you do not want to manage the technical side, the contractor website is part of the Builders Presence plan. Either way, test on your own phone every few months, and again any time you add something new to the site.

Common questions

What slows down a contractor website the most?

Usually oversized photos. A picture straight from a phone can be far larger than the space it fills on screen. Autoplay video, sliders, chat widgets and stacks of add-ons come next. Fix photos first, since it is the cheapest change and often the biggest.

Do I need a separate mobile version of my website?

No. A modern site should adapt to any screen size on its own. What you need to check is that it reads well and works on a phone: readable text, a tappable phone number, buttons big enough for a thumb, and no popup covering the page.

What is a good PageSpeed score for a contractor site?

Free tools such as Google’s PageSpeed Insights give scores and tips, but treat the score as a guide, not the goal. A homeowner does not see a number. They see whether the page loaded, read well and let them call. Fix the slowest, most obvious problems first.

Does website speed affect Google rankings?

Google has not published exactly how much weight it gives speed, so nobody outside Google can say. The safer reason to care is people. A slow page loses visitors before they ever see your number, whatever it does for search.

Use both, and put the call button first. A tap-to-call button suits urgent jobs and people on a phone. A short contact form suits planned jobs and people who cannot call right now. Whichever one they use, someone has to answer fast.

Most people who visit a contractor site are on a phone. Most of them are doing one of two things: trying to reach you now, or checking you out before they decide. Those are different jobs, and they need different buttons.

What is the difference between a form and a call button?

	Call button	Contact form
Speed	Instant, if you pick up	Nothing happens until you read it
Best for	Leaks, no heat, dead power, tree on the house	Remodels, paint, decks, fences, landscaping design
Customer effort	One tap	Typing on a small screen
Risk	Rings out to voicemail	Sits in an inbox you forgot to check
What you can learn	Nothing until you talk	Job type, town and a photo, up front
Works after hours	Only with a fallback	Yes, it waits for you

Neither is better in general. The right one depends on how urgent the job is and how the customer buys.

When does a call button win?

When the customer has a problem now. Someone with water on the floor does not fill out a form and wait. They tap the number and want a human.

• Plumbing, HVAC, electrical, garage doors, tree emergencies and roof leaks lean this way.
• Anyone searching from a phone in a hurry leans this way.
• Older customers who would rather talk than type lean this way.

Put the number at the top of every page, and make it a real tap-to-call link, not an image or plain text. Keep a call button visible as the person scrolls on a phone.

When does a form win?

When the job is planned and the customer wants to describe it. A kitchen remodel, a new fence, a repaint or a landscape plan does not need to be solved in a phone call.

A form also wins for the person who is at work, on the couch at night, or does not want to talk to a salesperson yet. For them, typing a few lines is easier than calling.

And it gives you something a call does not: a written description, and often a photo, before you pick up the phone.

How short should the form be?

Short. Ask only what you need to call back and decide if you can help.

A form that works:

• Name (required)
• Phone (required)
• What do you need done? (short text box, required)
• Town or ZIP (required)
• Photo upload (optional, only if you quote from photos)

Skip these unless you truly use them: email as a required field, “How did you hear about us,” a long dropdown of every service, and a captcha that makes people pick traffic lights. If spam is a problem, use a lighter filter that does not block real customers.

Under the button, add one line that sets expectations, and only promise what you will do: “We reply to every request the same business day.” If that is not true for you, write something that is.

What should happen after someone submits?

This is where forms fail. The form works, then nothing happens for two days.

Imagine a remodeler whose form sends ten leads in a month. If those go to an old email address nobody checks until the weekend, and four people hire someone who called them back Monday, that is four jobs lost with no way to see it in the numbers. The numbers are made up, but the point holds: from your side, a slow reply looks the same as no interest.

A simple after-form routine:

1. Send it to a phone you carry. Set the notification to your cell, not a shared inbox.
2. Reply fast, by text or call. If they typed the request on their phone, a text back fits how they reached you.
3. Confirm receipt automatically. Copy this:

Hi [Name], thanks for reaching out to [Business]. We got your request for [job type] in [Town]. [Your name] will call or text you today. If it is urgent, call [phone number].

1. Test it monthly. Submit a fake lead yourself and see how long it takes to reach you.

Texting is where rules change over time, so confirm current requirements for your setup. As operating habits: get consent before sending, honor STOP right away, register your business number where carriers require it, and keep every message useful to the customer.

What about calls you cannot answer?

Call buttons only work if someone picks up. When you are on a roof or under a sink, the call rings out. A missed-call text back texts the caller automatically, so they are not left staring at a voicemail box. See what a missed call really costs to do the math for your own numbers.

If you would rather answer in person, your greeting matters as well; a phone script that books more estimates covers what to say.

A quick checklist for your site

• [ ] Phone number at the top of every page, tap-to-call
• [ ] Call button stays visible on a phone as you scroll
• [ ] Same phone number as your Google Business Profile
• [ ] Form has four fields or fewer, plus optional photo
• [ ] Form reaches your cell within minutes (tested, not assumed)
• [ ] Automatic confirmation goes to the customer
• [ ] Hours listed, and an honest note about after-hours replies
• [ ] You checked all of this on a real phone, not just your computer

This fits into the bigger picture of what a contractor website needs. And if you would rather have the site, the form and the phone line set up together, the website and business phone line are part of the Builders Presence plan.

Common questions

How many fields should a contractor contact form have?

Four is a good starting point: name, phone, what you need done, and your town or ZIP. Add an optional photo upload if your trade quotes from pictures. Every extra required field gives a busy homeowner another reason to quit before they send.

Should I put my email address on my contractor website?

You can, but a phone number and a form do more work. Email links are easy to ignore, and publishing an address can bring spam. If you list one, use a business address you check daily and make sure it matches what appears on your Google profile.

What is a click-to-call button?

It is a phone number built as a link, so tapping it on a smartphone opens the dialer with your number ready. Plain text numbers may not be tappable. Build the number as a phone link, then test it by tapping it yourself on a real phone.

Why am I not getting form leads from my website?

Check the basics first: does the form actually send, and to an inbox you read? Submit a test yourself. Then look at the form’s length, whether it is easy to find on a phone, and whether a spam filter is catching real leads.

Photos of your own finished jobs win more estimates than stock images because they show the homeowner the exact work they would be hiring you to do. Shoot before, during and after with a phone, in daylight, and put your best shots near the top of your pages.

A homeowner cannot inspect your work before they call. Your photos are the sample. They are the closest thing to a walk-through of a finished job, and they get looked at before your services list does.

Stock photos fail at this. They show someone else’s work, or nobody’s. Your own photos show a real driveway, a real roofline, a real bathroom in a real house. That is what makes a stranger feel safe picking up the phone.

What photos should a contractor take?

Take the same set on every job. That way you never have to think about it and your site fills up on its own.

Shot	What it proves	Example
Before	The problem was real	Rotted fascia, cracked slab, clogged gutter line
During	You do it right where nobody looks	Flashing detail, wiring in the panel, prep on the wall
After, wide	The whole result	Full room, full roof, full yard
After, close	The craftsmanship	A clean seam, a tight joint, a straight line
Crew and truck	Real people show up	Your crew at work, truck in the driveway
Cleanup	You leave it clean	Swept driveway, tarps gone, site clear

The “during” shots are the ones most contractors skip and the ones that separate you from the cheapest bid. Work that will be covered up is work a homeowner has to trust you on. Show it.

How do you take good job photos with a phone?

1. Wipe the lens. Job sites put dust and fingerprints on it. Do this first.
2. Shoot in daylight. Early or late light is kind. Harsh noon sun and flash are not. For interiors, turn on every light and open the blinds.
3. Turn the phone sideways. Websites are wider than they are tall, so landscape shots fit better.
4. Step back. Get the whole space, then move in for the detail shot. Most bad job photos are too close.
5. Clear the frame. Move the ladder, the cooler, the bucket. Thirty seconds of tidying changes the photo.
6. Match your before and after. Stand in the same spot, hold the phone at the same height. Use the grid lines in your camera settings to line them up.
7. Take extras. Ten shots on the job, pick three later. Deleting is free.

What should you keep off the website?

• Faces of customers and kids. Get a clear yes first, or frame them out.
• House numbers, license plates and mail. Crop or blur them. You are posting the address of a customer’s home on the internet.
• Security cameras, alarm panels and keypads. Frame around them.
• Unsafe scenes. A photo of a crew without fall protection or a messy site tells a homeowner how you run jobs. Only post what you would be happy for an inspector to see.
• Blurry, dark or crooked shots. One bad photo can cost you the trust ten good ones built.
• Photos you did not take or do not have permission to use.

How do you put photos on the website so they get used?

Photos help only if a visitor sees them fast.

• Put a strong shot at the top of the home page, close to your phone number and call button.
• Group photos by service. A roof photo belongs on the roofing page, not buried in a general gallery.
• Add a short caption: job type, town, one useful detail. Copy this pattern:

Tear-off and new architectural shingle roof, [Town]. Replaced rotted decking on the back slope.

• Write plain alt text. That is the short description that screen readers read aloud, and it also tells search engines what the image shows. Describe the photo the way you would to a friend: “New cedar fence with gate, side yard, [Town].” Do not stuff it with keywords.
• Resize before you upload. A photo straight off your phone can be far bigger than the space it fills, which slows the page down on cell data. See how to check your site’s speed on a phone.
• Keep it simple on mobile. A basic grid is easier to tap through than a fancy slider on a small screen.

For the rest of what a site needs besides photos, see what a contractor website needs. If you shoot short clips as well, job-site videos that bring in calls covers what to film.

What is a photo habit that takes 10 minutes a job?

Put this on a card in the truck, or send it to your crew as a text:

Before you leave the job:

• [ ] Before shot (from your notes or first pass)
• [ ] One progress shot of anything that will be covered
• [ ] Wide after shot, same spot as the before
• [ ] Two close-up detail shots
• [ ] Site clean, then a cleanup shot
• [ ] Ask the customer if you can use the photos, and note the answer

Once a week, 10 minutes:

• [ ] Pick the best three from each finished job
• [ ] Delete the rest
• [ ] Write a one-line caption for each: job type, town, one detail
• [ ] Add them to the right service page

Photos you already took can be reused on your Google Business Profile as well, so one habit feeds two places.

What if you have no photos yet?

Start with the next job, and use whatever you have from past work, even older shots, as long as the work is yours. Say “recent work” on the page only if it is. If you are starting out and have almost no photos, a few honest photos of a small job is better than a page of stock images pretending to be your portfolio.

A site with your own photos, a tap-to-call number and your service area is the base. If you would rather not build it yourself, the contractor website is part of the Builders Presence plan.

Common questions

How many photos should a contractor website have?

Enough to show each main service at least once, and no more than you can keep fresh. A few strong shots per service beats a hundred mixed ones. Start with your best six to twelve jobs overall, then add to each service page as you finish new work.

Can I use photos my customers took or photos from a supplier?

Only with permission. Ask the customer before you use their photos, and never use a manufacturer’s or another contractor’s images as if they were your work. A supplier’s product photo is fine to show a product, but label it as the product, not as your finished job.

Do I need a professional photographer for my contractor website?

Not to start. A recent phone, clean lens and daylight get you most of the way. A photographer can be worth it later for a hero image or a big portfolio job. Until then, consistent photos from every job beat one polished shoot.

Should I put my logo or a watermark on job photos?

A small logo in a corner is fine if it does not cover the work. Skip large watermarks that get in the way. What matters more is that the photo shows the job clearly, with a caption that names the job type and the town.

The contractor website mistakes that cost the most calls are simple: a phone number that is hard to find or tap on mobile, stock photos, slow pages, vague services, no service area, a form as the only way to reach you, and no proof like reviews. Each takes minutes to fix.

Most contractors do not lose calls because their site is ugly. They lose them because a visitor with a problem cannot quickly tell if you do that job, if you work in their area, or how to reach you. Fix those things first.

Here are seven mistakes, what each looks like, and how to fix it in about ten minutes.

1. Is your phone number hard to find or tap?

What it looks like: The number is in the footer, in an image, or only on the contact page. On a phone, tapping it does nothing.

Why it costs calls: Many visitors want to call and are on a phone already. If it takes hunting, some will go back and pick another company.

The fix: Put the number at the top of every page as a plain link that starts a call when tapped. Add a “Call now” button on the homepage. Test it on your own phone.

2. Are you using stock photos?

What it looks like: Smiling people in clean hard hats, a perfect kitchen nobody in your town could have built.

Why it costs calls: Homeowners can often tell. Photos that are obviously not yours make the whole site feel generic, and they hide the best proof you have.

The fix: Replace stock images with your own. Daylight, clean angle, one photo per job type is a good start. Our post on contractor website photos shows how to take them.

3. Is the page slow on a phone?

What it looks like: You wait, staring at a blank screen or a spinner, while huge photos load.

Why it costs calls: Someone searching from a job site or a driveway is not going to wait patiently. A slow page gives them a reason to back out.

The fix: Resize photos before you upload them. Phone photos are often far larger than a website needs. Remove auto-playing video and extras. Test on cellular data, not your office wifi.

4. Are your services vague?

What it looks like: “Quality home improvement solutions for all your needs.”

Why it costs calls: A visitor cannot tell if you do the one job they need. If they have to guess, they call someone whose page says it plainly.

The fix: List each service in the words a customer would type into a search. “Gutter cleaning,” “roof leak repair,” “interior painting.” Say what you do not do too.

5. Is your service area missing?

What it looks like: “Serving the greater area.” Or nothing at all.

Why it costs calls: People outside your range call and waste your time. People inside your range assume you are too far and skip you.

The fix: Name your towns or counties in plain text on the home page and the contact page. A line like “Serving [Town], [Town] and [County]” is enough. Keep your Google Business Profile area consistent with it.

6. Is a form the only way to reach you?

What it looks like: A long form that asks for ten details and no phone number.

Why it costs calls: A form puts the work on the customer, and a phone number puts it on you. Some people, especially with urgent jobs, will not fill out a form and wait for a reply.

The fix: Keep the form short: name, phone, town, what they need. Add tap-to-call next to it. Make sure form messages reach your cell right away. More on this in contact form or call button.

7. Is there no proof, or is the info out of date?

What it looks like: No reviews, no license or insurance details where they apply, an old phone number, a copyright year from years ago, or a “coming soon” page.

Why it costs calls: A visitor is deciding whether to let a stranger into their home. Stale or missing proof makes that harder.

The fix: Add two or three real reviews, used with the customer’s permission and in their real words. Show license and insurance details only if you hold them. Check every phone number, hour and page for accuracy.

What could fixing these be worth?

Here is a hypothetical, with made-up numbers, to show how to think about it. Say 200 people visit your site in a month and 4 of them call, which is 2 in every 100. You fix the number, the photos and the services list, and now 6 call, which is 3 in every 100.

That is 2 extra calls a month. If one in four of those calls books a $1,800 job, that is half a job a month, or about $900 of work. Change the numbers to fit your business. The point is that small fixes add up over a year. It is not a promise, and results vary.

10-minute self-audit

Do this on your phone, on cellular data.

1. Open your site. Can you say what you do, and where, without scrolling?
2. Tap the phone number. Does it dial?
3. Scroll the home page. Count the photos that are actually yours.
4. Read your services list. Would a stranger know what to search for?
5. Look for your service area. Are towns named?
6. Submit the form with a test message. Did it reach your cell?
7. Check the date at the bottom, the hours and the phone number.

Fix the first item that fails, then repeat.

What about the calls you still miss?

A good site brings in calls, and some will come while you are on a roof or under a sink. Our post on what missed calls cost shows how to do the math. If you would rather not handle each one by hand, missed-call text back is part of the Builders Presence plan. For everything else, use the contractor website guide.

Common questions

How do I know if my website is losing me calls?

Look at it on your phone, on cellular data, as if you were a stranger with a problem. Can you tell what you do, where, and how to reach you in five seconds? Then track your calls and forms for a month and ask each new caller how they found you. Those two habits reveal more than guessing.

Is a slow contractor website really a problem?

It can be. Someone searching from a job site or their kitchen is often impatient, and a page that takes a long time to load gives them a reason to go back and try another company. Large uncompressed photos are the usual cause. Resize images before you upload them, and test on a phone.

Should my phone number be a picture or text?

Text, always. A number inside an image cannot be tapped, copied or read by a screen reader, and a phone has to be able to dial it on a tap. Make it a plain link that starts a call. Then test it by tapping it on your own phone.

How often should I check my website for errors?

Once a month is a good habit. Tap the phone number, submit the contact form, click each menu link and read the top of the home page on a phone. Also check whenever something changes in your business, like a new number, a new service or new hours, so the site never lies to a customer.

If your work comes from referrals, a website is not what fills your calendar, but it is where a referred customer checks you before calling. A simple site that confirms who you are, what you do and how to reach you protects those referrals and catches the people referrals never reach.

Referrals are the best kind of work. The customer already trusts you, and nobody is comparing your price to five others. If that is how your phone rings, it is fair to ask why you would spend time or money on a website.

The answer is not that a website replaces referrals. It is what happens in the minute between someone getting your name and someone dialing your number.

What does a referred customer do next?

Picture this hypothetical. A homeowner is at a neighbor’s barbecue and hears, “We used a great deck builder, his name is Mike.” She does not call from the yard. That night, she searches his business name on her phone.

What she finds decides what happens next:

• Nothing, or only a directory listing. She has no photos, no proof, no confirmation. She may call anyway, or she may drift to whoever is easier to find.
• An old Facebook page, or a phone number that does not match. She wonders if the number is right and whether he is still in business.
• A clear page with his trade, area, phone, photos and reviews. She taps the number. The referral just closed itself.

A referral opens the door. A quick look-up decides if she walks through it.

What can referrals not do?

Referrals are strong but they have limits.

• They depend on other people. You cannot make a neighbor talk about you on a schedule.
• They do not reach newcomers. Someone new to town has no neighbors to ask yet, so they search.
• They rarely cover every service. A past customer may refer your roofing but never mention the gutters you also do.
• They thin out in slow seasons. When the phone goes quiet, you have no other source.
• They come from a small circle. If a few customers send most of your work, losing one is a big dent.

None of this means referrals are a bad plan. It means a second path costs little and protects the first.

What is the minimum website for a referral business?

You do not need a big site. You need a small one that is accurate. Use this checklist:

1. Business name, trade and town at the top.
2. A phone number that taps to call.
3. Your service area, by town or county.
4. Your main services, in plain words.
5. Four to six real photos of finished work.
6. Two or three real reviews, used with permission.
7. Hours and a short contact form.

One page can hold all of that. See what pages a contractor website needs if you want to grow it later.

How can you test what customers see?

Take five minutes and do this on your phone, not a computer:

1. Search your business name. What comes up first?
2. Search your trade plus your town. Are you anywhere in the results?
3. Tap each result that is you. Does the phone number work? Is it the right number?
4. Look at your Google profile. Are hours, area and photos correct?
5. Ask a friend who has never heard of you to find your number in ten seconds.

Whatever slowed you down, slows a customer down too. Fix the top item first.

What should you send when someone refers you?

A quick reply with a link keeps the referral warm. Here is a text you can copy:

“ Hi [Name], this is [Your name] at [Business]. [Referrer] mentioned you might need [type of work]. Here is a bit about us and some recent jobs: [website]. Happy to come take a look. What day works this week? “

It costs nothing, and it gives a stranger a way to check you out before saying yes. To get more of those referrals in the first place, see our post on how to ask customers for referrals.

Does a website beat a Facebook page here?

They do different things. A Facebook page is good for recent work and staying in touch. A website is the address you own. We compare them in contractor website vs. Facebook page.

When might you honestly skip it?

You may reasonably skip a website if all of these are true: you are booked well ahead, you do not want more work, your customers all know your number, and your Google Business Profile has correct details and reviews. Even then, a one-page site is a cheap safety net.

A slow month, or a steady customer who moves away, is when you will want a place to send strangers.

What if you want it done without the hassle?

If you would rather not build it, the website in the Builders Presence plan is built in 7 to 10 days and is month to month with no contract. Or build a one-page site yourself using the checklist above.

Common questions

Will a website hurt my referral business?

No. It usually helps, because it gives a referred customer a place to confirm you are real before they call. The risk runs the other way: if they search your name and find nothing, or find an old phone number, they may hesitate. A short, accurate site removes that doubt without changing how you work.

What is the least I can put on a website?

One page is enough to start. Include your business name, trade, service area, phone number that taps to call, a few real photos of your work, and one or two reviews you have permission to use. Add your hours and a short contact form. Keep it accurate and keep your number current.

What if I am booked out and do not want more work?

Then you may not need to grow, and a site is not urgent. Even so, a simple page keeps referred customers from hitting a dead end, and it gives you a tidy link to send. If the schedule is full today, a website is insurance for the slow months and for the day a steady customer moves.

Is a Google Business Profile enough without a website?

It can cover the basics: name, phone, hours, area, photos and reviews. But it is one profile on one platform, and it does not let you explain your services or process in your own words. A profile and a simple site work well together, and the profile can link to your site.

A contractor website needs five core pages: home, services, service area, about, and contact, plus a gallery of real work and your reviews. A small site of five to seven focused pages is usually enough. Every page should show your phone number and a clear next step so visitors can reach you.

Most contractor sites fail by having too much of the wrong stuff and too little of the right stuff. Start with the pages below, build them well, and add more only when you have something real to put on them.

What are the core pages?

Page	Its job	Must include
Home	Tell a stranger what you do, where, and how to reach you	Headline with trade and town, phone, two or three photos, a few reviews
Services	List what you do, and what you do not	Plain names for each service, a short line on each, a link to contact
Service area	Show which towns you cover	Town or county names, a note on where you do not go
Gallery	Prove the work is real	Your own photos, with a line on each job
About	Show there is a real person behind it	Name, photo, licensing or insurance if it applies, years in the trade if true
Contact	Make reaching you easy	Tap-to-call number, short form, hours, address or area

Reviews can live on the home page, or on their own page if you have plenty.

What should the home page do?

It has one task: get the visitor to the next step in seconds. A stranger on a phone should see your trade, your town, your phone number and a photo of your work without scrolling or tapping.

Put a call button at the top. Under it, list your main services. Then a short strip of photos, then two or three reviews, then your service area. End with the contact form. If a section does not help someone decide to call, cut it.

What goes on the services page?

Name each service the way a customer would search for it, not the way you would put it on a bid sheet. “Water heater repair and replacement” is better than “plumbing solutions.”

For each service, write two or three sentences: what the job is, how long it usually takes, and what you need from the customer. Add a photo if you have one. If there is something you do not do, say so. It saves phone calls you do not want.

What goes on the service area page?

List the towns and counties you actually serve. If you will drive 40 minutes for the right job but not for a small one, say that: “We serve [towns]. For larger projects we travel farther. Call to ask.”

Write it in plain text, not inside an image. If you have done real jobs in a town, name the type of job. That gives the page something true to say. For a deeper look at whether separate town pages are worth it, read service-area pages for contractors.

What should the about page say?

Keep it short and human. Who runs the company, what your trade is, how long you have worked in it if you want to say, and what a customer can expect from the first phone call to the finished job.

Include license and insurance information only if you hold them, and only with details you can back up. Add a real photo of you or the crew. Skip stock images and skip the mission statement.

What is a sample site map?

Here is a hypothetical for a fencing company in a mid-size town, so you can see how small it can be:

“ Home Services (wood, vinyl, chain link, repair) Gallery Service area (list of towns) About Reviews Contact “

Seven pages. Each has a purpose. Nothing is filler. If the company later does a lot of gate repair, it can add a gate repair page with real photos and pricing notes.

Which optional pages are worth adding?

Add these only when you have real content:

• A page for a major service. When one service is a large part of your work, and you have photos, materials and process to share.
• A reviews page. When you have enough real reviews to make a list worth reading.
• An FAQ page. When customers keep asking the same questions on the phone. Answer them once, in plain words.
• A financing or payment page. Only if you offer it and can describe the terms accurately.
• A page for a specific town. Only when you have real work and real detail there.

Which pages should you skip?

• A blog you will not update.
• “Our values” or “Our mission” pages.
• A page of stock photos.
• Ten near-identical pages that only swap the town name.
• A “coming soon” page. If it is not ready, leave it out.

Pre-launch checklist

Run through this before you tell anyone the site is live.

1. The phone number appears at the top of every page and taps to call.
2. The contact form reaches you, on your cell, within minutes. Test it.
3. Every service page has at least one real photo.
4. Your service area lists towns, not just “the local area.”
5. Your business name, phone and address match your Google Business Profile.
6. You can read every page without pinching or zooming on your phone.
7. No page says “coming soon,” “lorem ipsum” or has a placeholder image.
8. You have reviews you were allowed to use, in the customer’s own words.

For a broader look at what makes a site work, see the contractor website guide. If you already have a site, our earlier post on what a contractor website needs is a good companion.

What if you would rather not build the pages yourself?

The website in the Builders Presence plan is built in 7 to 10 days, and local SEO is part of the plan too. It is month to month, so you are not locked in. You can also use this list to brief any designer or do it yourself.

Common questions

How many pages should a small contractor website have?

Five to seven is a good target: home, services, service area, gallery, about and contact, with reviews on the home page or their own page. Add a page only when it holds something a customer needs and you can keep true. A few solid pages serve visitors better than many thin ones.

Do I need a separate page for each service?

Not at the start. List your main services on one page, and give a service its own page when it is a big part of your income and you have real detail to share, such as photos, materials and process. Separate pages with copied text and only a name swapped add little for anyone.

Should I have a page for every town I serve?

Only if you can say something true and useful about each one, like jobs you have done there. Google does not publish its full recipe, but pages that repeat the same text with a new town name give visitors nothing new. Start with one clear service area page and build from real work.

Do contractors need a pricing page?

Not necessarily. Many jobs cannot be priced without a look. But you can help visitors by explaining what affects the price, how quotes work and how long they take, and by naming fees you do charge, like a service call. That builds trust without locking you into numbers you cannot honor.

Most contractors are better off with both, because they do different jobs. A Facebook page is a free place to show recent work and stay in touch with people who already know you. A website is an address you own, with your services, area and phone number in one place, that a search can lead to.

Facebook is easy and free, so a lot of contractors start there. A website takes more setup and costs something. The honest answer is that they are good at different things, and knowing which is which tells you where to spend your next hour.

What is a Facebook page good for?

A Facebook page is good for showing you are active and real. It works well for:

• Posting recent photos of finished jobs, quickly, from your phone.
• Keeping in touch with past customers, neighbors and friends of customers.
• Letting customers tag you, share your work and recommend you to others.
• Answering questions and taking messages from people who already know your name.

For a painter who posts a finished exterior every week, the page becomes a running record of work. That is useful proof when someone is deciding whether to call you.

What is a website good for?

A website is a page you control, at an address that is yours. It works well for:

• Putting your trade, town, phone number and services in one place, with nothing competing for attention.
• Giving a search result or your Google Business Profile somewhere to send people.
• Letting you choose what a visitor sees first, instead of a feed that changes by the hour.
• Holding your phone number, reviews and service area in a stable, tidy layout.

Google does not publish its full ranking recipe, so nobody can promise you a position. What is true is that a site lets search engines read your services and area in plain text, and a Facebook page is one page inside a platform you do not run.

How do they compare?

	Facebook page	Website
Cost	Free to start	A domain, hosting and setup, or a monthly service
Control	Facebook sets the layout, rules and reach	You decide the layout, content and address
Best for	Recent work, staying in touch, sharing	Being found, clear services, contact in one place
Setup time	An afternoon	Days to weeks, depending on route
Upkeep	Regular posting keeps it alive	Occasional updates when things change
Address that stays yours	No, it lives inside the platform	Yes, if you own the domain

What is the risk of relying only on Facebook?

The risk is control. Platform rules, layout and features can change without notice, and your page is not something you can move to another home. If it is your only online presence, a change on their side becomes a change to your business.

That does not mean Facebook is bad. It means it works best as one place customers can see you, not the only one. The same is true of any single platform.

When is a Facebook page enough for now?

It is a reasonable start if all of these are true:

• Your calendar is full from referrals and repeat customers.
• Your page shows your phone number, service area and hours.
• You post real work at least a couple of times a month.
• You have claimed your Google Business Profile so searchers can find your basics.

If any of those is missing, a simple website will fill the gap faster than more posting. See do you need a website if your work comes from referrals for the full case.

Do this in a weekend if you only have a Facebook page

Use this list as written. Each step is small.

1. Fix the About section. Trade, town, service area, phone, hours.
2. Pin your best post. A clear before-and-after photo with two lines: what the job was, where.
3. Turn on messages, and answer them. Reply with your number, not just “call us”.
4. Post three real jobs. Use your own photos, taken in daylight.
5. Claim your Google Business Profile if you have not, and add your Facebook link.
6. Pick a domain name that matches your business name, even if you build later.
7. Put the same phone number everywhere. Page, profile, truck, invoices.

What is a good Facebook About text?

Copy and fill in:

“ [Business name] | [Trade] in [Town] and [nearby towns]. [One line: what you do and who for.] Licensed and insured where required. Call or text [phone] for a quote. Mon to Sat, [hours]. “

Only claim licensing and insurance if you hold them and can show proof.

How should the two work together?

Treat your website as home base and Facebook as the front porch. Post a finished job on Facebook, then use the same photo on your site’s gallery. Share new reviews on your page. Put your website address in the page’s info, on your posts when it fits, and in replies to messages.

Photos you take for one work for the other. Our post on contractor website photos shows how to shoot them once and use them everywhere.

What if you only have time for one?

If you have an hour a week, spend it on the one that matches your customers. People who find you through friends and neighbors will check your Facebook page. People who find you through a search will check your website and your Google reviews. Most contractors get a mix of both.

If you would rather have the website built and kept up for you, the website in the Builders Presence plan is month to month with no contract. Otherwise, build your own and keep Facebook as the place where your recent work lives. The full contractor website guide walks through the whole build.

Common questions

Can a Facebook page replace a website for a contractor?

For a while, it can, especially if most of your work comes from people who already know you. The tradeoff is control. Facebook decides how your page looks, what it can do and who sees your posts. A website is an address you own, so you can keep it steady as platforms change.

Should my website link to my Facebook page?

Yes, if the page is active and shows recent work. A small link in the footer or on the about page is enough. Do not send people away from the homepage before they have seen your services and phone number. And if the page is out of date, fix it or leave the link off.

How often should a contractor post on Facebook?

Consistency beats volume. One or two posts a week with real photos of finished or in-progress work is plenty, and a slow month with nothing is worse than a steady, small rhythm. If you cannot keep that up, post less often and keep your phone number, hours and area accurate on the page.

What should I fix first if I only have a Facebook page?

Make sure your phone number, service area and hours are in the page’s About section, then pin a post with your best recent job. Next, claim your Google Business Profile so searchers can find you. A simple website comes after those, when you can put your phone number and services on a page you own.

A contractor website can cost anywhere from a subscription of tens of dollars a month if you build it yourself to a few thousand dollars if you hire a designer, plus ongoing hosting and updates. Prices vary by provider and scope, so get current written quotes and compare the three-year total, not the sticker price.

There is no single price, and anyone who quotes you one without asking about your trade, your area and what you already have is guessing. What you can do is understand what you are paying for, know the typical ranges, and compare quotes on the same terms.

What are you paying for when you buy a website?

A contractor website is a handful of separate costs that sometimes come bundled:

• Domain name: the address, like yourbusiness.com. Usually renewed every year.
• Hosting: the place the site lives so people can load it.
• Design and build: the layout, pages and phone-friendly setup.
• Writing: the words about your services and area.
• Photos: yours, or a photographer’s time to take them.
• Updates: changing your hours, adding a new job, fixing a typo.
• Forms and phone setup: making sure a message actually reaches you.

When a quote looks cheap, find out which of these are left out. When a quote looks high, find out which of these are included.

What are the typical price ranges?

These are typical and approximate, not quotes. Prices change and differ by provider and location, so treat them as a starting point and get current written quotes.

Route	Typical cost pattern	Watch for
Build it yourself on a website builder	A subscription, often tens of dollars a month, plus a domain	Your hours, and a site that looks like every other template
Freelancer or small designer	Often hundreds to a few thousand dollars up front	Who handles hosting and changes after launch
Local web agency	Commonly a few thousand dollars and up	Monthly maintenance fees added on top
Managed monthly service	One flat monthly price	Contract length, and who owns the domain

None of these is automatically right. The right one is the one where you can name everything the price covers.

What does it cost over three years?

The sticker price hides the total. Here is a hypothetical, with made-up numbers, to show how to compare. Say you get three quotes:

Quote	Up front	Monthly	Three-year total
A	$2,400	$30	$3,480
B	$0	$199	$7,164
C	$600	$79	$3,444

The math is up front plus 36 months. Quote A is $2,400 plus 36 times $30. Quote B is 36 times $199. Quote C is $600 plus 36 times $79.

Now look past the totals. Does the monthly fee include changes? Does Quote A charge for every edit? Does Quote B include hosting, a contact form and text alerts? The cheapest total is not the best deal if you pay extra every time you change a phone number.

How should you think about whether a site is worth it?

Turn the cost into jobs. Say a site costs about $3,500 over three years, which is roughly $97 a month. If your average job pays $1,500 and the site brings you one extra job a year, that is $4,500 over three years, more than it cost. Revenue is not profit, so subtract your materials and labor before you decide.

That is arithmetic, not a promise. A website does not guarantee any calls, and nobody can honestly tell you how many you will get. Your site helps most when it works together with your Google profile, your reviews and how fast you respond.

Checklist: questions to ask before you pay

Copy these into an email or read them on the phone. A good provider answers all of them without dodging.

1. What is the total cost for the first year, including domain and hosting?
2. What do I pay each year after that?
3. Who owns the domain name, and will you transfer it to me if I leave?
4. Who owns the photos and the text?
5. How many pages are included, and what does an extra page cost?
6. How do changes work, how long do they take, and what do they cost?
7. Is there a contract, and what does it cost to cancel?
8. Where do the contact form messages go, and can they text me?
9. Does the site work well on a phone? Can you show me a live example?
10. What do I need to give you, and when will it go live?

What is not worth paying extra for?

• A custom logo animation or a fancy homepage video.
• A blog you will not write.
• Dozens of pages with the same text and a different town name.
• “SEO packages” that promise a ranking. Google does not publish its full ranking recipe, and nobody can honestly guarantee a position.

Spend on what visitors actually use: a clear headline, a tap-to-call number, real photos and real reviews.

What is the cheapest way to start?

If money is tight, get the basics live first. A single strong page with your trade, your area, your phone number, four or five real photos and a couple of reviews beats a large empty site. You can add pages later, and you can move it if you outgrow it, as long as you own your domain.

For a full page-by-page list, see what pages a contractor website needs, or read the whole contractor website guide.

What if you want it handled for you?

If you would rather not build or maintain it, the website inside the Builders Presence plan is a flat monthly price, month to month with no contract, built in 7 to 10 days. Pricing lists what else comes with it. You can also use the checklist above with any provider you like.

Common questions

Why do contractor website prices vary so much?

Because you are buying different things. A template you fill in yourself, a custom design, and a monthly service that includes hosting and changes are not the same product. Prices also depend on how many pages you need, who writes the copy, whether photos are included, and who handles updates afterward.

Is a cheap contractor website good enough?

It can be, if it shows your trade, service area, phone number, real photos and reviews, and loads well on a phone. A low price becomes a problem when it hides extra charges, locks you in, or gives you generic copy and stock photos. Judge it on those points, not on the price alone.

Who should own my domain name?

You should. Register it in your own name or your company’s name, or make sure the provider will transfer it to you on request. If a provider owns your domain, leaving them can mean losing the address on your truck and invoices. Get this answered in writing before you pay.

Do I pay for a contractor website every month?

Usually something recurs, even if the build was a one-time fee. Domain renewal and hosting are common yearly or monthly costs. Some providers bundle hosting, security and small changes into one monthly price. Ask for the full first-year cost and the yearly cost after that.