What to put on a plumbing website

The first screen

Open your site on your phone and look at what shows before you scroll. Hand the phone to a friend who does not know your business. Ask what you fix and where you work. Change the page if they cannot tell you.

These four things must show before anyone scrolls. Repeat the phone button at the bottom of every page.

• What you fix in a customer's own words such as leaks and clogs and water heaters.
• The towns you cover listed by name.
• Your phone number as a button big enough to tap with one thumb.
• A line that says whether you come today and until what time.

The jobs you take

Write each job the way a customer says it. Put the plain name first and the trade word after it if you need one.

Say which jobs you do not take, such as new construction or work on big buildings. Both sides save a wasted trip.

A plumber who works on homes might list these.

• Clogged and slow drains.
• Leaking and burst pipes.
• Water heater repair and replacement.
• Toilets and faucets and garbage disposals.
• Sewer lines and sump pumps.

How your pricing works

Tell the customer how you charge before they ask. A customer who knows your rule has one less thing to ask when they phone.

Cover these four points in a pricing section. Use your own fee and your own rules.

• Your service visit fee and what it covers.
• Whether the fee comes off the repair price when the customer books the work.
• When the customer hears the full price: after you look and before you start.
• How the customer pays when the work is done.

Your license and your hours

Show your license number as it appears on your license. Add a line about your insurance. Put both in the footer so they show on every page.

A customer is letting a stranger into the house. These two lines help them say yes.

List your hours by day. Then write your after hours rule in one sentence. Say who answers at night and whether a night visit costs more. Put it next to your phone number if you take night emergencies.

Photos and the request form

Use real photos that you or your crew took. Start with your van and the name on its side. Add the face of the person who will come to the door. Then show a job you finished.

Keep the request form short. Ask for these five things and no more. Tell the person when you will reply.

• Their name and phone number.
• The address of the job.
• One line about the problem.
• A photo of the leak if they have one.
• The best time to reach them.

What to leave out

Move your company history to its own page. The person with a leak reads the first screen and decides whether to phone you.

Skip the slideshow. It moves your words away while the person is still reading them. Skip any pop-up that covers your phone number.

Skip stock photos of smiling models in clean uniforms. They tell the visitor nothing about you. A photo of your own van does.