If you're a contractor thinking about getting a website — or wondering why your current one isn't working — this checklist covers everything that matters. No jargon. No fluff. Just the things your website needs to show up on Google and get your phone ringing.
Bookmark this. Come back to it. Use it to evaluate your current site or any site someone builds for you.
In this post
The Basics: Get These Right First
Your phone number is at the top of every page. Clickable on mobile. Not buried in the footer. Not hidden on the contact page. At the top, where people can see it without scrolling. This is the single most important element on your website.
Your service area is clearly stated. Customers need to know you work in their neighbourhood. List the cities and areas you serve — on your homepage and on your service pages. A general contractor serving the Greater Toronto Area should list the specific cities: Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Oakville.
Your services are listed clearly. Not in a paragraph buried halfway down the page. Each major service should be obvious — ideally with its own page or section. Customers searching for "roof repair Calgary" need to see that you do roof repairs in Calgary.
Your business hours are accurate. If you offer emergency services, say so. If you're closed weekends, say so. Outdated hours create frustration and lost calls.
Your address or service area is consistent everywhere. Your website, your Google Business Profile, your directory listings — they should all show the same information. Inconsistencies confuse Google and hurt your local search ranking.
Design and User Experience
Your site loads in under 3 seconds. Slow websites lose visitors. Test yours at Google PageSpeed Insights — if it's slow, something needs to change. Common culprits: oversized images, too many plugins, and cheap hosting.
It works perfectly on phones. Pull out your phone right now and load your site. Can you read everything without zooming? Can you tap the phone number to call? Can you find your services and service area in one scroll? If not, your site needs a mobile redesign.
The design looks professional and current. Clean layout. Modern fonts. No clutter. It doesn't need to be fancy — it needs to look like it was built in this decade. A dated website makes customers question the quality of your work.
Navigation is simple. Home, Services, About, Contact. Maybe a Gallery or Reviews page. That's enough for most contractors. Don't make customers dig through seven pages to find your phone number.
Content That Gets You Found on Google
Your page titles include your trade and location. "Licensed Electrician in Vancouver" not "Home." "Residential Roofing in Ottawa" not "Services." Page titles are one of the strongest signals you can send Google about what your page is about.
Your meta descriptions are written for searchers. Every page should have a meta description that summarizes what the page is about in under 155 characters. This is the snippet Google shows in search results. Make it compelling: "Professional electrician serving Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Licensed, insured, and available for emergency calls."
Your content mentions Canadian cities naturally. If you serve Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, or Edmonton, those cities should appear in your content — not stuffed awkwardly, but woven in naturally. "Whether you're in Calgary or Edmonton, our team handles residential and commercial projects across Alberta."
Each service has its own content. A page that says "we do plumbing, electrical, and HVAC" isn't going to rank for any of those. Each major service deserves its own page with specific content about that service, the problems it solves, and why customers should choose you.
You have a blog (even a small one). Blog posts targeting questions your customers ask — "do I need a permit for a new roof in Ontario?" or "how often should I service my furnace?" — help you show up for long-tail searches. You don't need to blog weekly. Even 3–4 solid posts make a difference.
Trust and Credibility
Google reviews are visible. Either embedded on your site or linked prominently. A contractor with 30+ five-star reviews converts visitors into callers at a much higher rate than one with none.
Photos of your actual work are included. Real jobs, real results. Before-and-after shots are especially powerful for trades like roofing, painting, and landscaping. If you don't have professional photos yet, high-quality phone photos work until you do.
Your experience and credentials are mentioned. Years in business. Licences. Insurance. Certifications. Professional memberships. These aren't bragging — they're signals that tell customers you're legitimate.
Testimonials from real customers are included. Named, with location if possible. "John from Mississauga" carries more weight than an anonymous quote. Even 3–5 strong testimonials make a difference.
Calls to Action
A clear CTA appears on every page. "Book a Free Call," "Get a Free Quote," or "Call Now" — whatever makes sense for your trade. Every page should make it easy and obvious for the customer to take the next step.
Your contact page actually works. If you have a form, test it. Make sure submissions go somewhere you check. Include your phone number on the contact page too — many customers prefer to call rather than fill out a form.
Your quote process is explained. Do you offer free estimates? Do you come to the property? How quickly can you respond? Customers want to know what happens after they contact you. Reducing uncertainty makes them more likely to reach out.
Technical Essentials
SSL certificate is active (https://). If your URL shows "http://" instead of "https://", Google marks your site as "not secure." This kills trust instantly. Most hosting providers include SSL for free now.
Your site is backed up regularly. If something breaks, you need to be able to restore it. Good hosting includes automatic daily backups.
Your hosting is reliable. If your site goes down, you miss calls. Cheap hosting ($5/month shared hosting) often means slow load times and occasional outages. It's worth paying a bit more for reliability.
Your site isn't built on a platform you can't update. If the person who built your site used a proprietary system and they disappear, you're stuck. Make sure you own your domain name and can access your website's backend if needed.
The Quick Version
If you want the short version, here's what your contractor website needs: phone number at the top, service area clearly stated, professional design that works on phones, page titles with your trade and location, Google reviews, photos of your work, and a clear call to action on every page.
Get those right and you're ahead of most contractors. Everything else is a bonus.
Every Hardworking Website we build at TradesWebsites.ca includes every item on this checklist — built for your trade, live in as little as 7 days.
$97/month. No contracts. Everything included.
See pricing | If you're curious, book a 15-minute call. No pitch, no pressure.