What a contractor's website needs to get jobs
Before a big job, people compare two or three contractors online. Here's what your website needs so they write to you: services, towns, job photos, an easy quote request and the details that build trust.
When someone needs to fix a leaking roof or remodel a bathroom, they don't call the first number they see. They search on Google, look at photos, read reviews and compare two or three contractors before writing to one. It's a big job and it's their home, so they take their time.
Your website is where that person decides whether to write to you. They want to know four things: whether you do the job they need, whether you work in their town, whether you do it well, and whether you're a serious business. Nobody can promise you more jobs from a website (we can't either), but a website that answers those four on a phone clears up the doubts that keep a customer searching.
The short list for a contractor's website
| Element | What to put | Why it gets you the call |
|---|---|---|
| Services | Every job you do, by name: roofing, waterproofing, remodeling, electrical, plumbing, AC, solar installation | They see right away you do their job |
| Service area | The towns or region you cover | They know you'll come to their house |
| Job photos | Before and after, with the town, what was done and how long it took | It shows your work before the first visit |
| Quote request | A form or WhatsApp asking for town, type of job, photos and timeline | You get the full picture in the first message |
| License and insurance | What you have and want to show | Trust to let you into their home |
| Response time | How long you take to answer a quote request | They know what to expect and wait |
| Reviews | A link to your Google reviews | Other customers speak for you |
| Business email | info@yourbusiness.com for your quotes | A quote from your own domain looks more serious |
| Languages | Spanish, plus English if your customers speak it | Nobody is left guessing |
Your services, written the way people search for them
Write each service with the name the customer uses, not the technical one. People search for "roof sealing" or "waterproofing," "bathroom remodeling," "solar panel installation," "electrician," "plumber," "AC installation." In Puerto Rico, many search in Spanish too: "impermeabilización" is the word for roof waterproofing. If you do several things, list them all, each with a line or two on what it includes.
If you have four or five big services, each can get its own page with its own photos. More on when that's worth it is in what pages a small business website needs.
The towns you serve, without publishing your home address
Many contractors work from home and don't want their address online. You don't have to show it. On your website, write the towns or region you cover: "We work in Caguas, Gurabo, San Lorenzo, Cidra and Aguas Buenas," or "the whole metro area."
Google lets you do the same on your Business Profile: instead of a public address, you set a service area. What matters is that the website and the profile list the same towns. If the website says "east region" and the profile only says Humacao, the customer in Fajardo can't tell if you'll come. How to set that up is in how to set up your Google Maps profile step by step. Google also asks you to verify the profile; its steps are in Google's official help.
Before-and-after photos, with a line on each job
For a contractor, photos are the proof. What helps most is a before photo, an after photo and one line underneath: the town, what was done and how long it took. For example: "Roof in Bayamón: full membrane sealing, 3 days." That line tells the customer the job is real.
Take the before photo Before you start any job, take out your phone and take two or three photos in good light, from the same spot where you'll take the after photo. It's the step people forget most.
Ask the homeowner's permission before posting, and don't show house numbers or faces.
How to take quote requests without ten messages back and forth
"Call me for an estimate" is fine, but many customers would rather write. Give them a way to ask for a quote that brings you what you need in the first message:
- The town where the job is.
- The type of job (roof, bathroom, electrical...).
- Photos of the area.
- When they need it done.
It can be a short form that arrives in your email, or a WhatsApp button with those four questions already written. With that, you know if the job fits and what to bring to the visit.
Next to the button, say how long you take to answer: "We answer quote requests within 24 hours, Monday to Saturday." Only promise what you can actually keep. A customer who knows when you'll answer waits; one who doesn't keeps looking.
License, insurance and registration: show them if you have them
To let someone into their home, the customer wants to know you run a proper business. If you have a license for your trade, insurance, or a registration with a government agency, put it on the website: the type of license, and the number if you want to share it.
Which license or registration applies to you depends on your trade. That's not something we can answer for you: check with the government agency that regulates your trade. What we can tell you is that if you already have it, showing it is one of the things that builds the most trust.
Reviews, a business email and both languages
Your Google reviews are what other customers say about you. Link to them from your website, and when a customer is happy with a finished job, ask for a review that same day.
Quotes go out by email, and that's where it shows: a quote from info@yourbusiness.com looks more serious than one from a Gmail address full of numbers. If you're wondering what your own domain and email cost, it's explained in what a domain, hosting and business email cost per year.
And language: many customers here search in Spanish, but some search in English, like homeowners who live off the island. If you get customers like that, a website in both languages keeps them reading.
What a contractor website costs with Esensee
A contractor's website with several services, a job gallery and two languages usually fits the Business plan, from $1,200 one-time plus a monthly plan: up to 6 pages, in Spanish and English, 5 business email addresses on Google email, and your Google Maps profile. If you'd rather start smaller, Starter (from $499 one-time plus a monthly plan) is one page with your services, your towns, photos and the quote button, plus the domain, 2 email addresses and Google Maps.
Both also have a Monthly plan that covers hosting, the domain renewal, email and Updates (new photos, text, prices) you request by text. Its price is set for each business on the free call, depending on the plan and how many email addresses you need. All the costs together are in how much a website costs in Puerto Rico, and what's included for your trade is on websites for contractors.
If you want to know which one fits you, book a free 30-minute call, in English or Spanish.
Questions
Do I have to put my address on the website if I work from home?
No. List the towns or region you cover, and on your Google profile use a service area instead of a public address. What matters is that the website and the profile say the same thing.
I don't have many photos of my jobs. Can I still start?
Yes. A few good before-and-after photos already help. Start taking photos on every new job and, with the Monthly plan, send them to us by text and we add them.
Form or WhatsApp for quote requests?
Whichever one you'll answer faster. If you live on WhatsApp, use a button with a message already written. If you'd rather keep things in email, use a short form.
Will a website get me more jobs?
Nobody can promise that. What a good website does is answer the doubts of the customer who is already looking for you, so they write to you with the full information.