What should a plumber's website have?

Your phone number, big and one tap away

The big plumbing brands put the phone number at the top. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing's home page says "Call us 24/7 for plumbing emergencies!" with its number,³ and Roto-Rooter's says "Call Us Now!"⁴ On a phone, make your number a button, and keep it on screen as people scroll.

Say "24/7" or "emergency" only if you really take those calls. Roto-Rooter backs its line with "Same-day and emergency service 365 days a year."⁴ If you don't work nights, give your hours instead.

The jobs you do

List the work by name: drains, water heaters, leaks, toilets and faucets, sewer lines. Benjamin Franklin lists its services by name, from drains and faucets to toilets and sinks.³ Roto-Rooter puts drain cleaning, sewer lines and camera inspections under Drains.⁴ Give each job one plain line, and list only the work you do.

Prices help, if you post them. 29% of people name clear prices or a deal as one of their top three reasons for picking a local business, and 32% of people who didn't contact a business named unclear prices or no offers.²

Your license, and the other things homeowners check

In North Carolina, anyone who contracts to install, alter or restore plumbing must have a license from the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors. Minor repairs and service work don't need one.⁵

The board tells homeowners to make sure a contractor has the right license and liability insurance, and to "be sure the contractor has a permanent business location and telephone number."⁵ Your site can answer all three. Put your license number and class on the page, copied from the board's public lookup, say you're insured if you are, and show a phone number that reaches you.

The towns you serve

You go to the customer, so say where you go. List your towns once, in plain words: Charlotte, Matthews, Monroe, Indian Trail. Google lets a service-area business list up to 20 service areas on its Business Profile, within about two hours' drive of its base.⁶ Use the same towns on your site.

Skip a page for each town. Google counts "pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page" as doorway abuse, against its spam policies.⁷ Instead, write a line only a local plumber could write. Mr. Rooter of Charlotte names the problems it sees in Charlotte homes, like "aging galvanized pipes in Myers Park bungalows."⁸

How a visit goes

Show what happens after someone calls you. Mr. Rooter says that before starting, "we explain the services," under the heading "Upfront Flat Rate Pricing."⁹ A few short steps are enough: you call, we come out, we give you the price before we start, we fix it and clean up. Only list steps you keep on every job.

Your reviews and your own photos

Put your Google rating and your number of reviews near the top. Benjamin Franklin shows its review count on its home page.³ Keep them coming: 74% of people look for reviews written in the last three months.¹⁰

Use photos of your own crew, your van and your finished work, not stock photos. When people research a local business, 24% look at photos of the business or its work.²

See it all on one page

Our example, Harborline Plumbing, is a made-up plumbing company built this way: the call button up top, the jobs it does, how it works, the towns it serves and sample reviews.

What to leave off

• A long form in place of your phone number.
• Offer pop-ups that cover the first screen.
• A ZIP-code finder. Just list your towns.
• "24/7" or "same day" unless you really do it.