A good contractor website shows a homeowner three things before they ever call you: that you've done their kind of project before, that you have a clear process, and that you're a real, insured local company. If your site does that and makes it easy to start a conversation, it will win more remodel and build jobs than a fancier site that doesn't.
Big projects get researched. People look at your work, read your reviews, show your site to a spouse, and come back a week later. Your website is what they're looking at that whole week.
What pages does a contractor website need?
Most small and mid-size contractors do well with five to eight pages. Here's how we'd lay it out, with what each page has to do.
| Page | What it has to do |
|---|---|
| Home | Say what you build, where you work, and show your best project in the first screen |
| Services by project type | One page each for kitchens, baths, additions, outdoor living, or whatever you actually sell |
| Project gallery | Photos sorted by project type, with a caption on each one |
| Our process | Walk through the steps from first call to final walkthrough |
| About | Who runs the company, how long you've been at it, insurance and any trade licenses |
| Service areas | The parts of Houston and the suburbs you cover |
| Project inquiry | A short form that asks about scope, budget, and timeline |
You don't need all of these on day one. Home, services, gallery, process, and inquiry will cover most of it. For a version of this list that works for any trade, see what a small business website should include.
Service pages by project type
A single "Services" page with a list of twelve things doesn't help anyone. Someone planning a bathroom remodel in Sugar Land wants to see bathrooms. Give each main project type its own page with a few sentences on what the job usually involves, a handful of photos of that kind of work, and a button to start an inquiry.
It helps with Google too. "Kitchen remodel Katy" and "room addition Pearland" are different searches, and a page built for each has a better shot than a list item.
A gallery with captions
Photos sell remodeling work better than anything you can write. But a wall of 80 uncaptioned photos makes people do the sorting. Group them by project type and give each one a short caption, something like "Kitchen remodel in the Heights, new layout and quartz counters, about 7 weeks." That one line tells a homeowner what was done, where, and roughly how long it took.
If you have before-and-after pairs, use them. Start taking a "before" photo on every job.
A page that explains your process
Most contractor sites skip this page, and it does the most to calm a nervous homeowner worried about the budget running over or the job dragging on.
Lay out your steps in plain language. For example:
- Free consultation and site visit
- Written estimate with scope and price
- Design and material selections
- Permits, if the job needs them
- Construction, with a regular check-in
- Final walkthrough and punch list
- Warranty period
Put real timeframes where you can, even if they're ranges. "Most bathroom remodels take 3 to 6 weeks once materials are on site" is far more useful than "we work quickly." This is just an example, so use the numbers that are true for your crew.
How do you make a contractor website look trustworthy?
Homeowners have heard the horror stories. Your site needs to answer the trust question without anyone having to ask it.
The FTC's advice to homeowners is a good guide here, because it's what careful customers are already doing. Its page on avoiding home improvement scams tells people to stick with contractors who are licensed and insured, to get written estimates, to make sure the contract shows the contractor's name, address, phone number, and license number, and to never pay the full amount up front. Build your site so it already answers those questions.
- Show your business name, phone, and service area on every page
- Say plainly that you're insured, and offer proof on request
- List any trade licenses you or your subs hold, with numbers
- Explain how you handle estimates and payment schedules
- Link to your Google reviews so people can read them in full
On licensing: Texas doesn't issue a statewide license to general contractors or remodelers the way it does for trades. Electricians and air conditioning contractors are licensed through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and plumbers through the state plumbing board. If you're a GC, say who does that work on your jobs and that they're licensed. Cities have their own permit and registration rules, so check with the city where you're working.
What should a contractor's inquiry form ask?
A "name, email, message" form gets you a lot of "how much for a kitchen?" A slightly longer form saves you wasted site visits.
Ask for:
- Name, phone, and email
- The project address or neighborhood
- Project type (a dropdown works well)
- A rough budget range
- When they'd like to start
- An optional photo upload
The budget question saves the most time. Soften it with a line like "a rough range helps us suggest what's realistic." Don't ask for anything you won't use on the first call.
What mistakes do contractor websites make?
These come up again and again:
- A gallery with no captions or categories. People can't tell a bathroom you remodeled from one you built from scratch.
- No process page. The homeowner has to call just to find out how you work.
- No service-area info. Someone in The Woodlands can't tell if you'll drive out.
- A contact form that asks nothing useful. You get tire-kickers and spend your evenings sorting them.
- A slow site. Uncompressed photo files crawl on a phone.
Should a contractor list service areas?
Yes. Google matches contractors to places, and homeowners want to know you'll come to them. Name the areas you actually work in, like Katy, Cypress, Sugar Land, Bellaire, or the Heights, and give your biggest areas their own page with real projects you've done there. Don't make 30 copies of the same page with the town name swapped. That doesn't help.
If you don't have a storefront that customers visit, Google's help page explains how to set up your Business Profile as a service-area business and hide your address. Keep the name, phone, and service areas on your profile matching your website.
How much does a contractor website cost?
Bayou Labs is a web design studio in Houston that designs, writes, and hosts websites for local small businesses for free, and contractors are one of the trades we build for. The free build covers up to five pages, and before-and-after photos are included if you have them. If you want a client portal or online booking later, those are custom builds starting at $1,500. You can see how we lay out contractor websites and what the paid plans cover on our pricing page.
If your best work isn't showing up on your website yet, we'd be glad to help. You can request a free contractor website here, no card needed.
Frequently asked questions
How many photos should a contractor website have?
Enough to show each project type you sell, usually 6 to 12 good photos per type to start. A few well-captioned photos beat a hundred random ones.
Do general contractors in Texas need a license to advertise online?
Texas doesn't issue a statewide general contractor license, but licensed trades like electrical, plumbing, and air conditioning have their own advertising rules. Check with the state licensing agency for those trades and with your city for local registration rules.
Should I put prices on my contractor website?
Full prices rarely make sense since every job is different. Ranges for common projects, or a note on how you price and what a typical starting point looks like, help homeowners self-qualify before they call.
Do I need a website if I get most jobs from referrals?
Yes. People who get your name from a friend still look you up before calling, and your website is what they find. A clear site with your work on it turns a referral into a call.