How to create an effective plumbing website

A successful website plugs the gap between finishing one ideal job and finding your next one, saving you time, money and worry. Nick Jolliffe from Trades Get Online offers advice on how to make the most of an online presence to reach more potential customers.

Rather than spending days or weeks on urgent local advertising, cold calls and leaflet drops— or worse, having to accept jobs that you really don’t want to—a successful website can help to generate business with your ideal customers.

With the right website, you’ll be able to connect with potential customers, raise your profile in your local area and grow your business.

Where to start

To create an effective plumbing and heating website, there are a number of key elements to include to help you stand out from your competitors online. A professional design that works well on a mobile is vital for today’s customers as most searches are done on mobile devices.

Clear calls to action that tell your potential customer what you want them to do, i.e. call, email or visit another page, are also crucial.

We also recommend including:

1. Specialised landing pages for each of the services you offer and the locations you work in helps to capture a larger audience.

2. Customer reviews to help build trust with potential customers.

3. Using real custom imagery of you, your team, your vans and your work instead of stock photography will also help to increase conversion rates.

4. Having an ‘Our Team’ page on your website will help to establish trust with potential customers. Listing awards, accreditations and qualifications will help to establish credibility.

On top of trends

Stay ahead of the game in 2023 with today’s leading web design trends. Simplicity and minimalism are arguably the most important trends today in website design for plumbers. A simple website will load fast, which is very important to keep people engaged and on your website, especially as most users will be looking for your

Glossary Of Common Terms Used By Google Analytics

Overall traffic:

Total number of visits to a website

Organic traffic:

Number of visits to a website from search engine results’ pages

Bounce rate:

Percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page

Average time on site: Average amount of time visitors spend on a website

Average page views per visit:

Average number of pages viewed by visitors during a session

Conversions:

Number of visitors who complete a desired action on a website (such as making a purchase or filling out a form)

Keyword rankings: How well a website ranks for specific search terms on search engine results pages

Website speed: How quickly a website loads and responds to user interactions

Broken links: Links on a website that no longer work or lead to an error page services on their mobiles. Google rewards faster loading times too as these provide a better overall experience for people, which helps you reach your target consumers faster.

Backlinks: Links from other websites that lead to a website, indicating its authority and credibility.

Easy navigation

User experience is a critical aspect of website design for plumbers. A website that offers an enjoyable and seamless user experience can help improve the credibility of your business, increase satisfaction, and ultimately, drive more potential customers to your website. Customers often require urgent plumbing help, so it’s vital your website is easy to navigate so they can find the information they need quickly. A well-designed website offers clear and concise information on services, pricing and contact details, making it easy for potential customers to get in touch.

Measure success

Knowing how to measure the success of your website is vital, too. With the right metrics, you’ll be able to track progress and understand what is working well and where you may need to make tweaks.

Once you’ve created your website, you can use Google’s tool, Google Analytics, to access information about how well your website is performing.

There are many different website performance metrics that you can use to measure success. See the table (left) for a glossary of key terms that you are likely to come across on Google Analytics.

Using these metrics to measure your success can help you understand how people interact with your website and how to make improvements to generate more visits, interest and people contacting you. By regularly tracking these metrics, you can learn more about how your website is performing and update it to appeal to your potential customers.

Good content

By following these best practices, you can create an effective and successful plumbing website. Include necessary information, stay up to date with current trends and measure success to ensure your website is a successful part of achieving your business goals. Once your website is up and running, you can update it as your business grows and evolves, accessing opportunities to reach more potential customers. With a little work and dedication, you can create a website that stands out from the competition and helps your business stand out from the crowd.

Find out more

For more information on how to do this, visit Trades Get Online by using the link below: ◼ phamnews.co.uk/723/21

About The Author

Nick Jolliffe is an experienced digital marketer and entrepreneur who has worked with the trade industry for over 20 years. He is the co-founder and director of Lion Spirit Media, a digital marketing agency specialising in digital marketing for trades, and Trades Get Online, a service developed to help plumbers and tradespeople build their online presence. Nick has a passion for helping businesses, and especially tradespeople, to make the most of digital marketing.