What to Put on a Plumber’s Website: A Plain-English Checklist for UK Tradespeople
Most tradespeople make the same mistake when they build a website: they either put too little on it (just a phone number and a logo) or too much (pages of text nobody reads). This checklist is for UK plumbers, electricians, builders and other local service businesses. It covers exactly what to include, what to leave out, and why each section earns its place on the page.
1. A clear headline with your trade and your service area
The most important words on your website are your headline. Most tradesperson websites open with a business name or a vague phrase like “quality services you can trust.” Neither of those tells a visitor whether they’ve found the right person.
A strong headline follows one simple pattern: what you do + where you cover. “Plumber serving Bristol, Bath and North Somerset” tells a visitor everything they need to know in under two seconds. If they’re in your area and need a plumber, they stay. If not, they leave quickly, which is exactly what you want.
Write the headline first. Everything else on the page supports it.
2. Your main trade and the specific jobs you do
After the headline, list your primary service and the specific jobs you take on. A plumber might list: boiler servicing, leak repairs, bathroom installations, emergency callouts.
Be specific. “All plumbing work considered” is less useful than a short list. Specific job types match the specific phrases people search for. Someone with a leaking pipe in Bristol is more likely to contact “emergency plumber Bristol” than “general plumber Bristol.” If your website mentions leak repairs specifically, it is more likely to show up for that search.
Three to five bullet points of your most common jobs is enough. You don’t need to list every possible task.
3. Your qualifications and any relevant certifications
This is the section that converts visitors into callers. Tradespeople who display their Gas Safe registration number, their NICEIC or NAPIT approval, or their relevant trade body membership close more enquiries than those who don’t. It removes doubt before the phone call happens.
If you’re Gas Safe registered, your number belongs on the homepage, not buried on an about page. The same applies to any industry certification that a customer would recognise. For less well-known certifications, one sentence explaining what it means is enough: “We’re NAPIT-approved, which means our electrical work is independently inspected to national standards.”
Don’t assume customers know what certifications mean. Tell them what it means for them.
4. Photographs of real work you’ve done
Stock photos of tools or generic kitchens tell a visitor nothing. Real photographs of completed jobs, even taken on a phone, build more trust than anything you could write.
Before-and-after shots work particularly well. Three to five good photos is enough. More than ten slows the page down on mobile, which is where most visitors will be. Good lighting and a tidy job site are all you need.
5. A handful of customer reviews on the page itself
Google and Checkatrade reviews are valuable, but they sit on other platforms. Having two or three written reviews on your own website page means visitors see social proof without leaving your site.
Ask your best customers for a short written quote you can display. Four sentences and a first name is enough. If a customer leaves you a detailed Google review, ask them if you can reproduce it on your website. Most are happy to agree.
Reviews from specific jobs are more convincing than generic praise. “Dave fixed our emergency leak within two hours on a Sunday. Excellent job, would absolutely use again. Sarah, Bristol” is more credible than “very good service, highly recommended.”
6. One clear way to contact you
The most common reason a tradesperson’s website fails to generate enquiries is a contact section that is hard to find or asks for too much information.
One phone number, one contact form with four fields (name, number, location, brief job description), and a confirmation of your service area. That is all you need. Put your phone number at the top of the page and at the bottom. Make it click-to-call on mobile.
If you’re weighing up whether to build this yourself or have it done for you, Should I Hire Someone to Build My Website? covers that question directly. And for the broader case for having your own website rather than relying on directories, see Does a Tradesperson Need a Website in the UK?.
One final check before you launch: make sure your website meets UK legal requirements. Every business website needs a privacy policy, a cookie notice, and the right business details in the footer. It takes minutes to check.
Run your website through our free compliance checker before it goes live.
Ready to get your website built without doing it yourself?
Duport’s website build starts from £360. Mention this article when you get in touch and we’ll honour the £144 rate. We build it, you approve it: 30 minutes of your time, live in 72 hours.
For those also registering a limited company, the full bundle is £244 upfront. That covers company formation, your website, email, and compliance tools together.
FAQs
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How many pages does a plumber’s website need?
One page done well is better than five pages done badly. A single-page website with a clear headline, your services, certifications, photos, reviews and contact details is enough to start generating enquiries.
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Should I put my prices on my plumber’s website?
It depends. Hourly rates (UK plumbers typically charge £45 to £80 an hour) are worth displaying if you want to pre-qualify enquiries and reduce time spent on calls from customers outside your budget. Call-out fees (typically £50 to £80) are particularly worth mentioning so customers know what to expect.
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Do I need a blog on my tradesperson’s website?
No. A blog is useful for SEO if you publish regularly and consistently, but a tradesperson who publishes one post every six months gains very little from it. Focus on getting the core six sections right first.
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Should my website work on mobile?
Yes, without question. Most people searching for a local tradesperson are on their phone. A website that is hard to read or navigate on mobile will lose those enquiries before you even know about them.
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Is my website legally compliant in the UK?
Not automatically. UK law requires your website to include a privacy policy, a cookie notice, clear terms and conditions, and specific business information (such as your registered company name and number if you’re a limited company). Most website builders include template pages for some of these, but they don’t check whether your content is accurate or complete. Use our free website compliance checker to see what your site has and what it’s missing.
