The Contractor Website Checklist: 15 Things Your Site Needs

01 Proof

Prove the Work

Before a homeowner reads a single sentence, they're looking for one thing: evidence you can do the job.

Most contractor sites fail here first — stock photos, a random gallery with no story, and not a single video. Everything in this first group answers the visitor's opening question: can I see the work?

• 01Real photos of your projects — not stock. Homeowners can smell stock photography instantly, and it reads as "nothing to show." Even five genuinely good photos of real projects beat fifty generic ones.
• 02A portfolio organized by project. Not a random gallery — grouped by job (the Langley bathroom, the Ladner staircase) so visitors can see complete transformations, not fragments.
• 03Before-and-after pairs. The single most persuasive format in home improvement. The "after" shows skill; the pair shows what you can do with their dated kitchen.
• 04At least one video. A 60-second walkthrough of a finished project outperforms any written description. It also keeps visitors on the page longer, which helps your rankings.
• 05Details, not just wide shots. Close-ups of tile work, mitred trim, hardware — the shots that let a homeowner justify choosing quality over the cheapest quote.

02 Credibility

Build Trust

Once the work looks good, the question changes: can I trust this person in my house?

A renovation is a five-figure decision made about a stranger. These five items are how your site answers the fear before it's spoken.

• 06Reviews on the site itself. Don't make visitors leave to find your Google reviews — pull your best ones onto the page (and link to the rest).
• 07Licensing, insurance, and WorkSafeBC status. Stated plainly. In BC, informed homeowners check; being upfront filters you into the "safe choice" pile.
• 08A real photo of you or your crew. People hire people. A face converts better than a logo.
• 09Years in business and service area. Two sentences that answer two of the first three questions every homeowner has.
• 10Your process, briefly. "Here's what happens after you contact me" — even three steps — reduces the anxiety of reaching out to a stranger about a five-figure project.

03 Conversion

Make Contact Easy

The work convinced them. The trust signals reassured them. Now the only thing left to lose the lead on is friction.

Most of your visitors are on phones, often between errands — the last five points make sure the moment of decision isn't the moment they give up.

• 11A phone number that's tappable on mobile. Most of your visitors are on phones. If they have to memorize and dial your number, some won't.
• 12A short contact form. Name, email, project type, message. Every extra field costs you submissions.
• 13Fast loading. Homeowners browse contractor sites on their phones, often on job-site-adjacent errands. A slow site gets closed before it loads — and Google demotes it too.
• 14Mobile-first design. Not "works on mobile" — designed for it. Check your own site on your phone right now; if you have to pinch-zoom, so do your leads.
• 15One clear next step on every page. Every page should end with an obvious action: request a quote, see the portfolio, call now. Never leave a visitor at a dead end.

— Your Score

How Does Your Site Score?

Twelve or more: you're ahead of most of your competition. Eight to eleven: solid bones, fixable gaps. Under eight: your website is probably costing you referrals you never hear about.

Want a version tailored to your business? Generate your personalized checklist — it takes about a minute. For the full reasoning behind every point, read the complete contractor website guide, or start a conversation for a free analysis of your current site against all fifteen points.