Speaking as a consumer, if I'm looking to use a new company or business, the first thing I'll do is Google them. If they have no online presence, I feel a bit uneasy about using them. I'd sign up to Google business, so you can add your phone number and information on google, it also allows people to leave reviews which is handy for credibility. I'd also sign up to Trustpilot for reviews too. With regards to a website, it doesn't have to be really fancy. I had started building one previously on Canva which seemed quite straight forward and cost effective, but it might be easier to just pay someone to do it for a more professional finish.
this post was submitted on 31 Oct 2023
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This is the correct answer. Building a presence via Google My Business allows others to see you and read reviews of what others like/dislike about your business…
I actually have a Google business site. I add pictures and so on when I have a moment.
Chances are you don't need a dedicated website yet.
Taking ownership of your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business listing) is a great first step. Adding pictures and incentivizing your customers to leave reviews will really help.
Setting up a presence on Yelp would be a good step 2.
Google also offers a free website builder.
I'd build out your initial web presence there. Once that is up and running, you shuold cross-link your Yelp profile back to your Google Business Profile.
Getting started on a website via Google Buniness:
Speaking as a consumer as well. I recently went with a private health business because they had a website build that detailed and explained their services and what to expect. It gave them more authority in my eyes as the rest of the other businesses didn't have an online presence and barely any reviews. In my eyes the website declared credibility.
I get that. The issue is that there are sooo many fake websites fir my type of niche construction. And most if them are fake.
This business has done really well via word of mouth. Like extremely well. I guess I just was hoping not to do a website.
Mytake on this is you actually don't really need a website. If only a few of your clients are asking you to check you out online, but the majority are ok without looking at a website, I think you can still expect continued growth through word of mouth. I would actually double down on word of mouth if you aren't already doing it, such as offering a referral fee and video testimonials with client's consent to be used for marketing purposes. You can also ask satisfied clients to post on their social media maybe for some sort of incentive and leverage their networks even further. Also taking before and after pictures and having a collection of them to showcase would be pretty beneficial.
But yeah if I were in your shoes if only two clients called me asking for a website, building a website wouldn't be a priority but it would be in the back of my mind to do at some point down the line as a MAYBE when revenue is higher.
So a one pager. Fill it with testimonials and then put your phone number on it and say: I answer anytime.
Maybe a couple hundred bucks tops.
This. Grab as many testimonials you can and make a mosaic of photos with captions.
You don’t need much. A simple Wordpress or similar will do fine. If you do the IT right you will gain much and see profits increase significantly
Looking back on my first business I hated the idea to hire employees for order intake or delivery. I hated the idea so much I got burnt-out for a while. I wish I did it sooner with a growth mindset.
Hey friend, a lot of small business owners get taken advantage of when it comes to getting a site built. It shouldn’t cost you thousands for a landing page with some business details. Save some hassle and just use something like Wix/Squarespace and use a template and you’ll have a really slick website up in less than an hour. The advantage here is you know exactly what you’re getting and how much you’re spending. Otherwise you’re dealing with a vendor who’s going to be over charging because everyone’s gotta make money somehow. If you do outsource this, ask the vendor exactly what tech stack they’re using and how much it’s gonna cost them to use those services. Then you can double check those prices yourself on google and decide if it’s a good price. Keep in mind, it’s not the “labor” you’re paying for but the “expertise”, much like any service. Just giving you a heads up to watch out from some who might take advantage.
We specifically make small business websites. Dm me
If you are repelling the thought of having a website because you think it might cost you in the ranges of 1000s of dollars, I’d recommend start looking out and you may find a option with less budget range.
Not to self promote but I personally build landing pages for $500 in case someone ever needs the service and have less budget allocated for their landing page website.
Squarespace or Wix. It’s quick and easy to set up a website on these platforms. Wix you can set up for free, if you don’t mind their advertising on your website.
A website will make your business look more professional and established. What were your prospective customers looking for when they asked about a website? This is important info to take into consideration.
Having a website is good practice but you shouldn't fear the costs. I work in marketing, my agency does web design (Not a promotion, OP isn't my target customer I work with SaaS startups) and yes you can pay a crap ton for a site, but you really don't need to.
If you're happy to do it yourself, Wix and Squarespace are extremely cheap and easy to use and provide most of the functionality a small business could need.
If you want something a little more custom you can pay someone between 2-500 to get a good Wordpress setup, and hosting will be fairly cheap (Hundo a year maybe)
This doesn't need to be expensive, scary or complicated. Chances are the site you want needs to be nothing more than a digital brochure. Some people's site's are basically just digital business cards.
No panic my friend, this is a very easy problem to fix.
You can get a basic site built on Fiverr.com for $100-$200.
For the initial website.
Then you need security, backups, content updates, improvements, etc.
It's an option, but I'd look at a website builder too.
Website builders are like using a PowerPoint template. The good ones that aren't simple dead-ends will lock you in and charge you more than a freelancer.
Stop overthinking it. Squarespace or Wix.
Not every kind of business needs a website but if you're doing construction you really need to at least have a gallery of your work up so people can see your skill level and the kind of projects you specialize in. That is the first thing people looking for a contractor are going to look for, and the second will be your reviews on Google and other review sites.
A website that is SEO optimized can be the biggest sales tool you can have by far.
A really good website for a small construction company is going to be in the $1500-3500 range. The number of estimate requests and project consultation requests it will generate will pay for itself 300 fold.
Dont fall into the website builders trap, in the long run you will pay way more in fees for a crappy website. Your time is much better spent being a GC then messing around with a website builder that will never get your to the top of search.
Contractor services is one of my firms niche markets and we have good data on this. You should be getting 3-5 requests a day via your website in a town of 200k with average competition in the GC business.
Find someone local if you can, its totally worth having a good website.
I can get a beautiful landing page up in 48 hours for less than $200. $3500 is crazy.
A landing page is not a "really good" business website that is going to constantly generate quality leads.
Show me your $200 website and I will tell you everything that is wrong with it, or you can just go over to r/design_critiques and at that level I'm sure they will point out plenty of issues as well.
I book 20 qualified lead appointments per day, every day for a high-margin, high-cost product (divorce law, minimum $5,000 retainer) using a simple 1-page lander that I built in less than a weekend.
This quarter we'll pass 3x revenue growth MoM with a 10% CPA.
Your website doesn't need to be "really good"; it needs to nail messaging and conversion first, and be "good" second.
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If your website looks very bad I will look for other options. I just had this experience where I was looking for a service and the top results were all bad-looking sites. Fortunately I found a new one where I bought the service without any hassle. It worked great and the owner made some nice money.
As a contractor who previously had no web presence, I can say that it is imperative that you make a website for reputability. Most construction folks lean on word of mouth lead generation and overlook website legitimacy. If you already have a step ahead and are taking off, this is how you widen the gap. PM me if you have more questions or specifics I’d be happy to help
Hi I work in tech. Use Wix or Squarespace and you'll be paying <20 USD per month. It'll handle everything you need and take you less than a day to setup. Github is more for advanced users, you don't need it.
I'll be honest, there is exactly 0% chance I would ever purchase something from a company that didn't have a website. To me, that is the bare minimum I would expect to be considered a legit business. If you aren't willing to spend money on a website, literally your face to the world, where else are you cutting costs? Not saying that you are, but as a new customer, that's going to be my thought process.
You definitely need a website and business cards, and a non @gmail or @yahoo address at the minimum. It doesn't have to cost much, but it is probably not a good idea to DIY it since if you hire someone they'll do the work for you (and building a website w/ content is a lot of work)
I build websites for people like you. A client of ours has a construction business and did $40m last year and already surpassed that this year. All driven by SEO.
When consumers want to build something, they usually go to Google first. I don't think anyone really cares what the website looks like (though it looks pretty awesome), I think it's more about being the first to show up on Google, showing images of the work they do, and making it easy for people to get a quote without having to talk to sales people.
I have built a website builder that you might like to take a look at. It's free and fairly easy to use.
The same way you have a physical address, you must have a web address.
If a business doesn't have a website, I can't do business with them. It's a simple perception issue of not being a legitimate business.
It's also easy to make the argument that if your site is built correctly with backlinks and you create a Google Business Profile, the cost of a website will be offset by new business you bring in.
People still look at websites?
This comment feels like it is either from 30 years in the future, or 30 years in the past. A website, even a simple website, is the first thing you do when starting any business that relies on customers.
My company builds and manages digital presences for other companies, including website, local listings, social media, and more. We offer free consultations if interested.
You should have a look at Affordic. Highly recommend them. They work with small businesses and entrepreneurs in situations just like yours. They do the development, design, hosting, and maintenance for a pretty decent monthly fee. They’re kinda selective with who they work with. They’re not for everyone. I’ve worked with them and I’ve had a very good experience. They like working with niche businesses. I’ve sent a few other people their way, but they ended up not taking them on as new clients. Not sure why. Never asked. I just know they are selective.
Hey there. We’re a design team in Toronto, Canada specializing in construction websites. Our websites range from $275 to $325 as a one time build cost. Takes us 3 days to complete. Sent you a DM if you’re interested let me know!
I'm literally reading this on a web site right now.
I think a clean, well-thought-out website is pretty standard. I have written copy for a number of construction websites and their layout and design are often really lacking. You don't want to lose a sale because you a) don't have a website b) it looks like it was created in the 90s or c) it doesn't funnel people to a contact sheet/address
Your website is the only person working 24/7 for your business.
Getting reviews on your Google Business Profile in addition to your website would be great. You can use Netlify if you don’t want to pay for hosting just yet.
Our small law firm had a single page website for about 2 years before we scaled up to 4 locations / 17 employees. We needed to redo the website as we grew and it was necessary for boosting our conversion rate. We have sales closers that use the phone, but people WILL research you before closing.
i always look for a website. its annoying to me everytime I'm ordering from the local chinese restaurant and they don't have a damn website.
Yes - I can order through some other site - but I never really trust the lists as well as something that would have been curated by the business itself.
Yes most people do, just make a nice looking website of of Shopify or something, it’s cheap and looks really nicw
A well done website with a nice portfolio of successful projects you've done is absolutely worth the investment. A website works while you sleep. Optimize for local search, and you'll generate tons of leads that otherwise likely would have never existed. On the other hand, an ugly website that is not well maintained can be a turn off, and if not optimized for search (particularly local search in your case) will generate very limited traffic.
IT guy here. I would recommend a squarespace website. Super easy. Reasonable cost. Essentially if you're short on time and need to knock one out it's 10/10. Check out our site below for an example.
Direct them to your FB Page. Websites not really a thing in my developing 3rd world country (Philippines)
Just go ti fiverr and hire some freelancer. I've got 2 websites built, with a great quality and all, it costed me around 250$ each. So if you have 250$ that you can invest, go there, find someone with good rating, and trust me they will make you a great website, that someone would charge you 2-3k$ in US
I have a website, it’s where a majority of the sales for my company come from.
I can show you the ropes if you’d like.
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