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What Should a Contractor Website Include?
Short answer: A contractor website needs your license number, a page for each main service, the towns you serve by name, real job photos and reviews, and a phone number people can tap on a phone. Put it all in plain text, load fast on mobile, and let Google and ChatGPT's search crawler read the site.
- Put a tap-to-call phone number in the header so it shows on every page.
- Show your license number in the footer of every page; some states require it in ads.
- Give each main service its own page, and name the towns you serve in plain text.
- Google uses the mobile version of your site, and only mobile content counts for indexing.
- In a 2026 Zarla study, named businesses had a median of 444 Google reviews against 192.
- Text inside images cannot be read or quoted by search crawlers and AI tools.
A contractor website is a small set of pages that answers what a homeowner asks before calling: what you do, where, whether you are licensed, what it costs and whether other people were happy. It does not need to be big. It needs to be clear and true.
Go down this list with your own site open on your phone.
The checklist at a glance
| # | Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tap-to-call phone number in the header | People searching on a phone want to call |
| 2 | License number, visible | Answers "are they legit?" and is required in ads in some states |
| 3 | One page per main service | Each job people search for needs its own answer |
| 4 | Towns you serve, by name | How search tools match you to "near me" |
| 5 | Real photos of your work | Proof you do the work |
| 6 | Real reviews, linked to Google | The signal people trust most |
| 7 | Insurance and warranty | Questions people ask before they call |
| 8 | Price ranges or how you price | The first question everyone has |
| 9 | Emergency hours, if you offer them | "Emergency" is its own search |
| 10 | An about page with your name and face | People hire people |
| 11 | A short quote form | For people who will not call |
| 12 | Fast, mobile-friendly pages | Google uses the mobile version |
| 13 | Text on the page, not in images | Search and AI tools cannot quote a picture |
| 14 | Questions and answers | Matches how people ask AI assistants |
| 15 | Schema, sitemap, crawlers allowed | Helps engines read the facts |
| 16 | The same name, address, phone everywhere | Keeps your Google profile and site in step |
1. A phone number people can tap
Put your number in the header so it shows on every page, and make it a tap-to-call link on phones. If you take texts, say so. Someone with water coming through the ceiling will not fill in a form.
Use a real number a person answers. If you cannot answer all day, set up an automatic text for missed calls. See how missed-call text-back works.
2. Your license number, in plain sight
Put it in the footer of every page and on your about page. In some states this is the law for ads. In Pennsylvania, for example, home improvement contractors must show their Attorney General registration number in advertisements, contracts, estimates and proposals (PA Attorney General).
Rules differ by state and trade, and some states license at the city or county level. In Texas, a state electrician license works anywhere in the state, while a city license is valid only within that city (TDLR). Check with your licensing board. Link to the board's public lookup so a homeowner can verify you in a minute. See how homeowners check if a contractor is legit.
3. One page for each main service
A page called "Services" with a list of ten jobs is too thin. Give each main job its own page: what it is, when people need it, how it works, how long it takes, and what changes the price.
Write the way you would explain it to a customer standing in their kitchen. Google says it wants people-first content that shows first-hand experience, not pages made mainly to catch searches. A roofer might write a page on "roof repair after hail" with real photos. A plumber might write one on "water heater replacement" with what the job involves and how long the house is without hot water.
Trade examples: what a plumbing site should include, the electrician version and the HVAC version.
4. The towns you serve, by name
Local search matches your pages to the town a person types. List the places you serve, and for the main ones write a page with details only you would know: which jobs you have done there, which building department covers it, what the housing looks like.
Do not copy one page and swap the town name. Google lists mass-produced content that adds little value as a warning sign (Google Search Central). Our guide to service area pages shows a safe way to do it.
5. Real photos of your work
Use your own photos: finished jobs, work in progress, your truck and your crew. Stock photos tell visitors nothing. Name the town and the job in the caption: "New 40-gallon water heater, Oak Park". Add a short alt text that says what is in the picture.
6. Reviews, linked to Google
Show a few real reviews on your home page and service pages, and link to your Google profile so people can read the rest. Never write your own, and do not copy reviews you do not have permission to use. Google does not allow fake or incentivized reviews (Google review policy).
Reviews also matter to AI. In a 2026 study of 1,851 local listings for ten trades and services, businesses named by ChatGPT or Google's AI Mode had a median of 444 Google reviews against 192 for those not named (Zarla, 2026). To collect more, use review request texts that follow Google's rules.
7. Insurance and warranty
Say what you carry and what you guarantee. One short paragraph is enough: "We carry general liability insurance and workers' compensation. Our labor warranty is one year." Only write what is true, and have the paperwork ready. Check your board for what cover your state requires.
8. Prices or how you price
You do not need exact prices. Give a range, or explain how you price: by the hour, by the job, by the square foot. Say what changes the price. If you quote a "typical" cost, say where the figure comes from, or label it your own experience. Homeowners search for "how much does X cost" before anything else, and a page that answers it gets read.
9. Emergency hours
If you take emergency calls, say so at the top, with the hours and the phone number. "Emergency plumber" and "emergency tree removal" are separate searches from the everyday ones. If you do not offer it, do not claim it.
10. An about page with a real person
Put your name, a photo, how long you have been in the trade, and your licenses. People hire people. A named owner with a face is easier to trust than "our team of experts."
11. A short quote form
Keep it to name, phone, town, job type and a message box. Every extra field loses people. Send the form to your phone as an alert, and answer it within the hour.
12. Fast and mobile-friendly
Google uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking, and says that only the content shown on the mobile site is used (Google Search Central). Make sure the phone number, service list and license show on a phone. Test it on your own phone, on mobile data, not on office Wi-Fi.
13. Text on the page, not in images
Search crawlers and AI tools read text. If your services, prices or phone number are inside an image, they cannot be read or quoted. Use real text for everything that matters.
14. Questions and answers
Add a short question and answer section to your main pages, using the way customers actually ask. "How long does a roof replacement take?" "Do I need a permit to replace a water heater?" Answer in two to four plain sentences, with the answer first. Our guide on getting recommended by ChatGPT explains why this format gets quoted.
15. The technical basics
These are behind the scenes, and they help engines read your facts.
- Schema. Schema is code that labels the facts on your page. Google uses LocalBusiness structured data to show details such as hours and reviews in Search and Maps, and it asks for the most specific subtype available. The required properties are the business name and address. It also recommends a phone number, URL and price range, among other properties (Google Search Central). See schema markup for contractors.
- Sitemap and Search Console. Submit a sitemap so Google finds new pages. See Google Search Console for contractors.
- Crawlers. If you want to appear in ChatGPT search, allow OAI-SearchBot in your robots.txt. OpenAI says sites that block it will not appear in ChatGPT search answers (OpenAI). GPTBot is a separate crawler used for training, and you can decide on it separately. See robots.txt and AI crawlers.
16. The same details everywhere
Your name, address and phone number on the site should match your Google Business Profile exactly. Google says complete, accurate information helps and lists relevance, distance and prominence as the main local ranking factors (Google Business Profile Help). If you have not set it up, follow how to set up a Google Business Profile.
What should you leave off?
- Stock photos of people who are not you.
- Long paragraphs about "our passion for excellence."
- Auto-playing video or music.
- A pop-up that blocks the phone number.
- Claims you cannot back up, such as "best in town."
- Any license, badge or review that is not yours.
What should a small contractor site have, page by page?
| Page | What goes on it |
|---|---|
| Home | Who you are, trade, towns, phone, license, three reviews |
| Services (one per main job) | What, when, how, how long, price factors, photos, questions |
| Service areas (one per main town) | Local details, jobs done there, link to services |
| About | Owner name and photo, years, licenses, insurance |
| Reviews or Projects | Real reviews and job photos |
| Contact | Phone, form, address or service area, hours |
Start with those pages. Add more when you have something true to say. Ready-made options and their limits are covered in which website builders suit contractors, and what a site costs is in what a contractor website costs.
Common questions
What pages does a contractor website need?
At minimum: home, one page per main service, a page for each main town you serve, about, reviews or projects, and contact. Each should have your phone number and license number.
Does a contractor website need a blog?
No. A blog is optional. Service pages and local pages come first. Add helpful guides later if you have real answers to customer questions, and keep them accurate.
Should my license number be on my website?
Yes. It answers a homeowner's first worry. In some states it is required in advertising, and Pennsylvania, for example, requires the registration number in ads, contracts, estimates and proposals. Check your own board.
How many photos should a contractor website have?
There is no set number. Show a few strong ones on each service page, and name the town and the job. Real photos from your jobs beat a large set of stock photos.
Do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?
It is worth having one. The profile shows basics, but your site holds the detail on each service and town, and AI assistants and search crawlers read it. Both should show the same facts.
Next step
Want to see this checklist applied to a real site? See a free demo site.
Sources
- Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General: Home Improvement Contractor Registration (2026)
- Texas TDLR: Electrician license FAQ (2026)
- Google Search Central: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content (2026)
- Google Search Central: Mobile-first indexing best practices (2026)
- Google Search Central: LocalBusiness structured data (2026)
- Google Business Profile Help: Review policies and guidelines (2026)
- Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google (2026)
- OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI crawlers (2026)
- Zarla: AI Visibility Index (2026)
We build your new website free, before you pay, then work every week to get you named when homeowners ask Google and AI who to call. Get your free demo site.