Do contractors need a website?
You're a plumber, electrician, HVAC tech, or roofer. You fix things for people who can't fix them themselves. You're not sitting around thinking about websites. Straight answer: yes, you need one. Not to look fancy. To get more calls from people who need your services and are ready to pay.
When someone's water heater dies at 7am in Louisville, they grab their phone and type "plumber near me" or "emergency plumber Louisville." If you don't have a website, you don't show up. Your competitors do. They're getting the calls that should be yours.
I hear "I get all my work from referrals" a lot. Referrals still matter. Here's what happens now: a neighbor says "Call Joe, he's a great plumber." That person Googles "Joe's Plumbing Louisville." If nothing comes up, or they only find a Facebook page that hasn't been touched in two years, they wonder if you're still in business. Some still call. Plenty keep scrolling until they find someone who looks established. A website closes the referrals you're already getting. It's the credibility check before the phone rings.
You don't need anything complicated. A clean site with your services, phone number front and center, a few photos of real jobs, and a simple contact form does the job. It shows you exist. It builds trust fast. It works while you're on a job or asleep. Someone finds you at 11pm, sees you do what they need, and calls in the morning.
A Facebook page is better than nothing. It is not a replacement. When someone searches "plumber near me" on Google, Facebook pages rarely show up. Google shows websites. You also don't control Facebook. Your website is yours. Keep Facebook for past customers. Use the website to get found by new ones.
I build contractor sites starting at $2,500 setup, then $399/month for hosting, domain, SSL, security, backups, and updates. One water heater install at around $1,500 can cover a meaningful chunk of that. You don't need to be tech savvy. Send me your info and photos. I build it. You review. You're live. When something needs changing later, call or text me.
Every day without a site is a day competitors pick up calls that could have been yours. Search "plumber Louisville" in Jefferson County and you'll see the shops with professional sites on page one. A basic site doesn't have to be expensive. It just has to exist, look legitimate, and make it easy to call you.
