What makes a good website for tradesmen

Citizens Advice tells homeowners to check a trader’s insurance, memberships and references, and to be wary of a trader who only gives a mobile number. Citizens Advice’s guide to getting work done on your home sets out those checks, and Which?’s advice on finding a reputable trader adds the same warning signs. Every one of them is something your website can answer.

1. Show who you are and where you are

Which? warns homeowners to be cautious of a trader who is vague about their address, and Citizens Advice says to be wary if you’ve just been given a mobile number, because the trader might be hard to contact if problems come up. Put your business name, your own name and photo, the address or base you work from and a landline or email alongside your mobile on every page. A person with a name and a base is easier to trust than a number.

2. List your memberships, and let people check them

Citizens Advice tells people to check that a trader really is a member of the approved trader scheme, competent person scheme or trade association they claim, using that scheme’s own list of members. Which? suggests looking for traders registered with accredited trade bodies and an Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme. Name each scheme you belong to, such as Gas Safe or NICEIC, and link to its member search so a customer can confirm it in a minute. Show only the logos you currently hold.

3. Say that you’re insured

Both bodies tell homeowners to check insurance before saying yes. Which? goes further: ask to see the certificate and make sure it covers the work and won’t expire during the job. Say plainly on your site what insurance you hold, and that you’ll show the certificate on request.

4. Explain your quotes and guarantees

Citizens Advice tells people not to rely on a verbal quote and to get it in writing, ideally with a written contract, and explains that a guarantee is a promise to put things right after the job is finished. Say that you give written quotes, and what your guarantee covers and for how long. It answers two questions before the first call.

5. Show real reviews and past work

97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses (BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, February 2026, 1,002 US adults). But Which? also notes that reviews can be skewed and suggests a decent trader should be able to put you in touch with past customers, and Citizens Advice suggests asking for two or three recent examples of similar work. So show your Google rating near the top with a link to your Google profile, add photos of real jobs, and say that references are available.

6. Make it work on a phone

Most of UK adults’ time online is spent on a smartphone, according to Ofcom’s Online Nation report (December 2025). Your number should be one tap away on every page, and the text readable without zooming. Our five-minute mobile check walks through it.

What we saw locally

When we looked at the home pages of 111 trade websites in Hemel Hempstead in October 2026, most covered the basics: a headline, a list of services and a photo of their work. Far fewer answered the checks above. 21% said they were insured, 23% gave their accreditations a section of their own, 15% named and pictured the owner and 44% showed no reviews at all. That is one town and home pages only, so read it as a local snapshot rather than a national figure, but it suggests how easy it is to stand out.

What to add this week

• Your name, photo and base. Plus a landline or email, not only a mobile.
• Your memberships, each linked to the scheme’s member search.
• One line on insurance, and that the certificate is available on request.
• One line on quotes and guarantees: written quotes, and what your guarantee covers.
• Your Google rating near the top, with photos of recent jobs.

If you would rather have someone build this for you, our websites for tradespeople and websites for plumbers pages explain how we do it, and you can see example sites for different trades first.