Building a Simple Website

Think of your website as a digital business card that works around the clock. Here is what it does for you:

It builds trust. Homeowners are handing over keys to their house. A website with your photo, your story, and real testimonials says "I'm a legitimate business, not a cowboy."

It shows up on Google. When someone searches "electrician near me" or "plumber in Bristol," a website with the right words gives you a chance of appearing in results — free leads without paying per click on Bark or Thumbtack.

It gives you a link to share. After quoting a job on hipages or Angi, you can text the customer a link to your site. That extra touch separates you from the five other quotes sitting in their inbox.

It's your portfolio. Before and after photos of a kitchen renovation, a bathroom refit, or a garden transformation tell a story that a text-only profile never can.

You do not need twenty pages. A single-page website with these sections is enough to beat most of your competition:

1. Headline and call to action. What you do, where you do it, and how to contact you. Put this at the top. "Trusted Electrician in Sydney — Call for a Free Quote" tells the visitor everything in one line.

2. Services list. Spell out every service clearly. "Boiler installation, underfloor heating, bathroom plumbing, emergency callouts." Homeowners search for specific services, so naming them helps Google find you too.

3. About section. Two or three sentences about who you are, how long you have been trading, and what makes you different. Keep it honest and human. People hire people, not companies.

4. Photos. Before and after shots of real work. A tidy van. You on site in clean workwear. These photos do more selling than any paragraph of text.

5. Testimonials. Three to five reviews from happy customers. Copy them from your RatedPeople, Google, or Thumbtack profile if needed.

6. Areas covered. List the suburbs, towns, or postcodes you serve. This helps with local Google searches.

7. Contact details. Phone number, email, and a simple contact form. Make it dead easy for someone to reach you.

You have three solid options that cost little or nothing:

Google Sites (Free). Dead simple. You can build a basic one-page site in under an hour. It looks clean, works on mobile, and Google indexes it quickly. Perfect if you just want something up fast.

Carrd (Free or $19/year). A one-page website builder that looks modern and professional. The free plan works fine. The paid plan gives you a custom domain and contact form. Many tradespeople use Carrd because it takes 30 minutes from start to finish.

WordPress with a free theme. More powerful if you want a blog or multiple pages. Hosting costs around $5-10 a month. WordPress gives you the most flexibility, but it takes a bit more setup time.

For most sole traders, Carrd or Google Sites is the right choice. Get your site live this week. You can always upgrade later.

Here is your action plan to get a website live today:

Step 1. Ask AI to write your homepage copy. Give it your trade, location, years of experience, and services. You saw how to do this in the chat example above.

Step 2. Gather 5-10 photos of your best work. Before and after shots are gold. A photo of you on site adds a personal touch.

Step 3. Copy 3-5 of your best reviews from Checkatrade, RatedPeople, Thumbtack, Google, or hipages.

Step 4. Sign up for Carrd or Google Sites and paste everything in. Use AI to suggest a colour scheme that matches your trade — "What colours work well for a roofing company website?"

Step 5. Buy a domain name for about $10-15 a year. Something like "smithplumbingmanchester.co.uk" or "aceelectricalsydney.com.au." Keep it simple and local.

A basic, professional website built in an afternoon. That puts you ahead of the majority of tradespeople who have no online presence beyond their platform profile.