This is one of the questions I hear the most, usually from an owner who's doing fine on referrals and has a Google profile with good reviews. Why pay for a website when people can already find you and call you from Google?
It's a fair question. The Google profile does a lot of the work. Plenty of calls come straight from Maps, from people who never visit a website at all. But a profile can only do so much on its own, and the businesses beating you on Google almost always have both.
What does a website do that a Google profile can't?
Your Google profile gives people the basics, like your name, your reviews, your hours and a call button. That's enough for someone who's already decided, but a lot of people aren't there yet. They want to see your work, find out which towns you cover, and check that you actually do the job they need, like a panel upgrade or a paver patio, before they call.
The website is also where Google learns what you do. A page for each service you offer and each town you work in gives Google something to match when someone searches "panel upgrade" plus their town. With only a profile, you're asking one short description to cover every job and every town.
And the site is yours. You can't control how your Google profile looks, and Google changes the rules on it all the time. In 2024 Google shut down the free websites it used to build from business profiles, and every owner who was using one as their only website lost it.
What about Facebook?
A Facebook page is good for showing your work to people who already know you. But most people looking for a trade don't start on Facebook, and Google doesn't treat a Facebook page the way it treats your own site.
What does a website for a trade actually need?
It can be simple. It needs a page for each service, the towns you serve, photos of your real work, your reviews, and a quick way to call or send a quote request that you'll see on your phone right away.
One thing to try this week
Look at your profile the way a new customer would.
- Search your trade plus a town you serve and open your own profile.
- Read it like a stranger would. Would they know which jobs you do and which towns you cover?
- Tap your website link if you have one. If it's missing or broken, or it's just a Facebook page, that's the first thing to fix.
If a customer wanted to see your work before calling, where would you send them?
Common questions
- Do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?
- It isn't required, but it helps. A website shows your work and tells Google which jobs and towns you cover, which a profile can't fully do.
- Is a Facebook page enough instead of a website?
- Usually not. Most people looking for a trade start on Google, and Google doesn't treat a Facebook page like your own site.
- What should a contractor website include?
- A page for each service, the towns you serve, photos of real work, your reviews, and an easy way to call or request a quote.