What should a trade website include?
A visitor should be able to tell what you do, whether you cover their area and how to contact you. Build the site around those decisions, then add the evidence that helps them choose you.
1. Write a brief based on the jobs you want
Start with the services you actually offer and the jobs you would like more of. A list of everything you could possibly do is less useful than a clear explanation of what a customer can hire you for today.
- Main service: Explain the work in the words customers use.
- Coverage: Name the towns or areas you genuinely serve and any travel limits.
- Availability: State normal hours and whether emergency work is offered. Only advertise round-the-clock availability if you can deliver it.
- Next step: Choose a call, booking or short quote request that fits the work.
A plumber handling urgent repairs needs a different contact flow from a landscaper planning a garden redesign. Compare our plumbing websites, electrician websites and landscaping websites.
2. Gather evidence you can publish
Choose real job photographs and explain what the customer needed, what you did and what the finished work shows. Get permission before identifying a customer or showing their property. Label design concepts as concepts; they are not completed client projects.
Use reviews with permission and retain a source you can check. Display only qualifications, memberships and guarantees that apply to your business and are current. Avoid adding badges just because they appear on a competitor’s site.
3. Give each page a clear job
- Home: Introduce your service, coverage, proof and main contact option.
- Services: Explain who each service is for, what it involves and how to request it.
- Work: Show relevant projects with captions that explain your contribution.
- About: Introduce the real people behind the business and verified experience.
- Contact: Give accurate contact details, response expectations and a short form.
A small business can combine these on one page when the information is brief. Split them when a visitor needs more detail, rather than creating pages simply to repeat keywords. Use the website cost guide to compare the scope and running costs.
4. Test the journey on your phone
- Open the site using mobile data. Check that the service and contact button appear without waiting for a large video or gallery.
- Tap the phone link and confirm it opens the correct number.
- Submit a test quote request and check it reaches the right inbox. Check the confirmation message and try submitting incomplete details.
- Read the smallest text, open the menu and try the site with enlarged text.
- Check that each service and guide is reachable through ordinary links.
- Review opening hours, prices, service areas and contact details for accuracy.
We provide [services] in [areas]. We want more [job type] enquiries. Customers should [call/request a quote/book]. Our normal hours are [hours]. We can supply [photos/reviews/credentials]. Our existing site is [address].
Ready to turn the brief into a site?
Browse Melstone’s concept examples or explore web design for Birmingham businesses. The concepts show design approaches; they do not demonstrate customer results.