A website that turns a Google search into a call or an estimate request.

What goes above the fold on a contractor homepage

The first screen on a phone has to answer three questions before the thumb moves. What do you do, where do you do it, and how do I reach you. Everything else can wait for the scroll.

• Headline that names the trade and the place. "Concrete driveways and patios in Sheboygan County" beats "Quality you can trust".
• The phone number as a tap to call link in the header, and again as a button under the headline.
• A second button that says "Request an estimate" and jumps to the form.
• One photo of a job you actually did, taken by you. If it shows your truck in the driveway, even better.
• A one line service area under the headline, with real town names.

The live site we built for DB Lawn & Landscape in Sheboygan does this in order. Phone number top right, a headline about lawns, an estimate button, then four services and a map of the towns he covers.

See it at dblawnlandscape.com (opens in a new tab).

Service area pages, done honestly

Town pages have a trap. A contractor hears that they rank, so he makes twenty of them, each one the same page with the city name swapped. Google's spam policies call this doorway abuse. One example Google gives is "multiple domain names or pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page." Those pages get ignored or penalized.

Start with one service area page that lists every town you drive to, with a map, and link to it from the header. That page can rank for "plumber near me" style searches across your whole county. Add a page for a single town only when you have something true to put on it. Three jobs you did there with photos, how long the drive is from your shop, which permit office handles that town. If you can't write a paragraph that's only true for Plymouth, don't make a Plymouth page.

Why "request an estimate" beats "contact us"

"Contact us" asks the homeowner to figure out what to say. "Request an estimate" tells them what they're getting, what to type, and that it's free to ask. The form behind it should only ask what you need to give a number. For lawn care that's a name, an address and a phone. For a remodel it's those three plus a line about the job. Skip the budget dropdown. You can ask on the phone.

Under the button, say what happens next in one sentence. "We'll call within one business day to set up a time to look at the job." That line does more for trust than a paragraph about your values.

1. Headline names the service and the result: "Get a free estimate on your driveway".
2. Three or four fields, phone keyboard friendly, no account to make.
3. One sentence on who replies and when.
4. A confirmation email to the homeowner with your number in it.

Not sure what a site like this costs? Read how much a small business website costs.