Clients come via word-of-mouth.

They had been operating successfully for 35 years without a website. Now, one of their most significant contracts required them to create a website, and they weren’t happy about it. They didn’t see the reason for a website in their situation and ensured I knew it!

As someone in the construction industry, you spend much time working with your hands. It can be hard to see the point of your website when so many of your clients come via word-of-mouth. But a website plays a valuable part in your marketing efforts, whether you know it or not. If you do nothing else for marketing this year, establish a quality website to direct potential clients there.

So what do you need to get a website for your construction business up and running? Here is our guide:

The options for website creation are practically infinite, and if you’re not careful, every company will try to convince you why their services are the ONLY WAY TO DO IT. You have a few options when thinking about creating your site. Talk to a web / graphic designer you trust, outline your budget, and explain what you want. You should be able to find a solution that fits your needs.

Here are some of your options when it comes to websites:

What Does Your Website Need?

Now that you’ve chosen a reliable design company that will give you precisely what you need, the next step is figuring out the elements that need to go into creating your website. Here are five must-have features of your building & construction company website.

1. Pictures of People Constructing Things

This is a problem I see on many construction websites. I see some lovely pictures of finished buildings, which are all well and good, but I want to see some in-process images - I want to know the team that takes my building from a flat slab to a finished house, warehouse, or shopping center.

2. An About Page

After the homepage, the About Us page is usually the second-visited on any website. Before a client calls about a quote, they have many questions and will want to know more about your company. So give them some details - your About Us page should answer the following questions:

• How long have you been in business?

• How big is your crew?

• What qualifications do you and your crew hold?

• What experience do you have?

• What are some of your most significant/exciting projects?

• What types of projects do you take on?

• What geographical areas do you / could you work in?

• What awards have you won?

• What other details set you apart? (eg. eco-friendly materials)

3. Details of Your Services

When a potential client lands on your page, how will they know exactly what you do? You must include a page explaining your services and what’s involved. For example, if you’re a residential company, do you do new builds, renovations, decks, bathroom, and kitchen remodels? If you manufacture or install a particular product, what makes that product stand out?

4. A Project / Portfolio Page

On this page, you will showcase some of your best construction projects. These projects are what is going to sell your company to potential clients. The client wants lots of beautiful, professionally-shot images and a descriptive explanation.

I like to create these pages in a blog format, which enables a construction company to adapt a simple blog template on a platform like WordPress into a suitable site.

5. Contact Details

Ensure you include details of how a potential client can contact you by phone or email.

How to Make Your Website Even More Awesome

Now that your essential website looks very cool, adding some extra features is time. While none of the features below are necessary, they will ensure your company’s website gets extra attention from potential clients.

Include Useful Content

“Content” is simply articles, lists, worksheets, images, or other resources that people can access on your website. If you create helpful content, potential clients are more likely to see you as someone they trust, which is excellent for business. Your content will get shared around, getting your site in front of more eyes.

Building and construction companies could create a content section of your website designed to help clients through the building process. For example, you should include some helpful documentation on the building process for residential builds. Some ideas are:

• What to expect from the building process.

• Dealing with the council - the ins and outs of the building consent.

• The life of a house.

• Commercial building design tips.

• Ten ideas to save money on your new home.

Downloadable resources

Including downloadable resources is another innovative way companies use websites as lead-generation tools. You can set up your website so that a potential client will need to hand over contact information to download your ebook, spreadsheet, or guide.

For example, you could create a “New Home Budget Sheet,” itemizing every part of a new build, with the estimated percentage of the total cost next to it. Then, your client can go through this sheet and add in the quotes from their subcontractors and see if everything will come in under budget.

If someone downloads your “New Home Budget Sheet,” chances are pretty high they are probably thinking about building sometime soon. Three days after they’ve downloaded your guide, you call them to see how useful they’ve found it and if you can help them with their project or any questions they might have. They’d find this pretty awesome, and you’ve already got them on the phone - so if nothing else, they should be keen for you to send a quote.

Combine Forces

Collaborating with other businesses to cross-promote your services and packages is a great way to use your website to gain more clients. Perhaps there’s a plumber you regularly work with who you could refer your clients to? Or maybe you could collaborate with a local real estate agent to renovate newly-purchased homes.

Create a page on your website highlighting some of your best referrers - for example, profiling a real estate, a plumber, an electrician, an earthmover, and an insurance broker. Now when a client contacts you, they are getting a whole team.

Show your network your website page, and get them to do the same on their sites. Now you can all work together to bring in more clients.

Top Mistakes Building & Construction Companies Make on Their Website

Are You Afraid of doing something wrong with your site? Don’t worry; here are the top mistakes building & construction firms make with their websites - if you avoid these, you’ll be fine.

1. Not Retaining Editing Abilities

Many web companies target the construction industry because they know their clients aren’t tech-savvy. This means they can do things like to inflate the cost of a website (or offer the company a custom-built package for thousands of dollars when all they need is a primary 5-page template site) or offer to perform updates for you whenever you need them. This sounds like a good idea, but do you want to call the web company whenever you need to change a name or edit a photograph? What if the web company goes out of business, and you have no idea how to access your site?

Ensure the company allows you to edit the text on your site and that they show you or your admin manager how to go into the area and edit text and images. This means that when you change address or want to add another job to your portfolio, you can do this yourself - no waiting for the web company to do it for you for a fee.

2. Forgetting Your Contact Details

When I click on your contact page, I want to see more ways to contact you than just a form to fill in. Many resent filling in a form and worrying it won’t go through.

Ideally, you want to include your contact details on every site page - but many construction companies forget to put them on! Your website isn’t helpful if a person loves the look of your projects but has no idea how to contact you.

You need at least a phone number so people can call you - ideally, an email address.

3. Not Understanding Your Target Audience

A website is an excellent platform for attracting your target clients, but who are they? Think about your clients - who do you usually deal with? For example, high-end residential construction companies typically deal with women aged 35-50 who have a bit of money behind them and a particular idea of what they want.

Tailor the look and message of your site to this audience, and you’ll be the most popular construction company in the neighborhood.

Are you a construction or building firm without a website? Is your website substandard? Now is the time to get serious about your web presence. More and more of your clients are turning to the internet for information and advice on their next construction project - if you’re the source of that advice, you’ll get the job.