Websites for tradespeople: what really matters

According to the Bitkom study "Digitalisierung des Handwerks 2025", 94 percent of the trades businesses surveyed in Germany have their own website (source: bitkom.org, trades study report, published January 2026). Having a website is no longer an advantage. The difference is whether it works on a phone, loads quickly and makes it easy to reach you.

Customers search on their phone

People who need an electrician, painter or plumber usually search on the go or in the evening on the sofa, on their phone. If your site shows tiny text, cropped images or a menu that will not open, the customer moves on to the next business.

What belongs on the first screen

• What you do, in one sentence.
• Where you work: town, district, radius.
• How to reach you: a phone number to tap, a contact form, opening hours.
• A few real photos of you, your team and your work. No stock photos of people in hard hats.
• Reviews if you have them, for example from your Google Business Profile.

What you can leave out

Long company histories, phrases like "quality and reliability" and pages called "News" that have been empty for years. Less, but well maintained, works better.

Technology you do not see, but Google does

Load time, clean headings, a correct legal notice and structured data that tells Google what kind of business you are and where it is located. A good provider takes care of all this in the background. Ask about it anyway.

Keep the old site or rebuild?

If your site is more than five years old, looks bad on a phone or you cannot change it yourself, a rebuild is usually cheaper than patching. A one-pager for a trades business takes me about a week.

Enquiries, not visitors

A website for a trades business has one job: the visitor should call or write. That is why the phone number belongs at the top of the page, as a button to tap on mobile. The contact form only needs a name, contact details and a field for the request. Every extra required field costs enquiries.

A photo upload in the form ("send me a picture of the spot") helps you estimate the job and helps the customer describe it. It is a small addition that lowers the barrier to getting in touch.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a subpage for every service?

If you want to be found on Google for individual services, yes. A dedicated page for "bathroom renovation Ansbach" ranks for that search, a paragraph on the home page hardly does. For a small business with one main service, a one-pager is enough.

Should I put prices on my website?

Fixed prices are rarely possible in the trades. Price ranges or examples ("painting a living room from X euros") still help to avoid unsuitable enquiries and build trust.

How do I get reviews?

After every completed job, send the link to your Google Business Profile, by WhatsApp or on the invoice. Satisfied customers are usually happy to leave a review, but they need a reminder.