Does having a website actually help your business?

By Charlie B, Deliberate Design.

The short answer: it helps in three specific ways and it does nothing in one way people expect. It gets you found by people searching, it makes strangers trust you, and it answers the questions you are tired of answering on the phone. It does not bring customers by itself, sitting there.

Found

People who search "roofer" and a town are looking to hire a roofer today. Google shows businesses with a website and a Google listing. No site, no place in that queue.

Trusted

A recommendation from a friend is the start. The next thing most people do is look you up. A page with your name, your work and your number confirms you are real. No page, and a few of them quietly go elsewhere.

Fewer pointless calls

Put your prices, hours and area on the page and the calls you get are from people who already know the answers and want to book. That is worth more than it sounds.

What it will not do

It will not bring customers because it exists. It needs to be found, which means a Google Business Profile, your web address on your van and your socials, and the right words on the page. A site nobody visits helps nobody.

The honest measure

Put a different phone number or ask "how did you hear about us" for a month. If a £20 a month site brings one job, it has paid for itself several times over. If it brings none, something on the page is wrong, and that is fixable.