What a Website for a Trade Business Actually Needs (and What It Doesn't)

When a tradesman asks me what his website should have, the honest answer is: less than you think, done better than you'd expect. Most trade websites fail not because they're missing features, but because the basics are buried under things nobody asked for.

What it needs

A clear headline

What you do and where, in the first line anyone reads. "Steel structures and metalwork, made to measure, across Serbia" tells a visitor in two seconds whether they're in the right place.

One way to get in touch, everywhere

A button to call, message or ask for a quote, visible at the top and after every section. On a phone, calling should be one tap.

Photos of your real work

Before and after, finished jobs, you on site. Real photos do more to win trust than anything you could write. Stock photos do the opposite — people recognise them.

Your services, one by one

A short section or page for each thing you do. Customers search for the specific job, not for "services".

Proof

Reviews with names, the areas you cover, how long you've been at it. Anything that answers "can I trust these people?" before the customer has to ask.

A simple enquiry form

A few short questions that tell you what the job is, and an enquiry that lands somewhere you'll see it straight away.

Speed and a good phone experience

Fast to load and easy to use on a small screen. This isn't a feature, it's the floor.

What it doesn't need

• A slideshow at the top. Nobody waits for slide three.
• A chatbot that answers with "I didn't understand that".
• Pages of company history before you get to what you do.
• A blog you'll write once and never touch again.
• Animations that make the page slow on an older phone.

None of those are bad in themselves. They just don't bring in work for a local trade, and every one of them is something the customer has to get past before they reach the button.

The test

Give your phone to someone who has never seen your site and ask them to request a quote. Don't help. Watch where they hesitate. Everything they stumble over is costing you enquiries.