· Notes

A website checklist for home-service contractors in Illinois

An 18-point website checklist for Illinois contractors: tap-to-call, license and insurance info, service pages, real photos, honest reviews, no copy pages.

Short answer: A home-service contractor's website should show what you do, where you work, and a tap-to-call number on the first screen of a phone. Below that, add a page for each service, real job photos, your license number if your trade needs one, proof of insurance, honest reviews, and a short quote form.

Homeowners hiring a plumber, roofer or handyman are letting a stranger into their house. Your website's job is to answer their worries before they call. The Illinois Attorney General's guide on choosing a contractor is a good map of those worries, so this checklist follows it.

Part 1: The first screen on a phone

Google says it uses the mobile version of a site's content for indexing and ranking. Your customer may also be standing in a flooded basement, phone in hand. On the first screen, without scrolling, they should see:

1. What you do, in plain words. "Plumbing repair and water heaters" beats "Solutions for your home."

2. Where you work. "Serving Aurora, Naperville, Oswego and nearby" in one line.

3. A phone number they can tap. Make it a real tap-to-call link, and use the same number that's on your Google Business Profile. Google's guidelines say the phone number must be under the direct control of the business.

4. One clear button. "Call now" or "Get a free quote."

Part 2: Proof you're legit

The Attorney General's guide tells homeowners to verify a contractor's name and address, check for complaints, ask for references, get several estimates, and confirm insurance and licensing. Put the answers right on your site.

5. Your license number, if your trade needs one. According to the Attorney General's guide:

  • Roofers must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). They must show their license number on all bids and contracts, on their vehicles and at their place of business.
  • Plumbers must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health and must display their license number at their place of business and on their vehicles.
  • General contractors aren't required to have a state license, but they may need a permit from the town where they work.

If you have a license number, put it in your footer and on your quote page. Homeowners can check IDFPR licenses through the state's License Lookup, so a number they can verify builds trust fast.

6. Insurance. The Attorney General's guide tells homeowners to verify that a contractor has the public liability and property damage insurance required by the Home Repair and Remodeling Act. Say plainly that you're insured and that you'll provide a certificate on request.

7. Warranty, if you offer one. The guide notes that a warranty isn't required but that contractors may offer one. If you offer one, state it in one or two sentences.

8. Real job photos. Before-and-after shots of your own work, with the homeowner's permission. No stock photos.

9. Honest reviews. Feature a few real reviews, word for word, and link to all your Google reviews so homeowners can read everything. Never write or buy reviews.

Part 3: Pages that help people and search engines

10. One page for each main service. A page for water heater repair, one for sump pumps, one for drain cleaning. Each should say what the job involves, what affects the price, and how to prepare.

11. Don't make copy-paste town pages. It's tempting to build 30 pages that say the same thing with a different town name swapped in. Google's spam policies call this doorway abuse, and list "multiple domain names or pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page" as an example. A single service area section that lists the towns you serve is better. Build a town page only if you have something truly local to say.

12. Your service area, without your home address. If you work out of your home and don't meet customers there, you don't need to publish your address. On Google, you can hide your address and set a service area instead. On your website, list the towns you serve.

13. Hours and emergency service. List your hours. If you take emergency calls, say when and whether it costs extra.

Part 4: The quote form and the details

14. A short quote form. Name, phone, town, what's wrong, and an optional photo. Say how soon you'll reply.

15. Same name, phone and hours everywhere. Your site, Google profile, Facebook, Yelp and any directory listings should match exactly.

16. Business details in your site's code. Google's local business structured data lets your site describe your business name, phone number and opening hours in a format search engines read. Whoever builds your site can add it.

17. Don't block Google. Google asks businesses to make sure Googlebot isn't blocked from the website on their profile.

18. Spanish, if your customers speak it. Give Spanish its own page, reviewed by a fluent speaker.

Quick self-check

Open your site on your phone. In five seconds, can you tell what you do, where you work and how to call? Is your license number there, if your trade needs one?

AP Visible builds and runs websites for local contractors and home-service businesses, with tap-to-call, booking requests and an English and Spanish assistant included. Call (331) 298-2109 for a free audit.

Frequently asked questions

Do general contractors need a state license in Illinois?

According to the Illinois Attorney General, general contractors aren't required to be licensed or certified by the state, but they may need a permit from the town where they work. Roofers and plumbers must be licensed.

Should I put my home address on my contractor website?

Not if customers don't come to it. Google lets businesses that don't meet customers at their address hide it and set a service area. On your website, list the towns you serve instead.

Should I make a separate page for every town I serve?

Only if each page has truly local content. Google's spam policies call pages targeted at specific cities that funnel visitors to one page doorway abuse. A single service area section usually works better.

Where should a roofer show the license number?

The Illinois Attorney General says roofers must display their license number on bids, contracts, vehicles and their place of business. Adding it to your website footer and quote page also helps homeowners check it.

Related: How we build websites for home-service contractors →

Sources

Written by Priscilla Patel, CEO of AP Visible, which builds websites and manages Google profiles for family-run shops around Aurora and Naperville, Illinois. More notes →

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