Which website builder is best for tradesmen? DIY, AI, freelancer or done for you
"Which website builder is best for tradesmen?" is one of the questions people ask Google most when they're thinking about getting a site. The honest answer is that it depends less on the builder and more on how much of your own time you want to spend on it.
There are four routes. Here's what each one really involves for a trade, what tends to go wrong and the questions to ask before you pick.
Route 1: build it yourself on a DIY builder
Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy and the rest. You pick a template, drag things around and write the words yourself.
The good: low monthly cost, you're in control and you can change things whenever you like.
What tends to go wrong:
It takes longer than you think. An evening becomes four weekends.
Templates aren't built for trades. They're built for photographers and cafés. You end up with a pretty site that doesn't have a tap to call button where it matters or a way to send a job with photos.
The search basics are left to you. Page titles, naming your towns, getting found locally. The builder gives you the boxes, not what to put in them.
It never gets updated. Once it's live, most trades don't touch it again.
Who it suits: trades who enjoy this kind of thing and have the time.
Route 2: an AI website builder
You type in your business and an AI produces a site in a couple of minutes.
The good: fast and cheap, and it looks finished.
What tends to go wrong: it looks finished but it doesn't know your business. The words are generic, the photos are often stock and it guesses. We recently came across an air conditioning engineer whose AI built site has a made up name that isn't the business, and it never actually says air conditioning, heating or the towns they cover. Google reads your site to decide who to show it to, so a site that doesn't say the job or the place won't be shown to people searching for either.
Who it suits: a starting point, as long as you rewrite every word yourself.
Route 3: a freelancer or agency, paid once
You pay a one off fee and someone builds it for you.
The good: it can be properly tailored, and a good local designer will know what works.
What tends to go wrong:
The upfront cost. Quotes vary a lot, and it's a big chunk of money in one go.
Changes cost extra. Want a new service page or new photos? That's another invoice, so it doesn't happen.
Hosting and the domain get forgotten. Ask who owns the web address and who pays for hosting. We recently found a local business whose old web address now opens an online casino after it lapsed. Their customers had been landing on it for weeks. There's a guide to avoiding that in business domain expired: what happens next.
It goes stale. We came across a plumber whose site hadn't been touched since 2023.
Who it suits: trades who want something bespoke and are happy to manage it afterwards.
Route 4: a done for you site, paid monthly
A company builds the site, hosts it, keeps it updated and usually adds the things that turn visitors into jobs. That's the route we offer, so take this section with that in mind.
The good: it's built for trades from the start, you don't spend your evenings on it and changes are part of the service. Many include extras like a job request form, missed call text back or review requests.
What tends to go wrong: you're paying every month, so check exactly what's included, whether there's a contract and what happens to your site if you leave.
Who it suits: trades who want it handled and would rather spend their time on the tools.
Watch it: the Smart Website we build for a trade, and why each part is there.
Seven questions to ask before you pick
Whichever route you go down, get clear answers to these:
Whose name is the domain in? It should be yours.
Can I take the site with me if I leave? And what does that cost?
Does it work properly on a phone, with a tap to call button on the first screen?
Is there a way for customers to send a job with photos, not just a phone number?
Will it name the towns I cover and the jobs I do, in the words customers use?
Who updates it, and what does an update cost?
What's the total over two years? Add up any setup fee, the monthly cost and the extras.
How ours answers those questions
Since we're one of the options, here are our straight answers:
Basic is £99 a month or £799 for the year paid once: the Smart Website with a job request form. The Full System is £199 a month and adds missed call text back, one inbox, AI chat that books, reminders and review requests.
No setup fee and no contract. Live in 7 to 10 days.
30 day money back guarantee: if it's not right for you in the first 30 days, tell us and we refund your first month in full.
If you cancel, you can buy the site outright for £500.
More on what's in it on the Smart Website page and the pricing page.
Whatever route you pick, the site needs these
The builder matters far less than what goes on the site. A trade website on any platform needs:
your trade and your towns in the headline
a tap to call button on the first screen
a way to send a job with photos and a postcode
real photos of your work
your reviews and your accreditations
a page or section for each main job you do
your hours, including whether you do emergencies
your own web address, in your own name
If a site has all of those, it's doing its job whichever builder made it. If it's missing them, a nicer template won't save it.
Questions trades ask
Is Wix good for tradesmen?
It's fine if you have the time to set it up properly and keep it up to date. The builder isn't the problem. What usually lets trade sites down is missing the basics: the towns, the tap to call button and a way to send a job.
Can I build a trade website for free?
You can get a free site on most builders, but it'll carry their branding and their web address. For a business, you want your own domain at the very least.
Do AI website builders work for trades?
They're quick, but they write generic copy and sometimes get your business wrong. If you use one, rewrite every word in your own language and check it names your trade and your towns.
What happens to my website if I stop paying monthly?
It depends on the company, so ask before you sign. With us, you can buy the site outright for £500 if you cancel.
For a full breakdown of costs, read how much a trade website should cost in the UK.
