What do I need before I make my website?
Most people who start a website and never finish it get stuck on the content, not the software. Have these ready first, in a note on your phone, and whichever route you pick will go quickly:
- Your business name, exactly as it is on the van and your invoices. Customers check that it matches.
- Your trade and the four to six jobs you want more of. Not everything you can do. "Boiler swaps, bathroom refits, leak repairs" beats a list of twenty.
- The town you are based in and the places you actually cover. Name them. "South East London" means little to someone in Sidcup deciding whether you will come out.
- One number you will answer, and your WhatsApp number if customers send you photos of the job first.
- Five to ten real photos of your own work, taken on your phone. Finished jobs, your van, you on site. No stock photos. I go through what works in using photos to win trade work.
- Your registration numbers: Gas Safe, NICEIC or NAPIT, TrustMark, whatever you genuinely hold, plus your public liability insurance. Customers look these up. See how to show accreditations online.
If you already have a Google Business Profile with reviews, have its link handy too. Your real reviews are the strongest proof you have, and some builders (mine included) can pull them onto your site rather than you retyping them.
What are the four ways to make a trade website?
| Route | What you do | What you pay | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| General builder (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy) | Pick a template, replace every block of text and image yourself, set up the domain | A monthly or yearly plan for as long as the site is live. Squarespace Basic is £12 a month on annual billing, with no free plan and a 14 day trial | People who enjoy tinkering and want several pages, bookings or a shop |
| Builder made for trades (like tradewebsite.uk) | Answer questions about your business, then change any wording you like | Varies by provider. Tradewebsite.uk is £299 once, no monthly fee | Sole traders and small firms who want one page live today |
| Freelance web designer | Send your details and photos, approve the draft | A quote for the build, often with a monthly fee for hosting or changes. Ask for both figures in writing | A custom look, several pages, or if you never want to touch it |
| Agency | Meetings, a brief, sign off stages | The highest upfront cost of the four, sometimes with a support contract | Firms with several branches, a sales team or a marketing budget |
Checked September 2026: Squarespace pricing. I have not put figures on freelancers and agencies because prices vary too much to state honestly. Get two written quotes. For builder prices over three years, see the cheapest website builder for tradespeople.
A word on free plans. Wix has a free plan with no card, which is fine for learning the editor. Its own pricing FAQ says you need a Premium plan to connect your own domain and remove Wix branding (Wix plans, checked September 2026). A customer who sees another company's name in your web address may wonder how established you are. If you want a free starting point, a Google Business Profile is the better one: Google states that creating a Business Profile is free of cost (Google Business Profile FAQ, checked September 2026).
How do I make it, step by step?
These steps work on any route. Where I say "the builder", read "your designer" if you are paying someone.
- Write the one sentence at the top. What you do and where: "Gas Safe heating engineer covering Bromley, Orpington and Beckenham." That line is what a customer reads first and what Google and AI assistants lift.
- List your services as plain words, the way a customer would search them: "fuse board upgrade", not "consumer unit solutions".
- Choose the main button. Phone if you do emergency or same week work. WhatsApp if customers usually send photos for a price first. One main button, not four.
- Add your photos, best finished job first.
- Add only proof you really have: registration numbers, insurance, real reviews. Never write a review yourself or show a logo for a scheme you are not in. Customers check.
- Open it on your phone and ring yourself from it. If the call button does not dial, nothing else matters.
- Connect your own domain when you are happy. Ideas for names are in domain name ideas for tradespeople.
- Put the address everywhere: your Google Business Profile, van, invoices, email signature, Facebook page.
For exactly what belongs on the page, section by section, read what to put on a one page trade website.
What mistakes do tradespeople make on their own website?
- The number is hidden. It should be at the top and tappable, not only in the footer or behind a contact form.
- No areas named. Customers ring the firm that clearly covers their town.
- Stock photos. A smiling model in a hard hat tells a customer nothing about your work.
- Half finished pages. "Gallery coming soon" from two years ago looks like a business that stopped trading. One finished page beats five empty ones.
- A slow site. Huge photos straight off the phone make a page crawl on mobile data. See why a slow website loses trade jobs.
- The domain registered to someone else. If a designer or builder owns it, you may lose your address when you stop paying them. Check who it is registered to.
Should I pay someone to make it instead?
Sometimes, yes. If you need online booking with payment, a shop, a dozen service pages or a brand designed from scratch, a good freelancer or agency is worth the money, and my one page builder is the wrong tool. The same goes if you simply never want to look at your website. Before you pay anyone, ask five questions and get the answers in writing:
- What do I pay today, and what do I pay every month or year after that?
- Who is the domain registered to?
- Can I change the wording and photos myself?
- What happens to the site if I stop paying?
- If I leave, do I get my content and my domain?
How does making a website on tradewebsite.uk work?
Tradewebsite.uk is a builder made for UK trades. You answer a short form at edit.tradewebsite.uk/start: business name, town, trade, the work you take on, the places you cover and how customers should reach you. If you are on Google, it can pull in your own rating, reviews and photos. Nothing is invented. The site is built while you watch, in about 2 minutes, and you can tap any wording to change it.
Tradewebsite.uk is free for 14 days with no card. If you keep the site, you pay £299 once. Hosting is included and there is no monthly fee. If you do not pay, the site is switched off and nothing is charged. The domain name is not included (about £8 to £15 a year from any registrar), and connecting it is free.
What it does not do: it is one page, with no shop, no booking system and no email address. If you need those, pick a general builder or a designer. The full price breakdown is in how much a trade website costs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the quickest way to make a website for my trade business?
Use a builder made for trades and have your details ready before you start: business name, trade, the areas you cover, the number you answer, and a few real photos of your work. On tradewebsite.uk the build itself takes about 2 minutes and needs no card.
Can I make a trade website myself with no experience?
Yes. A one page trade site is mostly your own words: what you do, where you do it and how to reach you. The hard part is not the software, it is gathering real photos and writing one plain sentence about your work. If you can fill in a form on your phone, you can make one.
Do I need more than one page on a trade website?
Most sole traders and small firms do not. One page with your services, areas, photos, accreditations and a big call button covers what a customer checks before ringing. You need more pages if you run several branches, sell products online or take bookings with payment.
Do I need my own domain name to make a website?
Not to start. Your own domain looks more established on a van and an invoice, and it costs about £8 to £15 a year from any registrar. Buy it in your own name so you keep it whoever builds the site. Tradewebsite.uk connects your domain free, but the domain itself is not included in the £299.
Should I pay a web designer instead of making it myself?
Pay a designer if you need several pages, online booking, a shop or a custom brand, or if you never want to touch the site. Before you pay anyone, ask who the domain is registered to, what you pay each month afterwards, and what happens to the site if you stop paying.
How much does it cost to make a trade website with tradewebsite.uk?
Building it costs nothing. Tradewebsite.uk lets you use the site free for 14 days with no card. If you keep it, you pay £299 once, with hosting included and no monthly fee. If you do not pay, the site is switched off and nothing is charged. The domain name is the only extra.
Got your six things ready?
Build a one page trade site in about 2 minutes. Free for 14 days, no card. £299 once if you keep it, no monthly fee.
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