A homeowner planning an extension or a loft conversion is choosing somebody they’ll let into the house for months, and they’ll usually compare a few firms before they ask anyone for a quote.
So a builder’s website has to stand up while somebody checks you against two or three others. The obvious way to check a builder is to look at what they’ve already built.
Your finished jobs are the best thing you have to show
Somebody weighing up a rear extension wants to see rear extensions you’ve built, ideally on houses like theirs. A page of photographs with nothing written under them tells a visitor very little and tells Google even less.
A page about one job can say what it was, roughly where, what the customer wanted, what turned out to be awkward and how long it took. That gives a visitor a reason to believe you, and it gives a search engine something specific to match to the searches people make. Search for the job and your town, then compare what sits above you with what your own site says about that work.
Be careful with customer details. Say what was built and in which area, leave out who lives there, and get permission before publishing photographs of somebody’s home.
One services page for every kind of job
A single page listing extensions, lofts, kitchens, renovations and “all aspects of building work” leaves Google with nothing to separate you from the next firm doing the same.
Choose the jobs you want more of and give each its own page and its own examples. If loft conversions are what you’d like the diary full of, that page should be the strongest thing on the site, not one bullet in a list.
The word builder means several things
It’s also what people call website builders and housebuilders. When somebody types it next to SEO or marketing, the results can drift a long way from building firms. Try it: search “seo for builders” and look at what else comes up alongside the agencies, including questions about website builders.
For a homeowner, the broad search is “builders in” plus a town. Searches that name the job are narrower. Look at how much of page one for your own area is a directory or a lead platform and how much is a builder, then check which of those searches already bring you enquiries before choosing where to put the effort.
Where I’d start
The first job is anything that stops an enquiry arriving. A form that doesn’t send, a phone number that can’t be tapped, or a site Google can’t read all cost jobs before any page gets a chance, and none of them is fixed by writing more.
After that, roughly:
- The Google Business Profile. The right categories, the areas you cover, photographs of finished work, and a habit of asking for a review once a job is signed off. Reviews help somebody decide whether to call you; they don’t replace the work.
- Pages for the jobs you want more of, one each, written around the questions a homeowner asks before they request a quote.
- Project pages for finished work, linked from the job pages, so a visitor can move from “do they build this?” to “show me”.
- A way to ask for a quote that suits large jobs. A form that asks for a postcode, the kind of work and a couple of photos lets you judge whether it’s worth a visit before you drive there.
- Tracking, so each quote request can be traced back to the search or page behind it.
I’d change that order if the site already brings plenty of enquiries but the wrong jobs are arriving.
Would Google Ads help?
Sometimes. A large job can justify a click that would be too expensive for a quick callout, but only if enough enquiries turn into signed work. Your own quote history will tell you how many do, and without it you’re guessing at a budget.
Before spending anything I’d want enquiries recorded by source, so the answer to “did the ads pay?” comes from the diary and not from the dashboard. Setting that up is part of my Google Ads service.
What about AI answers?
Homeowners ask assistants what to check before hiring a builder and what an extension involves. Ask a few of them what somebody should look for when choosing a builder in your area, run it more than once, and note which firms and which sources come back.
If you aren’t named, see what the answers draw on, then check those sources describe you accurately: your profile, the review sites, your own pages. A mention can’t be promised from any single change, but clear information about the work you do and the areas you cover is what these systems have to go on. There’s more under AI search visibility.
Who this suits
Builders doing domestic extensions, loft conversions and renovations, where the website has to help somebody choose between several firms.
Firms that want fewer, larger jobs and need the site to attract them, not just fill gaps in the diary.
Specialists, such as period property, structural work or one kind of conversion, where fewer people search and fewer firms have written down what they do.
If your diary is already full through referrals and you’re happy with it, more visibility isn’t what you need, and I’d say so.
What does it cost to work together?
I can’t price this from a trade name. It depends on what’s there now, how much of it there is and what turns out to be wrong. I’d look at the site, whatever you can share from Search Console, and who’s actually ranking in your area. Then I’d tell you what I’d do first, why, and what it would cost.
Most of the work happens remotely, and I’m near Liverpool if a conversation in person would help. Nearby towns are on the locations page.
Questions people ask
Do I need a separate page for each type of job?
If you want more of that work, yes. A page about loft conversions will do more for a loft conversion enquiry than a services page covering everything. Start with the one or two jobs you’d most like to win.
Should I put prices on the site?
Most building projects can’t carry an honest price without a visit. Explaining what makes one job cost more than another is more use to a visitor than a figure you’d have to qualify, and it’s what people are trying to find out when they search.
Are the review and directory sites worth paying for?
Before paying for a listing, check what your free ones say, because a wrong phone number or service area on one of them loses enquiries quietly. Whether a paid listing earns its fee depends on what each enquiry costs and how many turn into signed jobs, and that needs enquiries tracked.
Can I compete with the lead platforms?
On the broadest searches that’s a hard fight, so I wouldn’t start there. The enquiries that come through your own site and profile are ones you don’t pay for per lead, which is the reason to build them even if you keep a platform going alongside.
Do you work with builders outside the North West?
Yes. The work is remote and my clients are spread around the country. Builders have their own page here because large, compared jobs behave differently from a callout. Other trades are on the trades page.
Start with an assessment
Tell me which projects you want more of and what you’re paying for leads now. I’ll look at the site, your profile and the live results in your area, then tell you where I think the first useful change is. You can request a free assessment or get in touch. Other sectors are on the industries page.