Website for a painter: let your work do the work

Who visits your site

A homeowner looking for a painter usually isn't in a hurry. The window frames need doing in a few months, or the living room finally needs repainting. They're planning maintenance. And before they call anyone, they want to see one thing: what you've done.

With painting, you see the quality with your own eyes. Clean lines, no splashes on the glass, an even wall. So your website is really a shop window.

What your customer is afraid of

Two fears keep coming back. The first: messy work. Paint on the floor, sloppy edges, a garden full of rubbish. The second: a painter who doesn't turn up, or disappears halfway to another job. What your customer wants is someone who works tidily and is on time.

Notice that word "tidy". Customers use it themselves, in reviews and conversations. So use it on your site too.

How to structure your homepage

1. The first screen. Interior or exterior painting (or both), your region and one button.
2. Trust bar. Your OnderhoudNL membership, your guarantee in years and your review score.
3. Before-and-after gallery. Before the services, because painting is judged on what you see.
4. Services. Interior, exterior, wood rot, wallpapering: what you do, in plain words.
5. How you work. From survey to completion, in three to five steps.
6. Prices. They can come here already, before the reviews. The gallery has already delivered the proof.
7. Reviews. Preferably ones that mention tidiness and keeping appointments.
8. Team. Who will be on the scaffolding?
9. Frequently asked questions and a closing button.

Trust: proof of tidiness

Membership of OnderhoudNL, the Dutch trade association for painters and maintenance companies, belongs in your trust bar if you're a member. Link it to your listing with the association.

A guarantee in years works better than "we deliver quality". Say exactly what the guarantee covers and for how long. No guarantee scheme? Then say what you do if something goes wrong. A site without any statement about guarantees leaves the customer with a question.

You tackle the second fear, a painter who doesn't turn up, in your process. Show how you fix the start date, roughly how long a job takes and what you do if the weather holds up exterior work. Anyone who knows that in advance won't be alarmed by a day of rain or call you worried.

Pick reviews that mention tidiness. A customer who writes that everything was cleaned up afterwards answers the fear of messy work better than any promise. Add name, town and date.

The button

The standard is "Request a free quote". Only use "free" if the quote really costs nothing and the customer isn't committed to anything. Under the button, put one reassuring line, for example when you'll come round for the survey. Show your phone number next to it for people who'd rather call.

Keep the form short. Ask what needs painting (interior, exterior, both), the postcode and when the customer wants it done. Only then name and contact details. A button to attach a photo is handy: a photo of the window frames sometimes says more than a description.

Prices per m² or per item

Painting is easy to price. Give a price per m² or per item, such as per window frame or per door, and say what's included. Think of preparation, primer, top coat and cleaning up. Prices for private customers always include VAT. That's what the ACM, the Dutch consumer authority, requires.

Do you have a winter rate for interior work? Only mention it if it really exists and is really lower than your normal rate. A "discount" on a price you never charge is misleading.

Images: sharp before-and-after pairs

The best photos for a painter are before-and-after pairs: the same facade, the same angle, the same light. Add close-ups of the finish: a clean line along the glass, a smooth door. Visitors look at photos that show something and skip decorative pictures.

Do you work on listed buildings or expensive properties? Then show those projects separately, in a calmer tone. A customer with a canal house is looking for a different kind of craftsman than someone with a terraced house.

Common mistakes

• No gallery. Without photos of your work, you're asking the customer to trust you blindly.
• Stock photos of paint rollers. A roller from a photo library mainly shows you have no photos of your own.
• No statement about guarantees. Staying silent about guarantees looks like hiding something.
• Prices without explanation. A price per m² without saying what's included mostly leads to questions.

Checklist

• Does the first screen say whether you paint interiors, exteriors or both, and where?
• Does the before-and-after gallery come before your services?
• Are the photos of your own work, with the same angle before and after?
• Do you name your guarantee in years, and what it covers?
• Are there prices per m² or per item, including VAT, with what's included?
• Are your chosen reviews about tidiness and keeping appointments?
• Is the quote form short, with contact details at the end?

A painter doesn't need to praise their own work. Show it, put an honest price next to it and only promise what you deliver.