How To Build a Handyman Business Website

In this guide, I will show you how to build a handyman business website step-by-step.

And I’ll also show you how to build a website for any local service business because it’s the same process.

So whether you are a contractor, house cleaner, carpenter, plumber, etc., this is the definitive guide to building a website the right way.

This is the same process I used for my handyman business website, and it’s the same process that I teach in my premium marketing training, Handyman Marketing Machine.

Here’s what I’m going to cover…

Contents

• Things to know before building your website
• Step 1: Choosing a domain name
• Step 2: Setting up web hosting
• Step 3: Installing WordPress
• Step 4: Installing a Theme
• Step 5: Adding Content (what to put on your website)

IntroductionThings to know before building your website

Do you really need a website?

Creating a website is easier than ever. In a matter of a few hours and a couple hundred bucks, you can have your website up and running.

A well-optimized website can do a lot for your business…

• It will build trust with potential customers, allowing you to effortlessly sell your services.
• It will help differentiate you from the competition, allowing you to charge more for your services and stop competing on price.
• It will help you attract better customers (customers who are closer, hire you for services you like, and are easier to work with).
• It will be a source of free leads, so you can stop paying for leads and advertising completely (like I have).

If done correctly, it will be the difference between struggling to find customers while paying for expensive leads or having a thriving business with a booked schedule.

If you are just starting your business, it will dramatically accelerate your path to building a solid client base that you enjoy working for.

If you’ve been considering building a website for your handyman business, just make the decision and do it, starting today.

The Bad News About Handyman Websites

While a website can do tremendous things for your success as it has done for me and thousands of my students, just throwing up a basic website isn’t going to do much for you.

A website by itself with no strategy for generating traffic is just like having a nice business card. It will build trust with your existing customers, but very few new customers will find it and hire you.

Basically, there are things you must do for your website to show up in the search engines beyond just getting it online.

Regardless, it is an essential component of your online marketing strategy. And the first step toward having a good website is just having a website. So for now, let’s just focus on getting your website up and running so you can improve it later.

Just take it one little tiny baby step at a time.

Should you build your website by yourself or hire a web designer?

It’s easier than ever to build a professional website with all of the amazing tools available, and I highly recommend doing it yourself.

Even if you have only basic computer skills, you can build a professional website with a little time and effort.

Of course, there are alternatives to the DIY approach.

You could hire a pro marketing agency to manage your online presence for you. They will do the job right, and you’ll reap the benefits of an optimized online presence. The only downside is that it will cost you (usually $800-$1,000 per month) for that luxury.

For most solo handymen and other local pros, that is too expensive.

There are cheaper options available, like hiring a local college student or a low-cost freelancer. But you get what you pay for. If you go that route, you’re unlikely to get good results, and it will cost you more time and frustration down the road when you try to make edits to your website.

So again, unless you have the extra cash to pay agency rates, I recommend building it yourself. It will take some time, but it’s worth it, and you’ll be proud of your work when you finish.

How much does it cost to build a handyman website?

If you avoid common pitfalls and do it the right way, you’ll end up spending between $100 and $200 to build a handyman website. You may end up investing more in the design, but that is usually unnecessary.

Sound good? Let’s get started!

Step 1Choosing a Domain Name

A good domain name is the first piece of the online marketing puzzle you’ll be assembling, and it will help tremendously if you choose wisely.

What is a Domain Name?

Also known as a URL or web address, it’s what you type in to visit a website. For example, the domain name for this website is HandymanStartup.com.

How To Choose a Good Domain Name

The main purpose of choosing a good domain name is to help with SEO (search engine optimization).

Basically, a good name can help you rank higher in Google and other search engines.

Let’s cover a few rules for choosing a good domain name that will help instead of hurt your efforts in attracting customers to your business.

Please note that in some cases, you may need to break one or more of these rules. However, the closer you can stick to these rules, the better.

#1 – Get a .com (if possible)

While this isn’t as important as it used to be for SEO, having a .com still has several benefits and can indirectly impact your SEO campaign.

First, it’s the default extension people will type in when looking for your business online. The last thing you want is someone who is searching for you to end up on another website.

Second, .com has the most authority, and people are more likely to trust that you are established with a .com.

And the third reason is cognitive fluency. Since a .com is more common and easier to remember, it’s more likely that your customers will like and remember it.

Of course, getting a .com is easier said than done, and most good domain names are taken. If you absolutely can’t get a .com, go with a .org or .net.

#2 – Use Your Business Name

If you have a good business name and the domain name is available for it, then in most cases, simply using your business name for your website domain name is the best option.

For example, if your business name is Pro Handyman LLC, then you would just use ProHandyman.com as your domain name.

Hopefully, you followed the guidelines from my tutorial Handyman Business Names: The Ultimate Guide, and you’ve chosen a good business name.

Of course, it’s not always that easy. In many cases, the .com domain won’t be available for your business name, or your business name might conflict with one of the other rules outlined below.

In that case, you will need to get creative with your domain name.

#3 – Include a Keyword

If your business name isn’t available in a .com, this is an excellent secondary option.

A keyword is a word that you think somebody would type into a Google search to find you.

For example, Internet users would type the keyword “handyman” into Google if they were looking for a handyman. If you specialize in a particular home improvement or repair, try to include the most commonly used word (or words) to describe that service in your domain name.

Words such as handyman, fix, or home repair are all examples of relevant keywords for a handyman business.

Let’s say you live in Chicago and you offer housekeeping services. A good domain name would be www.ChicagoHouseCleaning.com. It’s easy to remember, and it tells customers and search engines what your website is about.

#4 – The Shorter, The Better

If you can, keep your handyman website domain name to three words or fewer.

The shorter your domain name, the easier it will be for customers to remember and visit your website. Longer domain names are more likely to be misspelled or miscommunicated and could cause you to lose traffic.

Also, since your domain name will likely go on your vehicle graphics, your business card, and other marketing materials, you’ll want it short.

However, this can be challenging since millions of domain names have already been registered and shorter domain names are preferred.

#5 – Avoid Tricky or Clever Spellings

This is the same as with your business name. If your customers can’t spell it, they’ll have more trouble getting to your website.

Avoid domain names with numbers to replace words such as Handyman4u.com.

Also, avoid using dashes or any other special characters. If you chose the domain name Pro-Handyman.com and there was another website without the dash ProHandyman.com, then many of your customers will get confused and visit the wrong website.

Ideally, you want to be able to say your domain name without having to spell or explain it, and then the person you are talking to type it in on the first try reliably.

#6 – Keep Your Customers In Mind

Just like anything with marketing, you always want to start with the customer in mind.

What keywords are they going to type in when searching for your services? Does your domain name appeal to your customers? Are they going to be more or less likely to hire you because of your domain name?

For example, if you chose the domain name badasshandyman.com, you may repel many high-paying customers. Don’t choose a name because you think it’s cool. Choose a name because it resonates with the customers you are trying to serve.

Tools for checking domain availability

Once you’ve generated a few domain name ideas, it’s time to see if they are available in a .com.

Here are two tools to help you with this process:

1. Domainr.com (quickest way to check availability)
2. GoDaddy.com (provides more ideas when your domain is taken)

Struggling to Find a Good Domain Name?

If so, you are not alone. Finding a good domain name these days can be challenging. The key is to keep a running list of ideas. Look at other names for inspiration. Write down anything that comes to mind.

Don’t let this get in the way of starting your business. A good website with a bad domain name is still a million times better than no website at all.

Registering Your Domain Name

To register your domain name, go to Bluehost where you can get a free domain name with web hosting.

I cover web hosting in the next section and recommend waiting to register your domain name until you read that section.

Once you have a domain name chosen, move on to the next step where you will register your domain name and set up hosting.

Step 2Setting Up Web Hosting

Web hosting is straightforward to set up and should only take about five to ten minutes, even if you’ve never done it before.

Here’s what to expect in this section.

• First, I’ll explain what web hosting is and why you need it.
• Second, I’ll discuss what you need to consider when choosing a host.
• Third, I’ll show you the web host I use and recommend.
• Lastly, I’ll guide you through the process of setting it up.

What is web hosting?

A web hosting service stores all of the information and content for your website and then delivers that content to people who visit your site.

Basically, it’s where your website content lives.

Without web hosting, nobody would be able to access your website.

Just think of a web hosting company as a big warehouse with computers lined up row after row, all used to store and deliver the information that you find on the internet.

What to Consider When Choosing A Web Host

Honestly, most web hosts are pretty good. However, some are certainly better than others.

Here are the main things you should consider when choosing a web host.

Free vs. Paid

There are free web hosting options out there. However, Don’t be tempted by these because they always limit you in some way or lock you into their platform, which ends up being more expensive down the road. Paying for a well-known, reliable host is worth every penny because it gives you control over your website, which is essential. Building your site on a free platform is like building your house on somebody else’s property. Not a good idea.

Reliability

Reliability is critical when it comes to web hosting. The last thing you want is an eager customer trying to visit your website and being unable to because your web host’s server is down.

Excellent technical support

Technical issues are inevitable with websites. However, when you have good tech support, solving these issues is 10x easier. I don’t know about you, but I want to talk to someone knowledgeable and easy to understand when I’m having a problem. Good tech support is a must.

My Recommended Web Host

I recommend BlueHost for building a handyman business website. It’s very competitively priced, offers amazing service, and makes it super easy to get your website up and running. They also offer a free domain name, which is a bonus.

I use Bluehost for all of my websites (including this one).

They’ve been around since 1996 and they provide high-quality hosting and the best customer support in the industry.

My experience with Bluehost has been great. Setting up my websites is super easy, and whenever I need help (which has happened many times), their technical support is always knowledgeable and gets the problem solved quickly. I’m usually surprised at how knowledgeable the support techs are.

How to Setup Hosting with Bluehost

First, simply click here to visit their site and then click on the “Host Your Site” button.

This will bring you to a page with a few options to choose from for your hosting plan. Usually, there are between three and four options.

For most handyman business websites, you can get away with the lowest cost package. If you ever need to upgrade later, you just call up Bluehost, and they’ll move you up to the next package.

So, if money is tight, stick with the basic option. If you plan on building several websites, then go with one of the middle options. If you are reading this article, you do NOT need the PRO option.

Once you choose your option, it will take you to another page where there are two options:

1. If you haven’t registered your domain name yet (good job), enter the domain name that you chose from the previous step. This is free for the first year if you are creating a new account.
2. If you have already registered a domain name (with Bluehost or another company), enter it on the right side and click Next.

Now it’s time to fill out your information. Fill it out, ideally using your business credit card if you have it set up so you can easily expense it.

The first section of this page will ask you for your account information such as name, address, etc.

Further down the page, you will have some options to upgrade.

Here is my advice on each one.

Domain Privacy Protection?

Recommended.

This is optional. It keeps your personal contact information from being easily accessible for anybody who wants to look up who owns the domain.

The main downside of NOT getting it is that immediately after setting up hosting, you’ll be bombarded with cold calls of companies trying to sell you cheap SEO services that you don’t need or want.

So as long as money isn’t too tight, I recommend getting this.

Codeguard Basic?

Maybe.

This is a bit of insurance in case your website crashes, which is very unusual and unlikely.

I don’t pay for Codeguard since I use a free plugin (updraftplus) to keep my website backed up. But, if you want that extra bit of insurance, you may consider investing in this.

If you’re unsure, just skip it and you can always add it on later.

All of the Other Package Extras?

Not necessary.

You don’t need Bluehost SEO tools, single domain SSL (it should be included already anyway), Microsoft 365, or SiteLock Security. Save your money.

Once you select your options and enter your credit card info, your account will be created, and you’ll be ready to move on to the next step.

Step 3Installing WordPress

Now that you have purchased web hosting and registered a domain name, it’s time to install WordPress.

This is where building a website for your handyman business starts to get fun.

When you’re done, you’ll have a fully functional website up and running!  It’s not going to be the prettiest website on the web (yet), but it’s a step in the right direction.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is an open-sourced content management system (CMS) commonly used for blogs (like the one you’re currently reading) and millions of other websites. Some think that it’s just a blogging platform, but that is not true. WordPress is now commonly used for just about any type of website.

WordPress is to a website as joists, studs, and rafters are to a home. It’s the framework of your website. Like the framing in a house, it provides a structure for you to attach your website content. It does not affect the look of your website directly.

Why should you use WordPress?

Even though it’s easy to use for a novice web developer (like yourself), it’s arguably the most powerful platform for building a website.

That’s why 40% of the entire internet uses it, included many pro web developers who build websites for a living. That’s over a third of all websites!

There are no coding or special skills required. If you can use email, you can manage your website with WordPress.

It’s also completely FREE (assuming you are self-hosting your website with a place like Bluehost).

Here are a few more reasons it’s great.

1. Themes – A theme is a pre-designed template for your website. This makes designing a professional website a matter of downloading a theme and installing it on your website. The best part is that there are thousands of themes to choose from, so you are bound to find one that works for your website, and many of them are free.
2. Plugins – Plugins are to WordPress as apps are to smartphones. Want your website to have an interactive form that allows your customers to request a quote through your website? There’s a plugin for that. Want to have your website automatically backup? There’s a plugin for that, too, and a thousand other things. The best part is most plugins are free.
3. Built for SEO – It’s no secret that SEO/Content Marketing is one of the best ways to get targeted traffic to your website. WordPress is built with SEO in mind, so you know you’re set up right from the start.

How to Install WordPress

Installing WordPress is easy, especially if you are hosting your website with Bluehost, as I recommended in the previous tutorial.

Here’s what to do…

First, log in to your Bluehost account. Then select “My Sites” from the menu on the left.

Find the “Create Site” button (big blue button on the right-hand side of the screen).

Click it!  Then, you’ll come to a page where you can enter your Site Name and Site Tagline.

Click the “Advanced” link below the Site Tagline to expose a few more fields. Then enter them as follows:

1. Site Name – Just set this as your business name (you can change it later).
2. Site Tagline – Enter whatever you want here (you can change it later as well).
3. Email Address – What email do you want to be associated with your website? (This is not the email your customers will see, and it’s only used for admin purposes.)
4. WordPress Admin UserName – This is the name you’ll use to log in to your website to make changes and edits. You’ll want to save this for later reference.
5. WordPress Admin Password – This will be the password you use to log in to your website to make changes and edits. You’ll want to save this for later reference.

Then click “Next.”

The next page should look something like this (or similar).

Choose the domain name of your handyman business website from the dropdown menu titled “Domain.” Leave the directory field blank.

Then uncheck each of the “Helpful Free Plugins” because you don’t need them.

Then click “Next,” and you’ll come to a screen like this.

And that’s it!

Congratulations! You have successfully installed WordPress! You can now visit your website by typing your domain name at the top of your web browser.

WordPress Initial Setup

Step #1 – Login to your website

There are two ways to log in and edit your site.

1. Login to Bluehost and then go to the My Sites menu option and click “Manage Site.”
2. Or, you can go to your website and log in directly there (which I recommend since it’s easier to do later). To get to the login page, just go to your website and add “/wp-admin” to the end of your URL, and hit enter.  For example, if your URL were https://www.handyman.com you would type in https://www.handyman.com/wp-admin to reach the login page.

Then, type in the username and password you created while installing WordPress.

After you have logged in, you will see a page that looks similar to this:

In the above image, you can see the WordPress dashboard. This is where you will control every feature of your website. On the left, you will notice an intuitive menu that the red arrow is pointing to.

Step #2 – Delete the default plugins

Once you are logged in, click on the “plugins” tab and then delete all of the existing plugins that were added automatically by Bluehost since they just clunk up your website.

Yes, it’s ok to delete them all.

Step #3 – General Settings configuration

Click on settings (from WordPress dashboard) to be taken to “General Settings,” then edit the following:

Site Title:  Set this to Handyman In City, St | Your Business Name (of course, fill in your actual business info).
Tagline: Put your business slogan here or just describe your services briefly.
Timezone: Change the timezone to your time zone. Pacific Time is UTC-7, Mountain Time is UTC-6, Central Time is UTC-5, and Eastern Time is UTC-4.

Once you’ve edited the general settings, click “Save Changes.”

Step #4 – Permalink Settings

Under Settings, you’ll see an option called “Permalinks.” Click that, then set the Common Settings to “Post name” (if it’s not already set to that). Then scroll down and save the changes.

Step #5 – Create essential pages

In this step, you’re going to create the essential pages you’ll want on your handyman (or other service) website.

To create your first page, click on “Pages” in the menu from the WordPress dashboard.

Then click “Add New” (top of the screen) to create a new page.

For the title of the page, enter “About” and then hit publish. Don’t worry about adding content right now. You will go back and do that later.

Now, follow those same steps until you have the following pages created:

• About
• Home
• Blog
• Contact

Step #6 – Edit Reading Settings

Go back to settings in the WordPress dashboard menu, and click on the “Reading” tab. Then make the following changes.

Your homepage displays – Select the “A static page” option. Then, for the homepage, select “Home” from the dropdown menu. For the posts page, select “Blog.”

Then save the changes.

Step #7 – Visit your new website

Your site is officially up and running!

At the top of the WordPress dashboard, there is a little house next to the title of your website. Click that to go to your website homepage.

At this point, you should have a website up and running, ready to customize.

Congrats!

Feel free to explore your website and mess with features to see what happens. That’s the best way to learn.

Step 4Choosing a WordPress Theme

This section will show you how to make your handyman website look like a professional designed it for a fraction of the cost.

After you complete the steps that follow, you’ll have a website that impresses your friends, family, and, most importantly, your customers. You’ll achieve this by installing a pre-designed theme on your WordPress website.

And don’t worry, you can customize your website to look 100% unique. Even if you use a WordPress theme, there are still infinite ways for you to customize, tweak, and make your site your own without touching any code.

Alright, let’s do it.

What is a WordPress theme?

It’s a template for your website that alters your WordPress website’s look, feel, and behavior. If WordPress is like the framing in a house, then a Theme is the siding, windows, paint, cabinets, and flooring.

Do you need a theme?

Yes, you must use a theme if you are using WordPress. In fact, when you installed WordPress in the last step, at least one theme was automatically installed.

You could use the default theme or one of the many other free themes available.

However, it’s usually best to find a premium theme that fits your needs since they are more easily customized than free themes.

My current theme recommendation for handyman websites

I recommend the Divi Theme by Elegant Themes for most handymen, contractors, and other home service pros who are building their own websites.

I am affiliated with Elegant Themes and receive a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you click my link and make a purchase. However, this does not effect my evaluation. I recommend Divi because I think it’s the best and it’s what I use for my handyman website.

Divi is the perfect mix of being easy to customize without limiting what you can do. They have a drag and drop builder and dozens of free pre-designed templates you can use, including templates designed specifically for pro handymen.

Elegant Themes has been around for over a decade and provides excellent support.

It does require a yearly subscription, but the cost is minimal when you consider what you are getting and the impact a good website can have on your business.

Considerations when choosing a theme

If you don’t want to go with the one I recommend, here are a few things to consider when choosing a theme.

Is the theme updated consistently?

Since the internet and WordPress are constantly adapting, your theme needs to adapt too.

A lot of the free themes aren’t updated often, if at all. This puts your site at a higher risk of being attacked or not displaying correctly in web browsers down the road. The last thing you want to do is spend hours setting up your website just to have to change it a month down the road due to incompatibility issues.

So, choose a theme that will likely be around for years to come.

Does the design fit your needs, or can it be customized?

There are certain features of your website that are important for its success. For example, you want to be able to put your phone number in the header of your website, so it’s easy for people to find.

So, you either need to find a theme that fits your needs perfectly, or go with a theme that is easily customizable without having to code.

Technical Support

Website issues are a pain in the ass, so make sure you choose a reputable company with excellent tech support.

For example, Divi by Elegant Themes has a forum you use to ask questions, dozens of troubleshooting pages to refer to, and excellent customer support. This feature alone is worth the cost.

Cost

A good quality premium theme will usually cost in the ballpark of $100 per year. As a new business getting started, this may seem expensive, but the amount of time and headaches you save are well worth the investment.

Click here to learn more about Divi and get the best theme I know of for pros.

Customizing Your Theme

Once you’ve chosen a theme, it’s time to make some customizations and get it all set up. Since all themes are different, I’m not going to go in-depth into customizing your theme.

However, I can offer you a couple of tips:

#1 – Utilize the Theme’s Tutorials

If you choose Divi Theme, they have dozens of videos to show you how to customize your theme that are free to access. Use them, follow the directions, and you’ll be off to the races.

#2 – Keep it simple

When customers are searching for a handyman online, they aren’t looking to be entertained. They want to find a professional website that clearly tells them about your business and how to contact you. Animations and fancy designs are unnecessary. You aren’t selling web design. You are selling home repairs.

Also, overly complicated designs with too much information can hurt your efforts. Not only does it slow your website down (which hurts your rankings in search), it can overwhelm and confuse website visitors. Give the information that the customer needs to make a decision and keep it at that.

#3 – Spend very little time on the design (for now)

Until your website is getting significant traffic, your website design doesn’t matter. So, just do the bare minimum for now and move on. You can come back to perfect the design later.

Step 5Adding Content – What should you put on your handyman website?

The tips and advice for adding content to your website could fill multiple books. In fact, I’ve created an entire video course on the subject.

However, here are some simple tips and best practices to get you started.

Recommended Pages

Essential pages

These are the pages that all local small business websites should have.

• Home page
• About page
• Contact page

Other important pages

Here are some more pages that most pro handymen should have on their website.

• Services page (to list and describe the services you offer)
• Service areas page (to list and describe the areas that you service)
• Blog page (to add relevant content that generates traffic and differentiates you from your competition)

Essential Information to Include

#1 – Contact information

Contact information should be on every page of the website. Ideally, you want your phone number in the header (top) of the website and your complete company contact info, including your address in the footer (bottom) of each page.

Then, you will likely place your phone number throughout the content where it makes sense. The idea is to make it as easy as possible for people to contact you.

#2 – Services you provide and where you provide those services

Paint a clear picture of the services that you offer and what customers can expect. You want it to be very obvious. Don’t leave anything up for interpretation. This is important for converting traffic into customers, but it’s also essential to help rank in search engines and generate traffic in the first place.

#3 – Who you are and why you do what you do

People like to put a face to a business. It helps them trust that business more. So, open up a bit about your values as a person and why you do what you do. Talk about how you are different.

This will help you build trust and attract customers you enjoy working for.

#4 – The benefits of working with you

Most people think that sales is all about convincing people that you are the best or most qualified for the job.

Wrong.

Converting traffic into qualified leads that are eager to hire you is about convincing people that you are going to make their life easier or better in some way.

The way you do that isn’t by talking about all of the awards you’ve received but by explaining the unique benefits of working with you.

Sure, include information to show that you are qualified to do the job, but focus mainly on the customer and how you will solve their problems.

Talk about how you will save them time, make their life less stressful, or help them to impress their friends and family.

How you make customers feel is more important than your actual skills.

Essential Images

#1 – A good picture of you

You don’t have to look like Brad Pitt. You just need a picture that makes you look competent. Get a photo that meets the following criteria:

• You have good posture
• You are looking directly at the camera
• You are smiling
• There is good lighting
• You are dressed in decent clothes

This picture will be a huge asset to your business.

#2 – A picture of a nice house or yard or something else related to your services.

To liven up the homepage, place a picture at the top that helps communicate what you do or implies a benefit of working with you.

For example, this company does kitchen and bath remodels, so they have a very nice bathroom at the top of their homepage.

You can get these pictures from places like 123rf.com or any of the dozens of other places online that sell stock photography.

#3 – Your company logo

If you want to attract high-paying customers (who doesn’t?), the little touches like a  professional logo on your webpage are important.

The final touches

If you’ve done everything well so far, your website will be ready to turn potential customers who don’t know a thing about you into qualified leads that are eager to hire you and only you.

Customers will be willing to pay more for your services, it will be easy to convert leads into customers, and you’ll be able to be pickier about which jobs you take on.

It takes a bit of effort, but you only have to do it once, and the rewards will last for years.

The Next StepSEO and Traffic

If you’ve reached this point, great job!

Now that you have your website up and running, you’ve taken a huge step that will help you build trust with customers and differentiate you from the competition.

Congratulations on getting this far! Feels good, doesn’t it?

Now, the next step is to upgrade your SEO and start generating some traffic. But that’s a topic for another day. For now, just enjoy your accomplishment, and start working on the next step in building a business that you love.

Want to Learn More?

If you want to learn how to get targeted traffic to your website and turn that traffic into profitable jobs, consider registering for my video training: Handyman Marketing Machine.

You’ll learn everything you need to know to keep your schedule filled with profitable jobs consistently without having to pay a dime for leads or ads.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Handyman Marketing Machine and how it can help you grow your business and your confidence.