Rome wasn’t built overnight, a marathon takes years of preparation, and sliced bread wasn’t a hit for 15 years when it was invented. Your business takes time as well, and every aspect of your business should include a great component built to last and support your goals. Applying this thinking as you evaluate construction website templates is critical to success.

The most common question we get at Brantley is along the lines of : “how do I get a website up and running, so that I can start testing our construction marketing tactics?”

It’s a great question and deserves a detailed answer. Just look across the web at construction blogs like ContractorTalk and you will see how common website questions come up daily.

The process of choosing a construction website template should be well thought out and detailed. There are literally thousands of options, from a site builder, a marketing company, and an out-of-the-box template.

Here is a checklist to use when searching for that perfect website template for your construction company.

Each time you type “Construction Website Templates” into Google, you see an plethora of advertisements for out-of-the-box solutions that promise a “click” and done solution for your construction website.

Typically, platforms like:

-Wix

-Joomla

-Tumblr

-Squarespace

-etc…

Most of these options offer free (be aware) and paid plans depending on the complexity of your site. As you know, you get what you pay for.

So, what’s the problem with “Click and Drag” Construction Website Templates?

These platforms are great for bloggers that are looking for a hobby, not for construction companies. You are building a business, not a hobby.

It doesn’t save money- the free options are littered with ads, require domain registrar fees, and limit your design and content. Eventually, you end up spending more money over the life-cycle of your website and end up paying a company to remove you from that platform.

It restricts your business- For new and small construction companies, sure it sounds great. But, as you begin to grow and realize that your brand is hindered by the features of this option, you realize you are only stunting your growth with these construction website templates. Limits such as search engine optimization (SEO), customization, file size, images…etc are found throughout these website templates.

Its not easier (really)- Yes, you can click, drag, and drop items into a template that look decent for your business. However, with each click, drop, and drag, are you taking into account the perception of your business from the consumer? Are they looking at your site on a laptop, cell phone, or tablet? How does it appear? Is it functional (responsive) to interactions from your consumer? Take all these into account and you’ll find the functions not quite as impressive as you had hoped for.

Have you ever Googled something on your phone, clicked on a website and it took more than 3 seconds to load? During those three seconds, 96% of visitors are sure to push the “back” button and move to the next site.

We cant stress enough that your construction website template must have speed! Fast construction website templates not only rank better, they convert visitors into clients more often.

The difference between a reputable website template and one that is not can result in 50% lost or gained businesses for your construction company.

Most people search and review websites on their phone. Responsive construction website templates are flexible and have a liquid layout that adapts to a variety of screen sizes- phones, tablets, and desktops. Rather than building multiple websites for each screen size, a responsive construction website template will have a core code that adapts to each version.

The best construction website templates have this core code built with a few key features. They allow the consumer to find what they are looking for right away.

• Click to call
• Maps and directions
• Business hours
• Email address

These features on a mobile platform need to be somewhere on the main page that allows a consumer to get what they are looking for right away. A construction website that doesn’t have a click to call feature is most likely losing customers right and left, without even knowing it.

Sure, nothing is perfect. But covering the basics of construction website templates are needed for this exercise.

Always think about the users experience. When they land on your website (either on phone, tablet, or desktop) do they have the information they want and does your template tell them what you do?

A few (basic) musts for construction website templates:

• Your homepage has a high-resolution business logo
• The logo is appealing, in color and size, to the consumer
• Your homepage expresses what you do
• Images are optimally positioned

Many construction website templates have these items covered. However, its worth noting as there have also been many sites we come across that don’t even have the construction company’s logo on the homepage or it is pixelated when viewing on a phone.

Remember drawing those web charts in school that connected one bubble to another, which connected to another, and another? And all those bubbles where interconnected somehow or someway allowing the web to be one cohesive item.

Well, think of that exercise when you are choosing a website template. Does the template interconnect all pages and provide a seamless transition from one page to another? Any malfunctions in this web will likely result in a increased bounce rate, which means visitors are leaving your site. An increased bounce rate drops your website in search engines significantly.

55% of visitors spend less than 15 seconds on a construction website. So, you need to be sure your website template is optimized through your pages connections, or web.

A few things to look for with Construction website templates:

• A navigation panel is either on the top or side of your website

• A search bar is on your website

• When clicking on another page, it appears in the same window, not a popup

• The website template has zero ads

• There are no broken links

Does your website template allow for unlimited content? Is the content easy to read in a clean design and are images and videos optimized in a high resolution setting (while not affecting site speed)?

The best construction website templates have the same thing in common to the average visitor, they are easy to look at. What does that mean?

It means your construction website templates allow a few basics:

• High definition images
• A light background with dark text
• A variety of fonts
• Ability to place titles and headlines throughout each web page
• Video embedding capability viewable on all devices
• Downloadable content ( whitepapers, references, recent construction projects)
• Social share buttons and social connection capability

Many construction websites have the same thing in common:

-Homepage

-About Us

-Projects

-Contact us

Or, some combination of the above. Though this might seem fine, it doesn’t do squat for your website. Using this template simply limits your ability to become the contractor of choice in your field. Look at the biggest construction companies in the world. Their website has thousands of pages of content, not for you to read them all, but to dominant the market and put their authoritative thumb on the construction website world.

Why are the number of pages important?

First of all, your website template must give you the ability to add pages or posts (blog) with no limit. This is not only a huge aspect of SEO, it allows you the options to target certain markets and clients through “Landing Pages” that convert visitors into clients. The top marketing campaigns in the world utilize the approach of uploading content to their website and driving that content through social media, Pay per Click (PPC) campaigns, and SEO.

Secondly, it adds to your “web” as explained above. Adding to your website web is crucial to dominating the construction field online.

The ability to continually find the intersection between your construction service and what potential or current customers are searching for is vital. Addressing this through the continual update on your website is the most cost effective way to stay relevant.

Consider the “Buyer’s Journey” in evaluating your website template. Can you continually add information on your construction website that puts your business on the decision table?

You don’t work with a subcontractor or vendor if they are responsive, right? So why would you hire or purchase a website template that doesn’t offer the personalized service you need for your construction business?

Your website is a glimpse into your business. It expresses your culture, values, and beliefs within the construction world. Whether you want the world to know you are the best, most trusted, or oldest construction company in your market needs to be continually expresses in your website.

Customer service is the final, and perhaps the most important, aspect of your construction website template. Your website is your window to the world and should continue to evolve and stay relevant as your business grows and refines its brand. During your growth, you need a team behind you that you trust to answer your concerns and bring new ideas to your website, every step of the way.

In evaluating your new construction website company or product, be sure you are comfortable with the responses and get the personalized service you want. Anyone working on or in your construction business should be held to the same standards.

So, what’s the lesson here? For any contractor researching website templates to use, be sure you think with the long term gain in mind. Site speed, responsive design, optimal layout, ability to add more pages, and interconnection of your web all need to be top of mind when evaluating a template.

Spend your time on the evaluation of your new website and treat your website as a vital window to your business.