Your website
Does my business need a website? A straight answer for trade pros
· 6 min read
On this page
- Why do you need a website if you get work from referrals?
- Isn't a Google profile or Facebook page enough?
- What should a trade website have?
- Who owns your website?
- What do you lose when a platform changes its rules?
- When do Angi or Thumbtack still make sense?
- How much does a website cost?
- When don't you need a website?
- Compare your options
- Questions
- Sources
If people look you up before they call, yes. Referrals, truck signs and searches all end with someone checking you out online, and a website is the one place you control, on an address you own. You can skip it if repeat customers already fill your calendar and you don't want more work.
We build websites for trade pros, so take this with that in mind. We'll give you the honest exceptions too. Most of the plumbers, painters, cleaners and roofers we talk to already get work from referrals. The question isn't whether people can find you at all, but what they see when they look you up, and whether that's something you control.
Why do you need a website if you get work from referrals?
Because referred customers check you out too. They search your name, look at your Google profile, and want to see that you do their kind of job in their town. A website answers that in one place: your services, the towns you cover, photos of real work, your reviews, and a way to call or ask for a quote. It also works when you can't pick up. Someone can send a quote request at 9 PM instead of calling the next pro on the list.
It's also the part of your online presence nobody else controls. Google can change your profile or suspend it. Lead apps can raise prices or change how leads work, and Google's own Local Services Ads changed what counts as a billable lead on Oct 1, 2026. A site on your own domain stays put.
Isn't a Google profile or Facebook page enough?
They're a great start, and both are free, so set them up first. But your profile has limited space, and Google and Meta set the rules for both. A website is where those profiles send people to decide. The full comparison: Facebook or Google profile vs a website.
What should a trade website have?
Who owns your website?
Ask this before you pay anyone. Three parts matter: the domain (your web address), the content (your text and photos), and the site itself (the design and code). Here's what each option's own terms say.
| Option | Domain | Content | The site itself |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | You can buy it through Wix or connect your own, and transfer it later | Wix says the content you build belongs to you | Must run on Wix's servers. You can't move it to another host |
| Squarespace | "After you register a domain, you own it," and you can transfer it | Partial export: some pages, one blog, text and images | Stays on Squarespace |
| Freelancer or agency | Whatever the contract says. Insist it's in your name | Whatever the contract says | Often handed over in full, if agreed |
| Angi profile | None. It's a page on Angi | Reviews and profile content are "the sole and exclusive property of Angi" | Angi's |
| makeasite.co | Registered in your name, goes with you | Yours. We send a copy if you ask within 30 days of leaving | Our design and code stay with us, so the site comes down when your paid period ends |
The one rule that covers every option: register the domain in your own name, with your own login. ICANN's rules say the registered holder takes "sole responsibility" for it, and the holder is whoever's name is on it.
What do you lose when a platform changes its rules?
- Price. Angi's Pro Agreement lets it raise a subscription fee up to 10% on each automatic renewal unless you give notice before the new term.
- Your listing. Google may suspend profiles that don't follow its guidelines, and you get one appeal. Meta can restrict or disable accounts after repeated violations.
- Your reviews. Reviews earned on Angi stay on Angi. Google reviews stay with your Google profile, which is one more reason to keep that profile healthy.
With your own domain and a copy of your content, a rule change means changing providers, not starting from zero.
When do Angi or Thumbtack still make sense?
Lead apps aren't the enemy, and some pros use them well. They make sense to fill a slow season, to get first jobs when you're brand new and have no reviews, or to test a new town or service before you commit. Set a budget, pause when you're booked, and track what each booked job really costs. The lead-fee calculator does the math. The trade-offs are in lead apps vs your own website and Angi vs Thumbtack.
How much does a website cost?
Anywhere from free (with a builder's branding) to thousands of dollars for a custom agency site. Squarespace's Basic plan is $19 a month billed yearly, Wix showed us $17.77 to $39.77 a month on yearly plans, and our Starter plan is $29 a month or $290 a year with no setup fee (see pricing). Prices checked Oct 17, 2026. The website cost calculator compares a builder, a freelancer, an agency and a done-for-you plan over three years. Add your own time with the hourly rate calculator. If you'll get the site and then miss the calls, the missed-call calculator shows what that costs.
When don't you need a website?
- Repeat customers and referrals already fill your calendar, and you don't want to grow.
- You work only as a subcontractor for a few general contractors.
- You're testing a side business. Start with a free Google Business Profile and add a site once the phone rings.
Compare your options
- Lead apps vs your own websiteAngi, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack and Yelp: shared leads, fees and who keeps the reviews.
- Facebook or Google profile vs a websiteWhen a free profile is enough, and what happens if a platform suspends you.
- Wix vs Squarespace vs GoDaddyReal plan prices, renewals and your own time.
- Web designer vs agencyPublished rates, a 3-year total, and who owns the domain.
- Angi vs ThumbtackThe two lead apps head to head, and how to leave.
Trade pages with sample sites: plumbers, electricians, landscaping.
Disclosure: makeasite.co sells done-for-you websites, so we're one of the options on this page, and we've said plainly where something else is the better pick. Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy, Angi, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, Yelp, Facebook, Meta and Google are trademarks of their owners. makeasite.co isn't affiliated with any of them.
Questions trade pros ask
Do contractors need a website?
Most do, because customers check you out before they call, even when a friend referred them. A Google Business Profile gets you on the map. A website shows your services, the towns you cover and your work, and it keeps working if a platform changes its rules.
Why do I need a website if I have a Facebook page?
A Facebook page is good for referrals, but people searching Google may never see it, and Meta sets the rules for it. Google's own guidelines say the website field on your profile shouldn't send people to referral or social media pages. See Facebook or Google profile vs a website.
Who owns my website?
It depends who registered the domain and what the provider's terms say. Wix says your content belongs to you but the site must run on Wix's servers. On Angi, reviews are Angi's property under its Pro Agreement. Whoever builds your site, register the domain in your own name.
How much does a small business website cost?
From free (with a builder's branding) to thousands for a custom agency build. DIY builders run roughly $17 to $40 a month, a done-for-you plan like ours is $29 a month, and agencies often quote in the thousands. Try the website cost calculator.
Sources
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google (Google Business Profile Help) Checked Oct 17, 2026.
- How Google determines local ranking (Google Business Profile Help) Checked Oct 17, 2026.
- Fix suspended or disabled profiles (Google Business Profile Help) Checked Oct 17, 2026.
- Exporting or Embedding Your Wix Site Elsewhere (Wix Help Center) Checked Oct 17, 2026.
- Squarespace domains FAQ (last updated Oct 6, 2026) Checked Oct 17, 2026.
- Angi Pro Agreement, Last Updated May 11, 2026 (PDF) Platform Ownership; subscription renewal. Checked Oct 17, 2026.
- Restricting accounts (Meta Transparency Center) Checked Oct 17, 2026.
- Registrants' Benefits and Responsibilities (ICANN) Checked Oct 17, 2026.
- Wix Plans; Squarespace Pricing Squarespace Basic $19/mo yearly, Core $29/mo yearly; Wix plans at wix.com/plans (Light $17.77 to Business $39.77/mo yearly as shown to us). Checked Oct 17, 2026.
- makeasite.co Terms of Service Checked Oct 17, 2026.