Although it is hard to believe, in 2019 the results of an Afnic study indicated that around 31% of VSEs and SMEs did not have their own website.
A craftsman without a website is an ignored potential, they are inaccessible to potential customers, and it is a loss of turnover. The energy spent prospecting by phone or in person can be used much more efficiently if potential customers can get an idea of your craft by consulting your website.
In this short blog article, I will take you through all the steps on How to Create a Craftsman website.
Here is a short list of other related topics:
- Create a coaching website.
- Create a photographer’s website.
- Create a website for a medical office.
- Create a dentist website.
- Create a website for a restaurant.
- Create a real estate website.
- Create a hairdresser website.
Nowadays, creating a website for craftsmen has almost become child’s play. In a few clicks and at a controlled cost, you will be able to create a craftsman’s website within a few steps.
Benefits of a Craftsman Website
If until now the reach of your craft business was limited and you got your new customers through phone calls, in-person contacts or referrals, then, a dedicated website has several benefits to be exploited:
- It will act as a business card which will be visible locally, but also worldwide.
- as a craftsman, a website will permit you to be found on the Internet.
- a website is similar to a corporate brochure except for the fact that it is viewable from anywhere in the world and only you have control over its content.
- a craftsman’s website is comparable to a sales platform for your services or products. Your potential customers will find out in detail what they can expect from you.
So why wait? Get started!
A craftsman website during the coronavirus pandemic
Due to COVID-19 and the resulting restrictions, many companies have moved to telecommuting very quickly. Unfortunately, craftmen do not have this option. Even during the pandemic, you and your employees are required on site. Nevertheless, your team as well as your customers must probably respect certain rules during on-site interventions: mask, social distancing, airy spaces.
Use your website to inform your customers as soon as possible about the measures you are applying to deal with the coronavirus crisis. This not only makes on-site work easier, but also builds trust with your customers.
What type of website and which provider do I need?
From a technical point of view, creating a website for craftsmen has become very simple. There are plenty of tools out there that can accomplish this without having to learn the basics of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or PHP. Each tool has its advantages, but there are also certain points to observe so as not to neglect your core business when taking care of your website.
A website builder offers a basic template that you can adapt to your industry’s specific needs with just a few clicks. However, the degree of customization is limited.
A content management system (CMS) like WordPress is also within reach for beginners. However, basic knowledge is essential (eg knowing what a database is and how to communicate with a server). The great advantage of a CMS is that the finished website can be managed by collaborators on behalf of the craftsman.
Personally programming your craftsman website is a great way to realize your own vision, but also requires the greatest investment. In view of the time required, in most cases, this task cannot be carried out by the craftsman himself.
Mandating a web design / programming service involves a certain cost that varies according to the requirements defined for the creation of the website for craftsmen. But on the other hand, you won’t have to worry about anything once you have properly communicated your proposals to a qualified provider.
| Authoring tool | CMS | Personal programming | Service de webdesign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advantages | Many finished ideas available, easy to make, no knowledge needed | Easy content management with knowledge of word processing, freedom in design | Maximum freedom in design | Single point of contact, requires little of your time, integrated SEO |
| Disadvantages | Limitation to fixed proposals | Knowledge of databases, themes and plugins required; requires some personal work. | Laborious, requires a lot of basic knowledge, errors possible | Restrictions in design |
| Price range | $100 to $300 per year depending on the size of the project | Eg. $216 per year for WordPress Unlimited hosting | From $0 if you do things yourself to high costs, depending on the project | Approx. $1,000, highly project dependent |
| Degree of difficulty | Very weak | Medium | Very high | Very weak |
Website for artisans: what should it contain?
In order to attract customers, the top priority is to establish a bond of trust. To do this, they need to find all the content they expect to see on a craftsman’s website. As for the content itself, it is recommended that you present the following information about your online presence:
- Home page
- Company Profile
- Range of services
- Completed projects and references
- Blog and social networks
- Contact possibilities
- Judicial aspects
Home page
The greeting on your homepage will determine give a first impression to the visitors of your site. This requires particular attention to detail and advanced synthesis skills. Interested persons must understand what you do at a glance.
In many craft sectors, there are emergency services or 24-hour services, e.g., in the field of plumbing, electricity, locksmithing or glazing. This information should also be on the homepage so that people looking for emergency service do not need to do further research.
Company Profile
This page must relate the history of the company. Many craft companies have a long tradition behind them or were founded to provide a craft service that was lacking in the region or to offer new services. This history must be told with skill, conciseness and sincerity.
If you include advertising statements, avoid exaggerations such as: “We are the only ones to offer you…”. Statements of this type can quickly produce the opposite effect to that intended.
Introduce yourself and your team, with photos if you can. When your potential customers see a familiar face once on site, they will often checkout faster.
Employee photos are considered personal data. Their publication on the Internet generally requires the prior consent of the employee.
On the “About” page, you can also view additional qualifications as well as certifications or awards obtained from professional associations to enhance the image of your craft business. In some sectors of activity, certain authorizations are also mandatory.
Range of services
In this part of the website, the potential customer should find the detailed description of all the services you offer. Formulate the necessary technical explanations in such a way that they are understandable by everyone: avoid jargon.
In some industries, there are planning tools and online cost simulators for end customers (eg to plan the installation of a swimming pool and calculate approximate costs). This is an important decision-making factor for visitors to an artisan website.
References
This now somewhat overused term emphasizes your competence and credibility in presenting the projects you have completed. This can translate into testimonials from satisfied customers and a visual overview of achievements using photos. Here also, the agreement of the persons present on the photos is necessary.
Blog pages and social networks
Deciding whether or not to start a blog depends primarily on your own intentions and certainly on the type of crafting services you offer. If you like to tell stories, keeping an online journal can be a very useful element in a craftsman’s website and show your passion for your craft.
Here too, be careful not to overdo anything. Also, a blog with only dated posts does not leave a good impression.
The same goes for social media channels: provide links to your Facebook, Instagram or Google accounts and keep them up to date. Be careful though: directly integrating this type of channel can have implications in terms of data protection. If you link to your pages on social networks, no data is passed on to third parties without prior consent (i.e. before clicking).
Getting in touch with the craftsman
The contact form is an indispensable element on a craftsman’s website. It allows customers to communicate directly with you. If you offer several services, a selection menu (drop-down list) is a good solution.
Equally include your phone number on the contact page, for example with a “Call to Action” button like “Call us now!” “. Your company’s mailing address is also an essential information, especially because it tells interested people exactly where to find your company.
And don’t forget: make sure the customer gives his consent to the processing of data in accordance with the provisions of the GDPR before he submits the contact form.
Judicial aspects
The legal notices and the privacy policy are mandatory elements on any professional website, and therefore on any craftman website. Thoroughness combined with legal certainty will prevent you from being called to order.
Various online tools are available to generate these legal texts. Since the entry into force of the new General Regulations relating to the protection of personal data (GDPR), it has undergone many additions and modifications. It is therefore important that you or your web provider always pay close attention to this part of your craftsman website.
In some sectors of activity, references to certain control or authorization authorities are mandatory. It is equally essential to prominently include a statement regarding the management of cookies.
Step-by-step guide: create your own craftsman website
We will now take you through the steps needed to create your craftsman website. Proceed as follows:
- Choose a domain name (web address)
- Define a design
- Insert content
- Publish website
- Promote and optimize the website
Choose a domain name
To start, you need to select a suitable domain name, in other words, the Internet address of the cfraftman website.
A carpenter whose domain name is john-doe.co.uk will probably not be identified as a carpenter. Place part of your activity, your qualification or your products and/or services in the domain name, e.g. crafts-of-john.co.uk. This way, the nature of your business is already reflected in your address.
Buy a domain name here: namecheap.com
In addition, regional references should not be underestimated. The domain name is also an important referencing criterion for search engines.
You can then reserve the desired domain name in just a few clicks. Different packages are available depending on the domain name.
Domaine Check
- .fr
- .com
- .info
- .net
Define the design
Choosing a craftsman website design is all about personal preference.
We’ve put together some of the best advice in separate guides, including so-called One-Pages , User-Centered Design , and Human-Centered Design .
Remember one thing: the best is the enemy of the good. Don’t overload your website, either in terms of content or appearance. A certain sobriety often gives a much more serious impression than a flashy visual.
Get inspired, by our design templates for your craftsman website.
Insert content
With the technical structure of your crafting business website in place, it’s time to fill each page with some content.
To do this, insert text and images and, if possible, videos or even audio files. If you do not have any photo or video content to publish, you can use appropriate services, which will however incur additional costs. Carefully sift through your photos to make sure they will pique the interest of potential customers. Let traditional craft tools do the talking, show off your completed projects, and equally let your happy customers do the talking.
Publish and optimize your content
Indeed, managing a website for craftsmen remains an everyday task. It is therefore necessary to make the website known. For this, it is essential to include the address of the site on your business cards, on your banners, on your company vehicles, and even on your work clothes.
A flyer left with a restaurant friend can thus generate some contacts. To make yourself known at the regional level, it can also be very useful to be registered in the directories of the region.
If you post new images or links, consider placing alt text and title tags where necessary. Include keywords important to your industry in main titles, etc.