If you run an HVAC, plumbing, roofing, or landscaping business, you've probably gotten quotes for a website that ranged from "free" to "more than my truck." Both ends of that range can be the wrong choice.
Here's a plain breakdown of the four ways contractors usually get a website, what each one actually costs over a year, and what to look for so you're paying for booked jobs, not just a nice-looking page.
The four ways to get a contractor website
1. Build it yourself (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy)
What you pay: a monthly plan for the builder, plus a domain name, plus your own time.
The subscription is cheap. The hidden cost is the hours. Most owners who go this route spend several evenings picking templates and writing copy, then never touch the site again. The result usually looks fine but doesn't do much: no click-to-call button on mobile, no quote form that goes anywhere useful, no follow-up when someone reaches out after hours.
Good fit if: you're just starting out, you enjoy this kind of work, and you mainly need something to point people to.
2. Hire a freelancer
What you pay: a one-time build fee, then hourly rates for every change after launch. Hosting and maintenance are often extra.
A good freelancer can build you a solid site. The risk is what happens next. When you want to add a service, update your photos, or fix something that broke, you're waiting on their schedule and paying by the hour. If they move on, you may not even have the logins.
Good fit if: you have a specific vision, a budget for a one-time project, and someone reliable you can call later.
3. Hire a traditional marketing agency
What you pay: a larger upfront build fee, often a monthly retainer on top, and usually a contract.
Agencies bring more people and more process. For a home service business, though, you're often paying for things you don't need — brand workshops, long strategy decks — while the basics that win jobs (speed, mobile calls, fast follow-up) get treated as extras.
Good fit if: you're a larger operation with a marketing manager who can work with an agency week to week.
4. A monthly website + lead system plan
What you pay: a flat monthly fee. Design, hosting, updates, and the lead tools are included.
This is the model we use at CreceSystems: no setup fee, month-to-month, and the website comes with the systems that turn visitors into jobs — missed call text back, a business phone number with one inbox for every message, and a Google review funnel. Our Starter plan is $297/month, or $247/month billed annually.
Good fit if: you'd rather spend your time on jobs than on your website, and you want the site to actively bring in work.
What actually matters (whatever you pay)
The price tag matters less than whether the site does its job. Before you pay anyone, check that you'll get:
- A tap-to-call button on mobile. Most homeowners looking for a plumber or HVAC tech are on their phone. If calling you takes more than one tap, you'll lose some of them.
- Fast load times. A site that takes several seconds to open on a phone loses people before they ever see your number.
- A quote form that goes somewhere. Every form submission should hit your phone right away, not an inbox you check on Sunday.
- Your service area and services spelled out. Google needs to understand what you do and where you do it to show you in local searches. A page per main service helps.
- Real reviews and real photos. Homeowners trust photos of your actual crew and trucks far more than stock images.
- Follow-up for missed calls and after-hours leads. If you can't answer, something should respond for you within minutes.
- You own your domain. Whoever builds the site, the domain should be registered in your name.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Is there a setup fee, and what exactly does it cover?
- What does it cost to make changes after launch?
- Is there a contract? What happens if I want to leave?
- Who owns the domain and the content?
- What happens when someone fills out my form or calls while I'm on a job?
If the answers are vague, keep looking.
The bottom line
A cheap website that doesn't bring in calls is expensive. A pricey one that's hard to update is expensive too. For most home service businesses, the best value is a fast, mobile-first site that's tied to a system for answering and following up with every lead — at a monthly cost you can measure against the jobs it brings in.
If one extra booked job a month covers the cost, the website is paying for itself.