Articles, 2 October 2026, updated on 5 October 2026

What belongs on the homepage of a trade business?

A visitor decides quickly whether to stay. On the homepage of a trade business they look for answers to three questions: do you do what I need, do you work in my area, and how do I reach you? Everything that helps with that belongs at the top.

1. What you do, in one sentence

“Interior and exterior painting for homeowners and owners' associations in Zwolle and surroundings” says in one line what, for whom and where. “Welcome to our website” says nothing.

2. A phone number you can tap

At the top, on every page. On a phone the call screen should open when you tap it. How to test that is in Does your website work on a phone?

3. Photos of your own work

One good photo of a job you did yourself is worth more than a slider with five stock photos. Add what it was and where. More about this in Your own photos or stock photos on your website?

4. Your services, each with its own page

A short list on the homepage, and a page per service with more explanation. That way someone searching for “replace gutter” lands straight on the right page.

5. Where you work

Name the towns or the region. Visitors want to know whether you come to them, and Google uses it to show you in local searches. For the map in Google itself: Setting up your Google Business Profile properly.

6. Who is behind it

A name, a face, how long you have been in the trade, your KvK number and any quality marks you are actually affiliated with. That makes the difference between a business and an anonymous phone number.

What are you better off leaving out?

Three things: a sliding photo carousel, long texts about the history and news that isn't kept up to date.

A sliding photo carousel. The first photo is seen, the rest almost never, and the page gets slower because of it. On the University of Notre Dame's site about 1% of visitors clicked on the carousel, and 84% of those clicks were on the first photo (measurement by Erik Runyon, 2013).
Long texts about the history. Those belong on an “About us” page.
News that isn't kept up to date. A last post from years ago does more harm than no news. See also Is your website outdated?

Read also

Your own photos or stock photos on your website? Why a phone photo of your own work often works better than a bought image.
Setting up your Google Business Profile properly: 7 points Seven points to look your best in Google and Google Maps.
Does your website work on your phone? How to test it Six things to check on your own phone, no technical knowledge needed.

Written by Taher Jerjissi, MODEX. Questions or something to add? Email info@modexsoftware.nl.

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