Website for a roofer: the first one called after a leak

Your customer searches at the worst moment

Most people only think about their roof when something's wrong. Water is dripping down the chimney. After a storm there are tiles in the garden. Your visitor searches on their phone, often in the evening, and calls the first roofer who looks reliable.

Then there's the calm customer who wants their roof renovated or insulated. They compare and request quotes. Your site has to serve both, but emergencies come first.

What your customer is afraid of

After storm damage they always turn up: odd-job men who ring the doorbell, want cash and never come back. Your customer knows that. They're afraid of ending up with a cowboy. What they want is someone who comes straight away, is insured and says honestly what's needed.

Your whole site revolves around that difference. You can be found, you can be checked, and you'll still be there next year.

How to structure your homepage

1. The first screen, with an emergency line and your number. For example: leak or storm damage, call us. The number is a button that calls directly.
2. Trust bar. VEBIDAK (the Dutch roofing trade association), your insurance and your reviews.
3. Services. Leaks, renovation, insulation. Short, in words the customer uses.
4. How you work. Inspection with photos, quote, repair. The photos matter: the customer sees for themselves what's wrong.
5. Prices. Before the reviews. Someone calling in an emergency wants to know first what it's going to cost.
6. Reviews and recent projects.
7. Team with address and KvK number (Chamber of Commerce registration). This is the answer to the cowboy fear: a real company at a real address.
8. Frequently asked questions. About insurance and storm damage.
9. Closing section. Emergency number and inspection button one more time.

Trust: checkable and insured

VEBIDAK is the Dutch trade association for roofing companies. Members have to meet requirements for how they run their business and for continuity. Say that in one sentence, because it's exactly what a cowboy doesn't have. If you also hold Dakmerk, put it next to it, with a link.

Say clearly that you're insured, and for what. And name your guarantee on materials and labour, with the number of years. A customer who has just had damage wants to be sure the repair won't leak again next year.

Don't only put your address and KvK number in the footer. Put them with your team as well. Someone afraid of a company without an address will actively look for them.

Two buttons, two situations

A roofer has two routes:

• "Call for emergencies" for leaks and storm damage. A call button on the first screen and in a fixed bar at the bottom on mobile. Put your number at the top of every page too: a hidden number breeds distrust.
• "Book a roof inspection" for renovation and insulation. This can be a short form: postcode, type of roof, what's going on, and only then name and phone number.

Be careful with the word "free". A free inspection that's only free if the customer then places an order isn't free. According to the ACM, the Dutch consumer authority, that's misleading. If the inspection really costs nothing, say so in the line under the button. If it costs money, name the amount.

Prices: no surprises

Show what an inspection costs and give price ranges per m² for renovation and insulation. For private customers always including VAT. Say what determines the price: the condition of the roof, access, the material.

"No surprises" is a strong promise for a roofer, if you keep it. Show how: a quote with photos of the roof, and no extra work without agreement. Also say how and when the customer pays. Paying after the repair takes a lot of tension away from someone who's afraid of paying a deposit to a stranger.

Images

Show your crew on a real roof, with fall protection and helmets. That shows craftsmanship and safety in one image. Add photos of projects in your area, with the town name. Stock photos of shiny roofs abroad work against you here. They look like the leaflet of the man who rang the doorbell.

Where it often goes wrong

• No emergency route. Someone with a leak looks for a number. If it isn't there straight away, they call someone else.
• Scaremongering. Copy about "the next storm on its way" feels like the cowboy at the door. Stay calm and factual.
• "Free" that isn't free.
• No address or KvK number. Exactly what a suspicious customer looks for.

Checklist

• Is there an emergency line and a call button on the first screen?
• Is there a fixed bar on mobile with calling and inspection?
• Do you explain in one sentence what VEBIDAK means for the customer?
• Do you mention your insurance and your guarantee on materials and labour?
• Does it say what an inspection costs, and are your m² prices including VAT?
• Are your address and KvK number with your team as well?
• Do you show your own crew, working safely on the roof?

A roofer wins trust with calm and facts, precisely when the customer is panicking. Make sure your site gives off that calm, from the emergency button to the footer.