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Getting a Website for Your Handyman Business

Almost every business owner, particularly service industry business owners, will one day look up in panic and think "Do I need a website? How am I going to do that?" The short answer to whether or not you need a website as a handyman is "no". You can get all the business you need through referrals and having a few good clients like real estate brokers and property managers.

That said, if you are interested in having a website, and you'd like to see if you can get some extra business by having one, getting a website does not have to be a big deal. It should not cost you more than $300 to set up and $200 a year to maintain. But just having the website will not get you business. What will get you business is getting traffic to that website, and there is one excellent way of doing that for free using Google Local.

There are three approaches to getting a website.

1) You, or someone else builds a website in the traditional way. This requires getting a domain name (like (JoesHandyService.com, for example - $10 from GoDaddy.com), getting a hosting account (pay no more than $9 a month) and either you or someone who knows how to build the site does a very basic design, sets up an email account (done via your hosting account interface) and posts the pages to the hosting account. This is the most complicated way to "get online", but it has the most flexibility. This option gets you a website, but no traffic to it beyond the people who type in the address from your business cards or other marketing materials.

2) You buy an online service "website in a box" sort of setup. Homestead is a pretty good choice. Printing for Less also has a website service. For these setups, you should not pay more than $15 a month. You may not need to get a domain name, but your site's address may end up being "JoesHandyServices.Homestead.com". If that does not bother you, simply getting a website in a box is a reasonable way to get started. This gets you a website, but no traffic aside from people who know your website address from your marketing materials.

3) Set up a Google Local account. This involves no website set up, and it get your business listed at the top of the Googl results for people searching for handyman services in your area. In a lot of ways, this option has all the benefits (free traffic, ease of use) and none of the problems of the first two options (hassle, technical confusion, added business expense)

To set up a Google Local account, go to local.google.com. Click the link that says "Put your business on Google Maps." This will bring you to the Google Local Business Center. Sign up for a new account. Next you will enter an email address, you business location, your birthday and agree to the Google Local terms of service (no need to read them, just click "OK"). Google will then send you a confirmation email, and after confirming your email address you'll be sent your password via email. Then you can enter your business information.

Google will then send you a postcard via mail to confirm that your business is where you say it is. It takes about two weeks, unfortunately. After you get the postcard, enter the code in your Google Local account and your listing will appear. Google lets your listing includes all the essentials that a website would - your contact info, hours, services you offer and an email address. And you are now at the top of the search listings for your town, and you are not spending one red cent to do it.

For those of you who already have a website, you too can have the free Google Local listing, and you can include a link to your existing website. For free.

More articles about starting a handyman business:

How to Start a Handyman Business

Are You Cut Out to Be a Handyman?

Tools for a Handyman Business

Payment Options for Handymen

How To Advertise a Handyman Business

Customer Service Tips for Handymen

Choosing a Name for a Handyman Business

Record Keeping Basics for Handymen

Being a Handyman Versus Having a Handyman Business or a Franchise

Getting a Website for Your Handyman Business

Getting Paid Upfront: Deposit Policies for Handymen

How Much To Charge Per Hour

Should You Charge by the Hour, or by the Job?

Insurance for Handymen

The Handyman Guide: How to Fix and Build 1000s of Things Around the House