Mobile users now represent 65% of all digital traffic, so it’s essential for your contractor website design to be responsive.

As the new year rolls in, the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) are predicting an uptick in the building of single-family homes in 2017. This indicates both the U.S. and Canada can expect a busy year for home contractors, whether you’re a builder, remodeler, electrician, plumber or carpenter.

That’s great for companies ready for a boost, but if you’re still finding your marketing feet the pressure is on to get your online presence up and running.

Take advantage of these new contractor website design trends and develop an up-to-date online location to send your prospective clients to.

Trend #1: Responsiveness Rules!

With mobile users now representing 65 percent of all digital traffic, having a responsive site is no longer an option but a necessity. That’s not the only reason to be mobile-friendly, either. Google’s focus is to provide users with the experience they want, and since that is undoubtedly a mobile one the search engine’s algorithm prioritizes sites optimized for the medium. This means it’s essential for construction companies to ensure you have a responsive site, so you can both reach your prospective clients and do well in search.

Trend #2: Enduring Design

Graphic design trends change frequently, and 2017 is unlikely to be any different. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, your contractor website needs to include some of the latest, most creative ideas:

• Think about including duotone, gradient images.
• Use rich, vibrant colours in your designs.
• Include sophisticated fonts and animations.
• Add in geometric lines and shapes.

The coming year is also set to bring in a shift away from the “slideshow” type header and a return to original, more static designs.

Trend #3: Video and More Video

Video footage is currently enjoying a wave of popularity online. This isn’t surprising, since it’s the ideal medium for presenting “how to” tutorials, visual testimonials and showcasing construction projects.

Statistics from HubSpot show that the number of people viewing video on mobile devices shoots up by 100 percent annually. By including a video clip on a construction website landing page, you can improve your conversion rate by up to 80 percent. The kicker is that real estate listings that made use of video got upwards of 400 percent more leads than listings that excluded video. In 2017 we’re expecting to see more websites showing full-screen video on their home pages than ever before. Don’t miss out!

Trend #4: Making a Connection

Keep in mind that the primary purpose of your contractor website design is to make a connection with your audience. In 2016, companies did this a lot by offering pop-up chat windows known as bots. While this is only one way to engage with your user and encourage lead generation, lots of other methods exist. If you can create interactive content that gets your readers to participate actively instead of just passively consuming it, you’ll acquire information that can be useful in converting prospects.  Make sure you focus your website on offering potential clients a way to connect with you directly, instead of the brochure-type website designs that were acceptable in the past.

Trend #5: Up Close and Personal

Reach your audience through storytelling and personal branding, so they get to know you – how you started your construction company, your reasons for being in business, your ways of operating, your beliefs and philosophies. Homebuilding clients want to know who they are opening their home to, what it would be like working with you and what sort of reputation you have in the community. We anticipate contractor websites in 2017 to be used as a tool to transition to higher end work by showing prospects who the person behind the company is, in a personal manner.

Trend #6: Pro Portfolio Images

Big, visually striking images have been a web design trend for a while now, fueling the fantasies of your clients since technology became able to deliver them. “Happy snaps” don’t fall into this category, however, and prospects looking for a professional construction company may well judge your work by the quality of the images on your website. It’s worth your while to invest in professional photography, renderings and illustrations to present a portfolio that’s pleasing to the most critical eye.

Trend #7: Compelling Content

Your clients use the Internet to find and evaluate companies to whom they entrust their largest and most expensive asset. Regardless of how attractive your contractor website design is, if you don’t have compelling written content that educates and explains your services, you won’t convince visitors to choose your services over the competition. The same content helps to build your reputation as a leader in your field, increases your rankings in search and directly impacts your prospective clients’ opinion of your company. Make sure the information published on your website is up to date, accurate and well-crafted.

Whatever approach you take with your construction website in 2017, we’re here to help you get the very best results.