Do you need one?
Does a builders merchant need a website?
A fair question for a trade-counter business. But the honest answer turns on how tradespeople pick a supplier now: they search online and choose the merchant they can find and size up.
From £297, live in 7 days, on your own domain.
Does a builders merchant need a website?
The honest answer
Does a builders merchant need a website? If you have all the trade customers you want, and no wish to grow, and never expect to win a tradesperson who does not already know you, then perhaps not. But the honest answer turns on how tradespeople choose a supplier now, which is by searching. When a tradesperson wants a new merchant, because they have moved, taken on work in a new area, or are looking for a better supplier, they search for a local one, check who stocks what they need and looks reliable, and settle on whoever they can find and size up. That happens online, before they ever visit a counter, so a merchant with no presence is simply missing from that search, and a findable rival wins the customer. The real question, then, is whether you want the steady stream of tradespeople looking for a new supplier, because without a website you are invisible to them at the exact moment they are choosing.
Tradespeople search, then choose the merchant they can find
Choosing a builders merchant is a practical decision a tradesperson makes by looking. When they want a new supplier, they search for a local merchant, and they are checking specific things: do you stock what I need, are you convenient, do you look established and reliable, can I open an account. They form that judgement online, from what they find, and only then do they visit the counter. So the website is not a replacement for the trade counter, it is what fills it, by winning the tradesperson before they walk in. A merchant who does not appear when a tradesperson searches is not in the running, however good their counter or their stock, and one who appears but does not make their ranges, branches and account clear loses to a merchant who does. Being chosen means being findable and clear where the tradesperson is looking, which is online.
The customers you don’t already have are searching
The tempting objection is that a builders merchant is a walk-in trade business whose customers already know them, and many do, but that overlooks where growth comes from. Tradespeople move, take on new jobs in new areas, and look for better or more convenient suppliers, and every time one of them wants a new merchant, they search, and a merchant with no presence is invisible to all of them. So the customers you do not already have, the steady flow of tradespeople seeking a supplier they do not yet use, are exactly the ones a website wins, and they are the ones your existing counter trade will never reach on its own. For an independent especially, a findable, clear site is what lets you be found and chosen alongside the national chains, on stock, service and locality rather than size, winning trade customers who would otherwise default to a chain they found online. Far from being irrelevant to a trade-counter business, a website is how that counter gains the customers it does not already have.
So the real answer to does a builders merchant need a website is: yes, if you want to win new trade customers, because tradespeople search for a local supplier online and choose the merchant they can find and size up, so being absent means being passed over. And finding out costs just £99 up front: I build the site on spec, from £297, and you see it finished before you pay the rest, so you can look at your actual site, ready to win the tradesperson searching for a supplier, and decide from there, knowing a few regular account customers cover the cost many times over.
How it works
From message to live in four steps.
- 01
Message me
Tell me your trade and your town on WhatsApp. No forms to wade through, no call to book.
- 02
£99 to start
A £99 deposit gets your build going and comes off your quote. It covers some of the build time.
- 03
I build it, you see it
I build the whole site, framed around your work, and send it to you finished to look at.
- 04
Pay the rest, go live
Happy with it? You pay the balance, it goes live on your own domain, and it is yours to keep.
What you get
What a builders merchant site from me includes.
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Built on spec
I build it first and send it finished. You see the real thing before you decide, not a mock-up.
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Live in 7 days
From the go-ahead, your site is live within a week. No months of back and forth.
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On your own domain
It goes live in your name. You own the site and everything on it, with no lock-in.
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Genuinely fast
Static pages, no WordPress. Fast pages rank better and turn more visitors into calls.
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Found on Google
Built to be found in local search, with the plumbing done properly from day one.
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Looked after
Someone looks after it and changes it when you need. Two small edits a month, your listing kept current.
What it costs
A straight price.
From £297 to build it, first three months of Care included, then £49 a month.
You own the site outright and can stop the monthly plan whenever you like. Hosting is part of Care and Grow, so one of those keeps it online after the first three months, or you host it yourself. See the full pricing.
Common questions
Questions I get asked.
Does a builders merchant really need a website?
If you want to win new trade customers, yes, because tradespeople search for a local supplier online and choose the merchant they can find and size up. A tradesperson looking for a new supplier searches, checks who stocks what they need and looks reliable, and settles on one. Without a site showing your ranges, branches and account, you are missing from that search, so a findable rival wins the customer.
Isn't a builders merchant a walk-in trade counter, not a website business?
The counter is where you serve them, but the website is increasingly how they find and choose you. A tradesperson deciding on a new supplier looks online first to see who is local, what they stock and how to open an account, and only then visits. So the site is not a replacement for the counter, it is what fills it, by winning the tradesperson before they walk in.
Don't tradespeople already know their local merchant?
Many do, but tradespeople move, take on new work in new areas, and look for better suppliers, and when they do, they search online. A merchant with no presence is invisible to every tradesperson looking for a new supplier, however good their counter is, while a findable one wins them. So a site captures the steady flow of trade customers seeking a merchant they do not yet use.
Why do tradespeople look online for a merchant?
Because it is the quickest way to find a local supplier who stocks what they need and is convenient, so when they want a new merchant they search, check ranges, branches and opening hours, and choose. A merchant they cannot find, or cannot tell what they stock, loses out to one who is clear and findable, so being present online is how you get in front of tradespeople choosing a supplier.
When could a builders merchant skip a website?
Realistically, only if you have all the trade customers you want and no wish to grow, and never expect to win a tradesperson who does not already know you. Because tradespeople search for suppliers online, most merchants without a site miss the steady stream looking for a new merchant. For anyone wanting to grow their trade custom, the case for a site is strong.
Is a website worth it for a smaller or independent builders merchant?
Often especially so, because a findable, clear site lets an independent be found and chosen alongside the national chains, on stock, service and locality rather than size. A credible presence can win an independent merchant trade customers who would otherwise default to a chain they found online. A few regular account customers cover the cost many times over.
How much does it cost to find out if a website is worth it?
Just £99 to start with me, and it comes off your quote. I build the whole site first and you see the finished thing before you pay the rest, from £297. So you are not gambling on a maybe, you are looking at the actual site for your merchant business and deciding then. Given a few regular account customers cover the cost, the risk of finding out is very low.
Tell me your town and I'll build you a builders merchant site on spec, so you can see it before you pay. Or read A Checkatrade alternative, see the full pricing, or get in touch.