Do you need one?
Does a fencing business need a website?
Fencers get steady referred work, so it is a fair question. But storm-damage jobs and planned garden projects both start with a search. Here is the honest answer.
From £297, live in 7 days, on your own domain.
Do you need a website?
The honest answer
Does a fencing business need a website? If referrals keep you as busy as you want, and you have no interest in the storm-damage rush or the searched garden projects, then honestly, no. Some fencers run steadily on word of mouth. I am not going to pretend it is compulsory. But if you want the two streams of searched work this trade generates, then yes, and the reason is that both of them start online. The real question is not “website yes or no”. It is “when a fence blows down and someone searches for a replacement, and when a homeowner browses for garden-project ideas, are you there for either”, because those two searches are where a large share of fencing and decking work is decided.
Both streams start with a search
Fencing and decking has two kinds of customer, and crucially, both now begin online. The storm-damage customer, whose fence is flat on the lawn after a gale, does not wait for a recommendation, they search that day for a fencer, because an open garden is urgent. The planned-project customer, picturing a new deck or smart fencing, browses online for ideas and makers before committing. Neither is asking a neighbour at the moment of decision. Both are searching.
If you have no website, you are invisible for both. The storm-damage searcher books a findable fencer while your phone stays silent, and the planned customer shortlists businesses whose work they could see online, not yours. You are not losing on skill, you may be the better fencer, you are losing because you were not there when people searched. That is the quiet cost of having no website in this trade: not fewer referrals, but missing two whole streams of searched work, one urgent and one planned.
The storm-damage rush is the stream you most miss
Of the two, the storm-damage stream is the one having no website costs you most, because it is urgent, well-paid, and largely goes to whoever is found first. After every gale, fences come down across whole neighbourhoods, and people search immediately for someone to replace them. They book the fencer they can find and reach fast, because a fallen fence cannot wait. Without a website ranking for fencing in your area, you are simply not in that race, and it repeats every time the wind blows hard.
This stream also fills your quiet season, because storms come in autumn and winter when planned garden work goes quiet. So having no website does not just cost you occasional jobs, it costs you the very work that would keep you busy through the lean months, handed instead to fencers who bothered to be findable.
When you can skip it, and why the solo fencer gains most
To be fair, if referrals keep you busy and you have no interest in the searched streams, a website is not urgent. But given how much fencing work, especially the urgent storm replacements, now starts with a search, that is leaving a great deal on the table. The moment you want that year-round searched work, the calculation flips.
And it is often the solo fencer who gains most, because being findable and fast lets a one-man operation catch the storm-damage rush against anyone, simply by showing up and answering when the wind drops. A single deck or fencing project covers the build, and the storm work keeps coming through winter. For a small fencing business, catching two streams of searched work is a real step up from relying on referrals and good weather.
I build the site on spec and send it finished, so you see how well it shows your work and catches enquiries before you pay anything, from £297. You are not gambling on the idea of a website, you are looking at your own and deciding then. So the real answer is: not if referrals keep you content, but yes the moment you want the year-round searched work, because both the storm-damage rush and the garden projects start with a search, and a website is where you catch them.
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 fencing and decking 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 fencing business really need a website?
If you want the storm-damage rush and the searched garden projects, yes. When a fence blows down, people search that day and book whoever they find fast. And homeowners planning decking or new fencing browse online first. Without a website you miss both. You can run on referrals, but two whole streams of work, the urgent replacements and the planned projects, go to fencers who show up when people search.
Isn't word of mouth enough for a fencer?
It brings some work, but it cannot reach the person whose fence just blew down and who turns straight to Google, nor the many browsing for garden-project ideas online. Both are searching, not asking a neighbour. Word of mouth misses both streams' searchers entirely. A website captures them, so it adds the whole searching audience, urgent and planned, to whatever referrals bring in.
What fencing work am I missing without a website?
Two streams. The storm-damage replacements, which spike after every gale as people search urgently for a fencer, and the planned garden projects, which people research online before committing. With no website you are invisible for both, so that work goes to findable fencers. The storm-damage stream especially is well-paid, immediate, and largely missed by fencers who cannot be found when the wind drops.
I get fencing work by recommendation. Do I still need a site?
Recommendations help, but they leave gaps. A storm-damage customer needs someone now and searches rather than waiting for a referral, and even a referred project customer looks up your work before committing to a deck or new fencing. A website catches the urgent searchers your referrals cannot reach, and shows the planned customer the transformation that confirms the recommendation was right.
When can a fencing business skip having a website?
If referrals keep you as busy as you want and you have no interest in the storm-damage rush or searched projects, you could manage without one. That is a fair position. But given how much fencing work, especially the urgent storm replacements, now starts with a search, you are leaving a lot on the table. The website matters the moment you want that year-round searched work.
Is a website worth it for a one-man fencing business?
Often especially so, because being findable and fast lets a solo fencer catch the storm-damage rush against anyone, simply by showing up and answering when the wind drops. A single deck or fencing project covers the build, and the storm work keeps coming through winter. For a one-man operation, catching two streams of searched work is a genuine step up from relying on referrals.
Tell me your town and I'll build you a fencing and decking site on spec, so you can see it before you pay. Or read A Checkatrade alternative, see the full pricing, or get in touch.