The five things every trade website needs above the fold
Before anyone scrolls, your homepage has about five seconds to answer five questions. Here's the checklist we use on every site we take on.
2 min read
"Above the fold" is an old newspaper term for the part of the front page you can see without unfolding it. On a website, it's what shows up before anyone scrolls — and on a phone, that's not much room.
When we move a new customer's site in, this is the first thing we look at. Here's the checklist.
1. What you do, in plain words
"Quality Solutions Since 1998" tells a visitor nothing. "Residential plumbing and water heater repair in Bucks County" tells them they're in the right place. Lead with the work and the area.
2. Where you work
Local customers want to know you'll actually come to them. Name your towns or your county right up top, not buried on a Service Area page.
3. How to reach you — one tap away
On a phone, your number should be a button that dials. If you take requests online, the button to start one should be visible without scrolling. Don't make people hunt.
4. Proof you're real
A photo of your actual crew or truck beats any stock image. A short line like "Licensed & insured · 4.9 stars from 230 Google reviews" does more work than a paragraph about your values.
5. What to do next
Every homepage needs one obvious next step. "Call now," "Get a free estimate," or "Book a cleaning." Pick one and make it the biggest button on the screen.
What to leave out
- Sliders that rotate through five messages nobody waits to read.
- Auto-playing video with sound.
- Pop-ups that appear before the page has finished loading.
- A wall of logos from every association you've ever joined.
Most of these fixes are a single change request. If your site misses two or three of them, that's a good first conversation to have with us.
Want this handled for you?
Flagstage customers send changes like these in one message and approve a preview before anything goes live.
