Web design for contractors in Texas: what your site needs

A Texas trade website needs the right license number in the right place, the cities you actually serve, and a phone number people can tap when the AC quits in August or the pipes freeze in February.

Here is what is specific to Texas for plumbers, electricians and air conditioning contractors, and what every trade website needs anyway.

Not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current wording with your licensing agency before you publish.

Which license number goes on your website

Texas splits trade licensing between two agencies, and both require the license number in advertising.

• Electrical contractors are licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). Under 16 TAC §73.51, advertising meant to win electrical work must include the contractor's name and license number — business cards included. Proposals, invoices and contracts also have to carry TDLR's contact details.
• Air conditioning and refrigeration contractors are also licensed by TDLR. 16 TAC §75.71 requires the affiliated licensee's number on advertising, and on both sides of every work vehicle in letters at least two inches high.
• Plumbing companies are licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. 22 TAC §367.10 requires the license number of the Responsible Master Plumber on every advertisement meant to win plumbing work, whatever the medium.

The exceptions are narrow — plain phone book listings, caps and T-shirts — and a website is not one of them. Put the number where people look: beside the phone number in the header works well. Then repeat it on your contact page, your quotes and your invoices.

Cover the metro, not the state

Nobody hires a plumber "in Texas". Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin are each big markets of their own, and people search by suburb: "AC repair Katy", "electrician Frisco", "plumber New Braunfels".

• A service area section naming your cities and counties. In Houston that might be Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery; in Dallas–Fort Worth, Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton.
• One page per main service, each naming the area: "Water heater replacement in Round Rock and Georgetown".
• Your business name, address and phone number written the same way on your website as on your Google Business Profile.

Leave out places you will not drive to. Across a metro this size, a call you have to turn down wastes a good slot.

Built for heat and hard freezes

Texas weather sends people searching in a hurry, on their phones.

In summer, a broken air conditioner is an emergency, not an inconvenience. Say plainly whether you offer same-day or after-hours AC repair, and put it on the home page.

In winter, the February 2021 storm showed how fast frozen and burst pipes turn into calls. A plumbing website that already says "frozen and burst pipe repair" is the one that gets found when it happens again.

• Phone number at the top of every page, as a tap-to-call link.
• Emergency hours in plain words, not tucked away on a contact page.
• Keep it fast. When the power is out, people are searching on a phone.
• A one-line update during bad weather — "Taking emergency calls across Travis County" — answers the question every caller has.

Hablamos español — if you do

A lot of Texas homeowners speak Spanish at home. If you or your team take calls in Spanish, say so beside the phone number. Only say it if the person answering the phone really can.

Reviews do more than design

Most people read your Google reviews before they call. Link to them from your website, or quote a few real ones with first names and neighborhoods.

Ask every happy customer the same day. The review request generator writes the text message for you.

Texas trade website checklist

• The correct license number — TDLR or plumbing board — on the home page and contact page
• Tap-to-call phone number at the top of every page
• Emergency and after-hours availability in plain words
• Service area with real cities and counties
• One page per main service, including seasonal ones like AC repair and frozen pipes
• Name, address and phone number matching your Google Business Profile
• Recent reviews
• Fast on a phone

Get the words written

• Service page copy generator — a page for each service you offer
• Google Business Profile generator — the description that shows in Maps
• FAQ generator — the questions callers ask before they book
• Tools by trade: plumbers, electricians and HVAC

Rather not build it yourself? The Trade Website Bundle is a finished website designed for your business, with click-to-call on every page — live in 10 days.

Quick answers

Does a Texas electrician need a license number on their website? Yes. TDLR's rule for electrical contractors, 16 TAC §73.51, requires the contractor's name and license number on advertising meant to win electrical work, and a website is advertising.

Does a Texas plumbing company's website need a license number? Yes. Under 22 TAC §367.10, advertisements must state the license number of the company's Responsible Master Plumber, whatever the medium.

Do Texas AC contractors need their license number on their trucks? Yes. 16 TAC §75.71 requires the license number and company name on both sides of every vehicle used for the work, in letters at least two inches high.