Why That Banner Says More About Your Business Than You Think
Your website says “Under Construction” and you think it’s temporary. Just a placeholder until you get around to fixing it.
But here’s what actually happened. That banner has been up for eight months. Maybe longer. You stopped noticing it.
Meanwhile, potential clients land on your site, see that banner, and their brain makes an instant decision. Not just about your website. About whether you finish what you start.
The Uncomfortable Truth Nobody Wants to Say
A contractor website under construction sends the same message as an unfinished job site—work started, but not completed.
You’d never leave a job site with tools scattered everywhere and a note saying “we’ll finish this eventually.” You’d never hand a client a half-complete estimate and tell them to check back later.
But that’s exactly what an “Under Construction” website does.
It tells every visitor you started something, got distracted, and haven’t gotten back to it. And honestly? If you can’t finish your own website, why would they trust you to finish their kitchen?
I know that’s harsh. But it’s what people think when they see that banner.
It’s Not About Perfection
Here’s what drives me crazy. Contractors avoid updating their websites because they want them to be perfect. Better photos. More time. Getting it just right.
But perfect is the enemy of done. And done is what wins jobs.
Your clients aren’t expecting perfection from your website. They’re expecting evidence that you’re still in business. Still active. Still capable of completing projects.
The Psychology Nobody Talks About
When visitors land on a contractor website under construction, trust drops instantly—even if your real-world work is excellent.
When someone sees unfinished work, their brain makes instant assumptions. If this person can’t complete their own small project, how will they handle mine?
Websites aren’t your expertise. You’ve successfully completed hundreds of construction projects. But that incomplete website becomes the lens through which potential clients view everything else.
What a Contractor Website (Not One Under Construction) Actually Needs to Do
Your website has exactly three jobs:
Job One: Prove You’re Still Operating
Show signs of life. Recent projects. Current contact information. You don’t need daily updates. You just need to look like a business that’s currently doing work.
Job Two: Answer Their Questions
Do you work in my area? Do you do what I need? Are you in my budget range? Can I trust you?
If your website makes them work to find these answers, they won’t. They’ll just call the next contractor.
Job Three: Make Contact Easy
Every page should have an obvious path to reach you. Not buried in the footer. Right there where they can’t miss it.
Why Good Contractors Avoid Their Websites
It Feels Like Admitting Defeat
Most contractors built their businesses on referrals and word of mouth. That’s real. That’s earned.
A website feels like advertising. Like you’re trying too hard. Like you couldn’t get enough work the real way.
But that thinking is costing you opportunities every single day. Opportunities you don’t even know about because people never bother calling.
Digital Doesn’t Play by Construction Rules
In construction, your reputation precedes you. People see your trucks. They talk to neighbors who’ve used you.
Online? Nobody knows who you are until they find you. Your website is your reputation when someone discovers you through search.
You Tried DIY and It Failed
Contractor launches a website. It’s fine. Then they try to update it themselves. Get frustrated. Give up halfway through. Now it’s worse than before.
So they add an “Under Construction” banner, thinking they’ll finish it later. Later never comes.
If you wouldn’t do your own legal work or accounting, why are you doing your own web design?
What Actually Works Instead
Recent Work Front and Center
Pick your five best recent projects. Get decent photos. Write three sentences about each explaining what the client needed and how you solved it.
That’s it. You don’t need a hundred projects showcased.
Services Clearly Explained
One page per major service. What’s included. What it typically costs. How long it takes.
Contact Information Everywhere
Phone number in the header of every page. A contact form that actually works. Your service area clearly stated.
Remove That Banner Today
Take it down. Right now. Even if your site isn’t perfect, it’s better without a banner announcing you haven’t finished it yet.
An imperfect website that looks complete beats a decent website that announces it’s unfinished. Every single time.
Your Website Is Infrastructure, Not Optional
You wouldn’t skip insurance because it’s expensive. You wouldn’t use broken tools because you haven’t gotten around to replacing them.
Your website is infrastructure. Not marketing. Not optional. Infrastructure.
It’s how people find you, evaluate you, and decide whether to call you. An “Under Construction” banner isn’t temporary. It’s a statement about your priorities. And right now, it’s saying finishing projects isn’t one of them.
Either take it down and fix what’s broken—or work with us to do it the right way.
Because every day that banner stays up is another day of lost opportunities you’ll never even know about. Jobs going to competitors whose websites don’t announce they can’t finish their own projects.
-Jack
