Web hosting
Web hosting for tradespeople and local businesses: a website that brings enquiries
A tradesperson's website has to load fast on a phone, show references and make enquiries easy. WordPress Säntis gives you the foundation: fast hosting, email on your own domain and a price that stays the same at renewal.
What your customers look for on your website
Anyone looking for a painter, an electrician, a plumber or a joiner usually wants to know three things: does this business do what I need? Does it work in my area? And how do I reach it fastest? Many of these searches happen on a smartphone, often right after damage has occurred or while planning a renovation. A good website for a trade business answers these questions on the home page.
- Services clearly named, with a separate page for each main service, for example bathroom renovation, façades or electrical installation
- Service area with towns and region
- A phone number that can be called with one tap on a mobile
- A short form for quote requests
- References with photos and a short description of the job
- About us: team, apprenticeships, memberships and certificates
- Legal notice and privacy policy
Quote requests: a form people actually use
A quote form should only ask for what you need for a first call back: name, phone or email, location of the job and a short description. A field for photos is useful, for example of the damaged tiles or of the room to be renovated. In WordPress you set up such a form with a form plugin; requests arrive in your mailbox, for example at quote@your-business.ch. Make sure uploaded photos are not publicly accessible and that you do not keep requests longer than necessary.
References that convince
Photos of finished work are the strongest argument for a trade business. Show before and after, name the location and type of job and, if the customer agrees, add a short comment from them. Avoid house numbers, names on letterboxes or personal belongings in the pictures, and ask the owners for permission before photos from inside homes go online. Reduce image sizes before uploading or let LiteSpeed Cache optimise images so that the gallery loads quickly on mobile networks too.
Google Business Profile and website belong together
Many customers first see your business in its Google Business Profile, in search results or on Google Maps. The profile is free and is set up with Google, not with your hosting. Link your website in the profile and make sure that business name, address, phone number and opening hours are exactly the same on the website and in the profile. You are most likely to get reviews if you ask for feedback right after finishing a job.
Our recommendation: WordPress Säntis
For a trade website with service pages, a reference gallery and a quote form, WordPress Säntis is enough: one WordPress website, 40 GB of storage for photos, 2 GB of RAM, preconfigured LiteSpeed Cache and mailboxes on your own domain. Let updates run automatically in WP Toolkit so you do not have to deal with plugins between two jobs. The price: CHF 10.90 per month, billed yearly.
Do you need several websites, for two businesses or a separate site for your showroom, or would you rather not use WordPress? Then choose Web Hosting Rigi with up to 10 domains for CHF 11.90 per month.
Costs over three years
| Year | WordPress Säntis | .ch domain |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 12 × CHF 10.90 | CHF 6.90 |
| Year 2 | 12 × CHF 10.90 | CHF 14.90 |
| Year 3 | 12 × CHF 10.90 | CHF 14.90 |
| Total 3 years | 36 × CHF 10.90 | CHF 6.90 + 2 × CHF 14.90 |
Prices incl. 8.1% Swiss VAT, no setup fee. SSL certificate, daily backups and mailboxes are included. The hosting price stays the same at every renewal; for a .ch domain the first year is cheaper than the renewal. Design and copy for the website are not included.
Taking over an existing website
Is your website already running with another provider? We move WordPress websites free of charge, with files, database and emails, usually within 24–48 hours and without downtime. We transfer your mailboxes via IMAP so that no quote request gets lost. Before the switch you check everything on a temporary address.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions we are asked most often about this service.
The profile helps people find you but offers limited space. On your own website you show all services, references and your service area in detail and receive quote requests directly. The two work best together.
That depends on the theme, not on the hosting. Most current WordPress themes adapt automatically to small screens. The hosting, with LiteSpeed and caching, makes sure pages are delivered quickly.
Yes, with a WordPress form plugin that supports file uploads. Limit file type and size, and delete requests and photos as soon as you no longer need them.
No, HostOn provides the hosting, not the design. You set up WordPress yourself or hire a web designer. What matters is that the domain and hosting are in your business's name and that you hold the logins yourself.
Yes. With WordPress Säntis you create mailboxes on your domain, for example one per person or for quote@ and invoice@. You use them on your phone, in Outlook or in webmail.
