Straight answers
Everything owners ask before saying yes.
Written the way you’d actually ask, including the questions that compare us to doing nothing, doing it yourself, or hiring an agency. If an honest answer costs us a sale, you’ll get the honest answer.
Pricing & what's included
How much does a website from Modern Websites cost?
It's $250 per month, all-in. That covers custom design and build, hosting, SSL, mobile-first responsive design, on-page SEO setup, ongoing edits and support, professional email on your own domain through Google Workspace, instant text and email follow-up on every lead, and Google review requests after every job. There is no setup fee, and in most trades one extra job pays for months of the website. If you also want a phone agent that answers every call and a new article on your site every week, that's the Growth plan at $500 a month.
Is there a setup fee or a long-term contract?
No setup fee. The plan is month-to-month; you're not signing a year-long agreement. We keep it simple on purpose: if the website isn't earning its keep, you shouldn't be locked into paying for it.
How much should a website cost for a roofing company or contractor?
With Modern Websites it is $250 a month, all-in: design, build, hosting, SSL, SEO setup, edits and email on your domain, with no setup fee and no contract. Agencies, freelancers and DIY builders each price it differently, take different amounts of time and leave different amounts of the work to you. If you want the actual figures for every option, our contractor website cost breakdown on the blog walks through them.
What exactly is included in the $250 per month?
Custom design and build of your site, launch within 7 days, hosting and SSL, mobile-first responsive design, on-page SEO setup (titles, service pages, schema, speed), ongoing edits and support including new pages and redesigns, professional email on your domain set up through Google Workspace, analytics so you can see what the site is doing, AI text and email follow-up on every lead, and Google review requests after every job. The only things billed separately are your domain registration (usually about $15/year, and it belongs to you) and the Google Workspace subscription, which Google bills directly.
What counts as ongoing edits and support?
Content updates as your business changes: new photos, updated service areas, seasonal offers, a new crew member, price changes, new pages for a new service. Send us an email and we handle it. And when the site deserves a bigger change, a new look or a redesign down the road, that's included too. The plan covers keeping your website right, not just keeping it running.
Are there any other costs besides the $250?
Two small ones, both paid to third parties and both yours: your domain name registration (roughly $15 a year, registered in your name) and Google Workspace for professional email if you want it (Google bills that directly, starting around $8 per user per month). We don't mark either up.
The process
How does the process work?
Three steps. First, a free 20-minute demo call where we show you exactly what your site would look like. Second, we build the complete site in 7 days: you send a logo and some job photos, we handle design, writing, and setup. Third, a launch call: we walk through the finished site together and take it live.
How long does it take to build a contractor website?
With Modern Websites, 7 days from your demo call to launch. Traditional agencies commonly take months. The difference is focus: we build websites for contractors and home-service businesses every week, so we're not reinventing the process on your project.
What do you need from me to build the site?
Almost nothing: your logo if you have one (we can work without it), photos of your work if you have them, and 20 minutes on the demo call to tell us about your business. We write the content, structure the pages, and handle every technical detail. Most owners spend under an hour total on the whole process.
Do you write the website content, or do I have to?
We write it. You know your trade; we know what turns a visitor into a phone call. On the demo call we learn your services, service area, and what makes you better than the guy down the road, then we write pages that say it plainly. You review everything before launch.
What happens on the 20-minute demo call?
We show you a concept of what your website could look like (your trade, your services, your area) and walk through pricing and the 7-day build. You ask whatever you want. No slide deck, no pressure, no follow-up call sequence. If it's not a fit, you've spent 20 minutes and gotten a free look at what your site could be.
Ownership & tech
Who owns my domain name?
You do, always. If you already have a domain, we build on it. If you don't, we help you register one in your own name, on your own registrar account. If you ever leave, your domain goes with you. We think anything else is holding your business hostage.
What happens if I cancel?
Yes, anytime. The plan is month to month, so there is no contract to get out of. You keep your domain, your content and your photos. The design and the hosting stay with the subscription, since that is what the monthly fee covers. We never hold a domain or an email account hostage.
Do you set up professional email on my domain?
Yes. We set up Google Workspace on your domain so you're emailing customers from you@yourcompany.com instead of a Gmail or Yahoo address. The Workspace subscription itself is billed by Google directly (starting around $8 per user per month); we handle the setup as part of your plan.
Where is my website hosted? Is it fast?
On modern cloud hosting with SSL, a global CDN, and the same performance practices used by major tech companies. That's all included in the $250. Speed is a ranking factor on Google and a conversion factor with customers, so we treat load time as a feature, not an afterthought.
Results & comparisons
Will my website show up on Google?
Every site we build ships with the on-page SEO foundation Google expects: proper titles and descriptions, separate service pages, fast load times, mobile-first design, and structured data. That's the part a website controls. Rankings also depend on your Google Business Profile, reviews, and competition in your area. No one can honestly promise you #1; anyone who does is selling something. We build sites that compete properly.
Should contractors use Wix or hire a web designer?
Honest answer: Wix and Squarespace are fine tools if you have the time and design sense to use them well. Most busy contractors don't, and it shows in the result. A traditional designer gets you quality but usually takes months and a project to manage. Modern Websites sits in between: professionally designed and fully managed, at $250 a month with no setup fee. The right choice depends on whether your time is better spent building websites or running jobs.
What's the best website builder for contractors?
If you want to build it yourself: Wix and Squarespace are the easiest, WordPress is the most flexible but has the steepest learning curve. But the honest question is whether a builder is the right tool at all. A website that generates calls needs strategy, writing, SEO, and upkeep, not just software. That's why we sell a done-for-you service instead of a tool: for $250 a month, the whole problem is handled.
Do I need a website if I get all my work from referrals?
Referrals are exactly why you need one. When someone passes your name along, the next thing that homeowner does is look you up. A professional site converts the referral you already earned; no site (or a dated one) plants doubt at the worst possible moment. The website isn't replacing word of mouth; it's finishing the job word of mouth started.
Follow-up, reviews and calls
What's included in $250 a month, and what's in $500?
Website, $250 a month: your custom website (design, build, hosting, SSL, SEO setup, edits, redesigns, email on your domain, analytics), plus AI text and email follow-up on every lead and Google review requests after every job. Website + Growth, $500 a month: everything in Website, plus an AI phone agent that answers every call 24/7 and a new SEO article on your site every week. Both plans: no setup fee, month to month, cancel anytime. Nothing is sold à la carte.
How does the text and email follow-up work?
When you miss a call, the caller gets a text from your business right away. When someone fills out your website form, they get a text and an email within seconds, and the conversation keeps going until the estimate is booked on your calendar. It also follows up on open quotes, sends appointment reminders, and answers the questions customers always ask, like your hours, your service area, or whether you handle insurance claims. You get a text with every new lead. It's included in both plans.
How do the Google review requests work, and are they allowed?
After every completed job, your customer gets a text with a direct link to your Google review page, and one polite reminder a few days later if they haven't left one. Every review gets a reply drafted in your voice for you to approve. It's allowed because we do it the way Google requires: we ask every customer, we never pick who gets asked, and we never offer anything in exchange for a review. Google prohibits both of those, and reviews gathered that way can be removed.
What does the AI phone agent do?
It answers every call in your company's name, 24/7, including nights, weekends and the hours you're on a job. It takes the caller's name, address, what's wrong and how urgent it is, books the estimate on your calendar, and texts you a summary and the recording after every call. Emergencies get transferred to your cell, and you decide what counts as one. It's part of the Growth plan.
Will the weekly articles get me to the top of Google?
No one can honestly promise that, and we won't. What we promise is the work: one new article every week, written for your trade and your service area, published on your site and linked to the right service pages. Fresh, useful pages about the work you do give Google more reasons to show your site, and they give homeowners real answers when they find you. It's part of the Growth plan.
Do I need to learn any software for any of this?
No. You get texts and calendar invites. That's it. We set up the phone number, the messages, the call script and the Google Business Profile connection, keep it all running, and change it when you ask.
Can I switch between the Website and Growth plans?
Yes, any month, in either direction. Tell us and we'll set up the phone agent and start your weekly articles, or switch them off. There's no setup fee either way. Your phone number and your reviews stay yours no matter which plan you're on.