People always ask me the same question: “How did you end up building over 250 plumbing websites?” The honest answer is that it started with one — my own. And I had no idea what I was doing.
It Started on the Job Site
I've been in the plumbing trade since 2009. For years, my world was pipes, fittings, and crawl spaces across the Chicago area. I earned my Illinois Apprentice Plumber license in 2014, and by that point I knew the trade inside and out. But I also noticed something that bothered me: the plumbing companies I worked with had terrible online presences.
Websites that looked like they were built in 2005. No mobile optimization. No Google Business Profile. No way for customers to find them online. These were skilled tradespeople doing excellent work, but they were invisible to anyone searching the internet.
The First Website
I taught myself web design out of frustration. I built a basic website for a plumber I knew, focusing on what I thought mattered: clear services, a phone number people could actually find, and some basic SEO so Google knew the business existed. Within weeks, the phone started ringing more.
That's when it clicked. I understood plumbing. I was learning marketing. And nobody else was combining those two things.
The Pattern That Emerged
After the first 10 or 20 websites, I started seeing patterns. Every plumbing company needed the same core elements, but most web designers didn't know what those were because they didn't understand the industry.
Here's what I learned works:
- Service-specific pages. Not a single “Services” page with bullet points, but individual pages for drain cleaning, water heater installation, sewer repair, and every other service. Each page is an opportunity to rank for specific keywords.
- Service area pages. A plumber in Chicago serves different neighborhoods and suburbs. Each area deserves its own page with localized content.
- Emergency CTAs. Plumbing emergencies don't wait. Click-to-call buttons, prominent phone numbers, and “Available 24/7” messaging convert visitors into calls.
- Trust signals. License numbers, insurance info, reviews, and real photos. Homeowners need to trust you before they'll let you into their home.
- Speed. A slow website loses plumbing leads. When someone's toilet is overflowing, they're not waiting 8 seconds for your page to load. They're hitting the back button and calling the next company.
Scaling to 100, Then 250+
As word spread, more plumbing companies reached out. I built systems and templates based on what worked, but every site was customized to the specific market, services, and brand of each company. A plumber in rural Texas has very different needs than one in downtown Chicago.
I also started layering in more advanced strategies: schema markup for rich search results, automated review collection, Google Business Profile optimization, and local SEO campaigns that got companies into the coveted Google 3-pack.
By the time I hit 100 sites, I had a deep understanding of what makes a plumbing website successful. By 250, I had data and patterns that no generic web design agency could match.
Why Most Plumbing Websites Fail
I've audited hundreds of plumbing websites built by other agencies. The same mistakes come up again and again:
- Generic templates with stock photos of models pretending to be plumbers. Homeowners can tell.
- No local optimization. The site mentions the city name once and calls it a day. That's not how local SEO works.
- Missing conversion elements. Beautiful design with no clear way to contact the business. Pretty doesn't pay the bills.
- No ongoing maintenance. A website isn't a one-and-done project. Content needs to be updated, reviews need to be managed, and technical issues need to be fixed.
- Built by people who don't understand plumbing. A web designer who doesn't know the difference between a P-trap and a backflow preventer can't write compelling service pages.
The Systems Thinking Connection
Plumbing taught me something that applies to everything I do: systems thinking. A plumbing system has supply lines, drain lines, vents, and fixtures — all connected, all dependent on each other. If one part fails, the whole system suffers.
A business works the same way. Your website, your Google profile, your reviews, your social media, your follow-up process — they're all pipes in the same system. I build websites with that mindset, making sure every piece connects to and supports every other piece.
What's Next: AI and Automation
Today, I'm focused on bringing AI and automation into the plumbing industry. Automated lead follow-up, AI-powered chat, smart scheduling, and data-driven marketing are the next frontier for plumbing businesses that want to scale.
I co-own ThePlumbingDirectory.com — the most comprehensive plumbing directory in the United States — and I continue to build websites and marketing systems for plumbing companies nationwide.
The trade gave me my foundation. Technology gave me leverage. And combining the two is what I do every single day.
