1. Can’t edit their website – today, the web is real time and if your latest news item or project is 3 years old, it makes your prospective customer think you’re not working or too busy to work for them.  Your marketing team needs access to update the website today, not wait a week or more for a web company to make an update.
2. Using Flash – Flash is an animated movie on your website. Over 150 construction companies still use it on their website. This is horrible because it’s not searchable by Google and it’s extremely difficult and costly to update, even for web companies.
3. Not memorable – You will not sell a building or a road building project online, but you can be short listed online. Prospective clients (and employees) and looking at 10-15 websites looking for the right companies. Your website needs to be memorable and differentiate your company from the rest.
4. Not telling your buyer what you do – Many construction companies have vague names like ABC or Professional Services. Even the word construction is too broad for buyers. Tell your prospects how you can help them.
5. Forgetting your other audiences – Most construction websites are geared solely to prospective buyers. Don’t forgot about your your employees and prospective employees. The best potential employees are researching you more than you are researching them — don’t settle for mediocre employees.
6. Not using their website as a tool – Your website is the best resource for communicating to your multiple audiences with news, emergency contact info, and for storing items such as HR forms. Imagine how many calls HR gets for a simple form from a company of 500 people – they have better things to do.
7. No personality – Your website should look unique to your company, your brand personality, and your culture. We consider it a failure when you can replace your company logo with a competitor’s logo and it still works – that means its all generic.
8. No contact info – I’m amazed how many times I need to call someone or send them something in the mail and I can’t find their contact info. Many companies have tried to get sneaking and require visitors to submit a form. I’ve even had times that I’m trying to find a construction company’s office, its not correct on my GPS and I can’t confirm the address or call them because its not on their website – imagine if I was a prospective client.
9. Too much contact info – I promise, I’m not going back on my previous statement. Many companies are listing the entire executive team’s direct phone numbers and emails. They may have gatekeepers answering emails & calls, but this just opens your top people to numerous sales calls.
10. No people – This is more of a pet peeve than a mistake, but when I go to a construction company’s website, I want to see people constructing. The finished building is great for the Project section. If all you have is completed project photos, you’ll look like a real estate company, not a construction company.

The biggest thing to remember is that your website is a tool for marketing and for communications. It should be regularly updated and it should match your brand’s personality and culture.

You don’t want your website looking like every other construction company’s website.