Saguaro Pool Co. doesn't exist. We made it up so we'd have a real business to build a website for and show people, without putting a client's site on display. It's a custom pool company in Phoenix, and it gets the same treatment a paying client would.
Here's every decision that went into it, in the order a visitor meets them. If you run a service business, almost all of it applies to you.
The first screen does three jobs
Someone landing on a pool company's site wants to know three things almost instantly. Is this the kind of company I'm looking for, do they look like they'd do good work, and how do I reach them. The first screen answers all three before anyone scrolls.
The headline says what they get: "Your backyard, finished." Not the company's history and not a slogan about passion. A short line under it says who they are and what they do, and two buttons sit right below. One books a design visit. The other shows the services.
The phone number is in the top bar on every page. On a phone, a call button stays pinned to the bottom of the screen the whole way down, so the visitor never has to hunt for it.
Why the button says "Book a design visit"
"Contact us" is the most common button on the internet and one of the weakest. It asks the visitor to start a vague conversation. "Book a design visit" tells them exactly what happens next and makes it sound like something they'd want, which for a pool company is someone coming out to look at their yard.
Every business has its own version of this. A detailer books a detail. A handyman gets a quote. The words on the button should name the first real step.
Motion, and when to leave it out
The pool site moves. Water ripples behind the headline, sections ease in as you scroll, and the service cards slide past. It's there because a site that feels current makes the business feel current, and people do notice.
But all of it loads after the page is already usable. On an older phone, a slow connection, or for anyone who has asked their phone to reduce motion, the effects switch off and the page just works. A fancy site that takes six seconds to appear loses more callers than a plain one.
Services, written the way customers search
The services page lists new pools, remodels, and spas and water features. Each one gets a plain description of what's included and who it's for. The wording matches what people actually type into Google, so "pool remodel" rather than something clever.
The pictures are stock photos for now, because the business is made up. With a real client, their own photos go in the moment they upload them. Real jobs beat beautiful stock every time, and they're never passed off as anyone else's work.
The contact page asks for less
- Name, phone and a short note. Every extra field costs enquiries.
- The phone number again, tappable. Some people will always rather call.
- What happens next. One line saying when they'll hear back, so the form doesn't feel like it disappears into a void.
When the form is sent, the business hears about it straight away, along with where the visitor came from. That last part is how you find out which of your marketing is actually working.
Three designs, one business
The same pool company exists in three designs: a bright, bold one, a darker one with full screen water behind it, and a calm editorial one. Same words, same pages. Clients pick from their own business in all three, which is a much easier decision than choosing from a gallery of strangers.
Every choice on the site answers one question: does this make it easier for the right person to call?
You can click through all of it yourself. The sample site is live, every page works, and you can switch between the three designs from the bar at the top.