Would You Click on Your Own Website? 7 Questions Every Pool & Hot Tub Company Should Ask
You know your business. Your website visitor doesn’t.
You know the quality of your work, your team, how long you’ve been in business and why your customers choose you. A homeowner visiting your website for the first time doesn’t know any of that. They have to figure it out, and they may only give your website a few seconds to convince them to keep looking.
Try This: Pretend You Don’t Know Your Company
The easiest way to see your website clearly is to find it the way a homeowner would. Search for the products or services you sell, find your company in the results and open your website. Then ask yourself these seven questions.
1. Can I Tell What You Do?
A homeowner should know what your company does within a few seconds of landing on your homepage. It sounds obvious, but it isn’t always.
If you’re a pool builder, say it. If you specialize in pool renovations, make that clear. If you maintain pools, say that too. If you sell hot tubs, swim spas or saunas, don’t make someone dig through your website to find out. Your homepage shouldn’t ask homeowners to decode clever marketing language.
Within a few seconds, a visitor should be able to answer:
- What do you do?
- Where do you do it?
- Are you the right company for me?
The takeaway: Clarity beats cleverness.
2. Can I Tell Why I Should Choose You?
Your website should show what makes your company different, not just what makes it good. Put your website next to your competitors’ and read them side by side.
Does everyone say some version of quality craftsmanship, exceptional service, years of experience, customer satisfaction or beautiful backyards? Those things may all be true. But if every company says them, they don’t give a homeowner much reason to choose one over another.
So what actually sets your business apart? Maybe you’ve served the same community for 40 years. Maybe you have an in-house service department, or you service what you sell. Maybe you specialize in a particular type of pool, have a showroom where customers can see products before they buy, or follow a design process no one else does.
The takeaway: Whatever makes your company worth choosing should be easy to find.
3. Do I Trust You?
Homeowners look for proof before they reach out, and your website should give it to them throughout their experience. Before contacting you, they’re checking:
- Your reviews
- Your photos and completed projects
- Your experience and your team
- What other customers say about you
And yes, they may read your worst review.
Your website should help answer one very important question: “Can I trust these people with my backyard, my home and my money?”
That trust isn’t created by one testimonial buried on an About page. It’s built throughout the website with real projects, real reviews, real people (the designers, technicians and staff homeowners will actually meet), useful information and clear expectations.
The takeaway: Proof matters.
4. Can I Find What I’m Looking For?
Each type of visitor should be able to quickly find the information they care about. Think about the different people coming to your website:
- Homeowner #1 wants a new pool.
- Homeowner #2 needs an existing pool renovated.
- Homeowner #3 needs pool service.
- Homeowner #4 is comparing hot tubs.
They shouldn’t all have to follow the same path. Good navigation isn’t just about keeping a menu organized. It’s about helping different customers quickly get to what matters to them.
The takeaway: If homeowners have to hunt for something, some of them won’t. They’ll go back to Google.
5. Are You Answering My Questions?
The questions your team hears every week belong on your website. Before someone calls, they probably want to know things like:
- How much does it cost?
- How long does it take?
- What are my options, and what’s best for my backyard?
- Do you service my area?
- What happens after I contact you?
- What should I expect during construction?
- Can I wet test a hot tub before I buy?
- What’s included in weekly pool service?
Helpful content doesn’t replace the sales conversation. It makes the homeowner more comfortable starting one.
That content has another job today, too. Homeowners aren’t only typing short searches into Google. Many are asking ChatGPT, Google’s AI results and similar tools detailed questions like, “What type of pool is best for a small backyard?” Clear, useful answers give search engines and AI-powered discovery tools more context about what your company does, where you work and where your expertise lies.
The takeaway: If your customers keep asking the question, your website should probably answer it.
6. Is There an Obvious Next Step?
Every page should make it clear what an interested homeowner can do next.
They’ve seen your work. They like what they see. They’re interested. Now what? Don’t make them figure it out.
The right call to action depends on the page and where that visitor is in the buying process. Options might include:
- Scheduling a consultation
- Requesting pricing
- Visiting the showroom
- Building a wishlist
- Comparing models
- Requesting service
- Calling
- Texting
Not everyone is ready to talk to a salesperson today. That’s okay. A lower-commitment option can keep them moving forward until they are.
The takeaway: Give interested homeowners more than one way to raise their hand.
7. Would You Choose Your Company?
If you were the homeowner, would your company be the first one you’d call? This may be the most important question of all.
Forget that it’s your company for a minute. Open your website and three competitors’ websites side by side.
Who would you choose first? And more importantly, why?
If the answer isn’t immediately your company, don’t assume the solution is more advertising. Sending more traffic to a website that isn’t doing its job can simply mean more people seeing the problem.
The takeaway: Sometimes the biggest marketing opportunity isn’t getting more people to your website. It’s improving what happens after they find you.
How Did Your Website Do?
Go back through the seven questions and check off each one you can answer with a confident yes.
- Can visitors immediately tell what you do?
- Is it clear why they should choose you?
- Does your website give homeowners reasons to trust you?
- Can visitors quickly find what they need?
- Are you answering their biggest questions?
- Is there an obvious next step?
- Would you choose your company over the competition?
If you hesitated on a few, that’s worth paying attention to. Your website may no longer represent the company you’ve become or the way homeowners search and make decisions today. And sometimes there are opportunities you’re simply too close to your own website to see.
Your website isn’t just an online brochure. For many homeowners, it’s part of the decision-making process. It should help them understand your company, get their questions answered, see your work and know what to do next.
So ask yourself one last question:
If you didn’t already know your company, would your website convince you to choose it?
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my pool company website needs a redesign?
Your pool company website may be ready for a redesign if visitors can’t quickly tell what you do, why they should choose you or how to contact you. Age matters, too. If your website is three or four years old, your business, technology and the way homeowners search online may have changed significantly since it was built. Your website should represent the company you are today and support the way today’s homeowners research and choose a pool and spa company.
What should a pool builder’s homepage include?
A pool builder’s homepage should clearly communicate what you build, where you work and what makes your company different. It should also show real projects, feature customer reviews and give visitors an obvious way to take the next step.
What should a hot tub store’s website include?
A hot tub store’s website should make it easy for homeowners to compare models, understand their options and choose a next step, such as visiting the showroom, requesting pricing or scheduling a wet test. It should also explain delivery, installation and the support customers can expect after the sale.
What should a pool service company’s website include?
A pool service company’s website should clearly explain which services you offer, what’s included in a service visit or plan, which areas you cover and how to request service. Reviews, technician introductions and clear expectations about scheduling and communication help homeowners feel comfortable trusting your team with ongoing access to their backyard.
What content should a pool and spa company website have?
A pool and spa company website should answer the questions homeowners ask most, including questions about costs, timelines, options, service areas and what to expect after contacting the company. Helpful pages include service pages, project examples, reviews, FAQs, Areas Served content and educational resources. Together, they help homeowners understand the business and give search engines and AI-powered discovery tools more context about the company’s services and expertise.
That’s Pool Marketing Intelligence.
Helping Pool & Hot Tub Businesses Make Better Marketing Decisions.