What to put on a car detailing website (15 things)

If you're wondering what to put on a car detailing website, start with the order people read it. A customer has already found you on Google Maps or Instagram. Now they're standing in a parking lot with your site open on their phone, and in about ten seconds of scrolling they want to know four things: do you come to them, what does it cost, how long does it take, and how do they book. The 15 items below go in that order, each with a one-line reason and a test you can run on your own phone.

Most advice on detailing websites stops at "look professional." The person in the parking lot is checking narrower things, and they'll rule you out fast if one is missing.

The top of the page (items 1 to 4)

This is the first screen on a phone, before any scrolling. Plenty of people never see the rest.

1. The service and the town in the headline

"Mobile car detailing in [your town]" beats "Welcome to our website" every time. If you have a shop, say that instead: "Car detailing in [town], drop-off bay on [street]."

You've got it if a stranger can read your headline and say what you do and where, without scrolling.

2. Your service area

A customer one town over will assume you won't drive to them. List the towns or neighborhoods you cover by name, and say what happens just outside them (a trip fee, Saturdays only, or "text us").

You've got it if someone in your farthest regular town can find their town's name on the page.

3. One way to book, and Call and Text buttons that stay put

Pick one main button: book online, or text. Then keep Call and Text stuck to the bottom of the phone screen. A Facebook message link as the only option means replies at 11 p.m., after the customer has booked someone else.

You've got it if you can tap Call or Text from any point on the page with your thumb.

4. A real photo of your work

One good photo of a car you did, ideally on a driveway or in your bay. A stock photo of a sports car in a studio tells the customer nothing about you.

You've got it if the first photo on the page is a car you worked on.

Prices and packages (items 5 to 8)

This is where people decide. "Call for pricing" makes a phone shopper assume you're expensive, and the shop down the road with a number on its page gets the text instead. There's a full walkthrough of the layouts in how to show detailing prices on your website.

5. "From" prices by vehicle size

A "from" price by size (sedan, SUV, truck) gives people a number to plan around. An example line, with your own numbers: "Full detail, sedan, from $185. SUV and truck from $215."

You've got it if a customer can find a starting number for their kind of vehicle without contacting you.

6. What's in each package

"Gold" and "Platinum" mean nothing to someone who has never paid for a detail. Spell it out under each package: hand wash, vacuum, mats, windows, clay bar, wax or sealant. If paint correction is on the menu, say whether it's a one-step polish or a multi-step correction.

You've got it if two customers reading the same package would expect the same work.

7. Add-ons

Pet hair, engine bay, headlight restoration, odor treatment, heavy stains. List them with a "from" price, so the person with a golden retriever isn't surprised at the end.

You've got it if every extra charge you regularly add shows up on the page with a price.

8. How long each job takes

A maintenance wash might take an hour; a full detail or a coating can take most of a day. Put a rough time next to each package. If a coating needs the car overnight or kept out of the rain afterward, say so here too.

You've got it if a customer can tell from the page whether they'll need a ride somewhere.

Proof (items 9 to 11)

Once the price is acceptable, the next question is whether you're any good.

9. Before-and-after pairs

Six good pairs beat a gallery of forty photos of the same hood. Pick one or two per service: a stained seat, swirled paint under a light, a yellowed headlight. Shoot each pair from the same angle in similar light.

You've got it if each main service on your menu has at least one before-and-after pair next to it or linked from it.

10. Reviews with first names

Pull a few real reviews onto the page with the customer's first name, the town or vehicle if they mentioned it, and the date. Link to your Google reviews for the rest. Never write reviews yourself or copy them from another business.

You've got it if the reviews on your site are word for word the ones on your Google profile, with names and dates.

11. How long you've been doing it

"Detailing in [town] since 2016" answers a real worry: will this person still be around if something goes wrong. A short note on who shows up (you, you and a partner, a crew) helps too. If you're new, skip the year and lean on photos.

You've got it if a customer can tell who'll be working on their car.

Mobile detailing website must-haves (items 12 and 13)

Shop owners can skip this part. If you drive to people, these are questions you answer on the phone every week.

12. Water, power and how much room you need

Say whether you bring your own water and power or need a hose and an outlet. A lot of apartment and condo customers assume they can't book a mobile detailer. Add how much space you need to open every door and walk around the car.

You've got it if someone in an apartment can tell from the page whether you can do their car.

13. What happens if it rains

Customers want your rain plan before they book. A common one: you text the night before and move the job to the next open day. Write yours down, and say whether there's a fee.

You've got it if a customer knows, before booking, what happens when the forecast changes.

Booking (items 14 and 15)

The last two items are about the moment they commit. If your site gets visits and the bookings still don't come, the usual causes are covered in why people look at your detailing site and don't book.

14. One short booking form, or your real booking tool

If you use Square, Booksy, Urable or another booking tool, put it on the page so people book without leaving. If you'd rather quote by text, keep the form short: name, phone number, vehicle, package, ZIP code and an optional note. Google also lets you add a booking link to your Business Profile (Google's help page on business links), so point that at the same place.

You've got it if you can book yourself on your own site, one-handed, in under a minute.

15. Deposit and cancellation policy, in plain words

If you take a deposit for coatings or long jobs, say how much, when it's refundable and how much cancellation notice you need. People mind finding out about a deposit at checkout far more than they mind the deposit.

You've got it if your policy fits in two or three sentences a customer would understand on the first read.

FAQ

Should I put my prices on my website?

Yes, at least as "from" prices by vehicle size. You keep the right to adjust for condition, and you can say so on the page. The customer who would have left over "call for pricing" now has a number to work with.

Do I need online booking?

You need one clear way to book. For many detailers that's their booking tool on the page; for others it's a short form or a Text button and a fast reply. Whichever you pick, keep it one tap away and answer the same day.

One page or several?

For a solo detailer or a small crew, one long page usually does the job on a phone: everything in this list, top to bottom. Add separate pages when one service needs more explaining, like ceramic coating or paint correction, or when you want a page for each town you cover. If showing up in local search is the goal, our guide on how detailers show up for "detailing near me" covers that side.

The short version: what to put on a car detailing website

Open your own site on your phone and go top to bottom: where you work, what it costs, how long it takes, proof you're good, and how to book. Anything you had to scroll or tap around for, a customer did too. Fix the top of the page first, since that's where most people decide whether to keep reading.

If you'd rather not build it yourself, we build and look after detailing websites with this list worked in: prices by vehicle size, your booking tool, Call and Text on every screen and the towns you drive to. It's $99 to start, refunded if you pass on the preview, and $399 all in at our founding price for the first 25 clients. Hosting is $99 a month. Here's a sample detailing site we designed for a fictional business.