A good driving school website makes sure that someone searching for a driving school in their town finds you, understands what you charge and requests a trial lesson within a minute. At its core, it doesn't need to do more. But those exact three things often go wrong.
Your audience is young, searches on their phone and compares a few driving schools at once. Parents often look over their shoulder, because they're paying. This article covers what a driving school website should include, how to get found locally and what to look for when you have a website built.
What should a driving school website include?
Think from the questions a new student has. They want to know quickly:
- Where you teach: which towns and neighbourhoods, and where you pick students up.
- What it costs: single lessons, lesson packages and what comes on top for the test.
- Which licences you offer: car, automatic, motorcycle or trailer.
- How soon they can start and how the process works, from trial lesson to test.
- Who the instructor is: a photo and a short introduction make a big difference.
- What others say: real reviews from former students.
- How to request a trial lesson, with a button that's on every page.
Keep copy short and clear. An eighteen-year-old won't read long blocks of text on their phone. You'll find tips for this in our article on writing website copy.
Requesting a trial lesson should take under a minute
For most driving schools, the trial lesson is the most important request. Make it as easy as possible:
- A short request for name, phone number, town and the licence they want. Nothing more is needed in the first step.
- A clear button at the top of every page, on mobile too.
- A WhatsApp button for people who'd rather send a message.
- A confirmation straight after the request, so the student knows it's arrived.
- Say when you'll get in touch, for example within one working day.
Also read our tips for a contact form that people actually fill in.
Clear lesson packages and prices on your website
Price is the first question for many students and parents. A driving school website without prices soon feels expensive or unclear. Show it:
- An overview of your lesson packages, with the number of lessons, lesson length and what's included.
- The price of a single lesson and of a trial lesson.
- What comes on top, such as the cost of the test.
- Whether students can pay in instalments, if you offer that.
Some driving schools also show how their prices compare with others nearby. That helps students who are comparing, as long as you keep it fair and up to date.
How does your driving school get found locally?
People almost always search with a place name: driving school Den Helder, driving lessons Alkmaar, automatic driving lessons Haarlem. So above all, you want to be found locally.
- Create a complete Google Business Profile, with your teaching area, opening hours, photos of your car and your instructors.
- Collect reviews, for example on the day a student passes.
- Create a page for each town you teach in, with real information about that town, such as where the test is taken.
- Make sure your website is fast and works well on mobile.
- Use the town name and the type of licence in your page titles.
Read more about this in our article on local SEO.
Want faster results than SEO gives you? Then you can also advertise on Google for searches like driving school plus your town. Do make sure the ad leads to a page where the trial lesson can be requested straight away, not to your homepage with general information. That way you don't pay for clicks that lead nowhere.
Extra features: multiple languages and a student portal
Many driving schools have students who'd rather read a language other than Dutch. A multilingual website lowers the barrier, especially at first contact.
A student portal is a private part of the website where students log in. What it can do varies per driving school. Think of:
- An overview of planned and completed lessons.
- Progress per topic.
- Learning materials or tips for the test.
- Payment overviews and invoices.
A portal like this is custom work. It saves you time on calls and messages, and gives students a better overview.
Common mistakes on driving school websites
- No prices, or prices that haven't been updated for years.
- A request form with ten required fields for just a trial lesson.
- A website that loads slowly on a phone or has buttons that are too small.
- No clear teaching area, so students don't know whether you cover their area.
- Stock photos instead of your own car and instructors.
- Pass news and reviews buried somewhere deep in a submenu.
Don't forget the parents either. They mainly want to know whether the driving school is reliable and what it will cost in total. A short page with frequently asked questions about payment, packages and the test helps them. That way you don't have to answer the same questions on the phone again and again.
Example: the Rijschool Benz website
For Rijschool Benz in Den Helder we built a website where a trial lesson can be requested within 30 seconds. It has a price check comparing prices with other driving schools in Den Helder, and the lesson packages are set out clearly side by side. The site is available in Dutch, English and Arabic. Students also have their own student portal. You can see the project on our work page.
How much does a driving school website cost?
At Violexa a custom website starts from €1,799 excl. VAT (€2,177 incl. VAT) per project. That includes the design, the build, a design that works on every screen, basic SEO, Google Analytics, a CMS connection and a walkthrough. Extras such as several languages or a student portal make the project bigger. For larger projects you get a fixed price upfront, in writing. Want to know more? See our page on websites and apps.
Want someone to look after your website afterwards? There are maintenance plans from €179 excl. VAT (€217 incl. VAT) per month.
Curious what your driving school needs? Book a free quickscan. In 30 minutes, online or on site, we discuss your situation. Afterwards you get short written advice with a price indication, with no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a driving school website cost?
At Violexa a custom website starts from €1,799 excl. VAT (€2,177 incl. VAT). Extras such as several languages or a student portal make the project bigger. For larger projects you get a fixed price upfront.
How do I get more students through my website?
Make sure you're found locally, your prices are clear and requesting a trial lesson is very quick. Real reviews and a photo of the instructor build trust. A fast mobile website is the foundation.
Should a driving school put prices on its website?
It's strongly recommended. Students and parents often compare several driving schools and drop off if they can't find a price. Also show what comes on top, such as test fees.
Does a driving school need a student portal?
Not every driving school. It's useful if you have lots of students and spend a lot of time on questions about lessons, progress or payments. A portal is custom work and is often added later.
