Transport company website: make it work for you

Who is your website actually for?

A transport company often has more audiences than you'd think. Decide first who your site is for, because that decides what goes at the top.

• Shippers and buyers looking for a regular carrier.
• Businesses with a one-off or urgent shipment.
• Private customers, for example for a house move or transporting a large purchase.
• Drivers and planners who want to work for you.
• Existing customers who need to get in touch quickly or need documents.

For most transport companies, the business customer matters most. They have little time and want facts: which types of freight, which countries or regions, how often you run, and which certifications or insurance you have. So put that first, not your company history.

Which pages does a transport company website need?

• A homepage that says in one sentence what you do, for whom and where, plus a clear button to the quote request.
• A page for each service, such as groupage, full loads, chilled or frozen transport, express transport or storage.
• A page about your fleet and equipment: types of vehicles, payload, with or without a tail lift.
• Service area: which countries, regions or regular routes you cover.
• About us: who's behind the company and who the point of contact is.
• References or projects, with the customer's permission.
• A vacancies page if you're hiring.
• Contact with phone number, email, address and availability.

A separate page per service isn't just clearer for visitors. It also helps in Google. Someone searching for 'groupage to France' would rather land on a page about exactly that than on a general homepage.

More quote requests through your transport website

For most transport companies, the quote form is the most important part of the site. A good form asks just enough to give a price, but not so much that people give up.

• Ask for the basics: pick-up address, delivery address, preferred date, type of freight, weight or number of pallets.
• Make fields like dimensions or special requirements optional.
• Let people attach a file, such as a packing list.
• Say clearly when they'll hear back, for example 'within one working day'.
• Send an automatic confirmation so the customer knows it arrived.
• Put the form, or a button to it, on every service page.

Getting lots of similar requests? Then you can partly automate how they're handled, for example by sending requests straight into your planning or admin system. Read more in our article on automating quotes.

Also think about what happens after someone hits send. A request that sits in a shared inbox for three days is often a lost customer. Agree who picks up requests and make sure that person gets a notification. For a shipper, a fast and concrete reply is often just as important as the price itself.

Building trust with shippers

A shipper is handing over their goods. They want to be sure it'll go well. Your website can do a lot here, without big claims.

• Show real photos of your vehicles, your warehouse and your people.
• List your certifications and licences, if you have them.
• Explain how you communicate during a trip: does the customer get updates, and how?
• Show reviews or short references from customers, only with their permission.
• Give a regular contact person a face and a direct number.

Avoid general promises like 'always on time'. Every carrier says that. Concrete information, such as fixed departure days or how you handle delays, is more convincing.

Getting your transport company found in Google

People often search very specifically: a type of transport plus a country, region or town. Make sure your site answers those searches.

• Use the words your customers use, not just industry terms. Explain industry terms briefly.
• Create pages for your main routes or destinations if you run them often.
• Fill in your Google Business Profile completely, with photos and opening hours.
• Make sure every page has a clear title and description.
• Keep the site fast, including on a phone at the roadside.

Want to go deeper? Read our article on local SEO. If you're also looking for work outside your own region, online marketing with SEO and Google Ads can help.

Recruiting drivers through your website

Many transport companies are always looking for drivers. A good vacancies page makes a difference. A driver wants to know what the work is, what time you start, whether they're home at night, which licence is needed and what it pays. Just put that on the page.

Keep applying short. Name, phone number, licence and a field for a short note is often enough. A long form with a CV upload makes many drivers give up, especially on a phone.

Example: the Global Gate Transport website

One example from our own work is the site for Global Gate Transport from Nijkerk. This company runs groupage to France every day. The site shows eight services, has a quote form and features projects and reviews. That way a shipper quickly finds what they need and can request a price straight away. You can see the project on our work page.

What does it cost and how does Violexa approach it?

A custom website from Violexa starts from €1,799 excl. VAT (€2,177 incl. VAT) per project. That includes design, development, a layout that works on every screen, the SEO basics, Google Analytics, a CMS and a walkthrough on how to edit your own content. Want more, such as a customer portal or a link to your planning system? Then you get a fixed price in writing up front.

We work from Amsterdam and build for businesses across the Netherlands. Read more about our approach at websites and apps.

Curious what your transport company needs? Request a free quickscan. In 30 minutes, online or at your location, we look at your situation together. Afterwards you get short written advice with a price indication, with no obligation.

Frequently asked questions