# Hero reference: 29 independent local-service websites

Internal reference, captured 2026-11-04 with Chromium via Playwright: desktop 1440x900 and
mobile 390x844 (DPR 2, iPhone UA, touch), first viewport only. Files:
`<slug>-desktop.png`, `<slug>-mobile.png`; `sheets/<slug>.jpg` is a composite;
`facts.json` holds the DOM measurements.

## Method

Each site loaded with `domcontentloaded` plus ~3s settling. Above-fold text, CTAs, forms,
media and header behaviour were measured in-page, then checked against the images. Hero
height is the hero container over viewport height, so banner stacks inflate it slightly.
Chat and consent overlays were suppressed where possible; survivors are noted, since they
are part of the real first impression.

Skipped (bot protection or no response; no screenshots kept): `langloisplumbinghvac.com`,
`jimcoelectric.com`, `clearviewcleaningorganizing.com` (Cloudflare "confirm you are
human"); `azerplumb.com`, `mrkoolheatingandair.com` (dead); `askwoodfin.com` (403).

## The 29 sites

| Site, city, URL | Vertical | Composition / media | Text, CTAs | Proof, form, height | Mobile | Custom or generic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H&S Roofing, Charlotte NC, hsroofing.com (`hs-roofing`) | roofing | split, quote card right; aerial photo | left, 13 words; Request A Quote + phone | since 1939, licensed; form yes; 0.8vh | form takes first screen, headline lost | custom: address-based instant price |
| Thomas Roofing, Phoenix AZ, thomasroofingaz.com (`thomas-roofing-az`) | roofing | full-bleed; single photo | left, 8 words; Request Free Estimate | over 40 years; no form; 1.0vh | stacked, image kept | generic structure, custom art direction |
| Durafoam Roofing, Phoenix AZ, durafoaminc.com (`durafoam-roofing`) | roofing | diagonal split; photo + mascot | left panel, 7 words; Schedule Roof Check + phone | license #, BBB, since 1989; no form; 0.62vh | stacked, both CTAs full width | custom: mascot, ticket-stub logo |
| Keyway Construction, Charlotte NC, keywayconstructionclt.com (`keyway-construction`) | roofing | split, form right; worker photo | left, 10 words; Get In Touch + Schedule | none; 5-field form; 0.95vh | accordions, sticky schedule bar | generic: "Comfort and Quality" says nothing |
| Buckshot Exteriors, Madison WI, buckshotexteriors.com (`buckshot-exteriors`) | roofing | split, triage wizard right; photo | left, 5 words; Schedule inspection + phone | 47 yrs, credential #, 4.9/200+; wizard; 0.62vh | stacked, wizard after CTAs | custom: qualifying wizard, credential-first |
| Oliwill Construction, Madison WI, oliwillconstructionwi.com (`oliwill-construction`) | roofing | full-bleed; video/photo | left, 4 words; Get A Free Estimate | vendor badge; no form; 0.91vh | text clipped by mascot and chat | custom brand, poor mobile discipline |
| Alberto Plumbing, Austin TX, albertoplumbing.com (`alberto-plumbing`) | plumbing | full-bleed; technician photo | left, 4 words; Call Now + Request Estimate | licensed, 25+ yrs, 5-star; no form; 0.72vh | stacked chips 2x2, floating call | custom: real employee, family claim |
| Plumbing Outfitters, Taylor/Austin TX, plumbingoutfitters.com (`plumbing-outfitters`) | plumbing | split, overlapping card; portrait photo | left, 13 words; phone + Request Service | 4.9/2,256, license #, guarantee; no form; 0.84vh | stacked, sticky call/schedule bar | custom: "meet your guide", transparency copy |
| D&F Plumbing, Portland OR, dandfplumbing.com (`dandf-plumbing`) | plumbing | split, framed archival photo | left, 8 words; Check Our Specials | 99 years, licensed; no form; ~0.6vh | sticky call/schedule, promo bar | generic 2010s: promo bars, dense nav |
| On The Way Plumbing, Portland OR, ontheway-plumbing.com (`on-the-way-plumbing`) | plumbing | split illustration composite | centered, 3 words; text-link call | none; no form; 0.48vh | stacked, image below copy | custom illustration, weak CTA affordance |
| Stars and Pipes, Lilburn GA, starsandpipesatl.com (`stars-and-pipes`) | plumbing | split, owner photo card | left, 10 words; Call + Schedule | 200+ Google, veteran, 11+ yrs; no form; 0.81vh | stacked, photo below fold | custom: named owner, license number |
| Renewal Electric, San Antonio TX, renewalelectric.com (`renewal-electric`) | electrical | full-bleed; truck at sunset | left, 6 words; Get Your Free Quote | 5.0 Google/100+, Nextdoor award; no form; 0.68vh | stacked, sticky call/text/quote bar | custom: local photography, badges |
| The Electricians Co, Denver CO, theelectriciansco.com (`the-electricians-co`) | electrical | split, form card over photo | left, 7 words; phone + Free Quote | 4.9/400+, BBB A+, license #s; 6-field form; 1.02vh | stacked, image hidden, form below | custom proof strip, form-heavy |
| Transworld Electric, Columbia SC, twielectric.com (`transworld-electric`) | electrical | full-bleed grayscale | left, 5 words; phone + Contact Us | 50 years, BCE badge; no form; 0.66vh | nav bug, low-contrast copy | generic corporate |
| Salas Heating & Air, AZ, salashvac.com (`salas-hvac`) | HVAC | split, arched photo | left, 8 words; Book Now | 100% satisfaction; no form; 0.59vh | panel only, photo pushed down | generic: stock family photo |
| Spring Aire, Duncan SC, springairemechanical.com (`spring-aire`) | HVAC | full-bleed + promo card | left, 6 words; Book Appointment + $59 tune-up | 369 Google, since 1985, badges; no form; 0.72vh | stacked, sticky call bar | custom offer, generic layout |
| Express Air, Pensacola FL, expressairnow.com (`express-air`) | HVAC | illustration (mascot, rays) | left-of-center, 5 words; Get Same-Day Service | 4.9/3,261, BBB A+; no form; 0.57vh | mascot + review card first | custom mascot, busy |
| Central City HVAC, Knoxville TN, centralcityhvac.com (`central-city-hvac`) | HVAC | full-bleed, centered | center, 11 words; 4 pillar buttons above header | 50 years; no form; 0.73vh | four buttons fill first screen | custom photo, template furniture |
| Maid in Allen, Allen TX, maidinallentx.com (`maid-in-allen`) | cleaning | split, quote wizard | left, 10 words; Continue (form) | insured, no surcharge, since 2009; 2-step form; 0.70vh | stacked, form below copy | custom: wizard with scarcity note |
| Mac's Facility Solutions, Moorestown NJ, macsjanitorial.com (`macs-janitorial`) | cleaning | centered on slider | center, 6 words; Request A Free Quote | address, 24/7; no form; 0.54vh | stacked, chatbot opens over hero | generic: yellow caps on stock office |
| MaidPure, Charleston SC, maidpure.com (`maidpure`) | cleaning | photo band, headline below | below image, 10 words; Request a Quote (nav) | none; no form; 2.1vh | photo band, h1 below fold | custom editorial, weak conversion |
| Edge Pros, Wake Forest NC, edgeprosfacilityservices.com (`edgepros-facility`) | cleaning | slider, copy left, cards at edge | left, 4 words; Get a Quote | none; no form; 1.0vh | headline truncated with ellipsis | custom mark, template hero |
| Pittman & Brooks, Portland OR, pittmanbrooks.com (`pittman-brooks`) | accounting | full-bleed, centered | center, 7 words; Learn More only | 41 years badge; no form; 1.09vh | tight crop, badge dropped | custom art direction, no conversion path |
| RMW Accounting, Portland OR, rmwaccounting.com (`rmw-accounting`) | accounting | split, arch-cropped photo | left, 6 words; Learn More | none; no form; 0.47vh | image first, headline below | generic values hero |
| Insogna CPA, Austin TX, insognacpa.com (`insogna-cpa`) | accounting | split, 6-panel collage | left, 7 words; Call + Schedule Video Call | 4.8 Google/91, 4.9 Yelp/37; no form; 0.63vh | stacked, collage below | custom: team collage with service spines |
| AliCat Solutions, Austin TX, alicatsolutions.com (`alicat-solutions`) | accounting | full-bleed, centered | center, 11 words; See How It Works + Schedule | none (claim only); no form; 0.78vh | center crop, stacked buttons | custom staff photo, generic headline |
| Whole Blooming Landscape, Charlotte NC, thewholebloominglandscape.com (`whole-blooming-landscape`) | landscaping | full-bleed, centered | center, 5 words; no CTA | none; no form; 1.0vh | same, smaller type | custom restraint, no CTA at all |
| Leatham Landscapes, Boise ID, leathamlandscapes.com (`leatham-landscapes`) | landscaping | full-bleed, centered | center, 4 words; Schedule Free Estimate | phone, city list; no form; 0.67vh | logo + 2 pills eat 40% of screen | custom photography, generic headline |
| TerraVita, Boise ID, terravitaidaho.com (`terravita-landscape`) | landscaping | full-bleed, centered | center, 6 words; Consultation + View Work | licensed/insured, INLA, since 1996; no form; 0.87vh | copy over image, share widget collision | custom serif + terracotta system |

## 1. Five most common hero patterns

**Split with a quote card or wizard (10 of 29).** H&S, Keyway, Buckshot, The Electricians
Co, Maid in Allen, Plumbing Outfitters, Insogna, Stars and Pipes. It argues and captures at
once, and the card gives the eye a calm second rectangle. It fails when the card becomes
the hero and the copy turns into a caption (Keyway), or the form runs past three fields
(The Electricians Co asks six).

**Full-bleed photo, left copy, scrim (8).** Thomas, Alberto, Renewal, Oliwill, Transworld,
Spring Aire, AliCat, D&F. The default because it is forgiving: one photo, one text block,
one button. A scrim buys legibility; the photo carries proof the copy need not claim.

**Full-bleed photo, centered copy (5).** Leatham, TerraVita, Whole Blooming, Pittman,
Mac's. Calm and symmetrical, right for landscaping and accounting where the work is the
product. It collapses when the photo has detail under the text; AliCat and Pittman both
need shadows or dark art to survive.

**Form-first (4).** H&S's address field, Buckshot's four-option triage, Maid in Allen's
two-step quote, Keyway's contact form. These convert paid traffic by making the first act
an answer, not a read. They work when the first question is easy (zip code, roof problem)
and die when the form opens with name, email, phone, address.

**Illustration or brand character (3).** Durafoam's mascot, Express Air's running
technician, On The Way's van composite. Rare among independents and the strongest
differentiator per dollar: no stock library makes one, and it survives small screens.

## 2. What separates the best independents from template sites

The best look like someone who had been on the job site made them. Buckshot prints its
credential number, founding year and "47 years, family owned" in the hero. Stars and Pipes
names the owner and his license on the photo card. Thomas Roofing's drone shot is that
street. No template fills those in, and they do the trust work a badge strip only pretends
to do.

Second, a useful first interaction. H&S prices a roof from an address; Buckshot asks "storm
or hail / active leak / old roof / not sure". Both meet the visitor mid-thought, where a
template offers a contact form and hope.

Third, copy that makes an argument. Plumbing Outfitters' "we trade guesswork for radical
transparency — flat-rate, line-item pricing" is a position; "Your trusted plumbing experts"
is not. The template tell is "Your Trusted [Trade] in [City]" — Salas, Central City, Keyway
and Express Air all use it, and the photograph does all the work.

Fourth, a chosen visual system: Pittman's muted serif over a mural, TerraVita's serif and
terracotta, Durafoam's ticket-stub logo and rays. Template sites put one accent color on
white, use a system sans, and center three icon cards.

Fifth, mobile is a restack, not an afterthought. The strong examples keep the same headline,
the same single primary action and a tappable phone number. The weak ones let the header eat
the fold (Leatham), truncate the headline (Edge Pros), or push the only photo below it
(Salas).

## 3. Five hero blueprints for Luminous

**A. Craft + Proof split.** Purpose: high-ticket trust. Photo at 50–55%, copy column with
eyebrow (credential or "since"), h1 of 5–8 words, one sentence of positioning, primary CTA,
phone secondary, three proof chips. Best fit: roofing, landscaping, HVAC replacement.
Editable: eyebrow, h1, subhead, CTA label and target, phone, chip text and icon, photo plus
mobile focal point. Nothing else.

**B. Instant-quote split.** Purpose: convert paid and emergency traffic. Copy left, compact
tool right, 2–3 steps, one question per screen, trust line under the button, phone fallback.
Best fit: plumbing, HVAC, electrical, cleaning. Editable: h1, promise line, step labels and
option lists, submit label, microcopy, offer note. Field count and step order stay locked in
the template.

**C. Neighborhood operator, photo-led.** Purpose: warm "the owner lives here" for smaller
markets. Full-bleed photo of a real crew or truck, centered h1 of 4–6 words, one CTA, phone,
one review pill. Best fit: cleaning, landscaping, accounting, small HVAC. Editable: image
and focal point, overlay strength within a fixed 0–55% range, h1, CTA, review source and
count.

**D. Editorial / premium.** Purpose: design-build and professional services where restraint
signals price. Narrow column, serif h1, one or two sentences, a text-link CTA plus one
secondary, one credential line, whitespace. Best fit: landscape design-build, accounting,
remodeling. Editable: h1, body, credential line, image, a bounded type-scale choice — and a
phone slot, so it cannot ship without a conversion path (Pittman and RMW both do).

**E. Service triage.** Purpose: qualify the visitor and cut abandonment. Short h1, one line
of context, 3–4 large option tiles ("Storm damage", "Active leak", "Aging roof", "Not
sure"), phone fallback. Best fit: roofing, HVAC, plumbing, restoration. Editable: h1, and
per tile the label, icon and destination (max four), plus the phone.

Mobile rule for all five: h1 and primary CTA visible without scrolling; photo cropped to
the subject's focal point, not centered; a sticky call bar never stacked with a chat
widget.

## 4. Failure modes to avoid

**Text over busy imagery.** AliCat's headline sits on a red wall full of people and needs a
shadow; Oliwill's white copy loses its right side to a mascot. Every hero photo needs a
scrim or a subject-free zone, and the CMS must let editors set the focal point so the mobile
crop opens that zone.

**Too many focal points.** Oliwill runs a mascot, two chat popups, a vendor badge and a side
tab against one headline; Spring Aire pairs the headline with a coupon. One primary action,
at most one supporting object — and promo cards belong below the hero.

**The form dominating.** Keyway's form is the hero and the headline is a caption nobody
reads. If a form is in the hero it stays under three fields, and the copy still leads.

**Mobile crop and order.** Insogna's collage collapses to a sliver; Salas pushes its only
photograph below the fold; RMW reverses reading order. Crop and order need per-breakpoint
control.

**The header eating the fold.** Leatham's mobile header takes ~40% of the first screen;
Central City's four pillar buttons take all of it. Cap mobile header height; collapse the
extra buttons.

**Truncated copy.** Edge Pros ends its mobile headline in an ellipsis. Enforce headline
limits in the CMS, not on the author.

**Hero taller than the viewport.** MaidPure's band runs about 2x the viewport and Pittman's
exceeds it, so the CTA and phone never appear above the fold.

**Badge salad and stock people.** Five badges read as decoration; a stock family on a couch
(Salas) says nothing about the business.

**Overlays on the CTA.** Chat prompts, share widgets and consent banners cover the primary
button on six of these sites. Reserve a safe area on mobile.

**No conversion path.** Whole Blooming has no CTA or phone; Pittman and RMW offer only
"Learn More". A hero that cannot be acted on is a brochure.

`sheets/` holds one desktop + mobile composite per site for quick review.