A drilling company owner we know recently lost a tender for a borehole at a county health centre. His rig was available. His crew had done similar work before. His price was competitive. But the committee that awarded the tender had never heard of him. They found three other drillers through a quick search on their phones. One of them had a simple website with photos of completed projects. That company got the call.
That is the reality of how institutional contracts are won in Kenya today. Decision-makers — whether at a school board, a church council, or a county procurement office — search online before they pick up the phone. If your borehole drilling company does not appear in those search results, you are invisible to the people who matter most.
Why a website matters more than a Facebook page
A Facebook page is useful for keeping existing clients updated. But when a procurement officer at a county government or a school board needs to find a driller, they do not scroll through Facebook. They search Google. They want to see a company's track record, its equipment, its certifications, and past projects — all in one place. A website gives you that credibility. A Facebook page alone does not.
According to the Communications Authority of Kenya's Q2 2025/2026 Sector Statistics Report, mobile broadband subscriptions hit 61.9 million, with 83.2 percent of those on 4G or 5G networks. That means most of your potential clients — whether they are in a county office, a school, or a church — are using a smartphone with a decent connection to look for service providers. Your website needs to load fast on that phone, display clearly, and give them the information they need in under 10 seconds.
61.9 million— Mobile broadband subscriptions in Kenya as of December 2025, according to the Communications Authority of Kenya's Q2 2025/2026 report. Over 83 percent are on 4G or 5G. Your clients are online. They are searching. Make sure they find you.
What a borehole drilling website must include
Not every business needs a complex website. A drilling company's website should be straightforward — a digital brochure that does five things well.
1. A project gallery that proves you can do the work
The single most important element is a gallery of completed projects. Photos of the rig at the site, the drilling in progress, the finished borehole with water flowing, and the client. Include a short caption for each project: location (just the area type, not the town name), depth drilled, yield in cubic metres per hour, and the type of client (school, health centre, church, farm). This is the evidence that convinces a decision-maker to call you.
From our experience at KEPAS, a drilling company that added a project gallery to its website received three times as many inquiries in the first three months. The photos did the selling.
2. Your equipment list — because it matters
Institutional clients want to know what kind of rig you have, its drilling capacity, and whether you can handle deep boreholes. List your equipment. Mention the make, model, and maximum depth. This signals that you are serious and equipped for the job.
3. Clear contact information — including WhatsApp and M-Pesa
This sounds obvious, but many company websites make it hard to find a phone number. Put your phone number, WhatsApp number, and email address at the top of every page. If you accept M-Pesa for deposits or feasibility study fees, say so. A client who can pay a booking fee via M-Pesa is more likely to move forward quickly.
Also include a simple contact form. Some people prefer to send a message rather than call. Make sure the form works on mobile and does not ask for too much information — name, phone number, and a short message are enough.
4. A page that explains your process
Most clients do not understand how borehole drilling works. They have questions: How deep do you drill? How do you know where to drill? How long does it take? What about water quality testing? A simple page that walks them through your process — from site survey to drilling to testing to handover — builds trust and reduces the number of basic questions you get over the phone.
5. Testimonials or client logos
If you have drilled for a school, a church, a county health centre, or a farm, ask for a short testimonial. A sentence or two from a satisfied client is powerful social proof. If you have permission, include their name and position. If you have worked with well-known institutions, list their logos. This signals that you are trusted.
What you do not need
You do not need an online shop. You do not need a blog with weekly articles. You do not need a live chat feature. You do not need a booking system for drilling appointments. These are distractions. Focus on the five things above, and your website will do its job.
How much does a website cost for a drilling company?
From our experience, a simple, professional website with the elements above — five to seven pages, a project gallery, a contact form, and mobile-friendly design — typically costs between KES 25,000 and KES 75,000 in Kenya, depending on the developer and the level of customization. Hosting and a domain name add about KES 5,000 to KES 10,000 per year. That is a small investment compared to the cost of losing even one institutional tender.
Some developers offer payment plans. Some include a year of hosting in the price. Ask about these options. But do not go for the cheapest quote without checking the developer's portfolio — a poorly built website that does not load on mobile is worse than no website at all.
A note about mobile performance
Most of your clients will visit your website on a phone. That means your site must load quickly on a mobile data connection. Large, uncompressed photos will kill your load time. A developer should optimise images so they look good but do not take 20 seconds to load. According to the Communications Authority's 2025 report, total data consumption in Kenya surged 32.86 percent in one year, reaching 755 TB. People are using more data, but they are also less patient — they will leave a slow site and move to the next search result.
Getting started
If you do not have a website yet, start by gathering the materials you need: photos of your best projects, a list of your equipment, a short description of your drilling process, and contact information. Then find a web developer who understands mobile-first design and can build a simple site quickly. Ask to see examples of their work — especially sites they have built for other service businesses in Kenya.
The drilling company owner we mentioned at the start eventually got a website built. It took a week. From our experience, it cost him KES 35,000. Three months later, he had been invited to quote for three tenders he would never have known about otherwise. He did not win all of them. But he was in the room. That is the difference a simple website makes.
If your rig is ready but your online presence is not, start with the five things above. You do not need anything fancy. You just need to be findable.
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