How We Did This Research
10 AI Agents. 10 Websites. All at Once.
We deployed a team of 10 AI research agents simultaneously — one per company — to scrape and analyze every key page on each website. Each agent visited the homepage, services/capabilities pages, project portfolio, about page, and contact page, then reported back on 9 dimensions of analysis. Results were synthesized into this report.
The 10 Companies Analyzed
Overall Leaderboard
| Rank | Company | Design | Navigation | Portfolio | Social Proof | Content | CTAs | Mobile | Total /35 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawkins | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
| 2 | Downer NZ | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 25 |
| 3 | McConnell Dowell | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 22 |
| 3 | Leighs Construction | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 22 |
| 5 | Naylor Love | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 21 |
| 5 | LT McGuinness | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 21 |
| 7 | Fletcher Construction | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 20 |
| 7 | Fulton Hogan | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 20 |
| 7 | HEB Construction | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 20 |
| 10 | Dominion Constructors | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 19 |
Scores out of 5 per category. Max 35 points.
Feature-by-Feature Matrix
| Feature | Fletcher | Fulton Hogan | Hawkins | Downer | Naylor Love | HEB | McConnell | LT McGuinness | Leighs | Dominion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client Testimonials | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Project Filter System | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Part |
| Project Case Study Depth | ✗ | ✗ | Part | Part | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Project Values/Scale on Cards | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Part | ✗ | ✗ |
| Stats Strip (years/staff/projects) | Part | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | Part | Part | Part | ✓ |
| Commercial BD CTA in Hero | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Part | ✗ | ✗ | Part | ✗ |
| Contact Form | ✓ | Part | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | Broken | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| ISO Certifications Displayed | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Awards Section | ✗ | ✗ | 1 (stale) | ✗ | ✗ | Part | ✗ | Part | ✓ | ✓ |
| Video Hero | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Te Reo Māori (substantive) | ✓ | Part | ✓ | Part | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Sustainability Data (numbers) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Part | ✗ |
| Client Logo Strip | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Part |
| Downloadable Capability Statement | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Universal Sector Gaps — Where Everyone Fails
These are consistent weaknesses across all 10 of the biggest construction companies in NZ. They represent clear opportunities for KDB to immediately look more professional than the competition.
The Opportunity for KDB
These are not small refinements — they are fundamental gaps that every Tier 1 and Tier 2 NZ construction company fails on. A mid-tier company that addresses even 3 of these 6 gaps will immediately look more credible and professional than the 9 biggest construction companies in the country.
KDB doesn't need to outspend Fulton Hogan or out-brand Fletcher. It needs to do the basics that nobody else is bothering to do: ask for business, show real client quotes, and make it easy to get in touch.
KDB Website V1 — Recommendations
Based on what the top 10 do well and the universal gaps they all share, here is the priority list for the new KDB website.
-
1
Lead the hero with a commercial CTA
Every competitor's homepage leads with "Learn More" or a jobs link. Be the only construction company in NZ with a bold "Talk to us about your next project" CTA button directly in the hero. This is the highest-leverage single change you can make.
High Impact -
2
Surface 3–5 named client testimonials prominently
Only Hawkins does this, and they do it with executives at recognizable institutions. KDB should reach out to past clients (project managers, developers, architects) and get specific quotes — not "great company," but "KDB delivered our $3.2M tilt slab on time during a supply chain crunch." Place on homepage above the fold.
High Impact -
3
Add a stats strip to the homepage
A simple row of 4–5 stats: years operating, projects completed, value of work delivered, current active projects. Every Tier 1 site does this but most bury it. Put it immediately below the hero so it's the first thing people see after the headline. Anchors credibility instantly.
High Impact -
4
Show contract value and duration on project cards
No NZ construction website does this. "$4M tilt slab pool complex — delivered 6 weeks ahead of schedule" tells a procurement team everything they need to know. Add value, duration, and sector to every project card. Immediately differentiating.
High Impact -
5
Build a proper contact experience
5 of the top 10 have no contact form. KDB's contact page should have: a form with enquiry type selector (new project / tender / careers / general), expected response time, direct phone number, and a Google Map. Make it genuinely easy to get in touch.
High Impact -
6
Display certifications as homepage badges
ISO 45001, ISO 9001, Site Safe, Master Builders membership — whatever KDB holds, display them as visible badges near the top of the homepage or directly below the hero. Dominion and LT McGuinness do this well. Most others don't. It's a 5-minute design decision with significant credibility impact.
Medium Impact -
7
Add a filterable project portfolio
Minimum: filter by sector (commercial, school builds, Kāinga Ora, residential) and status (complete / current). This is what procurement teams use to verify relevant experience. LT McGuinness filters by sector + region + status and it's the strongest feature on their site.
Medium Impact -
8
Surface awards on the homepage — with context
Leighs is the benchmark: they don't just show the badge, they explain it. "Achieving this honour for a second consecutive year..." Any Master Builders, Site Safe, or industry awards KDB has received should appear on the homepage with a one-sentence explanation of what the award means.
Medium Impact
The Formula: What the Best NZ Construction Site Would Look Like
- Dark navy + white + single bold accent (gold or orange) — the sector trust palette
- Hero: strong project photography + headline + bold commercial CTA + stats strip
- Certifications and awards within the first scroll
- 3–5 named client testimonials — specific, attributed to real people
- Filterable project portfolio with contract value and duration on cards
- Sector-specific pages with depth (the KDB website already has these)
- A contact page that actually works — form, map, phone, response time
- Active news/blog section (minimum one post per month) for SEO and momentum signalling