I Just Built This Website Today.

nEighter

I had no idea.. that is an EXCELLENT idea! Thank you for the suggestion!

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Olathe house Painting and Remodeling Overland Park Interior House Painting Leawood Exterior House Painting Shawnee Wood Rot Repair Lenexa Drywall Repair

cbscreative

It might be an overstatement to say I disagree, so let's just say I offer a different perspective. I believe content is the hardest part. Design and layout is easy. If you consider that the hard part, using a template or theme takes care of that for you.

The attitude that content is easy tends to lead to weak content you just throw together. Getting visitors to stay on your site and buy from you is anything but easy.

Here's a really good read that every web site owner should know about:
http://www.grokdotcom.com/2009/09/21...-read-your-sh/

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Steve Chittenden
Web/SEO Geek • Graphic Artist • Writer • Marketing Guy
One reason I know so much about the web and marketing is that I don't have to know as much about construction.

J. Sullivan

Disclaimer: If you are a girly man who's feelings are easily hurt, please shy way from reading the rest of this. Gotta kick the doors down a little, and I'm probably gonna step on some toes. But oh well, such is life.

Also, I am a web dude. It's what I do. This is not a sales pitch, hence the removal of contact info. This is the straight dope. I probably wouldn't even want you for a customer Just kidding…

This is a long post.

So here's a Table of Contents (Section titles are in bold and italics throughout the page, promotes good usability. That's a web pro freebie for you)

To the OP
The number one thing you must know when building a website
Web Pro Secrets
Let's talk about Pricing
Closing


To the OP

First, to the OP.

One, your site doesn't suck. Well done. Most DIYers, the first site blows.

Hard.

Congrats, and also Wordpress is a great platform to work on.

Now here is where I start losing friends.

Your site is also a prime example of why DIY websites will ALWAYS bring in less sales than professionally built sites. And here is why.

Because DIYers don't know what they are doing.

It's the same in my field as it is in yours, and I have read posts about how you guys get on DIYers. Same for CBS and I.



The number one thing you must know when building a website

Here is the number one golden rule before you do absolutely anything on the web. I should charge you for this, somewhere near a million dollars, but I'm feeling quite generous, so here it is:

BE ABSOLUTELY CRYSTAL CLEAR ON WHAT YOU WANT YOUR SITE TO DO, OR IT WILL DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Whew. Felt good to shout it out a bit. But seriously, if you don't have a razor sharp goal for your site, it’s going to fail.

The previous statement cannot be impressed upon you enough. This is the absolute most important freakin thing you NEED to know when you start building on the web.

Who is going to use my site, why are they going to come here, and what is going to get them to do what I want them to? That series of questions alone is worth two grand. Yours now, for free.

If you cannot answer those three questions, walk away from the web design. I mean it. Walk away. Otherwise you are going to get frustrated with your website, start jumping into the whole "the web doesn't work for contractors" wagon, and lose to your competition who did get a web guy.

What is your main goal OP? What do you want your visitors to do on your site? Because as it stands now, it looks like you just want them to watch a little slideshow, and maybe read some blog posts.

How is that going to convert visitors to sales for you?

Aha, web dudes aren't looking so much like pixel painting monkeys anymore, are they?



Web Pro Secrets

Here's a couple of secrets you should now about Web Professionals:

Web pros are completely different in every single way from your step sisters kid Kenny with a laptop who knows some HTML. They do this stuff for a living, and they now how to get results.

Web pros aren't just interior designers who work on the computer, and they don't do eye washes. They build solutions to your problems.

Web pros are not cheap. Are good carpenters? Good mechanics? Good doctors? Good cars? Good whiskey? Good women? Why would you expect a web guy to be cheap.

Do you buy your tools at Harbor Freight or Ocean State Job lots? No, because you depend on them to make you money. Well chuckle heads, why do anything less on your website? It is the ambassador for your business, and again, often times the first "meeting" with a client. Think about first impressions.



Let's talk about pricing

Finally, onto pricing.

$2000 was a steal. Is a steal.

How much is your time worth? How much money could you make if you didn't build the site yourself, but hired it out and worked on your business in another area?

If that offer still stands, I would recommend looking at it again. Here's why:

You built the site 4 days ago. I know for a fact you are going to be making on going changes to it for the next….two weeks. There are just certain changes to be made if you want to make it successful. Be glad you picked a CMS. You would be hating life if you hadn't.

Then what?

If you just leave it alone, it's going to do nothing for you. Without SEO, no one is going to find you. Without good content and a clear goal, even if they find you, they aren't going to convert to sales. So, it's a fail.

You don’t pay a pro just to do the work, but because of the knowledge they have. I'll bet a free website (and mine aren't cheapos like $2k) that you had absolutely nothing down in writing when you started working on your site. No goals, no design mockup, no idea of who the visitors were going to be, why they would want to come to the site, or why they would do what it is you want them to do. That's the difference between a pro and a DIY. They know what the steps are to having a winning site.



Closing

I'm writing a post for you guys about a site I just did for a local contractor ( when I get permission from him I will post the link ) that has been live for 14 days, and he has already booked $150k worth of jobs from it. The site cost him in the ball park of 6k initially, and he sleeps pretty easy at night. Price is completely relative to your results. Remember you shouldn't be spending money, you should be investing money. HUGE DIFFERENCE

That's the point I guess I'm trying to make, is that when it comes to business, you must look at the investment to ROI. And this is what surprises me most about your post Crow. You are proud of understanding ROI, but you aren’t using it.

Do you subcontract any of your work? Or did you get your Plumbers and Electrical licenses? Did you go to school to be an architect so you know that the plans are sound?

Your reason isn't holding water. While I appreciate your passion for learning, and think that's fantastic, you're in business to make money I presume. So why wouldn't you leverage your time and resources to increase the amount of money you make? Seems that would be a sound decision.

Please don't take this the wrong way, and I feel somewhat leery of writing it on the internet because you can't read the tone of my voice, but this is how I am so I'm gonna let it fly. I'm joking here, you've been warned:

If you want to know how your website works, the ins and outs, read a book. Study it, talk to your web guy.

But if you want to maximize your money, invest in a professional. ****, with all the money your web guy is going to make you, you can buy all the books in the world about HTML and CSS, and you could make your own personal site about the journey. Might even look nice.

As my closing remark, I'd like to remind you all of this. Even if your professionally done website brings in 3 more jobs a year than your DIY website, how much more money is going to go in your pocket?

Go Pro. And go Red Sox!

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I'm a web dude, and I do web stuff.

J. Sullivan

Also, the Flickr idea is a bad one, leaving your site to go to another to show pics is not only unprofessional, it also brings up questions in the visitors mind.

Why aren't they on his site like everyone else's gallery?

Are these even his?

How do I get back to the homepage, or contact him?

All of these are bad bad questions. Never will anyone say THANK GOD ITS ON FLICKR!

Didn't think of those problems? I did. Cuz I'm a web dude hahaha

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I'm a web dude, and I do web stuff.

cbscreative

J, maybe you make friends here, maybe not, but I always enjoy reading your posts.

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Steve Chittenden
Web/SEO Geek • Graphic Artist • Writer • Marketing Guy
One reason I know so much about the web and marketing is that I don't have to know as much about construction.

ChrWright

As one who has done my own site from day one (2004), I'll agree there's far too much to learn and know to be effective at doing EVERYTHING yourself. It's hard enough to build things well and turn a profit. Maximum effectiveness on the web requires you to be 100% immersed in it--and we're usually too busy building things in the world of sticks and mortar to commit that kind of time.

When I started, I had more time than money and that more than anything guided my decision to go it alone. That's why a lot of contractors end up going that route. I'll wholeheartedly agree that deciding what you want your site to do is important, though. You can learn the basics on your own--but it's a lot like the craftsmanship and knowledge that goes into building a great house. Sometimes it's just as important to know WHY, as it is to know HOW. Learning tips here and there doesn't always give you the WHY, and that's usually where the weekend webmaster falls short.

I don't consider mine anywhere near perfect, but it's certainly better than most. Looking back, I've spent a TON of time getting it where it is--and I can easily see the opportunity cost that is the crux of your arguments as professional designers. I respect the opinions of those who are professionals at it, but as an educated consumer of web services I'll have to say choosing someone to build a site that represents and sells you isn't easy.

There's A LOT of noise out there in the web design/seo world, and a lot of people screaming for our dollars. If you want to make your case, a good start would be defining what makes someone a good choice as a web designer/optimizer.

For me, I see three areas you'd better demonstrate to me you're excellent:

1. Visual design--I want it to look good (preferably great), and you'll need to educate me when other elements need to take precedence over looks.
2. SEO--Obviously I want my site to rank well and bring in traffic.
3. Sales expertise--I want qualified prospects to call me as a result of visiting my site, and the way you communicate has to be congruent with who I am as a 'brand.'

A lot of us are control freaks. I can delegate work all day long, but when it comes to things that have some permanence in representing me, I'm going to want my hands in it and I'll want control over tweaking things as time goes on. I don't want to have to pay you $1,000 every time I want to add to my portfolio, or fine tune the message.

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Christopher Wright, CR: President @ WrightWorks, LLC/President @ Central Indiana NARI, Named to the 2010 REMODELING Big50
www.WrightWorks.net - Facebook - Twitter - Carmel Remodeling
Indianapolis Kitchen Remodeling Contractor - You Can Get There From Here

nEighter

Page looks great Chris.

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Olathe house Painting and Remodeling Overland Park Interior House Painting Leawood Exterior House Painting Shawnee Wood Rot Repair Lenexa Drywall Repair

Martin Co

ChrWright, you took the words right out of my mouth! Very well put. I felt the very same way when I started my site 6 months ago, didn't have a clue about html/SEO - I still don't. But I'm pleased with my results, constant flow of leads every week..

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J. Sullivan

Getting in it! These are the kinds of discussions I love to have, and this is what gets me jacked up!

@ CBS, we web dudes gotta stick together bro. I'm glad you like the piece!

@ Chris You sir, are a person I respect on this forum. I love the work you do, and you appear to be a well educated, articulate guy. I hope to clarify a little what I meant.

A great web presence can only come about from both hands (the web dude and the client) stirring the pot together. I in no way meant that you need to take your hands off the wheel when working with a web pro.

You know the ins and outs of the business, you know what goals you are trying to accomplish, and you know the "personality" your site needs to have. A web designer is a partner in accomplishing those goals.

I try to shy away from the title web designer, because you don't really need a web designer. You need a web developer, or a web dude. You don't just need pretty. You need effective. You want to make money.

Also, not all web dudes are pros. A lot of them are hacks, like your step sister's kid Kenny. It's up to you to cull the herd.

I don't really know the best way to pick a web designer, I've never had to. I would assume it's just like anything else, you have to like them, trust they are able to do the work, and feel confident that you are making the best decision. They have to "fit". It's probably a lot like picking a contractor

Control freaks are good and bad, but at the end of the day, I'm your employee, and I can only advise. You want it done, you get it done. That is another key point. But remember, like Spiderman said, with great power comes great responsibility. If you shake off the pitch your web dude is putting down, and you lose the game, don't go pointing fingers.

Your three criteria are going to go along way towards picking a good web dude, they are a great starting point.

The bottom line is this: a DIY site is not going to work as well as a pro built site. Just as a weekend carpenter isn't going to build a house to the same level of quality. So if your website is important to you, spend time investing in a professional. A lot of them COUGH COUGH even offer consultation. And a lot of them COUGH COUGH don't charge an arm and a leg for it. Enough to cover a six pack goes a long way with certain web dudes.

I'm writing a whole series of post for you gents, so if you enjoy it, please take a look at the other ones. I'm here to help.

Plus Chris, your web guy should of got you a CMS, and you wouldn't be paying $1000 bucks every time you want something changed and it would be done in no time. Gotta keep content separate from design, web standards, all that lot.

Not all of us are blood suckers. I'd only charge $500

Learn and earn gents, always a pleasure.

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I'm a web dude, and I do web stuff.

Martin Co

Excellent points you have J. Sullivan! "CMS" makes life so much easier, in fact I plan very shortly to move my entire site onto a wordpress platform, I currently only have my blog on CMS.

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cbscreative

Make mine Sam Adams. Not sure how far they distribute, but Bell's is made in Kalamazoo, available here in Grand Rapids, and is one of the best.

Chris, you raised an excellent issue on the difficulty of choosing a designer. SEO is especially prone to a lot of snake oil peddlers, but web design has to be close behind. I think it probably stems from the fact that anyone with a few bucks can buy software and set up shop as a web designer. One thing I would advise is look how long they've been in business (scammers are usually flash in the pan types) and what their track record is.

A couple years ago I wrote an article called Don't Get Burned By Web Designers that got picked up by All the Web and gained me my 15 min of fame. It could help you some too. You'll have to Google it because I'm not sure how the mods would react if I provide the link. One reason I suggest it is not only how it might help, but I have several competitors posting it on their sites because it effectively stated what they try to tell their clients. It also generated some hate mail from designers who reacted like they got caught with their hand in the cookie jar (every hate mail I received was irrational, so I knew they were blowing off steam because none of them offered any opposing arguments).

That's also where a community like this helps because you guys can discuss your experiences. No one really has to jump without looking first because I think there is a lot of good advice here.

One of the reasons I joined this forum, other than a client recommendation, is I noticed a lot of questions on topics just like this. There is both sound advice, and some things I know to be wrong. By challenging the things I don't agree with, I hope it helps everyone here make good choices when they decide to hire a web person.

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Steve Chittenden
Web/SEO Geek • Graphic Artist • Writer • Marketing Guy
One reason I know so much about the web and marketing is that I don't have to know as much about construction.