Websites Importance

noahweb

How important do you consider your website to be for finding new customers? I am in the process of creating my website (for a company that I am trying to get off of the ground)

So I am wondering if with proper SEO I could get some potential customers. [ If they call me I will convert them into buyers ]

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Long ago, I’ve been told, God said, “Let there be Contractors. And so they never forget who they are in My creation, let them be damned forever to hire people exactly like themselves.” God called those people Sub-Contractors.
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tinner666

It's my sole advertizing campaign. No adwords, No newspaper ads, no flyers, No door hangers, No YP ads. Plenty of referrals, but plenty of web leads too.

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Frank Slate Roof Repairs, Richmond, Va.

DenverPainting

That's amazing if it's your sole advertising campaign. The last time that I heard, 70% people that are looking for a particular service / item search using the internet first. I'm sure that percentage is higher now. With that said, having a website is vital to your business' success and if you don't have an internet presence your competition will and that hurts you!

Having proper seo is essential for helping the search engines know what your website is truly about, but it's not the most important item in building a website. Without a doubt, the most important aspect of a successful website is INCOMING LINKS to your website. So as many of those that you can get the better!!!!

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tinner666

2 more leads this weekend. Told both I was booked through June, or so. Both said they would wait and to consider myself booked a bit longer.

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Frank Slate Roof Repairs, Richmond, Va.

DenverPainting

Wow... very sweet... while my site isn't quite at that level... The importance is still monumental! I would suggest to either pay somebody to do it for you... or learn how to do it yourself. Good luck and let us know!

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cbscreative

I'm going to agree with the others except to emphasize something you said that's very important. This ought to be obvious, but yet it is too often missed. The site must convert. All the best SEO is worth little without sales. Let me also point out for the sake of others here that "convert" means many things. In your case, it should mostly mean phone calls and/or emails (which I believe to be true for most contractors). You're not likely to close a sale on the site itself, but if they contact you so you have the chance to close the sale, then that is a conversion.

One place you may want to check out is www.grokdotcom.com because they are all about conversions. If you've not built a web site before, what you think will work probably won't, so that site should be very helpful.

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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.

JohnD

This is correct and the % going to the Internet instead of that "door stop" the Yellow pages will grow ever year as the next generation move into the economic marketplace. One of the best website platforms I have found for contractors is Wordpress since it allows you to add and change content without having to pay a website developer to do it. It also is open source so it is contently evolving and can take advantages of the latest fads in social networking that the next generation is totally plugged into !!

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Contractor Service Provider

lbsrdi

You guys have great sites. Thanks for all of the info.

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MattCoops

If you don't have a website, how will people find you?
When's the last time you used the phone book? Everyone is using a search engine to find what they want.
And speaking of search marketing (nowadays referred to as "seo"), DIY webmaster contractors fall all too easily into the cliche that your webpages need to be slam-packed with a saturation of [city name] traded keyword to be ranked well in search engines. When you write copy like that on a webpage people will be reading it. So when you write a page for a search engine it usually tends to be somewhat of a turn off for an actual human being.

When crafting your website you need to put yourself in the shoes of your potential customer. What do they want to see?
They want to be informed.
They want to see your workmanship.
They want to feel good about working with you. (warranty, BBB membership, awards, press articles, and the like are all better than saying "we do great work" or "done right the first time")
They want to contact you easily. Is your phone number on your website? Why not? What are you scared of? I rather work with a customer that calls me for an estimate rather than a back and fourth set of emails.

And on the subject of a website being your sole form of advertising. This is NOT a good idea. People shop. It's human nature. The internet is so vast that it gives plenty of avenues for people to glance. Chances are people have looked at other contractor websites before (and after) yours.
Things like canvassing and telemarketing are good for direct marketing to people who maybe haven't even started shopping yet.
You got to go to your customer rather than wait for them to come to you.

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tinner666

MattCoops;879047]
And on the subject of a website being your sole form of advertising. This is NOT a good idea.
It proved almost impossible. When I cancelled my ad, they said i was required to have an ad. I refused. They offered an unlisted number, for a fee. I refused. To this day, I still have a listing. Seems there is some law that all business addresses will be listed, paid or not.

People shop. It's human nature. The internet is so vast that it gives plenty of avenues for people to glance. Chances are people have looked at other contractor websites before (and after) yours.
This is what I rely on. If they call at this point, the selling part is finished, only the scope of work has to be determined.

Things like canvassing and telemarketing are good for direct marketing to people who maybe haven't even started shopping yet.
You got to go to your customer rather than wait for them to come to you
It hasn't come to that yet.

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Frank Slate Roof Repairs, Richmond, Va.