|
If you are ambitious and want to drive up sales, your own website becomes a must. Sure, you may be growing purely from recommendation, but you are throwing away quite a lot of additional growth if you don’ t make a decent website a priority.
What should go on a website?
The first thing to think about is the questions that potential customers are likely to be asking, as this is what you need to bear in mind first and foremost:
• Can you provide the service I am looking for? For instance, if you are an installer, do you do domestic or commercial installations? Do you do emergency out-of-hours call outs?
• Can you provide the service where I live or work?
• Can I trust you to do a great job at a reasonable price?
The first two call for facts, but the last will be decided mostly by the emotions that your website creates. That’ s where pictures and testimonials come in.
|
So, most websites should have as a minimum:
• Something to try to establish the feel of your business. This should be on your home page. For instance, are you small and friendly or big and ultra-professional( and maybe ultra-expensive)
• Be specific about what services you provide in what areas
• Provide clear contact details
• Have customer testimonials
• Mention trade associations, qualifications and any warranties that can be provided with your work
• Show pictures of your work illustrating how tidy and professional it is, preferably with before and after pictures
Some example sites of trades companies
The following are some sites of real trade companies. These may provide some food for thought: Sole Trader handyguybuilds. weebly. com Ten-person gas company www. town-gas. co. uk A moderate sized landscaping company thelandscapecompany. org. uk Big boys www. pimlicoplumbers. com- I have to say that I think that Charlie Mullins who founded this company is a genius at self-promotion.
|
Putting your website together
The best result for your website is likely to come from a recommended local web designer. After all, every installer fully understands the difference between an amateur and a professional.
There will be a cost, and you will still need to gather high quality pictures of you and your team, previous jobs and so on to pass to the web designer to use on the site. Of course, you could use a professional photographer if you are really serious.
It’ s also possible to do-it-yourself using services like Wix. com, Wordpress. com, or Moonfruit. com. These are remarkably powerful at building websites, but you will have to learn how to use them. Note that you will only get the
|
best results if you have a good eye for design.
An alternative to a website is to create a free business page on Facebook. This provides some control and you can still give full details of your company. Customers or competitors may post disparaging comments so you have to stay on your toes to delete them quickly.
As a recap, it’ s important to think about what your prospects will want when they arrive at your site. I believe that you need to answer these questions:
• What size of business are you? Are you a big firm( and possibly expensive) aiming at complex commercial projects, or are you small, local and friendly aiming at homeowners? Try to make this clear.
|
• Do you provide the service I need? Make sure you list any specialisms that you might have with more detail. Specialisms are likely to sustain higher prices.
• Do you provide service in my area? Remember that anyone in the UK( or overseas) may find your site so be clear about where you will and won’ t work.
• How do I know you will do a good job for a fair price? Customer testimonials, before and after photos of your work, a decent picture of you and your team( at work perhaps) and the design / feel of your website will help here.
• How do I contact you? Give your phone numbers and an email address as a minimum.
Please make a decision The internet has radically changed our world and the rapid fall from grace of Yellow Pages provides one good example of this change. It’ s vital not to let things just pass us by. It may be right to decide not to have your own website, but please make this a definite decision rather than letting it happen by default. All the best.
www. powerednow. com
|