I have created this post because I need some questions answered by Contractors. I am actually a web designer, but many of my friends and family are builders. They ask me for web sites and I noticed they all ask for the same things (i.e. Home Page, About Us, Services, Contact, Photo Gallery).
My question is: Do Contractors really need web sites?
The reason I'm asking is because I am in the process of creating a web tool to make it as easy to create a web page as it is to write an email. This way it will be a lot cheaper and easier to have a web site and manage it.
I am hoping people will be willing to give me some feedback on this idea and take my survey. The survey is 10 quick questions, but I welcome more of your thoughts! =)
I think that there would be a market for a very cheap website for contractors - as it's handy when making sales approaches to point people at your site.
This would be particularly useful for those within creative areas such as interior design, high-end landscaping services etc.
The problem with these "very cheap" solutions is that like contractors you get what you pay for. Usually a package of templates to choose from with content editors to create pages.
The problem here is no SEO... Without SEO Search Engine Optimization, nobody will find you web site when they are searching for contractors in Santa Fe or wherever you are located. If it can bring you potential customers, why bother.
Little web sites for contractors designed by me run only about $1,000.00 and what they bring in return pays for them over time.
Do yourself a favor, look in your local market for a good independant designer with a proven track record for SEO. You'll end up with much more than a site.
Tech Nerd, I agree 100%. However, for a one man band contractor who just wants to point people he's talking to at a website I don't see SEO as an issue.
The sites not their for acquisition, but more to add comfort factor to the people the contractor is selling to. I.e. a way to say I am serious about this.
We have had our website, Charlotte bathroom remodel, live for 3 years now. I did it myself. HTML for markup and CSS for positioning and styling. It's gone through 3 different stages.
Our website is an invaluable marketing tool. As we put no money in, ($25 for domain registration and Free web hosting) it currently brings us the vast majority of our leads. So ROI is outstanding.
I did most of our own SEO and we rank in top 3 for several keyword phrases.
Bottom line, we wouldn't still be in business without a website.
Today's consumer wants to buy and they don't want to be sold. As a result, traditional marketing and advertising vehicles have become ineffective. The web is key in response to current conditions as well as it's a forum to highlight the beautiful work that we do.
When it comes to websites, you get what you pay for. We're on our 5th generation website in the last 9 years. It is fully optimized for SEO, we have an aggressive Google Pay-per-click campaign, and we post our domain everywhere www.CaseDesign.comwww.CaseDesign.com Our site has blogs, registrations for events, articles and tips, and even consumer videos. The end result is that it's our most successful pure client acquisition vehicle.
Sure you can launch a site for little or no money; you'll get a cheap site. I suggest that remodelers make a commitment to the web and do it right. Isn't that what we tell homeowners about the differences between hiring a dog and truck contractor vs. a professional remodeler? We've spend the mony and hired a team of pros and it's paid off.
There is no need for a website other than to bring in leads or to show people more info about you to close a lead. Point blank!
It's a form of marketing and it gets more effective everyday. That said:
Most web designer don't optimize your sight for seo! Find one that does and it will pay off in a very short time. A website without seo is like a nice shiny slot machine thats fun to play but the payout slot is broken!
I'd say a webiste is a MUST. I'd say that most consumers now have such a reliance on the internet that it is the first place to go for information. The last few contractors I hired were found on the internet. Who uses the phone book any more? Not me.
I have joomla 1.0.x and have xmap component installed. It is not satisfying my purpose. I am on lookout for better sitemap. My problem is that I have multiple subdomains and google is not crawling website properly with the above xmap component.
There is a bug in the sitemap url generated by xmap component also. it is not targeting the subdomain in url or subdomain, if the installation of component is in subdomain.
Can you suggest me a better sitemap for joomla 1.0.x ?
I think a website is imperative. I went the DIY route. Started back in 1996 with Netscape Composer and still use it to this day. I need to get a real website builder program going and redo the site a bit, but for the most part it works.
For me, since 60% of my business comes from a single print ad, the SEO is not a factor. I would prefer that it were coded as such though and someday will get someone involved with doing that for me. I think once the second crew is in place I'll be going with that option to cover more area.
My print ad sends people to the website to see the last 8 years of my work. Then they tell me that the website was what sold them on getting me to the house for an appointment. Websites work!
