97% of consumers go online to find and research local businesses which means a strong web presence is essential for any local service-based business. A remodeling website should look as amazing as the work done by the business itself in order to be an effective marketing tool for the brand. Your site not only needs to draw the attention of new clients, but it also needs to help you build strong relationships with existing clients. The website for your remodeling company can be your most powerful, 24/7 employee on staff whether you are celebrating your grand opening or have served the community for years. Read on for some tips that will help you take your brand’s web presence to the next level.
Identify Your Goals
The first challenge is to identify your target audience and what you hope to accomplish through your website. If your goal is to attract complete home remodeling projects, the design and offerings on your site will be quite different than if your target audience will be limited to homeowners looking to remodel only a bathroom or kitchen. If you cater to both segments, you can accommodate their different needs on specific landing pages of your website. Compile a list of keywords and phrases to use that your audience will use in searches and will simultaneously help you maintain a consistent focus throughout your website.
Design
38% of people say they will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive. So, work with a web designer who will help you build a website that not only reflects your brand’s philosophy but is also aesthetically pleasing to visitors. Design choices should follow any branding guidelines you’ve established to ensure your digital material reflects any print material you use. A professional web designer will work with you to make color and font choices that best make your content stand out and display your content as legibly as possible.
Since new clients haven’t necessarily seen your work, it’s important for your website to convince them to contract your services. Images speak more loudly than words. Use high-quality professional photos of your work to communicate to potential clients the extraordinary services you can provide.
Simpler layouts best present information in a user-friendly way. Establish a visual hierarchy to help existing and potential clients make sense of the information available on your website. Intuitive navigation also positively impacts the user experience level of your site.
A persuasive call to action can help convince people to take the first step in contracting your services. With that being said, 70% of small business websites lack a call to action on their home page. Dedicated a bright color that is part of your brand palette to represent your “my house needs a face lift” button and experiment with concise and compelling language to increase the conversion rate of your website.
Device Responsive and Mobile Friendly
Responsive means that the website responds to specific mobile operating systems on the device being used. Navigation features are often condensed, unnecessary images are hidden while other images are optimized for that specific device.
Mobile-friendly indicates that the website displays a website in the same way on all devices because it doesn’t rely on mobile operating systems. None of the images are hidden but are, instead, scaled depending on the screen size of the device being used.
57% of Internet users say they won’t recommend a business with a website that is poorly designed for mobile device use. In today’s technology-saturated world, the best approach is to offer a website that is device responsive and mobile-friendly. Consumers expect a consistent experience as they view and navigate around your website, regardless of the type of device they are using. Visitors will be quick to leave your site if it doesn’t meet their performance expectations.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engines rank and display websites according to an always evolving algorithm. While search engines like Bing and Google do publish some details after each major update, they don’t share all of the specifics of their algorithms. So, each time a new iteration comes out, your website may need some tweaks to make sure you are giving yourself the best opportunity to rank well in the search results. Whether you are unfamiliar with SEO best practices or simply need a refresher, we’d recommend the following articles:
47% of consumers expect a maximum of 2 seconds of loading time for a website. The amount of time it takes to load your web pages is also part of the criteria search engines use to rank websites. Sites that load quickly will rank higher in the search results than those with slower loading times. They will also help to lower your bounce rate and encourage visitors to stay on your site. If they can’t engage with your content in a matter of seconds, they will move on to a website that is better optimized for speed.
Include Customer Reviews
Customer reviews provide reassurance to potential customers and should be featured throughout your site. BrightLocal found that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations making satisfied customers the best promoters of any business. Positive reviews from existing customers along with images of their completed projects are an excellent marketing tool to help generate new business. Offering social proof helps to build consumer trust and convince site visitors to contact you to discuss their remodeling project.
General reviews and ratings found online are major factors that influence consumers and shape the way they interact with businesses. Reviews posted on sites like Google and Yelp allow customers to compare products and services based on other people’s experiences. The content in your online reviews can be the difference between the success and failure of a small business. 62.7% of consumers believe online reviews are important or very important when choosing a local business. Be sure to take a proactive approach in how you deliver your products and services and respond to any negative reviews head-on in a professional manner.
Provide Contact Information
Visitors to your website should be able to easily and quickly find contact information including a physical address, any necessary parking information, a Google Maps link, a phone number, e-mail address, and other types of contact details available. We recommend including contact details in the header or footer of your brand’s website so it is available regardless of which page a visitor is viewing.
Include Relevant Photos of Your Work
High-quality images communicate an investment on your company’s part to a particular business-standard. Pictures can help potential customers envision themselves using your remodeling services. Images of completed projects will help potential customers envision how you can transform their home whether it is a simple bathroom fix or a full-house renovation.
Summary
Your website should be working as hard as you do and should reflect the amazing quality of your remodeling services. Here is a quick rundown of the main points:
Identify Your Goals: understand what you are trying to accomplish with your website and focus your strategies around meeting those goals
Design: offer a modern website that communicates all your remodeling business has to offer
Device Responsive and Mobile Friendly: offer a consistent view of your website on all devices with special attention paid to how it presents to mobile customers.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): optimize your site to increase the likelihood of landing in those top spots in search results.
Include Customer Reviews: leverage the power of social proof to your advantage.
Provide Contact Information: be reachable and respond quickly to inquiries.
Include Relevant Photos of Your Work: let your previous projects do some of the work to communicate the quality you offer potential clients.
The experts at Strategy Driven Marketing understand the important role a website plays for a remodeling business. Our team has extensive experience in the development and creation of engaging websites for organizations of all sizes and across many industries. We would love to learn more about your business so we can help you offer an effective and engaging website that will let you maximize your revenue potential. Contact us today – let’s get started!
Cover photo by Skitterphoto from Pexels