Qualified Remodeler helps independent remodeling firms to survive, become more professional and more profitable by providing must-have business information, namely best business practices, new product information and timely design ideas.
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n Part 1, I addressed types of templates and Web addresses. Now that you've set up this infrastructure, you can add the details of the website architecture. Because all your marketing should be direct- ing prospective clients to your website, you need to make sure your site immerses the visitor in your vision, is easy to navigate and excites your prospective clients so they want to call or email you. ARCHITECTURE/LAYOUT OF YOUR SITE ¡ ¡ Your home page should provide all the in- formation your clients may need. Company name, address and phone number should be in a visible spot at the top half of the page. ¡ ¡ Your home page should allow visitors to easily navigate to exactly what they want to see. Having a legend or drop-down menu tabs across the top is the simplest and most straightforward navigation format. ¡ ¡ Prominently place a call to action contact button on the home page. ¡ ¡ Consider an interactive map that allows people to fnd out how to get to your ofce. ¡ ¡ Portfolios can be complicated. When you're selecting a template, make sure to fnd one that has a good portfolio section. Photos should load quickly. Our portfolio is or - ganized by project type. If a visitor clicks on a project, it takes them to a page with scrolling photos with a one-paragraph de- scription. Te visitor then has the option of clicking on a "more information" button, taking them to a full article about the proj- ect with before and after photos and foor plans. Remember: quality over quantity; use professional photos and tell a story. UPDATING YOUR SITE Using a template allows someone at your com- pany to quickly and easily make changes to your site as opposed to a custom site where all content changes must be sent to your Web designer. Changes in stafng, new projects, blogs, events, awards, testimonials — all of these should be refected on your site in a timely fashion. Only include a blog tab if you are going to post regularly. Keeping your web- site fresh is good for your clients and increases site ranking by search engines. PERSONALITY Add some personality to your website by describing your background and how your company was formed. Try to capture your company culture. Include photos and a short description with fun facts for every person on your team. Whenever we visit a website of our competitor with anonymous information in the "Who We Are" tab, we always suspect they're less than professional. Add testimo- nials from customers. Don't use stock photos to illustrate things like your design or con- struction process — use actual photos of your team. Visitors want to see photos of those who will be coming to their home. CLIENT FOCUS Tink of your website as a flter. It is as im- portant to know who your client is and the type of projects you want to attract as it is to know who your clients are not and which projects you don't want. ANALYTICS Your website should be set up to allow Google to track you and provide analytics. Tis in- volves getting a snippet of code from Google and splicing it into the code at the right place on your website. Tis will be invaluable in assessing how your site is doing — the pages your visitors go to and how long they spend on your site. You can set up your site to track con- versions so you can see the number of visitors flling out your contact form and what pages they visited on the site prior to doing so. SECURE PAGE We include a tab for a password-protected section of our site where qualifed prospects can review our licenses, certifcate of insur- ance and reference list. We also include a link to the project management software we use to communicate with clients. VIDEO A video is a good way for prospective clients to quickly get to know you and your company. Tey'll feel more comfortable with you when they then meet you in person. Videos also contribute to a higher search engine ranking. MOBILE VERSION If you check your analytics, it will tell you the percentage of users visiting your site using a mobile phone or tablet. We've seen the per- centage increase in the past few years — it's now about 30 percent. Our SEO frm tells us that Google will soon begin punishing websites in organic rankings for not being mobile compatible. Have fun with your website. Te process of creating or revamping a website can help you rethink your business identity and priorities. A great website can help prospective clients fnd you, show that you are proud of your team and work, and can help your upward business trajectory. | Immerse Web Visitors with Your Vision By Christopher K. Landis, CR, AIA I CHRISTOPHER K. LANDIS, CR, AIA is a licensed architect in three states and partner in Landis Construction Corp., Washington, D.C. 14 May 2015 QR QualifiedRemodeler.com | ForResidentialPros.com PROFITS: On Your Business