There are two things we consider to be true about Wix and their website building abilities: They make it pretty easy to build a “good” looking website They make it REALLY easy to build a poorly performing website So, if Wix makes it so easy for beginners to build their own website, why aren’t […]
Attention local business owners – Do you own, or market for, a local business like a store, restaurant or service provider? We understand that every business is different, but we also know that there are specific and actionable tactics that you can use right now to elevate your business. Below we have compiled the top […]
Since the first video game hit the market in the early 1970s, the world has been captivated by the virtual reality they can provide. INK Games is on the fast track to becoming the biggest gaming company on the planet – and for good reason. Founded in 2018, INK Games and their founders have experience […]
If you’d like more information about our services and to receive a website search analysis please click on the link below to get started: http://149.28.13.162/~oregonwebsolutio/discovery-form/
{SEO, SEO Tips, SEO Website Tips, Search Engine Optimization Guide}
As a contractor, it is very important for you to get a steady flow of new, or past clients on a regular basis. With the advancement of technology, many consumers are looking to get contracting services from the internet. As a result, a successful general contractor marketing campaign will need to adopt an effective marketing plan that consists of actively marketing their construction business online. Fortunately for contractors who are looking to market their business online, they have many options that they can take advantage of. Some of their options will consist of things such as a mobile-friendly website, up-to-date Google listings, pay per click ads and more. All of the things we discuss in this post can help ensure that contractors are effectively marketing contracting outfits online and, in turn, successfully growing their business.
One of the ways a contracting business can market itself on the internet is to use a WordPress Mobile First website. This is a kind of website where a contractor can design their own template and put in key information and images related to their business. A WordPress website design will enable a contracting business to market itself either for free or at a very low cost. Along with providing content relevant to the business, the contractor will also be able to make their site fully accessible on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Therefore, using a WordPress Mobile-first website is a great starting point for marketing your contracting business online.
Another way in which a contractor can market themselves effectively online is to create their business a Google Business listing. Every business will benefit by listing itself on the top search engine on the internet. When a contractor creates a Google Business Listing they are able to increase their visibility greatly as more than half of U.S. adults Google a business before making any type of engagement (Forbes.) A listing on Google will allow a contracting business to provide easier access to its website, address, and contact information. The process of listing a business is quite simple as you will just need to go on the business listing page and submit your information for review.
While listing your business on the search engines like Google is very beneficial, it may be difficult to get enough exposure within the first few weeks of listing your business. In order to maximize exposure on the internet, a contracting business will want to consider using pay per click ads. This is a type of advertising that consists of having a website listed with Google, then paying a small amount each time someone clicks on the ad leading them to your contracting business website. This is a great way to manage your marketing costs as you are only charged when someone visits your site. In most cases, your site will appear on top of the search engine page or on the side. As a result, you will get a decent amount of exposure and be in a better position to market your contracting business on the internet.
A good site for any contracting business to list themselves on is Angie’s List. This is a well-known website that provides consumers with a directory of local, reputable businesses. When you list your contracting business on this site, you will be in the position to let consumers know that you are a reputable contractor. This will help assure them that you are a trusted contractor in your community, and will hopefully lead customers to contact you and inquire about your contracting services. Angie’s List is one of the best ways to market your contracting business online due to its reputation of providing reputable, and trustworthy business listings.
When looking to market your contracting business on the internet, another good source to use is Home Advisor ads. This is a website, similar to Angie’s List, where contractors can list their business information for consumers to find, and contact them. On this site and with these types of ads, a contractor will be able to list their website, business address, operating hours, and phone number. Since tons of consumers visit this type of website for service needs, they will likely contact your business whenever they are looking for contracting services. Similar to other options like Facebook and Angie’s List, the home advisor ads cost very little to list your business. Therefore you can grow your business with internet marketing at a relatively low cost using these Home Advisor ads.
A huge part of marketing a contracting business online is to gain, and use reviews as a testimony to your business and the quality of work you do. It is very important to establish a good reputation among consumers when looking to promote your business online. Since consumers are looking to work with contractors who are trustworthy and provide great service, they will want to see what past customers have to say about your contracting business. Third-party review sites are a great way to provide consumers with reviews, and information about your company. These sites allow you to post your business information and customers to post honest reviews of your work – good, or bad. This will provide consumers with relevant comments about your services, fees and projects completed. They will also provide insight into their overall experience with your contracting business. As a result, third-party review sites is one of the best ways to help you market and grow your contracting business on the internet.
Building an online presence as a contractor and having a professional website is essential in a highly competitive market. Whether you are interested in attracting local clients or if you are expanding your brand state, or nationwide, developing an official website is imperative. Knowing which steps to take while creating your presence online is a way to ensure you are maximizing your online reach while providing yourself with an optimized platform to showcase your ability, skills, and reputable work.
The domain name you choose is one of the most important elements of a successful online presence. Your domain name should reflect you personally as a professional, or the contracting company you have created. Avoid using lengthy domain names that are too difficult to spell or remember. Choose a domain name that is most relevant to the types of services you provide, your location, the name of your business, or a combination of the three. Domain names should be easy to remember and simplistic depending on the target audience or the demographics you intend to reach.
Research the domain names you have in mind to verify that you do not have competition utilizing the same, or a similar name before registering the domain itself. Ensuring another contractor does not use the same domain name or company name as you is essential to avoid potential copyright or trademark issues once you launch and your business is live.
Implementing a WordPress website is one of the best ways to maintain control of your contractor website design while managing content even if you are unfamiliar with coding and programming. WordPress websites provide a robust administrative panel that allows you to easily add content, images, and other forms of media to your website within minutes. In addition to a user friendly admin panel, WordPress provides you with the ability to use thousands of plugins for added features including eCommerce solutions (WooCommerce) and SEO-boosting plugins. This is one of the most used and recommended platforms for designing contractor websites.
Choosing the right WordPress theme is important as it allows you the opportunity to set yourself apart from your competition while building an online reputation. The theme you select should reflect the types of services you provide along with navigation that is easy to access, even for users browsing on mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones. Choosing a mobile-friendly WordPress theme ensures you do not alienate an entire audience from browsing your website and the services you offer.
Compare both free and premium WordPress themes before selecting the option that is right to represent you. Preview all WordPress themes while in the process of deciding on the look that is most suitable for your contracting services. Your theme should be relevant to you, while also appealing to the demographic you wish to reach.
There are many great themes out there for contractors web design and contractors marketing. These themes are already built with construction businesses in mind and cater to and can be molded around all kinds of construction trades. We have personally used a lot of these themes for the following construction businesses:
Having a quality contractor website is essential when you want to appear professional, knowledgeable, and informed of current business trends. With the right online presence, it can increase the number of referrals you receive while appealing to prospective clients who have a genuine interest in learning more about the contraction work you offer.
High-quality photography creates a professional design look and aesthetic to contractor websites that help you stand out and attract new clients. Invest in a professional camera or work with a photographer to highlight and capture your best work. Use a WordPress website plugin that provides you with the ability to upload photos into a gallery portfolio, allowing you to showcase your work with ease.
Avoid using photos that are low resolution, pixelated, or discolored to prevent losing out on a potential opportunity to gain a new client. The more professional your website design appears, the easier it becomes to attract new work while building a positive reputation in your local community and the areas you service.
Optimize the title tags of each of your pages of content via the WordPress admin area. Titles should reflect the main focus of each of your blogs and pages that are visible on your website. Avoid using titles that are overly wordy or irrelevant. Proper title tags help to boost your websites contractor SEO (search engine optimization) terms, increasing you rank, and making it much easier for users to find your website when seeking out your services via search engines.
Meta descriptions are visible in search engine results and provide users with an overview of the content and pages you are providing. Essentially, their sole purpose is to get someone browsing the web to clickthrough to your website. You should usually limit your Meta description to about 160 characters – so make sure you are using an active voice, and are including a call to action to grab their attention. When using WordPress specifically, you can add a Meta descrition via the administrative area.
Clean URL’s prevent your web page(s) from looking like a random strings of characters. With clean URL’s you want to showcase your website, or page titles within the URL bar for optimization in search engines, helping users find your site in less time. A clean URL will be immediately, and intuitively meaningful to the average internet user. When using WordPress specifically, you can implement clean URL’s for your website via the admin panel on the left.
Embed Google Maps into your website on your contact page to share your current office or work location to prospective clients. Google Maps helps present your services professionally while reassuring new users that your business and the services you offer are legit and authentic. If you dont have one already, make sure you have an accurate, and up to date Google Business Listing before implementing this on your website.
Use a clear call to action that motivates prospective clients to learn more about your services and urges them to reach out for additional information. Implement your call of action in a clear location with an attractive or colorful button and messaging. The simplest call-ta-action is “Buy Now!” but lets be real – that can come off as scammy and aggressive. Get creative to hook, line, and sink potential customers.
This should almost go without saying! If you have a constructor business and you have a website or website content that is not mobile friendly, then you are getting hit with a Google penalty right out of the gate! More than 60% of searches come through mobile searches and you want to get in front of these customers. So when selecting a website design for contractors, make sure your web developers have made it mobile friendly and a responsive website design.
Client testimonials are essential when launching a contractor website to share details regarding your clients who are satisfied with the work you have provided. Ask past clients for written testimonials and create a page dedicated to showing off the overall satisfaction they have had when working with you. Testimonials help to incentivize users to learn more about companies while helping to build the trust and loyalty of those who are thinking of hiring you for their next project.
If you are in need of someone to help grow your business through web design, search engine marketing, or for online marketing in general, feel free to reach out and contact us through the form below:
The world of marketing is fast-paced and ever-evolving. As such, one might wonder about the realities of majoring in this field. Here’s a look at the top five things…
You can always count on our passion for helping small-and-medium-size companies grow as we have been over the last decade. The great news is that we have worked with so many diverse companies, that we are confident that we have a firm understanding of what will work for your small business. You can trust us to help grow your business today, tomorrow and far into the future.
As consumers increasingly become tied to their smartphones and their computers, tablets and other web-connected devices, the sales funnel is no longer linear. Instead, it runs in a loop pattern with buyers possibly passing in and out of various stages numerous times. The stages are very similar, however, to those of the past. The funnel includes:
Awareness – Customers become aware of a solution to a problem they are experiencing
Interest– Consumer researches company
Evaluation– Consumer evaluates possible solutions
Decision– Consumer chooses the best company and contacts them
Purchase– Consumer agrees to services
Reevaluation– Consumer decides if they made a good choice
Review– Consumer decides if they made a good choice.
Repurchase– Consumer hires services again.
Let’s take a look at a real-life example. John has been remodeling his bathroom, and he has decided that some pipes need to be moved.
Awareness – John knows that he does not have the technical knowledge to move the pipes himself
Interest – John researches local plumbers
Evaluation – John looks at websites and narrows down his options
Decision – John decides that your company is the best one
Purchase – You go to John’s and do the work. You get paid and leave.
Reevaluation – John is thrilled by your customer service and the work done
Review – John tells his friends on Facebook about your company
Repurchase – John has a clogged kitchen sink and calls your company again
Connecting with customers at each step of the buyers funnel ensures that you have less downtime, more repeat customers, and a better chance of customers referring you to friends.
In order for your marketing efforts to be successful, you must recognize what digital marketing facets your clients are using at each part of the loop.
Studies show that over 97 percent of customers go online to find a plumber.
Pay-per-lead sites and directories: While joining local directories like the local chamber of commerce can pay dividends, we are generally cautious of other pay-per-lead sites. Learn why we caution plumbers about using some of these sites like Angie’s List, Yelp, HomeAdvisor and more.
Search marketing: Increase your visibility by using paid search marketing to increase the likelihood of people seeing your site when viewing search engine result pages
Pay-per-click marketing: These programs require you to pay a fee when someone clicks on your ad. They can be highly effective in the right market.
Website: Every company should have a website as over 30 percent of customers will not consider using a business that does not have one, and 63 percent of customers prefer this method to first engage with a company. If you operate in different cities, every city should have a dedicated page or website. Each of your services may also need its own page.
Social media marketing: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and other social media channels can be highly effective through organic posts along with paid ads on some of these platforms. Over 70 percent of consumers expect a company that they are considering to be active on social media.
Email marketing: Plumbers can often use emails to raise awareness of their company, solicit reviews and for other reasons.
Video marketing: Showing customers how to do simple plumbing tasks like unclogging a toilet or turning off the main water until you arrive can be effective. Video marketing will soon be over 80 percent of content marketing.
Recruitment marketing: Let us show you how to attract the best employees through your online presence.
Customer service: Harness the power of great customer service to grow your company.
Reviews: With over 85 percent of customers trusting online reviews as much as they do if a personal friend made the recommendation, let us show you the power of reviews.
Over 93 percent of customers turn to the internet when they are looking for a plumber. Most never go beyond the first page when using a search engine. Let us show you how to have your company found there even if it’s not your website.
There are now over 17 different ways to be listed on Google’s SERP page. While most plumbers will never be found in some of them, there are several where your local plumbing company may be found including:
Local Paks: While Google chooses who gets to appear in this listing of three companies, there is very little doubt that the company with the most positive reviews stands a better chance. Google may also include Google Ad listing in these lists.
Google Ad Listings: Your paid ad can appear above or below organic listings as long as Google finds it relevant to the user’s search engine ranking.
Google My Business: If a potential customer enters your business name into the search engine, then this box will appear. It contains your address, your phone number and other details. It also offers users the chance to see your Google reviews.
