Top 5 Reasons Why Contractors Need a Website
1. Credibility
One of the main reasons you should have a website for your business is to increase your organization's credibility. Chances are there are several providers offering a similar service to yours. One way you can stand out is by having a website that looks good and clearly communicates quality information to your consumers.
Without a website, people may question your legitimacy as a business. Having a website is an opportunity to make a great first impression and give people comfort that you’re a real business.
2. Customers
Perhaps one of the most intriguing reasons to have a website for your business is because it can increase your chances of getting leads.
Once people find you online, become interested in your product or service and want to know more, they'll know how to contact you thanks to the information on your website, which gives you the opportunity to increase your sales. Even though websites have a cost, when used correctly, they have a positive ROI.
3. Competitiveness
Many contractors ask, “Since I have a small business with a small workforce, and since we don’t sell anything online, do I need a website?”
The answer is YES!
If you have any business, you should have a website to avoid losing business to competitors that already have one. So while you delay, your competitor has likely seen how effective a website can be for their business.
You definitely don’t want to be left behind!
4. Classification
How would you classify your business? What’s your specialty? Chances are you had to get licensed or certified as a master of your trade right? These licenses and certifications help classify and define you as a specialist.
Your ability to classify and define your business is the foundation for developing your brand. Your brand should tell your story.
Your website needs to immediately show visitors what you do, what makes you different and what makes you credible. Having a website enforces your identity, highlights your strengths and shows you’re a professional who’s committed to your customers whether they end up working with you or not.
5. Control
There are two sides to this reason. The first is your freedom of expression on a website. You can’t customize your social media presence to the same extent. All your assets have to be the same format as everybody else’s. If you really want to stand out, a website is the answer.
The absolute design freedom gives you an opportunity to present your brand in a unique way and showcase its voice and personality.
The control over your image on a webpage isn’t only about the graphics and layout. You decide what to put out there, so if you have any cool online reviews, customer testimonials, videos, etc., they can all share the space on your site.
If you have a gallery or a portfolio, this is also a chance to display it in a creative way. You can redesign and change anything on a website any time you want.
The other side of ‘control’ is that a webpage is your owned media. You don’t have to follow the ever-changing rules of social platforms, and while the platforms themselves come and go (remember MySpace?) your website can stay in business forever. Also, any Internet user can engage with your website without creating an account.
What Type of Website Do I Really Need?
Researching the best solution for your website can be daunting, there's a ton of companies and ideas out there (enough to make your head spin!) Most commonly you'll find, "DIY" website builders like WordPress, Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, etc.
These platforms usually tout, "No coding required," "Easy to use," "No need to hire a developer" and on and on...
Just like DIY construction, there are certain things better left to the pros!
No matter what tool is used to build your website, you need to have a clear plan and understanding of what your goals are before getting started in order to get the results you need.
We offer 3 types of websites:
Already have a website?
Great Job! You've already got an advantage!
- Do you need a change or a website remodel?
- Do you know if your website is out of date?
- Do you have an issue with your current provider/developer?
- Do you have full control over your current website?
- Is your business benefiting from your current website?
Schedule a quick phone call to discuss your options and get a free website evaluation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although social media channels can be a very engaging way to share photos and content with others, most people will start searching for contractors online first, meaning they would want to see a website.
When social media and a website are used in conjunction with each other, you broaden your audience and ultimately gain more credibilty and online visibilty.
• A good website will keep customers looking at your company alone without distraction
• With your own website you have control of what your customer sees and reads and you don't have to conform to any social media creative restrictions
• Your website can showcase all your brand's assets at once. Reviews, information, project stories, photos and ways to contact you. Remember standing out is key to beating your competition, so you don't want to look like everybody else!
When social media and a website are used in conjunction with each other, you broaden your audience and ultimately gain more credibilty and online visibilty.
• A good website will keep customers looking at your company alone without distraction
• With your own website you have control of what your customer sees and reads and you don't have to conform to any social media creative restrictions
• Your website can showcase all your brand's assets at once. Reviews, information, project stories, photos and ways to contact you. Remember standing out is key to beating your competition, so you don't want to look like everybody else!
Getting leads from anywhere is a good thing. Getting quality leads is even better! Angi, Yelp, Houzz and other home service directory sites can be a great source for cunsumers looking for local providers. Consumer directory
services however are designed for consumers first, not providers.
Proprietary algorithms are used to provide their users the best experience, while also displaying paid advertisements and other paid content. Providers are given a free account to be listed, however those who pay for advertising or other premium services receive prominent spots at the top of the list.
Having a free account is good for your company's overall SEO on Google, but if your company doesn't pay, you'll get much less visibilty on their platforms and fewer quality leads.
Proprietary algorithms are used to provide their users the best experience, while also displaying paid advertisements and other paid content. Providers are given a free account to be listed, however those who pay for advertising or other premium services receive prominent spots at the top of the list.
Having a free account is good for your company's overall SEO on Google, but if your company doesn't pay, you'll get much less visibilty on their platforms and fewer quality leads.
Of course, most contractor work is performed and proposed on site and in person and not sold online. Ultimately customers are buying and trusting you, so it's hard to imagine how a website could make a difference in their
decision making process right?
Well, with so much information and competitors out there, it's almost a given that people will do a little —if not a lot of research on your company before making an investment in you. It's critical to your credibility as a professional and a business to show up and stand out during this research process.
Your website gives you the opportunity to shine even when you're not physically standing in front of your future customers.
Well, with so much information and competitors out there, it's almost a given that people will do a little —if not a lot of research on your company before making an investment in you. It's critical to your credibility as a professional and a business to show up and stand out during this research process.
Your website gives you the opportunity to shine even when you're not physically standing in front of your future customers.
The short answer is yes. If your website contains useful information, clearly describes your services and stands out compared to your competition, you will be contacted by more potential customers. The number of leads you
get doesn't neccesarily effect the amount of customers that decide to work with you or rather which leads you decide to work with.
You should only have as many pages as you need to showcase your company in the best way possible. If you can describe and showcase your services in an impactful way on one page, then you don't need anymore than a Single Page Website.
A Multi-Page Website is a site that has more than just a homepage. This is a solution for contractors that have more to share on just one page alone.
A Multi-Page Pro Website like the basic Multi-Page site is for contractors that have a lot to say. A Multi-Page Pro Website is an opportunity for your small-large sized business to get it all out there at once.
Learn more about the different types of websites we offer.
A Multi-Page Website is a site that has more than just a homepage. This is a solution for contractors that have more to share on just one page alone.
A Multi-Page Pro Website like the basic Multi-Page site is for contractors that have a lot to say. A Multi-Page Pro Website is an opportunity for your small-large sized business to get it all out there at once.
Learn more about the different types of websites we offer.
Not designed for Mobile Devices
Almost everybody will check out your website through their mobile device first (tablet or phone.) It's a big turnoff when the visitor —no matter what age, struggles to navigate and can't read what's on your site.• If your website requires a lot of zooming in order to read it, your website is out of date.
Stale Content
Your story changes over the years, your website should reflect the evolution of your work and your customers experience with your business.• If your content, reviews and photos have been there for more than two years, your site needs an update.
Losing Business
Though it can be hard and frustrating to pinpoint the reasons you're not getting as much business as you used to, remember that people are usually checking out your business online before contacting you or hiring you. Google and other search engines consider your site out of date if it's not "mobile-friendly" and doesn't have new content. These are some of the main reasons potential customers aren't seeing your business at all in search results.• Make sure your site is optimized for the most up to date SEO best practices and add new content to rank higher in search results.
SiteWerk will do a free evaluation of your current website to help you determine which areas need to be updated or changed in order to ensure your site isn't out of date. Contact us for a website evaluation.
Hosting, refers to a service that serves your website to the internet. Without hosting, your site isn't publically visible. Think of hosting as the engine that runs your website. There are many different hosting providers
as you can imagine, but we only work with the most reliable, efficient hosts available so you don't even need to think about it.
Storage for your website is essentially how many files can be stored or backed to keep your website running smoothly. If you have an email account like Gmail or others, you've likely been notified once or twice that you've "run out of storage." Of course this means you won't be able to send or receive emails unless you buy more storage or start deleting files/emails in order to stay within your storage limits.
Storage for your website is essentially how many files can be stored or backed to keep your website running smoothly. If you have an email account like Gmail or others, you've likely been notified once or twice that you've "run out of storage." Of course this means you won't be able to send or receive emails unless you buy more storage or start deleting files/emails in order to stay within your storage limits.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization which is a set of practices designed to improve the appearance and positioning of web pages
in organic search results. Because organic search is the most prominent way for people to discover and access online content, a good SEO strategy is essential for improving the quality and quantity of traffic to your website.