We all want to be seen, isn’t that right? While this might be the case for most of us individually, for a business it is going to make or break us. You might be offering the best home inspections imaginable, but if no one knows about it, you are not going to be successful. In today’s world, this means that you need to have a website.
While word of mouth can help drive some business your way, you are not going to get enough to be truly successful. But just creating a website isn’t enough. It is important that your website is taking full advantage of the wide range of methods that bring clients to your site and gets them to sign up for your services.
In this article, we’re going to look at a few of the basic methods that you definitely need to employ to make sure that you have a website that doesn’t just look good, but also is working hard to get you work.
It Is All About the SEO
Of course, one of the factors that you will hear the most about when it comes to websites is SEO (search engine optimization). You can read more about the importance of SEO in our article SEO for Home Inspectors but in short, SEO will help people that are looking for a home inspector in your area find you on the internet. SEO is a long-term game and it is important that it is done right for a long period of time for you to start showing up among the top search results, especially if you are in an area where there is a lot of competition. This means that you need to be consistent and preferably get some help from a reputable company to keep on top of your SEO.
If you are wondering how you are doing right now, you could do a simple search in an incognito window for “<Insert your area here> Home Inspections” If your company doesn’t show up on the first page, you will be that much more difficult to find for a prospective client.
Of course, if a client finds you and you aren’t clearly offering them what they need, it is going to be a wasted effort. It is good to be very clear about what services you can provide. This is tied to your SEO. If someone searches for “Mold Inspections” in the area where you live and your website pops up, it should be clear that this is a service you offer. If not, you have wasted your efforts, the client’s time, and you will actually hurt your SEO.
It is important to be aware of what your clients are looking for in a home inspector, and then highlight these things on your website. Don’t waste time on a website telling people WHAT a home inspection is and WHY they should get one – they are already on your website, so they likely know. Spend time telling them why they should hire you in particular. A visitor should be able to quickly identify whether or not you are the solution to the problem they are facing, whether that is getting their home inspected before they buy it, before putting it on the market, or for insurance purposes.
What Do You Want Them to Do?
Another term that you might hear a lot when it comes to websites is a Call-to-action (a CTA). This refers to a call for the user to do something – like click on a “call me” button, schedule online, or another action. It can also be an opportunity to get information from a visitor that will allow you to communicate with them in the future. A common method to accomplish this is to offer something for free that is likely to arouse interest with a visitor on your site. This can incentivize a visitor to provide their email address for you to send them more information later. Something like an e-book is a great option for this. InterNACHI has a ready-made e-book for their members, and is a great tool that we use quite a bit.
When it comes to calls to action, they should be simple and to the point. It is also important that they are easily spotted while not becoming so intrusive that they turn off a visitor. While pop-ups might be effective, you don’t want them to constantly pop up and become irritating. Another thing to remember is that while some might give out their email address freely, collecting too much information for something simple might seem too intrusive for a visitor.
If you create a call to action, it is a good idea to have a catchy title, such as “The 10 Most Common Mistakes When Selling a Home” or “How Much Should You Pay for a Home Inspection”.
If You Are Highly Reviewed – Show It!
One thing that you might not yet have available but that you should start to build up is client testimonials/reviews. Most people today love to look at reviews to figure out their options. This means that you should start collecting these as soon as possible. The problem is that it can be tricky to get your clients to submit one. Some home inspectors have found it useful to have several different channels where they collect reviews and then they can feature them on their website. Facebook, Google, and Yelp are just a few examples of services where you can get feedback and ratings that will enhance your website/online presence. It’s good to remember that people will usually only leave a review if they are really happy with your service or very unhappy with it. Doing a good job will pay off.
Dress Your Website For Success
The design of your website is also very important for your success. A large number of people will visit your website on a mobile device. This means that the website should be made in such a way that it automatically adjusts to the screen size and orientation of a phone compared to a computer. This is yet another area where it is important that you have an experienced person to help you with the process.
Website design is a science, and there are things that are proven to work well that might not be obvious to the untrained eye. The position of buttons, the colors used, the way menus operate – all these things should be taken into consideration. It is also important that the website is responsive. People these days have very little patience, so if they find your site to be slow, they might leave it before they even had a chance to find out more about your business.
When a potential client comes to your website, it should be quick for them to find the information they are looking for. This is something that will both improve their experience and Google’s rating of your website. Optimizing all these factors will pay off.
Conclusion
Naturally, the end goal of all of these methods is to convert visitors into clients. Here at Full View Home Inspector Marketing, we are helping many home inspectors just like you to reach that goal. If you are looking to have a website that will boost your business, find a plan that fits your business today!
