In today’s day and age, consumers have an endless number of websites at their disposal. It’s more important now than ever to make sure your website speaks to them. Inadequate SEO and poor content will not only force your audience to visit other websites, but cost you opportunities and revenues. Here are the 5 biggest mistakes contractor websites make:
1. Insufficient reviews.
Consumers trust what other consumers have to say about a business and Google Reviews is a leading source for feedback and recommendations. Every business receives a ‘review summary,’ which is Google’s mechanism for summarizing customer reviews. However, many businesses lack a complete understanding of Google’s algorithm for calculating the review summary.
Dubs Business Advisor breaks down Google’s review methodology;
“This overall rating is based on both the scores you’ve received from reviewers and Google’s calculation of the scores you would likely receive if you had more reviews.”
As a result, it’s imperative that you ensure your business receives as many good reviews as possible. Following up with customers and encouraging them to review your business will help your reputation and trustworthiness in the minds of potential customers.
2. Low quality or stock pictures.
It’s no secret that consumers want to see “real” pictures of past work before hiring a contractor. Nonetheless, many contractors use low quality photos that they’ve taken themselves or purchase phony looking stock photos. Unprofessional pictures negatively impacts a consumers’ perception of the business, impairing its overall image. Instead, photos should reflect the level of professionalism and quality of the work. Even more, they should showcase detail and range in angle and depth. Professional photos will translate to an increase in business as customers develop higher expectations.
Carmine Santarella, founder of Santarella Masonry, has seen the impact of professional photography firsthand. Carmine says,
“Once my pictures looked authentic and demonstrated the quality of my work, people began trusting my company.” He adds, “In fact, the number of calls we’ve received from our website has more than quadrupled since updating the site with professional photos.”
3. Not Geo-Specific.
Geo-specific websites appear on Google results pages based on the location of consumers. Websites that are not geo specific are not reaching their target audience efficiently. This means that companies are missing out on the business of consumers searching for contractors right in their own backyard.
Hector Recino, founder of H. Recinos Roofing Contractors, redid his website to be geo-specific just last year. Hector says, “After relaunching with geo specific content, I was amazed by the increase in traffic to our site.” He continues, “We’ve received more than triple the amount of phone calls per month than any previous month in our history.”
4. Subpar Content.
Content on contractors’ websites are often lacking in quantity and quality. While it’s important to write content that is concise and to the point, too little content will harm your position on Google’s results page. Your content should include keywords and headings that help both your Google score AND consumers on your site. The more helpful information you can provide consumers, the better. Your content should relay the value you will provide consumers as well as answer basic questions. This will help keep people on your site, deterring them from moving on to the competition.
Jeffrey Herkes, founder of Hammersmith Metal Fabricators, revamped his website’s content over a year ago. Jeffrey says, “Contracting as an industry can appear impersonal.” He further explains, “By providing high quality, insightful content, we allowed architects and builders to better connect with us as a company. SEO got us to the top of searches, but our content is what has really allowed us to flourish as a website.”
5. Lack of User-Generated Content (UGC).
Just as reviews are crucial in building consumer trust, so is UGC. UGC is an organic way to promote your business while instilling a sense of confidence from the endorsements of past customers. Yet, many contractors fail to encourage and promote UGC. An easy way to accomplish this is to ask consumers to post their own photos of the work you’ve done for them on social media. This enables them to showcase their property while giving your company credit. Friends and peers admiring the work will know where to turn when they are in need of similar services.
Another way to accomplish this is to offer discounts or promotions to those distributing UGC. Such rewards can be offered based upon references attributed to the customer. In the end, positive press is more meaningful to consumers when it comes from fellow consumers.
About the Author:
The author, Rich Stivala, President of worldwideRiches Web Design and SEO, has helped hundreds of small businesses owners grow revenues through using his company’s high performance website design and high converting landing page approach. To find out if your company can benefit from his services and turn more visitors into customers, his company offers a FREE Website Audit ($295 Value).
