Website design for tradesmen could be one of the most important aspects of your business. Your website is the key to engaging potential customers, informing clients and showcasing the success of your company. Put simply, it’s harder than ever before to stand out in a saturated market and make an impact online. That’s why you need these web design tips to cut through the clutter and get ahead of your competition.
When it comes to website design for tradesmen, there are several factors that you need to consider. How do you go about choosing the right type of web designer? What exactly is the process involved? Also, how much will this cost? Read on and find out.
Website Design for Tradesmen: A Rough Guide
* Pricing the Job Approach the web designer with a fixed fee budget.
Don’t be surprised if they suggest a price range based on what they estimate they can charge you, especially if your site has not been built before. It’s important to note that charging too little or too much can put a dent in your business plan if you’re unable to follow through on your work commitments. It’s also worth considering that a high hourly rate doesn’t necessarily translate to better service or quality.
* Finding the Right Website Designer
It’s a good idea to seek out website designers with a strong portfolio, who demonstrate a good level of service and can work within your budget. Reputation is key – you want a company that comes highly recommended and has built a solid client-base in your area of business. For example, find someone who understands the mechanics, layout and marketing requirements for websites for carpet cleaning.
* Creating Your Website Look
How do you want your business to be perceived online? Look at online competitors before settling on a site template or theme (look out for themes based on keywords). Site templates and themes allow you to change the look and feel of your website without having to hire a web designer again. You can also integrate elements you want without any additional work (for example, your logo or preferred colour scheme).
* Writing Effective Website Content Most websites will contain certain elements related to the service or product they offer. However, in order to maximize the impact of your website design for tradesmen, it’s essential that you follow through on this element by including information that informs and engages prospective customers. Think about what they want to know and how best to tell them about it – from key services, company history, pricing and contact details. Then get creative.
Conversion Rate Optimisation First – Your website is there to grow your business.
Does it need a boost in traffic and conversions? If the answer’s yes, you’ll want to invest in optimisation. Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) is all about making visitors aware of the value of your products and services. Ensure that they know what they’re missing out on by providing them with a call-to-action to encourage them to buy now. If you’re reading this, you are most likely a tradesperson, this means, you should know that A LOT of people are searching for skilled trade people in your area EVERYDAY. If you are using Google adwords as a method to drive qualified traffic to your website, you better make sure that your website is converting well…otherwise, all those paid clicks, are wasted. We have a highly targeted set of Adwords methods that we have created to help you increase traffic to your website, by using a combination that is designed to increase conversion and click through rate. We have created specific tactics for web design and service companies, so that as well as targeting search terms relating to your business, you can also include your competitors in the mix.
*Step 1: Writing Keywords
To ensure that we are getting the most out of our keywords and the least amount of competition from other sites, it’s important to choose the most relevant ones for your business. You need to be specific when choosing relevant terms. If you’re a plumber, you could choose plumbing or plumbing company as your keywords. However, by using the term ‘plumbing companies in Perth‘, there is less competition for these keywords, and therefore more traffic for your website. It’s also important that you use search terms that are relatively long and include words with high commercial value (or popularity).
*Step 2: Targeting Your Audience
Just as it’s important to be specific when choosing relevant keywords, it’s also essential to target specific audiences. For example, if you want tradespeople in Sydney to visit your website, you may want to include the word ‘Sydney’ within your paid ads.
Handy OCD Tip – If you’re a trade, make sure you tell the person who is managing your adwords (if they are not doing it already) to target suburbs! For example, if you’re a Junk removals company in Sydney, target things like “Junk Removal Balmain” or if you’re an electrician in Perth, target phrases like “Electrician South Perth”. Reason being, the traffic is
1. Hyper targeted
2. Localised
3. Normally less CPC
4. Highly intent based.
Ad Text Optimisation
*General Tips for T-Tops: 1. Use plenty of keywords within each ad text rather than using 1 keyword throughout (i.e “top removalists balmain”). 2. Use a hook in your ads to grab the attention of your audience, but don’t over exaggerate. 3. Be creative with your copy!
4. Use the same ad text for all of your google ads (i.e you are running PPC & display at the same time) to ensure that people reach the correct page if they click on the Ad text
Summary
When you’re looking for your next web designer to build the best websites for tradies, please consider the above mentioned tips, steps and tricks. At the end of the day, the website is there to help grow your business and be an active member of your sales team. If your website is not guiding your prospects to take action, then what is it doing? It’s like a badly performing staff member.
If you think your website is not performing the way it should, then give us a shout. We can happily sit down over a call and look into it for you. If you’re on the right track, we will let you know so you can keep on it but if you’re needing a hand, we can let you know how we can help grow your business online.
