Contractor Websites: Why a DIY website design using a free website builder isn't a great idea
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Corey Halstead
Owner, HALSTEAD.
The process of designing a contractor website has changed tremendously over the last 5 years—not just for design/build and landscape pros. Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, and the countless other online website builders out there offer a ton of options. But much like the technology behind modern contractor website has changed so drastically, so has the purpose for having a website for your business in the first place. Are these builders a good idea? Should you build your own website?
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Say Goodbye To Your Online Brochure. Enter a real contractor website.
It used to be—and not that long ago—that all you needed to have was a website that stated your services, a way to contact you, and nice little snippet about who you are. It was essentially an online version of a tri-fold brochure. Those days are over. Like, really over and gone.
Consumers expect a much more useful, informative, and engaging experience while shopping for home improvement products and contractors. For larger projects like complete outdoor living spaces, new kitchens and baths, a new roof, or a swimming pool, studies show that they are beginning their online research over 80 days before they purchase anything. With that detailed level of research, they won't have much use for your online-brochure-of-a-website that really only tells them that you do kitchen remodeling. No crap, it probably says that in your company name.
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So, Why Not a DIY Free contractor Website Online?
In order to meet the expectations and demands of homeowners, then, websites must be far different than they used to be. So while you don't need me to tell you how to get a website design for your construction business for less than $100, just be sure to consider what it is you want to get out of your website. With an out-of-the-box template from Wix, you certainly won't be taking advantage of what is possible with digital marketing today. Not without using a lot of different integrated tools like lead tracking software, analytics, custom coding, and a handle on the principles of inbound marketing and content marketing and how to implement them on a home contractor's website. Learn more about optimization here.
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But wait... Don't You Use Trusted Platforms to Build Awesome Contractor Websites for Your Clients?
We sure do! See, there's two parts, if you will, to delivering a contractor website that actually drives traffic, turns that traffic into leads, and helps to progress those leads through the sales cycle to the point of purchase. Part one is the platform on which the site is built and the content is managed. Part two is the method and knowledge under which the site is actually designed.
The Platform
Squarespace offers us everything we need in a platform. As Squarespace Circle Members, we utilize the Developer Platform to fully customize anything we need to in order to deliver the perfect website for our clients. Their powerful infrastructure is able to handle and support anything we need to design, doesn't require a thousand and one plugins to achieve basic functionality, (read more about this here) and offers a reliable system that's good enough for some of the nations largest global brands. That's why we trust Squarespace to power all of the fully-responsive, sales-closing websites that we design for architects, landscape designers, pool builders, kitchen and bath remodelers, HVAC contractors, and home builders.
The Methodology and Knowledge
With a robust platform ready to back up our designs, it's now time to focus on what really matters. As we've explained here, creating a website that actually works to improve your bottom line—one that actually ties into the goals of your business overall—requires a strong understanding of how homeowners shop for home improvement contractors and the products they use. A great website today informs, educates, entertains, and ultimately attracts shoppers in every stage of the buying journey. Whether they are just beginning their long research effort and they are hoping to understand why they should choose natural stone or concrete pavers for their patio, or they have already learned exactly what they need and they're now looking for a contractor to deliver, your website can and should meet their needs. That type of functionality is not going to come from a free website from an online template.
Through implementing the right tools on the backend of your site, you as a business owner can know a tremendous amount about your prospects. How did they find your website? What pages did they view? Heck, you can even see that perhaps a visitor came to your website 3 months earlier and just yesterday came back again. With the use of integrated social media accounts, email marketing, content marketing through your company blog, and cutting edge analytics tools, you can create a true online presence for your business that drives results on your bottom line. That's what a website today should do for a home contracting business. Much more than a tri-fold brochure.