Roofing Website Design

May 31, 2024 by Audrey Bachman 1 Comment

Roofing Website Design: Key Elements for Generating Traffic, Winning Leads, and Fueling Success

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for any business, including roofing companies. A well-designed website can be a powerful tool to attract potential customers, generate leads, and drive the growth of your roofing business.

In this article, we discuss the most important elements of creating an effective roofing website that will help you succeed in such a competitive space.

1. User-Friendly Design and Navigation

Simplicity and Clarity: A clean, simple design is crucial for a roofing website. Visitors should be able to easily navigate through the site and find the information they need without being overwhelmed by clutter. Use a consistent color scheme, readable fonts, and high-quality images to create a professional and approachable look.

Intuitive Navigation: Ensure that your website’s navigation is intuitive. Use clear headings and subheadings, and organize content in a logical manner. A well-structured menu with links to key pages such as Home, About Us, Services, Portfolio, Testimonials, and Contact Us can help users find their way around your site effortlessly.

2. Mobile Responsiveness

Importance of Mobile-Friendly Design: With the increasing use of smartphones, having a mobile-responsive website is no longer optional. Your site must look and function well on all devices, including tablets and smartphones. A mobile-friendly design ensures that potential customers have a positive experience, regardless of how they access your site.

Responsive Design Techniques: Utilize responsive design techniques to automatically adjust the layout of your website based on the screen size of the device being used. This includes scalable images, flexible grids, and CSS media queries. Testing your website on various devices can help you identify and fix any usability issues.

3. SEO Optimization

Keyword Research: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for driving organic traffic to your roofing website. Start by conducting keyword research to identify the terms and phrases potential customers are using to search for roofing services. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush can help you find relevant keywords with high search volume and low competition.

On-Page SEO: Incorporate these keywords naturally into your website content, including page titles, meta descriptions, headers, and body text. Additionally, optimize your images with alt tags and use internal linking to improve your site’s SEO. A well-optimized website can improve your search engine rankings, making it easier for potential customers to find you.

4. Compelling Content

Informative and Engaging Copy: Content is king when it comes to engaging website visitors. Provide informative and engaging copy that addresses the needs and concerns of your target audience. Explain your services in detail, highlight your expertise, and showcase your successes through case studies and customer testimonials.

Blogging for Authority: Maintaining a blog on your roofing website can help establish you as an authority in the roofing industry. Regularly post articles on topics relevant to your audience, such as roofing maintenance tips, the latest industry trends, or common roofing problems and solutions. Blogging can also improve your SEO by providing fresh, keyword-rich content.

5. High-Quality Visuals

Professional Photography: High-quality visuals can make a significant difference in the overall appeal of your website. Use professional photography to showcase your completed projects, your team, and your equipment. Images can convey the quality of your work and build trust with potential customers.

Video Content: Incorporate video content to further engage your audience. Videos can include customer testimonials, project walkthroughs, or educational content about roofing processes and materials. Video content can increase the time visitors spend on your site, which can positively impact your search engine rankings.

6. Clear Calls to Action (CTAs)

Strategic Placement: Effective CTAs guide visitors towards taking desired actions, such as contacting you for a quote or signing up for your newsletter. Place CTAs strategically throughout your website, ensuring they are visible and easy to find.

Persuasive Copy: Use persuasive and action-oriented language in your CTAs. For example, instead of a generic “Contact Us” button, use “Get a Free Roofing Estimate” to clearly convey the benefit of taking action. Experiment with different CTA designs and wording to see what resonates best with your audience.

7. Trust Signals

Testimonials and Reviews: Building trust with potential customers is essential for converting leads into clients. Display customer testimonials and reviews prominently on your roofing website. Positive feedback from satisfied customers can significantly enhance your credibility and encourage new visitors to trust your services.

Certifications and Awards: Highlight any industry certifications, awards, or memberships in professional organizations. These trust signals demonstrate your commitment to quality and professionalism, further boosting your reputation.

8. Contact Information and Accessibility

Easy-to-Find Contact Details: Make it easy for visitors to contact you by providing multiple ways to reach you, including phone, email, and a contact form. Ensure your contact information is prominently displayed on every page, preferably in the header or footer.

Interactive Features: Consider adding interactive features such as live chat or a booking system. These tools can provide instant assistance to visitors, increasing the likelihood of converting them into leads.

9. Analytics and Monitoring

Tracking Performance: Regularly monitor your website’s performance using tools like Google Analytics. Track metrics such as page views, bounce rates, and conversion rates to understand how visitors are interacting with your site. This data can help you identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions to enhance your roofing website’s effectiveness.

Continuous Improvement: Roofing website design is not a one-time task. Continuously update and improve your site based on user feedback and performance data. Regularly adding fresh content, updating visuals, and refining your SEO strategy can keep your roofing website competitive and effective in generating leads.

Build a Roofing Website That Works For You

Crafting a well-designed home services website is essential for generating traffic, winning leads, and driving the success of your roofing business. With a quality roofing website built by experienced professionals, you can create an online presence that stands out and supports your business growth.

For expert assistance in taking your online marketing to the next level, call Visibly Connected. Our experience and results-driven strategies for roofer marketing will ensure your roofing company reaches its full potential.

Where’s the Value in a Custom Home Services Website?

September 13, 2021 by Andrew Bachman 1 Comment

Where’s the Value in a Custom Home Services Website?

With prices ranging from $500 to $10,000 and options like free DIY website builders, how do you know what option is best for your home services company website?

Web design is an art form and if you’re not the type of person who sees the value of expensive art, then justifying spending more than a couple of hundred dollars on a website can probably be a challenge.

In this article, we will discuss some of the intricacies that go into designing and developing a custom home services website as well as the benefits that come along with a custom-developed package. We will also take a look at what the less expensive options provide and some items you may not have considered.

Let’s jump in…

I’m a Quick Learner so Why Don’t I Just Build My Own Website?

I commend you on facing the challenge of possibly building your own website.

As a web developer, I once thought “I’m a quick learner so why don’t I just fix this busted pipe on my house?”. Needless to say, I booked an appointment with a plumber the next day.

There is nothing wrong with having an adventurous spirit and trying to tackle skilled jobs such as web design. They even make some tools to help you in your quests such as Wix and GoDaddy Website Builder.

There are a few problems with this method, however.

The first being your time.

Building a website that is up to snuff with your competition isn’t going to be something you can just knock out in a few hours. Plan on spending a few weeks to build something that passes as a legitimate website.

The second problem is the limited amount of options that you are provided.

Chances are, if you are using a DIY website builder, you don’t have a working knowledge of the coding languages that it takes to build a quality website such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript. I would also be willing to bet that you haven’t spent a whole lot of time designing custom graphics in the past either.

You will be tied to the same limited amount of options as every other home services company that uses these builders which means that your finished product will look and function incredibly similar to theirs.

The third issue we will discuss is the shortcomings of the inner mechanics of the website.

Typically, with a website builder, you aren’t going to get very good performance out of the box. These solutions are meant to be as simple as possible by design.

This means that you are going to be incredibly limited when it comes to improving your site speed, gaining insightful metrics on the behavior of your website visitors, and most importantly, yielding any kind of tangible SEO results.

If you can’t get your website to rank on search engines such as Google, what is the point of building it?

Let’s take a look at some other options…

Low-Cost Home Services Website Design

Do you even have to ask?

The adage “You get what you pay for” hasn’t existed for all these years because it’s inaccurate.

I’m sure you have come up against another HVAC company offering to install a system for $5,000 when your quote was at least $10,000. Or a plumber offering to repipe your prospects home for less than half the price of your quote and you’re left having to explain to the customer why that’s probably not a good idea.

In every industry, you have the infamous undercutters. These people aren’t always necessarily performing subpar work. Sometimes they are a company in their infancy and they’re just trying to get their foot in the door.

But more often than not, if it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be true.

A low-cost home services website will provide about the same performance as a Geo Metro. If you don’t get that reference, just google it.

We’re talking about your brand, your livelihood. If you are trying to find a bargain of a deal on your new website then, chances are, you don’t need a website just yet.
Now, there is nothing wrong with seeking to get the most value for your money, but do understand that value comes at a cost. Any web agency worth its salt will not fall into the “low-cost web design” category.

The amount of work, thought, and attention to detail that goes into a successful web design is only achievable with years of experience in the industry, specific to home services.

A website design that was built to sell clothing online will be completely useless for the roofer looking to educate and attract new clients.

When you use low-cost options for web design, you are typically getting templated website designs that someone cranked out a couple of years ago and just repurposes with your logo and colors.

Absolutely no thought goes into these designs. This person or agency doesn’t give a damn if your website visitors convert into a lead and your website design will reflect that.

So, again, let’s take a look at another option…

Custom Home Services Website Design

Ah…now we’re talking.

A custom-designed and developed website tailored specifically to your industry and goals is going to be the most effective way to set yourself apart from the competition and see success online.

The difference between low-cost and custom options extend beyond just the appearance of your website.

As a home services web design agency, we spend time going through a discovery phase with you to uncover what you want to accomplish with your website as well as what features and looks you want it to have.

We also bring over 30 years of design and development experience to the table. This means we have worked with countless home services clients over the years perfecting our craft.

A successful design agency should be considering the behavior of your website visitors. It should anticipate how someone will interact with different elements of your website and know what they want to see even before they themselves do.

With a custom-developed website, you are getting clean code from the ground up. This means that your website will perform like a fine-tuned machine without the bloat that other options tend to employ.

You also get the benefit of having custom-made graphics that help tell your story incorporated into your website design. Generic stock photography will only get you so far and a potential customer can spot them from a mile away. We work closely with our clients to help come up with a plan for the creatives that go into making a website such as original photos and videos.

Original and thoughtful content is also another element that should be part of your project.

Oftentimes, when left to their own devices, our clients can only provide a few sentences to explain and describe the services they offer.

That’s not a dig on our clients. Writing captivating content about home services isn’t an easy task.

With our web projects, we include content that is created specifically to capture the attention of people searching for your services.

These are only some of the elements that contribute to a successful website. Feel free to read more about the perfect home services web design.

Know What You’re Getting Before You Waste Time and Money

Look – DIY and low-cost design options may be just fine for you and your situation. The most important thing is that you understand what it is that you are getting for your money and/or time.

If you go into the project with realistic expectations, then it’ll be hard to come out on the other side with something that you’re not satisfied with.

Our goal at Visibly Connected is to totally and completely exceed your expectations. We know that a high-quality home services website is an investment and we don’t take that lightly. Our websites are works of art that accurately tell your story and turn your website visitors into leads.

Here’s something to keep in mind though. Even with the “perfect website”, you won’t generate business if you don’t market it. You can read more about ways to put your new website to good use in our Digital Marketing Guide for Home Services.

[Home Services Web Design] Are you Competing with your Competitors?

August 12, 2019 by Andrew Bachman Leave a Comment

[Home Services Web Design]
Are you Competing with your Competitors?

What makes your web design so special?!

Where do you fall with your Home Services web design? Trying to stay afloat in the competitive world of local small businesses in today’s entrepreneurial climate can be both challenging and incredibly rewarding.

So, what makes you so special? How do you stand out from your competition?

There are countless ways to make sure your “open” sign shines brighter than the figurative “store next door” and today we will be talking about one of the most important elements, web design.

With millennials carrying the majority of the buying power in today’s market, it’s important you connect with your audience on their level. The fact of the matter is, more and more people are identifying as “anti-social” and would strongly prefer to make their purchasing decisions online.

Can your Home Services company be found online? What kind of presence do you have? Are you proud of it? Most importantly, would your potential customers be proud of it?

Keep reading, because we are going to talk about how you stack up against your competition when it comes to pushing your service to the masses, and you may be surprised to find where you land on the list of “hot or not”.

Get with the times before your rival turns into an idol

This may sound absolutely mad to some of you reading this, however to others, it sounds perfectly sane. There are still some Home Services businesses operating today that don’t have an online presence, let alone a website, let even further alone a well-designed website.

If you happen to be one of the readers that fit into the latter – WAKE UP! We are nearing 2020 and you still don’t have a company website?

How do you expect to keep up with the competition? And no…having a Facebook page does not constitute a website.

Your Home Services business needs a website that tells a story, informs the reader about your industry and service, as well as functions well and looks great.

There are plenty of options for creating your own website available, most of which are incredibly affordable and easy to use. Unfortunately, unless you went to school for design and development or have spent countless hours on YouTube watching stuffy tutorial videos, this solution may not always meet the criteria outlined above.

[idea]If you go the route of developing your own website – check out WordPress. They offer a versatile, easy-to-use platform that is conducive for design, content management and auxiliary options such as Search Engine Optimization.[/idea]

Of course, you always have the option of hiring a home services web design company with the chops for the job. This takes a lot of the burden off of you, the business owner, and allows you to enjoy a well-polished end product without the hassle of having to learn the ins and outs of the practice.

Practice practicing the best practices

So you have a website..good job!

But, hold up. Does it meet the latest and greatest design and coding standards and practices?

The game of web design and development is an ever-changing thing, and it’s a fulltime job just to stay on top of the current trends and standards.

Having a poorly coded Home Services website can spell big trouble for small businesses. You’ve heard the expression “Lipstick on a pig”, and that rings true in this situation. You can have a beautifully designed website but if the code is a mess than web authorities such as Google will see behind the curtains and avoid your website at all costs – along with the traffic that they may have sent your way.

It’s hard enough as is to stand out from the crowd of other Home Services companies so don’t do yourself an injustice by cutting corners in the coding standards of your website resulting in poor search engine rankings.

If at this point you are still trying to grit your teeth and bear the burden of small business web design on your own, give this article a read to brush up on the modern coding standards.

Now, let’s talk about the opposite of the scenario above. You have a website that has been coded to standards that Google would reward you for…but it’s ugly as sh*t.

The design is just as important as the code. You want a sleek, attractive, and easy to use website that will attract the masses. You either have an eye for it, or you don’t.

There are some bare necessities when it comes to design;

Use your companies logo! (Don’t have one? Get one.)
Display your contact information at all times – usually in a header or top bar.
Have easy to access contact forms in case people don’t feel like calling or visiting.
Your site must be mobile-friendly.
Make it easy to use, nobody wants to struggle to navigate your site.
Keep site speed in mind at all times, people are impatient.

Beyond that, it tends to be preference. Some people like loud, flashy, fun websites while others relate more to sleek, stylish, and mature (not that kind of mature, nasty) looking sites.

Take a look at what your competitors are doing. Take notes from other websites outside of your industry that you like. The bottom line is, get inspired.

Are you content with your content?

Have you ever purchased a new book, excited to get home and read the story only to crack the cover and see that there are no pages?

Of course not! Because it would be a waste of money to publish a book without any content inside. This also applies to your Home Services website as well.

The goal of the game is to be able to educate your visitors and potential clients on your service and industry thus making you the expert in your industry. You want to be a resource of knowledge so that people continue to return to your website in the future, ideally resulting in more conversions.

Give away the secret sauce. There is no harm in telling people how to do whatever it is that you do – chances are they won’t have the time or the patience and will return to the source of information from which they started their journey. You.

Be sure to map out the pages and content of your website prior to the design phase. You want to know what you are designing for. Having a wealth of quality, informative content on your website can make the difference between success and failure.

If you aren’t a writer, have no fear – there are content solutions for people with a pathetic pen game.

Just ask!

Ok, so you’re still with me. By now, you have either decided to contact Visibly Connected to get the website of your small business dreams, or you are dead set on crafting this masterpiece on your own. Bravo!

You nailed down the design, you are confident with your code, you have written content for the ages, but for some reason, your phones aren’t ringing. This could be for one of the most overlooked aspects of a Home Services website. Calls-to-Action!

You have the visitor…excuse me, potential client, on your website, so why are you not trying to sell them? Business owners tend to have a hard time asking for the sale, and this holds true online as well.

There is nothing wrong with asking for the business. In fact, it’s encouraged. Sometimes people need you to hold their hand and guide them where to go. If your goal is to convert web visitors into customers by having them fill out a form and become a lead…just ask them to do it!

Having creative and fun calls-to-action can help lead your website visitor down the path to becoming a customer who champions your brand.

Do you even market, bro (or sis)?

Designing a Home Services website can be fun and profitable, however, this isn’t the Field of Dreams – if you build it, they won’t come.

You must take the necessary steps to help drive traffic to this nice, shiny, new website that you have created. This can be as simple
as handing out business cards with your website address on it at networking events or as complex as running multiple ad campaigns on multiple platforms with different objectives in mind.

[idea]There are a bunch of paid advertising options to choose from, however, Facebook Ads tends to be a relatively forgiving platform for less experienced business owners.[/idea]

Whichever you choose, just remember to always analyze your traffic and make adjustments as needed to give your audience the most desirable experience possible.

8 Things To Include On Your HVAC Website To Get More Leads

October 1, 2018 by Andrew Bachman Leave a Comment

What Your HVAC Website Needs And Why

You’ve set up shop installing and repairing HVAC. You’ve found your premises, have hired your team, and now want to drum up some business. Where do you start? Networking is an excellent way to get to know people who might become clients, but it is only going to get you so far.

You also need to have a killer website so that you can reach a much wider range of people a lot more easily. A great website acts as your representative online 24/7 and is an essential part of your HVAC marketing. Done right, it will become your most valuable “employee.”

But what makes for great HVAC web design?

What elements are essential for a great site?

What will optimize your chances of getting some excellent business leads?

In this post, we will analyze that question. We’re not going to focus on the actual design elements or talk about including images; you know all that already. Instead, we’ll look at what your HVAC website needs and why.

Download our free ebook, The 27 Greatest Tips, Tricks & Ideas for Home Services, and start generating your own home services leads today.

List Of 8 Things Needed

Are you ready to learn what content to consider for web design for HVAC companies? Let’s take a look.

1. Clear Contact Info That Is Clickable

First and foremost, make your contact information big and bold so that people can find it easily. In order to contact you, all someone should have to do is to click on a link so that they can go through to the contact page.

Do include this button and the Appointment setting button we’ll talk about later on every page on the site.

2. Mobile Responsive

If your site is not mobile responsive, it is dead in the water. According to Statista, 59% of Google visits in the USA, for the second quarter of 2018 were on mobile. The figure for Yahoo was a little lower at 50%, but that’s still a lot of mobile searches being conducted.

That means that people are increasingly likely to search for information on their mobile phones. If your site doesn’t display well on the small screen, you stand to lose up to 59% of the traffic that you might receive.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Google prioritizes sites that are mobile-friendly when it comes to search results.

3. List Of Services

Don’t assume that everyone automatically understands what services your company offers. Give them a list of services to refer to and then a brief explanation of each of those services. This could be a good sales tactic in itself – how many people know what maintenance their HVAC system needs?

By providing a quick description for them, you could spark the all-important, “I need to get that done” moment.

4. Customer Reviews

Why bother? Who believes those reviews anyway? Well, according to Statista, 87% of people would trust, or consider trusting online reviews. For those that said they would trust an online review, many specified that they would have to appear authentic, or there had to be a few reviews.

So encouraging your clients to leave a review for you on Facebook, Yelp, Google My Business, etc. is a good policy. You can even offer them a small reward for doing so – like a discount on their next service, or a chance to win a prize.

Get the links all set up and then ask the clients nicely to leave an honest review. Pick the best of the lot to display on your site.

5. Why Choose Us Section

Here’s where you get to brag a bit about your company and what you have achieved. You can also tell them a bit more about your team and how the service that you offer is better than that of your competitors.

6. Awards – Affiliations

Have you received any awards? Put these on the website, especially if they relate to customer service. Is your company a member of any professional associations? By listing these on the site, you give the client extra reassurance that they are dealing with the right company.

7. Short Call To Action To Get Email

You do want to build your subscriber list. That way, even if the person is not ready to use your service just yet, you don’t completely lose all contact with them. Make it a short and sweet call to action and give them an incentive to hand over their email address.

It doesn’t have to be anything way out there – a simple checklist or article would work well.

8. Appointment Setting Feature

This is convenient for both your clients and yourself. You can tie it into scheduling software, and the whole process can be automated. Why go to the expense?

Clients won’t need to phone in at all. They’ll be able to see what appointments are open and book a slot that suits them without having to leave your site.

Your clients can set their appointments at any time, night or day.

Your staff don’t waste time answering calls and making mistakes with addresses, times, etc.

Because it’s automated, there is a lot less confusion and potential for errors like double booking.

Other HVAC Web Ideas

Now that you know what basics have to be put in place, here are some ideas for optional extras that can boost sales.

Blog Section

There are any number of reasons to create a blog for your site.

A blog can:

Boost SEO results
Establish your credibility and showcase your expertise in the field
Provide valuable non-sales-related content that your clients should enjoy

Why include a blog section on your site? This showcases and gives people access to your latest blog posts. It also ensures that there is some form of updated content on your site.

List Brands That You Service

This would seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be amazed at how many HVAC sites do not include these details. Listing the brands that you have expertise in fixing can help to establish your credibility further. Very few companies will be able to work on every possible system.

By listing those that you can work with, you save the client with other models time and frustration. You don’t want to have them call you out only to find that you can’t do anything.

Video

Visual content can convey a lot more information in a smaller space of time than the written word can. Why not add a short video to the site explaining a bit more about the company and what it is that you do? That gives you a range of different media on your site and makes it more interesting.

Consider this strategy when it comes to your blog as well. Change up the content by putting in the odd video tutorial, or explaining how an HVAC system works, etc.

With video, you get a chance to be a bit more creative. Videos are very popular because there is literally no work that the viewer needs to do to get the information.

READY TO START TALKING?

Go Ahead and Reach Out