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.