Recently, as a gift to my wife, I setup a new web hosting account and registered a domain name I knew she would like. The first year its going to cost under $50 and the benefit to her is surprisingly rich. In fact, while showing her some of the things she can do with it, i wondered why extremely few of the thousands of contractors around me are not doing this.
Instead, if I see anything it is usually someone using their ISP’s mailbox and that, to me, seems uber small time. Today’s web hosting accounts allow many mailboxes on your own domain name and allow you to setup your mail software (Outlook Express, for instance) to interact directly instead of using an ISP mail service.
Have many of you thought about this and never started because you didn’t know how? BTW, do not come to me looking for professional services in this area. My area of expertise is telecommunications and now web-anything. 🙂 But, if someone would like to know how I did what I did for the wife, I’d be more than happy to answer some questions and maybe offer some pointers.
For those of you with a web presence already I commend you. I do not want to be looking through the Yellow Pages, but rather surfing the Internet–its more efficient.
Replies
I have a site, on it's third or so iteration (with deep appreciation to FatRoman for his vast patience and talents). I also had a very large site, with FTP etc etc for my previous business. In contracting I have found that my site A) shows prospects I'm a serious business owner that is with the times, B) eliminates having to shlep a portfolio around, C) has eliminated a few unrealistic time wasters because I refer em to the site and they let me know that they aren't looking for someone as "fancy" as I am.
I think it's just as (and will be more) important than a YP ad.
(http://www.finecontracting.com)
PaulB
I have a website, built for me by a PR firm, with a brief bio,photo gallery etc.
I have to say, it hasn't done squat for my business nor increased number of prospects. A waste of money. But, it looks good, that's about it.
Expert since 10 am.
Do you use it for your email address? i.e. [email protected]?
no, it is a business website, with a link to my email address.Expert since 10 am.
We are doing that Nuke. Our site is: http://acgoftexas.com/
We aren't quite yet using it as a marketing tool but we are tapping into the webhosting services and various mailboxes. I'm working out of three different mailboxes right now: jim at acg of texas dot com, design at acgoftexas dot com, and framing at acg of texas dot com.
It makes sense for us being a small firm. Each of us set up our own mailboxes with the acg.com tag. I was using a web based email but switched back to outlook because of it's file system.
I didn't get this done till this year because I'm not technologically advanced enough to handle it. It might seem easy but it's hard for carpenter dolts like me.
Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
jim... is your slide show of texas projects or Michigan projects ?
nice site so far !Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
There is one from MI which we did...the Frank Wright style home. The remodel was done in California by Gary, a new addition to our team.The smaller stuff was MI.We don't have anything from Texas worth showing. We will soon though. Were topping a Texas flip right now and have a custom booked that might make the highlight reel.Weve been busy with a lot of things and just let the website go for a bit. I hate seeing "under construction" on any site...but I'm just biding my time because I really don't use it yet for marketing in any significant way. We've kinda been focusing on a lot of other issues. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Jim
Nice website.
Very Professional.
Rich
Thanks Cargin, and thanks Mike for the compliments. I'm going to pass them on to Lareina...who deserves all the credit. That reminds me...I gotta get the finished pictures from the client with the landscaping. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Jim
I like your site, very well done, professional, look forward to seeing projects from the Austin area, will be good for reminiscing!
Doug
http://www.harrisonconstruction.com
I was glad to see that you charge for insurance estimates. I get tired of giving those out for free and almost never getting any work from them. Had a job cancel just the other day - insurance company doesn't want to pay.
I know when I had some damage to my house, the adjuster wrote my wife a check that would barely cover materials - told her don't hire a contractor, they're too expensive. Get someone unlicensed who works cheap.View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
Jerry
That's a nice site too.
I took the time to look through most of it tonight.
That inspires me to try my hand at creating a web site.
I've been stupid and not taken very many pictures of my work.
Even though we don't do some of the fancy stuff like you have done, still pictures would give people an idea if my company would solve their problem.
Again nice site.
Rich
Thanks for the compliment .....this isn't exactly MY site but rather the co. I work for ,although as a general foreman I did have a hand in several of the projects featured on our site.We do a lot of before and after shots which can be very impressive given the extent of these remodels which can make for great sales tools.BUT NOTHING CAN BEAT WORD OF MOUTH AND STANDING BEHIND YOUR PRODUCT AND WARRANTY.
I too have a web site. Also use the domain for my business email.
The website has contact information though the email address is not clickable. I also do NOT have an email address with info@#######. My DW had an online business and both those items caused all sorts of spam.
I also have photos of representative projects and type of work.
I have the meta tags set up help the search engines find me when people are looking for specific things and the area I prefer to serve.
It has generated a few calls but nothing overwhelming, It also gave me my first slow payer. But is has also gotten me some nice jobs.
We also registestered the domain with bpath or something that supposedly submitts the metatags to a bajillion search engines each month.
I agree that using the business domain for email sets you apart from JoBob at hotmail.com
Even I have a site, (it is a free web hosting one) but still it is very informative and is a great way to tell about yourself.
"I'd rather be a hammer than a nail"
Even I have a site, (it is a free web hosting one) but still it is very informative and is a great way to tell about yourself.
Lets see a link.
http://grantlogan.net/
"Because I really want to live in a country where the poor people are fat. "- Unidentified Indian Immigrant when asked why he wants to come to America
Edited 1/12/2008 8:10 am ET by seeyou
Lets see a link.
http://free.elixhosting.com/ahs/View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
At this point, it seems very little construction/remodeling sales are taking place via internet (percentage-wise). I do think that is going to change in the near future. I think getting a domain name, a website, and an email are good investments in the future of your company.
My website is a template, meaning I was able to design and maintain the site with only minimal knowledge of html. It has been a very labor-intensive project, but a labor of love!
I get phone calls almost daily from telemarketers offering to increase my web exposure and get me business from the internet. I simply tell them that if they really believe that internet is a viable sales venue, they should be contacting me by email.
CaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
"I get phone calls almost daily from telemarketers offering to increase my web exposure and get me business from the internet. I simply tell them that if they really believe that internet is a viable sales venue, they should be contacting me by email."Excellent response! I've gotten calls from guys that claim they can ramp up our hits with the proper tagging. I ask them if they are currently doing that service for other firms in our area. They say yes and proudly rattle off some of them. So I ask them "If you help me get more hits than them, are you going to refund their fees?" They want to tell everyone that they can get them to the top of the google list..There's only one top! One guy tried to prove that his service works by giving me the exact phrase to find a company he was servicing. I typed in several more common search terms to find that type of company and nothing showed up. He chastised me for using the wrong term! An internet site does not work for you if you are trying to use it to lure clients to your services. It works when you drive them to your site to inform them of your services and you can put an incridible amount of information to educate them. If your firm sells quality products and services, as educated buyer is more likely to choose you. because they are buying value, not cheap services. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
An internet site does not work for you if you are trying to use it to lure clients to your services. It works when you drive them to your site to inform them of your services
This is currently true. I do however believe that will change sometime soon. Generation Next has grown up with internet. They may not be buying construction/remodeling services yet, but they will. At any rate, internet is here to stay, and like you indicated, advertising text is not billed per word or line, like it is in print.
A website is, in many ways, the modern equivalent of the printed brochure - a sales tool to educate consumers and clients, and an indication of your seriousness as a business.
Still, I'm always amazed at the general contractors and sub's who have virtually no web presence, and no computer savvy.
Here's where the cutting edge is right now, in the government construction arena - you can go online and peruse jobs that are available to bid, download pdf's of the plans, work up a bid, email your bid to the primary contractor - and never leave your office.
Sales-wise, Service Magic takes a lot of heat here for being toothless, which in some ways it is, but then some guys also say they get viable projects to bid from them. So far, they're the only internet sales tool I would seriously consider. But now's not a good time, because my city is in a recession - we're in the top 10 foreclosure cities in the nation, the only real estate moving is foreclosures, the job situation is bad, and people aren't spending money on home improvements.
I had a web analyst look at my site, and check the web for local searches for construction/remodeling services for my area, and he said it is almost nil. He told me he could find me jobs nationwide, or statewide, but not locally, at least not for now. View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
How does one find a host for there site that people will find in there searches for a fair price. Is something like Go-Daddy ant good.
I use GoDaddy. Been pleased.
TFB (Bill)
Interesting that you brind Service Magic up. I recently interviewed a salesagent that told me she sold 1.3 million last year. Her main source of leads is Service Magic. We may be giving it a test run soon. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Web doesn't work if you don't use it correctly. Just like any other form of advertising. You need to drive people to your website. Search engines work, but you need to pay to actually get results, just like any other form of advertising. Paying for a website is like paying for a radio ad to be made, you still need to pay to air it. Same is true for web, you need to get people to it.Adwords works great, driving people to your site via traditional advertising works as well. You need to put them all together.To say that the web doesn't generate business is extremely ignorant. I get at least 30% of my work from purely web generated leads. Meaning they found the website first and contacted me. And I can confidently say that 100% of my clients visit my website before they sign.
To say that the web doesn't generate business is extremely ignorant
Yup, sure is. Kinda like responding to posts without reading them.View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
Sorry Huck. You were just the post that I hit the reply button on. It was more intended to Jim. But you did also write that what he wrote is currently true. Which is also ignorant to the actual situation.
If you think that you're simply missing out on your potential marketshare.
Fine with me.
Sorry Huck. You were just the post that I hit the reply button on. It was more intended to Jim. But you did also write that what he wrote is currently true. Which is also ignorant to the actual situation. If you think that you're simply missing out on your potential marketshare. Fine with me.
You see Red, this is what I mean about not reading people's posts. You need to slow down on the hair-trigger reflex, and put a little more emphasis on understanding what people are saying before throwing around words like "extremely ignorant" in reference to people like Blue who are actually pretty smart, articulate, and self-educated on the subject.
What Blue said was An internet site does not work for you if you are trying to use it to lure clients to your services. It works when you drive them to your site to inform them of your services.
Now compare that with YOUR WORDS: Web doesn't work if you don't use it correctly. Just like any other form of advertising. You need to drive people to your website.
Both posts are saying essentially the SAME THING, in almost the same words: A website in and of itself is not going to bring buyers to your door by virtue of its existence. You have to have a means of driving potential customers to that website.
View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
Edited 1/12/2008 5:58 pm by Huck
No they're not saying the same thing. Maybe you should read what I wrote again.Web sites can most certainly lure people to your services. Is that clear enough for you?
You know, during the first thread that you squabbled with everyone I thought "maybe he is just direct and misunderstood".
I was wrong. You are a Jerk!!!
Ok, I feel better now. Go back to bating everyone into a flame war. DanT
I disagree.You guys don't like to be disagreed with, that's all.
Ok, I'll bite.Neither do you. :-)Oh, and BTW, I have a blog...does that count?
Edited 1/12/2008 7:59 pm ET by TBone
No I just get to the point. I know how message boards work.
I know there is a group here that have some comraderie and I came introduced myself by calling out one of your heroes for an extremely poor article in FHB. I further don't care for that guy in Alameda. I''m sorry no one seems to have any problem being a jerk to me. No one notices the double standard??I didn't call anyone a moron, I wrote that they would be ignorant if they think websites don't work to directly procure more work. Go look up ignorant and get back to me if you can come up with a better word for what I was describing.TO be completely honest I see a lot of hack advice on this site. I can think of four posters that know what they are writing about and the rest vary from not-so-bright to completely out of their league. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. BTW the four are Piffin, Mike Maines, Capn Mac and hmm I guess only three. And while I'm on a rant, Jim, I looked at your site, cheap poorly detailed wannabe McMansions. It's scary how accurately I pictured your #### work by the content of your posts.
See now that's being a jerk. You people keep at it expecting me to back down. Sorry I'm not that guy.
You have it all wrong, maybe it's the chip on your shoulder that's blinding you.Nobody here expects anybody to back down, in fact they would rather you not. They would like you to act human, you social butterfly, you.Of course everyone is picking on poor old red and you are completely in the right.Keep up the good fight
Barry E-Remodeler
No chip. Please tell me how you would have responded to Jim and Huck if you had my differing opinion of how a website can work for your company.
I would state my case. I would not take it personally or make it personal when they didn't agree with me.It would be a boring board if everyone agreed all the time.
Barry E-Remodeler
I didn't take it personally, Huck did. Yet somehow I'm the A hole.
"Yet somehow I'm the A hole."
Ok, fair enough. I thought Jerk, you say A hole. A hole it is. Personally I would have stuck with Jerk but hey, when in Rome go with the Romans.
So, you are a GC and have a kick butt web site. But you don't have any profile info or won't share the site. Most everyone else has even if ridiculed when doing so. No kahunas huh?
Even our resident 14 year old shares his work shop and work so we believe what he says and that he knows what he is talking about. But ok, live in fanatsy land and we will assume you critisize from a knowledgable persective. Or you just assumed that we would believe you? I mean with such a refined delivery to add to your credibility why not?
Maybe you are just a legal secretary who wants to do construction. Or an accountant who reads a lot of how to books. Or a boiler operator that was hoping we would all just grab on to your insite. But naaahhh, you are a GC with a great web site who is wildly succesfull and all knowledgable. And we believe you. Just because you are new, a great guy and said so. DanT
Well pony up your web site so we can look at your work.
No thanks I prefer to remain anonymous in these here parts.
McMansions? Every time you post something, your credibility diminishes significantly. It's pretty clear that you don't care for anything I do and I'm fine with that. I've never made a nickel serving you or your market. The worst thing about how you've decided to particpate here is that you might have something worthwhile to offer, but I don't know how you'd ever figure out a way to communicate it without everything blowing up.I'm going to make a guess that you have significant problems associating with real people out in the real world too. I'm going to suggest How to Win Friends and Influence People. Incidently, all the houses you saw on the website had wheels. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
I don't think you know the definition of McMansion.
Ricky Red--
You need to choose your battles more carefully.
Blue can fight his own battles--that is not what I am doing here.
You may wish to look back at historical posts...do a search for blue and read some of his advice offered... over the years. I believe he's been posting here for about 10 years. I've only been around about 7 or so. Blue's forte is business, ideas, ethics, and historically he's an old time builder.
Long story short... he has my respect.
I'd wager this month's pay that he has about 99% of the other folks here's respect also.
You don't yet. Being abusive is not an effective way to earn it.
LGardenStructure.com~Build for the Art of it! Decks Blog
I too know how message boards work. And you sir are the most arrogant, flame-war inciting individual I have ever had the privilege of meeting.Ok, so there's a bunch of hacks here. I figger we might as well lump you into that category then too?And I've read some of what you've had to say in other threads. The way you build isn't particularly superior to the way anyone else builds...it's just different. OSB vs. Plywood. Strapping vs. no strapping. Sidewinder vs. wormdrive. Ya just gotta pick your poison.And I'd agree with Barry. Don't back down. Just don't be a pr!ck if you don't.So show us your website. Anonymity can only get you so far...and around here apparently...very little respect.
I'm not trying to earn respect on a message board. I'll leave that to the rest of you.
You people can take my advice or not, I'm not losing any sleep over it no matter how big of a font size you type insults at me.I would still like to know how I could have worded my response better?
You guys are right, Huck's reply to me was as nice as it gets" 99347.26 in reply to 99347.25 To say that the web doesn't generate business is extremely ignorantYup, sure is. Kinda like responding to posts without reading them."The irony is so thick...
by the way, I wanted to thank you for my ispiration of a website design. I did of course alter it a bit.
"I'd rather be a hammer than a nail"
No I just get to the point. I know how message boards work.
Do tell.
~Splinter, knows her way around a search engine
View Image
Edited 1/13/2008 2:43 am by splintergroupie
"Suspended" Huh? Imagine that.
Lessee a maggot becomes a fly, a fly lays eggs for more maggots, then dies.
We be needin a swatter or sticky strip before we have more pestering us...and not leave uncovered food around for them to feed on.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Ask stuart about the racist homophobe Poncho at that site. Hmm I don't get along with car people and construction people. Fitting. You guys have at it with your little club.
Being as I don't know any stuart or have ever been on that site, I don't see why I need to ask anyone anything. Except maybe you to fess up and show some work you have done so well.
But I digress..the matter at hand was why you found it so comforting to be obstinate and condenscending right outta the gate here. And then when exposed how you act at another site, it begins to show a pattern ( if two instances concurr, without a third to modify, then it starts a pattern) of being a person who would rather have the attn. of being a ____ then a respected professsional in your field.
Seems pretty simple to me, put or shut up.
Stooping to calling everyone except your 3 posters you listed as hacks, is a real nice way to garner some credence isn't it now?
Oh, thats right, you don't need any friends or potential customers that may be lurking this site..so why bother?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
( if two instances concurr, without a third to modify, then it starts a pattern)
I think we have confirmed a pattern. Is it possible to "vote" someone off? If so, I call a council meeting.
I dunno about that idea..Y'all woulda booted my azz outta here long ago!Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
I shoulda been gone myself. I'm not opposed to debating each and every issue on the techical side of the discussion and welcome all the challenges. If Mr Redeye wants to simply learn to converse without feeling the need to reduce the effectiveness of his own message with the rhetoric, I'm all for showing him how to do it. For instance, if he truly thinks that the house posted on my site should be different, I'll gladly discuss that with him and explain the circumstances. I don't claim to be a builder who caters to every client and I know I'm not capable of that. I know my limitations and I also know my wants and needs in a house and design. None of the house posted on the website appeal to me either but I still wouldn't agree they are McMansions...although I agree that there is no set definition of the term...so therefore everyone can be correct. I think we all can tell when someone's main goal is to cause anger and this particular poster is attempting to cause anger and argument and trying to disguise it with a little bit of logical argument, then a "who me?" attitude. It's a very common ploy that every forum has to endure. Perhaps if this poster sees that it's not the most effective technique here, he may alter his choice of posting style, settle down and contribute honestly to the discussion in a way that benefits all.In any event, I'd love to see the discussion of internet experiences continue because I think it's a very important line in the vast sea of sales. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Once again, I am in complete agreement with you.
I guess that is a good sign (G).
Thanks to a vigilant poster here, I was reminded of my domain name being due to be ree-upped. A quick visit to GoDaddy and I am back in the loop. With the availability of Sat speeds here now, I am even more interested in getting my site operable, and as my Biz name implies, I have yet a new Enterprise in the works as I type.
Busily setting up a new shop and am very excited to be able to branch out in a manner I had only dreamed of. Always learning, and this thread will be a big boost to get my motavation fired up.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
I think your particular skills would sell well on the internet. I also think that you could lure folks to your site because of some of your unique skills. Are you planning on changing your website or just expanding on it in some way. It's been a while since I looked at it. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Must be some confusion, I have no active site as of yet.
But It WILL be unique! I hope to have something viewable soon.
Having had a vast experience in everything from the sawmill to finished stringed instruments and just about every trade in homebuilding, I am certain that just about everyone could find something of interest if I have enough time to organize it all in a pleasing manner.
Fat Roman and I are working on it as we speak.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Jim and Huck
I've been wanting to write this all day but I have been away from home.
I posted to you, Jim because I don't really want to invite the cause of the disturbance back to the thread.
For me BT is a great learning experience, and the only stupid question here is the one that isn't asked. When posters get nasty it just shuts down people who want to learn something new. They are afraid to add their 2 cents for fear of getting shot down. Many people here have reached out to help me and I am thankful.
I think we have many BT feinds who are read only. I post maybe once in 50 views or less.
And many times I have run across interesting stuff that people have posted links to that I would have never seen other wise. It's like have hundreds of eyes out there looking for stuff for you. Or I use search to solve a problem.
Anyway I wanted to take him up on his challenge "How could I have said it better?"
How is this.
No chip. Please tell me how you would have responded to Jim and Huck if you had my differing opinion of how a website can work for your company.
<!----><!----><!---->
Let me give it a try (Rich)
<!----><!---->
I have found that the web doesn't work if I don't use it correctly. Just like any other form of advertising. <!----><!---->
I found that I needed to drive people to my website. Search engines work, but you need to pay to actually get results, just like any other form of advertising. And we all thought the web was free.LOL Paying for a website is like paying for a radio ad to be made, you still need to pay to air it. Same is true for web, you need to get people to it. (Then explain how, because I don’t have a clue.)<!----><!---->
For my company Adwords works great, driving people to your site via traditional advertising works as well. You need to put them all together.<!----><!---->
Maybe it’s just that people in my area use the web a lot but I get at least 30% of my work from purely web generated leads. Meaning they found the website first and contacted me. And I can confidently say that most of my clients visit my website before they sign.<!----><!---->
If you want to know how I put together my website just post some questions. By the way Jim nice web site. Take a look at mine at http://www.whatever.com Not a real website.
Rich
Thanks for posting that, it was very well put. Like you, I really don't want to get into a pi$$ing match over semantics, as that would only detract from the purpose of this thread. And like Blue, I even suspect old 'Redline Red' might actually have some worthwhile things to add here - I read his posts on the other message boards, and didn't disagree with everything he wrote.
I guess some people need to learn that the difference between rape and romance is the delivery.
What I think is important for everyone to understand is that having a website posted on the internet is not really an effective marketing tool without some system or means of getting the right viewers to that website. Which is what Blue was saying, and I think, Redline was also.
So an "internet presence" is not really an effective marketing tool until you figure a way to get people in the door to have a look around, and have a system in place to nurture any interest that arises from that point.View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
"What I think is important for everyone to understand is that having a website posted on the internet is not really an effective marketing tool without some system or means of getting the right viewers to that website. Which is what Blue was saying, and I think, Redline was also. "That is what I was saying but I also understand that it's not an absolute truth too.Many firms specialize in driving viewers to a website. The setup on their sites and strategies are different than what we have chose to do. For a small job shop like us, an elaborate site designed to lure thousands of hits just doesn't make sense. We are content to use it like a sales person would use a presentation book. We tell our clients about the site with our print advertising. They go there if they are internet type people and look to see what we have done. At this point, our site is very minimal. It shows three different project that we have completed. ONe is a simple country ranch house. One is a California junk house flip. The other is a custom shell package that would be described as a Frank Wright wannabe. If a prospect is thinking about building a small addition or a custom ranch, they'll see that we can finish the job. That's our goal....they know that if we can agree on terms, they'll get their house standing. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
At this point, I think that is how most of us on this board are using our websites. They are not bringing in sales, per se, but are an auxiliary support to our existing sales methods. If we run an ad, the url is in our ad. Or on our business cards, jobsite signs, worktruck signs, etc. If we talk to a potential customer, we refer them to our website.
I do think the potential for bringing in sales is good, and will increase dramatically in the future. Its already being done to a huge degree in other fields (i.e. book sales, and other retail sales), and guys like Lawrence have done very well tapping into internet as a sales source.View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
See, your changes make it into something I didn't intend. And of course this is great:
"(Then explain how, because I don’t have a clue.)For my company Adwords works great..."You can lead a horse to water... I gave you one way to drive motivated customers to your site. (directly after you chastised me for not doing so) In fact, one of the most effective methods for me. Did you want me to write out a book's worth of advertising theory for you too? It's a message board and I was succinct. To say that the web is not yet an effective direct marketing tool is ignorant. The declaration of its ineffectiveness was direct and my response was in kind.
To say that the web is not yet an effective direct marketing tool is ignorant.
Red - read my lips: No one (except you) has said the web is not an effective marketing tool. All anyone has said, at least in this thread, is that its only effective when you have a means to drive viewers to your website. Kapish?View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
You're right. No one has said anything in this thread. But, a great deal has been written. And your boy Jim wrote that the "An internet site does not work for you if you are trying to use it to lure clients to your services" and you agreed and further added that this is true at this time, but times are changing.You both are behind the times. Go look at Google's stock price and then sit back and wonder why it is so high. Then go re-read all the other posters that have more diplomatically written what I wrote originally. You can lure a tremendous amount of clients to your services through a website. Just like any other form of advertising. If you don't have a professional site in 2008 you're already behind your competition.
Maybe you're just pacing yourself?
Hey Red - there you are. Yes indeedy. Allllrightythen.View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
Yeah I'm around. Maybe you'll get used to it? It seems everyone is used to Jim. His writing is equally abrasive as mine.
There is an amazing tolerance for abrasiveness here. At least I have to assume so, since I'm still here. You may however want to send an emissary ahead of you, and a little fashionable kevlar probably wouldn't hurt, should you decide to brave a fest. Myself, I'm not that brave. But then, I'm a leftcoaster, and fests are not indigenous to this area.View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
That post right there is designed to antagonize and inflame. A more considerate way to phrase that sentence would be "I'm sorry my statments are considered abrasive. I've noticed other posters that seem to have similar styles."If succinct is more important to you than this might be better "My abrasive style seems similar to other posters on this site". Notice how neither of them includes a name, which generally is designed to antagnonize. A good rule of thumb that I have learned is to only use someone elses name when praising. Praise the people, criticize the techniques, without specifically connecting them. You are here to learn about techniques aren't you? Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Praise the people, criticize the techniques, without specifically connecting them.
<!----><!---->I think this would be very good advice, you're pi$$ing off a lot of good people. Lighten up or leave...
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<!---->"<!---->Ask stuart about the racist homophobe Poncho at that site.
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It's scary how accurately I pictured your #### work by the content of your posts.
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You both are behind the times. Maybe you're just pacing yourself?
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Yet another ignorant post by you about the internet.
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But since you have no experience with this whatsoever, please enlighten me
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Sounds like you got the contractor you deserved.
That might be the ugliest back yard I have ever seen. Good work. (Is that the first Victorian you restored?? because...)
Sorry bub, none of the photos you have posted are impressing me. <!----><!---->
Show me more pictures of your supermegaquality work
Both the pot and the kettle are indeed black. And Mr second Victorian remodel is a jackass.<!----><!---->
He's a PITA, and he doesn't know it.
Go build some more garbage tract buddy
If you're suggesting to use a jigsaw or a coping saw to make that cut you should definitely outsource your cabinetmaking"<!----><!---->
Wow JMadson....that was far too much work for a character like this. It paints a picture though of a poster more interested in tossing insults than making constructive criticism posts. I think you know as well as we all know that credibility is earned here not given free of charge. You are wrong about one thing though. He's not pizzing a lot of people off because most of us have already survived this stuff and don't give it any weight whatsoever. He hasn't established himself as having a valid opinion and he certainly has made his ladder longer to that plateau now. If someone like yourself starts saying things, then I take notice. I know I've been wrong about how I said things in the past and have taken my lumps. I'm genuinely sorry when I'm mistakenly called someone out in the wrong way, even if my intentions were pure. No one's perfect but most of us know that this site would be useless to read and post in if civility didn't rule. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
He is remiss in failing to note that those are all replies to attacks against me. (except maybe about the Alameda guy,)I still want to read your thoughts about Google's magical income.
"I still want to read your thoughts about Google's magical income."I guess you can't read between the lines. I'll spell it out for you.I have decided that your only purpose of discussion is to find ammo so you can fling another round of insults to try to entice me, and others into a low level worthless war of words. I'm not interested in participating, nor am I lurking in your incessant battles with others. To minimize the worthless verbage, I have already capitulated. You win. You are right about Google and internet sites and every other topic you want to challenge me on. I am like a zombie...I have no thoughts.Sorry, for not being much fun. When you decide to enter into discussions in a manner that will lead to thoughtful and productive exchanges, I'll start noticing that and re-enter your inner circle. As of now, I don't see anything productive happening here. I'll be surprised if you find a way to overcome the damage to your own credibility that you have already inflicted. It's possible but most guys that start their posting career on a site like this just wander off or get banned. Fortunately for you, there are a lot of relatively new posters on this site that you can engage. There are also a lot of folks who won't bother taking as much time as I already have trying to get you to see the light. I sincerely hope you can find a way to soften your stance with your further contacts on this site. We are all better off with the collective wisdom of many and your well thought out responses are what makes this site special. I've learned a lot about regional differences and feel like this is one of the greatest construction dictionaries out there on the net. If you know of a better one, please let us know. The one thing that is alwasy distasteful on this site, despite it's wealth of knowledge is the personal insulting attacks on someone if they happen to post something that is different than another poster's experience. Being succinct is fine but we all would prefer civility to be a major component of succinctville.Carry on without me. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Google is an example of website that has found a way to draw people to their site. They aren't really selling anything though.Lets assume every contractor in the world sets up their site to lure people to it. They use every known technique including adwords and whatever else the geeks figure out. With 2 million contractors luring everyone to a site with the word "construction" in it....it would remind me of another industry...the p o r n industry. Try one of their keywords and see where you end up...It's not impossible for someone to design their site to act as the lure but it's also not going to be the best idea for a one man band either.If it will make you feel better, I'll rephrase my statement....oh wait...I already explained my statements very clearly several times! If you have some problem with the clarifications, lets discuss it. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Yet another ignorant post by you about the internet.Google isn't selling anything????wow!I guess I can stop paying them now. And I think YOUR ideas about the internet's effectiveness as a marketing tool are antiquated and you have no idea about which you are writing and should shut the F up. How's that?You don't see me writing about how to fly an airplane do you? You know why/ Because I have no idea how to fly an airplane. Much like you have no idea how to use a website for your business. Yet you can't help yourself but interject some half assed notion you came up with based on absolutely nothing whatsoever while also berating those that are offering helpful information on the use of this technology. Furthermore, I can't think of a more cost effective and useful advertising than a simple website and a quality SEO package for a one man show. But since you have no experience with this whatsoever, please enlighten me.
You are an angry person and I suggest counseling. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
right back at you. Tell me more about how google makes record profits without selling anything.
After counseling, come back and we can continue our discussions. I'm not interested in one on one flame wars or proving that I have a better style at insulting people or that I'm more clever with my words or that I'm better at using sarcasm and angry postings to cause anger, resentment and therefore escalate battles. I read here to learn about construction related topics. The personal stuff isn't something I'm interested in. The only thing I know about you is that if I try to have an intelligent discussion, you will search everyone of my sentences and think of a way to be insulting and try to inflamatory. I've already got several others in my corral that think that way and they've been trying for years to get my goat. Join the crowd. If you want me to tell you that you are the most intelligent person about everything...just ask me. I'm fine with deferring to your expertise in every area including all forms of construction and internet issues. YOu are the master, I am the most ignorant about all things of this nature. Highlight my words, print them out and post them on your mirror if it makes you feel better. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
POPCORN TIMEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, all set...may the best eye win! No below the belt grabs and no hair pulling..standing 3 count applies.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
I think were all done. I really don't have much more to add. There's half a dozen guys that have had me in their sights for years now. I'm sure most of them put me on ignore after they realized that I don't really care what they say or think about me. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Dang, I was just getting comfy with a bowl of hot buttered, waiting for the action.
Hey Jim, you proved again, who is the bigger man..sometimes it takes restraint to overcome..good job. When I grow up, I wanna be like you..(G)Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
does this mean you're leaving never to return?
and before your extra speacial going away party we were planning?
I'm heartbroke
It is an unbareable thought. Oh well, sniff, if that is how it has to go.
Hey! I ordered a new gas grill today. Weber. Always have had good luck with them and the one we currently use is too cold to really seer the meat well. Can't wait! DanT
The webber grill I have was my dad's before I...... relieved him of it.... before they moved from St Louis.
Has to be 15 years old if not more and still going strong, I love that thing.
Only thing wrong with it, other then my lack of cleaning it, is the electronic started that shot craps less then a year after it was bought... Doesn't seem like something I'm going to fix though.
I run a very small, custom woodword business, but I still have a website.
But I don't want people to know how small I really am. If I gave out an email address like [email protected], people would know I'm small potatos.
My address is http://www.jmadson.com and my email is just [email protected] My business card looks as good as the big guys in the area. My site could use a professional touch someday in the future, but most of my customers like the samples. I get all the time, I want the one on page two.
I have had one customer once find me from the web, but that's not my goal at all (not that it wasn't nice to get a $6k customer) I see the site as a completely portable brochure. Everyone can get a copy whenever they want. I also only work on word-of-mouth so far. Pretty much all of my word-of-mouth customers have looked at my site first.
I only pay $84 a year for this, I see it as money very well spent.
I sort of avoided adwords on purpose. They can be an extremely powerful tool (like one of those giant chainsaws professional lumber jacks use). Applied properly they can make a huge difference in productivity, applied improperly you can end up missing (paying) an arm and a leg. Adwords need to be chosen very carefully so you don't end up paying for a bunch of click-through with no conversion (sales). You are right though. Adwords can be very very effective.
Generation Next here I guess...
Jim--nice site.
I've been feeding myself with more work than I can handle from the web for nearly 10 years. (web and referrals from web leads). Nowadays we could easily keep about 100 contractors busy. 140,000 visits in the month of May last year on one of the 3 sites... heck... even my blog gets about 3000 visits a month now.
The trouble is sheer numbers. A small local contractor can grab a few keywords, however 99% of the guys calling to promise good ranking don't actually know how. (if they did... google would just change them up).
The secret is looking at the results... seeing what the best ranking sites in that category do to rank... and emulating without getting stupid so that you ruffle feathers. Don't go after the major keywords...go after 2 and 3 word combinations of things local folks will actually type in.
Use good descriptive text... give people real information--teach your potential clients--Earn their respect!
When it comes to small contractors a small site is worthwhile to show their work and to help them find local leads. If you get 3 or 4 jobs a year... using it in ads, flyers and signs that makes it worthwile. If you aren't going to follow up with advertising it normally won't be worthwhile doing.
DON'T have the phone company create your site for you... and free sites without your own domain won't get found by the search engines.
Most of thos pages get 10 visits a year or less.
Good luck on the web guys!
L
GardenStructure.com~Build for the Art of it! Decks Blog
I have some limited experience in web marketing and starting small websites.
I hope this helps somebody that had been considering starting a website. Even if you pay a designer to do up your page reading some of the links below will be helpful. Educating yourself to distinguish good work from bad will help you get more for your web design dollar.
URL placement is key to an effective advertising website.
The OP mentioned the @yourname.com email addresses.
Put your WWW on:
bottom of your biz card
Back and side of all CO vehicles
On yard signs if you use them
T-shirts your guys may wear to lunch
If you have a YP ad include the URL
E-mail signatures
Breaktime signatures ;)
Anything you can think of that folks may see.
A short URL can be far easier to remember than a phone number.
In this day and age it does give you a step up in legitimacy just to have a URL.
Think of it this way. It gives the tire kickers something to kick without having you spend 2 or 3 hours with them. Shelternerd has an extensive website. I am confident that his clients look at it when deciding if he is the right design/build for them.
ROI on a non-commerce website is very difficult to track. It may be best to think of it as another tool in your advertising. Website effectiveness is going to vary with your client base. If your target market is blue haired ladies that don't own a computer it is probably not going to be effective for you. If your target market is younger professionals looking for somebody to build their Custom Mc-Mansion it can certainly pay off.
I love to listen to the http://www.boagworld.com/ podcast on my way to work. Start in the archives and listen to the older ones if you are just starting out. The early ones are targeted to non-website designers that may be put in charge of running a company website.
For those that think it costs a bunch of money:
Domain name (your http://www.yourname.com) 2.99 per year
Hosting with a fair amount of traffic (server space for your pages, email addressees, ftp accounts and so on) start at 4 bucks a month but usually your most bang for your buck is around 10 bucks a month.
Web templates - free to sky's the limit. Start with a free one that is conservative in appearance.
Book - CSS for dummies 16 bucks.
Total - under 50 bucks to get started, then your monthly hosing fee after that.
Time - depending how quickly you read, figure 12 hours of research and reading. 1 hour to set up your hosting account. 2 to 3 hours to do up your home page. 4 to 6 hours to tweak it so it looks right. Your next page will take half that long, your third page a fourth of that time. Or if you have a responsible teenager it will take them about 10 min. :)
Once you are set up register your site with Google and Yahoo. It is Free, do not pay somebody 100's of dollars to do it. http://www.google.com/addurl/ It takes maybe 5 min per search engine. It takes about a week for them to get to your site. You can see if your site has been indexed using Google Analytics.
To track hits sign up with Google analytics. It is free. It gives you cool graphs and stuff about who has been to your site, where they live and so on. Google has easy tutorials to get you going. It will also tell you if you have bad links and so on. http://www.google.com/webmasters/#utm_source=en-et-wtstart&utm_medium=et&utm_campaign=sitemaps-us-wtstart
More advanced users will want to read Google's tutorial on Search Engine Optimization. SEO will help clients find your site using google or any other search engine. Text on your site is the key.
More References:
Google Webmaster Guidelines
http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769
How do I add my site to Google's search results?
http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=34397&ctx=related
How can I create a Google-friendly site?
http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=40349&ctx=related
Common Mistakes in site structure
http://www.boagworld.com/archives/2008/01/106_back_to_work_blues.html
Mobile Website Design (browsing from a Cell Phone)
http://www.boagworld.com/archives/2007/10/show_96_moll_on_mobile.html
Keeping your home page clean
http://www.boagworld.com/archives/2007/05/keeping_your_home_page_clean.html
Thank you for the information. I'm going to look into the Google analysis stuff.TFB (Bill)
2leftfeet
Sorry I didn't see this the 1st time i read throught the thread.
Maybe I got distracted by the commotion.
I will refer back to this though. Like I said it's bed time.
Rich
I've always entertained the idea, bu having had nothing but dial up it was nothing worth persueing at length , in my mind.
Now that I have Sat. High speed, I am gonna be looking more closely at it.
I *think* I already have spheramid.com locked in.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Yep, it looks like you do have spheramid.com locked in, I assume this is you:Registrant:
Spheramid Enterprises641 Panola Rd
Waco, Kentucky 40385
United StatesRegistered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: SPHERAMID.COM
Created on: 13-Jan-08
Expires on: 13-Jan-10
Last Updated on: 13-Jan-08Administrative Contact:
Kriebel, Duane Spheramid@***.com
Spheramid Enterprises
641 Panola Rd
Waco, Kentucky 40385
United States
(859) 200-****Technical Contact:
Kriebel, Duane Spheramid@***.com
Spheramid Enterprises
641 Panola Rd
Waco, Kentucky 40385
United States
(859) 200-****I obscured the contact info just to be sure, but it is publicly available.
Nater,
Can you disclose where one can find this info?
I registered a domain name several years ago but don't know whether it's still mine. Thank you, Walter
Walter,You'll probably have to go through two steps.First, go here: http://www.whois.netEnter your domain name, followed by the appropriate .com / .net / .org etc. and hit 'Go'The returned page should have some brief info, and this at the bottom: For complete domain details go to:
(here it will have some address specific to the company the domain was registered through)Copy and paste that address into your browser and you should see the information you are looking for, including how long your domain is registered until.Best,
Steve'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
Steve,
Thank you very much. I just looked mine up- it's due to lapse on Feb. 2. Guess I've got to get my s**t together.
Can't believe it's been 4 years since the registration.
Walter
Walter,You're quite welcome. Let us know when you are renewed and post a link to your site. It's always nice to see your work.Best,
Steve
'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
Steve,
Thanks for the work compliment.
The domain name is bangorslate.com .
I traded some skylight installs to a man who does the web work for our major Hospital here- nearly 4 years ago. With my medical issues with my hip and work in general, I've never done anything towards getting it up and running.
He was to help with the design and such--- time to give him a call.
Thanks again, Walter
Yeah as much cool stuff as you've done and no more than it costs, you need to have at least a vanity site up and running.http://grantlogan.net/
"Because I really want to live in a country where the poor people are fat. "- Unidentified Indian Immigrant when asked why he wants to come to America
Grant,
Like a lot of replies here said- it can be a brochure that available to anyone once they know the address- or hopefully get a good webmaster to have it found easily.
Have you seen the great joinery in "waiting for a crane" thread? I'll be slating that in a while.
I even thought I might see if Justin Fink from the Mag. might want to do an article about it.
Walter
Have you seen the great joinery in "waiting for a crane" thread?
Yeah Walter, I've been reading along. Great thread.
As far as the web site, I originally started setting it up as a reference point. Most of my work is sub work and and I'm familiar to the builders I want to be familiar with. But occasionally, a homeowner will contact me with an interesting project and want references. All I have to do anymore is give them my site address and don't have to go thru the process of contacting old customers to ask if they mind if so & so calls them. And often, since I'm a sub, the owner doesn't know who did his copper work.
But, I'm gradually changing the site some (I didn't get finished with it the first time) to try and pimp custom fabrication more and I'm getting some interest.http://grantlogan.net/
"Because I really want to live in a country where the poor people are fat. "- Unidentified Indian Immigrant when asked why he wants to come to America
Grant,
Most of my work is for homeowners,esp. when a home with slate changes hands.
I could be sure all the brokers know the address to give to prospective buyers.
Walter
We're putting on R/W 16" slate on the Timber Frame house
IMO, an internet site is cheap enough nowadays to just have one for the sake of having one. You don't need to do any work to drive customers to it. Just use it for email and as an online brochure. Make sure the name is easy to remember or at least relevant to your business. The hundred bucks a year will definitely add at least that much credibility to your business.
J,
Thats my thinking exactly- getting it up and running just hasn't been a priority.
I've always got a backlog of work, so I don't need it to generate more work per se, but the image factor and e mail at your own domain would be nice.
Who doesn't want to be master of their domain!!
Steve,
I'm having lunch next Friday with the man who's going to set up my site.
After talking with him would you mind if I run his ideas by you?
I know you're helping Duane with a site. I'd be happy to pay a consulting fee for your critique of his design
Best regards, Walter
Hi Walter,I just sent you an email.Best,
Steve'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
Oh mighty internet wizard, my site is up in August, how do I renew it?
Get in touch with whomever you registered it through. If you don't remember, follow the steps outlined above.Looks like it might be 1and1.com though.Log onto your account and pay for an extension. If you can't remember what your username/password is, there's probably a 'remind me' feature there that can email it to you after you provide some sort of answer to a secret question. If all else fails, call their customer support. Can't imagine that they'd give you too much of a hard time if you are calling to pay them :)
'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
Yep, right on, either whois.net, or any site that registers domain names will work as well, it's all the same informationhttp://www.register.com/whois.rcmx
http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp
http://www.internic.net/whois.html
http://whois.domaintools.com/etc, etc...
I originally used my site http://www.ChandlerDesignBuild.com as an on-line brochure to show prospective clients my work and explain how I do business but it has evolved into a kind of virtual newsletter that re-publishes press clippings about the company and when that change happened I would post an article on the site or add an award winning house to the portfolio and send out a short e-mail to my old customers and builder contacts and social contacts about the addition and the news feature or award. Once people stopped by the site to follow up on the e-mail I made it easy to get to the home page or to the other homes in the portfolio. I also use it to post in-depth articles I write about building science etc. that I can't get anyone else to publish. So it's become more and more of a personal newsletter, (there are even links to my music on there)
Last month I had 1,700 page views and I refer work to other builders I respect in the three county area that come from the site but that are more than I want to build. (I like building three to four homes a year and see no incentive to building more than that, I turn down 75% of the leads my site generates)
Fat Roman helped me get hooked up with Google analytics (thanks much for that bro) I've attached the November page view report. It's interesting to see how it ebbs and flows.
For most builders the virtual brochure is all you need but I think a "how we work" section can be very helpful at letting people know what to expect if they decide to do business with you. At a minimum the brochure should let people know what kinds of jobs you are interested in doing and what your geographical area is in terms of how far you are willing to travel to work. Done right it can cut down on the number of phone calls and e-mails you get for jobs you are not interested in. But you need to make sure you don't inadvertently turn prospects away that you might rather talk with. I had a problem with posting only really nice high end work and gave folks the idea that I was really expensive. I countered that by posting some more affordable stuff and a section on pole barns.
I would not recommend any search engine optimization. I've had good luck with photo postcards showing a nice photo of my work (interior close ups work well for this) and the URL (blank on the back so you can use them as note cards in messages to clients and prospects) and I also use photo business cards that I had professionally done with a grayed out blueprint on the text side to drive traffic to my site.
m
------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
So your website kind of evolves into a multi-faceted view of what you do, or what you can offer. I like the idea that text is so much less expensive to publish on the web than say, in the yellow pages, or in a newspaper ad. So I'm always amazed at the dearth of text ("content") on most of the construction websites I see.
But I have ten pages on my website, and I've been told my content is thin - so I guess I need to bulk it up with steroids, or something. Actually, there is a lot more I could say about what my company's strengths are, and how to best benefit from our services.
I haven't gone with a SEO service, because I've heard so many promises, so often, I just block it out. But I do think its important to set up a website as a selling tool, because like I said, the internet is the future of marketing.
Lawrence (good to see him back, haven't heard much from him in awhile) says he's Generation Next, but its the buyers who I was referring to. The buyers are going to go to the internet more and more for researching purchases. For Lawrence's niche, the net is already an effective marketing venue. And for some others, like this one http://www.prowellwoodworks.com/index.htm.
I often pick my movies based on internet reviews. I buy most all my books on the internet (often, based on the reviews I read on the internet), and I buy a lot of my tools on the internet. I research almost all my purchases in the internet. I learn and research construction methodology on the internet. But right now, I've been told - and I believe - people in my area are not making a lot of remodeling service purchases based on internet searches. My guess is that Lawrence is not getting a huge contingent of orders or requests from the Bakersfield area right now. Lawrence, correct me if I'm wrong. If I am, maybe I'll sign up to be one of your installers!
View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
I think your site looks fine, People love to stare at photo's of your work so you could always add more photo's I carry an Olympus stylus Waterproof and shock proof camera and shoot a lot of the photo's on my site, you don't need to hire a pro. But I think your site is really good as it stands. ------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
Thanks.
I did a trial run with Service Magic, and it took several weeks to get three sample leads. But they seemed like solid leads (the contact information is omitted when you get the leads as a free sample).
I spoke with a contractor who is getting leads from them. He said the last few leads he got fell through because of economic problems the homeowners were having. In one case, the remodel was cancelled because the husband got laid off unexpectedly - suddenly, making the house payment took priority over remodeling the house!
But I do have work, so I know that the work is out there.
When I was trying to determine how many contractors in my area are signed up with Service Magic, I filled out one of their request forms - not realizing it immediatey goes through as a lead to three contractors. So I contacted Service Magic and told them not to charge the contractors, as my request form was not a legitimate lead. Embarrassing.
But I received one phone call within seconds of clicking my form, and the other two by the next day. And I recieved emails from the same three contractors, within minutes of clicking
It seems that if you're going to use a service like that, you want to have email notification connected to your cell phone, so that you could respond immediately.
View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
Hi Huck-- Bakersfield looks pretty quiet of late though we don't have any content to draw traffic from there... last order was 06'. What's going on down there? Correction hit?
I am having a tough time deciding whether the real estate correction is good or bad for our guys. Our theory after Tampa's first year is that if someone steals a house--they are less reticent to spend money on it--which means nice stuff for us to install.<!----><!----><!---->
Our guy in Tampa was working 10 leads the week before Christmas--which I thought was strange for an economically devastated area.
House prices will come back up--they always do.<!----><!---->
Many people are using the web from sheer laziness these days. <!----><!---->
Uhh, where's that phone book...I don’t know...must be around here somewhere, I used it not 7 months ago. Here...lets just type the company name into google... Uhh...look it that, first page...and the phone number is right there before clicking the link. <!----><!---->
Even on Dialup, it's easier than looking through a phone book.
Sure hope you and all the other guys are riding this economy mess out ok--<!----><!---->
L
GardenStructure.com~Build for the Art of it! Decks Blog
Even us old folks are using the web like that Lawrence. The web is just the beginning. If the content on the webpage fits the desires of the buyer, they'll take the next step, which is to make the contact. After that, it's up to the seller to deliver a comprehensive set of services ranging from the initial contact through the followup. I'm very impressed with the number of hits that you reported. Obviously, it helps that you have been working hard and long on your site while delivering unique products. My hats are off to you. Also, thanks for your upstream compliments. Sometimes, a comment likes yours is enough to balance the nonsense that occurs when valid discussions turn into petty name calling, school yard spats. I know from experience that each escallation leads to a more nonsensical reply when dealing in an irrational thread so for the most part I choose not to attempt to defend against insults tossed by the likes of the current antagonist. I'm not even opposed to offering the olive branch to see if I can help bring them around because often they really do have valuable insight to offer but don't know how to interact in an acceptable manner. They've spent too many years out in the mud yapping with their buddies in an unfiltered manner and never had to deal with the fact that their words are traveling further than 10 ears. And yes, I can fight my own battles as you probably have witnessed at some time but for the most part I choose not to. I'm far from perfect but I'm comfortable in my own skin operating as we did back in MI. Every region is different with different expectations and we all know that when in Rome, we should do as the Romans.Havent seen you post in a long while and the site is lessor for that. Thanks for your contributions over the years. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
YW Blue... true, some things that can only be said by a third party serves to throw water on a boisterous critter. Was just getting the cat off your counter.
I still drop in here because of the honorable people and civilized conversation... not that I don't find the odd flame entertaining...Just tired of fighting after so long in business. I think the regulars come here for comradery.
You are going to have to tell me how you ended up in TX some day. Good luck down there.
LGardenStructure.com~Build for the Art of it! Decks Blog
You have one of the most attractive and informative construction sites i've seen. I spent an hour on it last night, then sent the link on to friends, who've responded that they also found it quite appealing. You aren't going to make any money off of them - sorry! - but i wanted just to let you know how much we enjoyed it and say thanks for that.
I see some have a history of not playing well with others. And chastising others for not proving their qualifications. Tisk tisk. Good one Splinty. DanT
ShelterNerd
I'm impressed. I'll come back and look some more.
Rich
All
Maybe some of you web site guys can give us carpenters a step by step outline of how you went about getting a site put together and what services you used.
I like the idea of a website brochure that is on my advertising and that people can visit after i have made the initial visit to the house.
Thanks
Rich
Rich - I used GoDaddy's "website tonight" template. The cost is minimal - about $7/month. I have limited computer knowledge, only know a little html picked up from reading on the internet, and find it pretty easy to setup and to modify (I add and modify content frequently)
https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/hosting/hosting_build_website.asp?ci=9028
Furthermore, I would be more than happy to share what I have learned from setting up my WebSite Tonight account with anyone who cares to ask. My wife procured my domain names (I have several, and forward them to my website), and I'm sure she would share how to do that, if you wanted to know.
View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
Edited 1/13/2008 10:30 pm by Huck
Huck
Thanks, I looked it over. It's too late and I need to get to bed. But At least I have a place to start.
Rich
Check out http://www.coffeecup.com.
Fairly simple software to create the site. This doesn't give you any space on the web though. For that you need something like godaddy.com.
RichThanksI write the text and collect the photo's on MS word and then hand them off to my web guy who ports them over to HTML and makes the roll-overs, embedded links, and pop-ups work. He also handles the over all graphic design. I've completely re-done the website twice over the ten years or so that it's been in existence. The first pass was a simple web brochure. It may still exist on the webcrawlers at http://www.buildyourdream.com (once you put something up it is impossible to take it down, you need to over-write it. My daughters ex-boy friend posed on some on-line website with sawed off shotguns and machine guns and wonders why he's having trouble getting work as a school teacher.) The second iteration was similar to what I have now but without the rollover navigation it was just a single endless scroll I was inspired by my landscapers website at http://www.GreenStoneGardens.com and hired her web guy to fix my navigation and polish my graphic design. He ported all the content over to a new server added a lot of new content and re-designed it all for about $2,000 total. I have him billing me about $50 to $75 per month for adding and polishing content and maintaining the "events" pop-ups. While I don't pay web optimization services I do believe it is a good idea to change a few words on your home page every month so Google's web crawlers see it an an active site and push it up in the standings. I also swap links with as many people as I can and give free links to my friends in the trade that have websites. My construction lender has gotten a lot of business from my site and I get commensurately good service at that bank.I also pay to have links at Sarah Susanka's http://www.notsobighouse.com and at our state sustainable energy association and at http://www.energystar.govI have a great relationship with a professional photographer who works for me by the hour and I retain all rights to any work he does for me at that rate. Some photographers want to retain publication rights to images and also charge a per diem. Not for me. I also shoot a lot of images with my little Olympus stylus indestructible mini camera. (I did destroy one by throwing it onto a brick side walk while playing with my nephew but it will withstand submersion in running water, a five foot drop onto concrete, freezing, being tossed in wet sand at the beach, etc. the photos on the Berry residence were taken after a beach trip and you can tell there is salt on the lens if you look for it... Use the eject disk thingy on windows when ejecting the memory card from the computer or you will mess up the memory card. I have a pile of trashed memory cards because I didn't get that right. 's late y'all, be well Michael(and look out for those red eye fly / trolls)------------------
Did you try reformating those cards? It might bring them back.Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
If your hair looks funny, it's because God likes to scratch his nuts. You nut, you.
yes, no luck------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."