Hey all fellow Breaktimers. Just got new website up. Not finished yet and still working out bugs but if you get a chance check it out and give me some feedback. ALL comment will be appreciated.
I have to go away in the morning so I won’t be back on here till afternoon sometime.
Thanks all.
Greg
Getting the details right for a wall assembly with the control layers to the exterior and lots of drying potential.
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Replies
Sounds kinda wishy washy...the opening statement. Sounds like you're trying to be somewhat personal in an impersonal way. Why not speak about Greg Warner "AS" Greg Warner? What sets Greg aside thats different than the compition? Something with meat on it. I don't care what degrees you have...I wanna see some of your work and want to know why you live, eat, and breathe building?
If Blodgett and Gunner say, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
TipiFest 06~~> Send me your email addy for a Paypal invoice to the greatest show on earth~~>[email protected]
Wow Andy. I'm bleedin all over the place here. Thanks for the honesty. That's what I wanted. You gave me somethiing to think about. Check it out again in a few days, I'll try to meat it up a little.Greg
Greg
I like it.
I think the info about your background is fine, lets people know that you put some effort into becoming what you are. Nothing wrong with pointing out that you studied!
My small criticism is that I cant click on the pictures! How the hell am I going to steal ideas if I cant blow a picture up to see details.
Seriously, I do like to be able to blow the pic up, I think it helps to better visualize the quality of the work.
Doug
Well you found one of the bugs still being worked out. Thanks for taking a look.Greg
Nice job Tonya.
Greg. I think there's a deck picture in with the windows. Small detail.
Quickloading, I like that.
A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
DW says thanks. We're on dial-up here so we wanted it to load fast. She's going to double check the pics tomorrow.
ThanksGreg
Greg, sign up for the fest, it's on L.I. and you're in Pa. Right around the corner.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
The pictures on the right of the home page should have the background picture removed I think. It makes it a collage which makes it hard to seperate. Not wild about the red lettering at the top but other than that I really like the content. DanT
greg... good start !
now go back and edit with an eye to improving the flow of the presentation
some phrases are awkward
also... you promise things you don't deliver: a list of contractors you work for is one
and .. as mentioned.. people see a pic, they expect to be able to click on it for an enlargement, maybe not on the home page , but certainly on the "projects" page
Thanks Mike. I haven't had time to go through and edit yet. There's quite a few things I'd like to change. DW is the one who set it up for me and she's already aware of the problems with the pics.
I never got around to giving her a list of the GC's I work with or my suppliers yet, so that will be taken care of this week.
Still a work in progress. Got it online last night about 2min. before I posted here.Greg
http://www.wernerbuilding.net
What Calvin said....
Sign up for Tipi Fest and meet all of us and I'll even give you some more critiquing...lol...I don't try a be nice...just honest : )
When I read or even write an ad..I dont want it to be some "more of the same". You've tried the rest, now try the best kinda thing...or we aim to please...or we REALLY care about you...yeh sure. C'mon...
For "me" I like to read what past customers have to say and what kind of person I'll be dealing with as a HO. Do they make me feel all warm and cozy and safe or are they just another bullshirter. Its up to you to project your feelings and set yourself apart from the pack.
Something needs to catch my attention or I'm quicky hitting "delete".
Its your time to shine!!
BE well
andy..
If Blodgett and Gunner say, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
TipiFest 06~~> Send me your email addy for a Paypal invoice to the greatest show on earth~~>[email protected]
I was really looking forward to coming up to your place for the fest but we're not going to be available then.
If you can't tell by now I'm not a good salesman and I can deal with other GC's a heck of alot easier than homeowners. I've been trying to work on my people and sales skills for awhile now but it's just not working yet.Greg
http://www.wernerbuilding.net
Overall, I think it's a real good start. Pet peeve... a typo... "after graduating with an Associates Degree is Specialized Technology majoring in Building Construction Technology." shouldn't that be "in"?
Good luck!
PaulB
Thanks, I didn't catch that.Greg
http://www.wernerbuilding.net
I second the wishy washy folksy mission statement comments. Also I get one picture in the kitchen section that doesn't load.
Picture question: Are those pictures of projucts you've done or canned pictures off the net? some seem to be "too" well photgraphed, like their from someone elses ad campaign. And I'll sencond the "click the pic to make it larger" can't see details in the little one.
Thanks for saying the pics were too well photographed. DW is a professional photogragher and graphic artist. She's just now trying to do websites. This is her first.Greg
http://www.wernerbuilding.net
Here 's my two cents worth.
Extend the banner at the top completely across the page so that the left and right vertical elements line up underneath. Right now it looks very unbalanced, visually speaking. Or consider moving the left hand navigation elements up to the top under the banner.
Reduce the number of different fonts used on the site. Too many fonts makes things look jumbled and cluttered.
Add a nav button and web page set up exclusively for photographs of your work. The thumbnail images on the right hand side do not effectively tell your story.
Consider setting the entire site on a dark background with text knocking out in white. The text over the screened back photo is ineffective. Take a look at John Walker's site. Its a good example of clean, effective design IMO.
http://www.clikpic.com/jawalker/
Edited 7/15/2006 1:08 pm by pino
You're missing a closing title tag on the home page...It's the single most important aspect of a website..
<title> Werner Building & Remodeling
should be
<title> Werner Building & Remodeling</title>
If you want business from the site get rid of the address in the image and include as text on the page and place it in the title tag. Good start!
Take the associate degree part out, it sound like you are a beginner. if you must. have it like. " a degree in" leave associate out.
Reply meant for Greg.
Thanks to all for the honest opinions. Some changes have been made already, more to follow this week. Thanks again.Greg
http://www.wernerbuilding.net
Greg
One other small comment..everyone knows to hit the back button to return after enlarging a photo ...so why not remove those instructions and write a short blurb about the said photo when it becomes enlarged...ok, shutting up.If Blodgett and Gunner say, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
TipiFest 06~~> Send me your email addy for a Paypal invoice to the greatest show on earth~~>[email protected]
Good idea. I'll get on that when I get time. Thanks for taking a second look.Greg
http://www.wernerbuilding.net
Greg,
I am but a humble layperson, baby DIY, and female to boot, but here is my 2 cents: I think the photos are great. From the customer's perspective, they are professional-looking, they draw the eye, and the projects look top-notch. Your wife did a fantastic job. (heck, I'd consider putting a link to her photography business on your website, might drum up some business for her too!) I much prefer your layout to the John Walker website; his is far too slick and impersonal for me. It appears that his target market is the large business as opposed to the homeowner.
I don't think your associate's degree comment makes you seem like an amateur or beginner, but I guess that would be a matter of personal opinion. I wouldn't make a decision to hire or not to hire someone based on that. In fact, dropping the 'associate's' part is borderline misleading. Your history is good but there is one statement on the homepage that strikes me as a bit shmoozy. After you write about the customer wanting their home to be perfect, you write, "we JUST (capitals mine) want to help them make that dream a reality." I'd change that to "we are here to ensure that they make that dream a reality" or even "we are here to ensure YOU make your dreams a reality." Something along those lines. The qualifier kind of makes you sound like a little kid who "just" wants to help.
On the subcontracting page, I think it would read better if your bullets were tabbed to the same margin all the way down, instead of wrapping around like a paragraph, which is distracting to the eye. So instead of
: I am writing a sentence about
nothing,
IMHO it would look better as
: I am writing a sentence about
nothing.
And instead of "If you are interested in more information about us, click here" on various places on the site, I think it would look better to be more confident about whether the visitor is interested. If they weren't interested, they wouldn't be on your website in the first place, right? Of COURSE they are interested. Don't put a bug in their ear to to ask themselves if they are or not. So if there is more information to learn, make it accessible on the website and change "if you are interested" to "contact us" with your button or link. If that doesn't work for you, I'd at least reword the About your Project page and make it less cumbersome. "Interested" appears 3 times on that page. Delete the comma in the line "from us, on your project", or even change it to "if you are interested in getting an estimate on your project". No one is going to click on that button to get an estimate on their project from someone else, right?
Finally, as a potential customer, I want to see a bullet list of why I should hire you, i.e:
- Honest
- Reliable
- Good-old days integrity and work ethic
- Really listen to the customer
- Skilled craftsmanship
- Experience
- We value your time, so we show up on time (this isn't part of the bullet but too many contractors don't)
Maybe figure out some customer pet peeves and assure that you are the opposite. Frankly, there are hundreds and hundreds of contractors out there with ads and self-accolades and they all start to look the same. So I'm left with, how do I decide? Eenie, meenie, miney, moe? If they don't come referred from a friend, I read the customer/client testimonials, so put as many of those as you can on your website. We've been remodeling, and a couple of things that have driven me crazy, aside from people not showing up when they said they would or calling when they were going to be late (that's really all it would take), or even not showing up at all, are:
The floor installers told me they didn't know when the floor finishers would come. "The boss will call you." Well, he didn't. I had to track him down. I should have had that information before the floor installers left. At minimum, no way should I have had to call the boss; he should have called me. I was left hanging for almost 2 days.
The floor installers came late and left early every single day, probably because they were getting paid by the day. I don't expect anyone to kill himself, but this dragged the project out over almost 2 weeks and if they'd have worked full days, we could have had our life back sooner. I'm a VERY laid-back, understanding customer who gives everyone the benefit of the doubt (I also make coffee or offer soda/drinks and buy lunch, just so you know I am not the Customer from Hell), but even though my floor looks great I won't refer them or hire them again, based solely on their poor work practices.
Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now. My point is that if you can identify common customer complaints and say on your website, WE do the opposite, I guarantee it'll boost interest in a big way. Yes I want to see that you have education and experience and all that, but everyone else out there has it too. These other things will make you stand out from the crowd in a way that is very dear to the hearts of customers everywhere.
That is all - good luck!
Great work! However, I would never believe it was yours unless you had before as well as after pictures. Just a suggestion.
-T