Trade websites that generate you business

Why have a website?

Ultimately a website will generate you b money.

When you have a desirable trade, there’s an endless supply of people who require your services.

Your ability to tap into that supply will determine how successful your business will be.

Your website will act as a quick point of reference for potential customers allowing them to compare you and your competitors and will be a critical factor in determining whether or not you get the job.

How do your potential customers find you?

It’s likely that a potential customer will either have:

• Had a word of mouth recommendation.
• Done a search in Google.
• Found you in a business directory.
• Received some promotional material from you, e.g. leaflet though the letterbox.

It’s also fair to assume that when someone is looking for say a plumber, that they will have a few different companies on their list from a mix of those methods above.

So now your potential client has 4 different companies and guess what, they’re going to look at yours and your competitors websites.

How does a website help them choose who to use?

If you don’t have a website and your competitor does, chances are you’ve lost some business.

If you have a website but it’s poor quality and your competitor has a professional looking website, chances are you’ve lost out on some business.

Therefore it’s quick to see how a professional looking trade website is going to be a real asset for you.

You may even provide a better level of service than your competitor, but a professional looking website shows you have invested some time and money into your business and therefore has a perceived reflection upon the quality of your work.

How do you calculate your return on investment?

When you’re looking for return on investment it’s very quick to ask anyone who enquires about your services or becomes a customer whether they looked at your website or not.

They might only have been on there for a very short time. However in that time a professional looking / built website can build trust which is essential in order for someone to use your services.

How does a website build trust?

A website builds trust by:

• Looking professional and delivering that vital first impression that reflects upon your services / skills.
• Displaying your address, contact details, qualifications and credentials.
• Showing testimonials that provide social proof of previous happy customers.
• Providing case studies that demonstrate your ability to complete the work that you say you can.
• Allowing you to flex your industry knowledge.  This could be a traditional news / blog area on the site or videos.
• Showing photos of you and your staff. Potential clients feel like they know you before they’ve met you.