Top 12 Reasons to Have a Contractor Website

1. Revenue - A website can bring increased revenue into your business by reaching potential customers who are looking for a contractor for their next project.

2. Business Cards – Printing your website address on your business card can expand your business. Imagine you are looking for a contractor to remodel your kitchen cabinets. You obtain a few business cards from local contractors in your area. One of the business cards has a website address printed on it. Wouldn’t you visit the website? Now, imagine how impressed you would be with the information and pictures you review online.

3. Word of Mouth – You know that your work is top-notch as many of your current customers give your name to their friends as a referral. Now that you have a website, your clients and friends can give out your website address. The next time a neighbor or associate at work is looking for a good contractor, your customer can tell them all about you by giving them your website address ‘www.bestcontractor.com’ Wouldn’t that referral look you up on the web?

4. Vehicle Signage – You are driving down the street and you spot a van with a sign on it that says ‘Joe’s Contracting LLC’ with a phone number (203-555-4411 ). You do not have paper and pen available and by the time you get home, you have forgotten the number. The next day, you see a van for Joe’s General Contracting and it has the website address prominently displayed ‘www.joesgeneralcontracting.com’. You remember the website and look it up when you get home.

5. Print Ads - You are looking at print ads in the home owner's paper or in the phone book. One of the print ads says, "Call me on my cell 203-555-4411 ." The other print ad says, "Visit me anytime at http://www.joesgeneralconstruction.com/." You own a computer in the very room you want to remodel! You look at your watch and it is past five o’clock. The company with the website is available for you online twenty four hours a day, seven days a week any time, day or night. You eat dinner. You relax with your family. You look up Joe’s website later that evening. The print ad with the website was more inviting.

6. Search Engines – In today’s market, people go online to find the products and services they need for their unique projects. When a homeowner goes online to search for a contractor to update her bathroom, she will type search words like ‘bathroom contractors’ or ‘bathroom remodeling’ in her hometown of Tampa, Florida. Joe’s General Contracting displays in the top ten search results in her area. She clicks onto Joe’s website and requests a callback from Joe. If you don’t have a website, you simply are not listed and you will lose the business to your competitors.

7. Shared Links – Everyone knows at least one business guy who knows how to network. He goes to all the networking events like Rotary Clubs and spends hours introducing himself to future prospects. A good website can do your networking for you. You could share links with other sites (such as suppliers) who do not compete with you, but in fact share the same customer base.

8. Online Brochure – A print brochure can be very expensive. A good website is like an electronic brochure that you can edit and add to inexpensively.

9. A Professional Look – Your website will give you credibility. You can easily offer your customers value by giving them information that you would not normally offer. For example, you could include links to other relevant web sites such as associations you belong to, or informative sites or articles, which will leave a lasting professional imprint. You can also boast testimonials or show visiting prospects photos of your finished work. A picture is worth a thousand words.

10. Staying in Touch - Updates, Sales, Notices, and General Emails– You can contact your web customers without calling them at home or work. Imagine receiving an email like this one from your courteous contractor: “Hi. I just wanted to drop you a note to let you know that the kitchen cabinets you had wanted back in January are now on sale. Also, we wanted to check in and see if the shelving job we did for your husband’s new study is working well for him. Best regards, Joe’s Contracting Team.' You can also use your website as a way to gather more relevant information from your clients which in turn will help you to grow your business.

11. Clients are looking for you online - Last month, there were 12,923 searches for "General Contractors in Tampa, FL" and 3,114 searches for "Bathroom remodelers in Tampa, FL". You have increased your chances of being hired for the job just by having a website with the words "general contractors specializing in bathroom remodeling" on it.

12. Location, Location, Location - Just like real estate, location is everything. With a website, you can be everywhere. Your advertising budget, used in a traditional manner, only allows you to reach a limited regional audience. But what about the people with a secondary residence in your area? They are not likely to have the local yellow pages, but they are likely to have access to computers and an online search. Your website introduces you to these potential customers, shows them your expertise and provides them a convenient means to contact you through your Contact Us page.