Ever heard the expression “if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys?” It’s true of website design, too. 

To put it another way, if you walked into a store and noticed that the shelves were disorganized, the signs contained typos, and the merchandise was outdated, you probably wouldn’t stick around. The same thing applies to your contractor website design. Potential customers feel this way when they view confusing, outdated or unattractive websites. Hiring a professional designer is one of the best things you can do to improve your construction marketing strategy.

You Really Do Get What You Pay For

In the infancy of the Internet, the very fact that you had a website was enough to give you an advantage over your competitors. It didn’t matter how basic the site was or how long it took to load. These days, nearly every construction company has a site, and many of them are very sophisticated. Although it may not be fair, your prospective customers do judge your company based on the appearance of your website.

An amateurish website isn’t likely to generate many sales leads, no matter how long you’ve been in the business. You may have saved a little money by asking your nephew to design your site, but in the long run, you’ll lose more than you save if you don’t upgrade your website.

Professional Websites Don’t Leave Questions Unanswered

Professional websites not only look more attractive, but also include all of the information your prospective customers want to know, such as:

• Your mission: Do you serve both residential and commercial customers or focus on commercial clients only? Do you focus on green building practices?
• Your services: Professional websites make it easy for customers to find out what you do. They also explain your services in easy-to-understand language.
• The quality of your work: Project showcases that feature professional photographs and videos of your projects, along with interesting descriptions, help convert website visitors into clients.
• What makes your company different (and better) than your competitors: Do you offer an unusually generous guarantee or have 30 years’ experience in the construction industry? Good websites make your value proposition clear.
• What your customers think of you: Testimonials from satisfied customers reinforce the idea that your company offers high-quality services.
• How they can get in touch with you: Professional websites list contact information prominently and offer online forms or chat buttons that make it easy for clients to reach you.

Experience Matters When It Comes to Website Design

There’s no shortage of website designers, but they don’t all offer the same level of services. Choosing a designer who specializes in contractor website design is essential. Although anyone can design a site that looks good, your website must not only be attractive, but convince potential customers that no one can remodel a kitchen, add a patio or renovate a bathroom like you can.

Designers who have substantial contractor experience understand that quality and cost are equally important to your clients and create persuasive copy designed to make prospective clients pick up the phone or fill out your online contact form. They’re also familiar with the basic tenets of good website designs, such as:

• Clean design
• Professional images and graphics
• Compelling headlines
• Simple navigation
• Strong call-to-action
• Mobile optimization
• Fast-loading pages (Did you know that 47 percent of consumers expect a website to load in two seconds or less?)

If your construction marketing strategy doesn’t include a professional website, you’re missing out on a simple way to generate sales leads.  No matter what type of construction services you offer, you can’t afford to lose customers because your website is unappealing or outdated.

Sources:

Kissmetrics Blog: How Loading Time Affects Your Bottom Line

HubSpot: 12 Critical Elements Every Website Home Page Must Have