From Book: The Service Business Money Machine
If someone lands on your website, you have to engage them in a way that addresses their problem and speaks to their needs in a clear way. You only have a few seconds to get their attention before they decide to move on to a competitor’s site. You may know what a great job you do and how your method is superior, but this is not about ego, it is about engagement.
Let Them Know What You Do
The first thing you need to do is tell them what you do. You have to let them know they came to the right place. If your site is unclear, too cluttered, or complicated, they will NOT have that feeling. They will have a bad user experience. It is very important to understand that even a professional-looking website does not solve this problem.
With all the do-it-yourself, ready-to-go website templates that exist on the market these days, it’s easy to assume that your slick new website is ready to go. If it looks good to you and your friends, you may expect the phone to start ringing with new business. Most of the time this is not the case.
To the customer looking for a local company, you are a just another local business that joined the crowded Internet space. You may know you and your service are unique, your references outstanding and your price fair. But most of the time that is not effectively communicated on the website. The key is to set you, the business owner, apart with a simple yet strategic plan. So, where do we start?
In our testing of hundreds of service-based websites, we have determined that simple is best. To start, you need a Logo and/or Business Name that clearly states what you do. If you tell a complete stranger your business name, is it obvious to them what you do? If you show a complete stranger your logo, is it obvious to them what you do? Is your name, logo and business one that comes instantly to mind when someone asks for a referral?
Never assume anything. Ask ten strangers: “what do you think of when you hear my business name?” Ask ten strangers: “what they think of when they see your logo?”
If you are just starting out and don’t have a business name yet then think about this before making a final decision. Come up with a few names and ask your friends and family if each one makes sense.
Now, I am not saying that you need to change your business name if you are an established business. Instead, if your logo or business name does not clearly explain what you do, then you can simply implement a clear, concise tagline or slogan to add to the website (and to your business cards). Something like:
“Top-Rated Carpet Cleaner in Kansas City”
–or –
“Best HVAC Service in Los Angeles”
Don’t make them guess what you are all about. If you provide lots of different services, just pick the most important for this section. Make your offer simple and obvious; don’t try to be too clever at this point. If you want to be clever, wait until we get to chapter 6, which deals with Trust Elements.
Make It Easy To Contact You
Now that the mystery is gone and they know what you do and know they are in the right place, make it easy for them to contact you.
It’s important to understand that very few people have the time or the desire to read through all the pages of your website. This is especially true when it comes to people viewing your website on their smart phones. In fact, most people don’t even scroll down the Home page. So, it is crucial that you get them to take action right away.
How do we do this?
You need a Big Bold phone number at the top of EVERY page. Don’t make them search. This means no tiny phone numbers, or phone numbers only on the Contact page. If they don’t see your phone number within three seconds, then you are doing it wrong. The phone number should be THE most important part of any service website.
Here is a good rule of thumb: If you stand 10 feet from your computer and look at your website, does the phone number pop out? Check it out right now! Pull your website up, step back and check it out. Does it pass the test? If the answer is “No”, then make it bigger and make the color of the phone number stand out from the rest of the site.
Let people know that you are easy to connect with and contact. Remember, we want a good user experience. We don’t want them to feel frustrated before they even call you.
Furthermore, a large percentage of visitors don’t want to read text, research your company, look at pictures, watch videos etc. They want a phone number of someone who can solve their problem. They want to talk to a person who comes across as trustworthy and easy to work with.
This one simple tweak can double or triple your website response rate. Its sounds too easy, but believe me, this is powerful stuff that most people don’t think about.
Now let’s put turbo boosters on that phone number with a clear call-to-action.
Clear Call-To-Action
Along with the phone number, there should always be a Call-To-Action. Don’t over-think this one. Keep it short and sweet. Simply tell them what to do.
Examples: “Call Now!” or my favorite: “Free Estimate. Call Now!”
Most business owners think, “Well, if my phone number is on the site, they know what to do. I don’t need to tell them what to do.” Don’t be so sure. My experience and the data from numerous marketing studies show that this one little tweak can double or triple calls. Watch those late night infomercials; they always have a call-to-action. The reason they sell millions of dollars in junk that nobody needs is because they are always telling people what to do. And they make it very simple to connect right now.
This goes for all marketing, not only your website. You will want to add it to your business cards, van wraps, postcards, billboards, etc. Frequent and basic calls-to-action are psychological triggers – very simple stuff that makes your phone number much more powerful. It really is like putting turbo boosters on your website.
Contact Forms
In addition to big bold phone numbers and calls-to-action, it’s also helpful to have simple contact forms on every page of your website. Your clients, existing and new, will have different communication styles, so make it easy for them to contact you in many various ways.
A contact form is just a website form that allows people to enter their contact information and then send it to your email inbox. This has nothing to do with complicated price calculators or automatic responding programs. You are simply giving an alternative to calling your phone number.
Many websites have a contact form on their Contact Us page only. But once again, that is making it difficult for people to get hold of you. Don’t make them search or click around to find this form. Think about how many times you have become frustrated with trying to connect with someone and have chosen another provider.
Why would someone use the form instead of just picking up the phone? Most people will contact you by phone if you follow my previous advice. However, some people are analytical and are in research mode and aren’t ready to pick up the phone quite yet. They feel more comfortable reaching out with the form. Or it may be late at night when they find your site or perhaps they work at an office where personal phone calls are not allowed.
In our experience, 1 out 10 people use the form as opposed to the phone number. If I didn’t have a contact form on my site, then our business would be potentially losing 10% of visitors looking for the services that we offer. That can add up to a serious loss of profit over time.
What should this form look like? Keep it short, with no more than 4 or 5 fields. I like to ask for the name, phone, email, best time to call and what service they are interested in. Anything more than that will reduce the number of people who use it.
The primary objective is to get some basic information and start a conversation. I recommend against using email to give bids or estimates.
Once you have their phone number, call them or use the email exchange to set up a call appointment. When you have a conversation, you are establishing a live connection. It is too easy to ignore an email. You want to build repeat customers who will refer you to other repeat customers, and you do this by establishing a relationship.
In summary, you have just a few seconds to convey what you do and how they can contact you for more information. If you have these crucial areas covered, then you will be way ahead of 90% of all service websites on the Internet.
These are simple changes that you or your web designer can make within a few minutes. In the next chapter, we will discuss how to make it easy for the visitor to find exactly what they want quickly and easily. You are going to discover “How to Easily Turn Your Website Into a Job-Getting, Deal- Closing, 24/7 Money-Making Machine” by correctly setting up the menus and pages.
Table of Contents
Intro to Book: The Service Business Money Machine
Chapter 1: The Power of Making It Easy
Chapter 2: Navigation Menus and Pages
Chapter 3: Going Mobile
Chapter 4: Website Look and Feel
Chapter 5: Domains, Hosting and Websites
Chapter 6: Building Trust On The Internet
Chapter 7: Video Power!
Chapter 8: Closing the Deal
Chapter 9: SEO – Understanding the Game
Chapter 10: On-site SEO
Chapter 11: Off-site SEO
Chapter 12: Google My Business FAQ
Chapter 13: Facebook Marketing
Chapter 14: Bringing It All Together
