It wasn’t a long time ago that when people needed to find a business like a residential construction company, they turned to the Yellow Pages to look for it. Or maybe asked their friends and acquaintances who have used similar businesses before for recommendations.
Now, when people turn to the internet to look for a business that they need, all they have to do is type in a keyword, or maybe narrow down the geographic area of the search in a search engine (Google, Safari, etc.). They then have access to a list of the available local companies.
This kind of convenience is awesome for customers, because really, who has time to thumb through a thick yellow book and call every single one of these businesses for information? This emphasizes a bit of a dilemma for companies on how to present themselves in a way that they get noticed and chosen by the potential client.
Your firm may be the best at residential construction in your area, but how do you convey that to the potential client who is browsing your website as this very moment? How do you get them to stay long enough to actually contact your firm to get a quote? You are not a mind reader, and you don’t know what is going on in that potential client’s mind.
To answer these boggling questions and to shed light into the mystery on what exactly people look for when they land on your website page, we discuss the top five things.
Thing 1: Customers Want to Know Who You Are and What You Offer
When people are looking for a service like a contractor to build their homes, one of the very first things that they want to know is who you are and the services that you offer. Make sure that this is a priority and this information shows up on your homepage.
Some companies don’t put too much information about what they offer because they think that potential customers won’t give them a call if they have all the information that they need on the website. In reality, the opposite is true. Nowadays, when potential clients don’t get the information that they need, they don’t bother calling, they just move on to the next website on the list.
Thing 2: Customers Need to Know That They Can Trust You
You and the person browsing your site don’t know each other. You haven’t met. How do you build something as complicated as trust just by looking at your website? Not to worry — there are several ways to build initial trust between your company and your potential client.
- List a phone number and an address. You want people to know that you exist by putting in a phone number and an address, and that you are not a fly by night firm. People will feel safe knowing that they have the option to check if you are a real firm by calling the number or by “Google Mapping” you.
- Note your license number if possible. In countries like Italy, businesses usually put in what they call Partita Iva or basically their business license number. This information is public so if they want it, this can be easily checked.
- Display your projects. In construction, your previous projects speak for you, so don’t be shy about showing off your previous or current projects. There’s nothing like the customers seeing that you’ve been successful in projects for them to develop the underpinnings of trust.
Thing 3: Testimonials and Third Party Validation
When showcasing what your firm can do, don’t be coy; you might be the best in what you do, but nobody is going to believe you until you show proof. This proof can come in the form of customer testimonials, awards, recognition, positive write-ups about your firm, etc. For example, people who want to subscribe to project management software often look to residential construction project management software reviews to check out other people’s experience with these programs before they buy.
In the olden days, people would ask around and check out previous projects through their friends and acquaintances. Now, they want to read or see what other people have to say about their experience in using your service before they commit.
Another thing that you can put up is your client list (if it’s not confidential, and make sure that you get permission). If you have done work for some big customers, people will love to see that.
Thing 4: Ease of Navigation
There is nothing more annoying for a user than not being able to find what they are looking for because it’s difficult to navigate the website. Usually, the customer is put off when the website is difficult to navigate, and they will often give up on the website and move on to the next if they can’t find what they are looking for. So, how do you make sure that your website is easy to navigate? Website design experts have some practical suggestions on how to do it:
- Keep it simple and predictable. Being creative with your website is great. But, don’t be too creative that you create weird menus. Remember you are a small company — you want navigation that simply goes from one page to another.
- Navigation menus should have a simple and clear categorized structure. Your menu should have a simple and clear hierarchical structure. This means that every category and clickable subcategories are included in the menu. This gives the user a clear idea of what you offer without having to go to another page.
- Always include a search bar. Today’s users are used to getting information instantly, and a search bar is a good way to provide that convenience for them.
If you are a small business, one of the things that you can do is have your website tested by your friends and acquaintances to see how they get on with the site, and this can be a good indication on how easy or difficult people might find your site.
Thing 5: Provide Potential Customers a Clear Picture on How You Do Things
Nowadays, people want to know everything about anything before they agree to buy something or before they hire a company. Make sure that you provide information on how things will go if they choose to go with your service.
For residential construction companies, this is extremely important, especially for people who want to build a house for the first time. Inform them of the step-by-step process that will happen should they choose your firm — from permits, status reports, what happens if there is a problem, among many factors. In other words, you want to lay your cards on the table.
Getting your firm noticed by potential clients on the internet can be very challenging. If done right, it can be a great way to market your company and get noticed because the internet literally never sleeps. It works for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Keep on trying and it won’t be long before your company email gets flooded with requests from potential customers.
