Why a Website Revamp/Redesign Should Be in Your Lawn and Landscape Company’s Future
And 5 Tips to Help You Hire the Best One for Your Website
Do you think it’s time to revamp or redesign your lawn and landscape company’s website? Are you getting the SEO results that you want? Can you keep up with Google’s constantly evolving web rules? Is your lawn and landscape’s website relevant?
Currently, I’m in the process of a website redesign to my company’s site, The Landscape Writer (if you’re reading this at the end of May 2015, please note that my new site will go live the first week in June 2015. Please make sure you stop by again to see it at this address). A few months ago, Google let the world know that all websites needed to be mobile-friendly in order to continue to get noticed by them. And even though I knew my site was mobile-compatible, I wanted to make it better.
Since I use WordPress, I knew that I could easily upload one of their newer site designs. However, when I tested my site on my tablet, I noticed that the site didn’t look the same as what I saw when I looked at it from my laptop.
I put a call out on Twitter, asking lawn care and landscape business owners to check out my site on their mobiles to see how it showed up. One business owner tweeted back with a screen shot of my site letting me know that my text bled over into other areas of my home page.
Yuck!
I tried talking to my web hosting company to no avail. Then I tried figuring it out myself. Still no good.
Then I realized it was time to call a professional web designer to redesign my site. I wanted to reach more people with my blogging and writing services, and the only way I could do that professionally was through a better designed site. And a professional web designer would be the only way to accomplish that feat.
Should You Consider a Site Redesign or Revamp?
Not every lawn care and landscape business on the planet needs to have their website redesigned. Indeed, if you’ve recently paid someone to redo it for you and you’re satisfied with your return on investment, then you don’t need a redesign.
However, if you’re like me, and you wanted to test your business idea out before investing a lot of money in it, you might’ve take the frugal route (i.e. do it yourself). But with your business growing, it may be time to take your Internet marketing ideas to the next level.
When I started my blogging business 2½ years ago, I didn’t know if I would succeed. So I tried doing as much of the work myself to keep my costs low. And if I could do it again, I would do it the same way.
Thankfully, I’ve been successful. I have a group of great clients. So now was the time to ramp it up. I’m too busy working on my clients’ blogs and web content to fiddle around with my own web design.
Is your story similar? Did you have a seed of a business idea, and you wanted to test your idea out before investing in a web designer? But now, are you so busy with your clients that you have zero time to keep up with best SEO practices and website design? Then it may be time to hire a professional web design company to do all of that for you.
5 Tips to Hiring a Web Design Professional
I know that you can do a simple Google search to find a web designer. But will they do the work that will make your business shine?
Just like you want your customers to do their due diligence in finding a professional lawn care and landscape professional, you need to do yours to find the right web design company for you. Here are five tips to help you get started:
- Ask around. Just like word of mouth helped build your business, you can find the right website designer through your friends and family. Check out local companies similar to you, such as your local nursery or construction company. Even your locally owned grocery store can guide you to a reputable, local web company. Who do they use for their website design? Are they satisfied with the designer’s work?
- Go local. The local movement is big here in the U.S. Usually, we think of local food and farms. Yet, go local when it comes to your business needs, including a web designer. If you’re in the U.S., check out your local of Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau. Do a Google search, such as “Web designers, your city, state.” Who comes up? What kinds of reviews do they have?
- Check their work. Just like you have a portfolio of work posted on your website, so should your web designer. If they don’t, ask them for samples. See who their clients are and give those clients a call to see if they’re satisfied. Check out their websites on both your mobile and your computer. How easy is it to navigate through their site?
- Talk to your prospective designer. Just like your clients talk to you before they allow you to work on their properties, so you should talk to your designer. Ask them:
- How long does a project like yours take to complete?
- How do they bill you?
- What do they need from you to start the design process?
- Who will be working on your site?
- What will your site consist of: About Us, Portfolio, Lawn Services, Landscape Services, Contact Us pages? Anything else?
- Who’ll be writing your website content? Can you see some of the writer’s work?
- How will they help you build your site’s SEO?
- Who’ll be hosting your site?
- Will your contact information be on every page?
- How easy will it be to upload more information, such as a regular blog?
- How much does it cost to have your site maintained on a monthly basis?
- Realize it’s a process. Be willing to give the information that your designer needs to create the best website for your company. Don’t be stingy on information, return their calls or emails, and work with them. They’re partnering with you. They want you to succeed. That’s how they stay in business.
Is it time for you to move away from being your own webmaster? Then do your due diligence and find a reputable web designer to give you a better boosting online with a revamped lawn care and landscape website.
Do you need some help finding a website designer? Then call me at 717-381-6719 (ET) or email me at wendy@landscapewriter.com for my recommendations.
Wendy Komancheck blogs and writes web content for the lawn care and landscape industries. You can learn more about her at www.landscapewriter.com or email her at wendy@landscapewriter.com. She’ll love to answer your questions about Internet marketing and blogging.