How To Build a Better Website

If you’re one of the many lawn maintenance or landscape contractors who has yet to develop a company website, or maybe has a site that’s not really helping you strengthen your image and/or grow your business, now is the time to revisit some of the basic principles of what a good website should accomplish.

First Impressions

Your home page should focus on one thing: capturing the attention of your prospects while letting them know you have the solution they’re looking for.

That means having a very prominent, attention-capturing headline or callout that quickly conveys how a customer will benefit from the services you provide. For example, check out thorntonlandscape.com and their use of the phrase, “Get the neighbors talking.”

You might also consider incorporating some kind of offer that motivates customers to take action and contact you. A couple examples would be:

• A free lawn analysis and action plan that tells people what they can do to revitalize a tired lawn
• A free design consultation where you’d walk the property with a prospect and offer specific suggestions
• A free guide to help consumers understand how to select a quality landscape contractor
• A sign-up for a periodic email newsletter

While you want your home page to be attention-grabbing, you also want to keep it simple. Many small businesses make the mistake of trying to get too fancy, which often makes things overly complicated for visitors, who end up leaving the site before learning anything about the company. Animations, videos, background music, and things of that nature certainly are impressive, but often won’t help you land any additional leads.

What will help you land more leads is a website that conveys a highly professional image, has a consistent look and feel, is easy to navigate and draws visitors in.

Definitely provide an overview of your services on the home page. More contractors are listing each of their services individually in the main navigation bar. (Visit inoutservices.com for an example.)

In addition to your services, it’s also important to include a “contact us” tab in the main nav bar. Other effective and often-used items include an “about us” tab, a “photo gallery” tab and a “customer testimonials” tab.

Build Confidence

Placing these key components in your main nav bar allows you to keep your home page clean and simple, providing visitors with a quick overview of your company while enticing them to learn more. Then, by clicking on these important tabs you’ve set in the nav bar, prospects can discover even more about your company.

For instance, by clicking on your services tabs, visitors can learn how each of the services you provide can benefit them. Including photos with each service description is helpful. (Visit ndlandscape.com for an example.)

By clicking on the “about us” tab, visitors can get more of the story behind your company and its employees. Include important milestones and achievements, such as industry affiliations, certifications, awards, etc. If you’re a celebrity who’s been featured in local or national media, be sure to mention that—it all adds to your credibility. (Visit 2009 Pros in Excellence Award Winner landscapeamericainc.com for an example.)

Your “photo gallery” tab can wind up having a big impact on prospects, especially if you incorporate a lot of before-and-after photos. And you don’t have to be a landscape installer. If you’re a maintenance-only contractor, take a picture of a property when your crew shows up, then a shot of how the property looks when the crew leaves; beautifully striped and cleanly edged, etc.

Before-and-after photos can work the same way for lawn care contractors. Additionally, showing photos of different types of turf stress and disease, along with descriptions of what they are, how they’re caused and how your services can help, can work wonders.