We all know that having a website for your construction industry business has become a necessity rather than an option over the last 10 years. After all, your website is the face of your business to the online word. But your little corner of the web can be much more than just an online business card. If designed correctly it can even operate as an additional sales rep for your company (similar to the 12th man in football).
This past winter, Amazon sold more online books through their Kindle product than actual physical books. According to Auto News, last year some dealers sold nearly 70% of their cars online where the first time the buyer actually saw the car in person, was when they came to pick it up.
With an increasing number of companies transitioning more of their business online, it’s becoming even more important in the construction industry with how companies represent themselves on the web –  especially in today’s economy.
Just because you have a website, does not mean that your target market, whether it’s direct customers or potential contractor partners, are going to be able to find you. The number one way to market yourself online is through SEO or Search Engine Optimization. Here’s an example: Let’s say a potential client is looking for a plumber online and types the word “Raleigh plumber†into Google’s search engine. The results that come back at the top of the list are those businesses that are constantly using various SEO methods to increase traffic to their site. Studies have shown 62% of search users click a link listed on the first page of the search results. In other words, if you’re a plumbing contractor in Raleigh, and your site doesn’t show up on the first page of search results, you may want to consider investing some time into implementing SEO strategies on your website.
Some simple easy tricks of the trade to help get your website Search Engine Optimized are to identify keywords your business should target, create a spider-friendly site map, and make sure all of your web pages become indexed. If tech-talk seems to be a foreign language to you, you’re not alone. We recommend finding a company that you feel comfortable with that has extensive experience with web marketing. Make sure that SEO is one of the primary offerings in their business and they have a proven track record to back it up.
Guest Article written by Randall Graham is Director of Marketing for 123 Triad Web Design, headquartered in Raleigh, NC. For more information about SEO and Web Design, visit www.123triad.com or call 1-800-720-0816.