If you decide on a web site then you need to know your stats otherwise you have no way of knowing if its working apart from the occasional call or e-mail.
I can track my site for visits by the hour and its visits that count not hits, for instance in the same period June-September I've had 56000 hits but this is just like glancing in through a shop window on a busy high street as you walk by, you need people to come in browse and hopefully buy so knowing your numbers is vital.
Out of them 56000 hits I get on average 125 visits a week or around 500 a month and growing steadily. I know where they have been directed from to me, how many pages they looked at and for how long.
If your on the web you will get enquiries from all over the country,it is madness to turn visitors away they will never visit you again, take the details and pass them on by placing the enquiry on a site like this, some one will pick up the job and in the eyes of the customer your site will be deemed reliable and helpful. this will be passed on to others and so your site grows. Other cleaners who benefited from you job will reciprocate and you will benefit from them in the future.Visitors to your site will return and eventually use you themselves.
Your site is a glorified brochure that advertises you 24-7, so it will need constant updating.If not previous visitors will look in and then quickly move on as you have nothing new to offer.Another site is just a click away and you have just a few seconds to get them interested so your first page and headline better be good.You want your visitors to add your site to there 'Favourites'. They will not do this if its boring. Don't let anyone tell you 'all they want is a cleaner' . When you wife goes shopping does she go out in the frame of mind that 'all she wants is a skirt or blouse'. No (god help us
) they visit shop after shop until they find the shop (usually the first one they went to as they used them before and trust them) they feel comfortable with, that probably has the same as the other shops, might be a little bit dearer but, it's the whole experience they enjoy and feeling of value for money. No different with online shopping and when I look at marketing my site I always keep the above in mind.
By the way I knew absolutely zero about web sites 8 months ago but took the plunge and I am glad I did, I now know a little more but learn something new every week.After all we are carpet cleaners not web masters so we all learn as we go along and as already mentioned, no good hiding it away when built, you have to get it out there or the only visits you get will be when you look in
Hope this helps
Happy web building
