[ftp]

Do you think websites are just a fashion thing or do they generate loads of work.
I have one but it's fairly basic and as far as I know has never brought any work in whatsoever. I typed in window cleaner in my area and to be honest no websites connected directly to a window cleaner appear on the first page of google. Makes me wonder if it's all a waste of time.

[Window Washers]

Do you think websites are just a fashion thing or do they generate loads of work.
I have one but it's fairly basic and as far as I know has never brought any work in whatsoever. I typed in window cleaner in my area and to be honest no websites connected directly to a window cleaner appear on the first page of google. Makes me wonder if it's all a waste of time.

do you really need to ask this question?, websites work if done correctly, same as anything 

[ftp]

Well ok if you spend half your life on a laptop fiddling with it so to speak. I'm not interested in that i'd rather have one built and forget about it but if it can't beat Yell.com, touch local, smile, etc etc then I don't see much point. 

If I tap in 'window cleaner wiltshire' one pops up at the top only (and it's not the one you built is it Ian?)

[ftp]

To put it another way. I know of a window cleaner in this large county who had his site built by you (fine looking site too) so why is it not top of the pile when I type in that county?
Do they need constant updating/fiddling with etc to keep them top of the pile - or what?

[Nathanael Jones]

Search engine optimisation does require constant updating in area's where there is competition over keywords,..

[ftp]

Thanks Nat, so you could pay a small fortune for a site that works well for a month only to slip down the listings without constant updating?

[Nathanael Jones]

It really depends on the competition. My own website is rarely updated, but because the other cleaners in my area have rubbish websites or none at all, I'm still ranked quite high in Google.

In an area where there are lots of cleaners with pro websites, the newest website often wins simply because the guy building it copies the competitions search engine optimisation and improves on it.

[matt]

yet all come come below

Local business results for window cleaner near Wiltshire ( by google )

[Window Washers]

Well ok if you spend half your life on a laptop fiddling with it so to speak. I'm not interested in that i'd rather have one built and forget about it but if it can't beat Yell.com, touch local, smile, etc etc then I don't see much point. 

If I tap in 'window cleaner wiltshire' one pops up at the top only (and it's not the one you built is it Ian?)

that is not the one I did as that is not a town, Divizes and/or Swindon

Type window cleaner devizes

[chosker]

county may be too wide a search for a lot of people, we optimise on towns and villages but try to optimise county as well, doesn't seem to work so well - try doing the same with towns in your area and see what results you get? (bigger towns usually have more results)

[macmac]

Do you think websites are just a fashion thing or do they generate loads of work.
I have one but it's fairly basic and as far as I know has never brought any work in whatsoever. I typed in window cleaner in my area and to be honest no websites connected directly to a window cleaner appear on the first page of google. Makes me wonder if it's all a waste of time.

I would say it depends on your target audience & ambitions for your business.
If you are hunting commercial contracts then I think having a website would be beneficial. Also, if you have many strings to your bow i.e. you offer numerous services like gutter vac, pressure washing, soffits/facias etc then it may benefit you there.

For a run of the mill window cleaner who's round is mainly domestic then, to be honest I would think you're right in the "fashion" statement.

In your circumstances you could canvass for 30 mins & blow your website's acheivments out of the weeds. Infact, if indeed you are right that the site has generated ZERO accounts then you wouldn't even need to canvass as word of mouth will beat it too!!

So, I think it's down to a few factors. Trust your own instinct, it has got you this far from nothing at all.

[Bobs Window Cleaning]

Type in ...Window Cleaner in Loddon 

I have got over £500 per year work from my website, so I would say it's worth it.

Bob

[ftp]

So that's six houses on a regular clean around £10 each That's dreadful.

[ftp]

Do you think websites are just a fashion thing or do they generate loads of work.
I have one but it's fairly basic and as far as I know has never brought any work in whatsoever. I typed in window cleaner in my area and to be honest no websites connected directly to a window cleaner appear on the first page of google. Makes me wonder if it's all a waste of time.

I would say it depends on your target audience & ambitions for your business.
If you are hunting commercial contracts then I think having a website would be beneficial. Also, if you have many strings to your bow i.e. you offer numerous services like gutter vac, pressure washing, soffits/facias etc then it may benefit you there.

For a run of the mill window cleaner who's round is mainly domestic then, to be honest I would think you're right in the "fashion" statement.

In your circumstances you could canvass for 30 mins & blow your website's acheivments out of the weeds. Infact, if indeed you are right that the site has generated ZERO accounts then you wouldn't even need to canvass as word of mouth will beat it too!!

So, I think it's down to a few factors. Trust your own instinct, it has got you this far from nothing at all.

Wise words there Tony and I think I would agree with you. The thing is if you don't control your own site how can you tell who's tapping in to it or how many are viewing it? Most websites i've seen are much the same even producing the same pictures and the same rain guarantees. I don't think any of my customers give two hoots wether I have a site or not.
I just have this sneaking suspicion that most are following the herd and keeping up with the Jones's and feel left out without one. Who knows.

[Bobs Window Cleaning]

Dreadfull 

Website cost peanuts and I got over £500 work from it :
, sitting on my arse
And they aint £10 houses either

I think maybe you have the dreadfull one bud, if you haver never got any work from it 


Bob

[macmac]

IMO marketing for our business is not black or white. There are many factors which could determine your personal sucsess.

My best marketing tool to date was getting to know the owners & staff of a well known & used shop/post office/coffee room, which is quite rural compared to most & is a very busy community hub. I clean all their own windows & the shop's. Originally, they sacked the previous w/c because he was a bit arrogant & he didn't detail. Anyone who enquires about a w/c'er is always given my number along with a good recomendation. I have to say I have had some superb accounts from this- a hotel (one of my best accounts to date), many local accounts & some very large country estates one of which I quote for next week & is bigger than any of the hotels I clean. It's like a mini buckingham palace! I get good work on a regular basis from this source for nothing more than being pleasant, having a laugh with them & doing a good job.

At this moment in time I don't require a website, I've work coming out of my ears BUT it's always an option for the future if or when things may change.

[AJ]

The thing is if you don't control your own site how can you tell who's tapping in to it or how many are viewing it?

use www.tracemyip.org. Its a website tracker.
Put the little icon on your site, for free. It shows you how people found your website, what keywords they used, where they come from, how many pages they looked at and how long they stayed on your site.
With this information you can optimise your site much better.
If you have a look at my site, its the thing in the top left corner.

[ftp]

Just had a look thanks. 

[ftp]

Dreadfull 

Website cost peanuts and I got over £500 work from it :
, sitting on my arse
And they aint £10 houses either

I think maybe you have the dreadfull one bud, if you haver never got any work from it 


Bob

I don't mean your website is dreadful. I mean the amount of work from it is pretty poor - if they are more than £10 jobs then thats less than half a dozen regular cleans which is pretty minimal. Yes I know my site is poor as I don't think i've gained any work from it which is the point of my original post.
To get a better site I would need to pay someone to build it and optimise it etc. For the sake of four or five jobs then I'm not bothered with having one. See?
Now i can put free listings with all the top business sites who always sit on the top of the pile and not bother with my own site.

[Bobs Window Cleaning]

ftp
 Thanks for clearing that one up.

When I said £500 of work, I didn't mean Yearly.....I meant monthly.

Bob