What makes a good website? To judge, you need to know the site’s objective. “The goal for most remodelers is ... to drive qualified sales traffic into [their] sales pipeline. Secondarily, it will support [their] core vision and mission,” says Joe Stoddard, a remodeling industry consultant and REMODELING columnist.
To drive traffic to your site, all marketing should have your company’s URL. All posted photos should have a watermark with your company name and URL. Engage with other relevant sites to create links for better search engine optimization. Once they’re at your site, offer viewers a rapid call to action and value-added material.
A: My Name is URL
Your URL should be short and based on your company name, but buy and register other similar URLs to avoid losing traffic to a typo. B: Crystal Clear
Visitors should immediately know what you do. Make contact information visible in many places. On this site it's at the bottom of every page.
C: Immediate Action
Distribute calls to action throughout the site. Ask for email addresses and offer some value in return. Respond to visitors right away.
D: Social Hub
Create easy access to social media.
E: Lead Me On
Information such as blog posts and videos should peek "above the fold" so viewers will scroll down.
—Stacey Freed is a senior editor at REMODELING. Find her on Twitter at @SFreed or @RemodelingMag.
