There\u2019s something wrong with most construction websites today and it is costing contractors like you money…big money. Your website talks to people willing to spend $25k, $50, $100k on home improvements.<\/p>\n

Your construction website is costing you business<\/h2>\n

You don\u2019t see the people who check out your site and leave without contacting you, they just…leave. Problem is, with them goes their checkbook and your next payroll or truck payment.<\/p>\n

My name is Darren Slaughter and I\u2019ve spent 20+ years in construction marketing and website design. I\u2019ve talked to hundreds of contractors of all sizes in six different countries over the years, and the one thing I know for sure, 98% of you hate worrying about your website.<\/p>\n

In fact, it took a good 5-7 years for the construction industry to catch up to they needed a website. It was the same guys who said the internet was going to be a passing fade, that social media was useless and that you already got enough work from referrals so you didn\u2019t need a website.<\/p>\n

Well, that was then and this is now!<\/h2>\n

You\u2019ve gotten a website up on the web, probably kicking and screaming the entire way. I mean, no one wants to be told they have to do something, but you realized the value of an online presence, so you got your act together.<\/p>\n

Most construction websites started out in one of these categories<\/h2>\n

\n
• You got your brother-in-law who likes to play with computers to build one.<\/li>\n
• You paid someone in the website business but who doesn\u2019t have any experience making construction websites.<\/li>\n
• You figured “I build houses for a living, I can certainly build a website myself.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  Let me go over why all three of those outcomes have probably left you wanting.<\/h2>\n

  The \u201cfamily or friend\u201d website is the most common example we come across. You hired someone close to you who convinced you they could build you a website. So you throw them the keys, they whip something up, it passes for good enough, and that\u2019s what you\u2019ve settled on.<\/p>\n

  Why you are losing<\/h2>\n

  Having no experience in construction or construction marketing, your brother just took whatever materials you had laying around in hardcopy and he put them online. Basically, you got yourself an online brochure. It worked for a while but now you realize your competition has taken their online presence seriously and they are eating your lunch. Well, I can help.<\/p>\n

  The \u201cyou paid a pro to build your site\u201d site. I love working on these types because most design shops throw up all over the screen and put everything possible on a website just to make it look pretty, but it converts for shit.<\/p>\n

  Not only is the website not working, but you paid to have this one built! The problem is again, not having experience building construction websites is going to bite you in the ass in the end. Why? Because construction websites are an animal in and of themselves. Your website is responsible for bringing in people who want to spend a lot of money…but your site isn\u2019t set up to convert that kind of customer. Sure, you get the occasional bath to remodel or a couple of windows or a roof here and there, but your website is COSTING you hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.<\/p>\n

  How?<\/h2>\n

  Because I\u2019m sure your website already gets enough traffic, it just isn\u2019t converting. That\u2019s because you let Jimmy with his graphics design degree build your site. Again, your site is responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue a year…again, I can help.<\/p>\n

  Finally, we come to the \u201cI build houses so I can build a website\u201d crowd. Guess what? I can build a deck, but you wouldn\u2019t want to walk on it.<\/p>\n

  These are oftentimes the worst sites I see. They are cobbled together with virtual duct tape and gum, usually with content lifted from some other website (a big no-no by the way). But since you made it yourself you are proud of your creation, and you should be, it isn\u2019t every day you build a website.<\/p>\n

  Well, I\u2019ll tell you what, I build websites every day and unfortunately most DIY websites stink. Now I know what you are probably saying to yourself, \u201cwho the hell does this guy think he is telling me my website stinks?\u201d If I had you take a look at the deck I built, you wouldn\u2019t mince words with me, right? An improperly built deck can be dangerous.<\/p>\n

  So can improperly built construction websites!<\/h2>\n

  The problem is, there is no immediate sign of danger or impending doom. So this site sits out there on the web costing you one project after the other. Then one day, my phone rings and you and I are off to the races getting you a functioning website.<\/p>\n

  Does this website make me look bad?<\/h2>\n

  I want you to do something right now, I want you to go to your website and look at it as one of your customers, and ask yourself this question,\u201d would I buy from this website?\u201d It\u2019s a valid question because your prospects are tasked with that same thought a hundred times a month. If your answer is no, then let\u2019s talk, and let\u2019s get your site making you money again.\u00a0If your answer is I\u2019m not sure. Well, that is as good as a no, so let\u2019s talk.<\/p>\n

  If you said yes, you are either too proud to admit your site is costing you money or you\u2019re one of the 1% club who can go build houses by day and high-performing websites at night, in which case, we should talk for other reasons!<\/p>\n

  If you answered no or are not sure, I\u2019ve got some help for you below. Here are the 5 things I see the most that cost contractors money, and lots of it.<\/p>\n

  Five Things You Can Do to Fix Most of The Construction Websites Out There<\/h2>\n

  Navigation<\/h4>\n

  Most people, both DIY contractors and website design shops spend little to no time focusing on the navigation of a site. Trouble is, the navigation is the sales funnel your readers are supposed to travel through to contact you. Navigation plays a HUGE part in the success or failure of your overall site. Do it wrong and it will cost you, do it properly and you just made yourself an extra $50k this year.<\/p>\n

  Linking Away From The Site<\/h4>\n

  Do you know all those trade groups you belong to? Do you know that profile you have on Houzz? The listing you have on the manufacturer’s site? They are all costing you business if you do this one thing…I\u2019ll tell you when we talk!<\/p>\n

  Pictures<\/h4>\n

  There are subcategories to this one, so stay with me. The first one I want to talk about is not enough photos. You don\u2019t have nearly as many photos on your site as you should. Words, you probably have a lot more words on your site than you should these days since people aren\u2019t reading anymore. Finally, a word on \u2018before\u2019 images. There are only a few circumstances where using before images on a website helps. I\u2019ll teach you those or do those for you when we talk.<\/p>\n

  Talking too much about yourself<\/h4>\n

  We run websites<\/a> through a platform that tells us how many times you talk about yourself versus how many times you mention the customer. This number is normally skewed big time to the former. Contractors love to talk about all the stuff they can do. They brag about how many awards they\u2019ve gotten, just how great they are in general.<\/p>\n

  That\u2019s fine…as long as you do this one thing that I\u2019ll tell you about it when we talk.<\/p>\n

  Google me<\/h4>\n

  Google My Business is a big deal these days and not only do you have to have a quality site, but you better have a robust Google My Business campaign going. If not, then this is going to happen…again, we\u2019ll go over it when we talk.<\/p>\n

  Finally…Apathy<\/h4>\n

  Most contractors get to a place where they figure whatever they have online already is good enough. The logic is, as long as the Jones\u2019 have a way to find my number or email, that’s good enough for me. Well, that is costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars and you don\u2019t even know it. I\u2019ll tell you why.<\/p>\n

  To be blunt, if most contractors treated their tools the way they treated their websites, they\u2019d be out of business. Conversely, if contractors would spend even half the time or money they spent on tools, certifications, their fancy pickup that hasn\u2019t seen a pile of dirt in the back in years, they\u2019d be rich.<\/p>\n

  My job is to help make you rich, or at least add a couple of hundred thousand dollars to the topline a year. If you’re ready to move your site from the backwater roads of the internet to the superhighway in leadstown, we just have to talk. So, how about it? Ready to move the needle and improve your bank account? Maybe start with a free homepage audit<\/a>? If you want, you can check out one of the 300 videos I have on Youtube<\/a> to help get you started.<\/p>\n

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   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  There\u2019s something wrong with most construction websites today and it is costing contractors like you money…big money. Your website talks to people willing to spend $25k, $50, $100k on home improvements. Your construction website is costing you business You don\u2019t see the people who check out your site and leave without contacting you, they just…leave. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19925,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19923","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-contractor-websites","8":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n