Website services for painters & building contractors
If you are a painter and decorator or building contractor and haven’t got a website yet, you need to get one, or you will get left behind. Likewise, if your current site is pants, you need to get it up to speed.
Below are the main elements behind getting (and keeping) this website up and running and generating business.
WordPress website
WordPress is the software behind this, and millions of other business sites and blogs. WP is a Content Management System, which means it is a dynamic and powerful tool that can be totally customised, to organise content, display photos, post blogs, and generally manage a complex or simple website that suits you, your visitors and Google. It is FREE. It has a steep but viable learning curve – I knew nothing of WordPress before this site started!
WordPress theme
The look of this site is down to an iThemes theme called Ecommerce which has lots of options for displaying content in a creative way. Many WordPress themes are free or cost little money. Themes come ready to use at the click of a button, but if you know CSS, you can alter every single colour and element. (The colour scheme was designed by our online colour consultant). The main option you need to decide on when picking a theme, I think, is the number of columns. This a 2-column layout. You can have 1 up to 4 or more.
WordPress developer
WordPress comes with many plugins or functions that you add to the basic software with a click of a button, like contact forms, shopping carts, forums… They usually integrate well and are free. However, a developer like Zoran at Hackadelic is a skilled wordpress programmer who can add functionality that is not readily available off the shelf. Also he can set your site up to run much faster than normal, using less code.
Website hosting
MDDHosting are one of many companies who charge a very reasonable price to keep websites like this online and safe. However, MDDHosting are no ordinary host. I found them a few years ago after the “expert” company I was with at the time were taken out, along with lots of other hosting companies, by a massive cyber attack from Russia. I followed events on a webmaster forum and saw that, unlike the rest, Michael of MDDHosting was actually keeping the attackers from breaking through his security. I wanted him watching my back, and his customer service and attention to detail have been exemplary ever since. Hosting from about $70 a year.
Website marketing
Once your website is looking good and is up and running safely online, you need to add content to attract the punters and generate paid work. Marketing isn’t rocket science, but it isn’t obvious either, especially online marketing, so I would just do exactly what marketing expert Darren Slaughter advises. Implement his ideas and you may actually find that your precious traffic is converting into valued paying clients. This site generates most of my work, and after implementing the tweaks and suggestions arising from one of his comprehensive website reviews, over a 3-month period, traffic here rose further from 9000 to 14000 views a month with more people than ever are asking for our services. Darren speaks contractors’ language, and has many contacts who can move your online presence forward. He is a big part of the jigsaw and you should get him onboard. Contact Darren today!
This is a summary of the services I use, and have paid for, and am very happy to recommend. Satisfy yourself first that they are a good match for your needs before proceeding.
If you are in Cheshire looking to have your property decorated to a really high standard with minimal fuss and disruption, or...
Looking for ideas or costings to refurbish a tired kitchen or hand-paint a new one? Please contact me via the form below.
If I can't help, I'll know another specialist decorator in the UK who can.
Contact Andy Crichton
