Web Design VernonWhat a landscaper's website needs so homeowners ask you for a quote
A homeowner with a yard full of weeds, or a patio they've wanted for years, is about to spend real money on someone they haven't met. They ask four things, in this order.
- Do you do what I need?
- Do you come to my town?
- What will it cost?
- Can I see work like mine?
I read five Vernon-area landscaping sites. All five answer the first question. Not one gives a price, and not one gives opening hours.
1. Do you do what I need?
All five show a phone number. All five list their services, and the clearest do it by season, in the words a homeowner uses: "Regular Lawn Maintenance", "Seasonal Yard Clean Ups", "Snow Removal & De-icing". A person typing "fall clean up Vernon" finds the page that says those words.
Four of the five offer a free quote, estimate or consultation, and that's the button the page exists for. Put it beside the phone number.
Design and build work is a different buyer from lawn care. A person who wants a retaining wall and a person who wants the grass cut weekly don't want the same page. Give each a heading of its own.
2. Do you come to my town?
Four of the five say where they work. One lists "Vernon, Coldstream, Armstrong, Lake Country". Another has a town picker. A homeowner in Lumby or Enderby won't phone to ask. They'll go to the firm that lists their town.
List every town you'll drive to. If you charge more past a certain distance, say so.
3. What will it cost?
None of the five gives a real price. One has a budget tool, where you pick what you want and see a range. That's the only one that comes close.
You don't have to price a patio. But you can price the jobs that repeat:
> Lawn cut, average yard, from $__. Spring clean-up, from $__. Patio and retaining wall: we'll visit, and give you a written price within a week.
A homeowner who sees "from" prices can tell whether you're in their range. A homeowner who sees nothing guesses, and a guess usually goes to the firm that gave a number.
Three more things help a big spend feel safe:
- A project process. Three of the five lay out how a job runs: design, budget, construction, aftercare. A big job is frightening without one. Four or five numbered steps is enough.
- A written guarantee. One of the five has a "Workmanship Guarantee". A patio is judged a year later, when it has settled or hasn't. If you stand behind your work, say for how long.
- Insured. Two of the five say so. There's heavy equipment on a stranger's property, and "fully insured" answers the worry in two words.
If you have employees, register with WorkSafeBC, and say you're registered. None of the five does.
4. Can I see work like mine?
Three of the five show finished work: a portfolio, an "Our Work" page, a project section. Three show reviews. Two say how long they've been going: "20+ years" and "Twenty years".
Show your best six jobs with a line each: what the yard was, what you did, the town. A homeowner looking for a patio wants a patio that looks like the one they can picture.
The Okanagan helps you here. Three of the five talk about water, drainage and soil in local terms: "Sun, slope, soil, drainage, deer and water availability". Every yard here is shaped by a dry summer and a slope, and a landscaper who says so sounds like they've done this before.
The three answers nobody gives
- A price. Not even "from".
- Your hours. Nobody says when to phone. One says it replies to a form within 24 hours, which is the closest anyone gets.
- That you're registered with WorkSafeBC.
Any one of the three puts you ahead of the five I read, and each takes a few minutes.
Where this goes on your site
The quote button, phone number, towns and a "from" price go at the top of the home page. The best six jobs come next, then the project process and your guarantee.
Want it done? Text me your business name at 778 808 5385. I'll look at your site and tell you what I'd change, and the rebuild is free. Here's a site I made up for a different kind of business, so you can see the layout.
