website

It’s really important to create the perfect website for your business, but what was perfect one year might not immediately be perfect the next year. Overall, running a business, especially a plumbing-oriented business, is the farthest thing from easy. Your days are packed between unclogging drains, fixing leaks, and installing new systems. With all that hustle, letting your business website fall by the wayside is easy. 

But you have to keep in mind that your website is your digital storefront, and just like any physical storefront, it needs regular upkeep and occasional updates. But when exactly is the best time to refresh your website? Well, here are some of the telltale signs that your business website could use an upgrade.

Your Website Looks Outdated

Needless to say, first impressions matter, especially online. If your website looks like it was designed in the early 2000s, it’s probably time for an update. Actually when it comes to any industry, landscaping, HVAC, you name it, it’s important to have an updated website. It can really help to look into HVAC web design, plumbing design, and basically any web design for the home services profession (ideally not a template).

Anyways, trends in web design change rapidly, and what looked modern five years ago might now seem ancient. Just think about it—would you trust a business with a rusty, old sign out front? The same principle applies to your website. An outdated design can give potential customers the impression that your services are behind the times, too.

It’s Not Mobile-Friendly

Nowadays, a huge chunk of web traffic comes from mobile devices. If your website isn’t optimized for smartphones and tablets, you’re missing out on a lot of potential business. Actually, this isn’t even SEO-friendly either; while yes technically this doesn’t penalize you, it does mean more clicks. Why is this important? Well, the mobile-friendly site adjusts seamlessly to different screen sizes, which ensures that visitors have a smooth experience whether they’re on a desktop, tablet, or phone. 

If customers have to pinch and zoom to read your content or struggle to click tiny links, they’re likely to bounce off your site and head to a competitor’s. Google also favors mobile-friendly websites in search rankings, so an update could boost your visibility.

Slow Load Times

Needless to say, patience is not a virtue most web users possess. If your site takes more than a few seconds to load, you’re losing potential customers. Again, this isn’t SEO-friendly, and it can hurt your rankings! It’s so important to understand that people expect fast, responsive websites, and if yours is dragging its feet, they’ll quickly move on. 

But that’s not all. You also have to keep in mind that there are various reasons why a site might be slow, from large image files to outdated code. Overall, a website update can address these issues, speeding up load times and keeping visitors engaged.

High Bounce Rates

So, do you look into your Google Analytics? If you notice that visitors are landing on your site but leaving almost immediately, this is a high bounce rate. It’s a clear indicator that something is off. Maybe your content isn’t engaging, or perhaps your site is difficult to navigate. Either way, a high bounce rate means that people aren’t finding what they’re looking for. 

So, this is why you need to look into updating your website, overall, an updated design, better content, and improved navigation can all help keep visitors on your site longer, increasing the chances they’ll contact you for your services.

Poor Search Engine Rankings

Alright, so SEO was mentioned a lot, but it definitely needs to be mentioned again. So, you can technically have a great website but still not show up in results. Websites that don’t show up basically don’t even exist. You can’t expect to get a lot of customers online if your website’s SEO is bad; with all of that said, if your website isn’t ranking well, it might be due to outdated SEO practices. Google’s algorithms change frequently, and techniques that worked a few years ago might not cut it today. Updating your site with current SEO best practices can improve your search rankings, making it easier for potential customers to find you.

Your Content Is Stale

Hands down, it’s so important to understand that content is king in the digital world. If the information on your website is outdated or sparse, it can hurt your credibility. Are you still showcasing projects from five years ago? Is your team page missing new hires? Updating your website gives you a chance to refresh your content, highlight recent projects, and show off any new services you offer.

Like it or not, there needs to be updates, and yes, you need to have regular content, you don’t have to go all out, but you need to keep it updated as this massively helps. Overall, regularly updated content keeps visitors informed and helps with SEO, as search engines favor fresh, relevant content.

It’s Difficult to Update

So, right above it was mentioned how important it is to update your content, because your website needs updated and it helps customers. But is that all? Well overall it needs to be updated, but what if it feels too hard to update?

Well, if making simple updates to your website feels like pulling teeth, it’s time for a change. It’s super important to keep in mind that maybe you need a whole new platform, maybe something that’s user-friendly (like WordPress or Wix). Sometimes the ease can be enough to make you want to make regular updates. 

Your Competitors Have Better Websites

Last, but by all means, this is far from the least, so, it’s really going to help to just take a look at your competitors’ websites. Are they more attractive, easier to navigate, or better optimized for mobile? If so, it’s time to step up your game. Again, you don’t want anything outdated, so it’s not good for you. It’s up to you whether to DIY your website or hire a professional, but it helps massively to make your website look as professional (if not better) than your competitors. 

It’s safe to say that plumbing services will forever be in demand. It’s not a skill that is easily acquired and while many households might be able to resolve basic plumbing problems, it’s not always that simple.

However, despite it being a much-needed service, there are a lot of plumbing companies out there, meaning you’re in tough competition with both old and new businesses. These businesses might be doing a lot to acquire customers you’re after.

With that being said, here are some helpful tips to be one of the best plumbing companies in your area.

Build a website for online users to find you

Not all plumbers or plumbing businesses will bother getting a website, especially those who have been long-established and therefore don’t feel they need one.

However, with the digital world forever growing and transforming the way many choose to spend their money, it’s worthwhile to invest your time and effort into creating a website – even if it’s a basic one!

Building a website enables online users to find those, who might live locally and be in need of your services. It’s one of the first things that many people do when it comes to finding plumbers and other handy-type services in the area. If your business doesn’t exist online, then how do you expect new customers to find you?

While you might have committed customers now, they might not always be available.

Go above and beyond for current customers

When it comes to your plumbing business, focus on going above and beyond for your current customers. These, after all, are your bread and butter of business. They really are the individuals who are propping up your business all year round and most importantly, when times get tough.

With that being said, find ways to always provide more value and satisfaction for current customers. What could you offer as a reward for their loyalty? Perhaps a discount every so often that they can use on a bill from you. It’s these little treats and discounts that can often encourage your long-term customers to remain for years to come.

For newer customers, showing this attitude of going above and beyond, will also make a big difference to their viewpoint of the business and hopefully, they’ll find themselves coming back again and again for your services in particular.

Advertise locally and encourage word-of-mouth

With plumbing services, unless you’re a big company that’s got goals to go national or international, you may be relying on those who live locally for the business. Advertising locally is therefore an important part of running a successful plumbing business.

At the same time, you want to try and encourage word-of-mouth. Being chatty with your customers and ensuring they recommend you to anyone in the local area that they might know, is a good sign-off to have with every customer you have. 

You may start to find you get more queries for new customers as a result and a demand for local work that has come from personal recommendations.

Make use of digital marketing 

Digital marketing is something to be aware of when it comes to advertising your business. While you might not be the best at social media and the digital world as a plumber, there are certain companies out there that will be able to assist in your advertising needs online.

With digital marketing, it’s worth investing a bit of your money into marketing online. From paid advertisements that target local customers to building up a social profile on one of the many social media platforms, there are some great opportunities to be found with digital marketing.

A bit of digital marketing here and there can certainly help to build your business and attract customers from further afield. It’s something that might also open up opportunities for business expansion beyond your local area.

Hire the right plumbers for the business

Plumbers are an important hire to make when it comes to your business. The plumbers you have who are going out and representing your business need to be the creme de la creme of the plumbing world.

Hiring the right plumbers is crucial because every one of them will contribute positively – or negatively to the business reputation. Be selective with plumbers that you bring into the business and only do so when you feel confident that they’re the right fit.

It’s always useful to have plumbers who you can train from a young age or at least have come into the business with plenty of experience. That way, it can save a lot of time and effort on your part stressing about whether they’re the right fit.

Provide additional training to improve skillset

While it does require effort to train your staff, it’s always good to be able to provide additional training where possible. Improving your team’s skillset is always worthwhile, especially when it comes to more complex jobs and those individual jobs that they might not have experienced prior.

Think about what training might be available for you to make use of and to utilize in order to create a team that’s talented and knowledgeable for all plumbing needs.

Keep an eye on what your competitors are up to

Finally, when it comes to building a successful business of any kind, it’s always good to take a look at what your competitors are up to. After all, they might be doing something that you’ve missed or could do better.

For plumbing companies, they all offer the same service, which means finding ways in which your own business might be able to stand out. Consider what you might want to do or introduce in order to stand out from your competition and effectively steal prospective customers from those other businesses.

Being the best plumbing company in your area is a title that you should be keen to earn. Use these tips to help become one of the best, as well as have a reputation that only benefits the business over time.

The high competition level in the plumbing industry can make your business struggle to grow. However, you can find ways to attract new clients and generate more profits while gaining a competitive advantage over other plumbing businesses. You’ll need an effective strategy and careful planning to grow your plumbing business. This article outlines five tips for growing your plumbing business.

Create a plumbing business website

Creating a website for your plumbing business helps drive traffic to your brand from search engines, resulting in improved revenue and sales. It also offers a quick-to-navigate center for all your services and data while making it easier to reach prospective customers. A website allows you to communicate details about your business in one place for prospects to learn everything they need to know without looking elsewhere.

For potential customers to notice the plumbing services you’re offering, a website designed for plumbers, such as the Buckeye plumbing website, is essential to establishing a solid online presence, making your company more accessible to people looking for plumbing services. It also helps your business rank well on SERPs.

Set plumbing business goals

Most businesses fail because they create unrealistic goals. For your plumbing business to succeed, you must set specific, quantifiable goals, including developing a company to exceed customer expectations, expand your sales, and build a sustainable business capable of thriving off its cash flow. Business goals and objectives give you a clear path to follow while motivating your employees and setting targets to work towards.

They also provide you with criteria for determining whether your company is succeeding. Consider narrowing down your plumbing business goals and objectives for long-term success. Your plumbing business goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. Track your goals to ensure you’re on the right track.

Identify your target audience

Your target audience comprises people sharing similar demographic features, including age, education, gender, socioeconomic status, and location. Identifying your target audience can enable you to create effective marketing techniques while targeting a specific group of prospects most likely to be interested in your services.

Homeowners, real estate agents, small business owners, restaurant entrepreneurs, facility and property managers, and contractors include the various types of clients you’re likely to encounter in the plumbing industry. You can research to determine the plumbing services that are rarely available within your locality and specialize in that to stand out.

Invest in SEO for plumbers

Considering the plumbing industry’s competitiveness, a website alone can’t get you in front of new clients. This is where SEO for plumbers comes in. homeowners and other potential clients prefer looking online to find a local plumbing service they can hire. With SEO, these customers can easily find you, provided you use keywords that rank. 

To increase your leads and sales with SEO, conduct a competitive digital analysis, optimize your site code ad content, publish fresh content, and invest in local SEO. Track your SEO campaign’s performance and tweak it as needed.

Track your success

Creating plumbing business growth metrics is an excellent way to track your progress. Measure your business’s progress with key performance indicators (KPIs) while regularly checking your action plan’s results. Following the results, you may need to adjust your strategy to meet your business goals.

Endnote

Running a successful plumbing business can be challenging. However, these tips can help grow your plumbing business.

Are you thinking of setting up a plumbing business? You have come to the right place. If you want to create a successful plumbing business, you need to build it on solid foundations, more than just hiring great employees. Read on to find out how to establish a plumbing business and thrive. 

Business Website 

In the past, the first thing you needed for a plumbing business was a business card. A business card has your telephone number and some of your services on it. Nowadays, the first thing you need is a website that can be found on the internet business database. But it’s easy to set up. 

Starting a website these days is fairly straightforward with a website builder. The traditional route is to use WordPress or something similar, but other websites like UENI are better for small plumbing businesses. When you have a website, apply to Google My Business for a listing. 

Training and Experience 

If you want to operate a professional plumbing business, you need to know your trade. On average, it takes four years of apprenticeship to learn the business and gain enough hands-on experience to strike out on your own. Most plumber work with an agency for a number of years. 

The best advice is not to start too early on a self-employed basis. Although you have completed an apprenticeship, there is still a lot to learn about the industry, customer services, and tricks of the trade. Make sure you are in a reliable position to start your self-employed plumbing career.   

Plumbing Tools 

Along with a website, training and experience, and a lot of self-starter motivation, you will also need a range of plumbing tools. Hopefully, you have acquired a personal collection of plumbing tools over the years, but this might not be enough for a business if you have some employees. 

Standard plumbing equipment you need for business includes pipe cutters, a soldering torch, pliers, a pressure test kit, and a pipe bender. Additionally, you might require drum weighing scales which are industrial-sized scales used to verify the capacity and resolution of materials.  

Authority Licenses 

There’s no chance of starting a plumbing business in your area without the proper authority licenses; doing so can lead to hefty fines as well as legal and insurance issues. Make sure you have the proper documents so you can legally practice your trade in the local area or state. 

Authority licenses have to be considered one of the foundations of operating a successful plumbing business; not only does the correct accreditation make your business legal and insurable, but it also inspires confidence in your customers. They want a plumber with credentials.   

Growth Strategy 

Now that you have the foundations of your business, it’s time to find customers and grow. Growing a plumbing business is a combination of marketing efforts and word-of-mouth. Make sure you carry out work professionally and try to get positive reviews to use on the website. If you’re tech-savvy, you can also set up an aftercare review and build up online social proof.