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[desrob]

is it worth it, whats peoples feelings regarding having a web address/page, i have yell.com coming to see this week,those of you with web address what proportion of your work is linked to your web address

 

[md68]

It's definitely worth having a website if you can get it to rank on the first page of google. My site brings in enquiries every week but its up to me to convert these in to jobs.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

i would say its only worth it to show people what you do the best ad you can have is van sign writing you could put your web address on there because a lot of people will look you up that way rather than phone you up first

 

[desrob]

are you talking local jobs in your area,how do you get to be on first page of google

 

[wnjswozo]

done it with yell.com a few years ago,waste of money

 

[md68]

are you talking local jobs in your area,how do you get to be on first page of google

Yup everything is local ( within 15 miles of home ) As for the front page of google its not that hard but takes time to learn. Yours best bet is to google SEO and start reading. Then crack on and see what you can do.

 

[gaspastemania]

Currently on with yell.com on first page of google done it two weeks ago and can honestly say i dont think i have had a phone call regarding htere web campaign for me .

 

[dontknowitall]

i would say its only worth it to show people what you do the best ad you can have is van sign writing you could put your web address on there because a lot of people will look you up that way rather than phone you up first

Not often I disagree with you, Gas Man!!

Best advert, in my opinion, is your work manner, how you treat your customer, and the resulting job you've done as a good task is remembered and makes it easy for a customer to recommend you to someone else.

Where I do agree is, if you don't have a large customer base, then a well designed van graphics and website gives people who don't know you the confidence that you're not a fly-by-night cowboy and that you care about your reputation and therefore care about your customers.

 

[md68]

Currently on with yell.com on first page of google done it two weeks ago and can honestly say i dont think i have had a phone call regarding htere web campaign for me .

whats the web address for the site?

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Not often I disagree with you, Gas Man!!

Best advert, in my opinion, is your work manner, how you treat your customer, and the resulting job you've done as a good task is remembered and makes it easy for a customer to recommend you to someone else.

Where I do agree is, if you don't have a large customer base, then a well designed van graphics and website gives people who don't know you the confidence that you're not a fly-by-night cowboy and that you care about your reputation and therefore care about your customers.

thats fair enough dkia,i was thinking more from a noticing point of view,no advertising in the world can compete with recommendations

 

[desrob]

Currently on with yell.com on first page of google done it two weeks ago and can honestly say i dont think i have had a phone call regarding htere web campaign for me .

sorry mate i don't understand what your saying,what is htere web campaign

 

[PlumbBobBob]

think he means there

 

[dontknowitall]

or their even

:rofl:

 

[GQuigley67]

haven't done much advertising myself, but when I get a bit of doh will be making up leaflets with special deals on them to post locally, as on my street alone I've seen countless plumbing/gas firms going to houses to do work

 

[Kimou]

Yell can design and host your website for you. They claim to ensure you get in the search engines organically and a fully experienced support team. However, they charge about £240 per year I think for this service. I enquired the sales pitch further cz I'm too skeptical. It turns out that your site is only your site so long as you pay them. If you terminate their service then your site's gone too.
A site can cost about £30 a year to host, about £20 for 2 years domain name. Perhaps £200-£400 to build a site with professionals. After 2 years you'll be better off than if you went with Yell. Also, I have family in USA. I could get them to sort it out for me from there as it's a lot cheaper. I was looking on Youtube about building one myself and some kid was explaining prices which were about $7 a year as a norm. So I thought if it's the web then it doesn't matter where it's based, I think- may be wrong.

But some people may prefer the easy pay and forget method and not worry about expenses too much. It's how you feel about it, but at least you should be able to make an informed judgement.

 

[gaspastemania]

whats the web address for the site?

just contact yell and speak to them about how you wish to advertise. Can honestly say tho not impressed

 

[missplumb]

i built my website myself using Free Website Builder | Create a Free Flash Website at Wix.com once i got into it it was quite easy, just copy and paste. I find that the website does provide some work but mainly its there as a reference point for potential customers to check on us and our work. the site costs me $7 a month to host, free to design and £6 for the domain name for 2 years. we have looked into getting a professional one done by some others and prices have ranged from £600 - £8000. We get quite a bit of work through yell.com but tbh there webpage is pretty naff,
miss plumb plumbing and heating , as for posting flyers, we found it better to post business cards. people will tend to put a card in the drawer until they need a plumber - with flyers, unless they need one there and then, they generally go straight in the bin

 

[southcoastboile]

theres a company called i sub web design, they did my website and i am realy pleased with it, i was kept informned and i asked to get several things changed so it was exactly as i wanted it, they took the time to make sure i was happy with it and it was at a very good price, i tried several other websites before and they were all very expensive.

 

[Pipedream]

I have the answer to this problem, have a wife who is a web designer. I do, and I have a great web site too.

Seriously, it is difficult to understand why any business od any size or type, does not have a web presence even if it is in effect an electronic business card. With the growth in smart phones, iPads etc, more and more people are Googling when they need a service, if you are not on the interweb then these people are likely to go to someone who is. I actually think it is not about whether you have a site, but whether it is better than your competition.

My wife is often asked to build sites for people who already have one and the starting point is nearly always, such and such company who are in the same market have had a new site and we are loosing business. The public are becoming increasingly aware of the template based website, which looks just like all of the others. I would say this, but for a site to stand out above the crowd it needs to be built from the ground up to meet your business needs.

I fully accept all of the points about reputation, customer base etc, etc and these are are all vital. However the customer of the future will be connected and we will need to be too.

PS this is not an advert, as I have not told you my wife's company name, so there. Anyway, I do not want her to do a site for the competition ie you lot !


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[E4gas]

is it worth it, whats peoples feelings regarding having a web address/page, i have yell.com coming to see this week,those of you with web address what proportion of your work is linked to your web address

Don't do yell.com .. Waste of £500 .. Get a website & local ads

 

[top plumber]

can u put ur best suggestions on how to get work tried buisness cards but hasnt really kicked off

 

[E4gas]

Get some leaflets done , when u do a job , post the leaflets 10 doors one way then 10 doors the other way , better then giving money to others to throw leaflets in bin .

 

[dontknowitall]

Business cards do work. I had a job a couple of weeks ago from a business card in a shop I'd put there 4 years ago.

Not my first job from that card, by the way!

Patience is required!!!

 

[GasSafePR]

Hello all

There have been some really good ideas here but it is also worth remembering that if you are a Gas Safe registered business you also get access to a free 'marketing toolkit' on the website - this contains logos, templates, web banners and other thinsg which can help you when promoting your business. You will need an online account (but these are free too). More details here:

[DLMURL]https://engineers.User PlumbersForums.net Instead - Copy the content, don't link to it.co.uk/YourOnlineAccount.aspx[/DLMURL]

We would suggest that you make sure that the details which appear on our website when a potential customer makes a search are accurate and up to date. Often all a consumer is putting is a postcode so it is useful if they can then see the range of services you can provide if your detailas are shown.

 

[Pipedream]

I agree with Gas Safe PR. I am not Gas Safe Registered (I live in the wilds of Wales - off the grid) and when I get calls for gas work - about 4 or 5 times a week, I direct callers to the Gas Safe website, simples


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