One of our members recently wrote the following:

Dear BuildZoom, I have been operating a house cleaning business for the last 29 years. I currently pay Verizon SuperMedia around $130 annually to host my Web site but it is not very interesting and doesn’t get many visits. I am being asked by SuperMedia to resubmit my ad to the yellow pages, which costs $120 annually and am currently trying to decide whether to submit a 1.5″ ad in the yellow pages versus a line. I currently have a 1.5″ ad in the Dex yellow pages that I pay $190 annually for. I think I may get into Google by paying for Dex. In addition I pay $600 annually to Master Builders and get a line in their directory for the free as well as the opportunity to go to various events. Last year I got about two one-time jobs from the Master Builders ad. I’m struggling to stay in business and am wondering if I should place an ad in both phone books this coming year? – Jenny

Dear Jenny, we have heard the same story from many of our members.  When all is said and done it sounds like you spend over $1,000 annually for advertising that doesn’t perform the way it used to.  A big part of the reason is that everyone is going online these days to find local service providers.  We have taken a look at your site and have a few suggestions for how you can start to drive more leads for your business through the Internet.

1. Make sure to optimize your Web site for key terms that people are looking for – Your Web site is currently optimized for “time saving services,” which is the name of your business and an important message as far as your brand is concerned however it is not going to drive leads in the door.  You really should focus on trying to get to #1 in search engines for key terms like “cleaning services” AND redmond.  Make sure to get Verizon to update your title tag so it reads “Time Saving Services, Inc. – Comprehensive Residential and Commercial Cleaning Services in Redmond, WA.”  Also make sure that this same phrase is repeated on the Web page itself.

2. Consider a different approach to managing your Web site – You may want to consider moving away from SuperMedia’s Web services to something that looks more professional and allows you to have more control.  We highly recommend using a hosting provider like Bluehost, installing the very easy-to-use WordPress and then installing a professional looking template from WooThemes.  For the amount of money you pay annually for your yellow page ads, you can hire someone to help you do all this and you can have a professional looking Web site set-up that will get you far more business over the next five years than the yellow page ads will.

3. Add more compelling content to your Web site – We were unable to find any customer testimonials on your site.  Customer testimonials are a great way to to convert prospects into customers.  Additionally, pictures are always the best way to show people that your work is legitimate.  You may want to consider asking some of your loyal customers if they would be willing to let you take some before-and-after photos for your site.

4. Get listed with Google Places – When we ran a search for “cleaning services” AND Redmond, we actually found that your Web site showed up #5 in the Google organic results however it was being pushed down below the fold by all the local results.  You need to make sure you are listed with Google Local so that your service can show up in the local business results for local search queries like “cleaning services” AND Redmond.  Getting listed with Google Places doesn’t take very long and it is free.

5. Post ads to Craigslist – If you aren’t already doing this, you should be posting ads to Craigslist.  It is one of the first places people look (other than Google) for local services these days and a great way to get prospects in the door.

6. Create a profile with BuildZoom- If you don’t already have one, BuildZoom is a great way to connect with people who are specifically looking for home improvement service providers.  Creating a profile on BuildZoom and getting your customers to leave feedback on your BuildZoom profile is a surefire way to create visibility with a targeted group of prospects.

7. Maintaining relationships with existing customers – Finally, if you are not already doing this, we highly recommend keeping a list of existing customers and communicating with them on a periodic basis through phone or e-mail.  Setting-up an e-mail list of customers is a very quick and easy way to make sure that you can stay top-of-mind with people who you have worked with in the past, who already know how great your work is.  E-mailing monthly offers is a fantastic way to get new business from existing customers and also gives your customers something that they can pass along to their friends.

The great thing about all of these different activities (except for the Web hosting with Bluehost) is that they are 100% free.  If you are still getting enough business from your yellow page advertisements to justify the spend we would recommend continuing for another year however we would not recommend paying more.  Instead, we’d highly recommend that you follow our recommendations and begin to invest in your online presence, which is going to be far more effective in the future.

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