Today, almost all businesses out there have their own website. Those who do not have one are simply slow to jump on the trend. In fact, you can say that incorporating the Internet and digital platforms into a company’s marketing practices is longer a trend; it is now considered a necessity.
Keep in mind that the world has been rapidly shifting toward a more Internet-based arena, especially in light of various technological developments. Plus, the pandemic has intensified the necessity for easily accessible means to buy products and avail of services. The same need applies to businesses. Companies now have to provide a way to make their products and services more accessible to customers, while utilizing similar techniques to market their offerings.
For the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) sector, the need may be more apparent, especially as proper airflow and air quality are essential in mitigating the spread of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) even recommends ventilation intervention as part of its multilayer approach to fighting exposure.
A website can greatly help in promoting your products and services while educating potential customers about the need for your offerings. If you are yet to build a website for your HVAC business or your current one is due for an overhaul, here are some of the most valuable things you should know.
Do You Really Need a Website?
First, let’s talk about the need for a website, specifically, if you really need one. Above we briefly tackled the necessity for a site, especially in light of the pandemic. To go on a deeper discussion, we need to talk about the benefits a company with a website can enjoy compared to one without it.
The most important role of your website is its potential to represent your business in the virtual world. If you depend on a brick-and-mortar location in the physical world, you can rely on your site to act as its virtual counterpart. So, anything a walk-in customer can know about your products and services, as well as company from your physical store, they can also know just by visiting your website. Just like in-store visits, prospective customers can easily ask a staff member about specifics, they can also easily do so with the contact info provided on your site.
One big difference between the two is that customers can talk with a representative face-to-face, plus they can view equipment right then and there. However, sites can also offer a similar experience if you incorporate instant messaging functions and videos.
On the business’ part, a website is a great way to improve your conversion rates. Even without the pandemic, sites have been allowing owners to increase their sales and revenues simply by attracting visitors to their site. However, this calls for an effective design and digital marketing strategy. Keep reading to know more about the dos and don’ts when building an HVAC site.
4 Things to Do and Not Do When Creating an HVAC Website
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Don’t Create a Website Without a Plan
The first thing you need to remember is that you should not do anything with regard to your business without a plan. Just think of the time when you are still in the process of starting a business. You probably did not go in empty-handed and instead had a business plan, complete with projections of expenses and earnings. The same diligence should be done when creating a website for your business.
Do Check Out Your Competitors’ Website
When launching your site, you want to make sure that you have done the research, from the design to the content. Researching about the current landscape of the HVAC industry with regard to the current situation is the first big step. This will help you strategize better as it would shed light on the needs and wants of your market.
Another great way to prepare for a brand-new site for your business is to check out competitors’ sites. Your competitors are sure to use their best practices on their own sites, which means that you will know exactly what you need to do to create a better and more effective on.
Now, this is not to say that you should copy off their work. Instead, it is a way to find the best practices out there and come up with solutions that are as effective or better ones.
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Don’t Disregard Branding
During the web design process, you might think it is better to go with what is trending. If elements are popular, they are bound to be effective in driving traffic toward your site, right? Well, you need to know that this is not always the case because you have a target market who will go to you because you are what they are looking for. In short, they are after your brand.
Do Build Your Website Based on Your Branding
So, the best way to proceed is to consider your brand. Think of the image, message, and idea you want to convey to your particular target market. If you are targeting commercial establishments, you should take a look at your current brand. Do you use a logo that expresses this? Does your tagline convey your message and idea? Do your colors coincide with your image? Then, make sure to apply all these details in your web design.
Going back to your target market, you should take a look at their needs. If you are after commercial clients, you after business-to-business (B2B) customers whose final decision will be based on decision-makers such as managers, executives, and acquisition directors. Make sure your design, from your colors to your layout, is suitable for your customers. The same principle applies to business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing.
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Don’t Ignore Mobile Users
For many people, mobile compatibility is simply an option and not a requirement. However, remember that there are 275.66 million smartphone users in the United States and this number is only expected to grow over the next years. Your visitors may use computers to access your website but there is a good chance that they will do so using smartphones and tablets.
Do Make Your Website Mobile Friendly
The best way to deal with this is to simply make your website mobile compatible. Mobile compatibility means that your website can be accessed using a mobile browser without issues. Just think of how annoying it is to visit a site using your phone only to be faced with inaccessible menu buttons and pages that do not fit nicely to your screen. Plus, poorly optimized sites can have slow loading speeds.
Optimizing your site for mobile browsing is not simply a matter of aesthetics. It can also spell the difference between covering visitors to leads, and leads to sales. Remember that customers have very short attention spans and they tend to leave a site within seconds. If you spend this time making them struggle just to find the content they are interested in, they will definitely leave.
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Don’t Just Put Company and Service Info
Lastly, you should not be contented with simply putting your company’s information and offerings out there. These details would mean nothing to customers if they do not have other materials to base their decisions on. Your site will not be able to attract visitors just because your site says you are an HVAC company that does relevant services.
Do Publish Informative Materials
What will drive traffic to your site is valuable, informative, and relatable content. Here, we are talking about not only your homepage, landing pages, and about us page, but most importantly your learning section. For many, this section comes in the form of blogs complete with written content, images, and videos.
You want to publish articles that not only push your products to your potential customers but also help them understand the services you offer. You want to show them that you know their needs and exactly how to address them, and you can easily do that with written content. You can also throw in images and videos into the mix.
Funnelling visits to your site and pages are where HVAC SEO comes in. SEO or search engine optimization is the practice of making your site and pages suitable for Google’s algorithms. This is how it works: your potential customer enters a word to search for a service provider and Google scours the Internet to find relevant pages that feature that keyword. After Google finds your page and indexes its findings, it gives the searcher a list of pages ranked from most relevant down to less relevant pages.
SEO can help you land the highest rank and take the first spot in the search results. By writing SEO HVAC-related content, you can attract more visitors as users only tend to click on the first few results during their decision-making process.
The Bottom Line
Never let your HVAC business be outpaced by your competitors. Make sure to build a website that plays to your advantage. With this trusty list of dos and don’ts, you can easily formulate a plan that can ultimately help you increase your revenue.