97% of websites fail – Our top five steps for success

Andy
So let’s pull out a topic for today. Aha, this is absolutely perfect. Why 97% of websites don’t pass the user experience test?

Ange
Ooh, yes. Your website is one of the first places that potential customers land when they’re looking for a tradie. So does your website make your customers say yes to choosing you as their tradesperson? You need to ask yourself questions like, do you even have a website to start there? Right? Is it on brand? How fast does it load? What images and content do you have on your website? Is it mobile friendly? And are you really showcasing your business in the best light possible?

Andy
There’s no doubt about it. Your website visitors will judge you on your workmanship based on the quality of your website. So setting your website up right is the key to converting more visitors into paying customers. I know a lot of tradies, they all say the same thing. I don’t wanna spend too much money on my high quality website because I can make just a basic one myself on Wix or Squarespace for a fraction of the price. But it’s just not as good.

Ange
That’s right. It’s not. A review of 1500 websites by tech company Forrester found that from a user experience perspective, only 3% of sites earned a passing score.

Andy
3%?

Ange
I know. Yeah. So the rest had problems ranging from text, the use of space to task flow, and links to privacy and security policies.

Andy
That is crazy. A 97% failure rate. And I tell you what, I’ve seen some absolute rubbish websites in my time that are really basically just a business card, but digital, you know, honestly, some tradies out there are just so lazy and that has built these basic landing pages. You know, it sort of doesn’t surprise me that 3% of websites are only decent.

Ange
Yeah, I’ve seen some absolute shockers too. Hey, the basic rule of thumb is you should do a full redesign of your website every two to three years to ensure your user experience is of high quality. We really do need to aim to be in that top 3%. So let me say this to you. If your website isn’t performing in terms of traffic or conversion, then maybe, just maybe it’s time to reevaluate and make some updates in order to capture your user’s attention and turn them into paying customers.

Andy
Still think your website is perfect. Well guys, perhaps it’s not. The thing that we constantly see is most tradies we talk to are complaining that they’re just not getting the quality of leads through their website. And we’ve been in business for over 20 years and I know some of you out there listening right now are thinking, I haven’t even been alive for that long. , doesn’t it make us feel old?

Ange
Yes.

Andy
But with our plumbing business, Dr. Drip, we always did a complete overhaul every two to three years. We do new images, we do new copy, we do a service update, and especially update the testimonials. It makes a really big difference and probably every month or so, there was always a tweak here and there going on.

Ange
Yeah, that’s it. Just some touch up.

Andy
I had so many people around me saying it’s just a waste of money and time, and I was always paying a web designer. He, they were good, there’s no doubt about it. But I had a mate once say to me, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. , you only probably need to update your website every 10 years.

Ange
That’s ridiculous that he should say that.

Andy
Absolutely crazy, but by doing this overhaul every few years, we’re always keeping the website really fresh, keeping up with the times, and I could just tell it was bringing the customers through the door.

Ange
Yeah, that’s right. It’s important to note that as your business grows, that your ideal A-grade customer could potentially change too.

Andy
That’s an interesting point, Ange because when you’re building these websites, you need to know who your avatar is, who your ideal customer is. A lot of people just build these ad hoc websites and what someone else thinks. It’s your business. You need to know that you’re setting up in business upright to attract the high quality customers that you need.

Ange
Yeah, you don’t wanna slap it together. Nobody should be saying, my website was updated five years ago. And it’s perfect. People can tell literally within a second of looking at your website whether or not it’s completely dated. And you know what? They’re gonna move on if they don’t like what they see.

Andy
Exactly. And over the years, guys and girls out there, I have absolutely nailed websites. You know, we had Dr. Drip running and for Plumber Sydney running at number one for I think three or four years. And we also had another 110 websites. They were plumber suburb websites, and I had 90 of those 110 ranked number one for the suburb as well. And guess what? We were absolutely smashing it.

Ange
Yes. But the digital landscape has completely changed since then, and you don’t need hundreds of sites anymore. In fact, you just need to focus on your SEO and getting your keywords right. SEO is an absolute beast and we’ve had, you know, varying experiences, both good and bad with it. Would you say?

Andy
That is exactly right Ange, but we’re not gonna deep dive into SEO today. It is important to point out here, you know, cuz we’ve had many SEO experts and paid big dollars, but you know about 2% of the people that actually do SEO are actually getting results and are actually happy with the SEO company.

Ange
Yeah, right.

Andy
This is absolutely crazy. But I just wanna point one thing out. When you’re gonna build a new website and you’re thinking of doing SEO services, Don’t build it. Make sure you go to the SEO company first, because the first thing they say when you rock up is, can we have a look at your website? And then they look at it and go, no, no, no. This website is not built how I want it to. And they go and redesign it before they even start doing SEO services for you.

Ange
Yeah. Which now sounds really expensive, right? You may have to do it twice. And to your point, this is another really good reason not to DIY your own website. So, Andy, I thought it would be a good idea to share our five core foundational rules to nailing your website, cuz I think this would be really interesting for our listeners. Ready?

Andy
Sounds good. Let’s go.

Ange
Okay. So rule number one is around real words. And when I say real words, I’m talking about the actual text that your prospect is reading when they come to your website. So what’s critical here is that you really truthfully have your avatar in mind when you’re writing these words. So for instance, if you are a builder and you really focus on Hampton Homestyle homes and that avatar is a family, then keep that front of mind when you’re thinking about what it is they’re trying to achieve, when they’re actually gonna build that new renovation or that new home.

Andy
Yeah, and another point here is don’t go to one of your competitor’s websites and see how amazing it looks, and then grab their copy and change just a couple of words and then all of a sudden it’s on your website as well.

Ange
So that’s a really good point, Andy. Imagine you have decided you wanna outsource the copywriting so that you don’t actually do it, and you’ve given a couple of tips to an external copywriter. You’ve gotta make sure that they too, haven’t just stripped some competitors’ copy off their page, and that’s where products like Copyscape come into the fold. It’s really important that you’re running this text through something like that to ensure that it hasn’t been copied. Why? Because Google will penalize you.

Andy
I know most tradies are out there listening to this now and thinking I’m not a writer, and they’re a little bit unsure what to say. So there are some writing services like Grammarly and as little as $20, they can proofread your copy and edit as well, because let’s face it, customers hate reading copy that doesn’t make sense.

Ange
Absolutely. And I wanna add to that. When you actually go to write your copy, it doesn’t have to be really complex. You, the tradesman and or the admin in the office. You understand your industry better than any copywriter. So it is a really good idea that you are the one that actually writes this text, this copy for your website first with your avatar in mind, but just keep it really, really simple. So rule number two is all around using real images.

Andy
Yeah, a hundred percent. So many of us out there just go to iStock photos and pull these crappy photos. The customer knows it’s not you.

Ange
Totally.

Andy
You’ve gotta go and get your own original photos that are high quality because it’s your brand, that’s your business, that’s who you are.

Ange
Absolutely. And we just talked about Avatar before, so it’s really important to be using images of your avatar inside your website. So as an example, if you’re a builder, I used that example before.

Andy
Well, let’s go back and do what we did in our business.

Ange
Sure.

Andy
Because as a plumber, who did we wanna work for? We wanted to work for Mr. And Mrs. Jones that had a high end home. So we went to a high end home, we got all, every one of our tradies turned up. Everything was clean and tardy in the uniforms. And we did around 50 photos around the house in all different spots. But all the photos were designed to target our avatar, the ideal customer that we wanted to click on this website and go, oh my God, that’s me. That’s a beautiful home. I know they’re gonna do clean work. And their customer service is unbelievable.

Ange
Yes. And that meant we used a female in her forties that had children, she was a proud homeowner. So absolutely. What was really important was we had photos, not just of our team, but photos of her and or him that actually were reflective on our website.

Andy
Yeah. Because customers, when they go to their website, firstly they, they’ve first initial thought is, are they credible? Are they the type of people that I want to come to our home? So when you get your tradies, and let’s hope your tradies are nice and clean and tidy, you want the customer to go, oh my God, I’m gonna have Graham, I’m gonna have Will. I’m gonna have Jamie, I’m gonna have Brent, I’m gonna have Max. You know, all these guys were good looking guys that presented really well and the customer’s like, oh my God, that’s great. This is exactly the company that we want.

Ange
Yeah, showing your team on your website is actually a really good thing because your customer perhaps, has come to your website, they’ve actually done research about you before they’ve even made contact. And then when that person actually shows up, they in their head it is a little subliminal. But that’s good cuz that builds trust, right? That they see this guy and to them they go, oh my God, I’ve seen this guy before he was on the website. But can I add, I know that some of our members have actually had a little bit of pushback from their team about not wanting to feature in any of their photography. So what would you suggest they do in that instance?

Andy
Yeah. It’s not great. I mean, I loved having our team and they were all open to do that, but if your team won’t do that, then you might have to get a couple of actors in or some good looking friends or someone that can do that for you. So the customer feels that they are gonna be the ones that come to the door. Now, let’s face it, there’s nothing better than looking at the website, seeing the team, and then one of those team members coming up. But if your team doesn’t want to be involved, what choice do you have? But bring the right people in, that’s right for your avatar and your business.

Ange
Absolutely. So some of the other images that we use on a website are of course, before and after photos. Mm-hmm. So high average dollar sale trade business owners like landscapers, builders, you know, everything’s very visual. Unlike us with plumbing, a lot of the stuff’s under the ground. We don’t show that stuff. However, it’s really important to show recent photos of the before and after of your job. So something real.

Andy
A hundred percent. If you can do that, the customer’s like, oh, I’ve got a problem similar to that, and this is what it looked like. That looks like my place and this is what it comes out looking like, oh my God, these are the right guys for us. And if you can have that before and after photo with also a testimonial at the back end of that, bang, you got them.

Ange
So rule number three is around making it obvious. And what I mean by that is when your prospect hits your website and imagines they have an emergency, they need to very easily make contact with you. So what have you done to make that simple? Is there a phone number that’s really obvious on the website? Is there maybe a chat box where they can talk to you? So what have you done to help?

Andy
I think a lot of websites have gone away from the fact that we’re a service company, US tradies, and they actually hide it. And it’s almost like the business owners don’t want them. You gotta try and find how to get in contact, it makes me crazy.

Ange
Yes, exactly. And when we’ve got stats through Google Analytics that most of our website traffic comes through a mobile device, what are you doing to ensure that your website is mobile friendly and that you have a floating phone number up and down that website so that they can reach out to you really quickly?

Andy
Yeah. And another big point on that is when you look at your business, are you a business when the customer comes to their website and they wanna call you straight away, like an emergency business or someone that’s got a small average dollar sale job.

Ange
What we call now buyers?

Andy
Yeah. Like that. So what they do is they come to your website, they don’t wanna look too much. They just really, within the first one to three pages have made a decision if you are right or not, and they’re on to the next one. But then you go through to the future buyers, which is a higher average dollar sale, like building a house or a renovation or something like that. And they are gonna go through every single page of your website. So you guys, at a higher average dollar sale, you need to do a lot more and spend a lot more time and effort on your website cuz the customers are gonna read every single word.

Ange
Yes, they will. And they’re gonna look at every single photo and they’re gonna judge you by the quality of that website. If you are not professional, they’re not gonna be interested in working with you and they’re gonna move on real fast.

Andy
Exactly, and if you’ve got a high average dollar sale, I mean, testimonials are important for any average dollar sale, yes, but a high average dollar sale, they want to hear that you are reliable, you’re on time, you always stayed on the job. I mean, think about your avatar and what they want out of your services. Then you need to get a customer to say exactly that as a testimonial for you. That is absolutely gold.

Ange
Yeah, Andy Testimonials are critically important, especially cuz it’s the words and the feelings from your current customers. But what else is really critical is to share what your five star Google reviews are because it helps build trust with your customers or potential customers.

Andy
Yeah, and there’s quite a few companies out there that can help you with, um, getting these five star Google reviews. I know quite a few of our members now are getting up to a thousand Google reviews. Now if you go to a website and you look at it and it looks really credible, and then you see they’ve got almost a thousand five star Google reviews, do you think you’d feel comfortable?

Ange
Yes. Credibility through someone else’s words is what is most powerful and will be a decision maker, and hence conversion of someone being a prospect to becoming a customer.

Andy
Yeah, I think the big thing is, and you’ve gotta remember this, is people like buying off people they like, so when they come to the website, they’ve gotta have an instant connection with your website. If they have an instant connection, they will buy through you. If they don’t, they’ll be straight onto Google onto the next. And rule number four, making sure you have a good design for your website. It is really critical to get a professional in when you’re designing your website because you don’t wanna be that 97% of rubbish website. You wanna be in the top three. And let’s face it, you wanna make sure when customers come to your page, they’re gonna buy straight away, and that’s where you need a killer web developer as well, because you need to make sure that your pictures are uploading at the right speed, your content’s in the right place, and it’s visually appealing for your customer and your avatar.

Ange
Yeah, that’s right. When you engage a professional, someone who does websites all the time, they have a really solid understanding of what platforms to use so that things do load quickly and that they use a lot of white space and the right actual font style. There’s actually a lot of customer psychology that goes into the build of a website, that we trade business owners think we know, but we actually know none of it.

Andy
The thing is Ange, if you are a tradie or a homeowner and you talk about building at home, are you actually gonna bring a professional in to come in and do it?

Ange
Yes.

Andy
Or are you gonna bring a home handyman? And that’s what most trade businesses are out there. They’re too big a tight ass. I’m sorry guys, to get the professionals in, but if you did it on the other hand, You don’t want Billy bum crack doing tradie work?

Ange
No.

Andy
So why try and do it yourself when you don’t specialize in this? Make sure you spend the money and get a specialist that designs websites for a living because they know exactly what needs to be done. I’ll say it again. 97% of all websites fail because the design is so bad and it throws everything else off in your business. And rule number five is really telling your visitors exactly what you want them to do. Make sure you have a really good call to action and direct them where they need to book right now.

Ange
Yes, if they’re coming to your website, because they’re either doing one of two things, they’re either reaching out because they have an emergency job and they need to talk to you now. So what have you put on your website to make it obvious? So that they can reach out to you or the reverse, which is they’re a future buyer and therefore they’re doing a whole heap of research about you. So what are you doing to ensure that they find out and can actually walk away with something of interest, like an information booklet so that you can now stay in touch.

Andy
Oh, it sounds like it’s time for the Tradie News Bulletin. There’s been a lot of talk lately in the news about tradie viral videos if you haven’t seen them before. Let me explain. Basically, on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, tradies are posting videos of themselves working on the tools. And guess what? They are blowing up online big time.

Ange
Wait, wait. Hang on a minute. , wait. Are you saying that tradies are blowing up? All the videos are blowing up?

Andy
Oh, Ange yes. Uh, videos, obviously.

Ange
Yeah. Righto. I’m only teasing. I know exactly the kind of content you mean. And actually these viral videos are everything from tradies, laying bricks to pressure cleaning. I’ve even seen some that are pouring concrete and some of them are getting like a hundred million views.

Andy
Yeah, it’s absolutely crazy. And there’s this one tradie who just posts videos of himself mowing lawns. Really nothing special, just nice straight lines. And he has one of the most popular accounts, no way, like 500 million views. What the f***? To us tradies, it might seem ridiculous that anyone would wanna watch us doing these mundane tasks, but to non-tradies, they are super cool to watch.

Ange
Well, did you know that if you search plumbing on TikTok, there are 341.2 million plumbing related video views. Wow. And carpentry is the most popular TikTok trade. It’s got a hashtag receiving over 590 million views. , they’re just as popular on Facebook and Instagram too. Basically, they’re everywhere.

Andy
It’s crazy. I mean, five years ago, if I was posting a video of myself, I’d be blocking a drain. I don’t even think I’d get my mother to come and watch that. No, let alone a million people. It’s crazy.

Ange
It makes me wonder if this is a new trend of marketing for trade business. So listen up, tradies. If these social media platforms are where your avatar is consuming content, then it’s absolutely where your marketing efforts need to be. So consider this type of content creation. It just might need to be added into your marketing mix.

Andy
You know what? You might be onto something there. People watch those reels all day, so why shouldn’t we, as trade business owners, use these platforms to the greatest potential? To be honest, I’ve never been one for watching these videos, but in the last few weeks I’ve found myself scrolling and the next minute I’m half an hour in, I’m an hour in. I’m thinking, what the hell have I just watched? But you know what? It was amusing.

Ange
Yeah. And you don’t even need to be a content guru to take a 30 seconds video of you doing what you do best.

Andy
Yeah. It’s not like you need a professional photographer to follow you around. Just get your mobile phone out and start filming.

Ange
That’s right. And we’ve spoken about this before, but it’s great for kids to see these tradie viral videos. We all know that we’ve got a massive issue with kids entering the trade industry. So you know what? If these tradie videos are becoming more popular, it means kids can see what it’s like to be a tradie and the cool stuff you can do.

Andy
Yeah, that’s right. And if you’ve got kids watching a video of a landscape or transforming a rubbish backyard into an absolute paradise, they may think that is the trade for me.

Ange
Yeah, they could be saying I could do that too. So to me, there really is no downside to this news story. Now, not everyone’s videos will go viral, but it’s worth considering in my books, even if it just looks cool on the social media profiles that your business already has.

Andy
For the full news story and some truly weird trading videos. I mean, truly weird tradie videos. Make sure you go and check out the show notes. So overall, these are all real basic foundational things to consider. Review your website from the perspective of a customer. If you think you’re too close to it, ask a friend to try and navigate your site and for them to give you feedback.

Ange
Yes, and every single one of us needs to keep in mind that your website must be refreshed every month, but do a complete overhaul every two to three years. Guys, this really is just a part of being a trade business owner. As we said, the journey of your customer often starts with them coming to your website and doing research about you, and you don’t even know it. It’s the reason why we’ve got to get our website right.

Andy
So let’s be really clear about this. You are not the right person to be doing these updates. Use a graphic designer, they may cost similar to the same rate of us tradies and what we charge these days, but they will definitely do it in half the time and would be way better than you.

Ange
Absolutely. Plus, you need to ensure that you’re applying the right strategy to your website based on the type of business you are. We talked about future buyers, we talked about low average dollar sales and high average dollar sales, and the strategy for each website is slightly different. And we also mentioned, make sure you keep your ideal avatar in mind every single time you are looking at your website. There is no point in creating an awesome website if it isn’t relevant to who it is you wanna work with.

Andy
If your website feels underwhelming and you’re just not sure where to even start, you can also download our website guide for tradie. They’re in the show notes, or you can go to lifestyletradie.com.au/podcast. Catch you next week.

Ange
See you crew.