opinions on my website

[builttoughf350]

hey everyone- i set up a website a week ago today.
http://millertreeservices.com

i was just wondering if you have any opinions of improvements i could do?

i want to make note that im a small company, and maybe put in these pictures of my truck and trailer to show i have nice equipment, and my stump grinder to show that its small and light weight to get into yards. also to make note that the stumper will get through gates just under 36"
i am trying to get it into the internet "search engines" so when people google search or whatever my city+tree removal hopefully my site comes up. i have some before and after pics i could dig up also, just need to scan them

thanks in advance

ETA i know its kind of bland so far, we only spent an hour and a half on it just to get it going, and to leave room for improvement

 

[begleytree]

thread moved to buisness management

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Not bad for a quick start, but it's a "billboard site". It doesn't do anything more than what a billboard does. It's probably better than nothing, but it's a waste of the Internet's potential for marketing!

Okay, here are a few suggestions:

Tree Removal - link to a page showing the process, with some pictures of a job start to finish.
Stump Removal - link to a page showing some pictures of a job start to finish. Get a pic of you going through a gate, and gringind in some kind of tight quarters.
Tree Trimming - link to a page talking about the wrong way and the right way, and why hiring YOU is the right way.
Brush Removal - link to a page showing a job.
Shrub Removal - link to a page showing a job.
Firewood For Sale - link to a page with prices, discuss what a real cord is, give info on good woodburning practices.
Tree Planting - link to a page talking about the wrong way and the right way, and why hiring YOU is the right way.


On EVERY page, give some free information - make it worth the customer's time to come to your site. ALSO, sell yourself on every page.

You can build these one at a time, and then create links on the main page. DON'T create the main page with links leading blank pages that say "under construction". That screams BUSH LEAGUE!!! I mean, it's fine for teenyboppers building a hobby site on Geocities, but it's got no place in a professional web site.

Another thing that screams BUSH LEAGUE. Having an email address on the site, but it's an AOL or Yahoo or other free email services. You are paying for a domain name, USE IT! Any email addresses on the site should use the site's domain. Use something like [email protected], or [email protected].

Uh, DO offer an email address on your site. If somebody found your web page, they're using the Internet. Make it easy for htem to contact you. There are ways to defeat the spambots - look into that or that putting your email address on a web site will get you buried in spam.

"Yeah, that sounds good, but then I could wind up with 4 or 5 email accounts. How do I handle all that?"

Look into Pocomail. It handles multiple email accounts very nicely.


And a matter of grammar:

Please check out our list of services offered below and contact us by the phone number at the bottom of the page if you have any further questions or to make an appointment for a free estimate.

Not good. Long, run on, confusing. Try this:

We offer many services for the homeowner and commercial property owner, and free estimates are available. Please contact us at the number listed below.



Ugh. That could be better, but you get the idea. Break that puppy up!

For layout advice and general pointers on good web site practices, check these out:


http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/

http://www.useit.com/

http://webdesign.about.com/od/usability/Usability_on_the_Web.htm


Hope that helps jog some thinking!

 

[Beast12]

Hey Rob....you look familiar.

That is a good start. Take a look at our webpage to get some more ideas. The link is in my signature. It's not the best but it seems to get some hits and some response.

See ya around...

-Matt

 

[builttoughf350]

Matt- what a coincidence ( i guess ) i was just thinking about how all the other tree services are doing, and started wondering what you were up to these days. jump any cars lately?

my friend is going to ad some pics to the site for me when he gets a chance and im about to go to google advertising and set up an account so they will send links to the site... hopefully at a reasonable price.