The Website Took A Loooong Time To Finish… But It Was Worth The Wait!

Here’s A Good Example Of A Website That Looks Great, Oozes With Identity, And Makes Prospects Absolutely FALL IN LOVE.

By Rich Harshaw

Normally, I like to get things done fast. Really fast.

I met my wife in mid-October, 1992; we were engaged on January 7^th, 1993, and married on May 1^st that same year. You read that right: five and a half months from “met to married.”

Then my first son was born fifty-one weeks later.

I can buy a suit in fifteen minutes. One-click shopping from Amazon with free two-day shipping is my best friend. I lease my cars because all I have to do is call my leasing guy on the phone, tell him what I want, and he delivers the vehicle to my house two days later and only requires four minutes to sign all the paperwork.

I just don’t like to mess around.

So when we launched a website for New York contractor Upscale Remodeling earlier this month—nearly three years after starting the project—you might be surprised to know that instead of anxious and antsy, I was feeling calm, cool, and collected.

The honest-to-goodness truth is the client just got really busy shortly after starting the project, and had to perpetually put the project on hold. Several times. For over two years.

But once we got back on track and started to knock the project out, I was so pleased that I wanted to show it off—along with a few of the other marketing pieces—so you could get an idea for Monopolize Your Marketplace’s work.

So let’s start with the website. First of all, here is a screenshot of the original website:

As you can see, this is website is very typical of the style and quality of contractor websites built for remodeling companies in the early to mid-2000s. The professionalism and message of the site certainly don’t match the quality that this company provides… and the company’s Identity is veiled at best.

Quick review: Your website’s job is to instantly and definitively communicate with power, precision, and passion who you are, how you’re different and better, and what customers can expect when doing business with you. It should be easy to read, easy to follow, and full of social proof and evidence. In short, your website should make prospects FALL IN LOVE with your company… on the spot, before they ever meet you in person.

While not a complete turn off, the original homepage falls far short of this lofty objective.

When talking to the owner, Steve Nash, I immediately recognized that this was not just “any old remodeling company.” They did extremely high caliber work. Their commitment to excellence was unwavering. Their systems to ensure absolute excellence were virtually bulletproof. Their follow up was impeccable. And as a result, their customers did in fact love them.

Broken record alert: None of that was coming through in the original website.

So we fixed that. Here’s a screenshot of the new, improved home page: (link to site here: www.upscaleremodeling.com)

Notice a few things:

• The “sliders” at the top of the site combine beautiful pictures of their work with powerful articulations of some of their major selling advantages:

o   Consistent, Clear Communication Is Our Calling Card.

o   We’re Hyper-Strict On Installation Standards

o   Our Warranties Have Backbone & Teeth—Not Loopholes.

• Note that Monopolize Your Marketplace offers a slightly different version of this site where the sliders are the full width of the page… and the right-hand margin stuff is pushed down below the sliders.
• The headline below that (called the “static headline”) encompasses the company’s identity: Welcome to Stress-Free, Quality-First, “Not Done Until You Say It’s Done” Remodeling.
• Then a nice headline funnel naturally directs the reader’s attention lower down the page. This is accomplished by making the main headline visually dominant with a larger font, then the next headlines visually submissive with decreasing sizes and different colors.
• The “box” on the right-hand side gives quick bullet-point style synopses of additional elements of their identity.
• The picture of the owner is professional and humanizes the words on the page; it’s first-person.
• Speaking of which, the text is simultaneously informal and powerful; personal and passionate. You get a feel for who he is and what his company is all about from reading. It’s believable.
• The site is extremely easy to navigate—viewers can pick their service on the right; the main navigation is clear and concise. The dropdowns are easy to see and choose.
• Social proof is abundant and conspicuous: case studies, online reviews, customer references, social media, picture galleries.
• All of this is laid out in a way that it’s super easy to digest in less than five seconds.

And that’s just the homepage!

As you continue browsing through the site, you’ll notice the following awesome things:

• There is a detailed breakdown of why they are superior in the marketplace; however, these elements are split into multiple pages to allow the reader to choose as much or as little as they want to read, but still be able to quickly and easily see everything that’s available. They can see that the major areas of excellence are workmanship, service experience, and their process. If this was all buried on one page, it would be harder to “preview” the contents of those pages like we accomplish with the dropdowns.
• Each service page follows the pattern of Identity (for that product), headline funnels, text. Readers can glean as little or as much information as they feel like they need or want.
• The reputation section breaks down their credibility into bite-size nuggets that are explained in enough detail that readers can actually appreciate those items. For instance, do you think the average visitor knows what Guild Quality is? They don’t! So we take the time to explain it to them. Similarly, we let them know WHY the BBB is important, and how they arrived at the score. We call this EVIDENCE!
• Not just “we have a showroom” but why a showroom is important, and what you can expect there.
• The resources are clearly marked and give readers an option to dive deeper into learning about home improvements—or not. It’s up to them! Many people won’t read this stuff, but will feel more confident in this company just because they know the information is there! Meanwhile, others will inhale every ounce of it.
• The about us page is a masterpiece. It really humanizes the company and solidifies their position as a company that a) has been there locally forever, b) is extremely qualified to do the work, and c) actually, you know, cares.
• Click on the photo galleries and case studies… we’re talking PROOF, baby!

But wait, there’s more!

When you create a powerful identity, there’s no need to stop at the website—integrate it into all your contractor marketing creations. Here’s what this looks like when in brochure form (note: this is NOT a regular-sized brochure; it’s about 1.7x bigger):

That bad boy is 11” tall and 5.5” wide and printed on cover stock. It’s big, cool… and awesome!

Now let’s turn this identity into some radio ads. Why not!?!

Quality – Love What We Do

You know how they say “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life?” I can honestly say that LOVING WHAT WE DO is what sets Upscale Remodeling apart. This is Steve Nash, owner of Upscale Remodeling; my father and grandfather were both remodelers, and I worked for them since I was nine years old. It’s all I’ve ever known, and all I’ve ever wanted to do. I could build an entire home by age sixteen, and I started my own remodeling company at the tender age of twenty-two. In the twenty-five years since then, we’ve completed over 1,500 major remodeling projects right here in the Ithaca area with a nearly 100% thrilled customer rate. Our attention to detail is legendary; we obsess over perfection. We never consider a job done until YOU say it’s done. That’s what happens when you LOVE what you do. And you know what? At Upscale… we LOVE remodeling. If you’re thinking about a project, give us a call at 529-6014 or visit UpscaleRemodeling.com. That’s 529-6014 or UpscaleRemodeling.com.

Stress-Free Remodeling

When people think about remodeling their homes, sometimes they get this pit down in their stomach. Everyone’s heard remodeling horror stories… you know… it takes forever… costs way more than you thought…. Doesn’t look right when it’s done. This is Steve Nash, owner of Upscale Remodeling. And I want to make you an iron-clad promise. From start to finish… and everything in between… we’re going to make your remodeling project absolutely stress-free. We’ll work up a detailed estimate… and stick to it… everything’s in writing. Our professional workers will be on time, courteous, and pleasant to have in your home. We’ll constantly communicate with you every step of the way. And we back up our work with real warranties with teeth, not loopholes. Remodeling can be stress-free and enjoyable… don’t put it off! Give Upscale Remodeling a call today at 529-6014, or online at Upscale Remodeling.com. We do kitchens, bathrooms, additions, and anything else your home could need. So call us at 529-6014, or online at Upscale Remodeling.com.

See how these ads capture the elements of the identity and work together with the website to create a vivid image of who this company is, what they’re all about, why they’re superior to their competitors, and what customers can expect when doing business with them?

This is the power of the identity.

And proof that good things do come to those who wait!

Comprehensive Web Marketing Checkup: Want to know if your identity is shining through on your website? We’ll perform an 18-point website inspection and give you a number grade from 0 to 100 so you’ll know for sure. We’ll also perform a comprehensive SEO analysis and show you where you’re doing well… and where you’re falling short. Just fill out this form and we’ll contact you to schedule a time to discuss. Important! Please DO NOT fill this form out if you do not intend to actually meet with us to discuss. We have to invest a substantial amount of time and work into preparing these reports. Thanks!

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© 2014 – 2016, Rich Harshaw. All rights reserved.