1. Understand What the Customer Really Wants

The main goal of your website is to get people to contact your company. Every element of your website should bring your prospective client closer to that action.

Therefore, it’s important to speak directly to the needs and desires of the person looking for a home inspector.

On the surface, you might think they’re looking for the home inspector with the lowest price, but that’s not entirely correct.

Maybe you think they want someone who can inspect the house as quickly as possible. However, that’s not their core desire either.

Most people are looking for a home inspector to quell a fear – the fear of making a huge mistake by buying a home that has a serious flaw.

Such a mistake could cost them thousands of dollars and hours of unpleasant work. Worst of all, it will make them feel foolish for buying a flawed house in the first place.

So when you’re developing the text for your website, speak to these fears. Let people know that you will keep them from making the blunder of a lifetime.

Assure them that you will ferret out every defect in the house. Let them know that nothing will get past you. You will be the hero that prevents them from being suckered into buying a lemon.

In pictures and words, present your company as the home buyer’s advocate, not just another expense.

Convince them that the money they spend on your home inspection service will be the best money they spend in the entire home-buying process because you alone can save them from embarrassment and disaster.

2. Your Header Picture is Your First Impression

The picture at the top of your web pages sets the tone for everything that follows. It should include your picture and phone number.

What first impression to do want make? Will you show yourself examining the roof? A bad roof is one of the biggest fears that a home buyer has.

Will you be pointing to an electrical box and explaining something to a home buyer? Most people don’t know what to look for in the hidden systems.

Consider getting help from a photographer skilled in taking professional-looking action shots.

3. Make Sure Your Website Reflects Your Professionalism

If there are spelling and grammar mistakes, you’ll give the impression that you do half-baked work. If you miss a spelling error, will you miss a flaw in the home? Subconsciously, people think that way.

If writing is not your strong point, hire a professional copywriter to draw out every good point of your company.

For example, do you accept credit card payments? You might think that this is obvious and not necessary to mention.

However, a first-time homebuyer may not have thought of this convenience and you may gain a point with that reader.

Although you want to appear professional, you also want to sound approachable and friendly.

The homebuyer is looking for an advocate, someone who will be on their side and who will act like a trusted friend. A copywriter is trained to project that image.

4. Include a Contact Form on the Home Page

Of course, you’ll have a contact form on your contact us page but having one on your home page will accomplish two things.

First, you always want to make it as easy as possible for prospective clients to reach you.

By placing a contact form at the bottom or side column of the first page, people will not have to click anywhere else to make a connection with your company.

Second, a contact form on the home page will increase your web page’s SEO ranking, making it more likely that your page will be seen by more people.

5. Include a Video on Your Home Page

A video also increases the SEO of a web page. People like watching videos and they want to see who they might hire. Appear professional, friendly and knowledgeable.

The video does not have to be long. A few minutes will be enough. If you have no idea what you should say, have your copywriter create the script for you.

Superimpose your phone number over the bottom of the video. An experienced video creator on fiverr.com can do this for you for only five dollars.

By including a video of you showing your knowledge when it comes to home inspection, you create content, and a familiarity with a customer before they even contact you.

6. Keep Your Website Layout Simple

There are only a few pages that people expect to find:

• Home Page – which includes the services you provide
• About Us Page – your qualifications and certifications
• Testimonials – comments from satisfied customers, realtors, building inspectors, etc.
• Contact Us Page – include a map to your company’s location
• Privacy Policy – so people know what you’ll do with their information

A simple navigation bar on every page will help people get around easily.

7. Avoid Confusion at All Costs

It’s okay to have a lot of information on a page as long as it’s logically laid out and with category sub-headings.

A person should be able to scroll down a page and quickly find what he’s looking for simply by reading the sub-headings.

Create a sub-heading for each service you provide, followed by a brief description.

Long, information-filled pages increase the page’s SEO but be certain that the page does not appear to be “busy” to the human eye.

Don’t have flashing lights in a side column when you really want the person to be reading the text in the center column.

An important trick every webmaster uses is examining the websites of other home inspection companies. Jot down the best and worst features of each web page.

8. Include Local SEO Elements

What will a homebuyer type into Google’s search box when looking for a home inspector? Most likely, it will be something like “home inspection pueblo colorado” or “home inspector in denver.”

Be certain that the words “home inspector” or “home inspection” and your town are in your home page’s title.

Google strives to present the seeker with exactly what he’s looking for. So if your page title has the exact words he typed in, it has an excellent chance of being displayed.

9. Offer Your Visitors an Incentive to Call You

Can you offer something free? If you don’t charge for the initial phone call, consider displaying “Free initial consultation if you call now,” followed immediately by your phone number.

Do you offer a guarantee? Play it up as something they get only if they call you.

Can you offer a coupon or a discount, such as “Mention this website and get a 5% discount during the month of May.”

Conclusion

Your website is your online brochure. Its purpose is to entice the reader to call you rather than someone else. Every element of your website should work hard to accomplish that goal.

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