Squarespace Reduces The Time It Takes to Build a Website

Home improvement firms can get a site built in weeks not months.

Building a home remodeler website is a much different process than just a few years ago. Content management platforms like Wordpress have brought template based website design to the mainstream. Unfortunately, with Wordpress, you'll still need to research plugins, write code to customize your site, and manage the design of your site by first creating Photoshop files, converting them to HTML and then using them.

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An online search for “how long does it take to build a website?” will result in responses ranging from non-committal (why bother writing if you don't have an answer?) to anywhere from 6 to 9 months. Articles citing the longer end of the range stated that the extended timeframe was due to the time needed to gather content including photography and text, closely followed be developmental and design issues associated with content management platforms like Wordpress.

So how long does it take to build a home remodeler website?

We've found that inferior tools, process and lack of communication are the main reasons for delays when creating a website. Means-of-Production builds websites using Squarespace because it allows us to build a website in four to six weeks. How? We do not need to write custom code, research plug-ins, create a Photoshop file, convert it to HTML and apply it to Wordpress.

Learn How To Choose A Squarespace Website Template

Squarespace is an intuitive template-based platform that can handle photography with a lengthy conversion process. Image galleries are included in templates allowing us to build photography based websites for our clients in a much shorter timeframe. Templates help to make website design a smoother and easier process. Even still, other factors can slow down the process.

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Open communication with clients can help to reduce delays as can setting realistic deadlines and sticking to them. Businesses need to decide on and gather assets like photography, bios and supplied text to accelerate the building process. Early discussions and decisions on direction, design and functionality can also work to keep the process running more efficiently.

What are the must haves for a home remodeler website?

Inbound marketing is all about building trust and relationships. A sloppy, difficult to navigate home remodelers website does not build trust. Your website needs to be user-friendly, inviting and informative to build confidence and generate leads.

Here are some best practices and “must haves” that will help to make your home remodeling firm's website get found online and stand out from the competition.

1. Have a detailed plan – The better your plan, the smoother the process. Decide what is important to potential visitors. Tell them about your business process. Identify your audience, craft your message and create a plan.

2. Home remodeling is a visual process – Gather all of your visual assets, job site photos, before and after shots, and video walkthroughs and organize your work to make browsing easier. Keep it simple and group your assets by style or job to keep visitors browsing. Squarespace gallery templates can help to organize your content.

3. Keep your content relevant – Stay focused, on message and educate, inform or entertain your visitors. Use industry related keywords in content to improve search. Your content establishes your brand and can give readers a real sense of who you are, what you do and why they should work with you on their next project.

4. “About us” pages – Make your about us pages and bios personal and professional. This can help to build trust with your visitors. Let them know who you are and include a photo so they can place a face with your name.

5. Services – Make sure you specify all of the services you offer, for example, if you specialize in kitchen and bath remodeling, will perform small jobs, etc. Also, make sure you let potential clients know if you offer services to both residential and commercial customers.

6. Optimize for search (SEO) – Use industry specific keywords in all of your content, alt tags, and photo descriptions. Also, make sure to include location information to aid local search. Share your content on all social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to help build authority with the search engines.

7. Use analytics to track performance – The strength in inbound marketing lies in the ability to analyze performance. Using tools like Google Analytics, Quill Engage, Clicky, or Squarespace Analytics can help you understand what's working, and more importantly what isn't. You'll have the ability to track who is visiting your site, where they came from, how long they stayed and what content they reading. This data allows you to continuously monitor and improve your content, which will drive more traffic to your site.

Creating a plan, organizing assets, using tools like Squarespace and open communication can help to get your website up and live much faster. Using these and other best practices can help you to get found online, help you to stand out from your competitors, build thought leadership in your field, and trusting relationships with potential customers.

About Michael Conway

I'm the owner and strategist at Means-of-Production. My firm builds Squarespace websites, Houzz profiles, and content marketing and advertising solutions for architects, interior designers, design-build contractors and landscape design firms. Our all-in-one marketing tactics attract the right clients with exceptional architectural photography and brand messaging that sets you apart from the competition.