my website

[John Dirks Jr]

I trust the members here to give me a fair shake and good advice. Here is my website address. If you decide to punish the author or designer, that would be me.

http://www.arundelhomeinspection.com/

Keep in mind that I am new to this business so I cannot make claims of extensive experience.

How do I make myself look good otherwise?

What about my site looks good or bad?

What should I loose and what should I add?

Have at it while I run for cover....

[Jesse]

Big brass ones, John, throwing your work out to be critiqued. Bravo. That said...

- I don't quite understand the blurry graphic of the house on a pile of money.

- You don't have to provide instructions on how to use the internet. If someone's on your site, they'll probably figure out how to click on the buttons.

- The color contrasts are rough on the eyes. You don't need big text in bold colors on a white background. Check out the sites that Randy and Kurt have - they are great examples of clean sites that are easy to view.

- The home page, as it is, says nothing. It's supposed to be your introduction. Maybe move your "goal" stuff, or your "bio" stuff over to your home page. Keep it brief, though.

- When you're writing the text, relax. No one actually says "I have resided in the state of Maryland since..." How about "I've lived in Maryland since..."

That's some format stuff. I hope it's helpful.

[ozofprev]

John,

You are off to a much better start than most of those entering this business.

Although I do understand the house on the pile of money, I think Jesse gave you some excellent feedback. Also, the first sentence of your 'Services' page is missing a word - but I would reword the whole sentence.

I wouldn't put the certificate of training on my website. Honestly, it isn't likely to impress. After looking at your site from a client perspective, I like you. That's an important goal of any site.

Warning: You will hear many people's ideas about reports. The red color is frowned upon by many - but not me. If something needs to stand out, I like it to stand out. My point is this - follow your own thoughts after hearing all of the opinions.

And the best of luck to you.

[kurt]

Overall, satisfactory. No major complaints. Better than a LOT of other HI sites.

Hope it all works out for you.

[Bain]

It's good, John. Some of the language needs to be cleaned up, but that will always be true. Someone famous once said an author never completes a novel, he merely abandons it--meaning you will continually tinker with the wording, and that a sentence that seems fine today will look yucko tomorrow.

I'd lose the certificates and licenses 'cause those things give a vibe that you're trying to legitimize yourself. You are legitimate. It looks as if you need to convince yourself that's true.

Also, about the rates. Aren't you gonna charge more for basements and crawlspaces? And also factor in the age of the house? 2,000 sq. ft. of 100-year-old bungalow with a partial basement and crawlspaces is going to require a heck of a lot more time than three-years-old and on a slab.

[John Dirks Jr]

Thanks for the input. I have made a correction and a change so far. I feel somewhat relaxed that those of you who have responded think it looks ok.

[Scottpat]

I have found that it is best not to publish your pricing. This tends to keep folks from calling and it does not give you a chance to sell your service. You could say something like "Inspections start at $...... , this price is based on the size of the home"

I don't think that you should advertise that you have insurance coverage, kind of like waving a red flag in front of a bull. If you are in a licensed state, just say you meet all of the state requirements.

The wording that you are using for the NHIE is awkward.

[member deleted]

Hey John,

I would recommend investing in a "Professional Website" rather than something created by you. Not that I think you did a bad job on your site. There are many companies out there that cater to Home Inspectors and do very well at creating professional looking websites.

Do yourself a favor and spend some money on hiring a website and/or graphic designer to create your site. You will not regret it!!

Kevin

[pete moss]

you need a nachi logo

http://www.nachi.org/confusion.htm

[StevenT]

I just got in and will look at your site soon. Until then, my immediate thoughts are that it would be nice for your site... and mine too, if there could be a TIJ logo, with a link. Especially since TIJ has been opened to the "public."

Mike is that possible?

[member deleted]

Originally posted by pete moss

you need a nachi logo

http://www.nachi.org/confusion.htm

Totally uncalled for and childish.

Kevin

[member deleted]

Originally posted by StevenT

I just got in and will look at your site soon. Until then, my immediate thoughts are that it would be nice for your site... and mine too, if there could be a TIJ logo, with a link. Especially since TIJ has been opened to the "public."

Mike is that possible?

This should work...

Kevin

[John Dirks Jr]

Originally posted by Kevin A. Richardson

Originally posted by pete moss

you need a nachi logo

http://www.nachi.org/confusion.htm

Totally uncalled for and childish.

Kevin

Thanks Kevin. You know, I really dont care about all this organizational quarreling. I think the best thing to do is just ignore it all. Why give em a stage?

[ozofprev]

John,

I knew I liked you!

[:-thumbu]

[Les]

me too!

You, and all others on this site, are more than a logo and/or #&%$#.

[kurt]

Me also.

Silly & childish is right. Your stock just went up several points in my book.

[Scottpat]

Originally posted by Kevin A. Richardson

Hey John,

I would recommend investing in a "Professional Website" rather than something created by you. Not that I think you did a bad job on your site. There are many companies out there that cater to Home Inspectors and do very well at creating professional looking websites.

Do yourself a favor and spend some money on hiring a website and/or graphic designer to create your site. You will not regret it!!

Kevin

Professional sites are nice, but the Cookie Cutter sites are not the way to go. All of the home inspector site websites I have seen that are based on a template, all look the same.

Another problem is that many of the major search engines do not always list the cookie sites high on the searches, for some reason they just don't like them.

So, if you want a site designed by a professional web designer be sure that it is from scratch and not one that has been used over and over with other inspectors.

[Brian G]

I think it's a solid start, but I agree with Jesse about the home page. That's the first thing they see, so you have to try to gently get the hook in right there. Say hello, introduce yourself, and welcome them. Invite them to check out the rest of the site, and try to put them at ease. Then you need just one or two paragraphs, not too heavy, that will begin the process of making them love you, trust you, and want to hire only you.

I also agree with Scott about pricing. If you want to have some kind of numbers on the site, make it a range and don't explain the pricing details. You need them to call you. That personal contact is usually the make-or-break point for the deal. Unless they've been referred by someone they trust, most clients hire the first person they feel a good connection with. You gotta be that guy.

Brian G.

You Da Man! [:-thumbu]

[John Dirks Jr]

Alright then, you all have drummed into my mind the importance of the main home page being more attractive and captivating. You also have me thinking about re-writing the rates page.

I'll work on these things and make some changes. I'll post back when done. Maybe I'll post the prospective changes here for review before publishing them. Then again, maybe I wont.

Thanks to everyone for your opinions and keep it coming if you got anything else.

Dang it, now I have to start thinking.

[Erby]

Get rid of or hide the traffic counter. Don't see that on too many professional websites. Use a real traffic tracker or service.

Get some keywords related to your service area on there.

[John Dirks Jr]

I think I'll keep the hit counter but I'll try to hide it. I want to follow the counts on the different pages and attempt to deduct some reasoning from traffic patterns. I don't even have a counter on every page. I'm going to put one on every page, reset them all to zero and hide them so only I can see.

It is true I need to do more work to attract action from search engines.

I have a question. I am still in the process of getting qualified by my state to do other things like collecting radon samples and termite certifications and such. I mention those services as coming soon on my "services" page. Do you think it is alright to say "coming soon" or should I refrain from mentioning things until I am actually ready to provide them?

[SonOfSwamp]

It's better than most HI sites I've seen. You wrote in conversational English instead of InspectorSpeak. Good for you.

That said, if you know a good high-school or college English teacher, hire one to clean up the text a little bit. It's not a mess now, but it could be improved.

WJ

[John Dirks Jr]

Originally posted by SonOfSwamp

It's better than most HI sites I've seen. You wrote in conversational English instead of InspectorSpeak. Good for you.

That said, if you know a good high-school or college English teacher, hire one to clean up the text a little bit. It's not a mess now, but it could be improved.

WJ

It is and always will be a work in progress. You and the others on this site spent your time pointing me in the right direction and I appreciate that. It is helping me a great deal.

[John Dirks Jr]

I added a paragraph after the first line on the home page. As suggested, the attempt is to set the hook. Tell me what you think.

www.arundelhomeinspection.com

[hausdok]

Don't let Bonnie see that or she'll jack-slap you.

One word - homonym

OT - OF!!!

M.