Your website creates the first impression many customers will have of your business. Thankfully, designing an attractive and professional website is easier than ever, and following a few simple rules can keep your site looking neat, put together, and approachable. This article is second in a two part series. Check out Developing Your Business Website for tips and tricks on how to start building your website and the information you should include.

Keep it simple

When building your website, functionality should always come first. The simpler the design, the easier it will be for customers to navigate through it. Don’t make navigation more complicated than it has to be; customers don’t want to stumble through a maze to find your services and contact information. Likewise, when including text and images, keep it simple. Inform your customers, don’t overwhelm them.

Check spelling and grammar

When text is necessary, so is a spelling and grammar check. A few misspelled or misused words can ruin the image of your company in a customer’s mind. Before you publish your site, be sure to have at least five trusted sources look through it for typos.   

Use good photos

Images add life to your website. They’re an easy way to engage the customer and show them what you’re about. However, low-quality images can have the opposite effect. A blurred, poorly lit or awkwardly cropped photo can be off-putting and call into question your professionalism. If you aren’t handy with a camera, check a stock photo website for images that reflect the plumbing services you offer. A few of the most popular stock photo sites are Getty Images, Shutterstock, and Adobe Stock.

Pro Tip: Choose action photos of you (or a model) performing work instead of posed pictures.

Use a template

Smaller plumbing and drain cleaning businesses may lack the resources to hire a web designer. Fortunately, many web hosting platforms offer templates available for you to use as a starting point. These templates can give your site a great foundation while make it easy for you to add customization. Learn more in our Developing a Business Website blog post.

Use modern design elements

Logos, functional (non-ornamental) fonts, concise copy, and professional-looking icons will give your website credibility and show that you’re up-to-date with technology. Make sure any images or logos you use are high resolution so they look clear. Whenever possible, use web icons specifically for your line of business. Want free plumbing and drain cleaning web icons? Check out MyTana’s FREE web icon pack.

Build multiple pages

Instead of cramming all the information you want to provide on one web page, build multiple pages for a cleaner site that’s easy to navigate. Create separate pages for your different services, contact info, pricing, testimonials, etc. This allows your customers to quickly find the information they are looking for without having to scroll through one long page.

Answer who, what and how

When customers come to your business’s website, they should be able to answer three basic questions within seconds: Who are you? What do you do/offer? How do they contact you? These questions can all be answered at the top of your website with images and just a few lines of text.

Contact Info

At any point while visiting your site, a potential customer could decide to hire you. Make it easy for them. Be sure to have a contact page that’s accessible from the main menu. Also provide your contact information in the footer of every page, and your phone number with a “call now” call-to-action somewhere in the header.

Colors

Absence of color can make your website drab, but you also don’t want to overwhelm your customers by including the entire rainbow. So, how do you go about choosing a consistent color scheme to give your website the warmth and pop it needs? If you already have a business logo, incorporate those colors into your website. If your logo doesn’t have color, then choose one dominant color and one or two complimentary accent colors, as well as a neutral background color. Using color correctly can make your business seem more inviting and help highlight important information.

Keep these guidelines in mind while designing your website, and when in doubt, imagine the experience of a customer visiting your site. With these design tips in hand along with some creativity, you can easily build a standout website for your plumbing or drain-cleaning business.

Ready to get started? Check out MyTana’s FREE plumbing and drain cleaning web icon pack: