TOPIC: Does anybody still do it the old fashioned way?

Ugh....Just when I thought I took a step toward moderating my perfectionism.

I can get a website set up in a day no problem.  The problem is what kind of a website that will be.  The path to getting a good website is so narrow, unless you want to pay someone else to do it for you.  And going down the wrong path with my other business's website just to avoid standing there has gotten me few customers from it.  Sure, I've learned a few things about SEO since then, but I won't pretend to think I know enough now to do it right this time.

You've given me more to think about though, so thanks, again.  But it comes full circle now.  If my website "is the foundation for everything I do online," then what is "everything I do online?"  Does that have to include social media, or need I only be concerned with high rankings in the searches?  Or can the old fashioned way of networking face to face and by word of mouth achieve the same results with a similar amount but different kind of work?

They say "work smarter not harder," but working "smarter" using the internet is hard work in and of itself.  I just wonder if working "harder" the old fashioned way might be sort of easier....

Scott... ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING you just said! This industrey has to be one of the most difficult for a single operator to run. Yes, there are many resources to make it easier along the way, but until your company is consistantly profitable, good luck affording those.

As for marketing in general, there is no single magic pill that works for everything. There are many inspectors that use one method only, but I think many of them are gearing down in life, and don't want to put forth the effort any longer. I understand that thinking. There are times when I just don't have the energy for the work load. Like you said, Marketing IS a full time job... on top of the full time job of Accounting, and the full time job of Inspecting and (continuing) education, and then everything alse involved in this profession.

With all that being said, I feel there needs to be a balance, a diversification, in the approach to marketing...

1) In person, face to face contact, will always be necessary to maintain your local presence,
2) Online is necessary as more and more potential clients and network affiliates perform their research there. Also, REA's are less and less in their offices, and working out of their homes. Are you going to go knocking door to door to realtors homes to network? I think not!

A final note before I run along... up front, your website doesn't matter too much what it is, but the SEO is important, thus my recommendation for a HIP site. Dom built the templates preloaded with SEO in mind. The templates are easy to fill in/change to your style. There is not really any need to pay someone to build a site for you, unless you have zero time to do it yourself. Once you have it up and running, schedule an hour or two a week and do small changes/additions to it to improve it. Personally, Mondays are typically slow for me, so I schedule all office chores for that day, Marketing, Bookeeping, tool maintenance, vehicle maintenance, ect. Sometimes I need to do an inspection that day, but no biggie, I work around it.

As you are finding out, there is a whole lot more to think about, that nobody warned us about when we started our HI businesses. Good luck.

Jeffrey, thanks again for all the advice.  I see sleep becoming a disappearing luxury....

Nah... just pace yourself. Do a little at a time. Once your site is live, it is actually advantageous to "update it" a little bit every week or two. Google LOVES new content.

Hi Jeffrey

Logged onto your www.jrjconsultants.net website. (Very nice).

Like your idea of using different hosts for your other websites, so Google will see different IP addresses.

Finally as a side note, I also use a number of other domain names to target specific areas or keywords but am coming around to the view that concentrating on one good website, optimized for different strategies is the best way forward.

Still haven't dropped my other domains names as of yet, just in case.

Peter

Thanks Peter.

The www.jrjconsultants.net website is my first and primary website, going on 8 years old. I actually began to give it a facelift about a month ago. Removing some logo's and other stuff that I choose not to display any longer, trying to clean it up a bit, and get it back to it's original "professional, corporate" look. I still have a ways to go, but a little at a time so it doesn't consume every waking minute. Who's gonna know other than me anyway? I also have the domains www.criticaleyeinspections.com and www.mnhomeinspector.com pointing to this website. The "Jrjconsultants" and the "Critical Eye" domains are my "Vanity" domains. Nobody will ever Google search for those terms.

My secondary site, now turning into my new primary site, is www.owatonnahomeinspector.com (an HIP site). My original goal was to give it a "softer" feel, as the majority of calls I get are from women/wives doing the legwork of locating an inspector. It has worked well so far. I also have the domain www.owatonnahomeinspections.com pointing to this website. These sites target my specific home service area. Anyone searching within 10 miles of my home will use these terms. Typically.

I have recently started a few small (cheap) 3-4 page "teaser" websites to target different areas. I decided it was better to have a live site, than it was to "point" all my domain names, as pointing doesn't help my sites, SEO wise. Currently I have www.AlbertLeaHomeInspections.com , www.Rochester-MN-Home-Inspector.com (going Live this weekend), and www.MinnesotaCommercialBuildingInspections.com (a commercial 'only' website).

Every year I cull through my unused domains, and add or subtract to my portfolio. I currently have about a dozen names. All unused domains point to a website, usually one that is similar in purpose. I did not purposely use different hosting, other than I am realizing the "all my eggs in one basket thing" as I have had increasing problems with my primary domain host (after 8 years... and recently new ownership of the host). It was more a decision of finances, as my cheapy sites only cost me $1 a month for the first one or two years (different special deals) and then about $5 a month afterwards. BUT... I definately get what I pay for, or not! If these sites turn out to be effective, they will be turned into HIP template sites when the time comes. There is no question in my mind that any future permanent sites will be hosted through HIP.

Well guys, hopefully this gave you some more insight into my sites, and to answer the original question of the OP... Yes/No... it's a hybrid kinda thing... just like my reports.

Have a great weekend guys!

By the way... please feel free to go check out all my sites listed... I can always use the additional traffic and any comments anyone may have. Just remember, a few of the sites are "intended" to be teasers... not in depth websites.

Thanks!