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cbscreative
08-23-2008, 09:48 PM
I thought about adding this to the Worst Web Sites thread, but it probably is best as a separate discussion.

So what is it like in your area? I am amazed and apalled at how pathetic it is where I live, even though it is a major metropoiltan market. I have an older home, which I prefer for the character, but when seeking home improvement services, the majority of local providers are seriously lacking in providing a web presence that even comes close to siezing a wide open opportunity.

The web sites in my area are lame at best, and as a general rule, just plain suck. They really deserve the honor of being featured on Web Pages That Suck (http://www.websitesthatsuck.com), so if the owner of that site is looking for material, the home improvement companies in west Michigan are ripe for the picking.

It makes me wonder, what are these people thinking? Some of them have great products and service. Are the profit margins so tight that they can't afford to represent themselves better on the Internet? Or are they just so naive that they believe they can continue to survive with outdated marketing practices?

Maybe it's because I live in an area where the old ways still work and the majority of providers are still stuck in outdated thinking. It's also just as likely that if someone were to update their marketing, they could squash the local competition before they ever even knew what hit them.

So, have you sought home improvement? If so, how is your area for Internet resources? Are they as out of touch as where I live and expect you to shop like it were still 1985? If this problem is truly epidemic, maybe this thread should be under a category for wide open business opportunities.

As an added note, I know we have members here like Mak and SteveB that understand what I am getting at, so they are different. But in my area, the majority seem to have their head firmly planted in a very dark place. On the one hand, I have a bartering opportunity. On the other, the best providers are harder to find so those that "get it" may win even if their quality is lower. That's a real shame.

orion_joel
08-24-2008, 10:40 AM
I have not really looked at the local sites to me that much, in fact even though i do spend a lot of time online same with the rest of my family we still go to the yellow pages, if not the actual book, then the website. I have not really even tried looking for this sort of website, although now you have mentioned it could be an interesting to take a look.

Leatherneck
08-28-2008, 02:19 PM
Steve,I thank you for your compliment. I think alot of the service contractors fall short on thinking they are doing well enough with there old fashion ways of phone book advertising and flyer marketing. I'm a firm believer in the need too market, and market well in my business. I have seen a large change in people finding me using the internet from even a year or two ago.

I think the internet is going too be tha only way too go in the near future. Phone ads can cost a small fortune that have be renewed every year. I bet some many people wouldn't even know where too find there phone book when it is needed. Maybe on the baby's high chair seat They know where there computer is though. I think a lot of businesses are going too find themselves left off the boat by not trying too change to the internet for marketing. We'll try too keep that a secret for now though. ;)

There are a lot of landscape and contractor forums that the members look ripe for the picking to have professional web designers do there work. May be some of the designers and SEO experts here could get on some of those forums and do some posting. There are even topics for internet marketing on them where you guys would fit right in. Just a thought!

cbscreative
08-28-2008, 03:24 PM
Hello, this is customer service. You can visit us on the web at homeimprovementpainterspowerwashinganimalcontrolin sulationroof dot com where all your questions can be answered. We have carefully followed every piece of bad advice we could get our hands on, but still feel we can make your home a more beautiful place. If you are impressed, please let our friendly staff have a stab at working on your home. We know you woudn't trust your single biggest investment in life to just anyone, so check us out. Thank you.

LOL. This is actually the Detroit side of the state, but I just had to demonstrate my point because it's too funny to resist. This one was chosen mostly for its domain name, but there are lots of examples of even uglier sites, for those that even have a site at all.

Thanks for your input, Mak. I like your suggestion.

Note: I don't know why the space appears in the domain name, maybe the forum software has a character limit and added it. It's not supposed to have a space so you need to manually remove it if you want to actually visit this site.

orion_joel
09-06-2008, 01:42 AM
Mak maybe if you want to put in the time you could create yourself a whole new business, creating websites for other businesses, in this market. Or you could always go into it as a consultant to a designer.