A new website template to help Plumbers get started online

The first step towards an updated website presence is often the hardest. So to help plumbers secure more quotes and enquiries without breaking the bank, we've developed the Go2 Plumbers website template.

We've released a new website design theme aimed at helping tradies update their online presence to drive more enquiries and quotes.

Communicate your value - why you?

The top banner section of the template will allow you to communicate your value, and help customers build confidence towards making an enquiry.

We often discourage our clients from the common request of using a rotating banner in this area, as rotating banners tend to "junk up" your home page and distract users from getting in touch.

A high quality background image is a much nicer approach which typically results in an increased conversion rate (maybe a photo of your branded vehicle? Or team?).

Be succinct and clear about your value, and ensure that you drive customers towards taking an action. Is your value in pricing? Customer service? A skill speciality? What outcome does your service leave your customers with? 

Social media icons & accounts - which ones?

When choosing social media accounts, consider where your ideal customers are likely to be spending their time (are you targeting commercial clients, residential or both?) .

To help point you in the right direction; Facebook and Twitter should be considered. If you're relatively new to social media for business, I'd encourage you to focus your efforts on no more than one or two accounts. 

Twitter offers a great way to target commercial clients through posting valuable tips and insights, whereas Facebook can be used to stay in touch with residential customers you after complete jobs, for a chance at more work further down the track.

As a first step to get started building your social media profile, work through your customer database and like / follow their social media accounts.

Don't be afraid to ask existing and potential clients where they hang out on social media, their answers might surprise you.

Page Structure

The pages included in our example offer a great framework to get started. Some considerations when planning your page structure:

1. Include an "About Us" page with some background on the owner and your company. Yep, your customers do actually read it! Typically, as the second page after visiting your home page.

2. Include information about your services and skills. For commercial work, try to include the types of clients and industries you love working with and some outcomes you've achieved in the past. 

3. Keep search engine optimization in mind when considering your page structure - more on this below.

4. Maintain an updated website with fresh content and articles. In our template we've used "Plumbing Tips", however you can just as easily do case studies, or overviews of past jobs. 

Be found in search

As search engines change and evolve over time one thing remains consistent. Search engines such as Google and Bing are service providers just like you, and a service they provide is accurate, quality information on search terms.

If you produce valuable and unique content about your service, and others link to it or share it around, search engines will have more reason to display your business above others.

Here's a basic SEO checklist for plumbers to get started: 

1. Maintain an updated Google Business Listing, and link it to your website: https://www.google.com.au/business/

2. Ensure that your Google Business Listing is associated with an address, and a service area.

3. Ensure that your website home page title includes a reference to your service area, and your keywords and description is set.

4. Publish tips and valuable articles on a regular basis (aim for one quality per month to get started). As a bonus - try to get your staff, team and partners to like and share the article around. If you can convince partners to link to your article from your website it will help out too. 

5. When you complete a job, write down some notes about the challenges of the job, the location / suburb and the outcome. Use it to publish a case study, and post updates about the outcome on social media.

Accepting Enquiries & Quotes Online

Web forms have become common practice for capturing enquiries through the website. Check out the contact form on the Go2 Plumbers template for an example of how this works. 

After completing the contact enquiry form (or request a quote form), the submission will be sent to you via e-mail, and the details completed by the customer will be automatically added to your contact database.

This allows you to send e-mail marketing campaigns over time, and provides you with some insights into how that customer found you, as well as the steps they took before contacting you. 

Simpro Integration
Did you know that Oncord forms integrate with Simpro Job Management software? You can push website enquiries through to Simpro as leads, and send e-mail marketing campaigns to nurture SimPro leads (great for commercial clients). 

Click here for more information about Simpro Job Management Software

Next Steps

If you'd like a demo to determine whether Oncord is a good fit with your business, click here. 

A more detailed digital guide for plumbers will be available soon. Ensure that you're subscribed below to receive e-mail updates from us to stay in the loop.