website - honest opinions please....

[kay-jay]

could you spare a minute to check out
KJS Plumbing and Heating

and give me some feedback on anything that could be added/removed etc to make it a better site

thanks

KJ

 

[Guest123]

Looks very professional mate. Only wee change I'd make in my opinion is to take out the pic with the brick wall as it doesn't really lend itself to the other excellent pics that show tiles etc.

Otherwise it scores highly IMO.

 

[TBServices]

I'd say get rid of flash as I can't view it on my iPhone/iPad!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[dancinplumba]

looking good, agree with system3 bout brick wall pic, call me old fashioned but i do like home number as well as mobile
imho

 

[kay-jay]

thx dancing...im looking at getting 5 land line numbers for bolton and surrounding areas a tenner a month from a company called cloud. gonna get another google map on there which highlights areas covered, with the different area code numbers everyone thinks im local:smartass2: and they all just make the mobile ring and it only costs the custards same as a landline would

 

[anz]

thx dancing...im looking at getting 5 land line numbers for bolton and surrounding areas a tenner a month from a company called cloud. gonna get another google map on there which highlights areas covered, with the different area code numbers everyone thinks im local:smartass2: and they all just make the mobile ring and it only costs the custards same as a landline would

How much will they charge you though, for accepting these calls. I think five numbers is a bit too many, how many different area codes do you have in Bolton?

 

[kay-jay]

no charge, its 9.99 a month from what i can gather for upto 5 numbers, its still 9.99 if you just want one.

bolton just has 1 code which is 01204, but leigh is 01942, eccles and walkden is 0161, and chorley is 01527 so i would go for 4

 

[dancinplumba]

thx dancing...im looking at getting 5 land line numbers for bolton and surrounding areas a tenner a month from a company called cloud. gonna get another google map on there which highlights areas covered, with the different area code numbers everyone thinks im local:smartass2: and they all just make the mobile ring and it only costs the custards same as a landline would

lol was thinking just home number, but sounds good idea, you got a link to website kay-jay ?

 

[anz]

no charge, its 9.99 a month from what i can gather for upto 5 numbers, its still 9.99 if you just want one.

bolton just has 1 code which is 01204, but leigh is 01942, eccles and walkden is 0161, and chorley is 01527 so i would go for 4

That can't be right, or it's a really good deal.

I've been after a local number for a while, but all the companies I've seen charge a lot extra for diverting to mobiles. If it's £9.99 all inclusive I might be tempted.

Could you give me further details on the company your using.

The other way might work out cheaper though, for low volume calls.

 

[dontknowitall]

Aren't you going to show that radiator in that bathroom you photographed?

Looks like a good, clean website. Lovely pic of the tap and not a cluttered page, for a change!

Only comment is if someone's looking for a local plumber on their mobile it takes ages for your website to load and to find the telephone number.

My telephone number is one of the first things that appears. (This also helps with the Google ranking I think!)

 

[anz]

looking good, agree with system3 bout brick wall pic, call me old fashioned but i do like home number as well as mobile
imho

I don't think your alone, I think most people prefer to call a local (landline) number as it gives them a bit more confidence in the company.

 

[Guest123]

As Dancin says, always include a land line number on all your advertising material as it gives you a more professional image. Many people will refuse to call a mobile only number and others have had bad experiences from rogues using them (not singling out the tavelling caravan living community if you know what I mean, hint, hint,).

A lot were buying non traceable pay as you go mobiles, having the mobile numbers printed on leaflets then putting the leaflets out round estates in their thousands. They then take as many deposits as possible from unsuspecting people and don't go back to do the work. The mobiles are not registered and not traceable to any one person so they get away with it. I know of a few elderly customers of mine who got fleeced in this way by leaflets offering driveways, roof coatings, Upvc cladding and landscaping "services". One of my customers got stung for 2 grand over a broken roof tile. Buyer beware!

I hate old folk getting cleaned out of their hard earned savings. Only the lowest of scum do things like that.

 

[kay-jay]

the phone company is called cloud.

 

[kay-jay]

sorry its cloud numbers

CloudNumbers - Mobile Landline Numbers

upto 5 numbers for a tenner

 

[mcniven]

I like your site mate!

One thing a dont like, is your qualifications all over the front of it! Customers dont care, they want to know a) gs reg b) portfolio & contact

look at McNivens | Plumbing | Heating | Gas the flash is good, but not compatible wit phones, i like it though, its ur shop window

 

[Hybrid]

McNivens I notice on your site you've put down £350 average to supply and fit a bathroom suite. Is that a typo?

 

[johnnyplumb]

As Dancin says, always include a land line number on all your advertising material as it gives you a more professional image. Many people will refuse to call a mobile only number and others have had bad experiences from rogues using them (not singling out the travelling caravan living community if you know what I mean, hint, hint,).

A lot were buying non traceable pay as you go mobiles, having the mobile numbers printed on leaflets then putting the leaflets out round estates in their thousands. They then take as many deposits as possible from unsuspecting people and don't go back to do the work. The mobiles are not registered and not traceable to any one person so they get away with it. I know of a few elderly customers of mine who got fleeced in this way by leaflets offering driveways, roof coatings, Upvc cladding and landscaping "services". One of my customers got stung for 2 grand over a broken roof tile. Buyer beware!

I hate old folk getting cleaned out of their hard earned savings. Only the lowest of scum do things like that.

There called ' caravan utilising nomadic travellers' . most people just call them c.u.n.t.s for short.

 

[Guest123]

IMPSL mate at that one! They've just moved into Alloa and are illegally camping in a industrial estate. They've been cruising up and down our road every 10 minutes, "casing" the place. I've emptied the van indoors (she's no happy) but better that than it getting tanned by those thieving scumbags.

 

[Guest123]

....apologies Kay, for being off topic about your cool new web site!

 

[Dannypipe]

Laughed me head off at Jonnys comment.

Anyway Kay, good clean site. The pictures on the home page (with the exception of the tap which is a simple generic photo) are in my opinion not good. They're not exactly the gold standard that you want to show people. The brickwork on one photo, a bathroom suite with un decorated boxing in, and a boiler with the plastic wrapper still on the front panel. Try and get something genuine, that is really first class. This is your opportunity to show case your very best work. Its the first impression you will make on people and unless its exlementary, people won't care.

Other than that, it's very good.

 

[ecowarm]

And the sticker on the cistern

Back to the caravan utillising nomadic travellers, some just moved near us and the hospice boiler room broken into a couple of nights ago, stripped of copper even ripped down the ceiling, hope they never need their services,

 

[Puddle]

I think it looks really good kay-jay,I like the brick work but would agree about the qualifications,to in your face,would move from top...and add gas safe logo and any other logo you have

I like a map of the area covered as well

 

[Dannypipe]

And the sticker on the cistern

Back to the caravan utillising nomadic travellers, some just moved near us and the hospice boiler room broken into a couple of nights ago, stripped of copper even ripped down the ceiling, hope they never need their services,

Sickening. Some people are just plain scum. Whoever did that deserves locking up for a very long time.

 

[gravytrain]

i'm also not keen on the flash, it puts me off the rest of the site, just put some decent photos on each page
also there is no GSR logo anywhere. you've put a GSR number but it doesnt say anywhere that you install or repair boilers ??

i like your services page, but would swap that to your home page.

i would remove the qualifications, as has been said, they are meaningless to most people

also the list of things you do is written like a plumber
eg Taps and valves

if i was a customer..... Taps and valves what ???....whats a valve ??
you could say.... we repair or replace kitchen and bathroom taps

i would think about what people actually say when they ring up
and try to write your list of services to reflect what they ask for.

its not easy !!!

 

[anz]

sorry its cloud numbers

CloudNumbers - Mobile Landline Numbers

upto 5 numbers for a tenner

To me it looks like they charge you £9.99 per month for the five numbers and then you've got to pay for extra services such as divert to mobile (7 pence/min + vat), Call screening (£2), etc.

I've just signed up with another service, it's going to cost me £2 per month for the local number, divert to mobile is a little more at 10p + VAT per min. Call screening is included, so if I receive a missed call, I can call back for free.

It didn't take long to set up, 15 minutes, after researching.

I've just tested it and it works.

This service appealed to me because of the low initial ongoing cost of only £2/month. So it keeps my overheads down If I get no work. The company looks good, has been established a while, has good reviews, etc.

I've only just set it up in the last hour, so can't comment on reliability, support etc from my own experience.

The company is: https://www.voipfone.co.uk/

 

[anz]

Just had a look, you can get a months free trial if I refer you. PM me if you want.

 

[southcoastboile]

That website is nice m8, I do agree with danny pipe though, I think it would look more professional if you had some piks of some realy nice top of the range completed bathroom installs and swap them for your exising photos, bar the tap one. Also it doesn't put much emphasis on the fact you are gsr, a gs logo could be incorporated on you home page and mabee have another link to a seperate page which could go more into the gas side of things as you already have a page on plumbing. I didnt realise from a quick glance that you are gs, this could mean you are turning potential customers away. Looks good though!

 

[PlumbersMate]

A question for all of you with websites. Do your websites work in terms of getting you found? The websites ive designed myself, rank very highly for certain keywords but I think that due to them being designed by myself they might actually turn customers away due to my lack of web design skills.

Have had a quote from a designer for £750, which seems a little bit steep, but I do know that the sites do work, as two of my closest friends recommended him and they have got a fair bit of work from their sites.

Does £750 sound dear to you? and do your sites rank highly on google? Cheers

 

[dontknowitall]

LOL - you know when people come on here asking if a plumber's quote is too high? And the advice to them is to phone one or two more plumbers in the area to see what their prices are? dot, dot, dot.

Have you phoned one or two other website companies?

A bit cheeky, I know!!!

I just wanted a simple website and now how to do this search engine optimization stuff, so made a DIY website. It works for me and I'm not convinced that if I'd spent much more it would have generated much more business.

BUT!!! - That's because I had already created an image for my business, knew my logo, font type, colours, etc, etc, etc. I knew my type of customer, which area of the plumbing market I was in, etc, etc, etc.

I think many people (not just plumbers but even large businesses) don't even consider what their business image looks like, before the website. Then they let a designer loose on designing something and feel the website creation is really cool and buy the site. Then a few months down the road they find it's not bringing in the business they had hoped it would. The reason is frequently because the website looks nothing like the van they drive, for example, or it has pictures of smart taps and bathrooms and the work they do is heating (not very photogenic). With my website you're hit by a water leak (I mean a smart, luxurious water drop). My van has a massive picture of this on both sides. The typeface is the same font and colour on the website and the van. The background of my business card has this water drop. I wear sweatshirts in the same colour. Blah, blah. I'm rabbiting (again) but hopefully you can see what I'm getting at.

The £750 might have much more to do with matching the website to your business rather than just designing a few pages and rattling them off on to the internet.

 

[PlumbersMate]

I have asked a few tbh and some are as cheap as £300 and some as dear as £1000! lol I think I have a good idea of which corner of the market to target. Its a small corner but my estimate is (hope) that if I advertise solely trying to attract the bigger jobs and wider market ie' plumbing & heating overall then there is alot of competition already, but if i go in for the slightly smaller area i feel there is alot less competition. Hope that will work anyway?! lol

And im with you on everything being branded the same dkia, a local firm near me offers a great deal where you get your van sign written, 2 jumpers/hoodies, 2 polo shirts, 200 businness cards and also a board to leave outside customers houses, and this way you can use same colours, logos and branding throughout everything, but cant go ahead until ive got my website 100% sorted as i want this on my clothing, cards, board and van!!

Thanks for your advice mate you always break things down well and think outside the box so to speak.

Could you please give me an honest opinion on my two websites , i designed these myself. Anyone else please be as open and honest and critical as you can please. Thanks.

www.local-herts-plumber.co.uk and www.plumber-in-knebworth.co.uk cheers as always

 

[kirkgas]

i sent the link to my son to have a wee look at the website, he is a web designer and owns/runs a couple of hundred websites so he kinda knows what he is doing, his opinion is that it is quite clean and functional and quite good, he did say that a lot of feedback they get is that punters dont like the flash player so they dont use it a lot, and he charges a lot of his customers £5-6k per month to manage their sites so the amount of feedback is massive, he likes the flash but its customers that count (TBH i hate it, as you cant control how long to look at the pics etc) i do really like the site, and as others have said im not too keen on the unfinished looking jobs, unless you have them as before and after,
good luck with it

 

[PlumbersMate]

Would he consider designing one for a plumber kirkgas?

 

[kirkgas]

Would he consider designing one for a plumber kirkgas?

not wanting to sound rude to us plumbers, but he doesnt have the time, the work he does is high end stuff, worth about £80k+ per month to him and his work partner looking after top end clients, unless you have a BIG budget haha (he has to pay for the Lamborghini some how)

 

[PlumbersMate]

No worries kirkgas. Fair play to him


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[stevetheplumber]

Id make the phone numbers bigger and more stand out i had to look for them even on the contacts page some of your work will be emergency stuff and people want instant numbers