You’d probably agree that as a cleaning business owner, your company needs a website in order to be taken seriously in our digital world.
But when was the last time you took a good long look at your website and thought critically about how it’s representing your company and answering your potential customer’s questions?
The unfortunate truth is that many commercial cleaing business owners have a website built just for the sake of having a website, and fail to use it to it’s full potential as a powerful marketing and sales tool.
We hate to say it, but the website you created 5 years ago probably isn’t doing what you think it is.
In fact, it may be doing exactly the opposite.
In this article we look at 3 ways your website could be costing you new customers (in case you’re not convinced that it’s a possibility,) and then we go over some ways to fix it.
Imagine for a minute that every day you saw people drive up to your office building, take one step in the front door, then immediately turn around and leave.
Wouldn’t you do something about it?
Of course you would!
The hard truth is that if your website is outdated, cluttered or just plain ugly, this is exactly what’s happening online.
Even worse is that when it does, your prospective customer is probably turning to your competitors who visually pleasing, and informative websites.
In order to make the best use of your online presence, you should demonstrate your credibility with a professionally designed site.
Our best advice is to research what modern, well-designed websites look like these days.
Here are some examples of strong websites in the janitorial industry:
If your current website needs more than a few quick fixes, starting over can be overwhelming, and a difficult decision to make.
The good news is there are many resources you can use to get a great site up and running, even on a small budget.
Software like Squarespace and Wix give you the ability to select website templates that are easy to customize for your business.
Key take-away: A poorly designed cleaning website can be an even worse selling point for your cleaning company than having no website at all.
The best time to reach your potential customers is when they are searching for a cleaning solution for their home or business.
And what does that search look like?
These days, it generally begins online.
More than 2.4 billion people go online each day, and 62% do so for research purposes.
Even if you have a website but it’s outdated or incomplete, you’ll miss the opportunity to capture the warmest leads:
People already looking for cleaning services.
When someone is already in the market for your services, your website can bring them one step closer to becoming a customer by answering any questions they have.
The first place to start is to think about what specific questions you want your website to answer.
Start by asking your front line staff what questions people ask when they call your company. Which of these questions can you answer on your website?
Some common examples are:
How do you ensure quality work?
Where do you find your cleaners?
What training does your staff get?
What technologies do you use to improve communication with your staff?
What do your customers love about your service?
The key is to talk about how your company is truly different when answering these questions.
Most janitorial websites talk about the same 3 things in their “Why Us” section:
We have a great team;
We deliver quality services;
We use green products.
Assume 100% of your competition offers the exact same thing as you.
What makes you unique? What else do you do to go above and beyond?
Your website needs to answer questions that go deeper than simply what services you offer.
Key take-away: People visiting your website are your warmest leads because they are in the market for your services. Use your website to give them all the information they need to make the decision to book a walk-through with you.
With millennials having an increasing influence in B2B purchase decisions (nearly 50% according to a recent study) it’s important to understand they research janitorial companies for hire.
As they’ve grown up to expect all information they need to be online, the internet is where they begin all of their research.
Since millennials do three times more searches by phone, one important thing to remember is that your website should also be optimized to display and function on mobile devices as well as on desktop.
If your website was designed by a professional web developer and yet isn’t mobile-friendly, chances are it is outdated enough to need a complete overhaul.
In other words, it may make sense to simply start from scratch using one of the web design resources mentioned above. Not only are they affordable web-design solutions, but they allow your website to be mobile-friendly by using a mobile-first strategy.
Alternatively, there are tools available that will create a mobile responsive version of your existing website. Here’s a great article that covers these options in-depth: Make Your Website Mobile Friendly Now; 3 Ways.
Key take-away: Because millennials are becoming the decision-makers at the organizations that hire you, it’s important for your website to be mobile-responsive.
As the owner of a commercial cleaning business, you’ve likely considered investing in your business in different ways.
Things like offering new services, upgrading your cleaning equipment, or adopting new technology are great examples of up-front costs that pay off over the long run.
Your website is a prime example of an investment that will make you money over time. Your professional online presence begins with your website, making it the single most important digital asset you own.
It will help you to grow your customer base by connecting you with people who are already seeking janitorial services, adding to your credibility, and appealing to a new generation of decision makers that heavily depend on the internet when hiring contractors.