BEST OF THE WEB: Spinning a Web

Andrew Aksar can’t remember the last time he opened a phone book, and he suspects his customers are the same way. Aksar, president of Outdoor Finishes in Walkersville, Md., says his customers are increasingly getting information about his landscape business from the Web. In fact, about 85 percent of his jobs in 2007 came from his Web site, he says.
 
Aksar shared this on a recent discussion on the Lawn & Landscape Message Board in response to a question posted about the value of business Web sites. Bill Smallwood of WJ Smallwood Landscaping in Salem, N.H., started his business Web site this year and agrees with Aksar. “It has been a huge asset to us this year, drumming up quite a bit of new business,” he says.
 
Web sites appear to be quickly catching on in the green industry. According to a recent Lawn & Landscape technology survey, 66 percent of companies in the lawn care and landscape industry have a Web site.
 
But many of the thread’s participants agree that not all Web sites are created equal. Like the appearance of a crew, a business’ Web site acts as the face of the company.

FIRST IMPRESSION. Like business cards, a Web site can leave an impression – good or bad – on the customer, whether it’s the right impression or not. It could mean the difference between winning and losing a bid.
 
Aksar highlighted this point with a story about a meeting with a prospective customer. The customer showed Aksar a competitor’s business card. The competitor made the business card himself, and the customer clearly was not impressed, commenting that the card looked homemade. “People perceive you by whatever you provide them with,” he says.
 
The Internet might be a different medium, but the same concept holds true for landscape contractors.
 
“The professionalism of your business will be decided in the first five seconds of the new user’s visit to your Web site,” says Steve Cissel, CEO and founder of 10-20 Media in Woodbine, Md. “You have one chance at a first impression. If one claims to be a business professional, let’s say in landscaping and landscape design, but one’s Web site looks like it was designed by an amateur, the user will move on until it finds a professional design.”
 
For those who have an eye for design, programs like Microsoft FrontPage can be useful in creating a site, and books exist to guide the user. But if that’s not your forte, it’s better to leave it up to a professional, Cissel says. Hiring a Web site designer can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, Smallwood says.
 
The cost is justifiable because of the message it sends, Cissel posts.
 
“Sure, you can cut corners on Web development, but that is exactly the message you give to your Web prospects,” he says.
 
Once it’s designed, a Web site can be easy to maintain, some Message Board users post. Although, some contractors are split on whether to do the work in-house. According to the technology survey, 39 percent hire outside companies to maintain their sites, while 32 percent maintain it themselves. Another 14 percent have someone on staff keep the site updated while 11 percent have a family member keep the content current.
 
The possibilities for Web sites are endless. Check out other companies’ sites for ideas and seek advice on the Lawn & Landscape Message Board, Smallwood says. “They helped me and can help you if you listen,” he adds.

THE MESSAGE. Besides making the site look sharp, it helps if the site calls out to the customer, Cissel says. He calls it WIFM – “What’s in it for me?” Think like a customer when posting the content, he says. Think about what a customer wants from a contractor’s services. “It sounds easy to do, but it’s not,” he warns.
 
Cissel points to Aksar’s Web site as an example. “The home page for Outdoor Finishes is not selling a patio; it is selling relaxation and contentment.”
 
The ability to relax is important to customers, Aksar says. “Your clients want peace of mind that someone will do for them the best possible job and will look out for their best interests.”
 
Thinking like the customer also involves knowing who the customer is. The average Internet user is educated and doesn’t name price as the No. 1 decision factor when making purchases, according to Cissel. Buying over the Internet is a different experience for the customer, he says. “The Internet allows you to reach a buyer at the exact moment they are searching and it allows you to reach a buyer when they don’t know about you.”
 
Still, don’t put all your business eggs in one virtual basket, Aksar warns landscape contractors, adding many people still don’t have computers or access to the Internet.