Handyman Business site review and Seo key words help

[Mcallismaint]

Hi everyone

Please could I have some assistance with this website? I've been juggling this alongside my work. I did have the same domain a few years ago but closed it down as I was getting no results despite keyword Seo.

It would be great to have some feedback on both the content and also keywords as I haven't focused on this as I don't know where to really start.

I have tried to keep the site with less waffle and to the point and not over complicated

Home | M.Callis Maintenance

If you look around your home. Sometimes you would be surprised at what needs attention. With busy lives things get put on the back burner. Many times I have had clients say that they are so happy to have finally had something

mcallismaintenance.co.uk

 

[WaveJumper]

I think if you want a website perhaps best to payout and get it built professionally. Personally I would concentrate more on building a social media presence in the areas you want to cover locally

 

[fisicx]

you will get far more leads from a Google Business Profile.

The website is a bit meh. The gallery for example tells me nothing about the work you did, for whom and where. Each job you do should be a blog post with lots of pictures and a decent description. Properly categorised they would form a solid core of content that Google can index and rank.

But GBP would still be a much better source of leads.

 

[Mcallismaint]

I think if you want a website perhaps best to payout and get it built professionally. Personally I would concentrate more on building a social media presence in the areas you want to cover locally

I got duped into the website in the 1st place. I thought that they were going to do most of the work for me. It was called a questionnaire which was actually me starting to build my own website after handing over the money

Now I'm trying to make the absolute best use of that website otherwise I'll feel it has been a waste of time and money but I do keep marketing low by using social media a lot for my work. Not everybody has Facebook though. I have searched handyman near me and my website does appear on Google not too far down but what if they type something else like painter for example and I don't pop up.

 

[fisicx]

Which is why a GBP will be far better for you.

Use the website to write up about the work you have done (blog posts) and get rid of all the waffle you currently have.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Design the website for potential customers - yours looks like it was done just for SEO.

 

[GriffithAccts]

Hi everyone

Please could I have some assistance with this website? I've been juggling this alongside my work. I did have the same domain a few years ago but closed it down as I was getting no results despite keyword Seo.

It would be great to have some feedback on both the content and also keywords as I haven't focused on this as I don't know where to really start.

I have tried to keep the site with less waffle and to the point and not over complicated

Home | M.Callis Maintenance

If you look around your home. Sometimes you would be surprised at what needs attention. With busy lives things get put on the back burner. Many times I have had clients say that they are so happy to have finally had something

mcallismaintenance.co.uk

Hello,

You have a professional and functional website. It states what you do and easy to scroll.

SEO takes time and needs traction over time and maybe special skills such as an SEO expert building backlinks and money pages for traffic.

Maybe more important to build social media presence and also word of mouth together with some target traffic campaigns through local Facebook and google paid ads.

But I think it looks really good

Daniel Griffith FCA

 

[cjd]

I really like what I think the business idea is but I'm confused about how you're selling it. You talk about 'we' all the time but also 'you' as a 'handyman'. You also use an 07 number that just shouts 'yeh, it's just me'. It is just you isn't it?

If it is, make that the sell - it's a good thing, people want someone that they can trust to come in and fix small problems as well as do bigger things when the can trust you.

Don't pretend; if it isn't just you then you need to think about the message and rejig the site.

I wish you could give some idea of pricing on there, I know it's difficult but I'd really like some comfort about what I'm getting into if I've got an overflowing toilet or a broken gate.

You don't need a big posh site, it just needs to be a bit simpler and thought through about what message you're giving. Your business is local so cheap local ads will work for you, but if you're any good - reasonably priced and provide a good honest, reliable service - you'll be swamped by work from recommendation.

 

[antropy]

My opinion is that you're one guy but you're trying to make the website look like you're a medium sized company ... but there are so many references to "me" and "I" etc.

So personally I'd just stop pretending to be a big company and embrace the fact that it's your services you're selling, have pictures of you and info about you.

Paul.

 

[Sean Lee-Amies]

Trust is a massive factor in the construction space. It's hard to trust companies who lie about who they really are - it's a massive red flag that's incredibly easy for most people to spot, as has been pointed out on this thread already.

There's nothing more cringe than seeing a lovely sign-written van, with an 07 number and an @gmail email address! Actually there is, an ugly sign-written van - of which there are many!

You might benefit from spending a little time reading up on branding, first impressions, red flags, trust and negative stereotypes.

Good luck!

 

[fisicx]

All of which points back to a GBP being a better channel to get local leads. Just use the website as a place to show people all the work you have done. If properly configured you can rank well locally for a whole range of keywords.

But it seems that @Mcallismaint hasn't been back since posting so not sure the advice given here will be acted upon.

 

[antropy]

But it seems that @Mcallismaint hasn't been back since posting so not sure the advice given here will be acted upon.

Always annoying when someone asks a question then disappears.

Paul.

 

[Mcallismaint]

I really like what I think the business idea is but I'm confused about how you're selling it. You talk about 'we' all the time but also 'you' as a 'handyman'. You also use an 07 number that just shouts 'yeh, it's just me'. It is just you isn't it?

If it is, make that the sell - it's a good thing, people want someone that they can trust to come in and fix small problems as well as do bigger things when the can trust you.

Don't pretend; if it isn't just you then you need to think about the message and rejig the site.

I wish you could give some idea of pricing on there, I know it's difficult but I'd really like some comfort about what I'm getting into if I've got an overflowing toilet or a broken gate.

You don't need a big posh site, it just needs to be a bit simpler and thought through about what message you're giving. Your business is local so cheap local ads will work for you, but if you're any good - reasonably priced and provide a good honest, reliable service - you'll be swamped by work from recommendation.

Thank you for this. The 'we' is just me but I read somewhere that `we' should be used so that it makes the client feel that it is me and them working together. Personally I don't like it so I think that a re jig is in order on those bits.

Yes the pricing is difficult. It's very, very rare that I quote by message only. I always have to go out to assess the repair for example but there are jobs that are standard pricing. Thank you

 

[Mcallismaint]

I really like what I think the business idea is but I'm confused about how you're selling it. You talk about 'we' all the time but also 'you' as a 'handyman'. You also use an 07 number that just shouts 'yeh, it's just me'. It is just you isn't it?

If it is, make that the sell - it's a good thing, people want someone that they can trust to come in and fix small problems as well as do bigger things when the can trust you.

Don't pretend; if it isn't just you then you need to think about the message and rejig the site.

I wish you could give some idea of pricing on there, I know it's difficult but I'd really like some comfort about what I'm getting into if I've got an overflowing toilet or a broken gate.

You don't need a big posh site, it just needs to be a bit simpler and thought through about what message you're giving. Your business is local so cheap local ads will work for you, but if you're any good - reasonably priced and provide a good honest, reliable service - you'll be swamped by work from recommendation.

Thank you for this. The 'we' is just me but I read somewhere that `we' should be used so that it makes the client feel that it is me and them working together. Personally I don't like it so I think that a re jig is in order on those bits.

Yes the pricing is difficult. It's very, very rare that I quote by message only. I always have to go out to assess the repair for example but there are some jobs that I can put standard pricing on there. Especially as sometimes when Im quoting some clients have commented about some of really high prices they have had from others. Appreciate your comments on this.

 

[Mcallismaint]

Hello,

You have a professional and functional website. It states what you do and easy to scroll.

SEO takes time and needs traction over time and maybe special skills such as an SEO expert building backlinks and money pages for traffic.

Maybe more important to build social media presence and also word of mouth together with some target traffic campaigns through local Facebook and google paid ads.

But I think it looks really good

Daniel Griffith FCA

Thank you. The fb ads and Google ads I haven't had much success with that but maybe I'm not spending enough per day. I'm disappointed if I spend £20 over a 2 day campaign and don't recieve a message or a call but understand that these sort of budgets are very low.

 

[fisicx]

You don’t receive a message because the site isn’t set up to convert.

You really need a Google Business Profile. It will get you far more leads than the website. As I said, use the website to write about each job you do.

 

[Mcallismaint]

You don’t receive a message because the site isn’t set up to convert.

You really need a Google Business Profile. It will get you far more leads than the website. As I said, use the website to write about each job you do.

Hi thank you for the reply. I was waiting for google to verify my profile by sending a video over a week ago. All I just checked and it still said it needed verification. Did another vid, I refreshed the page and it said verified. Will this now link up to my website or do I need to do anything else? It does link to the website as I've added that onto the GBP

 

[fisicx]

The GBP will get you leads if you collect reviews.

The website needs a complete rework. Use it to write about the jobs you do. Describe the job, where it was, what you did and add lots of pictures. You need to do this each evening.

You then link to these posts from your GBP.

The more work you put in the greater the rewards.

 

[Mcallismaint]

The GBP will get you leads if you collect reviews.

The website needs a complete rework. Use it to write about the jobs you do. Describe the job, where it was, what you did and add lots of pictures. You need to do this each evening.

You then link to these posts from your GBP.

The more work you put in the greater the rewards.

I understand. I'll change 'gallery' to `blog' at the weekend. Thank you very much. Just need to get a boost in those google reviews also. Thank you

 

[fisicx]

I understand. I'll change 'gallery' to `blog' at the weekend. Thank you very much. Just need to get a boost in those google reviews also. Thank you

No. You need to rework the gallery into a set of blog posts. They need to properly categorised and called ‘projects’ or ‘my work’.

They need to be shown on the homepage as ‘recent work’.

Don’t try to do all this yourself, get someone who knows what they doing to help.

 

[Mcallismaint]

No. You need to rework the gallery into a set of blog posts. They need to properly categorised and called ‘projects’ or ‘my work’.

They need to be shown on the homepage as ‘recent work’.

Don’t try to do all this yourself, get someone who knows what they doing to help.

I've spoken to the developer of the website and I would need to pay more money to turn the gallery page in to a blog which is annoying. I may just leave the gallery page for now but enter text within the pictures to briefly explain what's been done as that gallery page is just for pictures and no text.

 

[fisicx]

Find another developer. The one you have is useless. If they had done their job properly you wouldn't be here asking for help. Setting up a proper site with a blog and all the other features you need can be done very cheaply and be set up in less than a day.

You can then take charge of your own site and add, remove and edit the content, layout and everything else for free. You won't need to ask your developer for anything.

 

[Sean Lee-Amies]

I've spoken to the developer of the website and I would need to pay more money to turn the gallery page in to a blog as it doesn't have blog functionality which is annoying. I may just leave the gallery page for now but enter text within the pictures to briefly explain what's been done as that gallery page is just for pictures and no text.

Growing a business is a pay to play game I'm afraid. How much is the dev quoting just to add a blog? It doesn't look like you're using a CMS (like WordPress) so it may end up being expensive because the dev has built you a static website and he'd need to invest a lot of time reinventing the wheel just to give your site blog functionality.

In many cases, it's free to add a blog to a website if it's built on a CMS or may cost, perhaps, £75 - £150 of effort to add it in with styles and a proper category structure.

I don't think you suggestion would meet the criteria needed to drive enquiries to your site.

Side note: It's actually quite hard to see the benefits of the "after" photos in a few cases on your gallery page. Making sure the before/after shots are taken at the exact same way would help e.g. if the before shot is taken at 1 metre away, at standing height, in daylight, with the focal point in the centre - the after shot should be the same.

Is it true that if I make subtle changes to the website all the time this can also make the website grow organically through Google?

Yes and no.

That would be like asking, "Is it true that if I make subtle changes to a home all the time, this can also make the house value increase?"

It depends on what's done, how it's done and what criteria is trying to be met e.g. current home owner or next home owner versus Google or potential customers visiting your website.

A LOT of people spend what they feel is a lot of money dipping their toes in the water with SEO (optimising your site to rank higher in Google) and get burned because they don't take a data driven approach. Someone just rolls up, proclaims to know everything about SEO and people buy their BS, invest and then later regret it.

If you do go into SEO please get proper research done first before agreeing to any ongoing investment and make sure to work with someone who can actually explain things in a way that makes sense without you needing to "trust them" or complete a marketing degree.

Feel free to, in the future, post that research here for a range of second opinions if you want to eliminate the risk.

 

[UKSBD]

See this site as an example of what fisicx is talking about.

Ignore the look of it but scroll down the page a little.

The images were basically just a gallery which when clicked on enlarged the photo.

Convert the 9 image gallery to 9 separate posts, change it from gallery to Recent Projects, just write a brief paragraph on each project, optimise for different (similar phrases) in nearby locations.

Your Local Bathroom Fitter Kingham Bathrooms Cotswold Bathroom Fitters and Designers Local Bathroom Fitters in Oxfordshire Cotswold bathroom installations

Kingham bathrooms are local Cotswold based bathroom fitters with over 20 years of experience in creating high quality tailor made bathrooms.

www.kinghambathrooms.co.uk

 

[Mcallismaint]

See this site as an example of what fisicx is talking about.

Ignore the look of it but scroll down the page a little.

The images were basically just a gallery which when clicked on enlarged the photo.

Convert the 9 image gallery to 9 separate posts, change it from gallery to Recent Projects, just write a brief paragraph on each project, optimise for different (similar phrases) in nearby locations.

Your Local Bathroom Fitter Kingham Bathrooms Cotswold Bathroom Fitters and Designers Local Bathroom Fitters in Oxfordshire Cotswold bathroom installations

Kingham bathrooms are local Cotswold based bathroom fitters with over 20 years of experience in creating high quality tailor made bathrooms.

www.kinghambathrooms.co.uk

This looks great. I have asked the developer if I can have more content blocks as it only allows me to do 2. I'll wait for the price of that think it's either concentrate on social media and leave the website as is or make an effort with both.

Easier said than done though as I'm limited with free time. Free time at the moment is material collections, driving to quote and sending quotes which writes off most days.

 

[fisicx]

Don’t ask the developer anything. You are just throwing money away. Find a new developer and get a proper site built.

 

[Sean Lee-Amies]

We had a company reach out to us through a keyword we rank highly for, relating to web design, and their situation was baffling. They had a no-code WordPress website (Elementor; 0 development skill, very cheap) developed by another agency. To be fair the site wasn't bad looking at all but the issue this company had was that the more they invested time and energy into marketing, the less their website supported what they wanted to do (due to no-code limitations).

What they found is that every time they wanted to make even small changes to their website, they either couldn't or they could and it would take forever and cost a fortune.

They shared one of the latest quotes with us - this was the quote that tipped them over edge and prompted them to start looking elsewhere - and the other agency was charging £4,000 +VAT just to make edits to 8 web pages

If you're stuck with a developer that feels more like a barrier to growth than an enabler of it, that's unlikely that's going to change until you replace them with a better one.

Yes someone could argue that if you ask a developer to work on a website they should get paid, but you've been given a system that doesn't natively support what you need to be able to do; the developer doesn't understand your needs so you will have to figure it all out as you go and hope that whatever you've been given supports whatever else you determine you need in the future.

I think it's pretty obvious that any tradesperson needs to be able to present their work beyond a simple gallery image, blog functionality is a no-brainer must have. Had you been given a CMS like WordPress, you would likely already have a blog and if you didn't it would take minutes to set a basic one up for you.

 

[Shopclicks]

They had a no-code WordPress website (Elementor; 0 development skill, very cheap) developed by another agency. To be fair the site wasn't bad looking at all but the issue this company had was that the more they invested time and energy into marketing, the less their website supported what they wanted to do (due to no-code limitations).

What does 'the more they invested time and energy into marketing, the less their website supported what they wanted to do (due to no-code limitations).' mean?

 

[Sean Lee-Amies]

@Shopclicks It means that in 2024, marketing for many companies is a multi-faceted, sophisticated endeavour the requires a brand's website to meet certain requirements around flexibility, adaptability and integration that is not possible with no/low code website builders.

The launch of GenAI tools back in 2022 made this even more the case.

Brand is a lot more important than many on this forum seem to give it credit for. Not for microbusinesses perhaps, but for those with possibly 6 but definitely 7, 8 or 9 figure revenues or revenue ambitions, it very often is.

Boxy designs restricted to rigid grid layouts don't make for exciting digital experiences - everything starts to look and feel the same - brand is about standing out and there is a very good reason to do so these days.

Micro apps - like ROI calculators for example, are becoming much more necessary and popular.

Content hubs that support multiple types of media - with a decent user experience - are also becoming more necessary. Just having a blog isn't always enough for many companies.

All of this - and a lot more - requires a brand's website to do more than simply plop out a basic/vague description of what the company does over a couple of pages, alongside an underwhelming "about" and "contact" page.

So - the further and further down the marketing rabbit hole many companies go, the less native support you're going to have with a cheap no-code website builder because it simply won't support what you're trying to do.

What I'm seeing is that companies roughly at the stage of wanting to build their first marketing team, or outsource to , are finding that there's only so long before they have to ditch their no-code website and upgrade to something more robust. It's not a case of if, but when they hit the wall that becomes too frustrating and limiting to deal with.

 

[fisicx]

Almost all the businesses on this forum and in most of the country are small or micro businesses.

Brand for these businesses is far less important and marketing is, on the whole, very simple.

I’m sure for your clients they perceive brand is important. For their customers far less so. They buy from X because it’s usually convenient or familiar not because of the brand.

As an example, I’ve got an iPhone. I had one for years. An android phone might be better and cheaper but I’ve got used to the Apple way so I stick what I know. Couldn’t give two hoots about the Apple brand hype.

 

[Shopclicks]

So - the further and further down the marketing rabbit hole many companies go, the less native support you're going to have with a cheap no-code website builder because it simply won't support what you're trying to do.

There will always be demand for Wordpress/Page Builder websites. Just as there will always be a demand for bespoke builds. Two different animals for two different client types. It's not the page builder or platform that separates the two client types. It's the purpose of the website.

If you're not using a good page builder like Elementor on a Wordpress platform, you're probably missing a trick.

 

[Sean Lee-Amies]

Almost all the businesses on this forum and in most of the country are small or micro businesses.

Brand for these businesses is far less important and marketing is, on the whole, very simple.

I’m sure for your clients they perceive brand is important. For their customers far less so. They buy from X because it’s usually convenient or familiar not because of the brand.

As an example, I’ve got an iPhone. I had one for years. An android phone might be better and cheaper but I’ve got used to the Apple way so I stick what I know. Couldn’t give two hoots about the Apple brand hype.

Yeah, I was expecting some kind of opinion like this. Brand may not be important for you or the businesses you serve but it's becoming increasingly so for many. To claim that brand is not important for any small UK businesses just isn't accurate. It's possible we're just using different words to talk about the same things but for example if you want to create a luxury brand, even if it's a very small luxury brand, being able to design a website that doesn't keep pissing you off every time you try to do something that's not just adding a box to a grid and giving it a colour is important and needed.

Not for all small businesses, but plenty, I'm sure.

 

[Sean Lee-Amies]

There will always be demand for Wordpress/Page Builder websites. Just as there will always be a demand for bespoke builds. Two different animals for two different client types. It's not the page builder or platform that separates the two client types. It's the purpose of the website.

If you're not using a good page builder like Elementor on a Wordpress platform, you're probably missing a trick.

That's exactly my point really. I have nothing against page builders per say, everything has its pros and cons, but for many companies the cons outweigh the pros when their marketing needs grow beyond simply proving they're a real business and giving basic info about their products/services.

 

[Shopclicks]

but for many companies the cons outweigh the pros when their marketing needs grow beyond simply proving they're a real business and giving basic info about their products/services.

Can you give an example of a marketing needs limitation and how it relates to a page builder Wordpress site?

 

[fisicx]

Not for all small businesses, but plenty, I'm sure.

I use the local butcher because they are local. The plumber is local. The taxi firm is local. The bus service is the only option. The garden centre is local. The supermarket is convenient.

And so it is with almost all businesses. Convenience, familiarity and location. Not brand.

The cafe we like has great food. We go there because it has great food. If you want to argue that this is their brand that’s fine. But I asked my wife and she couldn’t even remember the name of the cafe.

 

[Sean Lee-Amies]

Can you give an example of a marketing needs limitation and how it relates to a page builder Wordpress site?

Are you asking this because you generally want to know or are we just going to waste each other's time going round in circles forever? Genuine question.

I use the local butcher because they are local. The plumber is local. The taxi firm is local. The bus service is the only option. The garden centre is local. The supermarket is convenient.

And so it is with almost all businesses. Convenience, familiarity and location. Not brand.

The cafe we like has great food. We go there because it has great food. If you want to argue that this is their brand that’s fine. But I asked my wife and she couldn’t even remember the name of the cafe.

Yeah, I mean, branding is a trillion dollar industry but I guess clearly it's just not important because you don't know the name of your local cafe?

I get your point, to an extent, but there is a whole world beyond the 10 most common weekend spends of the average person. The disconnect here is that I'm coming from more of a corporate/B2B angle and you are coming from a different angle.

I guess that's where you spend most of your time in life? I don't know, but it seems odd that you can't recognise the value of branding in any context other than the average person and their weekly shopping habits?

 

[Shopclicks]

Are you asking this because you generally want to know or are we just going to waste each other's time going round in circles forever? Genuine question.

the issue this company had was that the more they invested time and energy into marketing, the less their website supported what they wanted to do (due to no-code limitations).

It's a genuine question. I'd like you to explain what you mean by 'the more they invested time and energy into marketing, the less their website supported what they wanted to do (due to no-code limitations).'

You mentioned it used Elementor and I'd like to know what limitations that caused.

 

[cjd]

The disconnect here is that I'm coming from more of a corporate/B2B angle and you are coming from a different angle.

Perhaps a discussion about corporate brands could be on its own thread?

We're talking here about a solo, local handyman here. His 'brand' will be him and his reputation. He needs a very simple website and some local advertising to get him started, after a year or so, if he's any good he'll have more work than he can handle from word of mouth.

 

[fisicx]

The disconnect here is that I'm coming from more of a corporate/B2B angle and you are coming from a different angle.

I’m coming from the angle of the 99% of business where brand (not branding - that’s a totally different thing) doesn’t matter.

 

[Mcallismaint]

Perhaps a discussion about corporate brands could be on its own thread?

We're talking here about a solo, local handyman here. His 'brand' will be him and his reputation. He needs a very simple website and some local advertising to get him started, after a year or so, if he's any good he'll have more work than he can handle from word of mouth.

I think that really I'm trying to speed up the word of mouth process as I moved locations.

I'm also having a bit of a mare with verification through Google. It is now verified for the 4th time but they keep unverifying me after a few days due to quality violations but not specifically telling me the issue.

I have now added my home address to my personal google profile and hopefully that was the issue.

One of the sole reasons for the website was that many customers have said they don't have social media. I only got the job through word of mouth so I want to be fairly present on Google. At the moment I am pretty much relying on social media alone.