Handyman Business
You are starting up a handyman business, and although you've had a few jobs here and there, all word-of-mouth referrals, you want more exposure. What better way than a website? 
Let's take a look at the reasons you should be considering cheap web hosting, and the important decisions you need to make during the process.
Handyman Business: Why A Website?
A MODERN PHONEBOOK
Let's face it: no one is opening up the Yellow Pages to look for a handyman these days, and a newspaper ad will only get you so much business. Even the physical newspaper is becoming less and less relevant. People are switching over to all digital, whether searching for a handyman or looking at the advertisements in the newspaper. It can all be done online!
EASY EXPOSURE
Are you nervous, thinking that the task of building a website is too much for you to handle? You have nothing to worry about! Creating a website is simpler than you think if you go about it right, and your website can be live to customers in a matter of hours, bringing in customers you weren't able to reach out to before! People tend to turn to the Internet first when searching for a tradesman.
SALES TEAM
With your website bringing in new leads 24 hours a day, it saves you money! How? You don't have to hire a sales team. Your website is your sales team!
CUSTOMER TRUST
It is proven that people will typically not consider a business if they do not have a website. These days, having a website complete with a few customer testimonials builds a level of trust you just can't get anywhere else. It makes you look professional and established. With this trust comes more money!
But I Have No Experience Building A Website!
That's ok! You don't have to know one bit about code. In fact, you don't have to do it at all. For a little extra money, you can hire someone else to build it for you! If you are thinking of getting someone else to do the dirty work, know that you get what you pay for. Just because you are trying to save money doesn't mean you should choose the cheapest option on the block. Rather, choosing a company that might cost a bit more than you are willing to spend could bring you in more business, meaning more money, resulting in the website paying for itself.
If you want to tackle it on your own, here are the steps you should take:
1. Choose a domain. This is the first, and often most important, step. While the content is important, your domain name should be sticking in people's heads. When they think “handyman,” your website should be the first thing they think of. Using your business name is a good place to start, but if this isn't an option, include a good keyword. Ultimately, you should really consider making your business name the domain. Customers trust this more, and makes you look very professional. Once you've chosen your domain name, register it. If possible, choose a cheap hosting company that offers a free or cheap domain. For example, Bluehost offers free domain with the purchase of a hosting package.
2. Choose your hosting provider. You want to stay away from the free options as they are often too limited. You want to find a reliable yet affordable company with amazing tech support. This is important! Will customers want to hire a handyman whose site is always broken? Probably not.
3. Install WordPress. WordPress, a blogging CMS, is hugely popular and for good reason. It's more than just a blog: you can use it to build your entire site! You'll have access to many themes to customize your site, and plugins to do just about anything you can imagine, like including a form for customers to request a quote for your services. Most of your good cheap web hosting companies, like Bluehost or Hostgator, will offer one-click installation of WordPress. Once you follow a few very simple steps, your website is ready to go!
4. Consider blogging. A great way to draw customers to your site is through blogging. If you offer even a blog post each week dealing with some news or interesting information for your customers, you will see your site showing up in a Google search more often. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a simple article related to the industry. Use keywords to make your site rank even higher!
Thinking of creating a website for your handyman business? Is there more you'd like to know? Ask us! We can address it in a future article.
