Hello everyone! I’m new to this forum but not to window cleaning. I discovered this forum last week and havnt been able to stop reading posts since. If I would of only discovered this years ago. I am seeing the importance of having a webpage but have no clue where to get started and what to expect to pay. Unfortunately I do not have a lot of money to pump into a site. Is it possible to start a good site with a tight budget? Any advice on how to get started with this venture would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Mattt
I’m currently working on a webpage at www.Wix.com. Their rates seem to be reasonable and you can use their easy website design platform to set the page up yourself. I’m really liking what I’m seeing from them.
Full disclosure - I’m completely biased because I’m a web designer - I used to be a window cleaner & I’m still addicted to the forums though!
My advice - avoid wix, vistaprint or any other “website builder” type product because they use a lot of bespoke code which makes it immediately obvious to Google what platform the site is built on,… and my personal experience is that this works against you. Its much harder to get good Google rankings from a Wix website than it is from a Wordpress based one, which is what I always recommend.
Wordpress is very easy to use though, and it is possible to build a fantastic DIY website for next to nothing so long as you put in the time and effort. Just buy hosting (usually $5 a month or so) and a domain name ($10 - $15 per annum) - use the one-click installer in your hosting to install wordpress & start playing about with it.
If you’d prefer a professional to do the work for you - shop around. You can get amazing value for money and many web design guys (myself included) offer pay-monthly deals with no upfront design fees, so you can get your new site online for minimal outlay.
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I don’t want to break any forum rules about advertising, so I’ll give the very basics and a link to my website,… PM me if you want to know more. I’m in Ireland & its quitting time here, so I may not be able to reply till tomorrow, sorry!
I do pay monthly website rental deals that start at about $35 a month here: https://avondhu-internet.com/product-category/pay-monthly-websites/
Or pay-upfront deals with tiny ongoing costs & full ownership from about $715 here: https://avondhu-internet.com/product-category/pay-upfront-websites/
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@Skipper I can tell you his prices are way lower than mine. But I have also done some research for you already my man. I know exactly what to do to dominate your area and the all the prime communities near you. Also, I have hard data that shows exactly what your top three competitors are doing, giving you a mind map on what to do.
Still waiting on you to reply to that Vox so I can send it to you. Once I do. You can show whoever you choose to have the technical aspect done, they will know what to do.
@Njones At those prices if your work is comparable to what I include. I may have about 5 websites I can flip to you right now. I would love the help and seem to be understaffed at the moment. I seemingly bit off more than I could chew with trying to clean windows and maintain a marketing company too.
Hit me up. Soon. Real Soon. I actually reached out to another website designer on this forum. They did not respond. I was going to flip them three… I think that was last month, maybe month before… When my head was still healing from the motorcycle wreck.
IDK…
People that come on here slinging their services generally piss me off. Why? This is my family. I protect my family. If you are suspect. you are in for it. I promise. If your cool. Your cool. Do good work, don’t rip anyone off, and don’t spam post… you won’t have a problem with me.
If you rip someone off. You will.
If you use voxer, best place to reach me. lpalos646
Next to impossible to SEO and Rank Well… Unless you are in a town of 500 people. You will need something a little better than that.
Someone else mentioned WP. I suggest using that… Just make sure your security is on lock and all your plugins are updated.
Recent attack on WP… Whatever…
Over 18% of the websites ALL OVER THE WORLD are built on Wordpress (WP). They are the most search engine and user friendly CMS I have ever used. (Content Management System)
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@Njones
has been on the forum a long time you probably missed him when you disappeared for a few years
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Kind of figured as much. Almost like a vibe in the way he posted. Hopefully he will reach out so I can share some of my web deals with the dude.
By the way @Brian_C I like the updated logo. Super nice.
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@Louie_the_Window_Guy I’m always interested in new work,… but i make a point of working direct with my clients & not sub-contracting as it just gets too slow & complex,… I guess that might be awkward with the way you work though? And 5 sites would have to be spaced out a little anyway,… results might suffer if I try to take on too much at once!
As for the quality of work provided at those prices - check out my website portfolio & facebook page for examples of what I do & feel free to contact any of my clients & ask them about me. My approach may be a bit softer than yours (I very much prefer organic, content driven rankings to hardcore SEO tricks) but I do still get very respectable results. 
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I dig it… I need to get back on task at the moment. Will contact you later via web…
SkypeID: louiepalos2
Feel free to add me.
I don’t mind telling clients this is who is doing your site. I have a network that spans the globe. I educate and inform them of this fact from the start.
I definitely want to show you some pricing strategy… Believe it or not… I use to help “OfflineMarketer’s” get started in the business as some sort of Coach or whatever. I may have some ideas that can help you. Or they may suck.
Whatever.
Nate is awesome he did my website for me , an it was a pleasure working with him.
He answers all my questions gave me guidance an a lot of great ideas . Even months after if you have s concern he will get right back with you.
His work speaks for it self . I wouldn’t hesitate for a minute if your on the fence about using his services .
Just cause he is out of the country doesn’t mean he won’t be there for you .
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Thanks for sharing your experiences with Nate’s company!
Mike which package did you with?
Personally, i bought a html template, and used a html editor…
Over the past few winters when on down time ive played with it over the years, adding a few things here and there, it’s now a highly modified “pimped up”, cleaned up version of the original template - you’d hardly recognise it - best thing it’s now unique - it’s not a generic looking copy of a website you usually find from “designers”, using the same template again, and again.
I understand all the back end of things, and when it comes to hosting it too.
Every thing is organic, my own words, nothing copied, and i get advise from google webmaster section.
I dont do social media (cant be bothered with it) but my results are awesome anyway and i have a lot of comp in my area.
If you have the time, the desire to learn and the creativity then making you own is a pretty good way to go.
BUT
Many don’t… and they’d rather an off the shelf type thing… which is understandable.
I know Nath from another forum from years back, and saw his work progress as he started when he was a WC’er too. So i’d recommend him.
Ive also heard of others here recommend Ambidextrous - search on these forums for more info.
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I dig it…
A lot of designers get lazy. Myself included. The reason you see so many guys just flip the same theme over and over again is so your staff doesn’t have to relearn the “theme” every time you put up a site. You could hard code custom everything… Which is awesome if you have the time.
But a LOT of designers… in my experience. They just take a theme and do exactly what you have done. Pimp it out… and customize it so much, you can’t tell it’s a theme.
To recreate wireframe and structure every single site is time consuming and tedious. So… Take a frame and make it custom. Boom… Hours of work saved. But then again… It takes a lot to make them look custom. Just saying
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Hey Guys. Build your own. Get on YouTube and use a tutorial. It will show you how to make an awesome website. I built mine this way and know next to nothing about wordpress or SEO for that matter. Yet just by tutorials I have what I have… still learning and yes… I do need help. Still saved thousands by doing it my self. Check it out. SanDiegoWindowCleaningDealz.com.
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Doesn’t look bad on mobile.
Dude… I am not that hardcore.
Trust me. I am organic. In sooooo many ways bro…
I am a hippie at heart, and I have moved that thinking into the digital space. I get respectable results too. But yours may be better. IDK…
http://iQmarketingsolutions.com
Feel free to reach out man.
Hey man… I have been toying with the concept of e-commerce meets window cleaning. How has those offers converted on your page?
Really curious about that.
Hey @ClearChoice2 we just wrote a blog post about how to design a website, it might be a good read to get you started! http://go.tryhousecall.com/blog/so-you-want-to-become-a-web-design-superstar
