As we’ve discussed in the past, having a paint business is about a lot more than just painting.  One of the most important – and most overlooked – aspects of owning and operating a paint website is marketing your business.  Most paint professionals rely on word of mouth and repeat business to provide the revenue they need to stay in business and grow.  This kind of marketing is often thought of as the “best” kind:  it’s free and most people trust the recommendation of a friend over an advertisement on the television or in a newspaper.  A healthy number of referrals and happy customers is certainly an excellent way to continue growing your business.

That said, if your goal is to really grow your business and attract new customers, then you have to be exposed to more potential customers in the first place.  And the most cost effective way to attract new customers is to have a professional website that potential clients can easily find.  Every day, millions of people use the internet to find out more about products and services they wish to buy. Some are looking for books or movies. Some are trying to find a dentist or doctor.  And some are looking for a professional painter like you.

A fast house painting crew in action. Image courtesy of INC.com

There are literally hundred of books available and thousands of articles on the internet offering ways to increase website traffic and generate more leads.  Some of them work…many do not.  However, most industry experts agree that there are a few things the owner of any service website can do to increase traffic.  Here are three things you can do with your paint website in just a few minutes that will, over time, increase the amount of traffic you receive:

1. Be new and up to date – Many potential clients will use a search engine like Google or Bing to locate a paint company supplying the services they need.  One of the best ways to show up higher in their search results is to have these search engines “see” your website when they are looking for what to show the potential client.  Just like a child in class raises their hand to get the attention of the teacher, your website needs to take the same approach to get the attention of Google, Yahoo! and Bing.

Adding new content to your website on a regular basis is similar to raising your hand in class – it signals to search engines that something new and interesting is going on over on your website.   Those search engines will take note.  Don’t be shy about adding new pictures from finished jobs or quotes from happy clients. Blog posts, links to interesting articles, and other new content will attract the attention of search engines, which will help attract the attention of new clients.

Is his web address on his business cards? Image courtesy of Homeowner Ideas

2. Be specific – There is a lot of competition out there.  In a large crowd it can be hard to stand out.   The best way to make your paint website stand out in a crowd is to make sure it lists specific services that you provide and the locations where you are able to work.  Someone looking for the website of a professional painter will find thousands upon thousands of results.   But someone searching for “professional house painter in Mesa Arizona” (for example) won’t have nearly as many to chose from. If your website has specific information about your services and where you offer them, you greatly increase the chance that someone will find you when looking for those specific things.

3. Promote it! – If your business card doesn’t have your website address on it, you are making a mistake.  If your professional vehicle doesn’t have your website printed on it, you are making an even bigger mistake. Same goes for flyers, work shirts, and most every other promotional material you will ever use.  One of the best ways to increase visitors to your paint website is also one of the most basic: tell people where to go.  Even if a person isn’t a potential client, they may see your van or flyer and visit your website anyway.  Sometimes to increase web traffic, all you have to do is ask!

Will these three tips immediately create a massive wave of traffic that keeps you busy for months on end?  Unfortunately, no.   But building traffic to a website is a process that doesn’t happen overnight and certainly doesn’t happen on it’s own.  Even small changes like the ones above should help more clients find your business.  The internet is a large place with lots of potential customers.  The tips above should help a few of them find you. In the meantime, learn more about how to promote your paint business by clicking here.