New Website, need opinions please

[EXP Frank]

Just built my first website for our shop. I'd like to hear your opinions and suggests on it. I have my big boy pants on so please be as honest as you'd like.

 

 

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

Frank

 

http://Excessiveperformance.com

 

 

 

[mspecperformance]

Probably not something a web marketing expert would tell you but I think adding a personal touch to a website with pictures of your facility and staff (smiling staff!) may go a long way. I understand most people make a buying decision within a few seconds of visiting a website but for those who dig in further I think it would make a bit of difference. Just my opinion since I always feel that a business is a lot more friendly with actual human faces and pictures of where I am going are visible.

[auto74]

maybe its just me... but your location tab shows you're in TX, but the map that comes up shows NY,NY

[nmikmik]

Probably not something a web marketing expert would tell you but I think adding a personal touch to a website with pictures of your facility and staff (smiling staff!) may go a long way. I understand most people make a buying decision within a few seconds of visiting a website but for those who dig in further I think it would make a bit of difference. Just my opinion since I always feel that a business is a lot more friendly with actual human faces and pictures of where I am going are visible.

I guess it depends what is the reason for your site.

If you want to drive traffic to your site, you need:

a. give them a compelling reason to go there rather than someplace else

b. make that reason a focal point on your site

Having testimonials and Yelp reviews readily visible on the site is also important imo, I'd be wiling to trade the huge logo to a list of Yelp reviews. That of course if you are proud of them

GL

[EXP Frank]

Thanks for the replies. I think you guys all have valid points and I'm going to implement some of your ideas. We are in a small market and Yelp isn't as popular as it probably is in San Diego. We actually just spent 6 months advertising with yelp and got very little response.

[nmikmik]

EXP,

in my opinion Yelp or no Yelp, something similar is going to dominate your review market and if you are the first one, it gives you an advantage of just that, been the first one, with most reviews yada,yada, yada.

I would actually advise against advertizing with them unless you are targeting a specific competitor that is already taking away your busies and of course if Yelp is prevalent.

If most people in Kileen use smart phones, they are or will soon use Yelp as well,

my 2c

Edited September 12, 2013 by nmikmik

[Nataniel]

Hi Frank, I looked into your root code and noticed that your meta-tag Keyword is much larger than Description. Keywords (as meta-tags) are dying out nowadays - I wouldn't expect much from them. While Descriptions are playing a big role for SERP. Write short, generic and beautiful descriptions with 1 or 2 key-words (try to place them at the beginning of the desc-ion) and search Engines will form attractive snippets out of them, which will be seen in SERP. And the Homepage - the main page of your site! What do you have on it - a huge logo. Why not to place more useful information there (pictures, folders, your famous clients at least)?

 

 

 

 

Need to promote your site? Welcome to casino marketing agency!

[mmotley]

EXP,

in my opinion Yelp or no Yelp, something similar is going to dominate your review market and if you are the first one, it gives you an advantage of just that, been the first one, with most reviews yada,yada, yada.

I would actually advise against advertizing with them unless you are targeting a specific competitor that is already taking away your busies and of course if Yelp is prevalent.

If most people in Kileen use smart phones, they are or will soon use Yelp as well,

my 2c

I agree... kind of. I just got rid of my 254 area code cell phone number this week, so I know the area you are in. Grew up in Glen Rose, have visited buddies going to college in Waco... Nobody around there uses Yelp, period. Well, maybe a few out of towners, but not enough to leave you sleepless if you get a bad review on there. However, Google reviews are different. I have run into quite a few people pay attention to those around here and you part of the woods... After all, your smart phone comes with google maps on it, and the map will give your star rating as soon as your business pops up (excluding iPhones). Anyway, point being, nmikmik is probably right. Ditch the logos and go with some google reviews, or even just a customer quote. Coming from a shop that specializes in Toyota/Lexus, I get phone calls and questions from my customers every week, asking if I work on Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and VW, even when the sign says 'Toyota and Lexus Specialists'! So I don't think you'll have an issue with customers wondering if you work on 'their car too'

 

Other than that, I think it looks great. Love that you have a map on the first page. I'm gonna have to apply that to my site. 'Opening Hours' sounds a little weird to me. Maybe try 'hours open' or 'hours of operation'.

[ATLAuto]

Site looks great. Very professional feeling and not generic / cookie cutter. Well done.

[Autoshop Solutions]

Frank, good for you for giving it a go on your own. It's always great to learn new skills... There a few good pointers here and I could spend a few minutes pointing out improvements on the design but the most important area you need to work on is your content. Well written topical content is what helps user engagement and helps Google place you better in rankings. I did a quick keyword density check and these are the most prominent words on your website:

 

Word Count Density air 3 8.57% repair 2 5.71% killeen 2 5.71% auto 2 5.71% excessive 2 5.71% performance 2 5.71%

"Auto" is the only word in the list that will help you rank in the search engines, the rest are not going to help bring in the business you are hoping to get. There are tons of websites on the web with great information on creating compelling content, just keep in mind that Google want to see text that is readable to the user, not just keyword stuffed paragraphs.

 

It won't matter how much time you invest in making the design more friendly, if your website doesn't get found. Have you researched paid search - PPC?

 

Best

 

Danny

[Silver Star]

"Frank and his team sponsor well known race event throughout Texas and still manage to support local community events."

 

Try this as an edit to the sentence...

"Frank and his team sponsor well known race events throughout Texas while still supporting local community events."

 

Reading through the first page I think you really need to have someone go through and proof read and make corrections. I know we are not literary scholars but at least in my market I know I would have people pulling up my website to laugh at me rather than do business with me.

 

Frank, I think over all it's nice. I would like to recommend that you simplify the site as much as possible. People only want to know that you can fix their car. The links for the Electrical, Mechanical, and regular maintenance are a great idea but I'm not sure they serve much of a purpose. Reading it as a customer I have a reaction of "This dosent help me". As a shop owner I understand the message you are trying to get across.

 

Make sure your contact information shows up when the first screen shot of the webpage comes up. MAKE SURE IT IS COMPATIBLE WITH SMART PHONES. Check the website on your phone or friends phones, try multiple different ones, iphone and android.

 

We just simplified our website, basically it served our old business of retailing vehicles as well. I put pictures of staff in a separate section for "meeting our staff" address and hours on front page easy to read. I have a blog to discuss stuff like regular maintenance (the things you try to teach your customers to keep car running well and also things you know they should do the manufacture dosent recommend anymore like transmission service, differential fluid changes, ect. I deal with European vehicles so it may just be my brands that have done this) I have had alot of customers tell me they agree with the information in my blog about regular maintenance and thats why they cant stand the dealership because they feel like they are not trying to take care of the vehicle. I'm blown away by this, but what it results in is a new customer, instant loyalty, and the easy work.

 

My 2-3 cents

[GermanCArDEpot.com]

I have a new site please comment and check from your phone thats where the magic come into play. The site is only a few days old still working things out. 50% of our traffic is from mobile. .Thank you Ollie

 

www.GermanCarDepot.com

Edited February 10, 2014 by GermanCArDEpot.com

[Jeff]

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[Sean]

I like the website. The mobile version is especially nice. Cool to know you coined the term Ollie as well.

[Joe Marconi]

Frank, good for you for giving it a go on your own. It's always great to learn new skills... There a few good pointers here and I could spend a few minutes pointing out improvements on the design but the most important area you need to work on is your content. Well written topical content is what helps user engagement and helps Google place you better in rankings. I did a quick keyword density check and these are the most prominent words on your website:

 

Word Count Density air 3 8.57% repair 2 5.71% killeen 2 5.71% auto 2 5.71% excessive 2 5.71% performance 2 5.71%

"Auto" is the only word in the list that will help you rank in the search engines, the rest are not going to help bring in the business you are hoping to get. There are tons of websites on the web with great information on creating compelling content, just keep in mind that Google want to see text that is readable to the user, not just keyword stuffed paragraphs.

 

It won't matter how much time you invest in making the design more friendly, if your website doesn't get found. Have you researched paid search - PPC?

 

Best

 

Danny

 

Danny is a pro at this...great advice!