Inspecting Your Digital Home

By Inspect.com

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While you devote time to inspecting your clients’ homes to ensure their safety, you also should consider making time to inspect your own digital home. The entire internet is your digital home. Everything about you on the internet is your digital footprint. It’s important to keep your digital home safe and functional, and it’s always a good time to review and update your digital presence. Why? Because a clear digital presence is a major element of your business branding.

KNOW WHERE YOU ARE

To start your digital housekeeping, you need to know where you are on the internet. Do a Google search for your business name. Make a list of all the places your business name appears in the results. Keep a spreadsheet of the URL addresses for reference.

CLEAN THE LIST

If you haven’t checked your online presence lately, you may be surprised at where your name shows up. Clean up any references that are outdated by posting new photos and ensuring that your logo is current. Remove or delete any references to your business that no longer serve your business.

CHECK YOUR WEBSITE

Your website is your digital home. You want it to be as safe and sound as any property you inspect. Just like you want to be comfortable in your own home, you also want site visitors to be comfortable in your digital home. You want them to find your website quickly and, once there, be able to easily access information. You might think that your website looks good and works well, but remember that first-time visitors to your site—your future clients—might look at it with a different lens. If your website is difficult to navigate or hides important information that can allow customer connections, you should rethink your site. It might be as simple as finding a new theme on the platform or app you use to design your site. You also might want to ask a few people you trust to review your site and suggest ways to improve it.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of ASHI. The information contained in the article is general and readers should always independently verify for accuracy, completeness and reliability.

GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE

Connect your website to Google Search Console so that you’ll have access to data about your site. Beginning in May 2021, you can receive ranking reports on Google’s Core Web Vitals. These web vitals measure signals about how easy your website is to use. They are designed to help you improve the user experience on your website.

CHECK YOUR SITE SPEED

People online, especially on mobile devices, don’t want to wait for your website to load. If your website doesn’t load in three seconds or less, visitors may be off to your competitor no matter how appealing your website is. Speed is important and it is part of Google’s Core Web Vitals. Google Search Console reports on the speed for your pages.

THE HOME PAGE EXPERIENCE

Your home page, or landing page, may look nice, but if it doesn’t give customers a good experience, you aren’t winning with engagement. Take a look at your home page and make sure that a visitor will immediately know what you do by reading only 25 words or less. They should know how to contact you to schedule an inspection and they should understand your pricing schedule. After you’ve given your visitors easy access to that information, they will probably look at the rest of your site. Make sure your navigation menu displays and that you keep options to a minimum; providing too many choices can be confusing. Check your “About” page. Does it explain how you help your clients? Your background and years of experience, such as degrees in related fields and professional memberships, might help build trust, but be sure to keep your descriptions brief.

BROKEN LINKS

Clicking on a link and having it go nowhere is frustrating for a visitor to your website. Be sure to repair those “broken links” so they go to a working URL. Google Search Console displays any broken links so you’ll readily know what to fix.

MOBILE FUNCTIONALITY

In the age of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, it’s imperative that your website is mobile-friendly. That means it adjusts to various screen sizes and remains easy to read and use. Google Search Console also reports on your mobile usability. If you are using WordPress as a platform for your content, you may need to update to a mobile-compatible theme to improve your mobile functionality. Or, if you use a different platform or service, you may need to work with a developer to improve mobile functionality.

THOSE OTHER PLACES ON THE WEB

Presenting a consistent image is the most important aspect of your digital footprint across the entire internet. Consistency builds brand awareness. If Superstar Inspections is red, white and blue on the website, but green and beige on Facebook, potential clients might not instantly recognize the brand. They’ll wonder if the two businesses are the same or in competition. Brand awareness is key to recognition and building trust with customers. Make sure you present the same message wherever you are on the internet.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram allow you to build awareness outside of your website. Think of them as marketing tools, but not your home base. You own your website but rent space on social media. Always include a link to your website on social media. If Facebook disappears tomorrow, you want customers to know where you are.

LIST AND MARKETPLACE SITES

From Yelp to Home Advisor to Redfin to Inspect.com, your business listings help customers discover your inspection service. Once again, keep your information consistent with your website and check each listing to make sure your information is current.

GOOGLE MY BUSINESS

Google offers a free listing tool to help customers discover your business. Google My Business is a free listing service that positions your site in Google search and Google Maps. It only takes a few minutes to set up. Once your listing is verified, you can update with specials and posts to keep customers informed. Because Google is the largest search engine, your presence on Google My Business boosts Google’s awareness of your business activity.

REVIEWS AND TESTIMONIALS

Reviews and testimonials help prove that your business has met your clients’ expectations. These are part of your digital footprint, so it’s important to keep track of what your customers say. Because all testimonials and reviews are part of your digital footprint, it’s important to respond to negative reviews. Use the same skills you use in your inspection reports—be professional and objective. Your answers will become part of your digital footprint. Addressing negative reviews is a reflection of your professionalism.

YOUR ONLINE HOME INSPECTION

Take the time now to spring-clean your digital footprint. Your website will serve your business and customers will know how to do business with you. At Inspect.com, we believe your website is your digital home for your online presence. Keeping up to date with your digital footprint makes it easy for clients to recognize your brand and ask for your service. Sign up for a free listing on Inspect.com.