CNM Design

I’ve had well over 2500 visits to my site this year. 1750 since 1 April. Many were from this site.

This question is for those who have seen my site already or would like to help out.

Do you think there is just no need for a business like this?
Do I charge to much?
Is the site all wrong?
What’s your opinion?

http://cnmdesign.com/page25.php
http://cnmdesign.com/page26.php
http://cnmdesign.com/page27.php

Thanks’

Daren

I am not going to nit pick your site/prices or work, that is not my field of expertise. But I will say 2500 a year is not that many in the big picture. I get 1500-2000 a month..."window shoppers". If 1% (really, 1%) turn into "customers" that is good IMO. I don't know how much time/money you have tied up in your site. But for me very little time (did it myself, I update every once in awhile, that takes a couple hours a year maybe) and $25 a year for hosting. I honestly would have more time/money is a single print ad for example...and I have been down that road, didn't work for me. It's all word of mouth locally and the internet lets me reach out to grab customers from afar. Hang in there.

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http://nelsonwoodworks.biz/ ...Urban logging/tool sharpening

CNM Design

C N M Design was started by me and my wife. Craig N Missy. We can’t afford to run a site for all of are services. Each service is a subsidiary of C N M Design. The home organizing and crafts are my wife’s. The deck business and Bio Hazard clean up business is mine. Clean up and crafts business are doing ok. I also did my own site and the 5yr host plan dosn't run that much. I also run adds in the local paper.

frostr2001

I know little regarding WEB design , however as a user I usually go to google and type in whatever I am interested in. In your case I typed in " Home deck solution" and did not see your site listed in the first three critical pages. I would think LINKS are very important. I hope this helps and good luck!

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Leo G

OK first of all, I hate to burst your bubble but you have had 1700 page views. Everytime I switched to a different page the count went up. The stuff you are selling would do better if you showed some pictures. I looked, but all I found was the main picture on top. You need to have the counter only referenced to the front page, and even then it will show people bouncing around the site. Get google analytics and it will track your site better.

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CNM Design

Thanks for the feed back.

C N M Design was started by me and my wife. Craig N Missy. We can’t afford to run a site for all of are services. Each service is a subsidiary of C N M Design. The home organizing and crafts are my wife’s. The deck business and Bio Hazard clean up business is mine. Clean up and crafts business are doing ok. I did my own site and the 5yr host plan doesn’t run that much. I also run adds in the local paper. The picture has more to do with the home organizing side of the house we started out with.


95% of the people who visit our site already have heard of our services and are looking for more information. Most of our advertising is through word of mouth or the local paper. We also pass out about 100 business cards on average each month. One for each service (depending on what service the person I’m talking to needs) and one we just leave every where, that has all of our services on it. It does us no good to get clients’ that to far out of the local area. Say more than 50 miles. My wife has sold products out of state.

Julian the woodnut

I will offer you this bit of advise for your site. Posting links to your website on forums will really boost your google rating. Just please don't go spamming forums to do so.

phinds

I think what you are likely underestimating is the MASSIVE dilution of interest for any one site that is caused by the fact that there are MILLIONS of sites on the internet. Getting recognized is next to impossible.

The rule of thumb for traditional print advertising used to be that 3% interest was good but on the internet I believe it is far less than that. 1% would be optimistic.

If you don't already do it, put some of your craft stuff on ebay and etsy to try to generate some interest, and try for reciprocal links with other sites, as that will help your Google scores.

Paul

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phinds
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www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/

rrich

I only looked at the first page. (25) The black background protest went out of favor a few years ago.

While you know that $3 a foot is the real price, I don't care. What I want to know is, on this 18 by 26 foot deck, how much. So a few standard sizes with quotes would be good.

What I also noticed is "No building permit, no taxes, no holes in the ground". This also sounds like no contractor license which usually implies no work-comp insurance and no surety bond. (Run don't walk) Without a building permit I have to trust your engineering to insure that the deck is structurally sound. I also know that you will be 'around' until the final payment. The not attached to the house sounds OK. HOWEVER the no holes thing doesn't sound like a good idea to me. I'm sitting here thinking of my central Ohio home and the ground around the house was anything but level or smooth.

On the left side of the page I see a finder's fee, rent to own and a "Makeover". Too gimmicky for me. (Again run don't walk)

Finally, it has been said that one picture is worth a thousand words. Six or eight pictures of different jobs says, 'This guy is for real.'

Sorry to be so harsh, but your page doesn't seem to present an image of a business that I would do business with.

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Use the right tool for the job.

Rich (Tilting right)
Huntington Beach, California
Remember that when we have the "BIG ONE" everything east of the Rockies falls into the ocean.

johnep

You are right, one picture is worth a 1,000 words. My son has recently started up plumbing, plastering and tiling business. I have encouraged him to take before and after pics of every job and display on his site in categories so people can skim through. He has also added a few words of description etc. Customers would like to see the difference a deck has made and can then imagine what it would be like on their house.
good luck.
johnep

GeorgeC

This is probably your biggest problem in gettings hits on your site.

I also believe that the business name should have some bearing on what it is that you do.

You should probably seperate the activities of your wife and you into two distinct sites.

G

GeorgeC

This was also my first impression. If you want to have a page talking about deck building then you should have pictures that show a deck in progress and completed.

Your site as designed has nothing to grab a potential customer's attention and then hold that attention. Each section should have something distinct from any other section.

The types of business/products that you are promoting is local to only one area. That is you are not going to travel 100 miles to install a deck. If you are short on cash to advertise do you think that a web page is even the appropriate way to spend your money?

Craig's list is free and would probably yield many more potential customers that a web site. As a previous business owner I found that the yellow pages were the most important and indespensible form of advertising. Many local newspapers have some relatively "cheap" advertising for local businesses.

George

frankp

Pictures of installations. Also, I'd say unless Muskingum (sp?) county is really huge and populated, you're drastically limiting your potential market. I know decks are a booming business when times are flush, but right now, with the economy as it is, people just aren't splurging on things like that, especially when they aren't permanent installations that meet building code. If you can figure out a way to install these on non-level ground and put some pictures up of an installation, then you'll be doing yourself a big favor.

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Gerry KIERNAN

Your prices do not seem high, but I would tend to agree with others who have suggested that you need to post some pictures of your product. I would also agree with the sentiment that as you are trying to secure business within a fifty mile radius the internet is perhaps not the best way to promote your product.

My feeling is that if you can get a few jobs locally, and your customers are happy, then word of mouth will be your best advertising.

One aspect that no one else has mentioned is timing. We are still in the throes of a major recession [I would say bordering on deprssion], and a whole lot of people are being much more cautious in how they are spending their money.

I think your idea has merit, and in time you should be able to secure customers for it.

Good luck

Gerry

CNM Design

Rich
I see you did not look at the other pages. They would have answered most of your questions.
Please look at page 26. I pre manufacture three different size sections at my home. You order the size and number of sections you want, to make up the size of deck you would like. I then bring them to your home, bolt them together and anchor them down. According to City Hall, there is no permits or special engineering required for structures like this. This platform decking and frame is made from 2 x 6 lumber and is only 7 or 8 inches off the ground from the top where you stand. They also stated that as long as the structure does not become a permanent part of the property or home, no taxes will be assessed. There is nothing illegal about what I do.

Thanks for commenting.
Looking forward to some of your informed comments.

Dejure

Where you have a lot of inforation, try to work hard breaking it down to smaller paragraphs. If it's hard to read, net'ers wont.

Pictures, pictures, pictures:

- Let the public interact with you from the begining. That is, let them at least see you working, or talking with a customer (of course, you should identify yourself), so they know you are real.

- If you're doing make-overs, let me see the before and after on that too.

You already are on your way to success by trying to set yourself out from the pack with pricing, speed and durability. Push those points more (never compete, do it differently).

Think about Yellow page adds. For years my buddy harped on me to run ads. He said it would change my life. Finally, I pumped three grand into ads and it did.

Three hundred dollars, rather than three thousand, toward concise, carefully written ads would likely change your life too. People are always looking for the cheapest means to an end. A simple ad amidst big flashy ones (through some exta money to gets some air around it) can suggest that and the air draws attention to you.

When choosing a directory, ask around and see which one is most used by everyone. For example, here it is DEX. The Yellow Pages directory would be money [partly] tossed (if you're rich, you can run both, as well as twenty other places).

As was pointed out, your add suggests a beginner and that you may be flying under the table. Make clear what you said here - the County/City does not require permits for .......... (title it "Important Permiting Information?). You can add that by not tying to the house, there is NO damage to its foundation members by water intrusion.

Usually, maintenance (e.g., cleaning and "resealing" decks and fences) does not have the same bond and insurance burdens construction does. I push saving the old deck and fence with the main theme being "save the customer money." I though in a bit of tap dancing, a waltz or two, and give the customer both what they need and want. I sell a lot of jobs that way.

All in all, this is a nice looking page, but you need the best. Keep in mind, your [mine and others] first deck [or other wood working project] was not perfect (my first project yet rests on my school's shelf, forty years later - the sign on it says "[i]f you did this, you flunked). The phosphors you used in the construction of your page weren't severely damaged and some minor tweaking is yet possible

rrich

You just made my point for me. You scared me away before I even looked at the other pages.

__________________
Use the right tool for the job.

Rich (Tilting right)
Huntington Beach, California
Remember that when we have the "BIG ONE" everything east of the Rockies falls into the ocean.

Handyman

CNM Design Your web site looks good. I know when I am telling someone that I build decks and fencing, The first thing they ask for is pictures of my work. I think if you put pictures of your decks that you have built, you would get more calls. That's my 2 cents.

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Expert = Drip under pressure

shivi

hello.
Thank you for sharing. nice posting here and i am agree with the views of Dejure..

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internal doors

kitchen

hello.

Thanks for sharing
really its very nice as well as good one.