No customers, please review

[Cerberus LLC]

Huge thank you

The site is good, except for the absence of the phone number in the header, where it should appear prominently. I'd also recommend a Prices page, with a single-line list of each service and its price, linked to the Services page where you describe them more fully. The prices and testimonial pages on my site are what most visitors head for most often.

Three weeks is way too early to expect business to be anything but a dribble. It'll snowball as you get more business and referrals (and testimonials). Good luck and hang in there!

Thanks so much. I'm out and about on my I phone. When I get back to the office, I'll make some changes on my we site. You all are great.

 

[Peaceful]

You may wanna re-examine your business hours. 8-4:30 m-f ? Only people with free time during those hours are the unemployed.

 

[ATTech]

Only people with free time during those hours are the unemployed.

Ehhh... not necessarily.

Although, having such limited hours when MOST people are working is really going to hinder your progress.

 

[Alan22]

Placed the number on the front page. Can't believe I missed that lol

I see it on the bottom or the page and it's not very prominent.

I agree with some of the other advice you've received. I think you should put it next to your logo on every page along with the cities/towns and state you service. From just hitting your homepage I have no idea what area you service and finding your phone number is difficult.

Edit: Oh, and get rid of those business hours. If someone has a problem at 5PM and they know you end your day at 4:30 do you think they are going to call you? Even if you can't make it that evening at least have the opportunity to make an appointment for the next day.

 

[Larry Sabo]

Yeah, I forgot to mention that (the hours). While many people call from their workplace during the day, I think it's very important to be accessible after their workday, e.g. until 6 at least, and on Saturdays for at least half a day. They can't very well be home to let you do your stuff during the day, so lack of service during evenings and weekends are show stoppers for probably many (most?) of your prospects, I would think. Unless you are limiting yourself to businesses, in which case, please ignore this comment.

 

[Cybjun]

I think a lot of it could be the time of the year also, teachers & students on summer break, people taking there vacations. also with the economy the way it is 17% unemployment here. but summer is always the slow time for me.

What I did to muster up new business clients was shop local, you would be surprised how well this has worked for me. I went into a local owned/operated shoe store, happened to have the owner working that day help me, when it came time to ring my purchase, he made a comment on how his computer was slow which opened the door for a sales pitch & a business card offer. 2 days later I was onsite for a diagnostic which went to a new hard drive & drive clone, with a minor OS tuneup for better performance.

 

[SThompson86]

Do you have a store front?

 

[MobileTechie]

You need the phone number write large and bold at the top. you need to catch people at the moment of decision making and make it easy for them to call you when the whim takes them. The site is a tad wordy in my opinion - less text, more bullet points. Try to get the message over with as few words as possible but jam in some search terms. (You don't know what your target search terms don't you?) People don't read for long when browsing for a service. Those business hours are off-putting. 30 day warranty? I'd expect longer so this isn't a sales point to me.

Maybe change the picture of the girl to one with bigger hooters?

I just searched on New Vienna OH PC repair and you don't come up. Get your on-page SEO sorted properly and get started on the link building ASAP. In the meantime splash out on adwords. If people don't find your site, then it's pointless.

Read up on link building (you need to understand anchor text, keywords, site relevance etc) and start putting backlinks on blogs, forum profiles, forums, directories, article sites, social networking sites, social bookmarking sites etc. Just do like 10 links a day and you'll soon get to number one.

There are people who will do this stuff for you. Warrior Forums for instance has loads of spammy SEO people who will do this stuff ultra cheap.

 

[14049752]

I agree with everything said before me. See the attached image for where I think you should put the phone number (it should be on EVERY page)


Additionally, you have to sort of find your niche and go with that. What do you offer that others in your immediate area don't? Find a way to offer that up. If you're just another computer repair guy, it's hard for people to have a reason to use you instead of whoever they have been.

Everything about your presentation looks very nice and professional. You just have to be prepared to have almost no income for a very long time when starting a business. Start networking, going to local business meetings that your chamber of commerce hosts...start going out and leaving info at businesses...there are plenty of ideas already on this site and others about marketing. Do everything you can afford to do, while understanding that you're never going to get an immediate payoff from it.

 

[Cerberus LLC]

Great idea

You may wanna re-examine your business hours. 8-4:30 m-f ? Only people with free time during those hours are the unemployed.

I understand what you are saying. However, that is why I have 24/7 365 scheduling online in real-time. That way, then can schedule on there time, when they want to and I will be there for them when they need.

However I am thinking more on this topic.

 

[Cerberus LLC]

Never thought of that

I see it on the bottom or the page and it's not very prominent.

I agree with some of the other advice you've received. I think you should put it next to your logo on every page along with the cities/towns and state you service. From just hitting your homepage I have no idea what area you service and finding your phone number is difficult.

Edit: Oh, and get rid of those business hours. If someone has a problem at 5PM and they know you end your day at 4:30 do you think they are going to call you? Even if you can't make it that evening at least have the opportunity to make an appointment for the next day.

Dang good ideas. I have to eat before I start working on those edits lol Thanks so much.

 

[maclaptech]

Your phone number and email need to be on the very top and in big letters.

 

[Cerberus LLC]

Store Front

Do you have a store front?

The store front is a yes and a no. Let me explain. I have two locations, one of which is a store front in decent neighborhood. It's a nice building. I do not have to pay rent or anything else. My sister and brother-in-law live there. There is a current business there as well. This place is like 2800 square foot. The caveat is that it is 45 minutes away from where I live.

My original idea was to have it set up as a dummy office for the time being. I have no office things there, just an empty space. Money is tight right now so I can not afford to purchase these things.

Am I missing out that much by not just transferring my business there? Or am I being safe and working out of my home office. Remember, this is a pick up and delivery service so office or store front really isn't everything....or is it?

 

[Cerberus LLC]

You got it

You need the phone number write large and bold at the top. you need to catch people at the moment of decision making and make it easy for them to call you when the whim takes them. The site is a tad wordy in my opinion - less text, more bullet points. Try to get the message over with as few words as possible but jam in some search terms. (You don't know what your target search terms don't you?) People don't read for long when browsing for a service. Those business hours are off-putting. 30 day warranty? I'd expect longer so this isn't a sales point to me.

Maybe change the picture of the girl to one with bigger hooters?

I just searched on New Vienna OH PC repair and you don't come up. Get your on-page SEO sorted properly and get started on the link building ASAP. In the meantime splash out on adwords. If people don't find your site, then it's pointless.

Read up on link building (you need to understand anchor text, keywords, site relevance etc) and start putting backlinks on blogs, forum profiles, forums, directories, article sites, social networking sites, social bookmarking sites etc. Just do like 10 links a day and you'll soon get to number one.

There are people who will do this stuff for you. Warrior Forums for instance has loads of spammy SEO people who will do this stuff ultra cheap.

I have my work cut out for me this evening. But this is just the kind of feedback that is critical and extremely important to me. Thank you so much everybody!

 

[Cerberus LLC]

Agreed

I agree with everything said before me. See the attached image for where I think you should put the phone number (it should be on EVERY page)


Additionally, you have to sort of find your niche and go with that. What do you offer that others in your immediate area don't? Find a way to offer that up. If you're just another computer repair guy, it's hard for people to have a reason to use you instead of whoever they have been.

Everything about your presentation looks very nice and professional. You just have to be prepared to have almost no income for a very long time when starting a business. Start networking, going to local business meetings that your chamber of commerce hosts...start going out and leaving info at businesses...there are plenty of ideas already on this site and others about marketing. Do everything you can afford to do, while understanding that you're never going to get an immediate payoff from it.

I will add and remove the items that you all have said thus far. I do agree with these things. It's great to have fresh eyes on my business. Thanks so much.

 

[mraikes]

Ok, there's a bit of a love-fest going on over the OP's site, but I think it's undeserved. Yes, it's a nice, neat, polite, antiseptic website. And in a refreshing change, it's not awash in typos. But it's not working!

Sure this is a slow season for many of us, but he's getting NO business. That's not right.

So the first problem is getting visitors to the site. The design doesn't seem to have any SEO plan - so it's simply lost in the internet noise. I hope the SEO experts here on Technibble will jump in and help the OP with that significant problem.

But even if it were attracting visitors, this is not a website that will capture the kind of "break-fix" customers the OP needs to bring in some quick money and keep the electricity on.

Picture this: Someone with a computer virus is about to drive slowly past your front door. You only have time to shout ONE thing to attract their business. Will you shout "Residential and business solutions!!!" Or instead will you shout "I remove computer viruses!!!" Which phrase is more likely to attract their business? Guess which phrase the OP is shouting instead.

Your website is your "shout" to the passerby. Use it effectively and specifically.

NOTHING jumps out at me that you remove viruses. Or fix hard drives. Or internet connections. Or laptops (in any way shape or form). Or ANY other common, quick-money, break-fix issue. Sure I could read through all that text and piece it together for myself, but I don't have time, and the site format doesn't give me the incentive.

It's a nice looking, completely ineffectual website.

 

[cdbrehm]

My impressions about the website:

Your prices are more than reasonable.

You definitely need to work on the SEO. Your Title, for example, the single most important line of text on your website as far as the search engines are concerned, currently says, "Cerberus Services." This won't get you any traffic. It should say something like, "(your city) Computer & Laptop Repair". Keep it short, sweet, and geographically relevant.

You logo: "PC Design, Upgrade, and Service." This is problematic to me because most people are going to come to you for "computer or laptop repair," not "PC Design or Upgrade." It's not as focused as it should be, and if this is the first thing they see they may not even realize that you're first and foremost a computer repair technician. I'd change this to something more like "Computer Repair and Service," or "Computer Repair and More . . ." or "Computer and Laptop Repair."

I think the "flow" of the index page could be impoved. You have a 3 column structure that basically makes everything equal in emphasis and importance. Nothing stands out other than the over-emphasized pic of the phone lady. I think it could be structured more logically with degrees of emphasis determined by what you most want to showcase.

3 weeks is nothing. If 3 months from now you're still getting next to nothing, that's the time to really worry. You can't expect to have any real currency in just 3 weeks.

If you can't afford an SEO expert, there are all kinds of tutorials on the Internet. Read, read, read, and learn. Just google "SEO tutorials."
Just my two cents.

 

[Cerberus LLC]

Agreed

Ok, there's a bit of a love-fest going on over the OP's site, but I think it's undeserved. Yes, it's a nice, neat, polite, antiseptic website. And in a refreshing change, it's not awash in typos. But it's not working!

Sure this is a slow season for many of us, but he's getting NO business. That's not right.

So the first problem is getting visitors to the site. The design doesn't seem to have any SEO plan - so it's simply lost in the internet noise. I hope the SEO experts here on Technibble will jump in and help the OP with that significant problem.

But even if it were attracting visitors, this is not a website that will capture the kind of "break-fix" customers the OP needs to bring in some quick money and keep the electricity on.

Picture this: Someone with a computer virus is about to drive slowly past your front door. You only have time to shout ONE thing to attract their business. Will you shout "Residential and business solutions!!!" Or instead will you shout "I remove computer viruses!!!" Which phrase is more likely to attract their business? Guess which phrase the OP is shouting instead.

Your website is your "shout" to the passerby. Use it effectively and specifically.

NOTHING jumps out at me that you remove viruses. Or fix hard drives. Or internet connections. Or laptops (in any way shape or form). Or ANY other common, quick-money, break-fix issue. Sure I could read through all that text and piece it together for myself, but I don't have time, and the site format doesn't give me the incentive.

It's a nice looking, completely ineffectual website.

I agree and thank you for being candid

 

[Cerberus LLC]

My impressions about the website:

Your prices are more than reasonable.

You definitely need to work on the SEO. Your Title, for example, the single most important line of text on your website as far as the search engines are concerned, currently says, "Cerberus Services." This won't get you any traffic. It should say something like, "(your city) Computer & Laptop Repair". Keep it short, sweet, and geographically relevant.

You logo: "PC Design, Upgrade, and Service." This is problematic to me because most people are going to come to you for "computer or laptop repair," not "PC Design or Upgrade." It's not as focused as it should be, and if this is the first thing they see they may not even realize that you're first and foremost a computer repair technician. I'd change this to something more like "Computer Repair and Service," or "Computer Repair and More . . ." or "Computer and Laptop Repair."

I think the "flow" of the index page could be impoved. You have a 3 column structure that basically makes everything equal in emphasis and importance. Nothing stands out other than the over-emphasized pic of the phone lady. I think it could be structured more logically with degrees of emphasis determined by what you most want to showcase.

3 weeks is nothing. If 3 months from now you're still getting next to nothing, that's the time to really worry. You can't expect to have any real currency in just 3 weeks.

If you can't afford an SEO expert, there are all kinds of tutorials on the Internet. Read, read, read, and learn. Just google "SEO tutorials."
Just my two cents.

Im stuck with the templates that word press allows me to have. Or at least as far as I know. Web design is not my forte. Due to my budget, I had to do this on my own.

For everything I add or take off there will be some sort of trade off. I'm trying for a perfect website but they do not exist. I'll keep trying though Thanks for your advice

 

[ATTech]

I understand what you are saying. However, that is why I have 24/7 365 scheduling online in real-time. That way, then can schedule on there time, when they want to and I will be there for them when they need.

However I am thinking more on this topic.

It may seem like a convenient thing to do from your perspective, but you have to step into the client's shoes. They want to talk to a real person. They want to get a quote from a real person. They may hope that it's a simple problem that can be solved over the phone for free, and would prefer to call before and get some information before committing to an appointment time.

After you've built up a client base, you can show the returning users how to use the online scheduler, because they've become comfortable with you that they don't need to talk to you first, but I would wager that it's a huge deterrence for new clients.