Winning Website Strategy: A Guide for Custom Home Building Companies
As a custom home builder, having an online presence is essential for attracting new clients and building a strong reputation. But I hate to break it to you — simply having a website isn't enough.
To maximize the potential of your website, you need a well-thought-out website strategy. What matters more than what your website looks like is how it works. And I’m all about that ROI for your business. Today I’ll be sharing some tips to getting started with website strategy to lay the foundations of a website that is built to convert.
It’s important to tackle a lot of these things before meeting with a web designer, because quite frankly, it’ll help you find the right designer when the time comes — a designer who is results-driven and focused on creating a website that is built to meet your unique business goals and objectives. Because what matters so much more than what your website looks like, is how it works!
With a little time and effort, you can create a comprehensive plan that will help you build the best website for your company’s brand and achieving your business goals. So let’s get into it!
Website Strategy for Custom Home Builders: Key Factors for Success
1 - Set your business goals and objectives
Before we jump right into designing and building a website for your custom home building company, it’s important to set clear, measurable goals. This will give you a roadmap for what you want to accomplish with your website and help you track your progress over time.
You’ve probably heard of SMART goals. But in case you haven’t, here’s what a SMART goal is defined as:
S - Specific (State what you want to achieve)
M - Measurable (Provide a way to measure the results and track progress)
A - Achievable (Make sure your goal is possible to achieve and within your scope)
R - Relevant (You want your goals to make sense within the context, as well as improve your business in some way)
T - Time-Bound (Set a specific date or timeframe by which the goals should be achieved)
How might a SMART goal play out for you as a custom home builder?
Instead of simply saying that you want to "sell more homes," you might set a goal to increase your number of leads by 10% within the next six months. Other goals you might consider to help grow your business may include:
Improving your search engine ranking for specific keywords related to custom home building
Building brand awareness and establishing yourself as an expert in your field
Increasing your online visibility and attracting more visitors to your website (increasing site traffic)
Improving your conversion rate and turning more website visitors into paying clients
Boosting engagement with your website, such as through blog comments, social media shares, or newsletter signups
These are all great goals for a custom home builder and they are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound.)
2 - Master the art of storytelling
I am literally always ranting about storytelling, so I’m not gonna stop today!
Every brand has a story to tell, and as a custom home builder, you have a unique story to share. That story should reflect your personal and/or company values, your approach to building homes, and your commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.
But remember, you can’t just make your website and story about YOU.
I know you’re great and all, but YOU are not the hero of your story — your client is. So, when writing your story, it’s important to take the role of the guide — the one who is there to solve your client’s problems.
Always begin your message by speaking directly to the wants, needs, or desires of your customer. Answer their question of “well, what’s in it for me?” Then, you’ll have their attention.
To tell your story effectively, start by thinking about what sets your business apart from others in your field. What makes you unique? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are your core values, and how do they influence the way you build homes?
Once you have a clear understanding of your story, think about the best way to share it with your target audience. You might choose to use photos, videos, case studies, or testimonials to bring your story to life. Whatever approach you choose, make sure that your story is simple, compelling, and easy for visitors to understand.
Storytelling is such a powerful marketing tool that’s very underused in the construction industries. By taking the time to be intentional about your messaging, you will set your custom home building company apart from your competitors from the very beginning.
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAY: Read “Building a Story Brand” by Donald Miller.
The book is $15 on Amazon but the value it’ll bring your business is a total game changer! If you’re struggling to know what you write on your website or with your messaging as a whole, I highly recommend starting with this book. It will give you so much clarity and walks you step-by-step to putting that story together.
By implementing this, you WILL see HUGE RETURNS on your marketing investment.
( A little note from me — If you want further guidance on this, shoot me an email. I’m happy to connect you with my trusted Story Brand Certified Guide, who can partner with you to create content that your clients will be engaged in, helping you build relationships and increase sales!)
3 - Take an inventory of your content
If you don’t have the slightest idea what content to put on your website, trust me, you wouldn’t be the only one. It’s a common struggle for many in the construction industry, but you’re not in this alone!
Before you launch your website, take stock of the content (written, photo, or video) you have available. This will help you figure out what you still need to create, what you can use from what you already have, and how to optimize your content to support your website strategy.
Consider the following types of content when taking inventory:
Blog posts: Do you have a blog? If so, how many posts have you written? What topics have you covered already? What topics might you want to write about in the future? What are your clients commonly asking you questions about that you could repurpose into a blog post?
Photos and videos: Do you have high-quality photos and videos of your custom homes, as well as of your process and team?
Testimonials, reviews, and case studies: Do you have any written testimonials or case studies from satisfied clients? What about video testimonials? What kinds of social proof do you have that can be used on your website to build trust with prospective clients?
About page: Does your about page effectively tell your story and explain what you do and why you do it?
Of course there is a lot of other content you can add to your website, but this is a good place to start.
4 - Identify your ideal client or target audience
Okay guys, this is huge.
As a custom home builder, you can’t possibly be marketing to everyone. Your company most likely has a certain style, price range, and/or location you focus on. So all of your content (including your website, social media posts, blog posts, etc.) needs to be intentional in addressing the clients that you want to be working with.
For example, if you build high-end custom homes in the $5,000,000+ price range, your website, marketing, and blog posts are going to look way different than a custom home builder who specializes in $300,000 homes.
To effectively reach and engage your target audience, it's important to have a clear understanding of who they are and what they want. If you already have data on your customers (through past sales or a mailing list), use that information to build a profile of your target audience.
It’s important to consider all of the details of your ideal client to build what’s called an “Ideal Client Avatar” (or ICA).
Age, gender, income, and education level data provide insights into the basic characteristics of your ideal client
Location, climate, and housing market trends can help you understand the preferences and unique needs of people in a specific area
Lifestyle, values, and interests can help you understand what motivates your ideal clients and what they value
Home buying history, online behavior, and brand loyalty data provides insight into how your ideal clients interact with your brand and make purchasing decisions
Market research, surveys, and customer interviews can provide valuable information about your ideal clients
You want to think about how these factors might influence your ideal clients’ decisions when choosing a custom home builder. By using these methods, you can gain a deeper understanding of your target audience and create a website that resonates with them.
5 - Plan and build your website
Once you’ve gotten clear on your specific goals, who your ideal client is, your messaging, and your content, you’ve done a lot of the heavy lifting. Now it’s time to build a website that helps you achieve those goals.
The key to building a website that can help you achieve these goals and scale your business is finding the right designer — someone who is results-driven and focuses as much on website strategy as they do on how your website looks.
When looking for a custom home builder web designer, vet them by asking specific questions like:
Can you provide examples of successful website design projects you've completed for custom home builders or in a similar industry?
How do you approach website strategy and what methods do you use to determine the target audience?
How do you approach website optimization and search engine ranking?
How do you measure the success of a website and what metrics do you use?
Can you provide a timeline and estimated budget for a custom home builder website project?
By focusing on results-driven questions like these, you’ll be able to tell right away if the web designer you’re talking to has a background in strategic website design or not.
It’s also important that they have some background in search engine optimization (SEO) to make sure your new website is set up for success in search engine visibility.
6 - Research keywords
Use keyword research tools to determine relevant keywords for your industry of custom home builders. Once you find relevant keywords, you’ll want to include these keywords in your content to improve search engine rankings.
There are many types of keywords and you’ll want to use a variety of these:
Industry-specific keywords: Research keywords related to custom home building, design, and construction.
Location-based keywords: Include city and regional names in your keywords to target local searches.
Ex. “Home Builders in Akron, OH” or “High End Custom Homes in Nashville”
Competitor keywords: Analyze the keywords used by your competitors and consider incorporating them into your strategy.
Long-tail keywords: Focus on specific and detailed keywords or phrases to target more qualified leads.
Ex. Instead of “custom homes”, try “custom home builders with green building experience” or “custom home builders for first-time buyers.”
User intent keywords: Consider the keywords that align with the purpose of your website, such as "custom home design process" or "custom home cost estimate." These keywords were put into a search engine by someone who INTENDS on buying a custom home and moving forward in the process, as opposed to someone just looking up custom home designs for fun.
Trending keywords: Stay updated on current industry trends and incorporate relevant keywords into your strategy.
Keyword tracking: Continuously track and analyze your website's performance and adjust your keyword strategy as needed.
7 - Plan and write content
In addition to the content you’ve put together for your website, it’s important to always be adding new, relevant content to your website moving forward. Google LOVES content. The more valuable, relevant content you put out there for your clients, the more preference Google will give you in search results.
Mix up your content with short-form blogs and long-form posts for variety, and make sure to sprinkle relevant keywords in naturally for SEO.
Here are some fantastic website content ideas for custom home builders:
Home design trends and inspiration: Share current design trends and showcase inspiring custom home designs and projects.
Building and construction process: Explain the custom home building process and provide tips and advice for clients.
Home maintenance and improvement: Offer advice and tips for maintaining and improving custom homes.
Cost and budgeting: Provide information and guidance on the cost of custom home building, budgeting and financing options.
Energy efficiency and sustainability: Discuss the importance of energy-efficient and sustainable home design, and how custom homes can incorporate these elements.
Customer stories and testimonials: Share stories from past customers and showcase their experiences with your company.
Industry news and updates: Keep your audience informed about current events, trends, and advancements in the custom home building industry.
FAQs: Answer common questions about custom home building, design, and construction.
When you include topics like this on your website, you’re genuinely providing value to people searching for answers and information about the home building process. Google will see you as a valuable resource to connect web searchers too, and you’ll reap the rewards as you move up the ranks!
8 - Monitor performance and continuously optimize your website
Now that your website is built, it’s important to monitor the progress of the goals you set at the beginning. Use analytics to monitor monthly website visitors, conversion rates, traffic sources, and more.
It’s so important to know your numbers so you can know what’s working for you and what’s not, and pivot if you need to.
Google Analytics: Track website traffic, user behavior, and key performance indicators (KPIs) using Google Analytics.
Conversion tracking: Set up conversion tracking to measure and analyze the number of leads generated through your website.
Heat mapping: Use heat mapping tools to see how users interact with your website, including where they click and scroll.
User testing: Conduct user testing to gather feedback on your website's usability and user experience.
A/B testing: Experiment with different website elements, such as design, content, and call-to-actions, using A/B testing.
Landing page optimization: Regularly analyze and optimize the performance of your landing pages to improve conversion rates.
Search engine optimization (SEO): Monitor your website's search engine ranking and adjust your SEO strategy as needed.
Customer feedback: Encourage customers to provide feedback and regularly review their comments to identify areas for improvement.
Website design is so much more than how your website looks.
Website strategy is what turns your website from a pretty design to a money-maker for your home building company.
I bring together website strategy, design, development, and SEO to give my clients a powerful website that meets business objectives and shows up online.
Ready to level this year with a custom home builder website design? Book a free 30-minute consultation call today!
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