Originally Posted By: gsutterfield This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Obviously have to much time on my hands. Inspection request are down and funds running low for marketing so I decided to do a search for home inspectors from the aspect of a home buyer. Went to Google and MSN search and entered [ home inspector missouri,pennsylvania,florida,texas etc.] Kind of figured if a buyer wanted services this might be the way they would search. I found the results amazing. On every site ASHI comes up #1,the first,foremost,etc. On some MSN sites NACHI is not listed or shows up on page 3 or 4.
What's up? If we are the largest, as I have been led to believe, why do we not show up at the top or at least the 1st. page. Am I entering the wrong terminology [home inspector mo.pa tx etc] and if so has a study been conducted to determine what terms the typical buyer would enter to gain the home inspection service that would lead them to NACHI?
Originally Posted By: Nick Gromicko This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
or Certified Home Inspectors
I wish I could take credit for this but I can't. Consumers have a mind of their own. Terms like "licensed", "insured", "registered", "qualified", and "professional" are not given much credit in the mind of consumers. It might not be fair to ASHI but most consumers over value the adjective "Certified" and I couldn't be happier.
Originally Posted By: jpeck This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I searched Google.
I searched "home inspector florida" and FABI came up first, then a private inspection company, then NACHI.
I searched "home inspection florida" and the private company came up first, then NACHI, then FABI.
However, I doubt many people will search such a wide area as the entire state. More likely, they will search "home inspection" or "home inspector", no state.
"home inspection" came back with ASHI on top, something else second, NAHI third, and NACHI fourth. Housemaster was fifth.
"home inspector" came back with ASHI first, NAHI second, and NACHI third.
Originally Posted By: kmcmahon This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I was using google adsense & adwords for awhile and certified inspector or certified home inspector was one of the lowest items consumers used to find a home inspector. Matter of fact they made me get rid of that phrase because it wasn’t producing any leads for the click-thru rate.
Originally Posted By: Blaine Wiley This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I just did a search using Iwon.com and findaninspector.us came up in the one click headings along with training schools. Below that were two ashi and three NACHI headings. I simply used the term home inspectors.
Originally Posted By: mbartels This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I have to disagree with Nick on this one. There are many sites that will tell you how many times a search phrase is used. They compile all the results from all the search engines. The fact is that home inspection(s) and “state” are the most searched terms.
I don’t understand how an org. that is 99% web based is not # 1-3 on the top search engines. I know this site has to get more hits than any other just from the message board alone. Maybe we can get the site tailored to show up higher on different key words instead of just Certified home inspector.
I also noticed how every one seems to dump on A$hi for the whole branding thing but it appears to be paying off. I have seen T.V. commercials, heard radio ads, and their web site blows this one out of the water in rankings and quality. Their site is geared towards selling prospective buyers on an A$HI inspector while ours is set up more for selling prospective inspectors on joining NACHI.
I think the site should sell to the customer why they NEED a NACHI inspector. Get the rankings higher and have a site that conveys this message so well that there will be NO reason to even check out the A$HI and NAHI sites.
I agree with what Nick says about the internet being the way of the future for people to find a HI. I get a lot of my business from the internet and can tell you that nearly all of my clients are under the age of 30. The majority of people older than that tend to go about things the old fashioned way. (agent) The internet savoy customers are only going to increase every year. All those kids in high school now live off the internet because they have now grown up with it and are not shy of it like most people much older. Just look at the increase in for sale by owner properties. The majority of my clients are choosing to buy without an agent because of all the useful info on the net and in bookstores.
I predict in the next 5 years that there will be a huge boom of internet leads as these kids who grew up with a mouse in their hands move on from high school and college and start buying their first homes. I’m already seeing it in my area. Realtor marketing has got me almost nowhere. The internet is now providing me with about 5 inspection per week on average. Combine that with the occasional customer referring you to a friend, and as R.R. points out, when you do an inspection for 1 client, you also get to market yourself to the seller and at least one of the agents that is normally at the inspection.
Nachi must get the internet dominance going because as of now were playing catch up.
Originally Posted By: mtimpani This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I agree with Matthew, most people might used certified for other titles like Nick said, but NOT for home inspectors. I brought this up 4 months ago… When you go to to largest search engine in the world which is google, and you type in home inspectors, you get a$hi. We should be #1 on the search , not 4 or 5.
Originally Posted By: dfrend This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I agree and disagree with you Matthew. I do think we could do better getting consumers to us by prettying up som of FindAnInspector, but I think this particualr site is for us, not the consumer. When they want to find us. That said, our search feture should be the number one, not NACHI.org. And maybe make it more selling why to chose us on there.
Originally Posted By: mbartels This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Daniel,
I have to agree and disagree with you also. This site should be for us. However, I belive NACHI.org (home page) should be all about selling NACHI inspectors to the consumer. Tell them how great, funny, smart, attractive, we are and have a find a Certified Inspector button right there, smack dab in their faces! In the bottom or side bar or something we as inspectors can access the message boards and other important areas.
This part of the site is for us. The home page should be for the potential client!
And by the way, we don’t want our customers to have to “find us”, we need to find them!
Originally Posted By: dfrend This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
You are right, but when they search for an inspector, we should be in front of them. I am not a techno gru like some, but it is my understanding that the search ranking that Google uses is not an exact science for anyone. Just because we have more keywords, or more hits, does not in itself rank us higher than anyone else.
Originally Posted By: jfarsetta This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Covert sites are frowned upon by the major search engines. Once discovered, they are typically black-listed, and removed from the search engine databases.
– Joe Farsetta
Illigitimi Non Carborundum
"Dont let the bastards grind you down..."
On some MSN sites NACHI is not listed or shows up on page 3 or 4.
