New Face of NACHI.org!!

General Inspection Topics General Inspection Discussion
1

I, like most other members, believe that NACHI provides many benefits for us. For some time, though, I have been less than satisfied with the Homepage of NACHI.org. There has been some discussion of this at http://www.nachi.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20376 .

I’ve decided, however, to now try a poll on this to try to get a better sense of other folks positions.

The limitations on the poll for the amount of text allowed, made it difficult to accurately reflect my fullest intentions, but please read below for a fuller explanation of my position.

2

Recently it’s been announced that the NACHI web site is undergoing a massive change and upgrade. See http://www.nachi.org/8th.htm . I think that’s great! Since a major change is already underway, I would like to offer this suggestion to Nick, Chris and any other powers that be.

I personally would like to see a very different look for the “face” of the web site. Specifically, I would like to see the face, or outer appearance of the web site, be more “consumer” friendly. And by consumers, I’m not referring to home inspectors who are the consumers of NACHI’s services and wares, I’m referring to home buyers, home sellers, home owners in general, realtors, etc. who are the consumers of home inspection services.

The improvements to the web site that are apparently underway (and admittedly I don’t completely know what is going on) all seem to be wonderful improvements. And with these internal improvements, perhaps a face change is in the works, as well. I don’t know.

Correct me if I’m wrong, though, but the current face of the web site seems to be very much geared to NACHI members or potential members. The bulk of the front page contains a huge list of NACHI benefits, services, activities, events, etc. All things that are very useful to home inspectors. And while there is some information geared to the general consumer public, it seems to be buried within all of the things geared to inspectors and is not readily visible. Certainly the site as it is now structured has helped to grow NACHI’s membership and retain its membership with a tremendous amount of benefits, but since NACHI has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years, to the point where the membership in the US is now capped, perhaps it’s time to look at things a little differently.

Close your eyes for a moment, and try to get out of your home inspector role for a moment. Put aside your prejudices and preconceived notions. Imagine that you are a person in the process of buying a home and are in need of home inspection services. You’ve just googled home inspection and up pops ASHI’s web site. Click on it now. http://www.ashi.org/ . After looking that over you scroll down a bit and click on NACHI’s web site. http://www.nachi.org/ .

Tell me honestly, if you are a consumer looking for a home inspector or just general information about home inspections, which site is most appealing to you. As a home buyer/seller, I personally think that the ASHI site is more appealing. And please note, I’m not talking about ASHI or NACHI as organizations, I’m only talking about the “face” of the web site, the face put out to the public, the marketing face.

I personally would like to see the face of NACHI’s new web site be a little more like ASHI’s. It’s visually more appealing, it very quickly and clearly tells you what ASHI is and why you should hire an ASHI inspector. It has three distinct and clear zones for Home Buyers/Sellers, Real Estate Professionals and Home Inspectors, along with quick links to other pertinent information.

I’m sure that all of the services, benefits, activities and events, etc. that we now enjoy at NACHI.org could be integrated within the new site in such a way that they would still be easily accessible to members, while allowing the face of the web site to be more “consumer/public friendly” and appealing.

Anyway, that’s my humble opinion. Any other thoughts?

3

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I think its great the way it is.:twisted:
Changing it would only result in less $s for nickey, and more $s for his certified inspectors, Why change it?
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4

We’re changing it on Monday.

5

I’m looking forward to the results.

6

Seriously?!!? :shock: :o That’s Great, Nick! I’m looking forward to the results, too!! :slight_smile:

7

Which Monday:D

Mic

8

You’re a funny guy, Mic! Of course it’s going to be tomorrow! :smiley:

Seriously, though, when I first started this topic at http://www.nachi.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20302 , and then at http://www.nachi.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20376 , I was hoping that a homepage change could be made along with rolling out the new 8th wonder of the world web site, http://www.nachi.org/8th.htm , maybe next year.

If it actually happens by tomorrow, or anytime in the near future, I’ll be very impressed and very, very happy! :smiley:

9

Someone please tell me that the “new” look to the site is not just the InterNACHI logo?? :frowning:

10

The new site will be quite a bit different www.nachi.org/8th.htm, mostly with regard to video.

11

Soooo this means we won’t see a “front page” change till 09? If I’m understanding things correctly.

12

Nick, don’t you mean Internachi will be the 8th wonder of the world?

13

“Inspecting the world” Should be in caps and not be put in quotation marks.

14

Changes to NACHI.org (such as we have done recently with the new logo, new tagline, replacing the search engine, adding NACHI.TV link to left border) have to be done very slowly and with much thought. We are the undisputed king of inspection traffic with over 300,000 new users a month coming to NACHI.org www.nachi.org/stats.htm If any other site (including the one’s pointed to by others regarding this matter) ever gets greater than 1 tenth of 1 percent of our traffic, we might be forced to do something more drastic but competing sites continue to lose ground. We must be doing something right.

15

And just never you mind that 80% of that traffic is spiders and other crawlers, Hey a hit is a hit!

16

Michael, I’ll take the spiders and crawlers over humans any day. They are worth 10 hits IMHO. Anyway, the actual numbers may be off if you count them, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is relative traffic… relative to other association sites that were mentioned regarding this issue.

NACHI is ranked so high RELATIVE to other association sites it’s not even close. Go to www.alexa.com where you can enter up to 5 different sites to get a graph of traffic and compare.

ASHI is a very very very far back second place. The Minneapolis association has so little traffic it isn’t even ranked any longer.

www.alexa.com

There are only about 6,200 sites in the U.S. that get more traffic than www.nachi.org and that doesn’t even include the many other sites we own that send consumers to NACHI members directly: www.FindanInspector.us, www.InspectorNOW.com, www.InspectorLocator.com, www.CorrectInspect.com, www.InspectorSEEK.com and sister sites that send consumers to NACHI members indirectly like www.NACHI.TV, www.OverSeeIt.com, www.IAC2.org, www.MoveInCertified.com

If you added up all the traffic to all our sites, there are less than 900 sites in the U.S. that get more traffic.

This outrageous success makes it difficult for us to be anything but conservative when making changes to it. Kind of like touching up a Rembrant masterpiece.

17

Nick, it only matters if bragging rights are what’s important to you and obviously it is. What should also be important is bringing a quality product to the consumer that is useful to them. Yes, www.nachi.org generates the numbers but does it really serve the public? Probably not as well as it could in some folks opinion. If the purpose is only to serve the NACHI members then all is well. I just think some would like to see a more attractive consumer interface. You’ve even agreed to that yet don’t want to prioritize it very high on the to-do list. No big deal, I’m not complaining.:slight_smile:

18

It is important to me. I like that www.nachi.org is the undisputed king of traffic and has held this position for many years.

19

I think our succes (especially in terms of stickiness… nachi.org is one of the internet’s most sticky sites) comes from our refusal to do anything worn out and shmaltzy, like putting up a pictures of female REALTORs dressed in suits, or smiling couples representing first time homebuyers (usually the obligitory white couple, black couple and asian couple)… or the ultimate in tacky… the smiling inspector holding a clip board. Aaaggghh, puke.

20

I really don’t think people want NACHI.org to look like some cheesy fly by night site with the realtors, and the pictures of “diversity” at it’s best. I’d like to see something more streamlined. Something with everything in its place, and a place for everything. Half the time I give up trying to find stuff.

But I’m sure the “face” of NACHI.org will not change as long as the priority for the site is “traffic”. I’d like a site that has traffic along with ease of use. JMO

But I am just one of 10,000.