Hi, Billy –
Here are my comments for the main page of your website at http://www.stlhomeinspector.com:
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First off: Great homepage! The organization is generally excellent, you have a nice balance of visuals and text, and it’s easy to navigate – very user-friendly, which is obviously the point.
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I think it would be a good idea to link your services at the top, starting with “Residential.” I would expect them to work as links, but they don’t. It would be redundant of your “Services” link in the red banner under your logo, but I don’t think it would hurt to just embed those links. If I’m looking for a termite inspection, then I can click on it and – boom – I’m there, and there’s no need for me to look further. Getting the job is the point, so consider helping your visitor make the decision quicker.
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I think you should increase the size of the red banner and the links. It’s actually a little odd that the larger labels above are not links, while the actual links are smaller – it should be the opposite.
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In that red banner:
a. Change “Cost” to “Prices” or “Fees”
b. Change “Book” to “Schedule Your Inspection” (not everyone will understand “Book” as a verb).
c. I would move your “Contact” link to last position.
d. “Retired U.S. Air Force” does not belong in that banner.
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So, your slide show is very informative – I love the comparison images of thermal and digital, and you holding the electrical meter is great – it’s a nice show. But I will say that the little “bounce” that the slides do when they change is kind of jarring. I don’t know if other people experience that, but it’s a little distracting and makes me want to page down to get it out of my sightline. That may be just my personal deal, but I thought I’d mention it.
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Nice and simple SEO get by stating “St. Louis Home Inspections” above your photo.
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Fabulous photo. You look very calm, professional and trustworthy – exactly what I’d want in a home inspector.
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In the text to the right of your photo:
a. Move “You’re a smart” down a line and add some space between the phone number and the text. You have plenty of room – there’s no need to crowd everything together.
b. Change the comma before “a critical step” to an em-dash or double-dash.
c. The acronyms under your name will be cryptic to your visitor, so just spell them out. We also only use “NACHI” internally – we are officially “InterNACHI,” but your visitor won’t know what that is, either, unless you spell everything out, which you have plenty of room to do:
Certified Master Inspector®
Member of InterNACHI, the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors
Certified for Radon [and Mold?] Inspections by IAC2, the International Association of Certified Indoor Air Consultants
(And it wouldn’t hurt to link to each organization so that consumers can check them out for themselves.)
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Change the first heading to “Your best interests are Priority #1.” When speaking about “best interests,” it’s actually plural.
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In that paragraph:
a. Change “life passion” to “life’s passion”
b. Insert a comma after “life’s passion and”
c. Insert a comma after “need an inspection”
d. Change “who do you hire” to “who you should hire”
e. Change the second paragraph under the first heading to this:
With a background in property investment, renovations and inspections, rest assured that I have years of experience, which enables me to help you make critical decisions. My reports are concise and easy to understand, and include photos and detailed descriptions of the defects I discover.
(Just a note to you and other inspectors who may be reading this: I think the use of “narratives” and “narrative” is not necessarily clear for the reader/visitor, which is why I’ve been changing it to “detailed descriptions” in member brochures. The latter is a phrase that everyone can understand, especially when comparing them to the use of checklists. “Narrative” strikes me more as an internal term for inspectors, as well as a general term of art in writing. It doesn’t fully describe why it’s such a good thing in an inspection report.)
- In the second heading, uncap “Key” because you’re continuing that phrase in a complete sentence. Also in that paragraph:
a. I would change the phrase “in this business” to “real estate transactions” (to cover both buying and selling) – you want to keep the focus on the home, not the inspection industry. You make your point about experience right afterward. (And good work speaking directly to your visitor!)
b. Change “are educated on an equal level” to “are equal” – this is shorter and snappier and makes the point quicker, especially because we’re not talking just about education, but training and experience, too.
c. Change the rest of the paragraph to this to keep things on-topic:
In addition to providing you with an accurate inspection, my goal is to educate you about the home and its various systems. That’s why I strongly recommend that you attend your inspection. It will take anywhere from two to seven hours, depending on the size and condition of the property. I’ll discuss my process and findings with you, point out important maintenance items, and answer all of your questions.
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Change the ellipses after “Fast Facts About Me” to a colon. Also, make sure this heading is bolded (I can’t tell for sure if it is).
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In the first item:
a. Insert a hyphen between “One” and “Stop”
b. Uncap everything in the un-bolded text that follows (except for the first word: “Book”).
c. At the end, add “call” after “phone”
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Change “Board Certified” to “MICB-Certified,” or at least insert the hyphen between “Board” and Certified if you don’t want to use MICB.
Also, change the rest of the text to “Certified Master Inspector®” – that’s the designation you’ve earned and are paying for, and it’s branded, so use it to your full advantage.
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At “Radon Expert,” uncap the “N” in the middle of the word “InterNational,” and insert the word “Certified” before “Indoor” (that’s the actual title).
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I think your Business Coach credential should come last in this lineup – it’s resume info, but not relevant to my wanting to get a home inspection.
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At “Construction Background,” use the same full-sentence formatting that you’re using for the other items, so say: “I have experience as a general contractor, performing home renovations and new builds for residential construction.”
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Combine the “I keep my skills current” and the “I have a team” bullets – they are related, and there’s no need to make this list especially long. Say:
I have other experts at my disposal and keep my skills updated by consulting with other master inspectors and colleagues, as well as local specialists, such as foundation contractors, structural engineers, etc.
Also, this bullet should be lower in the lineup.
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Combine the “I walk and crawl” bullet with the “Dress Accordingly” bullet (because the latter sounds like a command for your clients). Say: “I expect to get dirty so I dress appropriately for my job. I walk and crawl around areas that my competition can’t or won’t.” I also think that you should leave off the part about your clients getting dirty – it will discourage them from following you, which you actually want, plus, I think it’s possible for them to not get dirty at their own inspection. They won’t be going into the crawlspace or on the roof with you, etc.
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I’m not familiar with how HomeGauge markets their reporting system, but the title you’re using is both contradictory and not terribly clear. Try: “Comprehensive Report with Detailed Descriptions & Photos”
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In the paragraph below the graphic:
a. Delete “full”
b. Insert a comma after “sample report” – also, any reason you can’t just link to a sample report? I’d prefer that to calling you. If this is your way of closing the deal, then I understand, but if you’re going for what’s most convenient for the consumer, then uploading a PDF sample and linking it is the way to go.
c. “existing used homes” is industry jargon – consumers don’t consider an existing home “used,” so delete that word.
d. Change “pre-manufactured” to “manufactured/mobile”
e. Insert a comma after “any building”
f. Delete the rest of the text starting with “Your best interest” – stay on-topic; this is about the HomeGauge report.
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Delete the heading “What I Inspect!”
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Change “View Detailed List” to “View My Standards of Practice,” and move the link so that it appears at end of the checklist in #26.
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The link “Interview Checklist” should be changed to “More About Me” and moved to the end of the checklist under “Fast Facts About Me.”
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The link “Common Questions” should be changed to “FAQs” (no apostrophe) and moved up into the red banner at the top of your page.
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Change “How I benefit you!” to “What You Can Expect from Your Home Inspection:” (with the colon at the end) – this is more specific and direct. You’ve already made your personal pitch above; now I want some details about what I’ll get for my money.
Additionally:
a. Make this heading bigger – as big as the heading “Fast Facts About Me:” (and bold it).
b. Move the heading and the checklist below (#27) so that they appear above the HomeGauge heading, graphic and paragraph (#21). The facts about the inspection should come before the facts about the report. Present your service in chronological order.
- Keep each item in this checklist of the same format. Either use incomplete sentences/phrases or use full sentences. Here’s a re-worked list:
✓ I check over 400 items.
✓ I identify both major and minor deficiencies.
✓ I highlight potential safety hazards.
✓ I show you how the home’s various systems work.
✓ I review any defects or issues with you step by step.
✓ I check the furnace, A/C, and water heater for recalls.
✓ I provide a limited thermal imaging scan at no additional charge.
✓ I email your detailed report to you within 24 hours.
- I would say to go ahead and keep the testimonial under this heading if you didn’t already have a long list of them at the right, so this one seems out of place and detracts from the organization of this page up to this point. Especially because you have no name here, it doesn’t really help you. Plus, I’ve already heard about your passion for this business. All I want you to do at this point is focus on ME. So, delete the heading (“This is why…”), find a name for this testimonial, and move it to the right side of your page with the others.
Also, for this testimonial:
a. Change “an obstacle” to “of obstacles”
b. Delete the comma after “Thanks”
- Change “Services I Offer” and the links “View Full Descriptions” so that the heading reads: “My Inspection Services” and then link the individual services. I see that you have only one page, but it might be worth your time to create separate pages for each one, and then maybe upload an image that’s descriptive of the service. Again, as a web-savvy consumer, I expect a certain level of link functionality, and this section here isn’t giving it to me. Additionally, make all of this text/these links bigger – they should not be the same small size as the text on the rest of this page. Even though they’re repetitive of the links at the top, if you want to repeat them here, that’s fine, but don’t bury them further by using the same small font. This is your bread and butter right here.
Also:
a. Change “Thermal” to “Thermal Imaging”
b. Change “Year Warranty” to “One-Year Builder’s Warranty”
c. Change “Walk/Talk (No Report)” to “Walk-Through Inspection (Verbal Only)”
- Change “I Believe In” to “I Support” and insert a colon at the end of that line.
RIGHT SIDE:
- So, awesome that you have the CMI seal there, but the text under it doesn’t say anything about it, which throws me. Plus, it’s redundant of the text just to the left. So, how about:
As a Certified Master Inspector®, I have earned the highest designation offered in the inspection industry. Let me put my years of training, education, experience and expertise to work for you.
- Since you’re offering a money-back guarantee, why not separate this information out and use some kind of seal with the following text (corrected for punctuation):
If you feel I didn’t earn your trust, simply let me know and there will be no charge, plus I’ll pay for a new inspector of your choice.
Additionally, move this to last position (but before the testimonials) – you don’t want to offer your prospective clients a back door out until you present all the reasons why they won’t want to take it.
- Change the heading “Infrared Thermal Technology” (which is a redundant term) to “Infrared Technology.” And here’s the corrected text for below it:
I use a thermal imaging camera as a standard tool for all my inspections because it can detect defects that aren’t visible to the naked eye.
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In the next heading, change “Piece” to “Peace.” Also, insert a comma before “Inc.” and another one after it. Additionally, insert a comma after “Indiana”
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In the next heading, change “We” to “I,” and use this corrected replacement text for under it:
I’ll record the model and serials number for all your major appliances, such as the furnace, water heater, and A/C. If a recall exists for any of those items, I’ll notify you immediately.
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In all of your testimonials:
a. Italicize the text, but not the names.
b. Move each name to after the testimonial.
c. In the name, insert a period after the first name’s initial, as well as a space before the last name. For example, instead of “CCurry,” use “C. Curry.”
d. The names need to be uniform. “Tim” is totally random without a last name or last-name initial, so it lacks all legitimacy. You can use full names (with permission) or use a first name and a last-name initial, but be consistent throughout. This may require you to go back in your records, but it’s worth the trouble so that these look like credible testimonials.
e. It would also be useful to add their cities, such as “C. Curry, Sunset Hills” or “Tim H., Chesterfield” – depending on which name format you want to use for all of them.
f. I’m also offering some minimal edits for the individual testimonials to follow to clean up grammar and punctuation issues, with some word changes for clarity.
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In the “CCurry” testimonial:
a. Insert a comma after “numerous questions”
b. Change “completely explained” to “answered completely”
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In the “Tim” testimonial, insert a comma after “needs a home inspection”
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In the “ASnow” testimonial:
a. Change “3” to “three”
b. Change “after purchase” to either “after their purchase” or “post-purchase”
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In the “DDowdy” testimonial:
a. Change “buyers” to possessive “buyer’s”
b. Move the ellipses to just after “ever had” (without a space), or just delete them.
c. Uncap “Anywhere”
d. Delete the comma after “extremely well”
e. Change the comma after “to check” to a period – this is an extremely long sentence with lots of verbs, so let’s break it up a little.
f. Start a new sentence and change “and took” to “He took”
g. Delete the apostrophe in “how’s”
h. Delete the apostrophe in “why’s”
i. Insert a comma after “whys”
j. Change “any concerns” to “our concerns”
k. Insert the word “that” after “so”
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In the “DDowdy” testimonial:
a. Delete the hyphen in “un-turned”
b. Delete “way”
c. Insert a comma after “Overall”
d. End that sentence after “competitive”
e. Start a new sentence at “It is” (so delete the preceding “and”)
f. Insert a comma after “any questions”
BOTTOM:
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In the black banner at the bottom in your address, insert a comma after “Ave.”
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In your business hours, change “AM” to “a.m.” and insert a comma after “Dark,” and delete those parentheses.
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Move the “Feel Free” text down on its own line, and uncap all the words except “Feel.” Also, change “PM” to “p.m.”
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In your service area on the right, change “Areas” to “Communities.”
Also:
a. Insert a comma after “Eureka”
b. Change “above” to “here”
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In the maroon banner at the very bottom, change “Book” to “Schedule an Appointment.”
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Also, don’t bury these links by making them so small – make them bigger and bold them.