The Brief
Spartan Homes Inc is a custom home builder servicing Northern Virginia. Over the winter Eric and Krista Henry had grown tired of their old website. It just wasn’t doing what they needed it to do. In the beginning of 2019 they decided it was finally time to do something about it. The reasons why they knew it would be a profitable investment to make are as follows:
- At one time their website was bringing in a consistent flow of new customers but it had been over a year since a lead came through.
- They use their website as a sales tool to present house plans and pictures of the homes they build to their customers. They found that sometimes images and pages wouldn’t load.
- They were worried that other home builders in the area would take over the market by outclassing them in the digital world.
They wanted a website that would show off their company in a professional way and showcase their 20-year track record of building great homes and making customers very happy.
Goals of the Project
During the discovery phase of the project, Eric made it clear that the number one priority of this project was to make sure the website is 100% functional and easy to use at all times. He was tired of being embarrassed when he would try to show a customer a picture of a house or a sketch of some plans only to find the pictures wouldn’t load. He needed to look professional in front of his customers.
Priority two was lead generation. Eric wanted his website to bring in 5 new leads each month.
The third priority was the design. He wanted the new site to look clean and organized so visitors would get a good impression of Spartan Homes Inc and their exquisite attention to detail.
Main Goals of the Project
1. Sales
A reliable tool to assist in selling home builds.
2. Leads
Bring in a steady flow of new customers.
3. Design
Look great and make a good impression.
Building the New Website
During the build phase of this project, the first order of business was cleaning up the content. Over the years Eric’s old website had grown to contain over 100 pages of content. Every time they had some piece of content to add like a testimonial or new features, they would create a new page. It made the website difficult to navigate and 90% of the content never saw the light of day. We re-organized everything and ended up with about 45 pages in total.
We paid special attention to user experience. We wanted website visitors to feel like they intuitively knew how to navigate around the website and find the information they are looking for. We spent a lot of time changing the menu around and testing everything from the perspective of the customer so we could really nail it in this area, no pun intended.
One thing about the old website is it felt cold. We wanted the new site to feel warm and inviting; more personal. This is why we spent extra time making the About Page feel very personal. The content describes the history of Eric and his family and why they started Spartan Homes Inc over 20 years ago. When you read about the company you feel like you really get to know the people behind the business. This is very important for a construction company to do. When people are considering making a very large investment in something as important and close to home as their house, they want to know and trust the company they hire. We find that websites that showcase the people behind the business will get the best results. That’s why we put a big picture of the Spartan Homes Inc team right at the top of the page.
Since Eric and Krista provided us with so many pictures, we wanted to give website visitors a way to sort through them and see the ones they want. We created a custom photo gallery that does just that. Now people can sort the picture by interiors or exteriors based on what they’re looking for.
Throughout the entire process, we paid very close attention to little details. When building a home, details matter, so if the website has a bunch of tiny errors, people will pick up on it and get a bad feeling about the company. That wasn’t going to happen on our watch.
The last thing we did was implement a solid SEO strategy. It seems simple but the majority of website designers get this part wrong. By understanding how Google ranks websites on its search results page we were able to structure the content on this website in a way that gets noticed by Google. This is why you’ll find Spartan Homes Inc’s website on top of Google when you search for a home builder in Lake Anna.
Results
The results from this website were even better than expected. Where the old website had gone over a year without bringing in a lead, the new website brought in 10 leads in the first month after going live. Since then it has continued to meet Eric’s goal of 5 new leads per month on average.
One reason why they are getting so many leads is that the SEO foundations we built into the website have increased the amount of organic traffic by 365% since launching in June. Organic traffic is what we call it when people find the website on Google Search. For a visual, check out the graphs below which measure the number of organic visitors per month.
Eric and Krista are extremely pleased with the results they’ve had so far and they were happy to subscribe to our monthly website maintenance service which ensures that their website stays fully secure and operational at all times. It also allows them to send us new pictures and house plans each month to be edited, optimized and added onto the website. Our ongoing support ensures that their website will be able to grow and change with their business so they will never again have to replace it.
Here is what Krista Henry had to say:
“Working with Charles has been a pleasure. Last year we decided that our website needed a total facelift and we wanted to get more from our website and other online assets. The lady who used to run our website recommended Adapt Digital Solutions as a SEO and we are so glad she did.
We are getting new leads everyday.”
Overall the project was a huge success. The new website we built for Spartan Homes Inc is just one of the many reasons why this company is enjoying so much success. They build great homes and put a lot of effort into providing amazing customer service. When we began building the new website they supplied us with over 50 raving testimonials and hundreds of high-quality images. They are a great role model for others wanting to run a successful construction company.
Do you and your company have what it takes to get great results from a new website or marketing plan? Find out by filling out the strategy worksheet and we’ll get on a phone call together to discuss how we can work together to get you great results just like Spartan Homes Inc.
Strategy Worksheet
Take a few minutes and answer a series of questions that will shine a light on your goals and the particular challenges you’re up against in growing your business. A copy of your answers will be sent to your email and mine. After I review your worksheet I will contact you to find a time where we can sit down and discuss how I can help you grow your business.
