Website & Prices overview

[thebamboo23]

Could you gents take sometime to review my website:

Work | R3 AUTO DETAILING (http://www.r3detailing.com)

There are things I need to change/fix:
- Fix link to Facebook
- Add links on the home page to the 'about' & 'services'.
- Add a picture(s) of myself (and of detailing in general) in the 'about' section as to make more personal/less boring
- On the 'services' page im going to add a picture on each service box so it won't look as boring as well lol
- Under the 'work' section: add more pictures of my work. I'm starting to get the feel of the manual settings on my Nikon camera, so quality pics for sure!
- Remove the photo of my mobile rig (the blue matrix- wheels were temporary) on the 'contact' section.

While you guys are at it, could you check out my pricing on my website :dblthumb2:

I'm basically averaging out ~$25 an hour

I have:
- Business Cards
- Shirts with logo and info
- Banner
- Yelp, Facebook, Google+ accounts

What I need to do:
- Attend training clinic(s)
- Focus on a core list of products
- Go out to more businesses and talk the talk
- Get better at taking photos
- Build a strong referral/maintenance program


Gonna be pushin' it hard for this year.. and the rest of the years that follow :buffing: lol

All advised is welcomed, good or bad Im the MAN

Thanks! Feed back please

[Pureshine]

I Like the website only one thing I might change is home page. In my opinion there is way to many pictures. I would change it too one and you can change its up every month or so.

[Scott@IncrediblyDetailed]

Your homepage title (and every title page should be SEO friendly).
For example your homepage title is "Work | R3 AUTO DETAILING". Something that is more SEO friendly is R3 Auto Detailing | (your town/city) Auto Detailing. That way when someone search (your city) auto detailing, your title is in bold and pops out to the searchers eye. I'm going to assume you need to do something similar to your meta descriptions as well.


I would make your service page easier to follow. Include a picture for each service, give the customers the benefits of each and maybe this the process but generally they don't care how you go about getting the results. I like how you have every other service background alternating but the titles all on the left and put a larger space between the different services.

I would also fix the order. For example with interior services, your basic interior package should be first, followed by your next one, then have the other services. Flow is very important and it will help customers find what they need faster. Order things by their popularity.


On your about page put a couple pictures of you working so customers get to know you better. They can put a face to the business and "know you" before you meet.


I would remove the pictures of your detailing supplies, customers don't care and it's taking away from more before and after pictures. Show customers you can solve their problems, that's really all they care about. If they see you can remove stains from interiors and that's their problem and they can see a couple before and afters of that they will more than likely contact you. I don't think anyone is going to see your supplies and call you because of it.


Add a side bar to your "Our Work" with your contact information just to add a little more structure the page similar to what you did with your contact page, it just brings everything together.


I would remove the "Mr. Car Wash vs R3 Detailing" section from your about page and incorporate that positives of your business into your upper sections. If you want to compare your detailing abilities to a simple car wash I would do it in a general sense and not business specific and give it it's own page where you can link to it from maybe the homepage or another page.



Remember these are just my opinions, take it for what it's worth. :xyxthumbs:

[dcjredline]

I would have to say that ID gave you alot of great suggestions. Hes usually very helpful!
Nice site overall. Its never complete and thats OK.

[Eric M.]

Good suggestions made so far. Cut down on your about page and remove the second line. Telling people you don't get it right the first time would be a huge red flag for anyone.

[thebamboo23]

Thank you very much fellas!

Input is taken and will change up some stuff :xyxthumbs:

[cardaddy]

OK, you've got some great input so far. I'll not touch on SEO or website optimization. But I want to throw some other ideas out there just from reading your site.

First page:

Lots of photos that really don't mean anything. Reflection photos don't mean anything to people that have no idea what they are. Providing a 50/50 is useful, just that the one on the left side is in the wrong place. Needs to be in another place that shows the work. (all 50/50's together)

Do NOT show a bucket full of brushes! Same thing with the detailing supplies. All the photos on that line, except the pickup just don't work. Especially the car with mis-matched wheels.

Interior cleaning:
Show the work. Maybe a 50/50 clean/dirty seat or carpet. Shot a closeup shot of how you get into cracks and crevices, maybe with a detailing brush, or a steam cleaner in action. Get DOWN into a closeup shot and show how clean it is!

The Mentality:
Needs rewording.
First line is OK, understanding products needs a different description. Remove the double PERIODS. Last line shows negativity of your knowledge. You already HAVE confidence. I'd think about just rewording the entire paragraph.

Paint Correction:
I'd change the second line. Maybe something more towards "No matter the condition of your paint, we offer packages that result in a flawless finish." Maybe something as to what paint correction is, and why it's needed.

If you could change the bottom line on that page to a positive review from a customer. ????

The "About" page just doesn't work. Aside from the story line (that customers just don't want, or NEED to know) grammer and typos are in the first and second and third paragraph. I just read the first paragraph to my wife and before I got to "After a few months" she said TMI.

You don't want to lose your potential customer with your history since grade school.


Services:
Again, grammatical errors in the first line. And continue all the way through.
Focus on WHAT your products are, what your process is, and how you get there. Look at what the others in your area are doing (via their websites) and then describe your method. You can focus on what YOU are doing that perhaps others do not do. Just do NOT say that XYZ doesn't do this but I do. :eek:

Is "Supreme Wash" a wash, or is it a wash and wax? Narrow the service down to what it is. Put down to more like appx 3 hours and go from there. Include a spray wax with the wash. (Let them know that it is a wash and wax. After all, your competition may not be doing both at this price point.)

If you want a profitible add on over and above the "Supreme Wash & Wax", I'd consider adding a Polymer Sealant. Then describe durability as 3~4 months, or 4~6 months.... whatever. Just as long as they know that a standard "wax" product is a 4~6 week option.

"wanting to sprucin' " just dosn't work.

It also isn't about "customers" but about "vehicles". Talk about what you can do for a VEHICLE. The first line could be something more like: Perfect for vehicles that are driven daily to add a quick deep shine with added protection.

Full Exterior - 2 step
You NEVER want to tell a customer that you are GOING to put haze and micro scratches in their paint! Why would they want to bring a vehicle to you that they already think nothing is wrong with only to be told that in the process of polishing that you might not get it right the first time, you are going to put haze and scratches in it, and that you will keep working it though until you make them go away. :eek: That can have them thinking if they don't have you do a 2-step that ALL your 1-step methods will scratch their vehicles paint.

Leather Rejuvenation:
Not bad, but leather doesn't automatically get shiny/glossy, film covered and have cracks after just a "few months". Perhaps lean more towards WHY you want to protect your valuable leather interior.
Then you can go to what your product does, and what makes it so special. ????

Interior Deep Cleaning:
Again, this is going towards a thinking that says, "Hey, if your vehicle is filthy this is what you need."

Spelling of "than" rather than "then"

I understand what you are trying to say, but the customer may not think their vehicle is in need of this service. I'd maybe start that sentence with "Whether your vehicle is just lightly used, or you are the "go to" for your local youth soccer team, our Interior Deep Cleaning is for you." Then go into how you have experience, and can remove..... x x x x x x and x.

Also talk about not just stain removal but the entire interior, using quality products, adding value to the vehicle, providing stain resistance and UV protection. Etc.

Headlight Restoration:
I wouldn't discount my "Wash & Wax" services with the headlight service. I may however discount the headlight service if it's added TO the wash and wax.

I'd drop Convertible Top all together. (But that's just me.) If a customer has it, then you can do it. Remember, most don't.

Where you want to mention all your other add on's is in a single place within your menu.

The Portfolio
Now THAT is what I'm talking about with the up close shots! :)

If you can just take a wide angle shot of an interior to add to your Interior overlay that's all you need there. The bigger the car, and the lighter the interior, the better!

Finally, the Contact page.
Don't tell your prospective customer, Hey, if you call and you don't get an answer, well I'm just one guy. I do it all, and when I get time I'll call you back.

When a customer sees something like "I usually get back to missed calls within 24 hours" they will instantly think, Well great... I may wait a day for this guy, and then again, he may not call at all! That's not cool, brother.

Your prospective customers need to feel as if you are the ONLY person they EVER need to call. When your phone rings, you answer it. If you're hip deep into a cleaning job at the time, make sure you check your phone every 15 minutes or so. NEVER make a customer wait more than a few minutes for a call back, EVER!

Even when I was just one truck with my towing business I kept a phone with me. As soon as I started picking up dealerships and insurance companies I had an answering service with a Live Voice on the other end. When people called they didn't know it was an answering service. Move to multiple trucks and the answering service stayed in place whenever I wasn't at the phone. You just don't want (in that business) for someone that's stuck on the side of the road to have to leave a message not knowing what was happening, or when someone was going to call them back. They would always get a "confirmation" call just a few minutes later to schedule the tow.

Finally, Your customers also don't need to see your car packed full of stuff. (Now they know the earlier photo with the mismatched wheels is your car as well.) The car looks nice, the black and white wheels not so much. Take a shot from the other side. ;)

Hope this helps, just trying to help you gain a perspective from the customers vantage point.

[A2D Signature]

Is change the word oxidation from the 50/50 as some folks may not comprehend what oxidation on their paint really entails. You can explain oxidation to the customer of you feel the need. Just cater to the simple mind and it might earn you more business on the moderate end when you don't have a big job or any work lined up :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)

[Pureshine]

OK, you've got some great input so far. I'll not touch on SEO or website optimization. But I want to throw some other ideas out there just from reading your site.

First page:

Lots of photos that really don't mean anything. Reflection photos don't mean anything to people that have no idea what they are. Providing a 50/50 is useful, just that the one on the left side is in the wrong place. Needs to be in another place that shows the work. (all 50/50's together)

Do NOT show a bucket full of brushes! Same thing with the detailing supplies. All the photos on that line, except the pickup just don't work. Especially the car with mis-matched wheels.

Interior cleaning:
Show the work. Maybe a 50/50 clean/dirty seat or carpet. Shot a closeup shot of how you get into cracks and crevices, maybe with a detailing brush, or a steam cleaner in action. Get DOWN into a closeup shot and show how clean it is!

The Mentality:
Needs rewording.
First line is OK, understanding products needs a different description. Remove the double PERIODS. Last line shows negativity of your knowledge. You already HAVE confidence. I'd think about just rewording the entire paragraph.

Paint Correction:
I'd change the second line. Maybe something more towards "No matter the condition of your paint, we offer packages that result in a flawless finish." Maybe something as to what paint correction is, and why it's needed.

If you could change the bottom line on that page to a positive review from a customer. ????

The "About" page just doesn't work. Aside from the story line (that customers just don't want, or NEED to know) grammer and typos are in the first and second and third paragraph. I just read the first paragraph to my wife and before I got to "After a few months" she said TMI.

You don't want to lose your potential customer with your history since grade school.


Services:
Again, grammatical errors in the first line. And continue all the way through.
Focus on WHAT your products are, what your process is, and how you get there. Look at what the others in your area are doing (via their websites) and then describe your method. You can focus on what YOU are doing that perhaps others do not do. Just do NOT say that XYZ doesn't do this but I do. :eek:

Is "Supreme Wash" a wash, or is it a wash and wax? Narrow the service down to what it is. Put down to more like appx 3 hours and go from there. Include a spray wax with the wash. (Let them know that it is a wash and wax. After all, your competition may not be doing both at this price point.)

If you want a profitible add on over and above the "Supreme Wash & Wax", I'd consider adding a Polymer Sealant. Then describe durability as 3~4 months, or 4~6 months.... whatever. Just as long as they know that a standard "wax" product is a 4~6 week option.

"wanting to sprucin' " just dosn't work.

It also isn't about "customers" but about "vehicles". Talk about what you can do for a VEHICLE. The first line could be something more like: Perfect for vehicles that are driven daily to add a quick deep shine with added protection.

Full Exterior - 2 step
You NEVER want to tell a customer that you are GOING to put haze and micro scratches in their paint! Why would they want to bring a vehicle to you that they already think nothing is wrong with only to be told that in the process of polishing that you might not get it right the first time, you are going to put haze and scratches in it, and that you will keep working it though until you make them go away. :eek: That can have them thinking if they don't have you do a 2-step that ALL your 1-step methods will scratch their vehicles paint.

Leather Rejuvenation:
Not bad, but leather doesn't automatically get shiny/glossy, film covered and have cracks after just a "few months". Perhaps lean more towards WHY you want to protect your valuable leather interior.
Then you can go to what your product does, and what makes it so special. ????

Interior Deep Cleaning:
Again, this is going towards a thinking that says, "Hey, if your vehicle is filthy this is what you need."

Spelling of "than" rather than "then"

I understand what you are trying to say, but the customer may not think their vehicle is in need of this service. I'd maybe start that sentence with "Whether your vehicle is just lightly used, or you are the "go to" for your local youth soccer team, our Interior Deep Cleaning is for you." Then go into how you have experience, and can remove..... x x x x x x and x.

Also talk about not just stain removal but the entire interior, using quality products, adding value to the vehicle, providing stain resistance and UV protection. Etc.

Headlight Restoration:
I wouldn't discount my "Wash & Wax" services with the headlight service. I may however discount the headlight service if it's added TO the wash and wax.

I'd drop Convertible Top all together. (But that's just me.) If a customer has it, then you can do it. Remember, most don't.

Where you want to mention all your other add on's is in a single place within your menu.

The Portfolio
Now THAT is what I'm talking about with the up close shots! :)

If you can just take a wide angle shot of an interior to add to your Interior overlay that's all you need there. The bigger the car, and the lighter the interior, the better!

Finally, the Contact page.
Don't tell your prospective customer, Hey, if you call and you don't get an answer, well I'm just one guy. I do it all, and when I get time I'll call you back.

When a customer sees something like "I usually get back to missed calls within 24 hours" they will instantly think, Well great... I may wait a day for this guy, and then again, he may not call at all! That's not cool, brother.

Your prospective customers need to feel as if you are the ONLY person they EVER need to call. When your phone rings, you answer it. If you're hip deep into a cleaning job at the time, make sure you check your phone every 15 minutes or so. NEVER make a customer wait more than a few minutes for a call back, EVER!

Even when I was just one truck with my towing business I kept a phone with me. As soon as I started picking up dealerships and insurance companies I had an answering service with a Live Voice on the other end. When people called they didn't know it was an answering service. Move to multiple trucks and the answering service stayed in place whenever I wasn't at the phone. You just don't want (in that business) for someone that's stuck on the side of the road to have to leave a message not knowing what was happening, or when someone was going to call them back. They would always get a "confirmation" call just a few minutes later to schedule the tow.

Finally, Your customers also don't need to see your car packed full of stuff. (Now they know the earlier photo with the mismatched wheels is your car as well.) The car looks nice, the black and white wheels not so much. Take a shot from the other side. ;)

Hope this helps, just trying to help you gain a perspective from the customers vantage point.

:iagree: But I would never Flawless for paint correction because most the time that will never happen on most cars.

[thebamboo23]

Sweet, this is the feedback I wanted guys :dblthumb2: :hungry:


Although I havent read all of the posts.. im really sleepy lol


ANYONE ELSE?!?! Feed back please

[Andr3wilson]

Took a brief over view, didn't read everything. Overall it's a great site. Mobile version is formatted great too. Out of all the AGO detail sites I have seen, yours is in the top for the best.

[cardaddy]

:iagree: But I would never Flawless for paint correction because most the time that will never happen on most cars.

You are so correct sir! :props:

And that was what I was getting at. Customers don't want, nor do they NEED to hear your life's story. They want to see shiny, clean, sexy, cars... period!

They want to look at the first page and get most everything they are looking for. If the home page peaks their interest, maybe THEN they'll look into the other pages. But if it doesn't..... well they'll never look at the rest.

I've worked as an Executive Recruiter as well (for a friend of mine that used to be the Personnel Director for Zayre Department Stores, tt was like Target of it's day). He ran his own business for over 20 years after leaving Zayre. And he used to say that you have SEVEN seconds when a resume' is put in front of the Hiring Manager, or Personnel Director, or whomever would be in charge of pulling that person in for an interview. If you can't get your message out THEN that you're candidate no matter HOW GOOD THEY ARE had less than a 10% chance of getting the job. After all, they couldn't even get an interview, much less the job.

We would have people all the time send in 2, 3, even 4 page resumes' that they'd spent all this money on. What with cotton linen paper, blah blah blah. He'd look at the first page, do a quick scan, and toss most all of them.

Customers looking to find a service are the same way. Just that they'll spend a little longer trying to see if you are the guy they are looking for.

However, if you have spelling and grammar errors right away they'll leave faster than they arrived. You want to pull them in. And nothing works better at that than shiny, sexy, cars. ;)

[Justin M.]

Looks like a great start to me, lots of good suggestions too.

I agree with the big image on the front page, change it up to be smaller or put something else in there (like a special offer? web discount?). On my laptop in my browser, all I see is a giant image and nothing else.

I would make the images on your portfolio page smaller, like into thumbnails. Use Light box or something to make them bigger, they took a "while" to load up.

Good job!

[cardaddy]

Looks like a great start to me, lots of good suggestions too.

I agree with the big image on the front page, change it up to be smaller or put something else in there (like a special offer? web discount?). On my laptop in my browser, all I see is a giant image and nothing else.

I would make the images on your portfolio page smaller, like into thumbnails. Use Light box or something to make them bigger, they took a "while" to load up.

Good job!

Glad you mentioned that Justin.

I stuck with AT&T for YEARS and we only had 3mbps speeds. They kept promising 6 and advertising 9~12 in the Atlanta area. Yet it never arrived.

A few months ago we FINALLY changed to Charter @ 30mbps (which tests from 37 to 42 all the time and has been as high as 65!) :)

What is easily forgotten is that a LOT of people out there still have stupidly slow internet speeds. (Like we used to till fairly recently.) Graphic intensive pages are horrendous when you have speeds like that, even if you have all the bandwidth yourself. But you are screwed if the kids are playing video games online! ;)

[wrb_subie]

First pic I see is an sti..I'm sold