Above All had an existing SEO strategy that involved content marketing. They had a Facebook account, Houzz profile, good looking website, and they had new monthly content pages built on their website, some were even blog pages (and for anyone that knows us here at Halstead Media, you'll know we stand behind content as SEO). They were doing many of the essential puzzle pieces that you would expect to see in a successful landscaping company. So what exactly was wrong? 

Fairfield House and Garden builds beautiful, high-end interior and exterior spaces. From additions to pergolas and patios - their expert construction crew creates spaces that deliver memories. Fairfield House and Garden services homes in the Westchester County, NY as well as in the Fairfield, CT area. 

Now at the top of pay-per-click advertising, Google AdWords has been undergoing a lot of changes throughout the past couple of years. Specifically, the media marketing giant made some alterations not just to their site layout, but to advertising capabilities. These are the ones that could help your business the most. We’re going to lay out the three big ones for you, and show you how these changes benefit your landscape design/build, architecture, or other type of home improvement company.

Since service review websites like Yelp and Amazon have developed a large consumer base by offering their basic services for free, Angie’s List has had to up the ante by promising in March that it would join its competitors in the realm of free basic reviews. On July 1, 2016 Angie’s List came through on that promise. While this development gives clear advantages to homeowners, will business owners reap the same benefits? Here is what you need to know. 

While websites such as Thumbtack.com and homeadvisor.com have been known to work for connecting consumers and services, the high volume of inquiries versus low close rate has many of our clients wondering if there is a better option. With its beta release in the summer of 2015, Google Home Services hopes to provide a streamlined platform for business/consumer interfacing. We're here to give you the scoop on this platform, still in the early stages of its development.

In the past, referrals were considered the best way to get leads for a home improvement business. Whether your company relies on referrals as a primary or secondary source of leads, referrals are a critical part of maintaining a sustainable landscaping, remodeling, or general contractor business. But what happens when the referrals stop coming in? What went wrong? Are your customers unhappy? Perhaps disappointed in  the quality or service? Or maybe, just maybe, they're incredibly happy but just forgot to recommend your company to their neighbor during a conversation about a service you do.

Home services lead referral websites such as Angie's List, Home Advisor, Yelp, and now, Amazon Home Services, have become the unfortunate norm in contractor "marketing" today.  Turn on the service and the inexpensive leads come flooding in right to your iPhone. Trust me, I understand. I remember receiving leads from HomeAdvisor— called ServiceMagic.com back then—while I was in a sales/project management role. And once the service was turned on, my calendar would almost instantly book up with late evening appointments with homeowners that were less than ready to buy. That is if the meeting even took place. 

So you've got yourself a Facebook account - post every now and again and don't really see the likes moving up. Perhaps you're not even sure whether or not you should invest your time in creating a Facebook account. Or, last possible common scenario, you might have an account and don't even remember the last time you posted (if ever!). All possible, and regardless of your scenario, you're not alone.

The process of designing a website has changed tremendously over the last 5 years—not just for home improvement contractors, but for every type of small business. With Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, and the countless other online website builders out there, landscapers, home remodelers, architects, and home services contractors really have no excuse for sporting a company website that's outdated and not mobile-friendly. But much like the technology behind modern website design has changed so drastically, so has the purpose for having a website for your business in the first place. 

Let's be honest. The world has changed a lot from the days when relying solely on word of mouth referrals was a safe strategy for home remodelers, landscaping companies, and other home improvement contractors. That’s not to say that referrals aren't still the most qualified leads to get. But today, when a customer gets a referral from a coworker, they don't simply pick up the phone and schedule a time for you to come out and provide an estimate. No, no. They thank Susie for the recommendation and then they go online to learn more—a lot more. 

Many contractors rely on pay-per-lead services to deliver the construction leads they need. but are services like thumbtack the best option? here we take a look at the best ways to drive home improvement leads today.

Spoiler alert: Squarespace wins, hands down. There is a ton of misinformation out there about website design building sites - including platforms like Wordpress. So to help get our home improvement contractors up to speed on what is best for them in terms of design, responsiveness, style options, seo friendliness, and more, we are breaking down the difference between Wordpress and Squarespace.

Looking to improve their digital presence, Adams Landscaping engaged Halstead Media to redesign their current website. Seeking an updated, cleaner look, the Adams team was also hoping to build the new site on a more user-friendly platform to allow for easy updating.

If you're feeling the heat of new competitors (or suddenly more popular older ones), then it may be time for you to take your strategy online. Maintaining a healthy revenue today in a home improvement business often means dominating the digital world. So how exactly do you do this? Here is your five step plan to making sure you get the attention you need from the customers you want in your local area.

The way homeowners find and hire architects today—like many other segments of the home services industry—is drastically different than just 5 short years ago. While word-of-mouth advertising and media attention is still relevant, most of it has shifted online. And just like all other purchasing decisions - over 80% of your potential customers are researching before they call you (of course, online). So what are the three ways to drive leads online today?

Thinking back to decades ago, when a storefront business needed more foot traffic, they looked to traditional advertising to increase awareness of their store. The store owners would make sure they are trying to bring in the right buyers and advertise to them in place those buyers would be in and use advertising material that would grab their attention. Well, today's online marketing is not much different. 

An aggressive search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing effort kicked off March 2016. In addition to the SEO campaign for the NY region including NY, CT, PA, and NJ, UNILOCK was also looking to harness the power of professionally written content to engage website users, increase website traffic and lead generation, and build brand loyalty across the region. 

The Platinum Group—comprised of Platinum Site Development, Platinum Pools, and Platinum Horticulture—designs and builds some of the finest, most exclusive pools and landscapes on Long Island. In February 2016, they decided to make their online presence match their incredible offline reputation. 

Glencar came to Halstead Media looking to improve their image and increase their online visibility. The Halstead team went to work designing a fully-responsive website for the contractor with a timeless, SEO friendly design. 

SEO isn't mysterious; it's not witchcraft. There is a formula that works and factors that don't. What makes SEO complex is that the formula includes hundreds of variables. In our previous blog post, we mentioned that Google's algorithm includes 200+ factors. Some are foundational (such as high-quality content) which will severely impact your rankings and some are complementing (like image descriptions). And since there are so many SEO factors, it's easy to lose track of what is still relevant and what's not. We believe (and hope) this is the reason for using outdate SEO tactics. To check your knowledge (or quiz your SEO person), check out this incredible infographic on what SEO used to be versus what it is now.