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Posted on 03/10/2019
When a new business is starting out, they might decide that the best way to achieve their online objectives is to spend a lot of money on a website. The more they spend, the better it will be and as a result, the more successful their business will be. So off they go to their chosen web designer and spend thousands of pounds on a new website, and then sit and wait for the business to come rolling in. If only it was that easy!
Start from the beginning
To establish or rebrand a business, the online presence absolutely has an essential role to play, but it should be borne out of an overall strategy. What are you trying to achieve with your business? What do your customers want from you? How easy is it to generate leads in the market you’re in? How important is Search Engine Optimisation?
More established businesses should hopefully have a good grasp on all of the above, while new enterprises might need time to experiment and learn about their potential market. Even with the best laid plans, things are likely to change along the way as challenges are overcome and new opportunities present themselves. While a new business finds its feet and establishes itself by adapting and changing, custom built websites could prove to be a waste of money.
When website themes are a winner
Website design themes are a great option for new businesses, especially when sourced from a supplier that knows your industry. Here are some of the reasons we think design themes trump a customised web build for start-ups:
- Design themes provide a more cost effective and quicker route to getting online. The whole process is faster because a lot of the hard work has already been done up front.
- If you use a specialist in your industry, they will know from experience what works and what doesn’t on a website in your sector. You can use their expertise rather than take time experimenting for yourself.
- No need to compromise on results – a good website theme will generate leads for you as well as a customised site.
- Built-in functionality means your website can stand its ground against competitors without costing the earth.
- Good website theme suppliers will also offer ongoing support to ensure the short and long-term experience of developing your website is hassle-free.
We’ve concentrated a lot on start-ups in this blog, but website themes are certainly not limited to new businesses. We’ve delivered website design themes to hundreds of new enterprises and hundreds of well-established businesses alike and generated real leads and real results for all of them.
A time and a place
As many of you will know, we also have a sister company, The Consultancy, that creates bespoke websites for the window and door sector, so just to be clear we aren’t saying that you should never choose a customised site, we’re simply pointing out that there is a time and place for bespoke and a time and a place for website themes. Which is best for you?
We’d love to hear your views on this topic, or if you need help deciphering which option is best for your business today, please get in touch with katie@glazingvault.com
Posted on 16/09/2019
You’ve decided you need a new or refreshed website, but you don’t know where to start when it comes to choosing the right web design partner. A recommendation is always a good place to start but remember its horses for courses – a relationship that worked for a peer may not be right for you. So how do you make sure you get it right? Here are some suggestions from the Glazing Vault team.
It’s useful to think about what you want before you decide who is best delivering it. Think about what you want your website to be. Do you want it to be a brochure site, or to actively generate leads? If the latter, what experience and evidence can your shortlist of web designers demonstrate to you on previous successful lead generation sites?
Looking good
Once you know what you want it to be, you need to think about how you want your website to look. Look at your potential designer’s portfolio to see if they have done anything you like. A lot of designers also find it useful to see other sites you like, whether from your industry or another, to get an idea of the overall look and tone that appeals to you.
How do you like to work? Do you know exactly what you want and simply need a web company to do the technical bit and create your vision? Do you like to work collaboratively using your supplier’s expertise and experience with your input throughout the process, or can you take a step back and let your chosen supplier take the lead? It might help if your supplier specialises in your market and has proven experience to give you peace of mind.
Cost Vs Value
And finally, think about how much you have to spend on the project and find the right fit for your budget. It sounds obvious but looking for the cheapest supplier is never a good place to start. It’s better to think about what value you could get from the right site. For example, a site that helps you to generate leads will pay for itself more quickly than a straight-forward brochure site. But a brochure site is less expensive to create. Once you know what budget you have and what you want to achieve with that budget, you can look for a supplier who fits the brief.
Our philosophy
Glazing Vault specialises in the window and door industry and works closely with all kinds of customers to deliver what they need. We work for companies big and small supplying everything from the simpler brochure sites, to the slightly more complex lead generating sites. But whatever the size of customer and whatever the brief, we appreciate it’s a big step to take choosing a new website supplier, so try to make it as easy as possible for our clients every step of the way with our advanced management system and ongoing support once the project is completed.
Posted on 06/08/2019
As specialists in the window and door industries, we have worked with hundreds of companies – start-ups, long-established businesses and everything in between – to build a website presence that suits their operation. However, time and time again when we are approached by new companies looking for the right online solution, we hear requests for basic brochure sites because that’s all they assume they can afford. This isn’t the case.
Companies are surprised to see just how much they can get for their money when they use design themes and tools that are then tailored to their business. Some come with a negative perception of website design themes too because they don’t think the finished site will be personalised enough for their business. However, themes are just a starting point. They provide a layout and structure for the site to follow, but all the creative elements – colour palette, images, copy and headlines are all unique and suited in with each individual company’s brand identity.
So, just how much is it possible to get using this template format?
At Glazing Vault, we offer a range of website design themes for companies to choose from, so they can find the right ‘look’ for them. Once they have selected the design, because a lot of the work has already been done, we can often get the site up and running in a matter of days. As long as we have the imagery and copy, it doesn’t take long at all. Also, once the site is up and running, we’ll then continue to work with the customer for the long term to ensure everything runs smoothly on an ongoing basis.
And it’s not a one-way process either. Any good website company, theme based or otherwise, will encourage two-way interaction while the site is being developed. We use a handy system whereby customers can edit or offer live comments on elements of the site when it is still in draft form. It makes is easier for customers and ensures the whole process runs as smoothly as possible.
Take it up a notch
For companies that want to take things a step further and incorporate proven lead generation tools on their site, we have a solution for that too. Our ready-made door-designer tools can be loaded onto an existing or new site within hours. The door designer tool is a complex tool behind the scenes and has taken a lot of work to design and develop. However, now that the work is done, having worked with some of the industry’s biggest names in composite doors, we’re able to offer a basic door designer tool that is ready to be uploaded and start generating leads, quickly and efficiently.
Because a lot of the work for website themes and ready-made door designers has already been done, we are also able to offer these impressive solutions for affordable prices, particularly suited to small to medium sized businesses.
If you’d like to put us to the test and see if we can surprise you with how much website you can get for your money, get in touch with us today by e-mailing katie@glazingvault.com
Posted on 17/06/2019
A large proportion of new and well-established businesses alike struggle to generate leads. In fact, more than 60% of marketers worldwide say that lead generation is their biggest challenge. As specialists in delivering cost effective website solutions, we think we can help. You would be amazed at the difference an effective online presence can make to your lead generating efforts. For example, our vast experience in the window and door sectors tell us that having a door designer tool on your website significantly improves lead generation.
If you’ve ever done your research into generating leads online, you’ve probably come across a few rules that come up time and time again. Here are just a few examples that we agree are important: Encourage interaction with visitors by ensuring your calls to action are clear and obvious; Give visitors something in return for their contact information; Offer something for free; Measurable lead generating tools.
Including a door designer on your site can tick all these boxes and more.
I can’t imagine there are many people that work in the window and door sector, whether at supply, fabricator or installer level, that haven’t come across the door designer tool in one form or another. There are different formats out there – some easier to use than others – but all with the same purpose. They allow homeowners to browse through a range of doors, altering the colour, door design, hardware and glass options, until they have created their perfect door. It’s such a popular tool because it can be hard to visualise the completed door with all your personal preferences in place, without seeing it as a finished item.
So how does this tool generate leads for your business?
Once the homeowner has spent some time playing around with various options and finally found their perfect door, they will of course want to save their creation for fear of forgetting all their specific choices. Any clever door designer will at this point ask for the users contact details in exchange for an image and details of their chosen door. On the surface it sounds like a simple idea, but if we look again at the rules for generating leads online, you’ll see that the door designer tool is a tool that ticks all the boxes. Your designer becomes another salesperson for your business. Fully automated it can even send out quotes and other documentation to your customers.
Some new clients we speak to think that having such a technically complex tool on their website will be prohibitively expensive because of the time and money it will take to build. But having worked with all the market leading composite door manufacturers, Glazing Vault have a series of ready-made door designers that we can implement on your website within hours. Fully branded as your designer, it will suite in with your existing website seamlessly.
If you would like your business to benefit from a door designer, e-mail us today to find out more katie@glazingvault.com
Posted on 12/06/2019
The work of a web designer or developer is very much behind the scenes. The UK alone spends an average of 2.5 hours every day online, or nearer 3.5 hours if aged between 18 and 24 years old. But when you’re browsing or even interacting with a site, assuming the site has been built well and is operating smoothly, you’re probably not thinking about the team of people that created it. And that’s as it should be.
The team at Glazing Vault have been working behind the scenes for long time now and although we have partnered with hundreds of companies in the window and door sector, we’ve become aware that people either don’t recognise the Glazing Vault name or aren’t sure what it stands for. That’s why today we’re breaking the mould in this latest blog to step forward and let you know a little more about us and our experience.
Vital Statistics
Here’s a picture of Glazing Vault by numbers!
30 – this is the number of years the team at Glazing Vault have been designing and developing websites and online solutions for the window and door industries.
500 – although we supply solutions for new and established businesses alike, we have helped more than 500 start-up organisations to get their new ventures online.
300k – our website solutions don’t just look nice, they generate leads too. We have generated more than 300,000 homeowner enquiries.
200k– we don’t stop at leads either. This is the number of actual online orders placed with trade supplier customers.
300k - the number of quotes created online for trade customers.
3 – the number of hours it takes for us to deploy one of our product designer solutions onto your existing website. Talk to us about our window and door designer tools.
2 – how many days it takes us to design, develop and make live, a basic new website.
20 – is the number of website designs we have for our customers to choose from.
As you can see, there is a lot more to Glazing Vault than meets the eye. So, if you’re looking for a website solution with a little more substance, contact us today for more information by e-mailing katie@glazingvault.com
