Seriously. Do it. What do you see? If your company isn’t at or near the top of the search results, or isn’t result number 1 under the paid ads, or not even on the first page, we have a lot of work to do. The work begins with the design of your website, and your ultimate SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy to boost your search engine results ranking.

On Demand Customers seek on demand responses to their on demands needs. And it starts with finding you with a search engine. What’s SEO your strategy? Is your website designed for SEO?

But customers finding your website is only the first step! Next, they need to engage with your site, and buy your product/services! How good is your website at serving the On Demand Customer? Get SEO and Website right, you’ll enjoy a self-perpetuating online sales success. Get it wrong (or don’t do it at all!), and you’re missing out on current and future business, costing your company route density, truck capacity, and a lower cost of sale via a self service sales portal. Get it wrong and your competition gets it right…you will lose the battle for the On Demand Customer.

If you are lucky, the On Demand Customer will search for garbage service using your company name. In this case, where does your site rank in the search results? On the second page? You lost them to a competitor.

Let’s say they found you online. Heck, let’s pretend you rank #1 on the search results. That’s it, right? You win? Nope. Even if they clicked to view your website, now you have 3 seconds to to capture your customer. 3 seconds. How long does it take for your site to load? More than 3 seconds? You might have already lost them. Do you have content relevant to the search to keep the customer engaged? Do you offer a way to view a quote and buy now?

In those 3 seconds the garbage service searcher must ascertain what you do, and if they want to proceed to the next step. If all you have is a phone number for them to call in order to purchase, it’s 63% less likely you’ll hear from the On Demand Customer. If your site has one of those online “fill this out and we’ll get back to you later” forms, still…no good, about the same 63% less likelihood. You didn’t solve their problem yet. And now they have to field calls/emails from all of the companies whose forms they submitted. To today’s On Demand Customers that’s a pain in the ….(read Dear Hauler, Meet the On Demand Customer for more on this).

No, the On Demand Customer wants to buy NOW! They want an online sales portal that gives them an accurate quote and the option to sign, pay, and done. If your site isn’t providing that level of service to the On Demand Customer, they will remember their Google search and try another option. You lost a customer by not selling to them the way they want to be sold. And you lost one of the lowest cost ways to gain a customer, the “Self Service” customer that doesn’t require human intervention.

In buyer situations where there isn’t enough name recognition or brand loyalty to Google your company’s name, On Demand Customers will search for services “near me”, like “garbage service near me” or “dumpster service near me”, etc. In this case how do you rank? Do you present relevant information to the searcher? And…can they view a quote through your online sales portal, sign, pay, done? If not, we have a lot of work to do!

What’s your Yelp review status? Do you have staff monitoring your online reputation? On Demand Customers would much rather rely on customer reviews than listen to your sales rep deliver the company story.

The On Demand Customer finds you, glances at a customer review (maybe a star ranking), wants to see the services and cost, sign, pay, done. 4 minutes. Also, you better Be Mobile or Die! Seeing all their hauler options in those 4 minutes would be best. We call this the Expedia Effect (See Article “What is www.garbagebolt.com? A Second Chance at the On Demand Customer!”).

It’s long been known that websites can be designed for better search engine ranking. But, particularly to the hauling industry that way behind in this respect, the rise of the Amazon Effect has placed extreme importance on website design, search engine ranking, and online sales portals.

Websites designed for optimal search engine ranking have several key elements. Among these elements are: site load speed, site content (copy), multi-platform (mobile/responsive design) capabilities, and elements of the design to encourage visitor “dwell time.” Content alone is a very difficult way to for a hauler to encourage dwell time. I mean, let’s face it, there aren’t any blockbuster films about trash collection…it’s a pretty mundane topic, and viewed mostly as a commodity.

Not only does an online sales platform satisfy the On Demand Customer and promote Self Service sales, it keeps site visitors engaged with your website, increasing user dwell time. This, in turn, drives up your sites search engine ranking. With a better ranking, a better site, an online sales portal, and increased dwell time, you see that it’s a circular system that grows your business.

From this article you will see the importance of a solid SEO strategy and website design. We are here to help haulers in this regard. Not only do we offer an online payment portal, but our expert SEO and Website design staff will work with you to position your company online so as to capture the On Demand Customer.

The TrashBolt Software Sales System combines a website and SEO strategy with an online sales portal to drive sales -the right self-service sales- to your organization. It’s a self-perpetuating strategy that grows as it’s used by shoppers and customers. If you don’t do it, and your competitor does, they win.

Let us help you win!

TrashBolt. For Haulers ready to Win!