Great Website Example - Replacement Contractor

**jstoddard** · 03-09-2012, 01:08 AM

http://www.thompsoncreek.com/

I just wrote a great post about this and then nuked it by accident, so let me do the bullet-point version of what makes this a great website. There's a couple things I'd nit-pick (the Social Media menu that follows me around - hate those) - but I'm betting this company is driving a lot of new business with their website. I know of the developer - they've bid some 6-figure projects to us in the past and are serious students of what they're doing. I doubt this company spent anything close to that- but I'm sure it was a serious investment. Use what they're doing correctly to guide your own site development.

- Smart use of their domain name. Not too long for email, easy to type - still descriptive
- MOBILE-SPECIFIC VERSION. Looks/works great on the iPhone, no doubt other platforms too.
- Nice clean layout with plenty of white space
- Very consistent navigation
- Instant clarity about what they sell and who they are.
- Good emotional hooks in the images
- I can grab key info (like their phone number) with my mouse. Not being able to do that is a pet peeve of mine.
- Call to action on every page - appropriate to the content presented
- Products clearly presented
- Good project galleries
- Great use of Video for testimonials
- Obvious thought-leadership. These guys are a big company and are steering their market, instead of visa-versa
- Current "news" feed (2012) .
- A local editor could create a feature piece for the Sunday paper's magazine with just what's on the site. This is huge - if you're not giving your local media what they need to feature you without a lot of phone tag - you're missing the mark entirely.

I could go on for another 100 items - but it's obvious to me this site is the real deal. Use examples like this as you plan your own WordPress (or whatever) sites.

JLS

**SpecBid** · 03-09-2012, 07:22 AM

I agree, that's an excellent site. It's so hard to find the right balance of design, while getting the message across. There are so few web developers that really understand how critical it is to stay on point throughout the whole site. And forget about developers or code writers (and I say this in the most respectful way) assisting with design...to them, ultimate beauty is a screen full of code.

**hdrider_chgo** · 03-09-2012, 12:12 PM

I have to differ. It may check all the boxes, but I find it very unappealing.

1. It's extremely cluttered. There is information all over the place in no logical format. I count 7 different formats from top to bottom of the home page.

2. Two separate menu bars across the top of home page, with 13 choices total- way too many.

3. The banner/slidehow flashes to the next slide before I can read it- very irritating.

4. The social media bar that follows you down the page is annoying.

5. The slick stock photos look completely fake. I am certain nobody in those photos works at the company or are real customers. No human connection.

**SpecBid** · 03-09-2012, 12:32 PM

The social media bar is presented amazingly well, with all relevant sites. So many businesses are thriving on that component. This is a perfect example of what a website in 2012 should look like. The photos work. A couple of attractive women can appeal to men as well as women, making it less intimidating. The dollar signs floating in the air appeals to everyone. The line art illustration of the product show all the detail well, very quickly

**jstoddard** · 03-09-2012, 04:07 PM

I actually pretty much agree with you - especially the follow-the-menu-bar and the stock photos. We recommend using ONLY your own job photos and own customers, no stock photos, ever. However -- focus groups don't draw much emotional distinction between a stock photo with people and a company photo with people. Either one gets the job done. I've actually had that battle with several agencies - they avoid using client-provided photos with humans because of the releases necessary and extra paperwork etc. They feel they can get similar impact with stock photos by just paying a license fee and that fits their workflow better -and they'll show you numbers to prove that. My argument is 'yes - but if you use real projects, real customers - real crew -- it gives your salespeople something else to make a connection with, that a stock photo will never get you. So yeah - always use your own photos if you can.

As I said up-front there are a couple of things I'd nit-pick, and you pretty much found them. But don't lose the forest because of the trees. The objective of a marketing website is to fill your sales pipeline with qualified leads - and this site gets it done. This is still an excellent example of a remodeler/replacement website - produced by one of the best strategic web developers in the business - and I'm positive it's effective for the company. You can get way too hung up on details that don't make any difference in the performance of the site, to the exclusion of the 20% of things that will bring you 80% of the value.

That doesn't mean there's not room for improvement, and that's the great thing about the Internet - you don't have to "stop the presses" to tweak something.

JLS

**jstoddard** · 03-09-2012, 04:17 PM

Replying to my own reply... but thought I should mention. The "dual top bar" with the phone number planted in-between is actually becoming quite common. This is another usability/focus issue... different people look in different places for key information. If you look at the very top bar you'll notice it replicates some of what is either behind the drop-downs in the bottom bar, or stuff at the bottom of the page. . There is nothing wrong with that - and in fact it's a good way to bring attention to items that would otherwise be hidden. Does it look the best? You can make the argument that it does not... but the real question is "is it producing the maximum number of qualified prospects possible" and I"m willing to bet that it is. I don't think it presents too many choices - I think it provides a quicker way in to choices that exist in multiple other places. Again - the response and conversion numbers will tell the story.

JLS

**LIHR50** · 03-09-2012, 05:25 PM

It all depends on what your objective is for having a webpage.

I'm from the mindset that simple, easy read, and straight to the point is best. I get very bored sifting through company websites that are trying to convince me they at God's gift to the industry that they are specializing in. I find myself clicking all the links aimlessly and not paying much attention. Just too lazy (human nature) to actually expend mental energy to digest it all.

Maybe I'm cynical, Maybe I've been around the block and been ripped off by too many sales people and know all the marketing/advertising bells and whistles, e.g. are mostly hollow hype, Maybe I'm looking at this from the selling side of someone not looking for customers from the masses

All I need to know is who you are and just some basic info letting me know what you do.

OK, here's my take on that website, It's a cold corporate looking site with no human side.

Reminds me of all the cheap garbage vinyl replacement window salesmen back in the early 80's.

**SpecBid** · 03-09-2012, 05:35 PM

The best website I've seen recently is Dropbox. Clean simple, says what it does, but still engages you to learn more. Huge logo, enough white space. A great website.

**jimAKAblue** · 03-09-2012, 09:30 PM

Originally Posted by hdrider_chgo

I have to differ. It may check all the boxes, but I find it very unappealing.

1. It's extremely cluttered. There is information all over the place in no logical format. I count 7 different formats from top to bottom of the home page.

2. Two separate menu bars across the top of home page, with 13 choices total- way too many.

3. The banner/slidehow flashes to the next slide before I can read it- very irritating.

4. The social media bar that follows you down the page is annoying.

5. The slick stock photos look completely fake. I am certain nobody in those photos works at the company or are real customers. No human connection.

Ditto.

I instantly click out of sites like that every day.

I'm not opposed to learning that sites like that are effective though. They just aren't effective on guys like me but I realize that I might be the minority.

**Jerrald Hayes** · 03-09-2012, 10:16 PM