onthemovemarketing

How To Force Google To Index Your Website

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 13:09:32 GMT

Published your website but still can’t find it on Google? Or added a new service page that hasn’t appeared in search results?

One of the most direct steps you can take is to submit the page through Google Search Console . Paste its URL into the inspection bar, click Test Live URL , then click Request Indexing .

This gives you a way to ask Google to crawl a specific page instead of simply waiting for it to be discovered. It can help get the process moving, but there’s one important distinction: you can request indexing, but you cannot force Google to index a page or guarantee an immediate result. Google advises that crawling can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

Here’s how to submit your pages and give them the best chance of appearing in Google Search.

What Does Google Indexing Mean?

Indexing is the process Google uses to analyse a page and potentially add it to its searchable collection of content.

For website owners, there are three stages to understand:

Discovery: Google finds out that your page exists.
Crawling: Google visits the page and retrieves its content.
Indexing: Google processes the content and decides whether to include the page in its index.\

A published page isn’t automatically an indexed page. And an indexed page won’t necessarily rank prominently for the keywords you want.

Before worrying about where your website ranks, you need to establish whether Google has indexed the pages you want customers to find.

How To Request Indexing In Google Search Console

For a small business website, manually submitting your important pages is a practical addition to your website launch checklist.

Start with your homepage and main service pages, then work through relevant location pages and blog posts.

1. Open Google Search Console

If your website hasn’t been added yet, you’ll need to add it and verify ownership. You must have owner or full-user access to request indexing.

Make sure you select the property that contains the URL you’re submitting.

2. Copy The Exact Page URL

Open the published page on your website and copy its full address from your browser.

For example:

https://www.yourbusiness.com.au/roof-restorations

Use the final, public address of the page. Avoid copying a website editor link, preview address or an old URL that redirects somewhere else.

3. Paste The URL Into The Top Inspection Bar

At the top of Search Console, paste the address into the URL inspection bar and press Enter.

Search Console will retrieve the information Google currently holds about that URL. This lets you check its existing indexing status before taking the next step.

4. Click Test Live URL

The button you’re looking for is Test Live URL .

This checks the current published page, which is particularly helpful if you have just launched it or fixed an indexing problem.

Keep in mind that a successful live test means the page appears accessible for indexing. It doesn’t confirm that Google has indexed it or that it meets every requirement for appearing in search results.

5. Click Request Indexing

If the test doesn’t identify an issue preventing submission, click Request Indexing .

Wait for confirmation that the request has been submitted. You’ve now asked Google to crawl that particular URL.

There’s no need to leave Search Console open afterwards.

6. Repeat For Your Important Pages

Submitting your homepage isn’t the same as submitting every page on your website.

For a manageable small business website, work through your key URLs individually. A sensible order is:

Homepage.
Main service pages.
Important location pages.
New blog posts.
Existing pages you have substantially updated.

Focus on pages you actually want customers to find in search. You don’t need to request indexing for every utility page or variation of a URL.

Does Requesting Indexing Make It Happen Quickly?

Requesting indexing can help you bring a new or updated page to Google’s attention, but it isn’t an instant-indexing button.

Google needs to crawl the page, process its content and decide whether to index it. A submission confirmation means your request has been received; it doesn’t mean the page is already searchable.

The practical approach is to submit the URL, allow time for processing, then inspect it again later. Avoid treating a fast result on one page as a guaranteed turnaround for the rest of your website.

Also, running Test Live URL is a diagnostic step. It helps you check the page before requesting indexing; it doesn’t itself give the page a ranking boost or guarantee faster indexing.

Other Ways To Help Google Index Your Website

Manual submissions are useful for individual pages. For ongoing discovery across your website, support them with a clear site structure and accessible content.

Submit Your XML Sitemap

An XML sitemap lists the URLs you want search engines to discover.

Many website platforms generate one automatically. A common address is:

https://www.yourbusiness.com.au/sitemap.xml

Check the actual sitemap location for your platform, then submit it through the Sitemaps section of Search Console.

Google recommends URL inspection for a small number of URLs and a sitemap when you have many pages to submit. Neither method guarantees indexing.

Add Relevant Internal Links

Make new pages easy to reach from elsewhere on your website.

For example, if you publish a roof painting service page, link to it from your main roofing services page and relevant blog posts.

This also improves the experience for visitors. Someone reading about peeling roof paint should have a clear path to the service that can help them.

As a practical check, ask: could a visitor find this page by browsing my website without knowing its exact address?

Check For Indexing Restrictions

Sometimes a page isn’t appearing because a setting is preventing indexing.

This can happen when a website launches with development settings still enabled or when an individual page has been set to stay out of search results.

If Search Console reports a restriction, investigate it before submitting another request. Pay particular attention to an unexpected noindex instruction, which tells Google not to index the page.

Give Every Page A Clear Purpose

Before submitting a page, make sure it offers something useful.

For a service business, that might mean explaining:

What the service includes.
Who it is suitable for.
How the process works.
Which areas you service.
What customers should expect.
Answers to common questions.

For location pages, include useful information relevant to that area. Simply swapping a suburb name across otherwise identical pages gives visitors little reason to choose one page over another.

What If Google Still Hasn’t Indexed The Page?

If a page remains unindexed, use Search Console to investigate the reason instead of repeatedly submitting it.

The URL inspection report can help you understand what Google knows about the page and identify some of the issues affecting indexing. It can also show whether Google has selected a different URL as the canonical version.

A useful troubleshooting sequence is:

Confirm you’re inspecting the correct published URL.
Read the reported reason for non-indexing.
Run a live test to check the current page.
Fix any identified problem.
Review the page’s content and internal links.
Request indexing after making meaningful changes.

Submitting an unchanged page repeatedly won’t solve an underlying accessibility or content problem.

Make Indexing Checks Part Of Your Publishing Process

Whenever you publish an important page on your website , spend a few minutes checking it.

Open the live page, confirm the content displays correctly, add relevant internal links and inspect the URL in Search Console. Then use Test Live URL and Request Indexing where appropriate.

For a small business website, this is a straightforward habit that helps you catch problems early and gives you a direct way to submit new content to Google.

The key is to combine that request with a page worth indexing: useful information, a clear purpose and a website that Google can access.

How Often Should I Update My Website?

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 05:39:14 GMT

You should review your website at least every three to six months and update it whenever important information changes. Contact details, services, pricing and staff information should be corrected immediately, while new photos, projects, reviews and content can be added throughout the year. Most businesses should also consider a broader redesign every three to five years—but only when the existing website no longer represents the business or performs as it should.

A website should not be treated as something you build once and forget about. Regular updates keep it accurate, secure, useful to customers and competitive in Google.

How Often Should You Check Your Website?

There is no single update schedule that suits every business. A local service business with relatively stable services may only need occasional content changes, while a company regularly adding projects, team members, locations or offers will need updates more often.

A practical schedule is:

Monthly: Check forms, links and important functionality
Every three months: Review services, prices, photos, reviews and business information
Every six to 12 months: Review page content, SEO, website performance and design
Every three to five years: Decide whether the website needs a broader redesign or rebuild

You should not wait for the next scheduled review if something important changes. Incorrect phone numbers, outdated prices or services you no longer offer should be fixed as soon as possible.

Update Your Contact and Business Details Immediately

Your contact information is one of the most important parts of the website. If somebody is ready to enquire but calls an old number or visits the wrong address, the website has failed at its main job.

Update the website immediately when you change:

Phone numbers
Email addresses
Business or postal addresses
Opening hours
Service areas
Team members
Licence or accreditation details
Social media profiles

Remember that these details may appear in several places, including the header, footer, contact page, enquiry forms and individual service pages.

The same information may also need to be changed on your Google Business Profile, social media accounts and business directories. Consistent details make it easier for customers—and search engines—to understand and trust the business.

Update Your Services as the Business Changes

Businesses evolve. You may introduce a new service, stop offering an unprofitable one or begin targeting a different type of customer. Your website should reflect what the business actually does today.

Adding a new service to a bullet list on the homepage may not be enough. If it is an important service with genuine search demand, it will often deserve its own page explaining:

What the service includes
Who it is suitable for
Your process
Common customer questions
Why someone should choose your business
How to request a quote

A dedicated service page gives customers more useful information and gives Google a clearer page to rank for relevant searches.

Removing outdated services is equally important. Enquiries for work you no longer accept waste your time and create a frustrating experience for potential customers.

Keep Your Pricing and Offers Accurate

If your website displays prices, packages or starting rates, review them whenever your costs or services change. Old pricing can lead to awkward conversations and make customers feel misled, even when the error was unintentional.

You should also update:

Package inclusions
Call-out fees
Finance or payment options
Free quote offers
Discounts and promotions
Minimum job values
Warranties and guarantees

If your work is too variable for fixed pricing, explain the main factors that affect the cost. Providing a realistic range or “starting from” price may help qualify enquiries without locking the business into one figure.

Always include conditions or expiry dates for temporary promotions, then remove the offer when it finishes.

Add New Photos and Recent Projects

Photos quickly show whether a website reflects the current business. Old images, low-resolution photos or generic stock imagery can make an experienced company appear new or inactive.

Service businesses should regularly add examples of recent work. This is particularly useful for builders, roofers, pool builders, carpenters, landscapers and other businesses where the finished result helps customers judge quality.

Fresh photos can be used across:

The homepage
Service pages
Project galleries
About and team pages
Location pages
Blog posts
Case studies

You do not need to replace every photo each month. Adding the best projects as they are completed and refreshing the main images once or twice a year is usually enough.

Real photography also gives you original assets for your Google Business Profile and social media, helping create a more consistent online presence.

Update Website Content for Customers and SEO

Website content should change when it is inaccurate, unhelpful or no longer matches what people are searching for. This does not mean rewriting every page simply to make it appear fresh.

Useful content updates may include:

Adding common questions customers now ask
Explaining a service in more detail
Updating processes or timeframes
Adding new suburbs or service areas
Improving unclear headings
Linking to new service pages or blog posts
Adding recent reviews or case studies
Removing repeated or outdated information

At On The Move Marketing, we often find that older service pages are too short or try to target several unrelated services at once. Expanding the useful information and giving major services their own pages can improve both the customer experience and the website’s SEO potential.

Blog posts should also be reviewed periodically. Advice, prices, regulations and platform features can change. Updating a useful existing article can sometimes provide more value than publishing another generic post about the same subject.

Check Plugins, Software and Security

Technical updates depend on the platform used to build the website.

WordPress websites commonly rely on themes and plugins for forms, security, page building and other features. These need to be updated to address compatibility problems, bugs and security vulnerabilities. However, updates should be backed up and checked because a new plugin version can occasionally conflict with other parts of the website.

Hosted platforms such as Duda, Wix and Squarespace handle much of the underlying platform maintenance themselves. That reduces the number of manual software updates required, although the website should still be checked for broken forms, outdated integrations and account or domain issues.

Regardless of the platform, make sure you maintain:

A valid SSL certificate
Current backups
Secure passwords and user access
Working contact forms
Active domain and hosting renewals
Current third-party integrations

Technical maintenance may not be visible to customers, but neglecting it can result in broken functionality, security issues or the entire website going offline.

Test Your Contact Forms and Website Features

Do not assume an enquiry form is working simply because it is still visible. Forms can stop delivering emails after a software change, email configuration issue or integration failure.

Submit a test enquiry at least once a month and confirm it arrives at the correct email address. Also test:

Click-to-call phone buttons
Email links
Quote request forms
Booking systems
Payment functions
Download links
Social media links
Menu and navigation links

Check the website on both a phone and desktop computer. A page may work perfectly on one screen size while a button, image or form is difficult to use on another.

How Often Should You Redesign Your Website?

Many businesses consider a redesign every three to five years, but age alone is not a reason to rebuild a website. A five-year-old site that loads quickly, generates enquiries and still represents the business may only need targeted improvements.

A redesign becomes worthwhile when:

The website looks noticeably outdated
It is difficult to use on mobile devices
Pages load slowly
The business has changed significantly
Important services are difficult to find
The website is not generating enquiries
Staff cannot update the website easily
The platform limits required features
The site has ongoing security or maintenance problems
The page structure no longer supports your SEO strategy

Sometimes the content and structure are strong, and only the design needs refreshing. In other cases, a complete rebuild is more efficient than repeatedly patching a website that was poorly planned from the beginning.

Before replacing an established website, existing rankings, URLs and traffic should be reviewed. Removing useful pages or changing every URL without redirects can harm SEO, even when the new design looks better.

Will Updating My Website Improve Its Google Rankings?

Useful improvements can help, but changing a few words or swapping a photo does not automatically increase rankings.

Google is more interested in whether the page satisfies the search than when it was last edited. Updates are valuable when they make information more accurate, answer customers’ questions, improve the page structure or add genuine first-hand detail.

For example, a roofing company could improve an older service page by adding its actual restoration process, materials used, warranties, recent project photos and answers to common customer questions. That is more useful than changing the publication date and leaving the page otherwise untouched.

Website updates can also support SEO by improving internal links, fixing broken pages, adding relevant services and ensuring important pages can be crawled and indexed.

Create a Simple Website Update Schedule

You do not need to work on the website every week. A simple recurring checklist makes maintenance more manageable.

Every month

Test the contact form
Check important buttons and links
Confirm the website is loading normally
Add strong new reviews or project photos where appropriate

Every three to six months

Review contact details, services and prices
Check team information and service areas
Review the website on mobile
Update promotions and offers
Refresh important service content

Every 12 months

Review website traffic and enquiries
Check which pages are ranking and generating leads
Review the overall design and navigation
Update older blog posts
Decide whether new service or location pages are needed
Confirm domain, hosting, SSL and backup arrangements

Is It Time to Update Your Website?

Your website should accurately represent the business customers will deal with today—not the business you operated several years ago. Regularly checking your services, pricing, photos, content, contact details and technical setup helps keep the website useful and reliable.

At On The Move Marketing, we build and improve websites for Australian service businesses. Whether you need a few strategic updates or a complete redesign, we can review what is already working, identify what needs attention and recommend the most practical next step.

How Long Does It Take to Build a Website?

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 05:32:31 GMT

Most small business websites take between two and eight weeks to build, depending on their size, complexity and how quickly the required content is supplied. At On The Move Marketing, we can usually design, write and launch a standard service-based business website within two weeks. Smaller websites may only take a few days, while larger or more complicated projects can take up to a month.

The number of pages matters, but it is not the only thing that affects the timeframe. Content, photography, feedback, booking systems and special functionality can all influence how quickly a website is ready to launch.

How Long Does On The Move Marketing Take to Build a Website?

Our usual website turnaround is approximately two weeks. This gives us enough time to research the business, plan the website structure, write the content, build each page, complete the basic SEO setup and allow the client to review everything properly.

A straightforward one-page website can sometimes be completed within a few days. A custom 10-page or 15-page website will naturally take longer because there is more content to research, write, design and review. Even so, we can generally complete most small business websites within two to four weeks when everything moves smoothly.

A typical timeframe is:

One-page website: A few days to one week
Five-page website: Approximately one to two weeks
10-page website: Approximately two to three weeks
15-page website: Approximately three to four weeks
Complex or highly customised website: Four weeks or longer

These are general estimates rather than fixed promises. A five-page website with complicated forms and multiple integrations could take longer than a simple 10-page informational website.

What Happens During the Website-Building Process?

A professional website involves more than choosing some colours and adding text to a template. Before anything is built, we need to understand the business, its services, customers, competitors and goals.

Our process generally includes the following stages.

1. Planning the website

We start by deciding which pages the website needs and what each page should achieve. For a service business, this might include a homepage, about page, contact page and separate pages for the main services.

We also consider whether the business needs project galleries, suburb pages, enquiry forms, booking functionality or other features. Planning this properly at the beginning avoids trying to squeeze important information into the wrong places later.

2. Keyword and competitor research

Every website we build includes keyword research and SEO optimisation. We look at what potential customers are searching for, how competing businesses structure their websites and where there may be opportunities to stand out.

This research influences page names, headings, content and the overall website structure. It means we are not simply building a website that looks good—we are creating one that has a genuine chance of being found through Google.

3. Writing the website content

Content is one of the biggest website bottlenecks. Many designers ask the client to provide every word before the build can begin. Business owners are then left staring at a blank document, unsure what to write or how much information each page needs.

Professionally written content is included with our website packages. We research and write the pages for you, using the information you provide about your business and services. This keeps the project moving and ensures the content supports both customers and search engines.

4. Designing and building the pages

Once the structure and content are ready, we design the website around the business. This includes selecting colours and fonts, arranging sections, adding images, building navigation and making sure the important calls to action are easy to find.

The website is also built to work across desktop computers, tablets and mobile phones. Mobile layouts need to be checked individually rather than assuming everything that works on a large screen will automatically look right on a smaller one.

5. Client review and revisions

You will have the opportunity to review the website and request reasonable changes before it goes live. These might include replacing a photo, changing wording, reordering a section or adjusting a design element.

The review stage can be completed quickly when feedback is consolidated into one clear list. It can take longer when feedback arrives gradually from several people or the direction changes after most of the website has already been built.

6. Testing and launch

Before launch, we check the pages, buttons, links, contact forms and mobile layouts. We also complete the essential technical setup, connect the domain and confirm that the live website is working correctly.

After launch, we can connect tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console where required. The website can then begin being crawled and indexed by Google, although appearing in search results is a separate process from building the site itself.

What Can Delay a Website Project?

Most website delays are not caused by the actual page building. They happen because important information, access details or approvals are still outstanding.

Waiting for business information

We need accurate information about your services, service areas, experience, processes and points of difference. We can research the industry and write the content, but we cannot invent details about your business.

A completed questionnaire, existing brochures, service lists and examples of previous work can give us what we need without requiring you to write the website yourself.

Waiting for photos

Real photos can make a significant difference to a service business website. They show the people behind the business, demonstrate the quality of the work and help establish trust.

If professional photography is part of the project, the shoot needs to be arranged and the final images prepared before they can be added. Weather can also affect photography for builders, roofers, landscapers and other outdoor trades.

We can use suitable stock images while the website is being built, but the project may be delayed if the client wants to wait for specific project photos before launch.

Slow or conflicting feedback

A website can sit almost finished for weeks if feedback is not returned. Delays are also common when several business owners or team members provide separate and conflicting instructions.

Choosing one main contact person and sending combined feedback helps keep the project on schedule.

Changes to the original scope

Adding another page is normally manageable, but adding several services, a customer portal, online payments or an advanced booking system can significantly change the project.

It is always easier to identify these requirements before work begins. If the scope changes during the build, we will explain how the additions affect the timeframe and cost.

Domain and account access

To launch the website, we may need access to the domain provider, current website platform, analytics accounts or other systems. Tracking down old login details or waiting for access from a previous provider can delay the launch even when the new website is finished.

How Can You Help Get Your Website Live Faster?

You do not need to do the designer’s job, but a few simple preparations can make the project much faster:

Provide your logo in a high-quality format
Send accurate contact and business details
List all services and service areas
Supply licences, guarantees and association details
Share reviews, testimonials and project examples
Organise photos before the project begins where possible
Provide domain and account access promptly
Nominate one person to approve the website
Return feedback in one consolidated list
Mention any required functionality at the beginning

The more we understand about the business at the start, the less time is spent chasing information or revising pages later.

Can a Website Be Built Too Quickly?

Yes. A basic website can technically be assembled in a day, but that does not mean it will be useful.

Skipping research, copying generic content and using the same layout for every business may produce something that looks like a website, but it is unlikely to properly explain the services, target useful keywords or give customers a strong reason to enquire.

We work efficiently, but our usual two-week process still allows time for:

Researching the business and competitors
Identifying relevant keywords
Planning the right pages
Writing unique content
Designing for desktop and mobile
Adding trust signals and calls to action
Completing revisions
Testing the website before launch

The goal is not simply to launch as fast as possible. It is to launch a professional website that can support the business for years.

Does a Website Start Ranking as Soon as It Goes Live?

Not necessarily. Building and launching a website may take two weeks, but SEO results take longer.

Google first needs to discover, crawl and index the new pages. A new domain with no history or authority may take several months to establish meaningful rankings, particularly in a competitive industry. An established business replacing an existing website may see progress sooner, provided the redesign is handled correctly and valuable existing URLs are not lost.

We build SEO foundations into our websites through keyword research, page structure, metadata, internal linking and professionally written content. However, ongoing rankings can also depend on competition, Google Business Profile optimisation, reviews, backlinks and continued content development.

Website completion and SEO growth should therefore be treated as two different timelines.

Should You Launch the Website in Stages?

Sometimes it makes sense to launch the essential pages first and add more later. For example, a business may begin with its homepage, about page, contact page and core service pages, then add project pages, suburb pages and blog posts over time.

This can be useful when the business needs to start advertising quickly or when new photography and project information are still being prepared.

However, launching an unfinished website with placeholder text, broken pages or missing contact information creates a poor first impression. The initial version should still look professional and contain everything a customer needs to make an enquiry.

Get Your New Website Live in Weeks, Not Months

You should not have to wait months for a straightforward small business website. At On The Move Marketing, we can generally complete a professional website within two weeks, including keyword research, SEO optimisation and professionally written content.

Every project is different, so we will give you a realistic timeframe based on the number of pages, required features and information available. If you are ready to replace an outdated website or launch a new business online, contact On The Move Marketing to discuss your website and receive a clear quote and estimated completion date.

What Is Website Hosting & What’s Included With Our Hosting Package?

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 05:07:57 GMT

Every website needs hosting, but it is one of those website costs many business owners do not fully understand. Put simply, website hosting is the service that keeps your website online and makes it available when someone visits your domain.

At On The Move Marketing, our website packages include 12 months of hosting, valued at $550. This covers the important technical essentials—including website hosting, an SSL certificate, backups and security—so you do not need to organise several separate services just to get your new website online.

What Is Website Hosting?

A website is made up of files, images, text, code and other data. Those files need to be stored on a server that is connected to the internet. Website hosting provides that server space.

When somebody types your website address into their browser or clicks your business in Google, the hosting server sends the necessary files to their device so the website can load.

An easy way to think about it is:

Your domain name is your street address.
Your website is the building and everything inside it.
Your hosting is the land where the building sits.

You need all three working together. Buying a domain does not automatically give you a website or hosting, and building a website does not make it available online until it is connected to a hosting service.

Is Website Hosting Different From a Domain Name?

Yes. A domain name and website hosting are separate services, even though they are often purchased or managed together.

Your domain name is the address people use to find your website, such as yourbusiness.com.au . Hosting is the service that stores the website and delivers it to visitors.

You generally renew a domain name every one to two years, while hosting is commonly charged monthly or annually. You can also register your domain with one provider and host your website with another.

With our website projects, we can help connect the domain to the new website and make sure everything is pointing to the right place. You remain the owner of your domain and business website.

Why Does the Quality of Website Hosting Matter?

Hosting is mostly invisible when it is working properly. You tend to notice it when something goes wrong: the website becomes slow, visitors see a security warning or the whole site goes offline.

Good hosting provides a reliable foundation for your website. This matters for several reasons.

Website availability

Customers may visit your website at any time of the day. Reliable hosting helps keep the site available when somebody needs your phone number, wants to read about a service or is ready to submit an enquiry.

Website speed

Hosting is one of several factors that can influence loading speed. Image sizes, code, plugins and the way the site is built also matter, but poor-quality hosting can hold back an otherwise well-built website.

A slow website creates a frustrating experience and can cause potential customers to leave before the page finishes loading. Speed and usability can also influence search performance.

Security

Business websites can be targeted by automated bots, spam and malicious activity regardless of their size. A secure hosting setup helps protect the website and reduces the risk of downtime or unwanted changes.

Backups and recovery

If an update, technical fault or human error causes a problem, a recent backup can make recovery much easier. Without backups, rebuilding lost pages or restoring an entire website can become expensive and time-consuming.

What Is Included With Our Website Hosting Package?

Our hosting package covers the core services needed to keep your website online, protected and operating reliably. Your first 12 months of hosting are included with our website packages and are valued at $550.

Website hosting

The website files are stored on the hosting infrastructure and made available to people visiting your domain. You do not need to find a separate hosting provider before we can launch your website.

We handle the initial hosting setup and connect the completed website so it can go live on your domain.

SSL certificate

An SSL certificate creates an encrypted connection between your website and the visitor’s browser. You can usually tell that SSL is active when the website address begins with https:// and the browser displays a padlock or security icon.

SSL helps protect information submitted through your website, including contact form details. It also prevents browsers from displaying prominent “Not Secure” warnings that can make potential customers hesitate before contacting you.

Google has used HTTPS as a ranking signal, although installing an SSL certificate alone will not push a website to the top of the search results. It is better viewed as a basic requirement for a trustworthy modern website.

Website backups

Backups provide a saved version of the website that can be used if something goes wrong. They are an important safety net for problems such as accidental changes, software conflicts, technical failures or security issues.

The exact backup system can vary depending on the platform used, but the goal is the same: to avoid relying on a single live copy of your website.

Website security

Our hosting package includes the core security measures provided through the website platform and hosting environment. These measures help protect the site from common online threats, suspicious activity and unauthorised access.

No provider can honestly promise that a website will never face a security issue. However, using a professionally managed platform, maintaining secure access and keeping backups available greatly reduces unnecessary risk.

Platform and technical maintenance

The amount of technical maintenance required depends on the platform. We have built, edited and optimised websites across Duda, WordPress, Wix and Squarespace, and each handles hosting differently.

Platforms such as Duda include much of the underlying infrastructure and system maintenance within the platform. WordPress websites usually involve a separate hosting environment and may require ongoing attention to WordPress itself, themes and plugins.

Where the platform includes system-level maintenance as part of its hosting service, those underlying updates are handled within that environment. This saves business owners from needing to understand servers, software versions or the technical workings behind the website.

Reliable website delivery

Modern hosting environments generally use systems designed to deliver website content efficiently to visitors. Depending on the platform, this may include performance optimisation and content delivery technology that helps serve website files from suitable locations.

Hosting is only part of website performance, though. We also pay attention to image sizes, page structure and the way content is built so the website is not unnecessarily weighed down.

Help with hosting-related issues

One of the biggest benefits of organising hosting through the people who built your website is knowing who to contact if there is a problem.

You are not left trying to work out whether an issue relates to your domain, hosting, website platform or something else.

If a hosting-related problem affects the website, we can investigate the setup and help identify what needs to happen next.

What Is Not Usually Included With Website Hosting?

Hosting keeps a website available online, but it does not automatically include every service connected to your online presence.

Unless specifically listed in your website proposal, hosting generally does not include:

Domain name registration or renewal
Business email inboxes
Major website redesigns or new pages
Ongoing SEO campaigns
New blog posts or content writing
Paid advertising management
Unlimited website changes
Third-party subscriptions, plugins or booking systems

For example, hosting your website does not mean Google will automatically rank it on page one. SEO involves keyword research, page optimisation, helpful content, internal links, authority building and ongoing improvements.

We include SEO foundations when building our websites, but ongoing SEO is a separate service for businesses that want to continue growing their search visibility.

Do I Need to Buy Hosting Before Getting a Website Built?

Not when you build your website with us. We include the first 12 months of hosting with our website packages, so you do not need to choose a server or compare technical hosting plans before getting started.

This also means we can build and launch the website in an environment suited to the platform rather than trying to work around a cheap hosting plan that may not meet the website’s requirements.

If you already own a domain, it can generally be connected to the new website. If you already have a website and hosting account, we will first look at the existing setup and determine the most practical approach.

What Happens After the First 12 Months?

Hosting is an ongoing service because the website needs somewhere to live for as long as you want it to remain online. After the included 12-month period, the hosting can be renewed so the website continues operating.

We will let you know when renewal is due and explain the next step. Hosting renewal is separate from your domain renewal, so it is important to keep both services active.

If a domain expires, visitors may no longer be able to reach the website. If hosting expires, the website itself may go offline. Keeping the registration details and contact email current helps prevent renewal reminders from being missed.

Can I Host My Website Somewhere Else?

This depends on the platform used to build the website. Some website builders operate as hosted platforms, which means the website stays within that platform’s hosting system. Other websites, including many WordPress sites, can be moved between compatible hosting providers.

We recommend discussing this before the website is built because the platform and hosting arrangement can affect portability, maintenance requirements and ongoing costs.

Our goal is to give you a reliable setup that suits the website rather than making you pay for technical features your business does not need.

Frequently Asked Questions About Website Hosting

How much does website hosting cost?

Hosting prices vary depending on the platform, website size, resources, security, support and included services. Our website packages include the first 12 months of hosting, valued at $550. We clearly explain the ongoing renewal cost before the included period ends.

Does hosting include my domain name?

Hosting and domain registration are separate services. Your domain is the website address, while hosting stores and delivers the site. We can help connect a domain you already own to your new website.

Does hosting include business email?

Business email is generally separate from website hosting. Email services are often provided through platforms such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, using an address connected to your domain.

Will hosting make my website rank higher on Google?

Hosting alone will not make a website rank highly. However, reliable and secure hosting supports availability, loading performance and user experience. These provide a better foundation for SEO than a slow or frequently unavailable website.

What happens if my website goes down?

The first step is to identify whether the issue relates to hosting, the domain, the website platform or a third-party service. When we manage the hosting arrangement, you have a clear point of contact who understands how the website has been set up.

Website Design and Hosting Without the Technical Headaches

Website hosting is essential, but it should not become another complicated job for a busy business owner. At On The Move Marketing, we take care of the website build , hosting setup, SSL, backups and core security requirements so you can focus on running your business.

Our website packages include 12 months of hosting, valued at $550, along with professionally written content, keyword research, SEO optimisation and the other essentials needed to launch a useful business website.

If you need a new website—or you are unsure whether your current hosting setup is doing the job—get in touch with On The Move Marketing to talk through your options.

How To Spy On Your Competitors SEO

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 05:41:18 GMT

Want to know why your competitors are appearing above you on Google? You do not need expensive software or advanced technical knowledge to uncover some of their SEO strategies.

A free Chrome extension such as Detailed SEO Extension can show you how a competitor has optimised their website, including the keywords they are targeting, the metadata they use and how their page content is structured.

This isn’t about copying another business word for word. Instead, it helps you understand what Google is already rewarding and identify ways to improve your own website.

What Is the Detailed SEO Extension?

Detailed SEO Extension is a free Chrome extension that provides a quick overview of the SEO elements on almost any webpage.

Once installed, you can visit a competitor’s website, click the extension icon and view information that would otherwise be hidden within the page’s code. This includes:

Page title
Meta description
Page URL
H1 heading
H2 and H3 headings
Image alt text
Canonical URL
Word count
Internal and external links
Schema markup

You do not need to understand every section. For basic competitor research, the metadata and headings will usually give you plenty of useful information.

Check Which Keywords Your Competitors Are Targeting

Start by searching Google for one of the main services you offer. For example, a Perth carpenter might search for “carpenter Perth”, while a Gold Coast pool builder might search for “concrete pools Gold Coast”.

Open the websites ranking near the top of the search results and activate the Detailed SEO Extension.

Look closely at the page title, meta description, H1 heading and other headings. You will often see the competitor’s main keywords repeated naturally throughout these areas.

If a page uses phrases such as “ Perth carpenter ”, “home renovations Perth” and “second-fix carpentry”, those are likely important keywords within its SEO strategy.

Record the relevant keywords you find across several competitors. If the same phrase continues to appear, that is a strong indication that it may be worth targeting on your own website.

Review Their Page Titles and Meta Descriptions

The SEO title is the clickable heading that generally appears in Google’s search results. The meta description is the short summary displayed underneath it.

These elements tell Google and potential customers what a webpage is about.

By reviewing your competitors’ metadata, you can see how they combine services, locations and selling points. A competitor might use a title such as:

Pool Builder Gold Coast | Custom Concrete Pools

Their meta description might mention experience, free quotes, service areas or the types of pools they build.

Do not copy their wording. Use it as inspiration to create something clearer, more relevant and more appealing. You may be able to include a stronger benefit, a specific service area or a call to action your competitor has missed.

Examine Their Heading Structure

Headings help organise a webpage and make its content easier for visitors and Google to understand.

The Detailed SEO Extension displays all the headings used on a page, including the H1, H2s and H3s. This gives you a quick outline of the subjects your competitor covers without needing to read every word.

For example, a roofing company’s service page might include headings about:

Roof restoration services
Signs a roof needs restoration
The restoration process
Roof coating options
Service areas
Frequently asked questions

If your equivalent page contains only a short paragraph, this may explain why the competitor has a stronger chance of ranking. Their page answers more questions and provides Google with greater context.

Use these insights to identify gaps in your own content. You might need to explain your process, answer common questions, add location-specific information or provide more detail about your services.

Look Beyond Just One Competitor

Avoid basing your entire SEO strategy on a single website. That business may rank well because of factors you cannot see through a Chrome extension, such as backlinks, domain history, Google reviews or strong brand awareness.

Instead, review at least three to five competitors appearing on the first page of Google. Look for common patterns across their titles, descriptions, headings and content.

This gives you a more reliable picture of what is working within your industry and location.

Don’t Copy Your Competitors

Competitor research should provide direction, not content to copy and paste.

Duplicate or poorly rewritten content will not help your website stand out. It can also make your business sound exactly like everyone else.

Take what you learn and improve on it. Add examples from your own projects, explain how your business works, answer questions customers regularly ask and highlight what makes your service different.

Google does not simply reward the website that uses a keyword the most. It aims to provide searchers with the most useful and relevant result.

Start Spying on Your Competitors’ SEO

Free Chrome tools such as Detailed SEO Extension make competitor research quick and accessible. In only a few minutes, you can uncover the keywords, metadata and page structure used by businesses already ranking on Google.

Use that information to find gaps, improve your pages and create more useful content. A little ethical spying can provide the direction you need to build a much stronger SEO strategy.

Do I Need Blog Posts on My Website?

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 03:44:42 GMT

If you want to improve your website’s visibility on Google, blog posts can be one of the most valuable parts of your SEO strategy.

At On The Move Marketing, blogging is usually one of the first things we focus on when beginning an SEO campaign. We use blogs to target the questions potential customers are already searching for, bring relevant traffic to the website and strengthen the service pages designed to generate enquiries.

Are Blog Posts Really Necessary?

Not every website technically needs a blog to exist. If all you need is a basic online presence for people who already know your business, a few service pages may be enough.

However, if you want new customers to discover your business through Google, regularly publishing useful blog posts gives your website far more opportunities to appear in search results.

A service page can target searches such as “roof restoration Adelaide” or “pool builder Gold Coast”. A blog can target all the related questions people ask before they are ready to contact someone, such as:

How much does a roof restoration cost?
How long does it take to build a concrete pool?
Is timber or composite decking better?
Do finance brokers charge fees?
What should be included on a trade website?

These searches may not always lead to an immediate enquiry, but they bring the right type of visitor to the website. They also allow the business to demonstrate its experience and answer questions before a potential customer picks up the phone.

Why We Start Our SEO Strategies with Blogging

When we begin working on a website, its main service keywords are often highly competitive. A relatively new or underdeveloped website may not have enough content, authority or relevance to rank on the first page for those terms immediately.

Blog topics are often more specific. Instead of trying to rank straight away for a broad phrase such as “ carpenter Perth ”, we can create genuinely useful articles about second fix carpentry, renovation planning or the best decking materials for Perth conditions.

From our experience, these focused articles will often begin appearing in Google before the main service pages reach page one. They create additional entry points into the website and allow us to start building organic visibility while the broader SEO campaign develops.

Once a blog starts ranking, it can attract visitors who have a genuine interest in the services the business provides. We can then link naturally from that article to the most relevant service page, helping visitors take the next step while showing Google how the website’s content fits together.

This is why blogging is rarely an isolated part of our SEO work. Each article is selected to support a broader service, keyword group or business goal.

Do More Visitors Automatically Improve Your Rankings?

It is tempting to simplify the process and say that more blog traffic automatically pushes every other keyword higher. In reality, traffic alone is not a guaranteed Google ranking factor and publishing unrelated articles simply to attract clicks is not a useful strategy.

The value comes from attracting relevant visitors through content that strengthens the website as a whole.

For example, if a pool builder publishes detailed articles about pool construction costs, concrete curing, pool surrounds and renovation options, those articles reinforce the broader subject of pool building. When they also link to the appropriate new pool and pool renovation pages, they help users and search engines understand the relationship between the content.

Over time, this creates a stronger body of information around the business’s core services. The blog earns impressions and clicks, the website becomes more useful and the main commercial pages are supported by relevant internal links and greater topical depth.

In our experience, this combined growth often occurs alongside improvements in the service-page keywords we ultimately want to rank. The result does not come from traffic alone. It comes from building a better, more complete and more authoritative website.

Blog Posts Create More Ways to Find Your Business

A website with five pages has limited opportunities to appear in Google. Adding useful content about its services, locations and common customer questions creates many more. One article may rank for its main topic as well as numerous longer, more specific variations.

People may describe a problem, compare options, ask about price or search for how long a service takes. Blogs allow your website to address these different stages of their research.

This is particularly valuable for tradies and service businesses. Customers often want to understand the process, likely cost and available options before making an enquiry. If your website provides those answers, your business has an opportunity to be discovered much earlier in their decision.

Blogging Helps Build Authority with Google

Google wants to provide searchers with useful and trustworthy information. A website containing only short promotional service pages may give Google limited context about the business’s knowledge and experience.

A collection of detailed, closely related blog posts can help demonstrate that the website covers its subject properly. This is commonly described as building topical authority.

The aim is not to publish hundreds of generic articles. It is to build a useful resource around the work the business genuinely performs.

At On The Move Marketing, we personalise blog content using the knowledge and experience of the business. For a roofer, this might include the common problems found on local tiled roofs. For a carpenter, it could cover the materials they recommend and the reasons behind those recommendations. For a pool builder, it may explain the actual stages, timeframes and decisions involved in constructing a pool.

These firsthand details make the article more useful than generic content that could appear on any competitor’s website. They also give potential customers a reason to trust the business.

Real Example From One Of Our Clients

As part of an ongoing SEO campaign, we started blogging for this client, and now as you can see from the images below, their top 3 sources of online traffic are from blog posts. This, combined with the authority we have built, means they are ranking on page one of Google for their desired keywords.

Blog Success Stories

At On The Move Marketing, we’ve written hundreds of blogs and here are a couple of success stories:

LGM Landscaping

We created a blog post that in the past 12 months has received 2166 clicks and 28 conversions.

We also created blog posts for Desert Gateway Dirt Bike Tours that received 1144 clicks over 12 months and helped them rank #1 for dirt bike hire Sunshine Coast.

Blog Posts Support Your Service Pages

Your service pages and blog posts have different jobs, but they should work together.

A service page targets people who are closer to taking action. It explains what the business offers, who the service is for, where it is available and how to request a quote.

A blog post normally answers a particular question in greater detail. Once that question has been answered, the article can direct the reader towards the relevant service without forcing a sales pitch into every paragraph.

For example:

A blog comparing timber and composite decking can link to a decking service page.
An article about roof restoration costs can link to a roof restoration page.
A guide to business equipment finance can link to an equipment finance page.
A post about choosing a pool surround can link to a new pool construction page.

These internal links help customers continue their research and make it easier for search engines to discover and understand the important pages on the site. They can also direct some of the strength earned by useful blog content towards the pages responsible for generating leads.

What Should a Business Blog About?

The best topics come from genuine customer questions and the services the business wants to grow.

Think about what customers ask during phone calls, quoting appointments and sales conversations. Questions about price, timeframes, materials, maintenance, common problems and comparisons usually make useful blog topics because real people are already looking for those answers.

SEO research can then confirm how people phrase those searches and identify related opportunities. This prevents the blog from becoming a collection of random company updates that nobody is searching for.

A useful blog strategy might include:

Cost and pricing guides
Explanations of services or industry terms
Comparisons between materials or options
Step-by-step process articles
Maintenance and prevention advice
Answers to common customer concerns
Guides based on local conditions
Advice about choosing the right provider

The topics should remain closely connected to the services offered. A large number of irrelevant visitors will not help if none of them could realistically become customers.

How Often Should You Publish Blog Posts?

There is no publishing frequency that guarantees results. Quality, relevance and consistency matter more than posting just because another week has passed.

For many service businesses we work with, one or two strong articles each month can steadily create new ranking opportunities. A newer campaign may begin with several priority articles covering the most valuable questions around its main services.

Some posts gain impressions relatively quickly, while competitive topics can take months. The goal is to build and update a useful content library over time rather than publish a short burst of articles and abandon the blog.

Can AI Write Your Blog Posts?

AI can assist with research, structure and drafting, but publishing generic AI-generated text without adding genuine business knowledge is unlikely to separate your website from competitors doing the same thing.

The most valuable content includes details that only come from real experience: problems you regularly encounter, how you approach a job, the options you recommend and what customers should realistically expect.

We use business-specific information to make each article relevant to the company behind it. The finished blog should sound informed, answer the search properly and reflect the services actually provided—not read like a generic summary assembled for search engines.

Blog Writing Tips: Competitor Research

To make your blog a standout resource, you’ll need to create content that’s better than what’s already out there. Start by researching your competitors' blogs to see what’s working for them and where you can improve.

Check the Top 5 Ranking Blogs – Enter your blog title (e.g., “Do I Need a Blog for My Small Business?”) into Google and see which posts are ranking in the top 5 positions. Read through them carefully, noting what they’re doing well, such as layout, visuals, and the types of headings used.
Identify Areas for Improvement – Look for gaps or missing information in your competitors’ posts. Maybe they’re too brief, lack examples, or skip key points. Use these insights to create a more comprehensive and helpful version.
Understand Search Intent – Pay close attention to the search intent behind the topic. When people search “Do I Need a Blog for My Small Business?” they’re likely looking for reasons why blogging is beneficial, how to get started, and tips on creating quality content. By understanding this, you can tailor your blog to provide precisely what they’re seeking.

Writing Keyword-Rich Headings

Using keyword-rich headings helps both search engines and readers understand your blog’s main topics. Create H2s and H3s that cover essential aspects of your topic. A few examples include:

Why Small Businesses Should Have a Blog
How Blogs Drive Traffic and Conversions
Steps to Outrank Competitors' Blog Posts
How to Generate Blog Topic Ideas

These types of headings allow you to structure your blog logically, making it easy for readers to follow while helping Google understand the content’s relevance. They also include the main keywords.

How Blogs Can Drive Traffic and Conversions

A blog isn’t just about bringing people to your site; it’s about converting visitors into customers. Here’s how:

Building Authority : When you consistently post insightful, valuable content, it establishes you as an authority in your industry. People are more likely to purchase from brands they trust.
Answering Customer Questions : Blogs that address specific pain points or common questions can lead potential customers directly to your solutions.
Encouraging Action : With strong calls to action, you can guide readers towards contacting you, signing up for newsletters, or exploring your services.

So, Does Your Website Need Blog Posts?

If growing your visibility through SEO is important, blog posts are well worth including.

At On The Move Marketing, we begin most SEO strategies with blogging because it gives us a practical way to target specific searches, build relevant website traffic and establish authority around the business’s services. Blog articles often begin ranking before the primary service keywords, providing early signs of growth while supporting the commercial pages through relevant content and internal links.

Blogging is not about filling the website with words or chasing traffic for its own sake. It is about answering the questions your potential customers are asking and building a website that provides more useful information than the competition.

If you need help planning, writing and optimising blog content for your business, contact On The Move Marketing. We can develop an SEO blog strategy based on your services, customers and genuine industry experience.

Does It Matter What Platform My Website Is Built On?

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 03:21:42 GMT

The short answer is no—your website platform alone will not determine whether your business ranks on Google or generates enquiries. However, the right platform will depend on what you need your website to do.

At On The Move Marketing, we have built, edited and optimised websites across WordPress, Duda, Wix and Squarespace. Our experience has shown us that there is no single platform that is best for every business.

Does the Website Platform Matter for SEO?

One of the most common claims we hear is that a business must have a WordPress website if it wants to rank on Google. Based on our experience working across different website platforms, this simply is not true.

We have worked on Duda, Wix, Squarespace and WordPress websites that rank well, as well as websites on each platform that struggle to attract organic traffic. The difference is rarely the name of the platform. It is normally the way the website has been planned, written, built and optimised.

Google does not automatically reward a website for being built on WordPress or hold it back because it uses Wix. What matters is whether the website provides a useful experience and clearly demonstrates its relevance to the searches it is targeting.

That includes:

Creating useful and original service content
Targeting the right search terms
Giving each important service its own page
Using a clear website structure
Writing accurate page titles and headings
Creating logical internal links
Ensuring the website works properly on mobile devices
Compressing images and maintaining good page speed
Making the website easy for Google to crawl and index
Keeping business details consistent and accurate

All four of the major platforms we regularly work with provide the fundamental tools required to manage these areas. Some platforms make particular technical tasks easier than others, but for most service businesses, the platform itself is not an SEO barrier.

What We Have Learned from Working Across Different Platforms

Working on websites built with different systems gives us a more balanced view than simply specialising in one platform and recommending it to everybody.

We have taken over WordPress websites loaded with plugins that were slow, difficult to update and far more complicated than the business required. We have also worked on WordPress sites where that flexibility was essential because of their size, functionality or integrations.

We have seen simple Duda, Wix and Squarespace websites perform well because they had strong content, clearly separated service pages and a structure based on genuine search demand. We have also seen websites on these platforms underperform because they relied on a few thin pages, used vague headings or failed to explain the business’s services properly.

The biggest lesson is that the platform does not replace good strategy. A business can spend thousands of dollars on a technically advanced website and still receive no enquiries if the content is weak or the site is confusing.

At the same time, a relatively simple website can produce consistent leads when it targets the right searches and gives visitors the information they need.

When Duda Is a Good Option

We use Duda for many service business websites because it is well suited to straightforward, lead-generating sites. It allows us to create custom page layouts, optimise pages for search and make the website easy to manage without adding unnecessary technical complexity.

For a tradie or local service provider, the main goal is usually to explain what the business does, show where it works, establish trust and turn visitors into enquiries. Duda provides everything needed to build service pages, location pages, project galleries, blogs, contact forms and mobile-friendly calls to action.

It also handles hosting and much of the underlying maintenance. This is useful for business owners who want a reliable website without having to think about plugin updates, hosting configurations or ongoing security tasks.

Duda may be less suitable when a project needs highly specialised functionality or complete control over the underlying system. For the majority of standard service websites, however, it is more than capable.

When Wix or Squarespace Is Suitable

Wix and Squarespace can also work well for simple websites. They are popular with small businesses because hosting, templates and visual editing tools are included within the platform.

We have worked on Wix and Squarespace websites that provide businesses with a professional online presence and all the core features they require. Both platforms allow users to edit titles and descriptions, publish blog posts, create service pages, update images and connect enquiry forms.

They are often a reasonable fit for sole traders, creatives, consultants and smaller businesses that do not need complex custom functionality. Their visual editors can also be helpful for owners who want to make basic changes themselves.

As with any platform, the finished result depends on how it is used. Selecting a polished template is not the same as creating an effective website. The navigation, written content, page structure, mobile layout and calls to action still need to be planned around the customer.

When WordPress Is the Better Choice

WordPress generally becomes the stronger option when a website has more complicated or unique requirements. It offers an enormous range of plugins, integrations and custom development possibilities, giving developers greater control over how a website looks and functions.

We may recommend WordPress when a website requires:

Advanced ecommerce functionality
A customer or member portal
Custom calculators or quoting tools
Large searchable directories
Complicated booking or payment systems
Specialised third-party integrations
Multiple user roles and publishing processes
Custom databases or content types
Advanced multilingual features
Greater control over hosting and server settings

WordPress can also be helpful when a website is expected to become substantially larger or more complex in the future. Choosing it from the beginning may avoid the need for a complete rebuild if the business later introduces advanced features.

However, having more options is not always an advantage. WordPress websites require hosting, backups, security, software updates and plugin maintenance. A poorly built WordPress website can become slow or unstable, particularly when it depends on numerous plugins that are not properly maintained.

If a business only needs a professional 10-page service website and a contact form, it may gain no practical benefit from the extra flexibility WordPress provides.

The Platform Does Not Make a Website Good

At On The Move Marketing, we regularly meet business owners who have been told that changing platforms will solve their SEO problems. Sometimes a rebuild is justified, but moving the same limited content and confusing structure into a different system will not suddenly generate better results.

Before recommending a rebuild, we identify what is actually holding the website back. It may be missing important service pages, targeting the wrong keywords, performing poorly on mobile or failing to give visitors a clear next step. Many of these problems can be fixed without changing platforms.

Consider Speed and Ongoing Management

We have worked on slow websites caused by oversized images, unnecessary videos, excessive scripts, bloated WordPress themes and too many plugins. Any major platform can perform well when the individual website is built carefully.

You should also consider who will update the site. Duda, Wix and Squarespace provide straightforward visual editors. WordPress can also be easy to manage, but the experience varies depending on the theme, page builder and plugins. The right platform should suit the people maintaining it—not just the developer building it.

If you later change platforms, the content and images can generally be moved, but the design may need to be rebuilt. Make sure you know who controls your domain, website account and business assets.

How Should You Choose a Website Platform?

Rather than asking which platform is best overall, ask which one best suits your actual requirements:

What is the website expected to achieve?
How many services and locations need their own pages?
Will it need bookings, payments, memberships or customer logins?
Does it need to connect with specialised business software?
Who will update it after launch?
Is the business likely to require more advanced features later?
What maintenance and ongoing costs are involved?

For most local service businesses, the website’s job is to attract the right visitors, explain the services, establish trust and generate calls or form submissions. Duda, Wix, Squarespace and WordPress are all capable of doing that.

The website’s content, structure and overall strategy will usually have a much greater impact on the result than the software used to build it.

So, Does It Matter What Platform Your Website Is Built On?

Not from a purely SEO perspective. A properly planned and optimised website can rank well on Duda, Wix, Squarespace or WordPress. Google is not going to rank a website simply because it uses a particular platform.

The platform does matter when considering functionality, ease of use, maintenance and future growth. Duda, Wix and Squarespace can be excellent options for simple websites, while WordPress generally offers more flexibility for websites with complicated or unique requirements.

At On The Move Marketing, our recommendations are based on firsthand experience working across all of these platforms. We choose the system that fits what the business actually needs rather than forcing every client onto the same one.

If you are planning a new website or wondering whether your existing platform is holding you back, get in touch with On The Move Marketing. We can review what you have, explain your options and help you create a website designed to generate real enquiries for your business.

How Many Pages Should My Website Have?

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 07:09:57 GMT

One of the questions I regularly get asked at On The Move Marketing is, “How many pages should my website have?”

There isn't a magic number that works for every business. A small business can absolutely start with a 5-page website , while another business may benefit from 15, 20 or even 50+ pages over time.

However, after building more than 40 websites and seeing how they perform on Google, one thing has become very clear to me: having more high-quality, relevant pages generally creates significantly more opportunities to rank on Google and generate leads.

In particular, creating dedicated pages for each of your main services can make a massive difference to your SEO .

What Pages Does A Basic Business Website Need?

For most small and service-based businesses, there are a few standard pages I'd recommend including.

These usually include:

Home – An overview of your business, main services, service area and reasons someone should choose you.
About – Information about the business, owner, team, experience and what makes you different.
Services – An overview of the different services you provide.
Gallery – Photos and videos showcasing your previous work.
Projects – More detailed examples of completed projects, including what was involved and the finished result.
Contact – Your phone number, email address, enquiry form and other important contact information.

You don't necessarily need every one of these as a separate page. For example, a smaller website might combine the gallery and projects or incorporate some of this information throughout the website.

The bigger question is what you do with your services .

We Recommend Dedicated Pages For Each Main Service

This is one of the biggest things I've learned from building websites and working on SEO campaigns at On The Move Marketing.

Whenever possible, I recommend creating a dedicated page for each important service you want to rank for on Google.

Let's use a builder as an example.

The builder might offer:

Home Renovations
Home Extensions
Kitchen Renovations
Bathroom Renovations
Decking
Carpentry

You could build a 5-page website and put every one of those services onto a single Services page.

There's nothing inherently wrong with doing that, particularly if you're working with a smaller initial budget.

However, from an SEO perspective, we've generally found it much more effective to give the major services their own dedicated pages.

Instead of having a few paragraphs about home renovations, bathroom renovations, extensions and decking competing for space on one page, we can create an entire page around each service.

That gives us considerably more room to explain the service, answer common questions, showcase relevant projects and optimise the page around the searches potential customers are actually making.

More importantly, Google has a highly relevant page it can display for each search.

A Real Example From Two Websites We've Built

This is where things get interesting.

We've been able to see the difference firsthand between smaller websites and larger websites we've built for clients.

Obviously, there are other SEO factors involved, so this isn't a controlled experiment where the number of pages is the only difference.

But the results illustrate something we've repeatedly seen.

Website A – 5 Pages

One website we built had approximately five pages, with the different services combined onto a single Services page.

At the time we compared its performance, it was:

Ranking for around 15 keywords

Generating approximately 7 organic clicks per month

Generating virtually no leads through Google

It was a perfectly good-looking, professional website.

The problem was that there simply weren't many pages for Google to rank.

We were effectively asking a small number of pages to cover everything the business did.

Website B – 15 Pages

Compare that with another service-based website we built with approximately 15 pages.

Instead of relying on one general Services page, this website had dedicated pages targeting the individual services the business wanted to generate work for.

The difference was significant.

This website was:

Ranking for more than 1,500 keywords

Generating 80+ organic clicks per month

Generating approximately 15–20 leads per month

Again, I'm not saying that adding ten pages to any website will automatically take you from zero leads to 20 leads per month.

SEO doesn't work like that.

But after building and monitoring dozens of websites, we've consistently seen that more high-quality, properly targeted pages give Google more opportunities to rank your business.

And more relevant rankings can ultimately mean more traffic and more enquiries.

Why Do More Pages Help SEO?

Think about every page on your website as another opportunity to answer a Google search.

If you're an electrician and your entire website has one Services page, Google has one general page to choose from when someone searches for:

“Electrician Perth”

“Ceiling fan installation Perth”

“Switchboard upgrades Perth”

“LED lighting installation Perth”

“Smoke alarm installation Perth”

“EV charger installation Perth”

Now imagine you have a dedicated, properly optimised page for each of those services.

Someone searching specifically for an EV charger installation can land directly on a page about EV charger installations.

Someone looking for a switchboard upgrade can land directly on your Switchboard Upgrades page.

It's a much more relevant result.

This is one of the main reasons I prefer building websites around specific search intent rather than trying to make one page rank for ten completely different services.

More Pages Doesn't Mean More Fluff

There's an important distinction here.

I'm not recommending creating hundreds of useless pages purely to make your website bigger.

Quality and relevance still matter.

Every page should have a purpose.

If we're creating a dedicated service page, we want it to provide genuinely useful information about that service.

That might include what the service involves, who it's suitable for, your process, relevant projects, FAQs, photos, warranties and reasons someone should choose your business.

The goal isn't simply to make the website bigger.

The goal is to create more useful entry points into your website from Google.

What About Location Pages?

Location pages can be another great way to expand a website and increase the number of searches you're able to target.

For example, a Perth-based business might eventually want dedicated pages targeting individual suburbs or surrounding areas.

However, at On The Move Marketing, I generally don't recommend going crazy with location pages immediately.

I'd rather get your website ranking well for your primary location first.

Build a strong foundation.

Get the homepage and service pages established. Build some authority. Get Google understanding exactly what the business does and where it's based.

Then we can look at expanding.

Once the website is performing well in its main location, adding strategically chosen location pages can create another layer of SEO opportunities.

This is often how websites we work on grow over time.

We might start with 10–15 strong pages and then gradually expand into additional services, locations, projects and useful blog content as the website gains traction.

Should I Start With A 5-Page Or 15-Page Website?

Budget obviously plays a part.

If you're a new business and don't have the budget for a large website, a well-built 5-page website is still far better than having no website at all.

You can always expand it.

But if SEO is a major part of your marketing strategy and you offer multiple services, I'd generally recommend investing in dedicated service pages from the beginning.

That's particularly true in competitive industries.

If the businesses you're competing against have comprehensive websites with dedicated pages for every major service, trying to outrank them with a tiny website can make things more difficult.

This is why we don't decide how many pages a website needs purely based on design.

We look at what the business offers, what people are searching for and what we're trying to rank for.

Your Website Can Grow With Your Business

Another thing business owners sometimes overlook is that your website doesn't need to be finished forever on launch day.

Some of the best-performing websites we've built have continued growing.

We might launch with the core service pages and then add new pages as opportunities appear.

That could mean:

New service pages
Location pages
Project pages
Blog articles
Frequently asked questions
New galleries
Additional resources

Over time, a website that started with 10 or 15 pages could grow into 30, 50 or even 100+ useful pages.

And every relevant page creates another potential opportunity for someone to discover the business through Google.

So, How Many Pages Should Your Website Have?

There's no perfect number.

For a simple business that mainly needs an online presence, five pages may be enough to get started.

For a service-based business that wants to use SEO as a genuine source of enquiries, I generally recommend going further.

At a minimum, I'd want to look at your main pages — Home, About, Services, Gallery or Projects and Contact — and then consider creating a dedicated page for each major service you want to rank for.

Once those pages are established and the website is gaining traction in its main service area, we can start looking at additional location pages and other opportunities.

After building more than 40 websites at On The Move Marketing, the biggest lesson for me has been that a website shouldn't just be built around how many pages fit within a package. It should be built around what your potential customers are searching for.

I've seen the difference between a 5-page website ranking for around 15 keywords and generating virtually no organic leads, compared with a 15-page website ranking for more than 1,500 keywords and generating 15–20 leads per month.

That's why, when SEO is important, I'd rather give your business 15 strong opportunities to rank than try to make five pages do everything.

Elements Of A Website: What Makes A Great Website?

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 06:52:46 GMT

Over the past few years, I’ve built more than 40 websites at On The Move Marketing. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that a great website isn’t necessarily the one with the fanciest design.

After watching which websites rank well on Google, generate enquiries and actually contribute to the growth of my clients’ businesses, I’ve started to notice the same elements appearing again and again.

Good design is definitely important, but there’s much more to a successful website than how it looks. SEO, content, trust signals, photography and even something as simple as making your phone number easy to find can make a massive difference. Here are a few key elements to include in your website:

1. Make It Ridiculously Easy To Get In Touch

This sounds incredibly obvious, but you’d be surprised how many business websites make it difficult to actually contact the business.

If someone has landed on your website and wants to enquire, don't make them work for it.

For most of the service-based websites I build, I like to provide several ways to get in touch. This generally includes:

A clearly displayed phone number
An enquiry form
An email address
Contact buttons throughout the website
A dedicated Contact page
Click-to-call buttons on mobile

Your phone number shouldn't be hidden somewhere at the bottom of your Contact page.

If someone is ready to call, they should be able to do it immediately.

I also like having multiple calls to action throughout longer pages. Someone might be convinced after reading the first few sections, while another visitor might need to read reviews, look through projects and learn more about the business before they're ready to enquire.

Give both people an easy way to take that next step.

2. SEO Needs To Be Considered From The Beginning

This is probably the biggest difference between how I approach websites at On The Move Marketing and a website that's built purely around design.

People need to be able to find the website.

You can spend thousands building an incredible-looking website, but if nobody can find it on Google, it's not doing much for your business.

SEO isn't something I like to bolt onto a website after it's finished. I consider it from the beginning of the build.

That means looking at what people are actually searching for, researching keywords, deciding which services deserve dedicated pages and planning the overall structure of the website around those opportunities.

For example, if a roofing company offers roof restorations, roof painting, roof cleaning and roof repairs, I generally don't want to throw everything onto one page and hope Google figures it out.

I'd rather create dedicated pages where appropriate so each service has an opportunity to rank for its own searches.

After building and monitoring dozens of websites, I've seen how much difference this can make. Some of the best-performing websites I've built aren't necessarily the biggest or most complicated. They're simply structured in a way that makes it very easy for Google to understand exactly what the business does and where it operates.

3. Trust Signals Make A Massive Difference

Getting someone onto your website is only half the job.

The next challenge is convincing them that you're the business they should contact.

This is where trust signals become extremely important.

For the businesses I work with, this can include things like:

Google reviews
Star ratings
Trade licences
ABN details
QBCC or other relevant licence numbers
Workmanship guarantees
Product warranties
Insurance information
Industry memberships
Awards and accreditations
Years of experience

The exact trust signals will depend on the industry.

If I'm building a website for a roofer, builder, electrician or another licensed trade, displaying licence and insurance information can immediately provide reassurance.

Reviews are another big one.

You can tell people you're reliable and provide great workmanship, but seeing 50 previous customers saying the same thing is much more powerful.

I like incorporating reviews throughout websites rather than hiding every testimonial on a single Reviews page.

4. Real Photos & Videos Are Worth It

This is one element I've become increasingly passionate about.

Real photos make a huge difference.

Stock images have their place, and I use them when required, but I'd choose a good-quality photo of the actual business over a perfect stock image almost every time.

For service businesses, potential customers want to see who they're dealing with.

Photos of the business owner, employees, branded vehicles, equipment, completed projects and the team actually working can make the business feel much more legitimate.

This is one of the reasons I include professional photography with On The Move Marketing website packages.

Project galleries are also great, particularly for businesses where the quality of the finished work is a major selling point.

Builders, roofers, landscapers, painters, pool builders and renovation companies have a huge opportunity here.

Don't just tell people you do great work.

Show them.

Videos can take this even further. A quick introduction from the business owner, a project walkthrough or footage of the team working can give potential customers a much better feel for the business.

5. Clear, Useful Content

Website content shouldn't exist purely for Google.

It needs to actually help the person reading it.

One mistake I regularly see is websites that have almost no useful information about the service.

You click on "Bathroom Renovations" and find two sentences saying something like:

"We provide quality bathroom renovations. Contact us today for a quote."

That doesn't answer anything.

I like creating content that explains what the business actually does, who the service is for, what's involved, how the process works and what the customer can expect.

A potential customer might want to know:

How does the process work?
How long will it take?
Do you provide quotes?
Are you licensed and insured?
What areas do you service?
What products or materials do you use?
Do you provide a warranty?

Your website should answer these questions.

The key is finding the balance between providing enough useful information without filling the page with unnecessary fluff.

6. Show The People Behind The Business

This ties into photography and trust, but I think it's important enough to have its own section.

For smaller service businesses, people buy from people .

If you're the owner of the business, don't be afraid to put yourself on the website.

Include a photo. Tell people your name. Explain how long you've been in the industry and why you started the business.

I've found this particularly valuable for trades and local service businesses.

Customers aren't hiring some faceless corporation. In many cases, they're inviting someone into their home.

Knowing who's going to turn up can make the decision to enquire much easier.

7. An Active Social Media Presence Helps

Your social media and website should support each other.

Someone might discover you through Google, visit your website and then check your Instagram or Facebook before making an enquiry.

If they find an active profile with recent projects, photos, customer feedback and updates from the business, that's another trust signal.

It shows them that you're active and actually doing the work you say you're doing.

You don't need to post three times a day.

For most service businesses, I'd much rather see a genuine profile showing recent work than a perfectly curated account full of generic graphics.

8. Mobile Design Is Just As Important

A huge percentage of people visiting service-based websites are doing it from their phones.

That means the mobile version can't be an afterthought.

Buttons need to be easy to press. Text needs to be readable. Forms need to work properly. Images shouldn't take forever to load.

And, importantly, it should be incredibly easy to call the business.

Whenever I'm building a website, I'm constantly checking how it works across desktop and mobile.

A website that looks amazing on a 27-inch monitor but is frustrating to use on an iPhone isn't a great website.

9. Website Speed Matters

Nobody likes waiting for a website to load.

Large image files, unnecessary animations, excessive scripts and poorly optimised elements can all slow a website down.

Speed can affect both the user experience and SEO, so it's something worth paying attention to.

This is another area where I think simplicity often wins.

You don't need an animation on every element of the page.

Sometimes a clean, fast website that immediately gives someone the information they're looking for will outperform something much more elaborate.

10. Have A Clear Website Structure

After building 40+ websites, I've also become a big believer in keeping navigation simple.

Someone visiting your website shouldn't have to figure out where you've hidden your services.

I generally want the main navigation to make sense immediately.

Home. Services. About. Projects or Gallery. Blog. Contact.

If there are multiple services, they can sit underneath Services.

A good website structure also helps SEO because it creates clear relationships between different pages and makes it easier for both users and search engines to navigate the website.

Internal links between related pages can strengthen this even further.

11. Don't Forget About What Happens After Launch

A website shouldn't necessarily be something you build once and never touch again.

Some of the best results I've seen have come from continuing to develop a website after launch.

We might notice a particular service page starting to rank and improve it further. We might identify a new keyword opportunity and build another page. We might create location pages targeting areas the business wants more work in or publish blog posts answering questions potential customers are searching for.

Once a website starts collecting data through tools such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics, we also have much more information to work with.

Instead of guessing, we can see what's actually happening.

What Makes A Great Website?

After building more than 40 websites over the past few years, one thing I've learned at On The Move Marketing is that there isn't one individual element that makes a website successful .

It's the combination of everything working together.

You need a professional design that represents the business properly. You need SEO so people can actually find it. You need genuine photos and trust signals so visitors feel comfortable contacting you. You need useful content that answers their questions. And when they're ready to enquire, you need to make that process as easy as possible.

The websites I've seen perform best aren't just digital brochures.

They rank. They build trust. They show off the business. And most importantly, they generate enquiries.

That's ultimately what I want every website I build at On The Move Marketing to achieve.

How Long Does SEO Take?

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 06:22:00 GMT

One of the first questions we get asked at On The Move Marketing is, “How long does SEO take?” The answer we give is usually the same: it depends on where your business is starting from.

We’ve worked on established websites where improving the website structure, content and SEO has resulted in 15+ enquiries a month within just one or two months.

On the other hand, if we’re launching a completely new domain for a new business with no existing presence on Google, we generally tell clients to be prepared for SEO to take 8–12 months to really gain traction .

There are plenty of variables involved, and no two SEO campaigns behave exactly the same.

We rebuilt a website for The Roof Guys Adelaide , implementing improved SEO structure and content, and within two months it was generating 20+ leads. In comparison, we spent 8 months working on Celsius Plumbing before getting the keywords high enough for the website to rank.

What We’ve Learned From Working On SEO Campaigns

One of the biggest things we’ve learned at On The Move Marketing is that the age of the website isn’t necessarily the most important factor. What matters is what Google already knows about the business and domain.

We regularly come across established businesses that have been operating for years but have websites that aren’t properly optimised.

They may already have a Google Business Profile, plenty of customer reviews, backlinks from other websites and an established domain. Their website may even already appear somewhere on Google for their main services.

In these situations, we’re not necessarily starting from scratch.

Google already knows the website and business exist. Our job is to improve what’s there and give Google a much clearer understanding of the services the business provides, where it operates and which searches its pages should appear for.

We’ve found that this can produce results much faster than starting with a completely new business and domain.

We’ve Seen SEO Start Generating Leads Within 1–2 Months

We always avoid promising clients that SEO will deliver a certain number of leads within a particular timeframe because nobody can guarantee what Google will do.

However, we have seen some campaigns move surprisingly quickly.

We’ve rebuilt websites for established service businesses where the old website had poor content, limited service pages and very little SEO optimisation.

By restructuring the website, completing proper keyword research, creating dedicated service and location pages, writing better content and optimising the website around the searches that actually matter, we’ve seen websites start generating 15+ enquiries per month within one or two months of launching .

In these cases, we’re not creating authority from nothing.

The business and domain already have history. We’re essentially giving Google a much better website to associate with an already-established business.

That’s why we believe it’s misleading to simply say, “SEO takes six months.”

Sometimes it does. Sometimes it takes longer. And sometimes it can happen much faster.

A Brand-New Domain Is A Completely Different Story

When we build a website on a brand-new domain, our expectations are very different.

If your business has only just launched and Google has never seen your domain before, there is very little information for Google to work with.

You may have no backlinks, no rankings, no domain history and potentially a brand-new Google Business Profile with very few reviews.

Even if we build an excellent website with proper keyword research, individual service pages, location pages and professionally written SEO content, we don’t expect Google to immediately place that website above competitors that have been established online for years.

For a completely new domain, particularly in a competitive industry, we generally look at 8–12 months as a more realistic timeframe for SEO to really start gaining traction .

That doesn’t mean you’ll be invisible for 12 months.

We often see new pages indexed quickly. Some pages may start ranking almost immediately for less competitive searches, while others gradually move through the results over the following months.

The important thing is understanding that a brand-new website needs time to establish itself.

Competition Makes A Massive Difference

Another thing we look at before discussing SEO timeframes is the competition.

Ranking a local service business in a smaller market is completely different from trying to rank for a highly competitive service across Perth, Sydney, Brisbane or the Gold Coast.

If the businesses currently ranking on page one have basic websites with limited content and very little SEO work, there may be an opportunity to move relatively quickly.

If the first page is dominated by businesses with established domains, hundreds of Google reviews, strong backlink profiles and websites containing hundreds of optimised pages, we know it’s going to be a longer-term project.

This is why we prefer looking at the actual search results before giving someone an idea of what to expect.

More Pages Can Create More Opportunities

Something we’ve seen work particularly well for service-based businesses is creating dedicated pages around individual services and locations.

If you’re a builder offering renovations, extensions, decking and carpentry, for example, we wouldn’t want to rely on one homepage to rank for every one of those services.

We’d generally create dedicated pages around each major service.

The same applies to locations.

Instead of expecting one page to rank everywhere your business operates, strategically built location pages can give Google more relevant pages to display when people search for your service in different suburbs or areas.

One thing we regularly see is that some individual service or location pages start ranking before the rest of the website does .

SEO growth isn’t always uniform. You might have one page sitting at number one or two while another important page is still sitting on page three.

Over time, the aim is to continue strengthening the entire website.

Rankings Can Move Around A Lot

This is another thing we think business owners should know before starting SEO.

Google rankings aren't static.

We’ve launched new pages and watched them appear extremely high in Google almost immediately, only for them to drop back before gradually improving again.

We’ve also seen pages jump 20 or 30 positions, drop again and then move back up.

This is why we don't panic over individual ranking movements.

We’re much more interested in the overall trend.

Are impressions increasing? Are more keywords appearing? Are pages moving closer to page one? Is organic traffic increasing? Most importantly, are enquiries coming through?

A number-one ranking looks great on an SEO report, but ultimately we want the website to generate business.

SEO Isn't Just About Your Website

Another thing we’ve learned from working with local service businesses is how important the entire online presence can be.

Your website is a major part of the strategy, but we also look at things like your Google Business Profile, reviews, backlinks and how consistently your business appears online.

For local businesses, Google Maps can be just as valuable as the traditional organic search results.

That’s why we generally want the website and Google Business Profile working together rather than treating them as two completely separate things.

What Happens After The Website Goes Live?

We see the website build as the foundation.

Once the website is live, there are plenty of ways we can continue improving its visibility.

Depending on the business, this might involve creating additional location pages, adding new service pages, writing useful blog content, building backlinks, improving existing pages and continuing to develop the Google Business Profile.

We can also use actual Google Search Console data to see what people are searching for, which pages are gaining impressions and where new opportunities are appearing.

SEO becomes much easier to refine once you have real data coming through.

So, How Long Should You Give SEO?

Based on what we’ve seen at On The Move Marketing, we wouldn't give every business the same answer.

If you've got an established domain, an existing Google presence and a business Google already understands , you could potentially see significant improvements within the first few months.

We've personally seen rebuilt websites start producing 15+ leads per month within one or two months .

If you're launching a brand-new business on a brand-new domain with no existing online presence , we'd be looking much further ahead. In a competitive industry, 8–12 months is a much more realistic timeframe for SEO to really start producing meaningful results .

And there are plenty of businesses that will fall somewhere between those two examples.

At On The Move Marketing, we don't believe in promising that you'll be “number one on Google in 90 days”. There are simply too many variables involved.

Instead, we look at where your business is starting, what your competitors are doing, the strength of your existing domain and what opportunities we can realistically target.

Because when it comes to SEO , the question isn't just how long it takes — it's what you're starting with and who you're trying to outrank.

How Much Does A Website Cost?

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 06:09:44 GMT

If you’re looking to build a new website for your business, one of the first questions you’ll probably ask is: how much does a website cost? At On The Move Marketing, our website packages start at $1,500 for a 1-page website, $3,500 for a 5-page website, $4,500 for a 10-page website and $5,500 for a 15-page website .

These packages are designed for small and service-based businesses that want more than just a good-looking website. We build websites with SEO , content and lead generation in mind, helping you create a strong online presence from day one.

What’s Included In Our Website Packages?

When comparing website prices, it’s important to look beyond the number of pages. A cheaper website may initially look like a great deal, but you can quickly end up spending considerably more if you need to organise content, SEO, photography, hosting and other services separately.

Our On The Move Marketing website packages include:

Keyword Research – We research the keywords potential customers are actually searching for and use these to help plan your website and content.
SEO Optimisation – Your website is built with search engines in mind, including optimised page structures, headings, URLs, SEO titles, meta descriptions and content.
Professionally Written Content – You don’t have to sit down and write every page yourself. We create professional, SEO-friendly website content for your business.
Enquiry Form – We include an enquiry form to make it easy for potential customers to contact you directly through your website.
Google Business Profile Set Up – We can help get your Google Business Profile properly set up so your business has a stronger presence across Google Search and Google Maps.
Access To Stock Images – Where required, we have access to professional stock photography to help complete the design of your website.
12-Months Website Hosting – Your first 12 months of website hosting is included, valued at $550.
Professional Photography – Professional photography can be included to capture your team, services, vehicles, equipment, projects or business in action.

Our goal is to give you a complete website package rather than handing you an unfinished website and leaving you to organise everything else yourself.

What Impacts The Cost Of A Website?

There isn’t one set price for every website because every business needs something slightly different. A simple website for a local tradesman, for example, is very different from a website for a large business with dozens of services, locations, integrations and advanced functionality.

Here are some of the biggest factors that can affect website development costs.

Number Of Pages

One of the most obvious factors is the number of pages you need.

A small business might only need a homepage, while another business could require individual pages for every service it provides. You may also need an About page, Contact page, Gallery, Projects, FAQs, service area pages or dedicated landing pages.

More pages generally mean more design, development, content writing and SEO work, which is why larger websites cost more to build.

However, having additional pages can also create more opportunities to target specific keywords on Google.

For example, rather than having one page briefly listing five different services, individual service pages allow you to provide much more detailed information about each service while targeting relevant searches.

Custom Website Design

The complexity of the design can also impact the cost of building a website.

Some businesses need a relatively straightforward website with clean layouts, images, content and contact forms. Others may want custom layouts, animations, interactive sections, large project galleries or other unique design elements.

The more customisation and development required, the more time it generally takes to build the website.

That doesn’t necessarily mean your website needs to be complicated. For most service businesses, a clean, professional and easy-to-use website is far more important than adding unnecessary effects.

Booking Systems

If customers need to make appointments or bookings through your website, a booking system may need to be integrated.

The cost and complexity can depend on what you need the booking system to do.

A simple external booking platform may only require us to integrate or link your website to your existing system. More advanced setups might need customers to select services, choose staff members, view availability, make payments, receive confirmation emails or manage their bookings online.

If your business already uses booking software, we can generally look at the platform and determine the best way to incorporate it into your new website.

Online Payments & E-Commerce

Accepting payments online can add another level of functionality.

A service business may simply want customers to pay a deposit when making a booking. An online store, on the other hand, may need product pages, categories, shopping carts, shipping options, payment gateways, order notifications and inventory management.

An e-commerce website will generally cost more than a standard service-based website because there are more components that need to be designed, configured and tested.

Website Content

Content is another major consideration when comparing website quotes.

Some website designers expect you to supply all of your own written content. This can save money initially, but it also means you need to find the time to write every page yourself or hire a separate copywriter.

At On The Move Marketing, professionally written website content is included in our packages .

We combine keyword research with information about your business to create content that explains your services clearly while also giving Google a better understanding of what your business does and where you operate.

Search Engine Optimisation

There is a big difference between simply building a website and building a website with SEO in mind.

A website can look fantastic but still struggle to generate organic traffic if Google can’t properly understand its pages.

SEO considerations during a website build can include keyword research, website structure, page targeting, heading structures, internal linking, SEO titles, meta descriptions, image optimisation and technical elements.

Building these foundations correctly from the beginning can make it considerably easier to grow your website’s visibility in the future.

Photography & Images

Images have a huge impact on the overall appearance of your website.

Stock photography can work well in certain situations, but wherever possible, we prefer businesses to showcase their actual team, projects and services.

Professional photography can instantly make a website feel more trustworthy and personal. This is particularly valuable for trades and service businesses where customers want to see who they are dealing with and the quality of work they can expect.

That’s why professional photography is included with our website packages , along with access to stock photography when additional images are required.

Additional Integrations & Functionality

There are plenty of other features that can affect the final website cost depending on your business.

This might include CRM integrations, live chat, email marketing forms, calculators, quote request forms, social media feeds, customer portals, membership areas, third-party software or other custom functionality.

If you need something outside a standard website build, it’s always worth discussing it before starting the project so it can be properly scoped.

How Much Should You Spend On A Business Website?

Ultimately, the right amount to spend depends on what you need your website to achieve.

If you simply need somewhere for customers to find your contact details, a basic website may be enough. But if you want your website to generate enquiries, rank on Google and become an important part of your marketing strategy, investing in professional design, content and SEO can make a significant difference.

At On The Move Marketing, we specialise in building websites for service-based businesses that are designed to look professional, rank well and turn visitors into enquiries.

With packages starting from $1,500 for a 1-page website through to $5,500 for a 15-page website , we can help you choose a website size that suits your business, budget and long-term marketing goals.

If you’re thinking about building a new website or replacing an outdated one, get in touch with On The Move Marketing today to discuss your business and find the right website package for you.

Where To Start With Digital Marketing

tristanevert97@gmail.com (Tristan Evert) — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 06:41:57 GMT

The modern-day customer expects more from businesses than ever before. It’s no longer enough to rely on word-of-mouth or a sticker on your car, with most successful businesses having invested in at least one form of digital marketing.

This blog post is your step-by-step guide on where to start with digital marketing - some of which you can do yourself and it won’t cost a penny!

1. Create A Social Media Page

Probably the most obvious item on the list, creating a social media page.

It’s a great place to start, doesn’t take long to set up and will allow you to show on social media platforms if someone searches for your business. I would recommend setting up both a Facebook and Instagram account as you can post on both of them at the same time using Meta Business Suite.

Don’t be discouraged in the early days when you have a small follower base and don’t get much traction with any of your posts - every new business goes through this.

Start banking photos of completed projects and ensure your profile is set up correctly and looks good. Have your phone number and email easily accessible and create highlights on Instagram so you can save stories.

Investing in a professional photoshoot and video is a great way to get the ball rolling, giving your profiles a professional look from day one. This content will also be useful when you eventually get a website up and running.

2. Claim Your Google Business Profile Listing

A Google Business Profile is potentially the most underrated digital marketing tool and I know businesses where all their leads come from their Google Business listing.

These are free to set up, don’t take long and all you need to do is follow the prompts. You may be required to verify your account via a text message code or a video, however it’s all in the prompts.

I recommend listing your business address and making it publicly visible as Google favours showing accounts with an address when someone is searching for specific services in their local area.

As soon as your Google Business Profile is live, start banking reviews! The more reviews you get the higher your profile will rank. It’s also a great way to build trust with new customers as it’s one of the first things people look at when investigating your business.

There is a button in the Google Business Profile that says ‘get more reviews’ and that will provide you with a link you can share to send someone directly to your review page.

Keep in mind that a customer will need to have a Google account and be logged in to leave a review - unfortunately, there is no way around this.

Tips For Getting More Google Reviews

When we work with businesses, we’ll create a QR code they can put on business cards, their work vehicles and email signatures that take customers directly to their Google Review page.

The easier you make leaving a review, the more people that will do it.

Another tip is to reply to all your Google reviews. This shows you take the time to read them and respond, which tells people you care about your customers and clients.

3. Invest In A Website

Every business needs a website. A good website not only adds a level of credibility to your business, but it brings in leads and helps you get new customers.

Your website should be a digital representation of your business and showcase your services, photos, projects etc.

We recently built a website for a roofing company and they told us they lost a massive commercial roofing job because they didn’t have a website with reviews and their competitor did.

Since getting their new website live, they’ve landed several new jobs and now show up for search terms in their local area.

Without a website, you might be losing jobs without even knowing it.

What Should My Website Include?

A good website should have - at the very least - a home page, about us page, services page and contact page.

Across these pages, a customer should be able to find all the information they need to make a decision. This includes Google Reviews, photos of projects and the team, information about the business owner and their experience and information outlining the services offered.

It should also be SEO optimised, and I recommend only using a web designer who also has expertise with SEO. This will lay the foundations for the long-term success of your website.

When choosing a web designer, look at their portfolio and reviews. One of the most important elements of a website is the content, so working with a good website copywriter will also be beneficial.

If you’d like to see a few examples of websites that include everything required to get a customer over the line, check out our portfolio page.

We have built websites for clients that bring in around 30 jobs a month, every month, without spending any money on Paid Ads. This is the power of a well-built and SEO-optimised website.

4. SEO

SEO is optimising a website to get it to the top of Google so it gets more traffic and ultimately conversions. It’s often referred to as a long-term strategy as it can take quite some time before your website hits the top few spots in the search engine.

SEO is a great investment because the results are evergreen - once you get to the top few spots on Google you generally stay there and the leads should keep flowing through.

As with paid ads, once you turn them off and stop paying for them, the leads stop and your business goes quiet.

One of the most important parts of an SEO strategy is the content on your website and the layout in terms of how easy it is for Google and a customer to navigate.

When working with an SEO agency, the main metrics worth understanding are keyword positions and conversions.

SEO can seem overwhelming and some people will try and pull the wool over your eyes with confusing statistics about clicks and impressions, however all you need to focus on is:

Keywords - Where does my website show up on Google and are my keyword positions improving?

Conversions - Is my website bringing in leads, whether by phone calls, emails or form enquiries?

At the end of the day, the goal with digital marketing is for you to get a return on investment and the only metric that relates to that is leads and booked jobs.

5. Paid Ads

Paid ads can skyrocket your business and put you in front of new audiences in new locations. It’s one of the quickest and most powerful ways to scale a business, however it can be expensive and take some time before it starts to generate leads.

Meta Ads

Meta Ads are a great way to generate exposure and leads for your business, however the space is competitive so it can be challenging to stand out.

Pay a professional videographer to create a video and photos you can use for your ads - as the creative is the most important part of running meta ads.

Test a few variations of different ads, for example, photos of a finished project, video testimonials, a project video or a static image ad with an offer. There’s plenty of options when it comes to ad creatives and it’s a bit of a test process until you find a creative that drives results for you.

Once you find that creative, double down on it and put more money into that specific ad or campaign.

With Meta Ads, you pick your monthly budget and that gets spent across the various ads you are running.

Google Ads

Another form of paid advertising, Google Ads can be a great way to grow your business.

What I like about Google Ads is that people only see your ads when they search for terms related to your services. For example, I would only see an ad for a website copywriter if I Googled website copywriter.

This means as an advertiser, you’re already halfway there as the person seeing your ad is already interested.

With Google, you only pay per click, which means you only pay when someone views your ad.

You have a lot of control with Google Ads to where and what search term your ad shows up for and if you know your audience well, you can have great success with these ad campaigns.

Conclusion

Regardless of what stage your business is in, digital marketing plays an important role in your growth and overall success.

If you follow the above tips for getting started in digital marketing, you’ll be able to grow your business, increase your revenue and enjoy being a business owner.

If you need help with any of the above, get in touch with On The Move Marketing.

How To Write Content For A Website: A Page-By-Page Breakdown

tristanevert97@gmail.com (Tristan Evert) — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 23:59:20 GMT

Whether you’re building a new website or updating an existing one, this blog post will help you understand what content to include on each page of a website.

From an informative home page to a sales-focused landing page, we’ll explore the key points you should include on each website page.

The Different Pages on a Website

Service-Based Businesses

Home Page

Focus Of The Page

The focus of the home page is to introduce the business, provide an overview of the services and showcase the unique selling points. A potential customer should be able to visit the website and find a basic overview of everything on the homepage.

What To Include

As it’s the first page someone will typically view on a website, this page must include the most important information such as:

Testimonials/Google reviews
Photos of finished projects
Photos of the team/business owners
A brief overview of the business
A brief overview of the services
Content highlighting the problems customers face and how the business can fix them
The process of working together
Reasons to choose the business

About Page

Focus Of The Page

A well-thought-out about page should go deep into the story of the business. Focus on the story of how and why the business was started and the people involved. Potential customers like to see photos of the people behind the business as it builds trust. Try to avoid repeating content from the home page such as the services and focus on the brand story.

What To Include

Getting the content on the about page right will help build credibility, trust and connection with customers. Here are a few points worth including:

The year the business was established: If the business has been operating for a long time, highlight that.

The business owner/owners: Who are they, what are they passionate about, what is their expertise?

Photos: Include photos of the business owners/directors and the team.

Brand story: Tell potential customers how and why the business was established.

Brand ethos: Tell customers about the values the business stands for.

Community Involvement: Include information about the business's sponsorships or partnerships with community/charity organisations.

Service Page

Focus Of The Page

Service pages are one of the most important pages on a website as they provide more in-depth information about a specific service and provide an additional opportunity to rank keywords on Google.

It’s important to ensure every service page is unique and only focuses on one service. Combining multiple services on the same page can confuse Google if the services are not closely related.

What To Include

At a minimum, a service page should include the following information:

An overview of the service
The process of the service being delivered
The benefits of the service
Photos of the service before, during and after

You may also include testimonials from previous customers who have used the service.

Landing Page

Focus Of The Page

Landing pages are typically set up for Meta or Google ads as a sales page that a customer lands on after clicking on an ad. They contain highly specific information targeting at selling a service. The content is generally written with a sales goal in mind.

What To Include

A landing page should highlight the features and benefits of the service being advertised. A few key points to include:

Key Features: Highlight the key features of the service

Benefits: Highlight the benefits of using the service

Testimonials: Feedback from previous customers

Results: What the service has achieved for previous customers

Photos/videos: High-quality photos of finished projects

Enquiry Form: An easy-to-use contact form

Contact Information: Include a contact phone number, email address & business address/locations

Location Page

Focus Of The Page

Location pages are typically used as an SEO tactic to rank the business for multiple locations. This works best for businesses with multiple locations (stores) rather than businesses that service multiple locations. A location page should highlight the location the business services or is based in.

You can set up location pages for multiple services, however services in smaller areas won’t have much search volume and therefore it’s best to only use location pages for key services.

Ensure the content and images on each location page are unique to avoid any cannibalisation issues.

What To Include

Location Pages should include as much localised content as possible, including:

Prominent Locations: This can include street names, landmarks, parks etc. This helps Google recognise the location intent of the page.

Photos: Include photos from projects undertaken in the specific location.

Enquiry Form: Include an easy-to-use contact form for customers to get in touch.

Contact Information: Include a contact phone number, email address & business address/locations

Content: Include written content about the business and services offered in the location.

Gallery/Project Page

Focus Of The Page

A gallery/project page is a great way to showcase the high-quality work on offer.

What To Include

Include the best images and videos of work both before, during and after a project was completed. While this page is focused on showcasing images and videos, it can help to include a small 25-50-word introduction to accompany the images.

For example: “Check out our recent projects. From decks to luxury homes, see for yourself our high-quality workmanship.”

Blog Page

Focus Of The Page

Blogs are one of the most underrated aspects of a website. They not only provide invaluable information for potential customers but also help feed the Google algorithm and rank your website higher.

If you consistently write high-quality blog posts that are unique, keywords related to the blog post will increase in rankings.

Ensure you internally link from the blog post to the relevant service page to maximise the impact it has on the overall website.

What To Include

A well-structured blog post should include one H1 and a mix of H2 and H3 tags. Aim for at least 1000 words of content and conduct competitor research to determine if the blog post needs to be longer. It can help to use AI to produce the content, however ensure it’s edited to a high standard.

Include a call to action at the end of the blog post telling readers to get in touch for assistance.

Blog topics can be anything from how-to guides to exploring the benefits of a particular service.

Contact Page

Focus Of The Page

The focus of the contact page is straightforward - to get potential customers to contact you. Whether you want phone calls, emails or form enquiries, this is the page to provide all your contact details.

What To Include

A contact page should include a brief section of content telling potential customers what to do. It can include an enquiry form, address/map, contact details and potentially a photo.

E-Commerce Website Pages

Category Pages

Focus Of The Page

A category page is designed to group relevant products into categories for SEO purposes. By grouping products together on a page, you have a stronger chance of ranking keywords and customers finding your website.

An example of a category page would be when a jewellery website has a specific page for pearl rings . Optimising a page for the keyword diamond rings gives you a better chance of ranking for keywords with high search volume.

What To Include

A category page should include the following information:

The key products from that category
High-quality product images
Informational content about the category (where do the opals come from etc)

Product Pages

Focus Of The Page

The purpose of a product page is to showcase a specific product. The goal of this page is to convert a website visitor into a customer so it’s crucial to include high-converting content and images.

What To Include

A product page should include high-quality images or videos of the product, a brief content description about the features/benefits of the product and testimonials from other customers.

It must also have a clear buy now button to make purchasing as simple as possible

Shop Pages

Focus Of The Page

A shop page is your online storefront. Website visitors should be able to explore all your products and use filters to locate products efficiently.

If this page isn’t easy to use, potential customers will quickly leave the website.

What To Include

A shop page should include:

All the products
Product filters for easy navigation
It can include a brief piece of content (25-50 words)

Conclusion

There’s a lot that goes into building a website and even more to get it ranking highly on Google.

From website copywriting to designing pages, if you follow the information in this blog post, you’ll create a high-converting website that Google loves.

For professional assistance bringing your website to life, get in touch with On The Move Marketing.

What Is Internal Linking & Do I Need It On My Website?

tristanevert97@gmail.com (Tristan Evert) — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 05:01:22 GMT

There’s a never-ending list of factors that influence a website’s overall position on Google and in this blog post we’ll explore internal linking.

What Is Internal Linking?

Internal linking is hyperlinking a word or several words - also known as anchor text - that redirects a website user to another page on your website.

It’s a great way to help Google crawlers index all of your pages, it allows users to navigate your website easily and allows the benefits of a high-ranking page to flow through to other relevant, or internally linked pages.

Here's an example below (the highlighted green text):

Examples Of Good Internal Links

Internal links come in a few varieties, including content links, navigation links, image links and button links, however in essence they are all doing the same thing - directing traffic to a new page.

The most important aspect is ensuring the anchor text is relevant, and the link is going to a page that is closely related to the original page.

For example, if you’re an electrician who installs solar panels, you might internally link from your electrician page to your solar panels page.

Examples Of Bad Internal Links

It’s best to avoid linking to pages that are not closely related to the original page as it might result in someone leaving your website as the information is no longer relevant.

Avoid anchor text that doesn’t describe the page the link is directed to.

Using the electrician example again, if someone landed on my smoke alarms page, it wouldn’t make sense to use an internal link to send them to a page about solar as they are interested in smoke alarms.

Does Internal Linking Help With SEO

While it’s not a direct ranking factor according to Google, it definitely helps with user experience, which does impact ranking.

It also helps with crawl efficiency and directing traffic around your website.

It’s best practice to include internal linking as part of your website processes.

How Many Internal Links Should I Include?

There’s no real hard and fast answer for this one but we recommend trying to keep internal linking as natural as possible and avoiding linking to a page more than once per page.

By natural, we mean don’t just jam in words for the sake of internal links. Try and filter them naturally where possible.

For example: At On The Move Marketing, we provide web design and SEO services . These keywords sit naturally within the content and provide a great opportunity for internal linking.

Conclusion

Internal linking is a great habit to get into and after you’ve been doing it for a while it becomes natural in your writing.

You’ll start to include other relevant services/pages without even thinking about it, which is the perfect opportunity for an internal link.

From helping with site navigation to allowing Google to crawl your entire website quicker, internal linking is a must for anyone looking to climb the rankings for their website.

How To Do Keyword Research For Your Website

tristanevert97@gmail.com (Tristan Evert) — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 06:47:11 GMT

Keywords are the backbone of both websites and Google Ad campaigns and they dictate who your business lands in front of in the online world.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the fundamentals of keyword research, how it ties in with a website and the importance of choosing the right keywords.

What Is Keyword Research?

Keyword research refers to the process of researching data around keyword search volume, difficulty and intent.

By gathering this data and better understanding what people are searching for on Google, you can build your website in a specific way so that Google places you in front of the right customers.

There are several tools to help with this process, including Ahrefs, SEMrush, SEranking, Google Keyword Planner and plenty more.

What Is Keyword Difficulty?

Keyword difficulty is one of the most important metrics when conducting keyword research. It is a score given to the keyword based on how difficult it is to rank on page 1 of Google for that search term. It ranges from 0 - 100 with 0 being the easiest to rank for.

Typically, anything under 20 is worth going after as it’s not too competitive, however once you start hitting 30+ for keyword difficulty it can be very challenging to hit those top few spots on Google.

Generally higher search difficulty is a result of higher search volume as more people are targeting that keyword because more customers are typing it into Google.

What Is Keyword Search Volume?

Keyword search volume is how many people are searching for a specific keyword (generally measured monthly). The higher the search volume the more people looking for that specific product or service.

In an ideal world you want to choose keywords with high search volume but low search difficulty, however this isn’t always possible.

Try and choose a keyword that balances decent search volume with a keyword difficulty that you believe you can rank for.

What Is Keyword Search Intent?

Keyword search intent deals with the intent behind the Google search and what stage of the journey is a potential customer at. These are split into four categories:

Informational

A potential customer is in the research phase and is just looking for information. This could be blog posts and articles like how to choose a roof restoration company.

Navigational
Users are looking for a specific website or page. Searches often include brand or domain names.

Transactional
Users are ready to purchase a product or service. Queries often include terms like "buy," "order," or "coupon".

Commercial
Users are comparing products or services to make a purchase decision. Queries often include terms like "best," "top," or "reviews".

Understanding the intent of a keyword is crucial because it will impact how likely the page on your website is going to convert.

If the keyword intent is informational then write blog content that answers the search as to where transaction keywords it’s important to make the checkout/enquiry process as simple as possible.

How Do You Do Keyword Research?

The actual keyword research process is pretty straightforward, however it all comes down to your understanding of the keywords and which ones you decide to use. Below is a breakdown of how to approach keyword research:

Step 1: Get Familiar With A Keyword Research Tool

Whether you like Ahrefs or SERanking, you’ll need some sort of keyword research.

Step 2: Brainstorm Keyword Ideas

Write a comprehensive list of all the different keywords, services and products relevant to the topic you are researching.

Step 3: Keyword Research

Punch all of those keywords into your research tool and collect all the relevant and similar keywords into a list.

You can also put your competitor’s websites into the tool and see what keywords they are ranking for.

Step 4: Export Keyword Data

Once you think you’ve put every possible keyword into the tool and collected all the relevant data, export the information. It can help to split into categories.

Step 5: Insert Data Into A Filterable Spreadsheet

Put the data into a spreadsheet with columns for:

Keyword
Category
Search Volume
Difficulty
Intent

Now create filters to toggle each column to help you sort through information.

I also like to colour-code the search volume and difficulty so I have a visual of everything.

Step 6: Choose The Keywords

After analysing all of the data, choose the most relevant keywords.

How To Choose The Right Keywords

This is the most important part of the keyword research as the keywords you choose are ultimately where your website or Google Ads will show up.

If you choose keywords with the wrong intent you won’t get the result you’re after and if you choose keywords that are not relevant you won’t show up in the right place.

When it comes to choosing keywords, try and find the most relevant keyword with the highest search volume, lowest competition and right search intent.

Relevancy is most important so ensure the main keyword you choose is as close as possible to the service or product on offer.

You can also do a quick Google search, putting in that keyword to see what results come up. This will tell you exactly what is relevant for that specific keyword and what Google is showing to someone searching for that keyword.

If the results are the same as what you’re trying to rank for then choose those keywords. If the SERP results are different, then that’s a sign that maybe the intent behind the keyword is different or Google’s understanding of it is different.

How Does Keyword Research Impact The Website Copywriting Process?

Keyword research and website copywriting go hand-in-hand. Whether you do the keyword research yourself or a client provides you with keywords, knowing how to naturally wave keywords into your content and ensure they’re in all the right places is the secret to a website that ranks well.

Having keywords locked in before moving forward with a website build or writing copy for an ads campaign will allow you to tailor the content to include information that’s relevant to that keyword.

By knowing the keyword/focus of each page before writing, you can research everything you need to know about a product or service and then frame the content accordingly.

It’s important to only use keywords where relevant and still make producing high-quality and helpful content that will resonate with customers the number 1 priority.

What Is Keyword Stuffing?

Keyword stuffing refers to including too many keywords or a keyword too many times that Google actually dislikes a page or piece of content.

How To Avoid Keyword Stuffing

As a copywriter, it won’t be hard to identify if you’ve used a keyword too much. Just read back through your content and if it sounds unnatural or reads like you’ve deliberately tried to use the same keyword over and over, remove a few mentions until it flows well again.

Local Keywords

Local keywords are keywords that have a local search intent. This is typically someone searching for a specific service or product in their local area. Targeting these keywords can be great for businesses that provide services in a specific area, for example, roof restorations Gold Coast or electrician Gold Coast .

How Many Keywords Should You Target Per Page?

You can group keywords into buckets based on relevancy. For example, if I were building a website for a roof restoration company and we had a page for roof restorations, I could also group roof painting and roof repairs under that page because they are both part of the overall restoration process.

However, having a roof restoration page and also trying to rank it for patios and pergolas wouldn’t work.

It’s best to have one main keyword per page, and then secondary or other relevant keywords included as you make your way down the page.

Conclusion

Whether you’re new to keyword research or you’re a seasoned pro, the main takeaway from this blog post should be to understand the intent behind the keywords you choose.

If you’re looking to get more leads through your website then go after transactional keywords you think you have a good chance of ranking for.

Try to find the highest volume, lowest difficulty, intent and most relevant to your offerings.

If you need help with keyword research, website copywriting or SEO , contact On The Move Marketing.

How To Become A Website Copywriter

tristanevert97@gmail.com (Tristan Evert) — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 23:23:00 GMT

While it may seem like a bad time to launch a career in copywriting with the rise of AI tools, there’s still plenty of money to be made in website copywriting .

Whether you’re about to take the leap and start freelancing or looking for information to help you get started as a copywriter, this blog covers everything you need to know.

Get Qualified Or Experienced In Website Copywriting

In the website copywriting world, qualification is not a requirement; however, having a degree or diploma in writing, communications, journalism or marketing is favoured and will help you land your first gig.

It’s still possible to make a long career in copywriting without any qualifications; I’ve worked with super talented writers who climbed the ranks by sinking their teeth into projects.

Either way, the more experience you can bring to the table and the better your portfolio, the more likely you will secure work.

In the early stages of becoming a website copywriter, take on any projects you can, and try to build that portfolio and gain experience - it’s also a great way to network and start to build industry connections.

The Study Route To Becoming A Website Copywriter

There’s several courses or degrees you can take to eventually end up in website copywriting. I started out in journalism, moved into marketing and copywriting and eventually into website copywriting.

Any area of writing - whether that’s creative, news or email marketing - will help hone your skills to become an overall better writer.

A few options to become qualified as a copywriter include:

Journalism
Marketing
Communications
HR
Creative Writing
SEO

Getting A Job As A Website Copywriter

Landing your first job is always challenging, regardless of the industry. While I hate recommending working for free, it can be a good way to get your foot in the door and build a portfolio before going for your first job. Look for internships or project work you can take on for businesses that will help you get content published. If everything goes well, ensure you ask for a recommendation or a letter of support, as this can help with your job applications.

When you secure an interview, tailor your portfolio of work to suit the business/job you will be doing and show your best examples of work relevant to the position you are applying for.

Don’t be disheartened if you don’t get hired after your first few interviews - it takes time and you build experience as you attend more and more interviews.

The Freelancing Route To Website Copywriting

Freelance website copywriting can be a highly rewarding experience and a great opportunity to take on work from a wide range of niches. However, it throws up its fair share of challenges.

Moving from a job into freelancing can be a great path to follow as you will already have an established portfolio and know a bit about how the industry works. You will have to work hard to find clients and negotiating pricing takes a bit of time to get good at.

It’s important when you’re starting out in the freelancing world to try and package up your services, lock in pricing for the various services you offer and avoid customising quotes for every new project.

Find a niche you like writing about and only go after those clients. For me, it’s trade businesses, as I have extensive experience writing website copy for almost any type of trade.

This means when I am on the phone during sales calls, I speak their language and know exactly what they need - which also means I can tailor a package for their requirements I can use time and time again.

How To Get Website Copywriting Clients

When it comes to finding your first clients, there are a few options:

Instagram DMs

Message businesses on Instagram you think you can help or would like to work with.

Email outreach

Send emails to businesses in your niche and include examples of your work.

Cold calling

Pick up the phone and ring businesses in your area to see if they need any assistance with copywriting, email marketing, social media captions etc.

Family & friends

A great place to start is with your family and friends. Reach out and see if anyone knows anyone that needs help.

Facebook groups

Keep an eye on community groups as businesses often reach out asking for help.

Use AI In Website Copywriting

If you don’t use AI in your workflows, you’ll get left in the dust. Work out how to leverage various tools to speed up your processes and scale your operation. It’s crucial to fact-check and edit everything AI produces, ensuring anything you put out is the same quality as something you would write. At the end of the day, it’s still going to have your name on it.

Be honest with clients about the use of AI if required. I recently had a sales call with a client who needed website content and he asked if I use ChatGPT. I said yes I lean on ChatGPT to help speed things up but everything is edited by me to ensure it’s still of the highest standards. The client was fine with this and we made a deal and ended up working together.

Practice Your Website Copywriting Skills

Nothing beats practice. The more time you spend writing website content, the better you’ll get and the quicker you become. While freelancing is the goal for a lot of website copywriters, getting a job can be a great place to start because the company will have plenty of work across a range of industries.

They also provide training and generally have a team of experts you can lean on for advice. When all you have to focus on is the writing, you will hone your skills quicker then when you’re chasing invoices, handling clients and managing the day-to-day of a freelancing business.

Develop Website Copywriting Frameworks

Try and develop repeatable frameworks you can use on majority of the websites you are writing content for. Create a structure that presents the information in the most efficient way possible that you can repeat across different niches.

Learn SEO best practices and mix those into your content to help with search performance. Having a repeatable process for producing website copy will help you scale your business without the quality of your work dropping.

Improve Your Website Copywriting Efficiency

Whether you’re working at your first job or are a seasoned freelancer, you should continually look for ways to produce your work quicker. Try to identify areas of your writing that may be lagging or you always struggle with and then focus on improving those.

From implementing AI to creating repeatable processes, never stop honing your craft.

Different Types of Website Content

As a website copywriter you may be required to produce various forms of content and having the skills to do so will help you in the long run. These include:

Emails

Email marketing campaigns to help boost sales and get new clients.

Website Copy

Content for websites. This could be a home page, about page, service pages etc.

Blog Articles

Blog articles are a great way to reach new audiences and help strengthen the website's authority.

Google Business Profiles

You may write business descriptions for Google Business Profiles, as well as What’s New posts.

Reviewing Content

You may also be required to proofread other people's work or review a client's website copy they wrote themselves.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to move into the world of website copywriting, the information in this blog post will help you get there.

From landing your first job to making it as a freelancer, website copywriting is a great way to create an income that gives you the freedom to work from anywhere.

If you need help with anything related to website copywriting , get in touch with On The Move Marketing.

What Does A Copywriter Do?

tristanevert97@gmail.com (Tristan Evert) — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 00:33:51 GMT

A copywriter researches, plans and writes words designed to make an audience think, feel or take action. That action might be purchasing a product, requesting a quote, booking an appointment, clicking an advertisement or simply understanding what a business offers.

The actual writing is only one part of the job. A good copywriter must also understand the business, its customers, its competitors and the purpose of the content. Depending on the project, they may conduct interviews, research keywords, plan website pages, develop a tone of voice, edit existing material and work with designers or marketers.

I have worked professionally with words for more than a decade—as a journalist, a head of content and now through On The Move Marketing. During that time, I have written and overseen content for hundreds of Australian businesses. Although every project is different, the copywriter’s role is ultimately the same: turn information and ideas into clear, useful words that achieve a business goal.

What Is Copywriting?

Copywriting is the process of writing text for advertising, marketing and business communication. The finished words are called “copy”.

Copy can appear on a website, advertisement, brochure, email, social media post, product page, billboard or almost anywhere a business communicates with its audience.

Not every piece of copy needs to make a hard sell. A service page may encourage someone to request a quote, while a blog post might answer a question and introduce the reader to a business for the first time. An About page can build trust by explaining the people and experience behind the company.

Effective copywriting combines clear communication with strategy. The words should sound natural, but each section should have a reason for being there.

What Does a Copywriter Actually Do?

A copywriter does much more than sit down and fill a blank page. Most professional copywriting projects involve several stages before and after the first draft.

Learning About the Business

Before writing anything useful, a copywriter needs to understand the business. This may involve reviewing the existing website, reading company documents or interviewing the owner and team.

I normally want to understand:

what the business sells
who its ideal customers are
which services are most important
the areas it services
why customers choose it over competitors
common questions and objections
the preferred tone of voice
what the reader should do next

This is where much of the value comes from. Business owners often know their service inside out but struggle to organise that information for someone encountering the company for the first time.

Researching the Audience and Competitors

A copywriter must understand who will read the content. Copy written for a homeowner comparing roof repair quotes should sound different from a technical capability statement written for commercial procurement teams.

Competitor research also helps reveal what customers expect to find, how other businesses position themselves and which important details are being overlooked. The aim is not to copy what competitors say. It is to understand the market and create something clearer and more useful.

Planning the Content

Once the research is complete, the copywriter decides what information belongs on the page and the order in which it should appear.

For a website, this could include planning the navigation, identifying separate service pages and mapping calls to action. For a blog, it means working out the primary question, the reader’s likely follow-up questions and the best heading structure.

Good structure is especially important online. Most people scan a page before reading it closely, so headings and opening sentences need to help them quickly find what matters.

Writing the First Draft

The copywriter then turns the research and plan into a draft. The goal is not to use the fanciest language possible. In most cases, simple and specific wording is more effective.

A strong draft should:

explain the offer clearly
focus on what matters to the customer
reflect the business’s personality
address common questions and concerns
guide the reader logically through the page
include an appropriate next step

Editing and Proofreading

First drafts are rarely final drafts. Editing involves removing repetition, improving the structure, tightening sentences and checking that every section contributes something useful.

Proofreading is the final check for spelling, grammar, punctuation and inconsistencies. Editing and proofreading are related, but they are not the same task. A sentence can be grammatically correct and still be vague, awkward or unconvincing.

Working With Designers and Other Marketers

Copy does not exist in isolation. Website content must fit the page design, advertisements have character limits and brochures have finite space.

A copywriter may work alongside web designers, graphic designers, SEO specialists, photographers, advertising teams and business owners. In my own work, writing and building websites together is particularly useful because the page structure, design and copy can be planned as one system rather than separate pieces.

What Types of Content Do Copywriters Write?

Copywriters can specialise in one format or work across several. These are some of the most common types of copy.

Website Copy

Website copy includes homepages, About pages, service pages, location pages, landing pages and contact pages. A website copywriter needs to explain what the business offers, establish trust and make it easy for visitors to take the next step.

Writing a website also involves deciding what should go on each page. Trying to place every service on the homepage can make a website difficult to use and limit its search visibility. A copywriter can help separate information into a logical structure.

At On The Move Marketing, much of our work involves writing websites for trades and service businesses. This means turning practical details—services, qualifications, processes, locations and project experience—into copy that sounds professional without losing the straightforward way the business communicates.

SEO Copywriting

SEO copywriting is content created for human readers while also helping search engines understand the page.

It can involve keyword research, search-intent analysis, headings, page titles, meta descriptions, internal links and overall website structure. However, SEO copywriting is not about repeating a keyword as many times as possible. The page still needs to answer the search properly and read naturally.

A copywriter with SEO experience can identify whether a business needs one broad service page or several focused pages targeting different services and locations. They can also plan supporting articles that build relevance around the main services.

Blog Posts and Articles

Blogs allow businesses to answer detailed questions that do not fit naturally on a service page. They can attract people researching a problem, demonstrate experience and support other pages through internal links.

The copywriter may research topics, review search results, interview the business owner, write the article and prepare its title and meta description. The strongest posts combine search data with information learned from real customers and actual jobs.

Advertising Copy

Advertising copy needs to communicate quickly. Google Ads, Meta ads, print advertisements and billboards all have limited room to capture attention and explain the offer.

An advertising copywriter may write headlines, primary text, descriptions, calls to action and multiple versions for testing. The message also needs to match the page people reach after clicking. A strong ad cannot compensate for a confusing landing page.

Email Copy

Copywriters create welcome emails, newsletters, promotional campaigns, abandoned-cart emails and automated sequences.

Email writing involves more than the body copy. The subject line needs to earn the open, the introduction needs to maintain interest and the call to action needs to be clear. The approach will vary depending on whether the recipient is a new subscriber, past customer or active lead.

Social Media Copy

Social media copy includes captions, advertisements, profile descriptions and campaign messaging. Each platform has different conventions, but the copy should still sound consistent with the broader brand.

Writing captions is not necessarily the same as managing social media. Some copywriters only supply the words, while social media managers may also schedule posts, create graphics, respond to comments and report on performance.

Brochures, Capability Statements and Sales Material

Copywriters also produce offline and downloadable materials such as brochures, flyers, capability statements, proposals, case studies and presentations.

These projects often require the writer to sort through a large amount of internal information and decide what is relevant to the intended reader. A residential customer, commercial builder and government procurement officer will each need different evidence and detail.

Product Descriptions

Product copy explains what an item is, who it is for and why someone should choose it. Depending on the store, this may include category pages, individual descriptions, specifications and purchasing information.

Effective product copy goes beyond listing features. It helps customers understand how those features affect the way the product looks, feels or performs.

What Is the Difference Between a Copywriter and a Content Writer?

The terms overlap, and many professionals do both.

Traditionally, copywriting is more closely associated with persuasion and sales. Examples include advertisements, landing pages and product descriptions. Content writing is usually intended to inform or educate, such as blog posts, guides and articles.

In practice, the distinction is not always useful. A blog post can educate while encouraging enquiries, and a service page needs helpful information as well as persuasive copy. What matters is whether the writer understands the goal of the piece and the audience reading it.

What Is the Difference Between Copywriting and Copyright?

Copywriting is the act of writing marketing or business content. Copyright is the legal protection applying to original creative work. They sound similar, but they are completely different concepts.

What Skills Does a Copywriter Need?

Strong spelling and grammar are important, but professional copywriting requires a broader set of skills.

A capable copywriter should be able to:

ask useful questions and interview subject-matter experts
research unfamiliar industries efficiently
understand different audiences
organise complicated information
adjust tone and language between brands
write clear headlines and calls to action
accept feedback and revise their work
understand basic marketing principles
proofread carefully
meet briefs, deadlines and practical format requirements

SEO copywriters also need to understand keywords, search intent, internal linking, metadata and website structure. They do not need to be technical developers, but they should know how their writing fits into a broader search strategy.

What Does a Copywriter Need From a Client?

The more relevant information a client provides, the more accurate and distinctive the final copy can be.

A copywriter may ask for:

a list of services or products
ideal customer information
service areas
qualifications, licences and warranties
pricing or factors affecting cost
examples of completed work
testimonials and case studies
frequently asked questions
competitors or businesses the client likes
existing brand guidelines
the desired action for each page

Clients do not need to prepare perfect written answers. A phone or video interview is often the easiest way to extract what makes a business different.

Why Hire a Professional Copywriter?

Business owners can write their own copy, and many have excellent knowledge to share. The difficulty is finding the time and viewing the business from a customer’s perspective.

A professional copywriter can bring structure, clarity and an outside viewpoint. They can identify missing information, remove industry jargon, maintain a consistent voice and shape the content around a specific marketing goal.

Hiring a copywriter may be worthwhile when:

you know what you want to say but cannot organise it
your website does not clearly explain your services
you are launching a new website or campaign
writing keeps falling to the bottom of your list
you need content optimised for search
several people have written different parts of your marketing
your existing copy sounds generic or no longer reflects the business

How Much Does a Copywriter Cost?

Copywriting fees vary according to the writer’s experience, the amount of research involved and the type of content required. Some copywriters charge hourly or daily rates, while others quote per page, per word or for an entire project.

A short brochure edit and a 15-page SEO website are very different jobs. When comparing quotes, check what is included: strategy, interviews, keyword research, metadata, revisions and uploading can all affect the scope.

Price per word can be useful for straightforward editorial content, but it does not always reflect the work behind concise copy. A six-word headline can take longer to get right than a paragraph.

Can AI Replace a Copywriter?

AI can assist with ideas, summaries, variations and early drafts, but it still needs accurate inputs and experienced oversight. Without firsthand information, AI-generated content tends to produce the same broad statements found across many websites.

The part that remains most valuable is extracting what is unique about the business: its experience, processes, customers, opinions and real-world examples. A copywriter can interview the people involved, identify the strongest details, check the claims and turn that knowledge into a clear message.

We use AI where it genuinely improves efficiency, but we do not treat it as a substitute for research, strategy, editing or knowledge supplied by the client.

What Does a Copywriter Do at On The Move Marketing?

At On The Move Marketing, copywriting is closely connected with website design and SEO. We do not simply receive a word count and fill a page. We look at how the content fits into the website, what the business wants to rank for and what a prospective customer needs before making an enquiry.

Our work can include interviewing business owners, researching competitors, planning pages, researching keywords, writing the content, preparing metadata and adding internal links. Because we regularly work with Australian trades and service businesses, we also know how to turn technical or practical knowledge into straightforward content without making every company sound the same.

Clearer Words With a Clear Purpose

A copywriter takes what a business knows and turns it into words its customers can understand and act on. That can mean planning an entire website, explaining a complicated service, writing an advertisement in a few lines or turning a conversation with a business owner into a useful article.

The best copy rarely sounds as though someone is trying too hard to sell. It gives the reader the right information, reflects the business accurately and makes the next step obvious.

If your current website does not sound like your business or clearly explain why customers should choose you, On The Move Marketing can help with website copywriting, SEO content and complete website projects.

How Much Does Website Copywriting Cost?

tristanevert97@gmail.com (Tristan Evert) — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 23:17:32 GMT

As a website copywriter , pricing can be one of the toughest elements of the job, as the price of a project is typically the make or break for a potential client. If the price is too high they walk away and if it’s too low you don’t make any money.

In this blog post, we’ll provide a range of information to help you nail your next website copywriting quote.

How Much Does Website Copywriting Cost?

Website copywriting costs vary widely depending on the scope, industry and specific requirements of the project. A simple five-page website with basic content will cost less than a site requiring extensive keyword research, SEO optimisation and content for multiple page types.

Here’s a rough guide for structuring your prices based on website size and additional SEO services:

5-page website : Expect to charge around $1,500+
10-page website : Prices can start at $2,000+
15-page website : Budget for $2,500+

For additional SEO and research services:

Keyword research : $1,500+
SEO strategy : $1,500+
Ongoing SEO : $500 to $2,000 per month

Each of these rates serves as a starting point and can be adjusted based on the project’s demands and the value provided.

What Is Website Copywriting?

Website copywriting involves writing content for a website to engage visitors, convey a brand message and guide users toward specific actions, such as making a purchase or contacting the business.

Unlike other types of writing, website copywriting requires a deep understanding of the client’s target audience, brand voic, and SEO practices to ensure visibility in search engines.

A skilled website copywriter tailors the tone, messaging and calls to action based on the client’s goals and industry, creating copy that is both persuasive and optimised for search engines.

Different Elements of a Website

When determining your prices, it’s important to consider the types of pages involved, as each type serves a distinct purpose and may require varying levels of detail and research:

Homepage : This sets the brand’s first impression and provides an overview, often guiding users to other important pages on the site. The homepage generally requires a succinct yet impactful message to convey what the brand is about.

About Page : This page builds trust by explaining the company’s mission, values and story, often including a personal touch that resonates with visitors. This page needs to be compelling and authentic, reflecting the brand’s core identity.

Service or Product Pages : Product and service pages should highlight the benefits, features and unique selling points of the offerings. Product pages, in particular, may require detailed descriptions, specifications and persuasive language to drive conversions, especially in competitive industries.

Category Pages : Common in eCommerce, category pages organise products or services into sections, often optimised for SEO with keywords to attract search engine traffic. Category pages serve as a bridge, helping users find products within specific categories and aiding in navigation.

Location Pages : For businesses with multiple locations, location pages are critical for local SEO and targeting customers in specific areas. These pages often include unique descriptions of services provided at each location, key local information, and optimised local keywords.

Contact Page : This page is simple yet essential, providing ways for customers to get in touch and ask questions. It may also include FAQs to answer common inquiries.

Each of these pages requires a different approach, and pricing may vary depending on the page type, length and level of detail required.

How to Price Website Copywriting

Here are a few of the key elements to consider when putting together a quote for a potential client:

How Many Pages Of Content Are You Writing?

The number of pages will be a significant factor in your pricing, as each page requires its own research, planning, writing and potentially revisions. Smaller sites may only need a few pages, while larger websites could need 10, 15 or even more.

What’s The Required Word Count?

Once you understand the number of pages, estimate the word count needed for each. Some pages, such as product pages, may need shorter, targeted content, while others, like the homepage or About page, may require more comprehensive descriptions. The required word count can impact the time and detail needed for each page, affecting the overall price.

Is It YMYL?

YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) content refers to pages that can impact a person’s health, finances or safety, such as legal, financial or health-related sites. YMYL content generally requires a higher word count, in-depth research and accuracy, as these pages are held to higher standards. Since writing YMYL content demands a higher level of expertise, you may want to increase your pricing accordingly.

Check Market Rates

It can help to check freelance platforms like Fivver and Upwork to see what other people in the industry are charging. You can also check other websites that rank high on Google, as they are typically industry leaders.

Pricing Keyword Research

For SEO-focused websites, keyword research is crucial in improving search engine rankings. If a client requires keyword research, this will usually warrant an additional charge, as it involves analysing the market, identifying valuable keywords and incorporating them into the copy.

Typically, pricing for keyword research starts at around $1,000 and may increase depending on the complexity of the industry and competition. Keyword research is an investment that enhances a website’s SEO potential and clients who value long-term visibility will likely appreciate its importance.

Pricing SEO Services

SEO services can range from basic optimisation to advanced strategies that require ongoing work. Discuss with the client whether they need:

SEO Strategy

If the client requires a foundational SEO strategy, this might include competitor research and on-page recommendations. This service typically starts at around $1,500 , providing a roadmap for initial SEO efforts that will benefit the site over time.

Ongoing SEO Work

SEO isn’t a one-off task, and ongoing SEO work can significantly impact a site’s success. Monthly services, like keyword tracking, content optimisation and adapting to algorithm updates, typically range between $500 and $2,000 per month based on the client’s industry and competition level.

Experience Of The Copywriter

The copywriter’s experience is another key factor in pricing. Experienced copywriters with proven success and a portfolio of SEO-optimised websites typically charge higher rates than those new to the industry.

Advanced expertise in SEO, understanding of conversion tactics and knowledge of specific industries can increase the quality of website copy, which many clients are willing to pay for.

When discussing your background with clients, highlighting past achievements, client testimonials or any industry-specific knowledge can justify higher rates, especially for specialised websites like legal, medical or finance-related projects.

Every Project Has Unique Requirements

While these pricing guidelines can help set expectations, each project is unique. Before providing a final quote, discuss with the client:

The project goals and target audience to align the content with their needs.
The tone and style that the client prefers to ensure the copy resonates with their audience.
The project’s specific SEO and keyword needs to establish any additional services that might be required.

Conclusion

Pricing website copywriting requires an understanding of various elements, from the page types involved to SEO and YMYL requirements. By structuring your pricing based on page count, word count, keyword research and SEO, you can create a pricing structure that reflects the true value of your work.

Clients appreciate transparency, so it’s best to provide a clear breakdown of what’s included in each service, especially for complex projects. If you need help with website copywriting , get in touch with On The Move Marketing on the Gold Coast.

7 Tips To Improve Your Website Copy

tristanevert97@gmail.com (Tristan Evert) — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 23:06:42 GMT

Whether you’re writing content for a plumber’s website or an e-commerce store, the words and content structure you choose has a significant impact on the customer journey.

In this blog post, we take a look at 7 tips you can use to improve the quality of your website copy.

1. Avoid Fluff

A sure way to lose a potential customer is to fill your website content with fluff. Get your message across using the least amount of words possible to avoid a reader getting bored and leaving your website.

After writing a section of content, go back through and look for words that could be removed without impacting the objective of the sentence.

Example: "At our company, we pride ourselves on delivering the very best products that are crafted with care, attention to detail, and a commitment to excellence, ensuring that every single one of our customers is always completely satisfied with their purchase."

Edit: "At Our Company, we create high-quality products with a focus on customer satisfaction."

2. Keep It Simple

Where possible, always use the simplest terminology to describe a product or service. If a reader can’t understand the website content, they won’t become a customer. It’s important to understand the target audience and tailor the content towards them.

If a potential customer visits the website, sees the specific problem they have and then the solution the business offers, they are more likely to convert than someone struggling to work through confusing and long-winded content.

Example: "At our company, we provide a comprehensive array of state-of-the-art solutions that are designed to synergistically integrate with your business processes, ensuring an optimised workflow and maximised operational efficiency."

Edit: "At our company, we implement solutions that will streamline your business processes and improve operational efficiency."

3. Sell The Benefits/Outcomes

One of the best ways to convert website visitors into customers is to sell the benefits or outcomes. Tell the reader what they are going to get by working with the business rather than highlighting how good the business is.

Good Example: “At our company, we help businesses get more leads, increase revenue and work fewer hours.”

Bad Example: “At our company, we use industry-leading equipment to deliver optimal outcomes.

Note: Tell the customer what they are going to get (more leads, more revenue) vs optimal outcomes.

4. Use Bullet Points

Bullet points are great for presenting information in a clean and concise way. It allows you to include more information without losing a reader.

Good Example: “At our company, we provide a range of services, including:

Web design
Copywriting
SEO
Graphic design
Branding
Social media management

Bad Example: "At our company, we provide a range of services, including web design, copywriting, SEO, graphic design, branding and social media management."

Note: Most website visitors will skim-read the content, so having important information like services presented in bullet points ensures the content gets more views.

5. Create Compelling Call To Actions

Don’t just tell a potential customer to give you a call or send you an email. Sell the benefits associated with working together.

Good Example: “Ready to get more leads? Get in touch today!”

Bad Example: “To get started, give us a call or send us an email.”

Notes: People are more likely to enquire if you sell them on the benefits/outcomes.

6. Balancing SEO

Striking the right balance between SEO and content is crucial for both how your website performs and converts. While having keywords in all the heading tags is crucial for your website to rank, it can also sound generic and repetitive if done wrong. Including the relevant keywords in the most natural way possible is the goal.

Good Example:

H1: More Than Just Car Servicing In Brisbane

H2 Reliable Car Repairs in Brisbane

H2: Need A Logbook Service in Brisbane?

Bad Example

H1: Car Servicing Brisbane

H2: Car Repairs Brisbane

H2: Logbook Servicing Brisbane

Notes: Adding a word or two around the keywords makes a major difference to how the website content is perceived. Don’t be afraid to use questions or get creative with your heading tags as long as they still include the keyword/location.

7. The Information Pyramid

Because most website visitors only skim the content or read the first few lines, it’s crucial to put the most important information first. Ensure the first section of content on every page includes the main keyword, business name and location.

Aim to highlight the problems that most likely brought a potential customer to your website and then explain how your business can fix those problems. A website visitor is generally only looking to see that you offer the service they need and have social proof (reviews) to show you do a good job.

Good Example: Is your car due for a service? Has it started making a strange noise? At our company, we provide car servicing in Brisbane and have the equipment and expertise to diagnose and fix all types of issues. Whether you drive your car for work or leisure, having it serviced every six months will ensure it remains in good condition.

Bad Example: Whether you drive your car for work or leisure, having it serviced every six months will ensure it remains in good condition. Cars experience wear and tear from frequent use and require regular upkeep to ensure they perform optimally. At our company, we provide car servicing in Brisbane and will have you back behind the wheel in no time.

Note: The most important part of this section of content is the fact they service cars in Brisbane so that information should be as high as possible. By including questions at the start, you are also highlighting the customer's problem, which you can then solve in the next sentence.

Conclusion

When it comes to writing website content, it’s important to keep it simple and get to the point as soon as possible. Avoiding fluff, tailoring your content towards the target market and selling the benefits will ensure your content ticks every box.

If you need help with website copywriting , get in touch with On The Move Marketing.

What To Ask Clients When Scoping For Website Copy

tristanevert97@gmail.com (Tristan Evert) — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 01:41:09 GMT

You’ve landed a new client and are gearing up for the scoping call.

Asking the right questions is one of the most important parts of the web copywriting process.

While some clients provide great insight into their business others may give you little to work with. When this happens, having an arsenal of questions to extract the right information will make getting info out of those challenging clients a walk in the park.

In this blog post, we cover the most important questions to ask your clients when scoping for website content.

1. What Is The Business Name, Address/Service Area & Phone Number?

While this one is obvious, it’s easy to get wrong. Get the client to write out or spell the business name to ensure it’s correct. Ensure the business name, business location and phone number provided are consistent across all of the business's platforms, as this has an impact on the overall SEO results.

2. What Services Do You Provide?

Ask for a list of services from the business owner and work with them to prioritise the key services or the best-case leads they would like to be getting from the website. This will help you map out what pages to have on the website and if there are only limited pages available in the budget, which keywords/pages take priority. This will also give you an insight into the full scope of what the business offers.

3. What Is Your Unique Selling Point?

This often requires extensive probing as a lot of business owners will give you the same spiel about exceptional customer service, high-quality workmanship etc. While this is good information to include, try getting to the bottom of what truly makes the business unique - whether that's using locally sourced materials or products, having won industry-awards or offering quality guarantees.

This information is vital for the home and about us pages and should convince a website visitor why the business is better than the competition.

4. Tell Me About The Business

Get an in-depth rundown of why the business was started, how many years the business has been running, what problem the business is trying to solve, what locations the business services, who and how many people are involved etc. The more unique information you get about the business, the higher quality content you can produce for the home/about pages.

It always helps to include content about the business owner/employees to add a touch of personability to the website.

5. What Is The Process Of Delivering Each Service?

If you have limited experience with a specific industry or service, it’s crucial to ask the client how they deliver a service. What’s the step-by-step process from start to finish? This will give you enough information to write in-depth content for the service pages while ensuring the business owner sounds like the expert they are.

The goal of the service pages is to explain to a potential customer what they can expect at every stage of the process when working with the business.

Don’t be afraid to get the client to break everything down for you, even if it seems like an obvious service. At the end of the day, it’s better to ask more questions and smash the content out of the park than to be vague with your questioning and make mistakes in the content.

6. Do You Have Any Frequently Asked Questions?

Ask the client if they have any questions they are frequently asked by customers. This will give you additional insight into how to frame the service page content to answer those questions and also give you content for FAQ sections.

7. What Tone Of Voice Do You Like?

Ask the client if they have a preference for how they want their business to be represented online. Whether it’s professional or casual, getting a feel for how the client wants the content to sound is an important step in the scoping process.

You can also share some examples of previous work with the client to showcase the different tones of voice. This will ensure you are both on the same page in terms of the content style.

8. Is There Anything You Do Differently To Your Competition?

Another great question that can help frame the USPs. If the business operates slightly differently to its competition, that’s great information to include.

9. Is There Anything Else You Would Like To Include In The Content?

This is a great open-ended question that will give the business owner a chance to mention anything that hasn’t come up. You often get some good information from this question and it can be a great way to end the scoping call.

With these 9 questions, scoping for website copy will be a breeze and should only take 10-15 minutes.

This will ensure you have everything you need to write engaging content that provides an in-depth overview of the business, their services and what makes them unique.