As a junk hauler serving your local community, you might be asking yourself questions such as:
- Do I need a website for my junk hauling business?
- Why does a junk remover need a website?
- What do I need to build a website for my business?
- What can I put on my junk hauling website?
- How do I get visitors to my website?
Luckily, we’re here to help you answer all of those questions.
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Do I Need a Website For My Junk Hauling Business?
The answer is plain and simple: Yes, you need a website for your junk hauling business. With 88.5% of the U.S. population using the internet, you want to make sure that you’re where the people are. However, the ⅓ of small business owners that don’t have a website attribute this to their beliefs that they’re too small, their customers aren’t online, and their business isn’t relevant to their industry.
Does this sound like you? We hope not! If you run a quick Google search on “junk removal near me,” you’ll find that many local junk removal businesses have websites. Haulers with their own sites are more likely to be found in search results, which means they’re more likely to capture incoming leads.
Why Does a Junk Remover Need a Website?
No matter what business you’re in, if you’re trying to grow your customer base and make it easier for people to find you, a website can help tremendously.
Here are some of the benefits of having a website for your small business:
- Credibility. Not having a website, especially when your competitors do, makes your business seem less legitimate. As a business owner, you want to invest in your business and show that you’re serious about what you do. Customers may be less likely to trust your business if they can’t find you online.
- Professionalism. Having an attractive website can help you establish a positive first impression with customers. Furthermore, you’ll be able to create a business email tied to your website name, such as [yourname]@myjunkhaulingbusiness.com, which is more professional than one @gmail.com.
- Accessibility. Your website is your 24/7 sales representative. On your website, customers have access to the information they want, when they want it. If a customer wants to know whether or not you haul away hot tubs, they can go to your website instead of calling you about it, or worse, going to another business who posts that they take hot tubs on their website. This allows them to get the information they’re looking for while taking some of the work off of your hands.
- Searchability. Many people are searching on sites like Google and Bing for local businesses and services, including junk removal. In fact, the term “junk removal” is searched on Google an average of 60,500 times per month in the U.S. Google has put in some great tools to help local business owners gain visibility in their search results. Not having a website may give your competitors your business if customers can’t find you online.
- Control. Having a website gives you the ability to control what information users see about your business. Let customers know what your business hours are, how they can contact you, and what services you provide, all in one place.
What Do I Need to Build a Website for My Business?
1. Domain Name
A domain name is what you want the link for your website to be. It’s recommended that your domain name matches or includes your business name so that it’s easily identifiable. This gives your customers an easy way to find you. Hosting websites or website builders (which we go into below) may offer a free domain name with your purchase. If you want to check if the domain is available, you can use GoDaddy’s domain name search. They’ll let you know if it’s taken and alternatives you can use in case it is.
2. Web Hosting
To get a website online, you’ll need a web host. A web host is where the content on your website is stored. It gives your website a place on the internet to live. There are many web hosting platforms out there, each one offering different pricing options based on factors like how many websites you have, how many visitors you expect to have, and how much storage space you want. Most plans offer discounts if you choose to pay annually or bi-annually. Here are some popular web hosting platforms and their prices for entry-level, beginner plans. Most beginner plans can easily meet the needs of a small junk removal business.
- HostGator has plans starting at $2.75 a month (this is what we use for JunkTrashRemoval.com) with free and instant setup.
- BlueHost starts at $2.95 a month and includes a free domain with your registration
- SiteGround offers hosting starting at $3.95 a month that supports up to 10,000 visitors monthly and 24/7 support.
If you plan on growing your business, you might want to consider a more robust hosting service that can serve a greater amount of visitors. WPengine has a startup plan at $35 per month with the capability to support 25,000 visitors per month. All plans also include 35+ free themes and 24/7 chat support. If you want your first 3 months free, you can use our link here.
3. Website Builder
There are many different website builders you can use to create your website, even without knowledge of web design and coding. Check out these popular website builders:
- Google My Business gives you the ability to create a free website based on your listing while also updating it automatically to match your business profile. You can easily update your phone number, hours of operation, and set up an online booking form with Google My Business. This is the easiest option as a local business owner because all you need to do is enter your information, and a website will be generated for you. However, if you want more customization for your website, you may want to consider one of the website builder options below.
- Weebly offers a user-friendly interface that doesn’t require any coding knowledge. Their drag and drop website builder make it easy for you to design a website to match the needs of your junk hauling business. Their business plan, aimed towards small businesses and store owners, starts at $25/month when paid annually and also includes a free domain and $100 Google Ads credit.
Wix is also another drop-and-drag website builder with a wide variety of templates, including ones for service and maintenance businesses so that you can easily create a junk removal website. Their Unlimited plan targeted towards entrepreneurs starts at $14/month and also provides a free domain for a year and a $300 voucher for ads.
WordPress provides users with more customizability and flexibility than drag and drop websites but also requires a little knowledge of HTML/CSS. This option is great if you’re wanting more options and plugins for your website. With 33.6% of all websites on the web being powered by WordPress, over 75 million websites use this platform, including sites like CNN, Fortune, Time, NBC (and JunkTrashRemoval!). The business plan starts at $25/month, billed yearly. This includes a free domain for one year, unlimited premium themes, and unlimited storage space.
What Can I Put on My Junk Hauling Website?
The opportunities are endless when it comes to customizing your site. All websites are made to meet the specific needs of the owner. Features that may be beneficial for a junk hauling business include:
- List of products/services (e.g., a list of items you remove, prices)
- Photos (e.g., before-and-after pictures, unique items you’ve collected)
- Details about business (e.g., contact info, areas you serve, company values)
- Contact email/form (e.g., price quote, online booking)
- A chatbot to help visitors
- Customer reviews
RemoveJunkNow.com includes many of these features including what services they offer, appointment booking, prices, FAQs, and even a blog.
How Do I Get Visitors to My Website?
This is one of the biggest challenges in digital marketing today. Search engines like Google are constantly coming out with new algorithms to choose which pages get ranked near the top of results pages, which equals more eyes on your website. While there aren’t any surefire ways to boost your ranking, here are some ways to improve your website to attract customers:
- Include keywords that customers might search for (e.g., junk removal services, junk removal in [city])
- Design your website to be visually appealing
- Make your website helpful to visitors by providing accurate information (e.g., phone number, email address)
- Ensure your website shows up nicely on mobile devices
Have you been asking some of the questions in this post? If so, hopefully, we’ve helped answer them! A website can be a great way to reach customers and grow your junk hauling business. Not having one could even harm your business, so it’s time to create your website today!
Let us know in the comment section below whether or not you have a website or if you plan on building one now!
Start Your Junk Removal Business in 5 Days With Our New Course
Build your new junk hauling business in just 5 days. Our comprehensive course will teach you what the pros know! Sign up to learn more.
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