Internet

  • Internet Buzzkill

    Ever wonder what people are saying about your company? Visit the world of consumer-driven e-mail groups, Web sites, and community listservs that have become powerful arbiters of opinion about the companies to patronize — or to avoid.

     
  • Habit-Forming E-mail Messages

    Every month, about 1,700 clients, and associates of Tri-Lite Builders receive a short, friendly e-letter from the Chandler, Ariz., company.

     
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    Survey about remodeling businesses on the Web

    This month's Reader Panel shows that remodelers are still on the on-ramp to the information superhighway. Only slightly more than half of respondents who took our e-mailed survey said their company has a Web site.

     
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    Creating and effective Web site

    When it comes to remodeling and the Internet, consumers are leading the way. Remodelers may be slow to realize the importance of a Web site to their company's success — about 40% of respondents to this month's Reader Panel survey said they didn't have a Web site — but today's consumers are becoming...

     
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    First Contact on the Web

    Here you'll find our Web site primer. In that story, we briefly mention an inquiry form that you can post on your Web site as one way prospective clients can initially contact your company.

     
  • Getting a Web site up

    Last time I wrote about what not to do on your Web site. This month I'll cover what you should do.

     
  • Web standards for your business

    Recently I looked for Web site templates for remodelers that I could recommend. I did find a few sources, but they mostly missed the mark. Instead, this month I'm going to tell you what

     
  • Refer Madness

    Could it be any easier for homeowners to find home improvement contractors? Only if the online referral industry maintains its current torrid growth rate. Having emerged in the 1990s and then largely imploded in the dot-com bust, this industry is back and bigger than ever. Hundreds of services...

     
  • Architectural Solution

    Control. In a remodeling project, everyone wants it — contractor, client, architect. In the traditional remodeling process, the three-way struggle for control creates instability. For many remodelers, bringing an architect in-house is the best way to achieve balance.

     
  • Welcome to the Blogosphere

    Blogs are the ultimate word-of-mouth advertising. Always play fair and take care of your customers, subs, and suppliers, and even if you get a negative blog post from time to time, there will be an even greater number of happy bloggers coming to your rescue.