AmeriSpec Nebraska

When Tom Sutko became owner of the AmeriSpec home inspection service franchise in Omaha and Lincoln in March 2010, he inherited a Web site that was four years old. As he began implementing his marketing strategy, he knew the Web site needed to be redesigned and updated so the local office could maintain its position as the number one AmeriSpec franchise in North America.

Catena Creations presented Tom with a proposal in July 2010 for a comprehensive overhaul of his Web site, as well as a strategy for implementing social media. His decision was  delayed a few weeks while waiting for specifics on new marketing initiatives from AmeriSpec’s corporate office.

While waiting, he hired us to perform “triage” on the current Web site. We revised and rewrote text to reflect the new ownership, and took down some “Under Construction” pages that had been online for four years. We also did the research to track down the current site’s hosting service, determine all of the URLs associated with the site, and make sure ownership of the URLs went to the appropriate offices.

Phase 1: A new Web site

Catena Creations was awarded the project in September 2010. Tom decided to implement his Web strategy in phases. Phase 1 was to be dedicated to redesigning and  expanding the Web site, and implementing search engine optimization techniques.

The Web site was built in a content management system (CMS)  to make updates and changes easier to manage. It also gave AmeriSpec the option of having staff update the site when it was finished.

Catena Creations designed the graphic template, creating new images based on AmeriSpec corporate identity pieces. We added an animated slider navigation system to the home page, which allowed AmeriSpec to publish five key marketing messages at the top of their home page in an attractive, easy-to-follow style. We also selected a distinctive font for the site that was integrated through Typekit, making the font accessible to all users.

In addition to updating and expanding the content in all areas of the Web site, Catena Creations designed an online form so customers could request a home inspection appointment. We also made the office’s job application form into an interactive PDF so applicants can fill out the form, save it, and e-mail it to AmeriSpec.

The home page was laid out with distinct content areas for local news and news from an RSS feed. These areas were designed to be flexible so blogging and social media headlines could be added later when these strategies were implemented.

Photo library

Catena Creations followed an inspector during an appointment to take photos and create a photo library of home inspection shots for the Web site and for office use. We also hired Mark Kresl to take a group photo of the staff in front of the Omaha AmeriSpec offices, as well as individual shots of each employee.

Once the AmeriSpec template was created, it was duplicated and customized to update the Web sites for two associated businesses: Leapin Lizard Locksmiths and TNT Termite Services. These sites were separated from the AmeriSpec Web site and given their own URLs to enhance their identity and search engine optimization.

Search engine optimization steps completed the process. After researching keywords for every page on the site, page titles, headlines, keywords and descriptions were written for SEO. The three sites went live in December 2010.

Phase 2: Enhancements

A month later, Phase 2 began. Staff bios and individual photos were added to all three sites. Content was added to the Leapin Lizard and TNT sites to expand their offerings.

Catena Creations also updated the customer testimonials page, and linked the site to its corporate customer survey results on Systino. We added a story about how a customer service issue was resolved to illustrate AmeriSpec’s service assurance.

AmeriSpec staff and Catena Creations wrote more than 20 additional articles to further expand the the AmeriSpec Web site and enhance its search engine optimization. One of those articles highlighted AmeriSpec’s honor of being selected Best of Omaha: Home Inspection Service in 2011, the first time the category was recognized. A story was added to the site’s home page, and the Best of Omaha logo was added to the footer.

E-mail template

A project that spanned both phases involved the creation of an HTML e-mail template for sending appointment confirmations by e-mail. This graphically enhanced template was designed to present a more professional image to AmeriSpec’s customers. Because it was implemented in Word 2007, it was easy for the administrative staff to learn and use.

Owner Tom Sutko also suggested to AmeriSpec corporate staff that a similar template be developed for other AmeriSpec franchises to use, and they accepted the idea. Catena Creations consulted with AmeriSpec corporate staff on the project.

Phase 2 of the project was completed in March 2011. Future plans include creating appointment e-mail templates for use by TNT and Leapin Lizard Locksmith, and continuing SEO strategies to further enhance AmeriSpec Nebraska’s results on Google searches.