My grandad has his own shop selling fires and fireplaces. He is not doing very well at the moment and is just about breaking even. He has NO website whatsoever.. Will me making him a website boost his sales? Should i build a website just to advertise the shop or would it help selling some on the internet too? Thanks for any help. Ben.
Definitely, think of the web site as a 24/7 salesman for your grand dad. Setup costs as well as maintenance costs are low compared to really hiring a salesman. Even if it does not bring in the actual sales, it will help in creating awareness for his business.
Well you can try it say for few months and compare the results of your grand dad online sales against offline. Try it and a website doesn't cost him much anyway.
It's always good to have a web presence, but I'm guessing your grandad's shop is local. Other local advertising methods may be better. Maybe if he wants to go national then it could be a good idea.
Making a website for your granddad's business is a good idea. It would help new customers find him and see the products before they make the drive to the store. I would try to stick with a .com. Is TOWNfireplaces.com or something similar available?
No. People are going to type "TOWN fireplaces". TOWNfireplaces.com will have a heads up on ranking for the term. People who type in the shop name are probably going to end up at the .com website . A friend of my Dad is a divorce lawyer. His website is TOWNdivorce.com. He ranks #1 for "TOWN divorce" with essentially no SEO work.
Oh one more thing - if i use [Town]fireplaces should i have the title as [townfireplaces] or [actualshopname]
That's a good question. I would include both: Title: [Town] Fireplaces - Granddad's Fire and Stove Description: Granddad's Fire and Stove has a complete selection of fireplaces and fireplace accessories. Serving the [Major town], [Large town] and [Large town] areas for over 15 years. If TOWNfireplaces.com ranks well, it could be an asset when your granddad decides to retire. He could sell the website/domain to a local competitor or include it in the sale of the business.
http://focused.org/general-business/4395-will-website-help-my-grandads-offline-business.html You can see my reply above to the same thread.
I would also suggest that your grand dad do some local promotions. E.g., he should have an alliance program with home developers, plumbers, electricians, etc., to have them help to promote his business (he can do the same for them.) He should also consider writing an article for the local newspaper telling folks how to save money on their heating bills, how to have a 'green' fireplace, etc. There are many other things that he could be doing locally in addition to setting up a website.