New Face of NACHI's Web Site!!

[Mark R. Long]

I orignally posted this in the Marketing Section, (http://www.nachi.org/forum/showthrea...352#post247352), but I thought that I would move it over here, as well, since I'm told that Nick G. doesn't go to the Members Only Section.


Recently it's been announced that the NACHI web site is undergoing a massive change and upgrade. See http://www.nachi.org/8th.htm . I think that's great! Since a major change is already underway, I would like to offer this suggestion to Nick, Chris and any other powers that be.

I personally would like to see a very different look for the "face" of the web site. Specifically, I would like to see the face, or outer appearance of the web site, be more "consumer" friendly. And by consumers, I'm not referring to home inspectors who are the consumers of NACHI's services and wares, I'm referring to home buyers, home sellers, home owners in general, realtors, etc. who are the consumers of home inspection services.

The improvements to the web site that are apparently underway (and admittedly I don't completely know what is going on) all seem to be wonderful improvements. And with these internal improvements, perhaps a face change is in the works, as well. I don't know.

Correct me if I'm wrong, though, but the current face of the web site seems to be very much geared to NACHI members or potential members. The bulk of the front page contains a huge list of NACHI benefits, services, activities, events, etc. All things that are very useful to home inspectors. And while there is some information geared to the general consumer public, it seems to be buried within all of the things geared to inspectors and is not readily visible. Certainly the site as it is now structured has helped to grow NACHI's membership and retain its membership with a tremendous amount of benefits, but since NACHI has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years, to the point where the membership in the US is now capped, perhaps it's time to look at things a little differently.

Close your eyes for a moment, and try to get out of your home inspector role for a moment. Put aside your prejudices and preconceived notions. Imagine that you are a person in the process of buying a home and are in need of home inspection services. You've just googled home inspection and up pops ASHI's web site. Click on it now. http://www.ashi.org/ . After looking that over you scroll down a bit and click on NACHI's web site. http://www.nachi.org/ .

Tell me honestly, if you are a consumer looking for a home inspector or just general information about home inspections, which site is most appealing to you. As a home buyer/seller, I personally think that the ASHI site is more appealing. And please note, I'm not talking about ASHI or NACHI as organizations, I'm only talking about the "face" of the web site, the face put out to the public, the marketing face.

I personally would like to see the face of NACHI's new web site be a little more like ASHI's. It's visually more appealing, it very quickly and clearly tells you what ASHI is and why you should hire an ASHI inspector. It has three distinct and clear zones for Home Buyers/Sellers, Real Estate Professionals and Home Inspectors, along with quick links to other pertinent information.

I'm sure that all of the services, benefits, activities and events, etc. that we now enjoy at NACHI.org could be integrated within the new site in such a way that they would still be easily accessible to members, while allowing the face of the web site to be more "consumer/public friendly" and appealing.

Anyway, that's my humble opinion. Any other thoughts?

[Bob Elliott]

Mark how do you know the site is not geared towards attracing new inspectors.?
On that front it does very well.

[jjordan]

Great idea Mark, I wholeheartedly agree, the new site should appeal to consumers as well as inspectors.

[David P. Valley]

We've tried many times over the past four years to try and get the main NACHI page more oriented. It's wayyy too busy, but the designers like it that way.

My advice...Don't waste your time.

[Mark R. Long]

Originally Posted by relliott

Mark how do you know the site is not geared towards attracing new inspectors.?
On that front it does very well.

I think you misunderstood what I was saying Robert. I definitely do think that the site has been geared to attracting new members. See above, "Correct me if I'm wrong, though, but the current face of the web site seems to be very much geared to NACHI members or potential members...Certainly the site as it is now structured has helped to grow NACHI's membership and retain its membership with a tremendous amount of benefits, but since NACHI has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years, to the point where the membership in the US is now capped, perhaps it's time to look at things a little differently." I think that has been a primary focus.

I think, however, that it can still attract new members while at the same time being more visually appealling and user friendly to the general consumer public.

[Mark R. Long]

Originally Posted by dvalley

We've tried many times over the past four years to try and get the main NACHI page more oriented. It's wayyy too busy, but the designers like it that way.

I'd be interested in hearing from the designers why they like it that way and their explanation of it's purpose in being that way. Of course, I'm sure it's probably been explained somewhere before, but I thought that this was a good time to broach this issue once again since the web site is undergoing a massive restructuring. http://www.nachi.org/8th.htm . This seems like an opportune time to re-design the face/home page.

[Marc D. Shunk]

It seems pretty obvious to me that NACI's pages are optimized first for search engines, and secondly for humans. There's merit to that approach.

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

As I posted in the original thread, read this article by Nick...it will answere most of your questions as to why...

http://www.nachi.org/brutal.htm

[whandley]

Originally Posted by jjordan

Great idea Mark, I wholeheartedly agree, the new site should appeal to consumers as well as inspectors.

You're missing the point! NACHI is not a consumer oriented home inspection website. It's a not for profit site designed to provide vendor access to home inspectors. That's were the profit center is located for all the NACHI management and or ownership interests...

Don't fight the system. It is what it is. Use it to your benefit when possible. For me, thats education resources and some basic marketing information.

NACHI isn't going to feed you. You're on your own in that regard.

[Bob Elliott]

Everything above...Mark.
$$$$$
The master knows what he does, and why.

[Mark R. Long]

Originally Posted by Marc D. Shunk

It seems pretty obvious to me that NACI's pages are optimized first for search engines, and secondly for humans. There's merit to that approach.

I don't doubt that the goal is to have the NACHI site optimized for search engines. ASHI's site, however, appears to be better optimized, (in any general search that I've done it comes out ahead of NACHI) while at the same time manages to be more consumer friendly on it's face and more visually appealling at least to this particular human.

[Mark R. Long]

Originally Posted by whandley

You're missing the point! NACHI is not a consumer oriented home inspection website. It's a not for profit site designed to provide vendor access to home inspectors. That's were the profit center is located for all the NACHI management and or ownership interests...

Don't fight the system. It is what it is. Use it to your benefit when possible. For me, thats education resources and some basic marketing information.

NACHI isn't going to feed you. You're on your own in that regard.

Actually, I don't think that I have missed the point. I'm fairly aware of what's what, and overall I can live with that. And I do use the resources of the site and NACHI in general. Even though I'm not a frequent poster, the message board alone with all of the information available from various inspectors from around the US and Canada is invaluable. And then there's all of the other educational resources, etc, and on and on. NACHI does have much to offer we inspectors, I'm not refuting that.

I don't understand why, though, all of that still can't be there and be provided to inspectors (along with the marketing pool for vendors ), while at the same time changing the focus slightly to also be more geared to the general home buyer and seller public and be more consumer friendly.

I'm really not trying to fight the system, I'm just talking about a slight tweaking of focus, and primarily just on our front web page, that's all.

[Nick Gromicko]

www.nachi.org/8th.htm will be more of what you are looking for. We have no choice. Consumers are just about done reading text. The world has gone video and we can't fight this trend. Hence yesterday's http://www.nachi.org/commercials.htm thread.

The world is full of consumer oriented sites. I should know, I control over 4,500 of them made up of 624 million webpages. Now there are only 50 billion webpages in the world. Do your math to figure out what percentage of the world wide web is under our control. No one person or company has a larger chunk of the internet.

Can't we preserve just one sanctuary for home inspectors? A place where inspectors can do inspector stuff www.nachi.org/success.htm free of pop ups, sales pitches, message board moderators, flashy graphics and banner ads?

I understand your desire to exploit the equity in our 165 million hit/year site to generate sale leads... but we've resisted the temptation of cashing enormous check$ offered by industry vendors to sell out to them this long... please help me be strong and resist too.

I agree with you. NACHI.org is not very consumer, REALTOR, or vendor friendly... let's keep it that way. This is our home.

[Greg Bell]

Agreed

[jmichalski]

So much for offering a good idea, Mark.