Less than a month ago Jane of Safeway Driver Training reached out to me to discuss setting up a new website for her Driving Training business. She had a website many years ago but had since let it lapse due to a small career break several years back. Since coming back into the Driver Training her business has started to get some traction, of which she was delighted but she realised that she needed more than word of mouth to get her the next lesson – she needed a strong online presence.
There were 4 Elements we discussed in getting her business back online in a hurry that would hopefully set her up to grow faster than she currently was.
1. Website Design & Layout
We discussed the various options in creating a multiple page, comprehensive website that would tick all of the boxes for Jane. There were a couple of things that came up for her – she wanted to keep it super simple. Jane didn’t want a complex website that would lock her in for hundreds of jobs, just a consistent flow on her preferred days (when she wasn’t fulfilling her Grandma duties!) that kept the bills paid and her happy.
After coming up with a plan of action and to fit Jane’s budget I was able to suggest a comprehensive single page website that would tick all of her boxes for the moment until she was ready to add more detail and booking platforms etc.
2. Small Business Branding
Due to a previous business name not being renewed when it was due (and it was snapped up by a competitor!) Jane needed a new name that she felt represented her years of experience, was professional and also appealed to the younger audience who were her biggest target market.
After reviewing the keywords I provided to her, (the words people search for when looking up Driving Lessons – something used for SEO) and some brainstorming Jane came up with Safeway Driving Training. From here she registered it as a business name, I registered it as a domain name (we did a check before locking in the business name!) and then it was a matter of getting to the design.
I came up with a few different designs for her brand and a colour palette (thank you Pinterest for some inspiration!). Jane had expressed her ideal colours included navy blue and white. Ideally for a brand you need a third colour, so there was navy, teal and a bright pop of yellow added – which was only done after I did a logo concept that used the L plate learner drivers must display! It wasn’t on my radar at all but I really felt like this symbol of the L plate in yellow and black is quite dominant and stands out when people are searching for a Driver Trainer.
3. Photoshoot of Jane
From there it was time to get photos of Jane for her website. Having unique images on a website is one of the keys that contribute to your SEO. Whilst it is very tempting to fill a website with stock or AI generate images, they are picked up by Google as AI generate or stock shots. Don’t forget that Google has a massive database of images it refers to – hence why we can put an image in and it will find where it’s from! So having your own shots taken always helps create a more genuine user experience of which Google look upon positively! Well, the bots do anyway!
4. Google Business Profile Optimisation
All in all the website is complete and now we are working on her Google Business Profile. This was something Jane didn’t have set up and so needed to set one up from scratch. Now that the website is complete we are working on this for her. The bonus is that we have a collection of photos we can use along with strong branding and wonderful website. With Jane’s profile I am working on her links, profile details and photo uploads along with a host of other actions that will feed the Google beast (as I like to call it) – but it’s best to give it as much info as you can so then it will more than likely recommend you.
Conclusion
All in all it has been a sweet project to work on and a pleasure working with Jane. Now to keep working on her Google Business profile and keep building that up and to make any tweaks to her website as we go!
Carly of Black Cat Website Design Studio has a passion for helping small businesses stand out from the crowd. From branding, photography, website design to building a broader online presence Carly can guide and set your business up for greater exposure. To not have a strong online presence is like not opening your doors for business. It doesn’t have to be massive but well branded, confident and professional. Chat to Carly to discuss your online needs.