Geeze it's a good thing I am not a stager; read the manual? I'm from Cleveland!

Hey 3C... YOU said it not me. I was wondering if people from Cleveland could READ in the first place. At least you dispelled that concern.

Me

Very timely blog.  My partner is in the process of redoing our website, I checked out the ones here - thanks for sharing them.  I know it's important to have a website aside from the "company directory page" given by the companies (in only some cases) to their new stagers.  That directory though helped me initially gain exposure when I did not have a website to refer clients to so it was beneficial and continues to be, I do get calls from it but not as frequently as I'd hoped.  I appreciate your always helpful insight and opinion.

Read what FC I looked at the photos...nice by the way :-)

Craig - I am always looking at other stagers websites also.  One of my favorites from AR is Lucie Quigley: http://www.holtmodern.com/  Love the colors and the fade thing on top. 

Maureen...I totally agree with you about Lucy. I list her site as a GREAT example on my "PRETTY" blog.

Karen,

I agree with you about the "directory sites" that a foundation training company provides.

But I think there comes a time when the chicks need to leave the nest and fly on their own.

Me

Here is information I can pass on to my clients. It could help them to understand and appreciate the value-added feature that home staging offers.  OH! and I particularly like this link to the home stager's transformations because it shows the before/after picture. I am a great believer in the "one picture/thousand words" theory.

Craig, I'm glad that you honored these business owners for their showcase websites. (You forgot one though.) Thanks for the guidance and kick in the seat to post a gallery on my own site.

Sue  

These are wonderful! I love looking at the before and after pictures to show how drastically the changes transform the rooms. Thanks so much for sharing this!

One other thing to keep in mind when you're developing a website - SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  Sometimes the prettiest sites are never seen.  If you want to expand your staging business, you can use your website to attract new clients - if you can be found on the search engines.

Here's an example:  www.getstaged2sell.com  It may not be the prettiest site in the bunch, but do a search on Google for Home Staging Los Angeles....

Guess who's in the top spot?

Kathleen

Really enjoyed looking at ALL of the companies web sites that you listed - very informative, and really impressed with the high level of quality and professionalism that is being displayed out there giving credibility to the art form of home staging!

Once again - thanks for the info!

Jeannene Edwards

Craig, I really appreciate this post. High-end, visual candy website are important, especially for Stagers. You would expect a Stager's website to "pop!" I jumped onto the website of one of your local stagers and "YIKES!" ...it was like playing the old video game "Pong!" ....the site only had two pages, and they kept flopping back and forth. While I think content and ease-of-navigation are important, you definitely need to make a stunning first impression, just like you would in a well-staged home!

Hi Craig,

Thanks for the post...it's right on time! When we first started our business we knew it was important to have a web presence so we develop a starter site....NOW we have to re-think the timing for launching our new site. ....by the way it was good to see the other sites.

Craig - I can't agree more! When I was looking for home stagers to help me with my book, I would go to the websites. I was often very astonished at what I saw. I realize that staging creativity and website creativity are not the same, but ........honestly! A website should have color but not too busy, flow, proper positioning, etc. Not that much different than the concepts involved in staging. 

Get a good tech person to put up your site. Get others in your field and others in any field to look at it and tell you what they honestly think. From those comments, tweak your site until it represents what you do best - stage homes! 

Don't let your website turn away clients!

Craig,

Thanks for the post. First impressions are everything. The stager's web site speaks volumes. So when are you branching out?

Craig, the four examples you've provided ARE beautiful and professional looking sites. But I checked out their code and 2 of the 4 are invisible to search engines. So, an attractive site is important, but if no one can find it except the people who already know about you, you're losing at least 95% of your potential market.

Ultimately every home stager should have their own site.

But, being part of a directory on a higher traffic site offers tremendous benefits whether you have your own site or not. There are over 3 million home staging sites. How will a new one get found even if they've done everything "right" in the coding of it.

Debra, great point.  But I believe it really depends on how one USES their site to market themselves.

I would rather personally direct a potential client to a beautiful site than having someone FIND me because I did all the right TECHNICAL work on my site but it was ugly and uninspired.

Again Home Stagers are in an IMAGE INDUSTRY. (Like interior design, like advertising, like fashion, like perfume.)

As for the directory... you are right.  That is what is making Active Rain such a GREAT resource for the consumer... here the public can find many many many stagers now representing nearly EVERY state and province and then go on to easily FIND more info unique and specific to each stager in their profile, and then click right onto the stagers website link. (EVEN if they did NOT optimize their search engine visibility.) And it COSTS the stager NOTHING!

Finally, if the stager choose to write a blog here a magical thing happens... relationship starts. Clients begin to KNOW the stager through their OWN words, NOT via a slick packaged presence a website has.

So I get and agree with what you are saying, but...

Me

I really agree with the importance of a great web site.  Mine is homemade by my two sons and I am proud of them.  I hope to get a photographer soon to help me with lighting.  I think the best time to shoot your rooms is in the evening with artificial lighting set up.  If I had the time, I'd take some photography classes.