This story about the website of Toronto home stagers starts about a year and a half ago when I found out that my home staging website had been built on a Flash platform and that Search Engines only recognize one page because it is like a video. At the time this concerned me but my website designer promised to (for a fee) get me onto the first page of web searches consistently. After all, what did I know about this stuff and how to do that? This worked for a little while, but not very well. When he asked for a monthly retainer to keep on doing this, I dropped him. He would send me links to show where my site was located when doing searches with different keywords. But if I would do a search starting from scratch, my site was nowhere to be found. So, enough of that, spending money when it showed no results, was not the answer!
I lived with this for a while and then decided to contract someone else to redo my website despite the fact that I love what I had so painstakingly put together.
When things started slowing down, being passionate about and loving home staging, I realized I needed to do something about not appearing on the searches. The new designer has been very slow in finalizing the new format and I did not want to throw good money after bad so I decided to get involved; nothing like knowing what things are all about and being in control (much like staging)!
Well after much research and work and still using my Flash based website, I am appearing at the top of the 2nd page and hope to continue inching up! I still have a lot of work to do - like updating my before and after pictures and going back to my original designer to change the wording. Having been in the business a while now and knowing what is required to make one's site user friendly, the whole narrative needs to be revisited.
But a word of thanks to all the AR bloggers - been getting the Active Rain Newsletter regularly of late and going through it - who have addressed topics regarding SEO and what to do to increase one's rating; they have given me a lot of insight as to problems and solutions and made me push on. A few weeks ago when I started appearing anywhere from page seven to ten, I knew I was heading in the right direction.
And a word of advice to home stagers who have or are in the process of developing a website: know what it is you want; look at other home stagers' websites and see what you like and don't like; become familiar with the lingo of website and website design i.e. SEO, html, meta tags etc. - they can all be researched on the web; ask about the importance of search engine optimization (SEO), meta tags and keywords. And if you are developing your own site, find out what your website host has to offer. They quite often have helpful "wizards" that you can make use of.
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Certified Staging Professional, owner of HG Staging and reDesign. Leading edge and excellent customer service. Condos, vacants, occupied homes. GTA. Provide all services needed for home staging
As a Certified Canadian Staging Professional and owner of HG Staging and reDesign I am committed to providing excellent customer service and being a leading edge home stager. With a background in accounting and finance, I know how important it is to secure as much equity as is possible when selling a house and to be financially responsible in staging the home, condo or income property.
I will consult with the listing agent and the homeowner to stage the home so that it will appeal to the largest segment of the target market in the Metro Toronto area.
A home I staged recently sold for 25% above asking with multiple offers on the first weekend on the market. In a soft and competitive market, I staged a home that sold on the first weekend for 99% of asking.
....a home that shows well, sells well....
What is more important when approaching a home then the first impression? Thanks to my Dutch heritage where "house proud" is their mantra, the front or approach to a house is very important and is a reflection of the owners and the interior - neat, clean and showable. Staging the exterior is as important as the interior.
When staging the interior of a home, I utilize as much of the home furnishings as is possible, complimented with rented furniture (if necessary) and accessories to create a well balanced environment with space and flow.
Angela Robertson said:
I was frantic and panicked with the thought of organizing the house in preparation of selling, and I was skeptical about the value of staging even after watching dozens of HGTV home decorating shows. Hendrik calm, non-judgmental assessment left me with a practical list of to-do's if I chose to undertake the work myself, and without pressure or hard-sell, he also left me with options should I wish to use his services. Choosing to use Hendrik's services was the only logical choice, because he offered a one-stop option which meant that all the work would be coordinated, completed within a tight timeline and the esthetics would attract purchasers who could easily see themselves living in the houseo you have any good testimonials that clients have provided you in the past? Be sure to add them here.
Overnight the house was transformed into a picturesque, calm oasis ready of anyone wanting a home. Hendrik's work facilitated sale with multiple offers in 5 days and a final sale $60,000 above the asking price!
Christine Duplessis said:
As the Seller after Hendrik's staging I wanted to put an offer in on the house, as I was now presented with a chic boutique home whose only requirement was to get the keys to the front door.
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