HomeGauge News Alert
January 2019
New Logo | SEO Tip | Training | Conferences
Take a gander at HomeGauge's new logo!
Over the upcoming months we'll be launching HomeGauge's new logo — you can see the full color version below. We're excited for it to start appearing on our website and everywhere else our logo is used. Although we love our original logo, we decided it was time for an update.
Why did we change it?
We felt that a change was needed to get current with today's design trends — but that wasn't a big enough reason on its own — there were some practical reasons for this update as well. On mobile devices and other small media, our original logo didn't always reproduce well (the hash marks were just too small). Another big reason for the change was that the original logo didn't always reproduce well when we needed to use it in a single color. These reasons became more evident as we started to build our upcoming cloud-based version of HomeGauge. In short, changing our logo became important because we are modernizing our products across the board. New and updated products are coming out this year!
The same, but different
We know people have a strong connection to logos, so we tried to be careful and not wander too far off from the original theme. We kept the same colors and kept the gauge as the main icon. It's intended to be an evolution, not something completely different. The initial reveal of our new logo at InspectionWorld 2019 was well received, so we think we got it right. Still, we know that it's all a matter of opinion and we'd love to hear your thoughts! Send an email to newlogo@homegauge.com to tell us what you think.
SEO Tip: Make your website come alive with your own YouTube channel
One of the keys to keeping your website alive and healthy is continuously adding fresh and unique content. Adding video is a great way to increase visual engagement as well as improve SEO (Search Engine Optimization). However, don't make the mistake of uploading video files directly to your own website. Viewing videos that have been uploaded to your website can slow your site's speed and load time, which can negatively impact your search engine rankings. Instead, you should create a YouTube channel and upload your videos there. Embedding your YouTube channel videos in your website won't slow it down and will help to drive new traffic.
Don't undervalue video search for SEO
YouTube has become one of the Internet's largest search engines, with billions of searches per month. That means that your business needs to appear in those results too! And as a bonus, video results are common in the main search engines as well. Do not skip video in your SEO efforts!
You are already doing most of the work anyway
If you are already making videos to put in your home inspection reports, you won't need to do much else. One small change to your normal video routine would be to introduce yourself and your company name before explaining the issue that you found. This might mean making a separate video just for your YouTube channel, but even that would only add a couple of minutes to your day. Once you have your YouTube channel created, you can upload these videos, including descriptions and a link to your website for each one — this can really boost your SEO over time. And even better, you can use these exact same videos for Facebook posts to promote your business and post them on your website to have fresh content. We're firm believers in making the most out of any original content.
Creating a YouTube channel is quick and easy
Please don't be driven away by this part of the process. I promise that creating your own YouTube channel is easy. Here's how:
- If you do not already have one, sign up for a Google/gmail account for your business.
- Sign in to YouTube with your Google account and click on the user icon at the top right of the screen.
- Click on My Channel, then click on the link to Use a business or other name. Be sure to click on that link! Add your company name and click Create.
- Once done, you can customize your channel. Click on the edit icons to add a banner image and logo.
Ok, so now what?
After you've created a video you want to use, you can click on the upload button while logged into your YouTube channel (found in the upper right of the page). During the upload process you can add a description of the video, including keyword tags, and add a link to your website. After your video is uploaded and ready to go, you can copy the embed code to put the video on your website and also get the link for the video to post about it on your Facebook business page. That's a lot of potential exposure for a video that you were going to make anyway during your inspection.
Final thoughts
It's important to keep in mind that SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. It is a continuous process that builds over time. One video upload or a single blog post isn't likely to bring you instantly to the top of Google's non-paid search results, but keep it up and over time you will see results. If you are looking for help with your SEO efforts, please consider HomeGauge's SEO Builder program, which includes custom blog writing. Our SEO team knows what they are doing and can really help boost your business!
HomeGauge 3-day training class
Come in out of the cold for a few days of learning in March for HomeGauge's next 3-day training class. Our March training will focus on organization and efficiency. It's time to start working smarter, not harder, and our training team can help!
This class is being held March 13-15, 2019 in Asheville, NC. Cost for the class is $300 for the first attendee, $200 for each additional (multi-inspector firms only). Be sure to reserve your spot today — (828) 254-2030, Option 1. We can't wait to see you there!
Home Inspection Conferences
If you're coming to one of these conferences, bring us cookies!
NCLHIA (Durham, NC)
March 1-2, 2019
KREIA Spring Conference (Frankfort, KY)
March 8-9, 2019
FABI Spring Conference (Maitland, FL)
March 8-10, 2019
Home Inspectors Association of BC (Vancouver, BC)
March 22-24, 2019
A HomeGauge training class will be held on March 21st, the day before the HIABC conference. This class is free for attendees of the conference and $99 for non-attendees. Call Maria at HomeGauge to reserve your spot today: (828) 254-2030, Option 1. Space is limited.
GAHI Spring Conference (Atlanta, GA)
March 29-30, 2019
Until next time,
Russell Buchanan
HomeGauge Software
russell@homegauge.com
(828) 254-2030