Name of your website?Conservatree4u
Your name?
Chris Tree
Your Location (city, etc)
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Our website is an online presence of the business, which is primarily DIY Conservatories. We provide explanations of conservatory styles and also publish our complete standard range online (including prices). We also have an online contact for those who need further help or assistance.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
Pretty much everyone in our game has to have one nowadays
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
I first launched a website in the late 90's. It was a personal site all about the silly 'poke the ring' game. You know the one where if someone shows you their thumb and finger in a ring shape, you have to try and poke your finger through it (yes that daft game)
How did you decide on a name for your website?
It is all based around my business, my ethical stance and my name. For instance, the business will supply a Conservatory 4 u, we are also going to donate a portion of our company's income to environmental issues, say sustainable forestry programmes, hence Conserve a tree 4 u. Finally, and probably most corny, my surname is Tree, hence 'ConservaTREE' as opposed to the conventional spelling of Conservatory (everybody pronounces it 'conservatree' anyway)
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
We believe it is far easier to navigate than some of the older established companies out there. We've also gone for a bright and lively look and feel as there is definitely a younger market out there that don't go for the old and stayed look of a website. Also in an economic climate where more people are less inclined to move on up the property ladder, we believe again the younger market are choosing to make home improvements to eventually help the value of their property. All in all we're trying to buck the trend a little and move away from the stigma that you are reaching middle to old age before you can be attracted to a conservatory website (our industry is quite old school/old boy still)
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
Ultimately, the goal is to establish a well renowned and successful business. Hopefully to make a living from it, but also to be able to give something back. Although PVCu products are recyclable in themselves, the manufacturing process is itself a fossil fuel intensive process. Hopefully, by addressing the balance a little we can ultimately play our part in protecting our planet.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
Lol! I think I'll just gulp and move on from that question.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Definitely a high level interactive site including 'buy online'. We think more and more people want to decide how and when they buy their products these days. We realise that less and less they want to be 'hounded' by pushy sales people (the double glazing industry has a particularly bad reputation for that), so genuine online purchasing has to be the way forward.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Absolutely. Although, growth can be too quick also. We think it's a case of managing the situation and ensuring it doesn't get out of hand.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Fortunately, none (yet, fingers crossed)
What has been your biggest challenge?
Getting the site to work across several different platforms. I personally didn't realise when we started how many different browsers (and even different versions of browsers) there are out there.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Still analysing, although directory listing seems to be having a reasonable effect. Friends and family have also been invaluable (mainly because they don't tend to charge for publicity)
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
It has, at times, dictated the strategy for developing the business when I always thought it would be the business that dictates the website.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
The site has been up about six months and we will keep it running as long as the business, which hopefully will be a long time to come.
How would you best like to make your mark from running your website?
We would feel a great sense of satisfaction if by taking the ethical stance with our business helps to change the way businesses (particularly our industry) operate. If all the companies who do what we do were to start to contribute just a little, towards environmental issues (in whatever form that takes), then we could say that we made a difference.
What is your website address?
Conservatree4u
