Do you have more elbow grease than the average person? Are you so organized that you could teach Marie Kondo a thing or two? Do you instinctively know the best and quickest methods for cleaning up a mess? Do you notice dust and grime in places where others wouldn’t?
If this describes you, and you’re interested in starting a side hustle to make extra cash, then starting a house cleaning business might be the perfect fit for you.
Starting a house cleaning service includes steps like purchasing supplies, deciding on pricing, and registering your business with the local municipal office.
This article, however, will cover one of the most critical aspects of starting a business—why you need a website and how to set up your house cleaning website yourself.
Why Do You Need a Website for Your House Cleaning Side Hustle?
When it comes to landing clients for your cleaning business, you have to market your services in places where people look for house cleaners—local online search results.
Did you know 97% of people learn more about a local company online than anywhere else? Additionally, 88% of searches for local businesses on a mobile device either call or visit the business within 24 hours. These stats mean if you want to find customers, you have to have a website.
You may be wondering if it’s sufficient to list your house cleaning services on websites like Angie’s List and Care.com. While it certainly won’t hurt your marketing efforts, it’s important to remember two things:
- Autonomous websites optimized for local search appear first on Google, and
- There is so much competition on aggregated service lists that it’s challenging to stand out in the crowd.
When you create your own website, you have a high chance of ranking in the local search results, and your website visitors will see your contact information only.
Not only will a well-designed website help you attract new house cleaning clients, but it will also help you explain your services, establish credibility, and provide a surefire way for potential clients to contact you.
When push comes to shove, starting a website for your side hustle is the only way to go.
How to Build Your House Cleaning Website with HostGator
You’ve already done the hard work to get everything ready to start your house cleaning side hustle. It’s time to give yourself a break and let HostGator do the hard work when it comes to setting up your website.
You don’t have to know how to fiddle with code or do web design to get your website up and running with HostGator. All you have to do is follow six easy steps, select the perfect template, and use a drag and drop builder. Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting started.
Step 1: Pick a hosting plan for your house cleaning side hustle website.
HostGator’s intuitive Gator Website Builder has three hosting plans available. Which one should someone looking to build a website for a house cleaning service pick?
Since you won’t be selling anything online, you probably don’t need the eCommerce plan.
The starter plan includes a free domain, 200+ customizable templates, a drag-and-drop editor, cloud hosting, and website analytics.
If you know you’ll need priority support while creating and maintaining your website, opt for the premium package.
Once you’ve picked either the starter plan or premium plan, click “buy now†and you can set up your account.
Step 2: Pick a domain name for your house cleaning website.
Now that you’ve picked out your web hosting package, it’s time to select a domain name. This is the URL people will type in to access your house cleaning website. Every Gator Website Builder package includes a free domain, so there is no need to purchase a domain from a separate domain hosting company.
To pick your domain, all you have to do is type something related to house cleaning in the “get domain†box. If your top choice for your website isn’t available, then select another until you find one that is available.
If you are set on a specific domain name, but the .com version is already taken, you can select another top-level domain.
Need help picking a domain name? Read our guide to choosing the best domain name for your business.
If you already have a domain name, then you can connect it to your HostGator account by clicking “connect it here.â€
Step 3: Create your HostGator account.
Once you have selected a domain name, it’s time to connect your HostGator account. Enter your email address or connect via Facebook, enter your payment information, and you’re officially part of the HostGator family.
Step 4: Pick a template for your website.
As mentioned above, Gator Website Builder comes with pre-designed and proven templates. That’s right. You don’t have to design anything yourself or know how to code. Scroll through more than 200 professionally-designed templates and select the one that works for you.
Step 5: Add pages and content to your house cleaning website.
Once you have selected the perfect template for your side hustle website, you can start editing. Clicking “start editing†will send you to your dashboard where you can add, edit, and delete pages.
For a cleaning side hustle website, you may want to include the following pages:
- Home. The home page provides an overview of your side hustle business.
- About. The about page offers insight into who you are and the experience you have.
- Services. The services page includes a list of what cleaning services you offer.
- Contact. A contact page is a perfect way to let potential customers reach out to you via email, phone, or contact form.
When it comes to building a website for your house cleaning side hustle, it’s best to keep it simple.
You’ll also be pleased to know that Gator Website Builder includes a drag and drop builder to make it easy to design your pages. All you have to do is point and click. However, if you have any questions, Gator Website Builder also includes a free and easy step-by-step guide for reference that you can access at any time.
To access this guide, click the “menu†icon next to the Gator by HostGator logo and select the “getting started tour.â€
Step 6: Review your content and launch your house cleaning website.
The last step is to review your website, make any changes, and then publish your house cleaning website. By clicking “preview,†you can see your site in full.
During your preview, review your website and make sure everything looks perfect.
If everything looks right, then click the “finish preview†button at the top and then “publish website†at the top of the dashboard.
Gator Website Builder will present a series of quick steps to help you go live.
That’s all it takes!
Launching Your House Cleaning Website
Starting a house cleaning side hustle is a great way to make additional money. And, owning a website is the perfect way to market your services and get clients.
For more information about how to get started with your website, check out the Gator Website Builder today.
Ashley R. Cummings is a professional freelance writer specializing in SaaS, tech, and advertising/marketing. In a previous life, she was a Russian teacher at Brigham Young University, a corporate trainer, and a grad student—all at the same time. When she’s not writing, you can find her traveling the world with her 2 kids and husband, reading poetry or taking a deep dive into the fabulous world of comedy. Connect with her on Twitter at @ashleyrcummings.