One of the benefits of using WordPress is the flexibility it provides. The coding that controls the design is broken up into segments. This means you can easily adjust certain aspects of the blog, such as the sidebar or footer, without affecting other areas. You can also make certain changes to the main-page template that won’t affect the individual blog posts, and vice-versa. Pretty handy. Because of this segmentation, you can customize a WordPress theme more so than a Blogger template (another popular blogging program).

Of course, it helps to understand HTML and PHP coding. Your WordPress theme is mainly built around these two types of web code. So if you want to customize some aspect of the theme, you’ll need to be familiar with HTML /XHTML and PHP. Are you familiar with these things? If so, you simply need to find your way to the “Editor” section of your control panel, and edit the appropriate file for the area in question (header, footer, sidebar, etc.). If you’re not familiar with HTML or PHP, you’ll probably need to get help from someone who is. It really depends on what you’re trying to customize, within the theme.

The Parts of a WordPress Theme

See the image to the right, down below? This is a snapshot I took of the theme files within the WordPress interface. These are the files you would need to change in order to customize the appearance of your blog. To reach them, you would simply log in to your WordPress program and then select “Appearance” >> “Editor” from the left-hand menu. After that, you’ll see something similar to the image below.

The types and names of files that show up will vary, depending on the WordPress blog theme you are using. Some themes use a basic structure, and therefore don’t require many template files. Others are more complex, and require more files to support that complexity.

In the image to the right, you’re seeing the following items:

• 404 Template — You probably know this better as “Page Not Found.” If somebody searches for a page on my blog that does not exist (or has been deleted), they will see my 404 page. I can change the message they see by customizing this part of my WordPress theme.
• Comments – This one is self-explanatory. It controls the look and feel of the comments section of the blog.
• Footer and Header — These are also pretty straightforward. This is the coding that makes up the top and bottom of your site.
• Main Index — Any changes you make here will only apply to the main / home page. In most cases, at least.
• Page Template — This controls the appearance and structure of your pages.
• Sidebar — This is the area you were asking about. If you want to customize the sidebar of your WordPress theme, you would do it through this file.
• Single Post — This controls the actual posts / entries of your blog.
• Stylesheet – Here’s another important file. If you want to customize the appearance of common elements (like the fonts, colors and overall layout), you would need adjust your stylesheet.

Before You Customize Anything…

You should always save a copy of each file before changing it. That way, you can always put the original code back in place if you “break” something. I can’t stress this enough. Save the original first, and then make changes to it. You can do this in one of two ways. You can copy the code from the file in question, and then paste it into a text file. Or you can use an FTP tool to download the file in question from your hosting account, and save it on your computer. Either way, you need to have a backup before you try to customize a WordPresss blog with the theme editor.

I would also recommend making one change at a time, and then viewing the blog to see how it affected the design. It’s a lot easier to undo a single mistake than a dozen of them. This is also a good way to become more familiar with the inner workings of your blogging program and design files.

This article answers the question: How do I customize my WordPress theme design? If you found this article helpful, be sure to bookmark this site for future reference. There are many more blogging tips coming soon.

If you asked an Internet marketing company (which I’m not), they would tell you about all kinds of “secret” techniques for boosting your traffic levels. In truth, there’s nothing secret about the process at all. Do you want to know the one thing that will increase blog traffic, more than anything else? Here it is. Prepare to be amazed…

Create a high-quality blog that’s worth visiting.

If you can do this, everything else will take care of itself. Here’s what I mean. Let’s talk about the different ways people can find you online. Most people will reach your site in one of three ways:

1. They will come from another site that is linking to you.
2. They will find you through the search engines.
3. They will visit your blog directly, by typing the URL / web address.

If you publish great information on a regular basis, you will increase traffic through all three of these paths. The more useful your blog is, the more people who will link to it. This helps you with items #1 and #2 above. The steady acquisition of inbound links (from other sites) will improve your “site referral” traffic as well as your search engine rankings. As for item #3 above, people will remember your blog and revisit often if they find it useful or engaging in some way.

Here’s the bottom line. There are millions of blogs online today. Literally. So launching a new one is similar to putting another grain of sand on a beach. If you want to attract links, boost your search engine rankings, and increase traffic to your blog, you have to develop quality content. Everything else is secondary to this.

More Tips for Blog Traffic

This blog is just a hobby of mine. So I’m not concerned with how it ranks in the search engines, or how many people link to it. But I do put a lot of effort into my network of real estate blogs, and I’m very concerned with the traffic they receive. Here is how I increase blog traffic to those websites:

• I publish often. Quality of content is most important, but quantity helps too. I post at least one article per day on my other blogs. This gives people a reason to come back. It also makes those websites serve as valuable resources, which encourages other webmasters to link to them.
• I create useful, in-depth information. The Internet is overcrowded with “puff” pieces. These are articles people write just for search engine visibility. You’ve probably encountered this kind of content online. It doesn’t say anything specific, and it’s not very useful. It’s just full of puffery. Nobody will link to an article like that, and nobody will remember it either.
• I do plenty of audience research. The best thing you can do to attract a target audience is to find out what interest them. You can use keyword research tools like this one at Google to generate topic ideas. You can also visit web forums related to your industry to see which topics are generating the most buzz. Talking directly to your customers / readers certainly helps too. The more you can learn about your audience, the better you serve them with useful information.
• I seek feedback constantly. About once a week, I check my website analytics to see which pages / articles are generating the most traffic. This helps me understand what interests my audience the most. I also check my backlinks (links from other websites to mine) to see what pages are attracting the most links. It only makes sense to create more of these pages.
• I create a lot of lists and step-by-step tutorials. These are helpful to my readers, and they also attract links from other bloggers and web publishers. This improves the overall search engine visibility of any website.

These are just a few of the things you can do to bring in more visitors. Just don’t forget about the conversion side of things. All of the traffic in the world won’t help you if people simply leave the site. So you need to work on your lead- and sales-generation at the same time.

This article answers the question: How do I increase my blog traffic to find new customers? There are many more Q&A sessions on the way. Be sure to check back often.

With this strategy, you would basically create an “army” of Internet publishers (bloggers and webmasters) who would promote your products and services for you. Depending on your business model and your marketing budget, it might be worth pursuing. The better you understand it, the easier it will be to decide. So let’s look at an example of affiliate marketing in action:

Example of Affiliate Marketing

Let’s say I own a printing company. I want to attract more customers from the Internet, but I don’t have a very big staff. My marketing department is one guy. I could create an affiliate marketing program to broaden my reach. I would first devise some kind of commission structure, so my affiliates have a reason to promote my business. I decide that I’ll give them 10% of whatever sales they generate. Then I start recruiting publishers.

In this scenario, I would go after bloggers or webmasters who get a lot of web traffic for my keywords. These people would then promote my products / services, and they would earn commissions for the sales they generated.

This is how affiliate marketing works, in a nutshell. The most complex part of it is tracking sales, commissions, etc. So if you’re serious about pursuing this kind of strategy, you should work with a service like Commission Junction or LinkShare. They handle most of the technical stuff for you, and they also give you access to a lot of publishers. It’s the easiest approach, by far.

Is it a Good Marketing Strategy for You?

Is affiliate marketing any good for your business? To answer this question, you need to consider two key factors — cost and control. This kind of marketing strategy can remove some of the promotional burden from your shoulders, but you’ll pay for those benefits. For one thing, you’ll have to create a strong enough commission structure to attract successful publishers (the kinds of people who do this for a living). You’ll also pay some kind of fee to the affiliate networking service you use.

Control is another key consideration. With this method, you are essentially creating a bunch of marketing “deputies” who will promote your business far and wide. Are you comfortable giving this kind of mission to strangers? If not, then affiliate marketing might not be a good idea for you. Granted, you can establish all sorts of guidelines for your program. But that doesn’t mean people are going to follow them.

My advice is to experiment with it on a small scale, with some hand-picked publishers. That’s the best way to measure the results, without losing control of your program.

This article answers the question: How does affiliate marketing work, anyway? Stay tuned for more Q&A…

They will eventually find it on their own, as they continuously search the web for new sites. But there are some things you can do to expedite the process. It all has to do with inbound links. These are links from other web sites to yours. If you can get a few links to your new website (ideally from well-established sites), the search engines will find you within a couple of days.

This leads to the next question webmasters ask: “How do I get other sites to link to mine?”

The long-term approach is to publish quality content that other people will find useful, interesting, controversial, etc. This will encourage other webmasters to link to your site on their own. In the short term, you can get links by submitting your website to a directory, or by publishing some articles online. If you have some news to share, you could also publish a press release through a service like PRWeb.com. These are all ways to get links from existing, well-established sites.

As a new webmaster, you’ll eventually get some spam emails from “companies” offering to add your website to search engines like Google. You can delete these emails. There’s no need to pay anyone for “search engine submission.” It’s a complete waste of money.

I would also warn you against using a “link-building company. These people charge you to build links to your site, in order to boost your rankings in Google, Yahoo, etc. While it’s true that link help with rankings, many of these companies go about it all wrong. Thus, they can do a lot more harm than good.

This article answers the question: How do I add my new website to search engines like Google? More Internet marketing questions and answers are coming soon.

Truluck’s

If you’re looking for a fine dining experience, and you enjoy good seafood, put Truluck’s on your itinerary. This Austin restaurant has two locations, one downtown and one in the Arboretum. They have a variety of seafood dishes and steaks, but they are particularly good at shellfish and crab.

They even have their own fishery in Florida, with a fleet of crabbing boats. When it comes to stone crab, their motto is “From our traps to your table in less than 24 hours.”

Restaurant locations:

Truluck’s at the Arboretum
10225 Research Blvd, Suite 4000
Austin, TX 78759

Truluck’s downtown
400 Colorado
Austin, TX 78701

Learn more by visiting: http://trulucks.com

Guero’s Taco Bar

No trip to Austin is complete until you pay a visit to Congress Avenue. And it just so happens that one of the city’s best restaurants is located there as well. So it’s a great way to do things at once — give your guests a taste of downtown Austin, and give them a taste of some great Mexican food!

Guero’s is a piece of Austin history right in the heart of downtown. The restaurant has been at its current location since 1995, but the building itself has been around for over 100 years. It used to be a local “feed and seed” store. This popular Austin restaurant offers some delicious food to boot! They are known for their tacos (being a taco bar and all), but they have a wide variety of tasty dishes. The enchilada with molé sauce is one of my personal favorites. Try one of their top-shelf margaritas, while you’re at it. Or try several of them, so long as you have a designated driver.

This restaurant is located at:
1412 South Congress Ave.
Austin, Texas 78704

Learn more by visiting: www.guerostacobar.com

Alamo Drafthouse

The Alamo is another great place to take your guests, because you can combine food and drink with good movies. Like any drafthouse worthy of the name, the Alamo has a large selection of beers on tap. Their menu offers a lot of “bar food” options, such as burgers and fish tacos, but they put their own spin on most dishes. I enjoy the Alamo burger paired with an Arrogant Bastard, but that’s just me.

It’s not fine dining, nor does it claim to be. But it’s a great place to have a casual lunch or dinner while watching a flick. They also have a lot of movie-themed events and special menus, mostly for the evening shows. It’s an Austin original, and that’s why it is on this list.

Restaurant location:
There are four different Alamo Drafthouse locations around the Austin area. For individual show times and other information, visit www.drafthouse.com.

Hula Hut

Good food and a fun atmosphere make the Hula Hut one of the best Austin restaurants for your out-of-town guests. This establishment is located on Lake Austin, with a pier-like dining area that extends out over the water. It even has a boat dock with to-go service.

Their food is a mix of Mexican and Polynesian cuisine, so there’s bound to be something for everyone. I recommend the fish tacos or the Hula Hut burger — you can’t go wrong with either of them.

This restaurant is located at:
3825 Lake Austin Blvd.
Austin, Texas 78703

Learn more by visiting: www.hulahut.com

The Oasis Restaurant

The food has improved over the years, though it still leaves something to be desired. But The Oasis restaurant was never really known for its food. This Austin restaurant is known for the breathtaking views of Lake Travis, and it certainly delivers in that department. It’s not just marketing lingo when they claim to have some of the best views in Austin — it’s actually true.

Even if you only have appetizers and drinks, it’s worth the drive (the drive is pretty scenic too, by the way).

This restaurant is located at:
6550 Comanche Trail
Austin, Texas 78732

Learn more by visiting: www.oasis-austin.com

Find Professional Roofers
Click the link below to start your free search:
Find Local Roofing Services. Get Up to 4 Quotes Now. It’s Quick, Free, and Easy!

After clicking the link above, you will be asked for some basic information about your project. Then you’ll receive free estimates from local roofers.

Choose Your Roofing Company with Caution

Let me tell you a quick story about roof repair and roofing contractors in Austin, Texas. There’s a moral to the story — I promise. And there’s a chance this has happened to you as well:

Last week, a man knocked on my door and asked if my roof had been damaged by a recent hail storm. It hadn’t rained a drop on my house in over three weeks, so I asked him what storm he was referring to. I said, “Do you mean the one last month?” And he nodded and said, “Oh yeah, I guess it has been a while.” That was the first red flag. This Austin roofing contractor did not know what he was talking about, yet he was willing to say anything to get his foot in the door.

I told him my roof was fine and that it did not need repair, and then I started to close the door. He quickly spoke up and said that the shingles could be bruised, which could lead to more serious damage later on. By this point, I was pretty angry with his intrusion. So I walked out to my front yard and looked up at the roof and said, “I can see the shingles plain as day from right here, and they seem to be in great shape to me. So thanks for stopping by.”

Normally, an Austin roofer would get the message by this point, and would simply move on to the next homeowner. But not this guy. He told me that certain damages cannot be seen from ground level, and that he would need to get up on the roof to perform a more thorough assessment. That was the second red flag. He was trying to conjure roof repairs where none were needed, out of sheer desperation. I told him goodbye and closed the door in his face. He was still talking when it slammed shut. Jeez!

A Better Way to Find Roof Repair in Austin

Why am I telling you all this? Because the roofing industry is plagued by scam artists and people who make a living by lying to homeowners like you and me. They’re certainly not all bad. On the contrary, many Austin roofers combine honest business practices with solid work ethics, and have been serving the Austin area for many years. But there are quite a few “fly by night” roofing contractors who will do or say anything to get a roof repair job, even when those repairs are clearly not needed. Many of them are from out of town, or even from out of state. They swoop in after a storm to turn a quick profit. They locally owned roof companies refer to them as “storm chasers.”

In the past, the only way you could learn about Austin roofers was through the phone book. Fortunately, that has changed. Today you can use the Internet to learn more about roofing contractors than you ever could in the past — if you use the right website, that is. For example, if you visit the website I’ve listed below, you’ll be able to read customer reviews for a variety of roof repair companies in the Austin area. You’ll also know that they are properly licensed and insured, because the third-party website where they are listed performs a comprehensive background check.

Find Local Roofing Services. Get Up to 4 Quotes Now. It’s Quick, Free, and Easy!

This is certainly better than choosing a roofer out of the phone book, because you don’t really know anything about them from their own advertisements. It is far better to choose an Austin roofing contractor based on honest and objective reviews.

If this kind of approach appeals to you, use the link provided at the top of this page to continue. You can provide some basic information about the type of repair work you need, and then you’ll be able to view contractors in town who provide those services. You’ll also have access to customer ratings and comments, among other things. Now that’s a smart way to find your next roofing professional.

Austin Tenant Advisors
We are a commercial real estate firm that helps companies find available Austin office space and industrial/warehouse space to lease or purchase. We act as your virtual in-house real estate department helping to cut costs and free up your time.
www.austintenantadvisors.com

Ten years ago, it was a lot easier to lease or purchase office space in the Austin area, because there weren’t as many companies located in town. Things have changed over the years. Many of the big names (such as Dell) still remain in Austin, Texas, but there has been steady growth among small and medium-sized businesses. This influx of companies has outpaced the growth of the commercial real estate market. As a result, it can be a bit more challenging to find suitable office space in Austin these days. Challenging, but certainly not impossible.

The best way to purchase or lease office space in town is by using a locator service. There are several companies in Austin that specialize in finding office space for companies like yours. Not only can these companies save you time and energy, but they can also help you find property that meets your exact requirements.

Office Space Experts – List Your Business

The Austin Business Blog tries to connect local businesses with the people who need their services. If you offer services related to office space rental or purchase, and you would like to appear on this website, please visit this page to create a listing.

Are you considering a move to Austin, Texas? Wondering if it’s the right place for you to live? Well, this is a life decision you have to make for yourself. But as long-time Austin residents, we feel there are plenty of reasons to support such a decision. Here’s our list of reasons to live in Austin — enjoy!

1. In 2009, Austin ranked #1 on Forbes magazine’s list of “Best Cities for Recession Recovery.” This is a testament to the city’s affordable housing, growing economy, and well-educated workforce. The authors said that “from now to the end of 2010, the economy of Austin is projected to grow by $5 billion, and unemployment has stayed relatively subdued.”
2. A few months earlier, Forbes also listed Austin as one of the top-ten cities where Americans are relocating. They said it has a lot to do with “the metro area’s thriving music, film and fine arts scenes, but it’s also about the employers, which include University of Texas, Advanced Micro Devices and Dell.”
3. Also in 2009, Austin showed up on Yahoo Finance’s list of best places to live in 2009. According to the author: “If you’re a free spirit, music junkie, or barbecue lover–or if you simply have what it takes to ‘keep Austin weird’–Texas’s state capital is for you. The city’s warm climate offers plenty of sunshine, while the open green spaces don’t provide any excuse for staying indoors.”
4. Again in 2009, Austin appeared on U.S. News & World Report’s list of best places to live. You will soon see a trend with these lists.
5. Yet again in 2009, MSNBC took a stab at the “best places” list by compiling the results of several other publications. Austin ranked #8 on this list.
6. Forbes magazine listed Austin as #1 on its 2009 list of best cities for jobs, in the big cities category. According to the author: “Job growth between 2004 and 2008 was a whopping 14.8%–and even between 2007 and 2008, overall growth remained in the black.”
7. Austin also appeared at the top of Cooking Light magazine’s list of best cities. This particular list focused on healthy living and eating. According to the author: “Austin has an abundance of vegetarian restaurants that make creative use of produce from the city’s 10 farmers’ markets.”
8. In 2008, Austin ranked #6 on Kiplinger’s annual ranking of best cities in the United States. The authors said: “Austin and the surrounding region offer a strong economy, a solid, moderately priced housing market, a growing population and enough natural beauty to justify staying outside even if the weather weren’t great — which, by the way, it is.”
9. Also in 2008, Austin ranked #1 on Forbes magazine’s list of cities that were the “Best Bang for the Buck.” This particular list ranked cities based on affordable housing, job growth, and other economic factors. According to the author: “Residents [of Austin] enjoy affordable housing and promising prospects for job growth in coming years.”
10. Again in 2008, Austin showed up in Smart Money magazine’s list of five best cities for job hunting. The authors stated that: “Overall, this metropolitan area registered the fourth largest job growth — 2.89% — between March 2007 and March 2008 of all the cities Milken surveyed.”
11. In 2006, Austin ranked #2 on Money magazine’s list of best places to live (in the big cities category).
12. Also in 2006, the city tied for 3rd place in a list of the smartest cities, published by BizJournals.com. Actually, this list merely ranked cities with the highest percentage of college graduates. And let’s face it — you don’t have to be a genius to get a bachelor’s degree in this country. So perhaps it’s better to say that is Austin is a well-educated city, relatively speaking.
13. Again in 2006, Austin showed up in the top five cities that Kiplinger’s considered smart places to live. The authors referred to the city as a “sophisticated salsa of culture, history and politics.” Nice.
14. In 2003, Austin ranked #1 on Forbes magazine’s best cities for singles. According to the author: “Picture a place where thousands of young people run along the riverbank to tone their bodies, the days are filled with sunshine, and the supply of high-paying jobs is as endless as Texas itself. That place is Austin, Texas

Our Own Reasons to Live in Austin

Okay. So a lot of people have good things to say about Austin, Texas, as a place to live and work. But that’s just what they say. We have a few of our reasons for living in Austin, and here’s the top ten…

• Climate — Sure, we could have used a little more rainfall last summer, and it does get hot in the summers. But there’s a lot to be said for being active outdoors all year round. The Austin winters are short and relatively mild. Snow and ice are rare occurrences.
• Bats — We have huge bat colonies living under various bridges in the city, most of them beneath the Congress Avenue bridge downtown. Yes, they are a novelty and a tourist attraction. But they’re also the best form of insect control. I grew up in Virginia, where I often became “mosquito fodder” on summer evenings. I do not have that problem here. So I say thank you, Tadarida brasiliensis (i.e., Mexican free-tail  bats)!
• Music — Admittedly, I do not take in the local music scene as much as I should. But it’s still nice to know it’s there, whenever I want to enjoy it. They don’t call it the “Live Music Capital of the World” for nothing. In addition to all of the nightly venues, Austin sponsors several music festivals each year — the world-famous South by Southwest and ACL Festival among them.
• Food — Here’s the Austin food recipe, in a nutshell. Take one part classic Tex-Mex, add a healthy dose of backyard barbecue, and then mix in a variety of international flavors and a rising “foodie” movement. What do you end up with? Something for everyone!
• Health Care — Austin has a lot of great health care options. And if you drive 15 miles north to nearby Round Rock, you’ll find a lot more. This area is fast becoming one of the premier medical regions of the United States.
• Activities — We have lakes. We have rivers. We have rolling hills. We have miles and miles of hike-and-bike trails. We have more open park space than most comparable cities in the U.S. We have festivals, concerts and other events that fill the calendar all year long.
• Housing Costs — As you can see from all of the “Best City” lists featured at the top of this page, Austin has very affordable housing. On top of that, we have avoided the kind of risky speculation that creates real estate bubbles — bubbles that eventually implode. Your housing dollar will go a long way in the Austin area.
• Education — Tim left a comment below to remind me of another great reason to live in Austin, Texas. There are plenty of opportunities for higher education in and around the city. These include the University of Texas, St. Edward’s University, Austin Community College and more.

What Are Your Reasons for Living in Austin, Texas?

We want to hear from you! What do you like about living in Austin? If you have something to add to this list — some quality or characteristic that’s not listed above — let us know. Use the comment box at the bottom of this page. We will add your comments to this section of the list.

Are you looking for an apartment in the Austin area? If so, you’ve just found a great way to save time and energy in the process. Click the link below to access Austin apartment finders through the Apartments.com website. It’s the easiest way to find your next place.

Generally speaking, there are two ways to find your next apartment. You can take the time-wasting approach, which involves making dozens of phone calls to check pricing and availability. Or, you can take the smart approach, which involves using the link provided above. By using an apartment finder service like Apartments.com, you can shave hours off the search process.

How the Apartment Search Works

First, click on the link provided above to access the Apartments.com website. Next, choose an area within Austin where you want to live. You will then be asked to provide details about the kind of Austin apartment you want to rent — number of bedrooms, maximum rent amount, air conditioning, pool, etc.

After you provide these details, you’ll be given a list of apartments that meet your criteria. Click on a particular complex that interests you, and you request availability information by email.

Using an online locator like this one will save you plenty of time, and for several reasons:

• You’ll only be shown Austin apartments that meet your chosen criteria (size, location, rent amount, etc.).
• You’ll only be shown apartments that have units available.
• You’ll be able to request more information online, without making any phone calls.
• You can narrow down your list to the most likely candidates — and then you can make phone calls.

Best of all, you don’t pay anything for the online apartment finder, because the website is entirely free to use. They get paid by the property owners — not by renters. And that’s another good reason to use this option.

Other Apartment Finders in Austin

In addition to the web-based search strategy outlined above, you could also use a “live” apartment finder service. This is where somebody actually drives you around the Austin area to find a suitable place. Most of these services are free, but not all of them. So be sure to ask about the cost before you choose this kind of locator company. You can find plenty of these services online by doing a Google search. I’m not going to make a list of them here, because I recommend the link provided at the top of this page (it’s the quickest approach).

I hope this information helps you find an Austin apartment that’s perfect for you. Remember, most of the apartment finders mentioned in this article are free to use, and they can save you a lot of time and effort. So check them out for yourself. Good luck finding your place!

Get a Quote Today
Click the link below to find Austin plumbers:
Find Local Plumbing Services. Get Free Quotes!

Tips for Choosing Your Austin Plumber

Remember the “old days” when the Yellow Pages were the only way to find an Austin plumber to help you? Well, those days are over. The Internet is the best way to find a plumbing professional these days, and there are several reasons for this.

Consider, for a moment, the limitations of a Yellow Pages ad. When you see a plumber’s ad, the only thing you learn is what the plumber wants you to know. Now, consider a website like Service Magic (link provided above). When you find an Austin, Texas plumber by using a service directory website, you get to view customer ratings and comments about the plumber. This gives you a more well-rounded view of the company’s history, professionalism, customer service and more. Much better than a phone book ad!

There’s another benefit to using the website link provided above. All of the Austin plumbers you find through the directory have been pre-screened for you. Just to be listed in the directory, they must have a clean record with the Better Business Bureau, proper licensing and insurance, and more. When you combine this with the customer reviews the website offers, you’ll probably agree that it’s the best way to find a plumber in the Austin area.

It’s also important to choose the right plumbing professional for the job you have in mind. For example, if you want to add a bathroom to your home, you wouldn’t want to choose a plumber who specializes in basic repairs. You would need to find an expert in plumbing additions and expansion. So be very specific when you write your project description. And when you start talking to Austin plumbers by phone or email, ask if they have experience with the type of project you have in mind. If the contractor says, “no, but I think I can handle it,” then you need to keep looking.

I hope this information helps you find the right plumbing professional for your needs. Remember, make sure your contractor is licensed to work in Texas, and that he has the proper insurance. This is an absolute minimum. On top of these basic criteria, you should do some homework to learn what kind of service record the contractor has. Good luck.