Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Mike_Boxall on July 23, 2007, 03:51:21 pm
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17th September 2007
Hi
Finally we have the site online at http://www.spickandspan-directory.co.uk/
We're still in the process of adding data to it so some categories are empty at the moment. We're also finishing off some more functionality (each listing will have a google map attached to it, for example)
To see the difference between a Free listing and a Featured listing please search for 'Window Cleaning Traditional' in TR27. Tou can then select the first 2 or 3 results (including David Morris Window Cleaning) and compare the results.
We've done our best to accomodate all the suggestions that have been made over the past couple of months and I hope everyone will give the site a try for at least a few months and then let us have some feedback in terms of the business generated. You will start to see the site advertised heavily both online and offline over the next few months. We're keen to keep developing and improving the site so if you have any more ideas then please let us know.
In terms of pricing , there are 3 options. You can get a FREE listing with your name, address and telephone number or you can pay either £15 + vat per month or £150+ vat per year for a featured listing like the Dave Morris example above.
As an incentive for forum members to sign up quickly, we are offering a 10% discount on these prices for the next 2 weeks only. To qualify for this discount you must use the referrer code 'cleanitup' on the sign-up screen. Once you submit your information, the 10% discount will be applied on the following screen.
If you have any questions or comments please let me know
Regards
Mike
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Hi
You may remember a while ago we mentioned about developing a cleaning directory to supplement the forum. At the time, it was said that a number of directories were in the process of being created and / or launched and we decided to wait and see what developed. However, none seem to have got off the ground successfully and we have now decided to continue with the development ourselves.
We are now very close to launching this brand new specialist directory. It will allow end users to find and compare cleaning providers in their area and will offer effective low-cost advertising for contractors of all types.
Our aim is for it to become the UK's leading online advertsing tool for small to medium sized cleaning compaines by providing end-users with specialist information not available elsewhere.
We're working with a number of third parties to offer unique facilities such as insurance verification and trade membership details and we have a comprehensive marketing plan that will guarantee a high volume of users.
What we would like before we launch is some general feedback on your experiences of other online directories you may have tried.
What has worked and what hasn't?
As an advertiser, what features would you like to see?
What features do you think your potential customers would like to see?
How much do you spend on online advertising?
What proportion of your business do you get from online advertising?
If you have any questions or suggestions please post them here.
Regards
Mike Boxall
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A directory that shows legit businesses, there is nothing at all on the net that do that apart from the trading standards directory.
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Sounds like a great idea! hope its up sooner rather than later.
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hi mike
lets have it
can you mail me details of advertising on the directory a.s.a.p
would be more than interested
respect
simon
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Can you send details ASAP to gmcs@minehead.fsbusiness.co.uk
Thanks
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Sounds like a great idea! hope its up sooner rather than later.
It'll be launched within the next 4 weeks and, as soon as it is, you guys will be the first to know
Please don't hesitate to post any more suggestions and / or questions.
Thanks
Mike
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i am interested in this, its about time there was a good directory online.
Could you email me details on : wcs@dungeness.co.uk
thanks
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i am interested in this, its about time there was a good directory online.
Could you email me details on : wcs@dungeness.co.uk
thanks
As soon as we have more information we'll make sure you get it.
Thanks
Mike
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I think you'll have first to market advantage for your directory. And I also think because of this website, and the online window cleaning community that you have allowed to come into being here, that you will have credibility.
Upon reflection though i'm not sure you should mix us all together. The carpet people follow a different business model to us window cleaners, as do wheelie bin cleaners.
My suggestion is bin the others and stick with WC's. Say, The british Registry of window cleaners.
It would have to be free of course ;D(don't choke yes I said free otherwise it couldn't be a registry) providing the criteria (insurance etc is met and an administration charge (£10?) , but for a fuller entry and more prominence then more would be payable.
What can you expect from a british registry of window cleaners listed operator?
Insured
Good standard of work
Honesty
Straight forward agreement of what you pay and what you get for it
You can add or subtract to this but you will need something similar, commerical would be different again (and I haven't got a clue), but I would ask that you at least attempt to use plain english.
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Also, why can't there be some kind of trading standards involvement?
It has clear benefits for them, at least they would know who we are, and they could suspend our registration if need be.
The benefit for us would be thier endorsment of using a properly registered cleaner.
I know you said directory not registry, I'm just saying, you wanted ideas. A directory is an advert, a registry is a factual account, a resource.
You are stuck with it being free i'm afraid ;D if you want to overcome the intial intertia. This strategy is the correct but you need quite a large number of registrants. The way to stop fake registrations is references.
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And, this forum works quite well in as much as you are not actually the boss and there are moderators who make common sence decisions. The regisstry could follow a similar model, the mods (let's call them regulators for the registry) could do most of the work.
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Rainwater
All applicants stating they are trade association members will be double checked by the APWC and other bodies, so there is no chance of any false advertising.
Dave
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Rainwater
All applicants stating they are trade association members will be double checked by the APWC and other bodies, so there is no chance of any false advertising.
Dave
Wanna bet
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Mike
I am listed on yell.com which most people seem to use firstly to find a window cleaner and get around 15 customers a year, if you could have some link from this site it might bring in more enquiries.
The other point is a lot of customers who I have got from the yellow pages have said they have tried everyone listed but they kept getting the same replies of we don't do domestic or my books are full, we don't do that area etc etc.
Could you make your directory listing, what type of work you are after, what areas you cover what type of cleaning you do and any other information you want known about yourself.
Also when you are fully booked and don't need more work, you are taken of the actively looking for work list.
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hasnt it been done before a few years back
didnt scrimcity have 1 for window cleaners ?? ??
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thinking on it a little more
http://www.scsf.co.uk/
are a directory aswell
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There's loads of them already.
http://www.windowcleanersindex.co.uk
http://www.windowcleanerdirectory.co.uk
http://www.bwca.co.uk/directory2.php
http://www.laddersfree.co.uk/membership_search.php
Do we really need yet another one?
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Do we really need yet another one?
Only if it's considerably better than the others!
What it boils down to is whether you get good business from them. Yell is obviously the market leader but costs a lot of money. I would question the success of the others as they're very difficult to find through normal search engines.
You'll be able to get listed for free and the paid options will be with a months notice, so if you're not happy there's very little risk.
Thanks for all the feedback. It's really appreciated - keep it coming!
Mike
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I used to develop Internet sites in the past, the people i know who dealt in directories tended to fail.
One key issue is something i spoke about earlier on another post.
People were trying to charge, or charge to much before the website had taken off, which meant people wouldnt sign up, or would leave after one installment (6 months or so) i think you need to give it at least 6 months-12 months free membership, get the ranking high by linking in as many websites as possible, for instance, swapping a Web banner with a link with this site, would work well, and let the turnover of people increase, then start charging, it should snowball from there.
You need to get enough traffic, but you also need a high volume of traders on there so people can find what they want in there area, otherwise, why won't they just go to yell?
Quote forms might be good
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That makes sence to me quakers. It's also my strategy opinion of apwc (although I know free is out of the question). I can't justify £125 on a cost benefit basis every year. If it was a one off then £50 a year thereafter then maybe. As I am not a member I appreciate it is none of my business.
All the things that work, especialy on the internet have clear strategy's. If mike is doing this out of vanity, or it's a tool to entice people onto courses(I'm thinking about something else), etc then again no.
It's possible it can't be done.
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That makes sence to me quakers. It's also my strategy opinion of apwc (although I know free is out of the question). I can't justify £125 on a cost benefit basis every year. If it was a one off then £50 a year thereafter then maybe. As I am not a member I appreciate it is none of my business.
Hi Clive,
Thats an interesting point regarding year on year renewable membership cost, something I will take on board and discuss at our next meeting.
The one thing to consider is this , if through our directory and increased name awareness we give you 1 x £10 p/m customer that in itself has practically paid for the cost of membership. Sounds like a sales pitch and I promise it's not! but certainly a way of justifying the cost, I know I have personally handed out £500 a year's worth of work to one of our members through the APWC, just something to consider when doing the maths?
What's your location?
Don't think because your not a member its none of your business, of course it is, like I have said so many times before "we listen and ACT !" your views are valued and always appreciated.
Regards,
Trevor
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I would question the success of the others as they're very difficult to find through normal search engines.
It depends what you put in a search engine:
If you simply put window cleaner in Google then Window Cleaners Index comes up first in the organic listings.
If you put in window cleaner barking then Window Cleaner Directory comes up second in Google.
If you put in national commercial window cleaning then Ladders Free are second listed.
If you type qualified window cleaner then BWCA Clearchoice comes out top.
They don't seem that hard to find??
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sounds just great, can't wait
cleaning man :D :D :D :D :D
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My experience of on line directories and YP is not good. I am no longer in YP as the calls distracted me from work. Mostly in the northeast prices are low so you have to keep your work very compact, ie 1 in 4 houses trad or 4 houses per stop pole (I do both). So I have passed on or refused work many times. In a city the size of Newcastle 1 man can only cover a very small proportion, so virtually all calls are in areas I dont cover. However Mike is an able and proffesional chap so will wait to see what he comes up with.
Regards Mal
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I would question the success of the others as they're very difficult to find through normal search engines.
It depends what you put in a search engine:
If you simply put window cleaner in Google then Window Cleaners Index comes up first in the organic listings.
If you put in window cleaner barking then Window Cleaner Directory comes up second in Google.
If you put in national commercial window cleaning then Ladders Free are second listed.
If you type qualified window cleaner then BWCA Clearchoice comes out top.
They don't seem that hard to find??
I'm sure a lot of competitors would like to think they're well positioned.
'Mike' are you aware that we can track all our users IP addresses?
Regards
Mike
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Mike how do you get company's to register with you? and is it a free listing?
Reason I'm asking, is for a company that may be interested in adding ther name.
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Mike how do you get company's to register with you? and is it a free listing?
Reason I'm asking, is for a company that may be interested in adding ther name.
Hi Jeff
I'll be posting details here shortly and will ask someone to email you directly. We will be online from September 1st and there will be both free and paid listings.
I'll keep you updated
Thanks
Mike
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as an advertiser, I wouldnt want the directory to become a place of competition, where other buinesses can spend more money to improve the features or look of their advert. Equal and fair adverts for all busnesses, not £5 for simple text, £50 for a picture, £100 for picture and hyperlink. Competition within the directory should be minimal. That is why I hate the yellow pages, anybody who doesnt have a huge colour space might as well not bother advertising, a bit of text for hunderds of quid is a joke. I'ts always the big buisnesses that can afford big adverts, but when it comes down to quite a personal thing ....window cleaning, people might want a more local or family buisness. So fair pricing, fair advertising space and features, Luke
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...thanks for your feedback Luke.
There will be 2 types of advert - a free listing and a paid one and all ads will compete equally. Search results will be ordered by distance to a certain postcode.
I accept what you say about people wanting to use small local companies and, of course, there will be people who want to find larger users so they can be confident they have the resources to do bigger jobs. I'm confident we can please everyone.
Regards
Mike
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Hi Mike,
Just a thought, if the paid for and free adverts are equal, what is the advantage of paying for an advert?
regards,
Trevor
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Hi Mike,
Just a thought, if the paid for and free adverts are equal, what is the advantage of paying for an advert?
regards,
Trevor
Sorry, yes the paid ads will stand out above the free listings but all paid ads will be the same. There will be the ability to add things like number of employees, minimum order levels, free quotes, trade memberships, etc and this is how users will be able to compare one company against another. None of the fields are obligatory but they will all be available for all paid users.
Hope that clarifies things
Regards
Mike
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If you do it in areas , how will they be listed . Will it be who signs up first gets top spot or will it be done alphabetically, or even on a rotation . So I could be top spot now , then after someone has looked at that page I move down to second place
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If you do it in areas , how will they be listed . Will it be who signs up first gets top spot or will it be done alphabetically, or even on a rotation . So I could be top spot now , then after someone has looked at that page I move down to second place
Hi John
The listings will appear in postcode order regardless of whether they are free or paid listings but there will be the facility for users to then compare any or all of the advertisers. The paid listings will stand out and are more liely to be the ones selected.
Hope that helps
Regards
Mike
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Sounds like a great idea. Please email me details to www.utopianvision@hotmail.co.uk
Many Thanks
Soapy. :)
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Hi
We're getting there! Thought you might like to see some screenshots. We plan to launch the live site very soon and have had some really positive feedback so far.
The elements that users will be able to compare companies by will initially include:
Distance, date established, number of employees, services offered, payment types taken, free quote availability, moneyback guarantee, reference availability, insurance details, trade memberships, minimum call-out charge, days per week service
Categories will initially include:
Carpet Cleaning, Carpet Protection, Upholstery Cleaning, Upholstery Protection, Curtain Cleaning, Hardfloor Cleaning, Hardfloor Restoration, Window Cleaning Traditional, Window Cleaning Pure Water
Window Cleaning Abseil, Leather Cleaning, Leather Restoration, Office Cleaning, Domestic Cleaning, Car Valeting, Oven Cleaning, Drain Cleaning, Fire Restoration, Flood Restoration, Trauma Cleaning, Computer Cleaning, Builders Cleaning.
It will cost £15 per month or £150 per year to advertise in up to 6 categories and we have a significant amount of end-user advertising planned and, indeed, already booked. There will be an option to add your business for free but you will not be able to list the details above. It'll be easy for people to use and I'm sure you'll find it to be the most effective way to pick up targeted new business!
Trade association memberships will be validated on sign up. The initial options we hope to list will include the NCCA, APWC, FWC and BICSc but if you have other suggestions please let me know.
Please keep your feedback coming. It really is appreciated!
Many thanks
Mike
(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/screenshot1sml.jpg) (http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/screenshot2sml.jpg) (http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/screenshot3sml.jpg)
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mike
whats powering it ?? ?? ? if you dont mind me asking
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mike
whats powering it ?? ?? ? if you dont mind me asking
Hi Matt
I'm not a techie I'm afraid. From memory, I think it has a 3.0 litre V10 naturally aspirated, mid engine, rear wheel drive, 7 speed sequential semi-automatic MySql gearbox sitting on Bridgestone PHP tyres....... ;)
Regards
Mike
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mike
whats powering it ?? ?? ? if you dont mind me asking
Hi Matt
I'm not a techie I'm afraid. From memory, I think it has a 3.0 litre V10 naturally aspirated, mid engine, rear wheel drive, 7 speed sequential semi-automatic MySql gearbox sitting on Bridgestone PHP tyres....... ;)
Regards
Mike
argh i see, should have gone with a rear engine, much more fun :)
i guess your having it custom coded then, not out of a box, so to speak
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Hi
For those who I've not yet emailed directly, I'm pleased to be able to let you know that the new 'Spick and Span' directory will be launched next Monday the 17th September.
Can I suggest that anyone considering any form of new advertising should wait until they've seen this new site before committing to it. I'm sure you'll be impressed with its functionality and the unique potential to generate new business for you.
There will be a discount for all forum members that sign up within the first 2 weeks.
Please feel free to post any questions you have.
Thanks Mike
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Hi
The main URL will be www.spickandspan-directory.co.uk (http://www.spickandspan-directory.co.uk)
Regards
Mike
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17th September 2007
Hi
Finally we have the site online at http://www.spickandspan-directory.co.uk/
We're still in the process of adding data to it so some categories are empty at the moment. We're also finishing off some more functionality (each listing will have a google map attached to it, for example)
To see the difference between a Free listing and a Featured listing please search for 'Window Cleaning Traditional' in TR27. Tou can then select the first 2 or 3 results (including David Morris Window Cleaning) and compare the results.
We've done our best to accomodate all the suggestions that have been made over the past couple of months and I hope everyone will give the site a try for at least a few months and then let us have some feedback in terms of the business generated. You will start to see the site advertised heavily both online and offline over the next few months. We're keen to keep developing and improving the site so if you have any more ideas then please let us know.
In terms of pricing , there are 3 options. You can get a FREE listing with your name, address and telephone number or you can pay either £15 + vat per month or £150+ vat per year for a featured listing like the Dave Morris example above.
As an incentive for forum members to sign up quickly, we are offering a 10% discount on these prices for the next 2 weeks only. To qualify for this discount you must use the referrer code 'cleanitup' on the sign-up screen. Once you submit your information, the 10% discount will be applied on the following screen.
If you have any questions or comments please let me know
Regards
Mike
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If people can fill in there details for the new directory , they should be made to fill out there details in there profiles
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If you want my money you will have to get to the top of the search engines, at the moment you are nowhere near. Luke
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If you want my money you will have to get to the top of the search engines, at the moment you are nowhere near. Luke
Hi Luke
(copied from another post, sorry!)
Google can take days, even weeks, to crawl a site for the first time so it doesn't surprise me that it hasn't been indexed yet. It is already appearing as a sponsored listing and this is attracting users. There are a number of new features and modifications being added to the site at the moment and we've had nearly 200 new advertisers added over the past 48 hours (there are now nearly 6000 listed in total). We wouldn't expect everything to happen instantly which is why we're offering the 10% discount for those that sign up in the first 2 weeks.
Will keep you informed as there are obviously lots of forum members listed.
Regards
Mike
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Mike,
Can a company be listed under more than one heading as you have split window cleaning into 3 sections? If yes how do we do this?
Also, there is not a section for Gutter Cleaning?
Have emailed same question via you new site?
regards,
Trevor
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No sections for, Conservatory cleaning, guttering and pressure washing, ie drives & patio's.
most of these Jobs are covered by the humble W/C, but not all of joe public realise this.
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Mike,
Can a company be listed under more than one heading as you have split window cleaning into 3 sections? If yes how do we do this?
Also, there is not a section for Gutter Cleaning?
Have emailed same question via you new site?
regards,
Trevor
Hi Trevor
Only with a paid listing can people have their details added to multiple headings (but you know I'm waiting for your phone number though, don't you!?)
There are lots of other sections that could be added, the problem is knowing where to draw the line. I've had a number of window cleaners who have said they didn't use all 6 options so I guess maybe there's a good argument for adding conservatory cleaning at least. One of the things we didn't want to do was have empty sections where users didn't get reasonable results. We've also had quite a few people asking about patio and drive cleaning as well as wheelie bins so there's plenty to add once we've updated the changes currently in hand.
Regards
Mike
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No sections for, Conservatory cleaning, guttering and pressure washing, ie drives & patio's.
most of these Jobs are covered by the humble W/C, but not all of joe public realise this.
It's all being noted, thanks for the input.
Regards
Mike
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what about a counter to record people visiting the page, and if possible one which only counts new computers ( not registered memebers either free or paying ) Luke
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oh and I dont like seperate sections for trad and pole, it sort of sets us up head to head, as if one is better than another. I think it should be one section with the details of methods used under company details, Luke
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the site needs higher resolution pictures, the current ones look a bit pixelated, sorry to be so picky but you did ask for our opinions!! Luke
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Mike,
Can a company be listed under more than one heading as you have split window cleaning into 3 sections? If yes how do we do this?
Also, there is not a section for Gutter Cleaning?
Have emailed same question via you new site?
regards,
Trevor
Hi Trevor
Only with a paid listing can people have their details added to multiple headings (but you know I'm waiting for your phone number though, don't you!?)
There are lots of other sections that could be added, the problem is knowing where to draw the line. I've had a number of window cleaners who have said they didn't use all 6 options so I guess maybe there's a good argument for adding conservatory cleaning at least. One of the things we didn't want to do was have empty sections where users didn't get reasonable results. We've also had quite a few people asking about patio and drive cleaning as well as wheelie bins so there's plenty to add once we've updated the changes currently in hand.
Regards
Mike
Hi Mike,
Telephone numbers
01264 352935
0845 2571576
sorry, didn't realise you needed them.
Thanks for the update regarding advertising under different headings.
Trev
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oh and I dont like seperate sections for trad and pole, it sort of sets us up head to head, as if one is better than another. I think it should be one section with the details of methods used under company details, Luke
I have to agree with this, a lot of people do not know about wfp cleaning and when they look on the site they might think that wfp cleaning is for commercial or some other use, whereas trad cleaners mean domestic which we all are.
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the site needs higher resolution pictures, the current ones look a bit pixelated, sorry to be so picky but you did ask for our opinions!! Luke
Hi Luke
Which pictures in particular are you referring to? There's always a trade-off between quality and speed but I hadn't noticed the pixelation. If it's the large main images on the homepages, these are due to be reduced in size so the whole site fits better on smaller resolution screens - hopefully this'll fix the issue.
We are looking at the categorisation but of course, the way round it is to pay for a featured listing and get included in 6 categories.
Thanks for the feedback and to all those already signed up.
Regards
Mike
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I'm very tempted to part with some cash Mike. I am impressed by your approach and the site is much better that I thought it could be.
I still feel that window cleaners will be 'carrying' it. The above points about cons and gutters are very valid and your site is probably where a lot of people would look.
Were you asking for trevs no for the add?
And how long do we get the two week discount? (remember a window cleaners month is flexible)
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I'm very tempted to part with some cash Mike. I am impressed by your approach and the site is much better that I thought it could be.
I still feel that window cleaners will be 'carrying' it. The above points about cons and gutters are very valid and your site is probably where a lot of people would look.
Were you asking for trevs no for the add?
And how long do we get the two week discount? (remember a window cleaners month is flexible)
Hi
You've got another week for the discount by which time there will be even more improvements to it. We've just added the Google maps to it and we're about to change the results criteria so that the featured listings appear at the top of the page providing they appear in the top 10 by distance. They've also been changed so that they stand out even more.
We have quite a few people who keep signing up on the free listings and adding themselves to a different category each time. Unfortunately, they will only get listed free for one category and to get any more they will have to pay for a featured listing which will allow them to choose up to six categories.
SIGN UP NOW AT http://www.spickandspan-directory.co.uk/add-your-business/
Regards
Mike
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I'm very tempted to part with some cash Mike. I am impressed by your approach and the site is much better that I thought it could be.
I still feel that window cleaners will be 'carrying' it. The above points about cons and gutters are very valid and your site is probably where a lot of people would look.
Were you asking for trevs no for the add?
And how long do we get the two week discount? (remember a window cleaners month is flexible)
Hi
We've now added conservatory cleaning and patio / drive cleaning. The categories are empty so we need some subscribers for them. Will you part with your money now? ;)
Regards
Mike
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I'm very tempted to part with some cash Mike. I am impressed by your approach and the site is much better that I thought it could be.
I still feel that window cleaners will be 'carrying' it. The above points about cons and gutters are very valid and your site is probably where a lot of people would look.
Were you asking for trevs no for the add?
And how long do we get the two week discount? (remember a window cleaners month is flexible)
Hi
We've now added conservatory cleaning and patio / drive cleaning. The categories are empty so we need some subscribers for them. Will you part with your money now? ;)
Regards
Mike
NO ;D
I'm one of those mike, where I like to see how others do first? If it all goes well for them,Then I'll part with my cash.
Nice site though Mike.
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The pictures on the front page Mike, they look very pixelelated and cheap, Luke
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What will a customer have to type in to there search engine to find the directory , as I typed in window cleaners and it was not on any of the first 6 pages
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The pictures on the front page Mike, they look very pixelelated and cheap, Luke
Thanks Luke, you're right and we're getting them changed. A lot of the images were compressed to make the site load faster but as this one appears on all pages it only needs to be loaded once and does justify being a bit better.
Thanks for your input
Regards
Mike
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What will a customer have to type in to there search engine to find the directory , as I typed in window cleaners and it was not on any of the first 6 pages
The site is starting to get indexed in the natural listings by Google and we're also doing lots of pay per click advertising focusing on geographical areas where we already have paid listings.
Google visibility will increase over time as the site gets more use and more links. There's also something called the Google Sandbox which stops new sites getting fully indexed immediately. You also have to understand that the site has been developed with the end-user in mind not Google and the 10% discount we're offering (simply type in cleanitup as the referrer code) is there to reflect this.
I can tell you the system had over 2000 search queries in the first week and, ironically, I've seen it listed in lots of 'competitors' directories which themselves are full of Google ads. It is being used and it is generating business!
There's lots more going on I'd rather keep under my hat for now as I've already heard of other other 'new' directories people are planning to launch (but I guess immitation is the sincerest form of flattery!)
Hi John
Try it for a couple of months and see how it goes. You can cancel at any time if you're not entirely happy.
Regards
Mike
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Mike
If you had FWC in the Memberships/Associations I would of signed up and tried it for a few months
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Mike
If you had FWC in the Memberships/Associations I would of signed up and tried it for a few months
Hi John
I've spoken to several people from the Federation and they all seem keen to be involved. Unfortunately everything has to go through a committee meeting first and the next one is next month. I'm hoping they will agree to be added after that. I can assure you they've had exactly the same opportunity as the APWC.
Regards
Mike
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I would of thought that the Fed would of been keen to have as much publicity as they could get .I will also ask Bryan about it as well
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I would of thought that the Fed would of been keen to have as much publicity as they could get .I will also ask Bryan about it as well
Thanks John
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i got a email back saying i couldnt get a free listing could some explain y this may b?
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Hi Ronnie,
It could well be that you already have a free listing. Users can only upload data for one company. If you want to be listed in more than one category then the PAID option is definitely the way for you to go, it will allow you to have up to 6 different categories. This would make your listing appear on many more searches.
Thanks.
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Hi Mike,
Just been looking at the directory and I have 4 points for you
1/. You posted earlier that results would be in order of distance regardless of free or paid ads - but when I did a test search, a free ad which should have appeared in second place instead was below all the paid ads, also I think you should incorporate a maximum distance for the searches as being told of a window cleaner 89 miles away is of no use to anybody.
2/. Moneyback Guarantee - I dont offer a moneyback guarantee because I think it would attract the sort of customer I wouldnt want (1 free clean and never use you again) but I do offer a 100% guarantee in which if there not happy with any aspect of the clean I would come back and reclean the offending area (that way I still get paid and the customer is happy as well). Maybe offer us a host of options and only the ones that we put in a positive response is shown in the listing.
As I feel that an ad showing [ Moneyback Guarantee:- No ] could display the WCer in a negative light.
3/. Payment Methods - similiar to above, host of options including PayPal, Direct Debit and only show the positive responses.
4/. Trad/WFP - I agree with an earlier post that many domestic customers would select Trad (out of ignorance as to what WFP is or because they believe WFP would only want commercial work).
I am a WFP only window cleaner (so wouldnt want to advertise in the Trad section) but have a client base of 95% domestic work and feel that your category listing selection would put me at a disadvantage, why not leave that distinction for the body of the ad.
Other than that good job ;D
Regards
Alistair
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Hi Alistair
Thanks for taking the time to let us have your thoughts.
Hi Mike,
Just been looking at the directory and I have 4 points for you
1/. You posted earlier that results would be in order of distance regardless of free or paid ads - but when I did a test search, a free ad which should have appeared in second place instead was below all the paid ads, also I think you should incorporate a maximum distance for the searches as being told of a window cleaner 89 miles away is of no use to anybody.
Yes, we have changed the system so that all the paid ads appear above the free listings on each page, however, a paid ad that features on the second page of results doesn't get promoted to the front page. The reason for this is that some categories are getting considerably more populated than others so when you search for a carpet cleaner, for example, in certain areas a paid listing was appearing at the bottom of the first page when, in fact, the company was only a couple of miles from the search postcode. If a paid listing was, say, 9th in order then you had to scroll down the page quite a long way to find it. Obviously this does create another advantage for the paid listings but unless we can do so, people will just stick with the free listings. The more paid listings we have the more we can promote the site and the better everyone does!
The search results do have a maximum range but I do accept that there are some searches in some areas where there are only one or two relevant results but his will improve as more people add their details. I think we've just hit the 6000 mark on total companies now listed.
2/. Moneyback Guarantee - I dont offer a moneyback guarantee because I think it would attract the sort of customer I wouldnt want (1 free clean and never use you again) but I do offer a 100% guarantee in which if there not happy with any aspect of the clean I would come back and reclean the offending area (that way I still get paid and the customer is happy as well). Maybe offer us a host of options and only the ones that we put in a positive response is shown in the listing.
As I feel that an ad showing [ Moneyback Guarantee:- No ] could display the WCer in a negative light.
Good point! I think we'll be changing from 'Moneyback Guarantee' to '100% Guarantee'. To my mind it is much the same thing but, technically, yes customers could abuse it (in reality I don't think this would happen but I can't see any downside of changing from one to another) It's all about guaranteeing your work and most decent companies are happy to do so.
3/. Payment Methods - similiar to above, host of options including PayPal, Direct Debit and only show the positive responses.
I can see your point here and it's certainly easy enough to do on the actual company record but on the comparison page it has to list all the options for it to work. In truth, the 'crosses' haven't been added yet for no other reason than they were overlooked when the site went live. However, given your comments, leaving them blank as they are now is probably better than having a big cross when it's not applicable. Interesting one!
4/. Trad/WFP - I agree with an earlier post that many domestic customers would select Trad (out of ignorance as to what WFP is or because they believe WFP would only want commercial work).
I am a WFP only window cleaner (so wouldnt want to advertise in the Trad section) but have a client base of 95% domestic work and feel that your category listing selection would put me at a disadvantage, why not leave that distinction for the body of the ad.
Yes, I agree too. However, we are shortly going to add buyers guides which will recommend certain types of companies for certain types of work. For example, the guide on window cleaning will include a recomendation to use a company that uses pure water for commercial buildings as, generally, they are the ones where pure water systems benefit the customer most. I accept there are all sorts of arguments to say that domestic customers should also choose pure water window cleaners as their first choice but they wouldn't benefit as much and I think is less critical. The answer is to have a featured listing and appear in both!
Other than that good job ;D
Regards
Alistair
Thanks for the feedback. Hopefully over time people will be able to see that we're keen to listen to ideas and act on them.
For those interested, we've had over 3600 site searches so far during October and leaflet drops will start from next month. If you're not already listed please give it a try at: http://www.spickandspan-directory.co.uk/add-your-business/
Regards
MIke
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Well Done Mike !!!!!!!!!!!
Spick and span is rising up the rankings on my search, I have just put window cleaning hayle in google and spick&Span has come up at the bottom of the first page with my name displayed.
Google 10th
lycos 3rd
yahoo 3rd
altavista 3rd
dogpile 8th
orange web 10th
alltheweb.com 3rd
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Google now 9th
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Maybe for you Dave, if I search W/C Diss it doesn't even make the first 3 pages
poss different for different areas
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Mike
Is its possible for you to have a section that shows who are tendering out contracts, if anyone wants to apply for a tender then they have to upgrade to a full listing.
William
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Mike
Is its possible for you to have a section that shows who are tendering out contracts, if anyone wants to apply for a tender then they have to upgrade to a full listing.
William
Sorry William I missed this reply.
That's actually a great idea. We monitor the European journal anyway for public sector contracts so we have access to a lot of that information. It would be easy enough to do, it would just take a bit of time each day.
WATCH THIS SPACE!
Regards
Mike
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Enquiry recieved today
The following details were submitted:
Name: miss a
Email: *****ter@hotmail.co.uk
Telephone: 01637******
Enquiry: please can you send some information about your cleaning methods and what your symbols mean please ? Thank you.
These Details were brought to you by The Spick and Span Directory
http://www.spickandspan-directory.co.uk
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Hi Dave
Yes, I saw that had gone through to you.
The directory's really going from strength to strength and whether it's got good search engine listings or not, people are only really interested in whether it brings in business for them.
I'm glad it's starting to work for you (and I'd remind people that you have a Featured Listing!)
Regards
Mike
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I am going to report my progress honestly, I replied to this email and have since not had a reply.
I am going to do a follow up phone call on Monday and will let you all know the outcome.
the call came from about 30 miles away, but if you know Cornwall that is not far at all, this still could be a worthwhile lead as i clean a block of flats in that area.
will report back on Monday
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I am going to report my progress honestly, I replied to this email and have since not had a reply.
I am going to do a follow up phone call on Monday and will let you all know the outcome.
the call came from about 30 miles away, but if you know Cornwall that is not far at all, this still could be a worthwhile lead as i clean a block of flats in that area.
will report back on Monday
Dave, any feedback ??
Arthur
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I havent phoned them back yet , forgot all about it.
I will phone them tommorrow, although i did email them back.
Dave
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I took a free listing and am tempted to pay. The main reason I am tempted is that i have made very good use of the forum- and that alone is worth the money.
What put's me off? 1. I didn't like trad and wfp as seperate catergories, the catergory should be window cleaning. WC will carry this directory, but a little bit of oxygen is needed.
2.Dave is the intro page example- so what chance have we got?
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2.Dave is the intro page example- so what chance have we got?
Dave advert is only so you can see what you get for the monny. When you do a post code search only window cleaners in the area are disspayed.
As yet I have had no results, but will give it time.
It will only take one good job to pay for the advertising.
Roy