Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: marc on January 30, 2008, 06:28:43 pm
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hi guys i have been meaning to get a website up and running for a few months now but not got round to it i have a friend who has put together most of it on a disc and i have brought my web name so my question is do i go to 1) some one like ian from window washers and have 3 pages and all of what else he does (which i may add does sound good) for around £350ish 2) go to another website maker and get one done for between £100/£200 and there are many that charge a lot more ,or 3)get a friend to have a go of one of these free ones, i am not really bothered about beenin found on the search engines it is more when people see my van or cards they can check out our services your veiws on this matter would be great thanks marc
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Hi Marc,
I have designed the following websites recently:
http://www.titanium-uk.co.uk
http://www.mjhcleaningservices.co.uk
http://www.cardiffwindows.co.uk
Drop me an email if you would like a quote.
Thanks,
Andy
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hi guys i have been meaning to get a website up and running for a few months now but not got round to it i have a friend who has put together most of it on a disc and i have brought my web name so my question is do i go to 1) some one like ian from window washers and have 3 pages and all of what else he does (which i may add does sound good) for around £350ish 2) go to another website maker and get one done for between £100/£200 and there are many that charge a lot more ,or 3)get a friend to have a go of one of these free ones, i am not really bothered about beenin found on the search engines it is more when people see my van or cards they can check out our services your veiws on this matter would be great thanks marc
if you do not want to be found on serach engines, get a m8 to do one thats my honest opinion.
you have looked at my site so know what I offer, have to say that others can do it but cannot offer what I do.
have to say seems a little strange why you would not want to be found on search engines for your local area or bigger area if you wanted. many people will never see your van and will search the internet for a window cleaner.
all I say if you are doing it do it properly or it will cost you more in the long run ;)
I tried to put over both sides there for you.
if you want to have a chat (that costs nothing) 01234 870 225
Best wishes
Ian
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if you do not want to be found on serach engines, get a m8 to do one thats my honest opinion.
you have looked at my site so know what I offer, have to say that others can do it but cannot offer what I do.
have to say seems a little strange why you would not want to be found on search engines for your local area or bigger area if you wanted. many people will never see your van and will search the internet for a window cleaner.
all I say if you are doing it do it properly or it will cost you more in the long run Wink
I tried to put over both sides there for you.
if you want to have a chat (that costs nothing) 01234 870 225
Best wishes
Ian
Ian,
Do you have any examples of recent work? You were building a site for mbs, the guy who won your free website competition?
Andy
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if you do not want to be found on serach engines, get a m8 to do one thats my honest opinion.
you have looked at my site so know what I offer, have to say that others can do it but cannot offer what I do.
have to say seems a little strange why you would not want to be found on search engines for your local area or bigger area if you wanted. many people will never see your van and will search the internet for a window cleaner.
all I say if you are doing it do it properly or it will cost you more in the long run Wink
I tried to put over both sides there for you.
if you want to have a chat (that costs nothing) 01234 870 225
Best wishes
Ian
Ian,
Do you have any examples of recent work? You were building a site for mbs, the guy who won your free website competition?
Andy
They will be online shortly Andy ;)
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They will be online shortly Andy Wink
Cool :D
Andy
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do a search for " free website template" loads on the net
they are free, buy the domain name, 10 quid for 2 years, get a host ( 10 - 20 quid a year )
job done
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do a search for " free website template" loads on the net
they are free, buy the domain name, 10 quid for 2 years, get a host ( 10 - 20 quid a year )
job done
except free website templates look crap usually. And better ones are by no means easy to customise.
I see loads of home-build websites that look totally and completely naff. In my opinion if a cutomer sees a rubbish website it actually is negative marketing.
Once again we're in the realms of the bodge it merchant versus the pro.
My advice would be to get a pro to do it. Should cost about £300-400, more if you want some flash content and it will be cash well spent and that will really add some pizzaz and look pro.
Get him to also put a "pay me" link on so customers can pay you too, and whatever you do , DONT put stoooopid google adwords all over your site, that is the worst, most tacky thing ever and will only earn you like 0.1 pence a year.
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do a search for " free website template" loads on the net
they are free, buy the domain name, 10 quid for 2 years, get a host ( 10 - 20 quid a year )
job done
except free website templates look crap usually. And better ones are by no means easy to customise.
I see loads of home-build websites that look totally and completely naff. In my opinion if a cutomer sees a rubbish website it actually is negative marketing.
Once again we're in the realms of the bodge it merchant versus the pro.
My advice would be to get a pro to do it. Should cost about £300-400, more if you want some flash content and it will be cash well spent and that will really add some pizzaz and look pro.
Get him to also put a "pay me" link on so customers can pay you too, and whatever you do , DONT put stoooopid google adwords all over your site, that is the worst, most tacky thing ever and will only earn you like 0.1 pence a year.
ive designed website for years now, ive got a nice portfolio
Ive used flash ( well swish actually ) , they range from bigger project to simple 1 page sites
some of the templates look as good as any other pro designed work
a window cleaning website doesnt need to have flash / macromedia, it just needs to be simple with easy to use buttons and let the customer know about what you do
afterall you will not see a "window cleaning site" in the top 50 .net sites, will you ?? ? ??
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hi
bored over christmas i built my own site. i had spoken to Ian at ww and got some ideas of price and found him helpfull and informative.
however as a mainly domestic window cleaner with a good established round, i only wanted to show people in the roads i was working the services i offered. (for that reason i not too bothered if im not found on search engines.)
yes the site is a template and was free. yes it is not cutting edge but it is what i feel is ok for me now, and i can always upgrade.
look round loads of sites, work out what you like and what you want it to do for you.
tony
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If you have Microsoft office on your pc it should have Publisher with it .
Have alook at some of there templates, you can even view your pages as a web site so you can see what it would look like online .
If you already have your domain name all you need is it hosting , thats only a couple of £ per month
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hi
bored over christmas i built my own site. i had spoken to Ian at ww and got some ideas of price and found him helpfull and informative.
however as a mainly domestic window cleaner with a good established round, i only wanted to show people in the roads i was working the services i offered. (for that reason i not too bothered if im not found on search engines.)
yes the site is a template and was free. yes it is not cutting edge but it is what i feel is ok for me now, and i can always upgrade.
look round loads of sites, work out what you like and what you want it to do for you.
tony
a nice website, nothing flash, BUT says what is in the tin ;)
you only need to add a paypal " pay me" and you have it all
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thanks Matt.
i dont want paypal as it takes too long to clear
tony
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thanks Matt.
i dont want paypal as it takes too long to clear
tony
well you now, have it all :)
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;D ;D ;D
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thanks guys will email you tomorrow andy and will give you a ring ian the reason i am not bothered about being high in the google listings is because my web address is going to be www.needawindowcleaner.org this is going on all my cards and is going all over my vans in huge lettering and what i am hoping is that when people need a w/c they will remember seeing one of the vans around town and rather than trying to write a phone no down or remember it my web name should be easy to remember ,well i hope i am right what do you guys think when i get the vans done i will put the pics on here marc
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Window Washers!!!!
you have looked at my site so know what I offer, have to say that others can do it but cannot offer what I do.
Best wishes
Ian
I dont mind people making claims about website building but thats a ridiculous comment to make. Especially if you take a close look at the code in your site and run a few tests like validation etc. Lets face it its ok but not the work of a professional. Before you make such claims in future maybe you should be careful whos watching!!!
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you have looked at my site so know what I offer, have to say that others can do it but cannot offer what I do.
Best wishes
Ian
I dont mind people making claims about website building but thats a ridiculous comment to make. Especially if you take a close look at the code in your site and run a few tests like validation etc. Lets face it its ok but not the work of a professional. Before you make such claims in future maybe you should be careful whos watching!!!
Kev, do you know what I meant by that comment I am guessing not.
site needs over haul I know this ;)
Ian
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you have looked at my site so know what I offer, have to say that others can do it but cannot offer what I do.
Best wishes
Ian
I dont mind people making claims about website building but thats a ridiculous comment to make. Especially if you take a close look at the code in your site and run a few tests like validation etc. Lets face it its ok but not the work of a professional. Before you make such claims in future maybe you should be careful whos watching!!!
Kev, do you know what I meant by that comment I am guessing not.
Funny that you design websites aswell so have a pop everyone else likes to ;)
Ian
Please enlighten me about what you meant.
Mate
First and foremost I am a commercial window cleaner, I do not push my website skills to anyone. I have designed a few sites its true but have no desire to become a web designer. My skills are in SEO work as I find it a challenge to rank sites high on google especially in large areas. I have several of my sites ranked on the first page of google in towns and cities near me. I get 5 or so commercial enquiries a week. Its worth the effort as It makes my business grow and is providing me with a good client base.
There are no faults in my main site at all. There are a few non traditional bits but thats a ranking experiment. If you have spotted what you believe to be a problem please let me know as I like constructive criticism.
I m not having a dig, I'm just commenting that you have to be careful with big claims ;)
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you have looked at my site so know what I offer, have to say that others can do it but cannot offer what I do.
Best wishes
Ian
I dont mind people making claims about website building but thats a ridiculous comment to make. Especially if you take a close look at the code in your site and run a few tests like validation etc. Lets face it its ok but not the work of a professional. Before you make such claims in future maybe you should be careful whos watching!!!
Kev, do you know what I meant by that comment I am guessing not.
Funny that you design websites aswell so have a pop everyone else likes to ;)
Ian
Please enlighten me about what you meant.
Mate
First and foremost I am a commercial window cleaner, I do not push my website skills to anyone. I have designed a few sites its true but have no desire to become a web designer. My skills are in SEO work as I find it a challenge to rank sites high on google especially in large areas. I have several of my sites ranked on the first page of google in towns and cities near me. I get 5 or so commercial enquiries a week. Its worth the effort as It makes my business grow and is providing me with a good client base.
There are no faults in my main site at all. There are a few non traditional bits but thats a ranking experiment. If you have spotted what you believe to be a problem please let me know as I like constructive criticism.
I m not having a dig, I'm just commenting that you have to be careful with big claims ;)
http://www.prismprofessional.co.uk/gallery.php?cat=4
there is one of them ;)
I can tell you know about SEO there are things myself I am trying on my site aswell, overhaul will come in time I know it needs it.
well done by the way for your website looks nice, like the text.
have you checked the validation on your site ? I have and you have a few of the same things as me
Ian
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I had this company do mine for £120
http://www.risingstarenterprise.com/
Dave
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Try this one is FREEEEEEEEEEEE ;D ;D ;D ;D
mO 8)
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OPS
http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/officelive/FX101465131033.aspx
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Hi Ian,
The validation is fine on my site. A few bits of the validation process dont really matter because the bits that fail validation are not a problem as they pertain to a page or process I dont want to rank or its done on purpose. (like the contact page does not need to appear in its own right on google searches).
Your site is Ok but as you know it requires a bit of work from a technical and a layout point of view. However what you are trying to achieve is not a small feat. My advise would be to remove all live "under construction" bits or add no follows to the pages as this will adversely affect your ranking. Also the look of your site is good but its really boring and confusing. Simplify it, make it less cluttered and add some interesting content like pictures (remember name the images with keywords).
The site you have built if fully functional would cost £1000 - £1500 minimum to have built professionally just due to the time involved. And the ongoing updating of the site would be time consuming if you wanted it to remain current and rank well. But like mine I can see its a labour of love so you will do it Im sure ;)
Its nice to have a chat with a fellow " websites for fun" builder on a cleaning forum ;)
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I had this company do mine for £120
http://www.risingstarenterprise.com/
Dave
Dave,
I hate to burst your bubble but unfortunately even their site will never rank on google because its missing even a meta description with keywords in - one of the simplest thing to add. Stay well clear!!!!!
I would have built theirs for £200 but it would rank on google.
Kev
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Hi Ian,
The validation is fine on my site. A few bits of the validation process dont really matter because the bits that fail validation are not a problem as they pertain to a page or process I dont want to rank or its done on purpose. (like the contact page does not need to appear in its own right on google searches).
Your site is Ok but as you know it requires a bit of work from a technical and a layout point of view. However what you are trying to achieve is not a small feat. My advise would be to remove all live "under construction" bits or add no follows to the pages as this will adversely affect your ranking. Also the look of your site is good but its really boring and confusing. Simplify it, make it less cluttered and add some interesting content like pictures (remember name the images with keywords).
The site you have built if fully functional would cost £1000 - £1500 minimum to have built professionally just due to the time involved. And the ongoing updating of the site would be time consuming if you wanted it to remain current and rank well. But like mine I can see its a labour of love so you will do it Im sure ;)
Its nice to have a chat with a fellow " websites for fun" builder on a cleaning forum ;)
websites for fun, I have been awake since yesterday morning lol, I am not looking forward to redoing mine but I will and all comments are noted in a good way as I can tell you know what you are doing as I have gone on your site inside and out, I changed a few things on mine and it needs changing back as ranking is slowing, SEO I something I love to do, just the time as you say ;)
Ian
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just for the non-geeks
SEO means search engine optimization, which in simple terms is directing search engine traffic to your site, this will increase your ranking in search engines, thus, some1 might search for " window cleaning in surrey" and you will be as high as possible in the search
thats how i understand it anyways, im sure some1 will corret me
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just for the non-geeks
SEO means search engine optimization, which in simple terms is directing search engine traffic to your site, this will increase your ranking in search engines, thus, some1 might search for " window cleaning in surrey" and you will be as high as possible in the search
thats how i understand it anyways, im sure some1 will corret me
Matt,
You are very correct in what you say. The joy of SEO (search engine optimization) is google keeps moving the goal posts. So a site that ranks well one week can be dropped the next. Google wants to have the latest up to date websites that offer functionality and a good experience for the viewer. Websites on the whole tend to be static as they are like a brochure for the company, google prefers new updated content. A website if its going to do really well for you needs to be optimised to hit as much of your target audience as possible. I have five sites all targeting the same audience but in different more specific areas. If one of my sites looses its ranking another slightly differently optimised site will take its place. This works for me. If you live in a small town getting and keeping good ranking is easy, however if you lived in london for example is a little harder but still can be done with time and a little perseverance. Why do I have five sites as I live in a small town? well I target commercial business only in 2 other cities and everywhere else in between.
Hope this helps
Kev
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had a look at your site dave and i must say i was very impressed with it i will be contacting them along with ian and andy, i didnt know what soe was marc