[derikraven]

I'm about to launch a website for my business and was wondering if those of you who already have one could tell me what percentage of your work is generated from the site. Also do you have any tips on promoting the website. Thanks in anticipation

Derik

[Warren Aldridge]

Designing and promoting a website is a whole other career. There are no real tips to give, its something you have to learn extensively and because it constantly evolves you have to have a keen interest in it.

If putting in a few weeks worth of solid research doesn't sound for you its probably best to outsource it to a person who is a pro.

Your website not only has to have the right mix of visual marketing appeal through various factors to entice viewers to choose you over another website, it has to be configured specifically for the search engines to be found in the correct positions, this could take up to a year.

In other words, it's a mine field and a ball ache.

But if you would like a tip. I would find all the online directories and put your web address on them for starters

[ian harper]

Hi

[Adam P]

i think there is a window cleaner in your area that can promote the site for you, forget his name

[derikraven]

Designing and promoting a website is a whole other career. There are no real tips to give, its something you have to learn extensively and because it constantly evolves you have to have a keen interest in it.

If putting in a few weeks worth of solid research doesn't sound for you its probably best to outsource it to a person who is a pro.

Your website not only has to have the right mix of visual marketing appeal through various factors to entice viewers to choose you over another website, it has to be configured specifically for the search engines to be found in the correct positions, this could take up to a year.

In other words, it's a mine field and a ball ache.

But if you would like a tip. I would find all the online directories and put your web address on them for starters

I'm not actually doing the website  myself, I'm paying a fortune for a professional to do it

[Steven Lawrence]

websites shouldnt cost a fortune mate!

[garry22]

Derik,

Those questions really should have been asked before you had the site built.

It is a marketing tool and the scary thing is that many designers have never written an advert in their life.

As stated above, anyone CAN build a website.

Internet marketing however, is a lot more than that. As Warren said, there are two distinct phases, building and then promoting. What annoys me is that many so called designers do the first part and then leave the client high and dry by not doing the second.

Having a website and not promoting it is like having a fantastic leaflet but never delivering it.

In answer to your question about work, my cleaning sites do not get a huge amount of visitors but do convert pretty well. You certainly will not lose by having a decent site.

[derikraven]

many thanks for the replies

[clarkson]

Derik,

Those questions really should have been asked before you had the site built.

It is a marketing tool and the scary thing is that many designers have never written an advert in their life.

As stated above, anyone CAN build a website.

Internet marketing however, is a lot more than that. As Warren said, there are two distinct phases, building and then promoting. What annoys me is that many so called designers do the first part and then leave the client high and dry by not doing the second.

Having a website and not promoting it is like having a fantastic leaflet but never delivering it.

In answer to your question about work, my cleaning sites do not get a huge amount of visitors but do convert pretty well. You certainly will not lose by having a decent site


Hi Derik
Gary and i have had this conversation before, he is right.  A website is a combination design,coding, copy, and promotion.

sadly many 'experts' cna sometimes design and code. but couldnt sell a sandwich to a starving man. 

make sure you have interesting copy and you designer is clued up on SEO. You can make the best site in the world but if no one sees it waste of time.

cheers
john

[Mike Halliday]

Is not the problem that people won't pay for the offsite work, they will pay £350-£500 for a site because they can see what they are getting for their money...but tell them you want £70 a month for ongoing off site seo and they are not too keen

[garry22]

That's a good point Mike.

It is selling an intangible product.

I saw a company recently who were offering services to cleaners. The package was about £ 1,500 a month, yet what they were doing was rubbish and outdated. They wrapped it up in some "fancy talk" and to the uninitiated (or small business owner!) it would have looked quite impressive.

The other trouble is that anything that produces amazing instant results (apart from improved on page SEO) is likely to be dodgy.

[jasonl]

I like you site Gary22 ,I am due a re  design ,and will base it on your format I think .

[garry22]

Thanks. Bit of a confession here Jason.

It was done when I was learning to "slice" a graphic design and is maybe a bit over the top (I know it winds up a couple of designers I know). It is too complicated to change to a more in vogue, "minimalist" look. The funny thing is that I get comments about "Oh yes, the green site"

It was done after reading an article on eye tracking. Apparently the eyes are happiest looking at small chunks of information, hence the button layout.

[jasonl]

I agree about the small chunks , I would have less of it , and my logo  /contact details in a more branded way than yours .

[garry22]

Jason.

I would do it differently now.

I would do as much as I could by CSS rather than sliced graphics which would make it far easier to alter / edit.

To change it now is pretty much a full rebuild job and I do not have the time.

Re: the chunks. Once you are aware of it you will be surprised how hard the eyes have to work to read across many sites. It's nothing new when you think about it. Newspapers have been produced in narrow columns for maybe two hundred years (and they know a thing or two about readership).

[clarkson]

Is not the problem that people won't pay for the offsite work, they will pay £350-£500 for a site because they can see what they are getting for their money...but tell them you want £70 a month for ongoing off site seo and they are not too keen

 I think thats the problem mike plus many dont even realise about seo. garys illustration is apt, people get it with leaflets thay have to be delivered to be effective, but not with website.

 i also think the webmaster community are very good at hiding simple basics so we have to pay them a lot of money to do it for us.

cheers
john

[garry22]

John,

I suspect a lot of the designers do not know themselves. I still see them offering things like "submit your site to the search engines" on a monthly basis. As carpet cleaning is relatively uncompetitive, many get away with it.

Most of the regular carpet cleaning guys are a bit more realistic. Is is Mark at DP who actually says that in most areas, just a site should be sufficient but if it is a competitive area you will need more? At least he tells people the truth.

Is not the problem that people won't pay for the offsite work, they will pay £350-£500 for a site because they can see what they are getting for their money...but tell them you want £70 a month for ongoing off site seo and they are not too keen

Mike, that is why I hate the phrase SEO. I'd much rather say website promotion. It has a bit more meaning.

[garry22]

Jason,

I found some software on an old hard drive, which I forgot I had. It mimics fovial vision (the bit that looks ahead and reads things). The image shows you how the eye looks for "chunks" of information, rather than scrolling across a page. The site is my west mids one.