[Adam P]

if true it's odd that the site was designed by these guys - http://www.ukcaravanhire.com/

the site happy has listed is a bit old so could do with updating, just depends on your budget.

you've asked for a good web designer but what in your opinion is good? someone who is cheap? someone who provides a nice looking site? etc?

you could get a cheap run of the mill template site and pay someone a few hundred to simply put the text on it for you, or you could get it made for you but it'll cost a bit more. imo if you're going to spend on improving the site then get the best you can afford as there is no point in having the site improved to then have to pay again in a year as it's not really that good and it doesn't have a lasting design.

do you have a budget in mind wayne?

Templates, I get wound up about people saying this and making others believe the template it built and the designer doesnt have anything to do   any decent web designer will build/adapt a template for a site either from scratch or from another, he/she will add images, nav bar and build the site, all pages 1 or 303 will be built from this site template. Its standard practice. Any template can be adapted so it is unique to a client its no big deal really.  All websites are built using a template, it is the structure of the site and the other pages are built around it.

The template is a structure, pattern, outline, model, stencil or a guide to a website and no big deal.  

i don't think you're understanding what i'm saying. i said you can pay someone peanuts that'll use a free run of the mill template and then simply fill in the text. there is a tiny bit more to it then that but nothing worth mentioning as it's tiny and not considered anything to boat about. or you can pay someone to make a site like steve has. there is a clear difference between template sites and ones that understand the company.

[Steve CM]

I seriously doubt anyone on this forum can offer you that, but someone may know a company that can produce such a solution for you.     

You are wrong to distrust me as mentioned www.greensplash.com  

Steve SEO is another ball game, but adwords is the short fix until a site is established and ranked. Even when a site does have a page one organic listing adwords still does its job time after time 

it does but there are many factors to consider in getting it there. if you type in window cleaner milton keynes in normally ranked 1, 2 or 3 on page 1 (mainly ranked top) have been for years. but when you type cleaning company i'm on the second page. next year i have an seo project starting where by we have a spiral effect by taking a few key phrases and targetting them to get my site there step by step.

Adwords IMO is a waste of money. I have had a go at it and have wasted my money. Organic listings is where its at. it has taken me 6 months of bouncing off the 2 of the main respected seo operators in the UK to get the deal i think is best for my money. SEO is a mine filed but i am grasping it more everyday.

[Steve CM]

if true it's odd that the site was designed by these guys - http://www.ukcaravanhire.com/

the site happy has listed is a bit old so could do with updating, just depends on your budget.

you've asked for a good web designer but what in your opinion is good? someone who is cheap? someone who provides a nice looking site? etc?

you could get a cheap run of the mill template site and pay someone a few hundred to simply put the text on it for you, or you could get it made for you but it'll cost a bit more. imo if you're going to spend on improving the site then get the best you can afford as there is no point in having the site improved to then have to pay again in a year as it's not really that good and it doesn't have a lasting design.

do you have a budget in mind wayne?

Templates, I get wound up about people saying this and making others believe the template it built and the designer doesnt have anything to do   any decent web designer will build/adapt a template for a site either from scratch or from another, he/she will add images, nav bar and build the site, all pages 1 or 303 will be built from this site template. Its standard practice. Any template can be adapted so it is unique to a client its no big deal really.  All websites are built using a template, it is the structure of the site and the other pages are built around it.

The template is a structure, pattern, outline, model, stencil or a guide to a website and no big deal.  

i don't think you're understanding what i'm saying. i said you can pay someone peanuts that'll use a free run of the mill template and then simply fill in the text. there is a tiny bit more to it then that but nothing worth mentioning as it's tiny and not considered anything to boat about. or you can pay someone to make a site like steve has. there is a clear difference between template sites and ones that understand the company.

To be honest if a designer needs to use a template then he isn't at the top of his game. I can creat site templates as photoshop was my forte when i worked in the design industry. For someone that can design it would be a matter of a few hours to get a web template together

[M.Acorn]

I am really impressed with one a builder friend of mine has had done,going to get them to have a go at mine,as it`s a bit dated now..

http://www.leecodrington.com/

Check it out,just like the really clean straight forward look of it

[Colin Day]

The thing that gets me is, if some of you carpet cleaners are so good at website design and SEO, why on earth would you carry on being a carpet cleaner? It just doesn't add up IMO. I'm not doubting for one minute that some of you are clued up to the ying yang, because evidence seems to suggest I'd be wrong to do so.

It would make sense to channel your energies into website design and make much, much more money while you're at it!

Just a thought

[Steve CM]

The thing that gets me is, if some of you carpet cleaners are so good at website design and SEO, why on earth would you carry on being a carpet cleaner? It just doesn't add up IMO. I'm not doubting for one minute that some of you are clued up to the ying yang, because evidence seems to suggest I'd be wrong to do so.

It would make sense to channel your energies into website design and make much, much more money while you're at it!

Just a thought

you think there is big money in webdesign? Unless your dealing with blue chips i think you'd be surprized. Its the same in design. Unless your in with big agencies and at the top of your game its terrible. Thats why i am now in control of a cleaning company. Not for the love, but for the money

[Adam P]

exactly. running a business is far more skilled and can earn a lot more money then simply making static websites (one of the lowest skills is html and css, it's what you learn to then learn the real skills). static websites are like the easiest thing to learn and that skill alone isn't enough to get a job that pays well at all. one of the reasons people make a lot of money from web design is because they come up with a good idea and then that makes money e.g. facebook.

to say someone who plans to be running a successful cleaning company is wasting their time as they can make websites is silly.

[garyj]

If you know what you were doing, why is your logo someone getting a green custard pie in the face?

[Adam P]

If you knew what you were doing, why is your logo someone getting a green custard pie in the face?

lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol!!!!111!!!11!1!!!!!!1111!

Good one

[wynne jones]

If you are succesful at marketing you can make a lot of money, whether you are a carpet cleaner or whatever. If you know how to make people money you can make a lot of money yourself.

I would go as far as to say you could know very little about websites, social media etc and make a lot of money selling solutions and simply outsource the technical side to a Philipino on the payroll for £300 a month who would run rings round 90% of the techies in the UK.

[Steve CM]

If you are succesful at marketing you can make a lot of money, whether you are a carpet cleaner or whatever. If you know how to make people money you can make a lot of money yourself.

I would go as far as to say you could know very little about websites, social media etc and make a lot of money selling solutions and simply outsource the technical side to a Philipino on the payroll for £300 a month who would run rings round 90% of the techies in the UK.

so why are you on here? do you clean for a hobby?

[happy mondays]

The thing that gets me is, if some of you carpet cleaners are so good at website design and SEO, why on earth would you carry on being a carpet cleaner? It just doesn't add up IMO. I'm not doubting for one minute that some of you are clued up to the ying yang, because evidence seems to suggest I'd be wrong to do so.

It would make sense to channel your energies into website design and make much, much more money while you're at it!

Just a thought

Business is business, if you can make enough money to live on just by doing one thing like carpet cleaning thats ok, good luck to anyone that does it.

Nothing wrong with having your fingers in a few pies and knowing a little bit about a few things.  

[wynne jones]

If you are succesful at marketing you can make a lot of money, whether you are a carpet cleaner or whatever. If you know how to make people money you can make a lot of money yourself.

I would go as far as to say you could know very little about websites, social media etc and make a lot of money selling solutions and simply outsource the technical side to a Philipino on the payroll for £300 a month who would run rings round 90% of the techies in the UK.

so why are you on here? do you clean for a hobby?

What I do is irrelevant, if you read what I say you will realise the wisdom in it. 

[Steve CM]

If you are succesful at marketing you can make a lot of money, whether you are a carpet cleaner or whatever. If you know how to make people money you can make a lot of money yourself.

I would go as far as to say you could know very little about websites, social media etc and make a lot of money selling solutions and simply outsource the technical side to a Philipino on the payroll for £300 a month who would run rings round 90% of the techies in the UK.

so why are you on here? do you clean for a hobby?

What I do is irrelevant, if you read what I say you will realise the wisdom in it. 

yes i can certinatly see something...wisdom i'm not sure about

[wynne jones]

So what have I said there that you don't believe?

The fact that someone who can look at a business, asses how it can best capitalise on online/offline marketing and pull the resources together to implement it? Tell me that wouldn't be better at yeilding a profit (something which everyone seems to be avoid talking about) than some computer geek who gets off on producing a glossy website and then moving on.

[Steve CM]

So what have I said there that you don't believe?

The fact that someone who can look at a business, asses how it can best capitalise on online/offline marketing and pull the resources together to implement it? Tell me that wouldn't be better at yeilding a profit (something which everyone seems to be avoid talking about) than some computer geek who gets off on producing a glossy website and then moving on.

who said anything about producing a glossy site and moving on? its a tool at the end of the day. the same as the person i have setting up appointments, pipelining. and bringing in business. The flyer runs and promotional packs i have that go out. The website i have that has an seo company looking at stats and what best to target to get me more leads?

And also the biggest asset - Me! (or yourself) keeping your ear to the ground. Networking yourself about, looking for opportunities and seizing them.

they are all small cogs that run the machine. Why would i need someone to come in when there only interest would be to make money from me?

[wynne jones]

Steve

I wasn't talking about you to be honest. I was talking about your response to one of my posts for the benefit of the original poster and anyone who wants to see the big picture in all this.

But while we are on the subject of your glossy site Steve.

You have  a lovely site and ticks a lot of boxes, yet, it's really a brochure on the web, it's not really capitalising on stuff you can do on the web that you can't do with a brochure.

For instance, you have a weak call to action and although you have a contact form that could so easily be a lead generation machine if it was changed to an optin box that actually stood out and gave people a compelling reason to put an email address in it.

You could even put it in an iframe so that's all people saw initially.  

Do that and you have just made another £xgrand a year and with an automated email campaign much more.

Personally I don't think I could design a site as nice as that but I do think I can see where lots of money can be made.

[clinton]

As one of the above posts said there are some on here who do a good job with web sites and also some who just know the basics and thats about it.Kev loomes does a great job for one.

[wynne jones]

Another tip, which of course you can ignore is... don't put anything you want people to see or take action on below the bottom of the screen. 80% of people never scroll down a site so if you are going to go to all the trouble to have a facebook connect button, put it on the top.

In fact generally webdesigner screw you up straight away by putting a big banner on your site that takes up half the page and does nothing except force  important stuff below the fold.

Clinton I notice you have three sites and one of the links has your main keyword phrase rather than the domain name. That's a smart move that I rarely see even on links from people who should know better.

[Steve CM]

Steve

I wasn't talking about you to be honest. I was talking about your response to one of my posts for the benefit of the original poster and anyone who wants to see the big picture in all this.

But while we are on the subject of your glossy site Steve.

You have  a lovely site and ticks a lot of boxes, yet, it's really a brochure on the web, it's not really capitalising on stuff you can do on the web that you can't do with a brochure.

For instance, you have a weak call to action and although you have a contact form that could so easily be a lead generation machine if it was changed to an optin box that actually stood out and gave people a compelling reason to put an email address in it.

You could even put it in an iframe so that's all people saw initially.  

Do that and you have just made another £xgrand a year and with an automated email campaign much more.

Personally I don't think I could design a site as nice as that but I do think I can see where lots of money can be made.

Ok i'm always open to suggestions and can take critizm on the chin. What i don't like is when i talk to a 'Stuart Baggs Blagger' So i'm all ears please explain further what the example is you shown above. What is a call to action?