Website, I need help

SPM

Hey there,

I have started up a business on a shoestring budget and did this website design myself. It probably looks a little home made and I am having dificulty getting the website to show up in search engines other than using google add words. How do you optimise this? say for instance the word "surveyor" what do i do to it, where do I put it etc.

www.spmsurveying.com

Also, in general, what do you think? is the design ok? would you think the prices are reasonable etc.. are there any suggestions on advertising which you may have also???

All in all any feedback from any angle would be appreciated..

I thank you greatly in advance for any criticism and advice which you may have...

Gordon

forbairt

ok ... here's my comments and sorry they are going to be mostly negative ...

you've asked though .. I'm a webdesigner ... (or at least like to think of myself as one)

Your fonts are ... awful ... justified text really looks back to me on something like that ...

I feel you really need a nice logo or something ...

I'll assume you've done up business cards ?

The image on the front you are using is very poor quality ... if you've purchased this image ... ? and please make sure you've purchased it as this can lead you into a lot of trouble if you've just decided to borrow it from someone else ... make sure you use a good quality image

Your about us page ... ( same comments ) ... only add in that your page title is page358 ??? what on earth is that ??

Your contact page ... similar ... the fonts seem a bit all over the place ... it could do with some padding as well ..

I've just realised your whole menu on the left is a imagemap ? ... this isn't a great idea .. its taking a while to load for each page ...

your title on your pricing page ... "All Prices Are Inclusive of V.A.T." ... isn't really a great title ...

The contact details on the left are kinda hard to read. ... also you have a mobile number down as phone ...

you don't have SPM Surveying 25 Haven Hill ... on the contact details ... I'll assume its a registered business name or similar .. so you might as well include it ... even if it is your home address ?

Colors ... could be quite nice ... but its just not working for me ... the .. Greys on the background of the menu .. don't work ...

Your css seems to be included in your html as well .. you could easily separate this out ..

EEK ... the code is actually hidiously ... as well .. investigate CSS designs ...

You've no meta data in there ... keywords / descriptions ...

All in all ... negative comments but all bits you should be able to fix up as well fairly handily ... Also its based on your site being used for business ...


Hope its of some help ...
James

KoolKid

Well its down at the moment

forbairt

typo in his url ...

http://www.spmsurveying.com/

I assumed at any rate

KoolKid

Ahh I see.. Forbairt has said it all really.
Did you design this yourself? It looks a lot like free template.

cazzy

I think its fine for its purpose. It gives all the information that one needs even if it isnt all singing and dancing and after all you are not a web designer by trade !

If I needed a Snag done (in Cork) Id call ya if I came across it on a search engine if I didnt know any architects myself as it gives me the comfort that you are qualified and you have your prices clearly displayed.

As regards the issues someone poined out with the photos, maybe you could take some photos yourself - I assume you can use them yourself instead of worrying bout copyright?

When I was getting driving lessons I did a search and got a home made site but it had all the details I needed, I went to the guy, he was v good and I though it was very enterprising of him to do his own website. (and it wasnt as good as yours)

The important thing for you is prob getting some links to your site and onto search engines. Not sure how you do this unfortunately but the likes of online tradesmen etc is where I usually begin if I needed anything for my new apartment. You need to get people onto your website instead of having lots of bells and whistles to either sell directly from the site or channel traffic to other site.

As you are providing a service and you are really only looking to have an online ad its probably not as important that you have all the flashy bits.

Best of luck with it all......... sorry for ravaging on.

Trojan

I won't repeat all the constructive comments that have already been said, but I agree with 90%+ of what the others have said.

If you can find a few hundred quid in your budget you might be able to find a freelancer who will take the existing site and give it a facelift. It wouldn't be complete redevelopment and it should be possible to do within 3-700 quid depending on what you want. The tips included on this page should be a big input into it. Best way to find them is word of mouth.

Cheers,
Alastair.

forbairt

cazzy wrote: »

I think its fine for its purpose. It gives all the information that one needs even if it isnt all singing and dancing and after all you are not a web designer by trade !

Don't get me wrong its fine and the information is there ... it could just do with a few improvements ...

cazzy wrote: »

If I needed a Snag done (in Cork) Id call ya if I came across it on a search engine if I didnt know any architects myself as it gives me the comfort that you are qualified and you have your prices clearly displayed.

You would choose him over a better more professional looking site with the same prices and same information ? People will no doubt check out a few websites if possible in the area

cazzy wrote: »

When I was getting driving lessons I did a search and got a home made site but it had all the details I needed, I went to the guy, he was v good and I though it was very enterprising of him to do his own website. (and it wasnt as good as yours)

For this kinda thing I'd really go by word of mouth ... get your business cards done up, give them to any of your clients .. word of mouth is great for business...

cazzy wrote: »

The important thing for you is prob getting some links to your site and onto search engines. Not sure how you do this unfortunately but the likes of online tradesmen etc is where I usually begin if I needed anything for my new apartment. You need to get people onto your website instead of having lots of bells and whistles to either sell directly from the site or channel traffic to other site.

Add your site to your signature ... on here ... make a few posts ... don't spam .. but be helpful ...

cazzy wrote: »

As you are providing a service and you are really only looking to have an online ad its probably not as important that you have all the flashy bits.

Nothing I mentioned was too flashy as such ... just tweaks to the current design ...

If money is an issue .. and you said you put it together on a shoestring budget then take a look at the likes of ...

http://www.oswd.org/

Lots of free templates on there. Ok your site may look like other sites but the majority of people wouldn't notice unless they are in the trade

DJB

I don't think you are helping your business at all with that website. I'd prefer to see a simple one page site done that looks professional than what's up there. I understand your predicament with the budget and I empathise. It can be difficult to justify spending a few thousand on a website in the early stages. Do you get any leads through your site? How many visitors are you getting?

Forbairt... has... said... it... all... really!!! (only messing forb)

Fair play to you for giving it a try but in all honesty, I can't see someone finding your site and saying "oh, lets contact these guys, they look like they are good at what they do". I don't mean to be harsh but you could even use a website maker tool that would look miles better and only cost you a couple of hundred euro.

If all else fails maybe contact REMOVED (only messing... don't ever contact them)!

Or maybe... you could ask nicely and someone might give you a hand in their spare time! Finding a good freelancer at a good rate might be best (as previously suggested). Before you hire them, you could post their portfolio up here and we could give you our opinion!

I really hope this not sound too harsh... I just can't see your current website adding anything to your business.

If I can be of any help though, give me a shout!

Cheers, Dave

p.s. oh, I have a new client who said they got their site done for only 300 euro or so and it looked fine to me when I saw it. Not great but at least it looked decent enough. I can find out who the crowd was if you want. It was a template type of thing but seemed to work out well for them starting out until they felt the need to upgrade and go the whole hog.

pres

Like what was said before the site isnt gonna help your business at all.
I am a webdesigner too and to be honest wouldnt mind giving you a hand. Don't PM me, I won't show you my portfolio and I will not give you a quote.


----


This is not the area to pimp your services. Use the services available system on adverts.ie, or just pm the guy directly and keep all this on the QT.
GoneShootin

rusnakova

Hi SPM,

Honestly said, having read the previous comments I expected to see something much worse. So I was positively surprised

Will not say anything about your design, as guys have already done that, however, you also asked about the SEO - getting to the first position in Google.

Well, I have been dealing with this issue recently and the system we use works. It's not so difficult - just pick several keywords you think your potential customers will type into Google when looking for your service. Then put these keywords in to your <title> tag and meta tag description and keywords. You will find a lot of info on how to do it out there. Then make sure that at least your homepage contains these keywords at least 3-4 times each.

There are also other issues you shouldn't overlook but for start this could be enough. BTW, have you submitted your website to Google and other directories? A good one is submitnet.net - we use it and are happy with it, it will also help you with the stuff I have just described.

If you need any more info, let me know.

Simona Rusnakova

slavetothegrind

this is intersting for me as i am involved in a small buisness and we are in the process of trying to establish a website,
we have asked two companies so far for quotes and one came back with 4.5k and the other 2k.
This for a basic descriptive site with a few 10 second video clips ( you tube style) and obviously professional graphic design and layout.
2k seems reasonable for a professional putting in the work but what makes it worth 4k?
It's a bit like how long is a piece of string without the brief ,

i know.

AAAArg! It's confusing:(

ircoha

from website

Please call us for a quote or to arrange a survey for your property.

We can arrange a survey any where in Munster

Your survey will be complete within three days of your contacting us.

Office Hours:

9.00am ~ 7.00pm Monday ~ Friday

11.00am ~ 3.00pm Saturdays

Mob: 086 3299219

Tel/Fax: 021 4777881

E-mail: Info@spmsurveying.com

web design not my area:

anywhere is one word in this context

i feel the order here is wrong: days first and then the hrs of opening
the ~ is sometimes used to indicate approx so I would drop it.

Info at is a bit impersonal

having said that do u really need this detail: 11 to 3 on a Sat looks naf

pic on contacts page unnecessary, especially since she looks flat, stretched and truncated

rusnakova

this is intersting for me as i am involved in a small buisness and we are in the process of trying to establish a website,
we have asked two companies so far for quotes and one came back with 4.5k and the other 2k.
This for a basic descriptive site with a few 10 second video clips ( you tube style) and obviously professional graphic design and layout.
2k seems reasonable for a professional putting in the work but what makes it worth 4k?
It's a bit like how long is a piece of string without the brief ,

Joeclif,

If you describe your project in more detail, I might be able to find some guys to create a website for less - let me know if you would be interested.

pres

joeclif wrote: »

this is intersting for me as i am involved in a small buisness and we are in the process of trying to establish a website,
we have asked two companies so far for quotes and one came back with 4.5k and the other 2k.
This for a basic descriptive site with a few 10 second video clips ( you tube style) and obviously professional graphic design and layout.
2k seems reasonable for a professional putting in the work but what makes it worth 4k?
It's a bit like how long is a piece of string without the brief ,

i know.

AAAArg! It's confusing:(

just messaged u Joe