My New Site

[Brian McIntosh]

Let me start by giving a bit of history here. I was looking around for some FTP space so that clients could upload full res pictures for me to work on and I could send them back. By chance, Stu was on Messenger at the time and I quizzed him about it, being that he is the resident forum IT expert. Not being a great typer, I called Stu and by the end of the conversation I had agreed to have a new website designed (which, by the way, including hosting, is waaaaay cheaper than my old one).

After a lot of work on Stu's part, the new site went online this morning. It's been great fun working on this and Stu has a way with words when he's talking on messenger that cracked me up a lot of the time. There are tweeks coming in the future that Stu is going to work on, SEO is the next thing we need to get in place but, again, Stu is on the ball with that one. All in all, it's been a really painless process for me. I'm sure Stu has despaired of me sometimes though :tongue_smilie:. So it's a big thanks to Stu, and Tom for the fantastic logo, and, as resident IT experts go, he's nae bad :thumbup:.

Have a look around. There are a shed load of pics still to go up and a new commercial photography part that a few of you on here have had an input into.

For the rest of the day, just call me Mr Happy Bunny.

 

[Idea15]

Well Happy Bunny sir, you are what we web designers would call a dream client. You involved yourself in the business case, educated yourself about your options, worked *with* your designer rather than against them, and viewed the site creation process as a positive development and not pulling teeth. Bravo!

 

[Brian McIntosh]

Thank you Heather. Call me Mr Naive Bunny now but, how many people ask for a site and leave you to it without telling you what they want? I would have thought input from the client was vitally important. I really enjoyed the whole process although it was Stu who did all the work. For me it's SEO next and I'm looking forward to learning a new language and getting my head round how it all works. Or I hope I can!!

 

[Idea15]

Brian, I have had three businesses come to me in the past year to ask me scope out ideas for web sites. In all three cases, the business owners were men over the age of 65 who were all long past their sell-by dates. In all three cases, they asked me to submit proposals and quotes. In two cases, I never heard back anything. Not even a "thanks but no thanks" - not even simple basic courtesy, even though I physically see them several times a year. In the latter case, it was the timewaster who I ranted about in the private forum, the one who delegated the project to his secretary who didn't even know what a logo was. In all three cases, they seemed to think an "internet web page" was a magical gadget. The thought of actually having to put some work in, and in two out of three cases, run the business as a commercial venture rather than an old boys' club hobby, was quite offensive to them.

It's why I refuse to work with men over the age of 65 now. Learned that the hard way.

 

[Scottish Business Owner]

I was lucky to have a few sneak previews of the site as it was developing and I have to agree the site looks great Combine this with fantastic pictures and you have a winning site. I hope it goes well Brian

 

[Power Lunch Club]

It's why I refuse to work with men over the age of 65 now. Learned that the hard way.

Ah, Heather are you being ageist? Or have you got to learn how to set your (potential) clients expectations of what you require of them?

 

[Idea15]

Well, when you put your expectations in writing and also explain them to the potential client in person and they react by going dead silent and ignoring all phoned, emailed, and in-person communications, the decision makes itself.

I have no doubt that one particular individual was doing it just to go through the play-acting of showing who was the big man. Isn't it good to know that our venerable Scottish economy is in such good shape that these business owners could afford to distract themselves with petty games like "let's have a wee laugh wi' the foreign girl"? But...all three of those business owners have now sold up and one shuttered and closed overnight. See my other post about authentic confidence vs inauthentic confidence. So I may not have the arrogance and the resources which allow me to pretend to contract for a service as a minor sport. But my business is still running.

 

[Power Lunch Club]

Good point Heather

 

[peteark]

The site is pleasing to the eye

I don't find the on-site optimisation up to standard, but in that regard I am a perfectionist. Other than that the site is ok

P

 

[Brian McIntosh]

Thanks for letting me know Peter. I will hire an optimisation expert as soon as I can afford one which will hopefully rectify this situation.

 

[peteark]

Hi Brian

The idea for any website looking to generate visitors via search engine free listings, is to do things in a set manner, from the start.

Before any designer sets about the task of producing a website, the most important aspect is to carry out in depth keyword research, this research will form the structure of the whole website.

Then it's a matter of the designer sticking to certain rules, during the build process, as these are generally not understood or unseen to the naked eye they are often missed out.

The next aspect is content, each page of a website needs to be full of good quality unique content (text),not easy when a site is geared around images. On top of that we need a mechanism that will allow us to add content on a regularly basis.

If that wasn't enough we also need to regularly build good quality inbound links.

Understand all this and the Internet business becomes less of a punt and more of a viable business.

Good Luck

Pete

 

[Former Member 1]

The idea for any website looking to generate visitors via search engine free listings, is to do things in a set manner, from the start.

B :blink:reathes gently, calmly... restfully. Quietly washing away thoughts of search engines that produce ever increasing amounts of random irrelevant pish to the point where they matter less and less by the hour. Grandmothers and their egg consumption habits. How purpley-pink text on black is a dyslexic's nightmare. The debate whether snake oil exists to lubricate squeaky reptiles or is extracted from them..... which would explain how they become squeaky...:lol:

The site looks great Brian; seriously! Good clean solid design. Loads quickly, no nonsense, gallery works really well and the pictures look not only fab but groovy also...:thumbup1:

 

[peteark]

Matt you miss the point

If a site is designed with search engines in mind, there is no problem, it is just a matter of building links and adding content, hardly difficult tasks. The cost of the build is not more expensive.

I have project managed many builds, most of them are performing very well within search.

As for the relevance of Google, well this is subjective statement, some of my clients turnover well over a million pounds a year from Google alone, others make nowhere near that amount. You would have difficulty convincing the ones that make good money that Google inparticular is irrelevant.

 

[Former Member 1]

Peter,

I haven't missed the point at all. Far from it.

I'm stating a simple fact. Increasing numbers of people are finding search engines of less and less practical use because they throw up spurious and often irrelevant results. Here's a fresh example..... Search string is 'Low cost corporate video Scotland'.......

Beaufort Productions
Video Gallery. Previous clients. Phone Email. Glencaple, south west Scotland. Corporate. post production. Voiceovers ...

#
Wedding Video and Video Services in Lanarkshire Area Scotland
Lanarkshire Scotland based Video Services Company providing low cost good value video filming of weddings and other special events. Third party digital editing, ...

#
Wedding Video Scotland|Videographers Scotland
Quality, low cost advertising for your business that really works! ... scotland, editing, camera, scottish videographer, corporate, south east, wedding ...

#
Britain & the UK's official travel and holiday Guide! : VisitBritain
Homecoming Scotland 2009 ... leading airlines for the best scheduled, charter and low cost flights to Britain. ... About VisitBritain
#
Home Page : VisitBritain
Homecoming Scotland 2009 ... leading airlines for the best scheduled, charter and low cost flights to Britain. ... About VisitBritain
#
Baillie Gifford Investment Management - UK Retail Investors & Advisers ...
Corporate Bond Fund. Developed Asia Pacific Fund. Emerging Markets Growth Fund ... Baillie Gifford, Calton Square, 1 Greenside Row, Edinburgh, EH1 3AN, Scotland ...
#
BBC NEWS | Scotland | Worry over corporate killing laws
... South of Scotland | Tayside and Central | Scotland Video and Audio | Talking Point ... Accidents at work 'cost millions' (12 Mar 08 | Surrey ) ...
#
Travel guides Scotland
UK travel internet guide - Scotland Information ... Scotland for Visitors - The Royal Scotsman - Royal Research Ship Discovery ...

#
Wedding Video Scotland,Wedding DVD Scotland, Glasgow, Argyllvideo ...
Wedding Videos Scotland,Wedding DVD Scotland,Glasgow,High Definition,True Widescreen.Corporate Business Training Video.Whole of Scotland covered.

#
NewsNow: Electronics
Actel aims FPGAs at low cost, high volume consumer designs Electronics Weekly - Home 12:57 ... SUGA Video Pico Projector wins Gold award Eurotrade Computer ...

#
BBC NEWS | Scotland | British Energy to close HQ
... South of Scotland | Tayside and Central | Scotland Video and Audio | Talking Point ... corporate headquarters - ideally in or close to the East Kilbride ...
news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/scotland/3038978.stm - Cached
#
Scottish Weddings venues, castles, hotels for weddings in Scotland
Click here for full details & photos & videos. GAY WEDDINGS IN SCOTLAND ... Facilities for corporate events, conferences, weddings. ...

#
Baillie Gifford Investment Management - UK Retail Investors & Advisers ...
Scottish Mortgage is a low cost investment trust that aims to maximise total ... Corporate Bond Fund. Developed Asia Pacific Fund. Emerging Markets Growth Fund ...

There's actually not ONE legitimately professional corporate video production company in that search! Wedding videographers and some jack-of-all trades who's so desperate for work he's trying to rack in sales on a £150 day rate (which would hardly cover the insurance!) As for the investment managers???? WTF???

It really matters not one jot whether some people are making millions out of it. Personally (and I've said this here before many times) I just COULDN't give a flying **** about SEO or Google. It simply NOT remotely relevant to what I do! And for the type of business Brian is in (which is similar to my own).....

And FWIW I happen to KNOW that Brian's site was produced by someone who knows their trade inside out, it looks good, it works well, does its job; End of.

 

[peteark]

Matt if you read far enough back I did comment that the site was good except for the on-site optimisation, Brian thanked me for these comments.

You took it on yourself to jump into this conversation, in an abusive manner, why, because you personally have no interest in search. This is your view one not one shared by everyone.

Google has struggled for some to deliver relevant search results, I spoke to one of their employees on this very subject a few months ago. They are currently working on providing more target specific geo relevant results, however they are still struggling with teething problems. This added to their constant capacity problems is causing the technicians a headache.

On a final note Brian asked for comments about his website, it sounds like you have taken it on yourself to act as his spokesman on behalf of the anti Google lobby....lol, grow up and take a valium....lol.

 

[Former Member 1]

Well, frankly, you took it upon yourself to jump into the entire forum and make what as far as I'm concerned was a thinly veiled opening sales pitch. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Brian's site, and the person who designed it has already spent far more time and effort that I would have felt necessary making sure it works in terms of SEO.... Which is fairly obvious from the coding.

But hey; last week everyone was a multimedia designer, this week they're an SEO expert, week before that they were all web designers :bored: Before that they were all day traders or style consultants...:lol:

Seems that EVERY forum I log onto, EVERY time someone offers a site up for critique someone pops out the woodwork with all this SEO stuff... It's been done to death here and everywhere else.... NO I don't have any interest in search. I don't have any interest in search because I am a qualified professional working in my own field and that's what I stick to. Much as the person who designed Brian's site is.... I spend my days doing a professional job for professional people. I don't spend my days like 'Arfur Daly' messing about with everything and anything trying to claw out a living any which way...

And I haven't as you claim been abusive....

However you have..

I don't need to 'grow up'; My professional position and achievements speak for themselves. But you certainly do with your cheap, nasty druggie jibes. I think you know where you can shove your Vallium; sideways!

Nor am I anti-Google; the search string and results I gave you were from Yahoo! But could equally well have come from anywhere...

Google has struggled for some to deliver relevant search results, I spoke to one of their employees on this very subject a few months ago. They are currently working on providing more target specific geo relevant results, however they are still struggling with teething problems. This added to their constant capacity problems is causing the technicians a headache.

And I wonder why that is? :lol: Couldn't possibly be because every time they develop a sound search strategy millions of SEO 'experts' around the world set to work short circuiting it? It's a game of cat and mouse the ultimate end to which is that the Search engine cease to operate properly, cease to remain relevant and the system starts to implode....

There are some games where the only winning move is not to play...

Try typing 'low cost corporate video' into google.... I find the result hysterical!

 

[peteark]

Matt my comment about keyword research is very apt in your case, ranking number 1 on Google is worthless if the term is not searched for

low cost corporate video - Not enough data

As I said earlier we design each page of a website around good quality keywords. Good quality means popular with limited competition.

A better term for your homepage would be corporate video production, this is searched for approx 2,500 times a month

People wrongly presume seo is all about meta tags and validation of code, it isn't, in fact seo is just part of the process of Internet marketing.

I do understand the anger that is felt towards seo providers, Peter Bishop, the owner of this site www.the-little-things-in-life.co.uk recently signed up with us. To say he disliked seo providers would be an understatement. However as positive results are now being achieved his mood has mellowed, I am sure he is available for comment.

I also dislike the vast majority of seo providers, so much so that I recently set up my own forum SEO Forum in an attempt to offer helpful advice to the small business owner, not sales pitches, help.

My own thoughts on the seo services sector is simple

A provider should have the ability to demonstrate

1. A high ranking for at least one popular term
2. Have ample in bound links
3. Have a batch of genuine testimonials

The fact very few can demonstrate any of these shows why the industry is in such a poor state

Just for the record, my site is The UK's Leading Internet Marketing Consultants
Keywords: Internet consultants, Internet marketing consultants, seo link building, business services, free business directory, too name but a few
Inbound links: 57,000

Not everyone is covered in snake oil....lol, some people are genuine and try to be helpful

 

[Former Member 1]

Matt my comment about keyword research is very apt in your case, ranking number 1 on Google is worthless if the term is not searched for

Peter.... I REALLY don't actually give a $**t! Seriously; just doesn't matter and isn't something I gave the REMOTEST consideration to when I set the site up... The site (apparently) pops up in the first three on quite a few different searches. But it actually doesn't matter.... That site's only there as a reference point for more serious marketing activities.

Just for the record, my site is XXXXXXXXXXXX The UK's Leading Internet Marketing Consultants

How surprising! :lol: Only your 5th ever post to the forum and the pitch is right in there.... You'd have got in with the third post I'm sure had I not stuck my neb in!

 

[Scottish Business Owner]

Matt,

I've just typed in low cost corporate video into Google and low and behold you are number 1! We've discussed SEO on previous posts and I totally understand your viewpoint albeit I have a very different take on SEO.

Peteark - I would suggest that you take a few minutes and introduce yourself properly to let us all know a bit more about yourself and your business

 

[Former Member 1]

I've just typed in low cost corporate video into Google and low and behold you are number 1! We've discussed SEO on previous posts and I totally understand your viewpoint albeit I have a very different take on SEO.

The Irony hasn't escaped me... One of my marketing students pointed it out while I was casually dismissing the importance of obsessing over SEO. And there are a few strings that will produce a similar result. The funny thing is my SEO strategy hasn't changed since about 1999! And I can't work out if this proves me right or proves me wrong :lol:

...and my coding skills haven't improved since 1999 either! :001_tongue: