Web site design

[DPete]

I think it's time ( probably past time ) to look into a web site for my business, anybody have a recomendation for someone to help with a simple site design ?

 

[AmerIndependent]

What exactly are you wanting to accomplish with it? What services are you wanting to offer? How much are you wanting/willing to spend?

What company is it anyway?

 

[DPete]

Got it covered

 

[Squizzy246B]

Got it covered

Pete I saw your post last night and planned out a big essay on my experience establishing and maintaining my site.....now I'm....not wanted:crying:crying

 

[DPete]

Pete I saw your post last night and planned out a big essay on my experience establishing and maintaining my site.....now I'm....not wanted:crying:crying

Don't run off mad Squiz, found a local geek that will design for $150 usd and host for $100 per year. Will let him fool with it for that, you can still write your essay if you want

 

[Squizzy246B]

Nope! thats it...you had your chance...now I'm taking my bat & ball and going home

Naw, whatever he does just make sure you have access to your own site and the rights to change stuff around as you go. Many site developers like to restrict you so you have to pay them for even minor changes which they usually don't get right and take ages to install anyway. Let the geek do the bulk of the setup work but make sure you own the show and have full access...even if you don't use it much...its your website not his.

 

[Abscraperguy]

Nope! thats it...you had your chance...now I'm taking my bat & ball and going home

Naw, whatever he does just make sure you have access to your own site and the rights to change stuff around as you go. Many site developers like to restrict you so you have to pay them for even minor changes which they usually don't get right and take ages to install anyway. Let the geek do the bulk of the setup work but make sure you own the show and have full access...even if you don't use it much...its your website not his.

Oh Squizzy pray tell what you know. I'm needing good, solid advice on website desighn, hosting etc.:notworthyrofessor

 

[TimHay]

Me to you can even use my bat and ball Squizzy
The guy I was going to use wants $1250 to set up and $525 a year I thought that was high,
But he is local (not crazy neither) and that always means something

 

[Squizzy246B]

Well, first of all I'm no expert but it helped that I have a geek mate who runs a successful shop. I can't tell you about all the nuts and bolts, thats the geeks job, but as an owner there are some things you should know:

You need to purchase a domain name first...that in itself is a whole nother topic that geeks go on about for ages and ages. This requires some research and looking around at what is happening in your local area. Geography comes into play.

Its good to use the most descriptive and applicable keywords in your domain name whilst keeping it memorable..or catchy..memorizable I think is the word. If you sell pancakes in Seattle then SeattlePancakes.com is probably a good domain name. Anyway, I not expert but you shopuld discuss it with your geek and read some of the online stuff about domain names. Beware of self-proclaimed experts and any tips that are more than about 3 years old.

Design: You should do the basics yourself as really only you know what you want. You can simply do the rough layout and your ideas on a Word programme, do it by hand or download (free) one of the WYSIWYG editors that are easy as using word to build your concept. That stands for What You See Is What You Get. If you are prepared to put in the time you can do the whole lot yourself, you just need some server space (host - you may have some available with your ISP)

However you do it you need to communicate your ideas very clearly to the Geek...He don't know squat about earthmoving or concrete or whatever...he's a geek...everything is a bulldozer to him. Most people plageurise the crap out of other websites. I wrote all my own text, then get the geek to build a rough website (just on my mates server at the shop) and then I edited it and then he put it online. Basic development and two years hosting cost me $800. The design layout/colours/scheme/logos etc should really follow what your company already has.

Then there is the access and updating issue I mentioned above...talk to your host about how thats going to work. If he wont let you upload new photos etc then tell him your taking your business elsewhere. Some owners don't wont to have anything to do with their website, others want to mess with it all the time, its up to you but what you think you want is maybe not how you are going to run it 12 months down the track. If you are paying lots everytime you want to do an update it can get expensive.

My website is built on a program called Drupal...it sucks, but I have managed to fumble my way through it and be able to change the text, upload photos etc....its OK now but it does have some serious shortcomings. Again, get your geek to show you how all this works. Heres a tip, the more you update and change your website the more the Search Engine Bots will take notice of it.

I'm really skimming over a whole lot of stuff here but.:beatsme

Last owners tip is that designing, building and getting your website up and running is about as useful as putting a house for sale sign on Mars. Your domain name will be that far buried in Google (unless you a real lucky SOB) nobody will ever find it; unless they actually have your domain name (which they got off the tailgate of your truck - you put it there because you are a savvy website owner).

Anyway, part two ofthe battle is called SEO or Search Engine Optimisation. The bit where you get "unburied" in the Google searches. This is way outa my league but I'll post some more on what I experienced....Later.

 

[TimHay]

Well, first of all I'm no expert but it helped that I have a geek mate who runs a successful shop. I can't tell you about all the nuts and bolts, thats the geeks job, but as an owner there are some things you should know:

You need to purchase a domain name first...that in itself is a whole nother topic that geeks go on about for ages and ages. This requires some research and looking around at what is happening in your local area. Geography comes into play.

Its good to use the most descriptive and applicable keywords in your domain name whilst keeping it memorable..or catchy..memorizable I think is the word. If you sell pancakes in Seattle then SeattlePancakes.com is probably a good domain name. Anyway, I not expert but you shopuld discuss it with your geek and read some of the online stuff about domain names. Beware of self-proclaimed experts and any tips that are more than about 3 years old.

Design: You should do the basics yourself as really only you know what you want. You can simply do the rough layout and your ideas on a Word programme, do it by hand or download (free) one of the WYSIWYG editors that are easy as using word to build your concept. That stands for What You See Is What You Get. If you are prepared to put in the time you can do the whole lot yourself, you just need some server space (host - you may have some available with your ISP)

However you do it you need to communicate your ideas very clearly to the Geek...He don't know squat about earthmoving or concrete or whatever...he's a geek...everything is a bulldozer to him. Most people plageurise the crap out of other websites. I wrote all my own text, then get the geek to build a rough website (just on my mates server at the shop) and then I edited it and then he put it online. Basic development and two years hosting cost me $800. The design layout/colours/scheme/logos etc should really follow what your company already has.

Then there is the access and updating issue I mentioned above...talk to your host about how thats going to work. If he wont let you upload new photos etc then tell him your taking your business elsewhere. Some owners don't wont to have anything to do with their website, others want to mess with it all the time, its up to you but what you think you want is maybe not how you are going to run it 12 months down the track. If you are paying lots everytime you want to do an update it can get expensive.

My website is built on a program called Drupal...it sucks, but I have managed to fumble my way through it and be able to change the text, upload photos etc....its OK now but it does have some serious shortcomings. Again, get your geek to show you how all this works. Heres a tip, the more you update and change your website the more the Search Engine Bots will take notice of it.

I'm really skimming over a whole lot of stuff here but.:beatsme

Last owners tip is that designing, building and getting your website up and running is about as useful as putting a house for sale sign on Mars. Your domain name will be that far buried in Google (unless you a real lucky SOB) nobody will ever find it; unless they actually have your domain name (which they got off the tailgate of your truck - you put it there because you are a savvy website owner).

Anyway, part two ofthe battle is called SEO or Search Engine Optimisation. The bit where you get "unburied" in the Google searches. This is way outa my league but I'll post some more on what I experienced....Later.

Thank for you help Squizzy. Alot of what you siad went over my head but it will hlep me out big time:notworthy
The 1250 this geek wants includes the name
I never even thought about maintianing it my self. I will have to talk to him about thaThanks man
Tim

 

[DPete]

Come on Squiz, you're holdin back I like a complicated life LOL

 

[Squizzy246B]

Come on Squiz, you're holdin back I like a complicated life LOL

You are correct Pete...a girl has gotta have some secrets Lol

I'm sorry but I have 6 or 7 jobs to look at this morning...they are all requests for quotes that came in off my website over christmas

I'll post a lttle more when I get back this afternoon about how I got from Page 39 of Google to page 1.

 

[DPete]

You are correct Pete...a girl has gotta have some secrets

Learn something every day :cool2

 

[Squizzy246B]

Pete. I moved this thread to the Geek section.

Now...its pretty well established that if you are not on page 1 or 2 of google you pretty much may as well forget about attracting new customers. Of course there are other search engines but we will talk about Gaggle as they are the big dog in the SE world.

In the Down Under you can pay from $1,000 to $5,000 for a professional SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). In other words some geek gets your Google ranking up by all sorts of well guarded secret methods. My advice is to try some of the basic things first and see how things improve...or don't.

The main thing here is it takes time. Changes in your site can take weeks to reach their full affect.

When I first got my site up and running I think I was on page 50 something...after a period of about 6 weeks when the spiders/bots find your site I got to page 39 and there I stayed. That means 38 pages of websites were ranking higher in my keyword searches. In the space of about another 10 days I got to pages 3-7 depending on the search used...and after a lot more research I made just a few simple changes to make it to No 1 in my area. That worked has paid off 100 fold.

Now Google will help you with all this. The first thing to do is create a Google account and find out what keywords people are using in their searches in your industry. There is a multitude of tools within Google that can help you find out information, too many to list here and most I hardly remember. Be aware the repeated similar searches from your IP will start bias in your google history...in other words google will start to show you what it thinks you want (sort of). The way around this is again to use the toold google provides to do unbiased searches and see where your website is really performing. They have website optimisers, webmaster tools and all manner of stuff. It takes a bit of getting around but if I can do it then...welll ..

The most important ones are finding out about the number of searches that are being conducted on "your" keywords. Also, when your site is running for awhile you can ask Google what it thinks your site is about. I think when I first put my domain name in it thought I was a plasterer or something.

Anyway, the main things I did where

a) Take steps to increase the flow of traffic to your site. Its a chicken and egg thing. The more people that click on your website the more the search engines take notice. Some ways of getting more traffic is to plaster your domain name all around the web in so much as you can. The more places the bots find your domain name the better. Always have your domain underneath your email signature etc. List your domain in as many on-line service directories as you can. Spam the internet...just not HEF:cool2. You can increase your websites exposure with a video on Youtube.

b) Consider an Adwords account for a period, say 6 months. This is the pay per click (PPC) ads you see placed on the right hand side of google searches pertaining to the search you have run. I only run mine occaisionally now and it takes some time to get it working for you...but its more trial and error than anything else. Google provides tutorials. The clicks cost you but you can manage your budget very easily. I primarily used it as a tool to increase the flow of traffic to my site.

c) In most countries you can get a Google Local Business Centre where you can run a local directory ad and its free. Thats those little maps that appear in Google when you search in a specific locality or postcode (zip)

d) Gurus will tell you that keywords (on your web pages) are no longer important to Google................well, all I can say is they may be less important than they once where but they are still important. The Gurus will tell you that the internet is dead as wellointhead Use the Google keyword tool to find out what the bots have made of your site.

e) Make your image tags (filenames for pics) accurately reflect the picture. If a picture Tag is 000123.jpg Google doesn't know what the hell it is..google doesn't read pictures...google reads file names. If the file name is new "exposed aggregate driveway.jpg" it stands more chance of getting picked up in Google images. Try a google image search for "reconstituted limestone retaining" and see if the costone website appears on the first page.

f) ask questions and do some research before you shell out the hard earned.

g) do not cut and paste content from other sites. Make sure it is original.

What I have put here is just a smidge of what you can cover on this. What works in one area for one person will often not work in another locale, or industry. A lot depends on the amount of competition.

I started my website as a point of reference for my potential clients. With some time and effort on my behalf it has started producing leads every month. I didn't pay any geeks and I no longer advertise in the local papers...I hardly even use Google Adwords but if I do I'll chuck $50 bucks at it for a month. Overall it is not my sole marketing tool but it was well worth the effort (it still needs a lot of work mind you)

The last thing is getting your Search Engine ranking up might be the easy part...staying there could be the real challenge.

 

[JimInOz]

Thanks Squizzy,
I'm about to attempt setting up my first website,& your unbiased info will be invaluable.
Now I just need to get friendly with a Geek.....

Jim

 

[Squizzy246B]

No problems Jim. You can find stories of "how I got to No 1" all over the internet. The important thing to remember is every Locale and every market is different so what works in one area/industry may not work in others. I got lucky and don't rate too badly in my area but I also had some very good tips.

I think one of the best things I did was check out all the opposition websites. You get heaps of ideas for what seems to work well and what doesn't.

Having a website is at its most basic form advertising!...All those here who have at some time spent time and money on advertising and got sweet .....not much at all back, raise your right hand now!....Ok...it unanimous then (well at least I'm not the only one). Like all forms of advertising and communicating with potential customers it needs to be informative, honest, and enticing.....but it needs to be in a language that your customers understand. Some of these "wordologists" that design websites also seem to sell Steak knives on TV and write speeches for politicians.

Convey your wares towards the clients you want to work for. I was worried I was going to bring a whole lot of rubbish to the door which would simply result in me wasting my time doing more quotes for bugger all. (it does a bit) However, the demographic of who is contacting me through my website runs from one end of the scale to the other. Most are 40+ working people who look me up while at the office:beatsme I just haven't been able to crack the 18 year female blonde bombshell with loads of cash market yet!. One point to remember is the most of my initial contacts are made by the Lady of the household. She gets sick of waiting for him to call Lol.

Never forget that there is no such thing as a "set and forget" highly successful website. Low maintenance might be the best you can strive for but at the end of the day; all forms of advertising need some work from time to time.

 

[JimInOz]

Hi Squizzy,
Sounds like good advice.I'll take it on board whilst doing my research.
Regular maintenence on a website is a small price to pay,if it brings work to your business.

Now really,you should know that 18 YO Blondes never have any $$$,as it's always "invested" in black dresses,new shoes & $200 hair styles......

Thanks,
Jim

 

[KSSS]

That is all good advice Squizzy, I would add that its important to keep updating the site. I just had mine rebuilt, price was around 1300. Took way to long for that kind of money but the results turned out good so I am not complaining. I am paying another company 120 a month to have them get me higher on the search engines. He tells me how it works, its like Charlie Brown's teacher talking to me:beatsme. Whatever just make it happen.

The other gem I would add is get into Google analytical. It is a great tool. I can track the activity on my site down to what search engines people are using to find me. I can even tell when Squizzy is stalking me because the Google site tracks the hits on my site down to what city and Country they come from. It also shows how long people stay on your web site, what pages they go to and it goes on and on. I strongly recommend anyone with a website to get on this. Its also free.

I plan on adding more movies they seem to be pretty popular. So I will make some more movies, anything to keep people into your site.

 

[DPete]

Here's how the site turned out, simple with a few pics http://www.danpetersonexcavating.com/ I don't know about the search engines, maybe it takes some time or the geek hasn't done that part yet because you can't search it yet

 

[AmerIndependent]

Very nice Dan. Short, sweet, and to the point.

Those are some cool pictures too, did you take them yourself?