[Timmy Boy]

Hi All
Just wanted a little bit of advice. I have had my new website up and running for a few months now and want to look at getting it moving up the organic rankings as I dont see it at all at the moment. I have been given a price by the guy who designed my website of £650 which he will get 10 keywords ranking at no1/2 within 3 months or so. This seems like mega bucks to me but if it does what he says it will then maybe it will pay off or is what he will do something I can work on. My website is www.mcsclean.co.uk and I pay for adwords currently but I have been told that research shows that more people go for the organic link as apposed to the paid ones. Any advice would be great, or where I can get more information would be a great help
Thanks all
Tim

[Richard Cole]

I agree its a nice site, did notice that your special offer page / leaflet does not work - broken link?

[Kev Loomes]

Hi Timmy

I have to ask - why hasn't the web builder done any SEO when he built it? Did you ask for it when it was being built?

Also this is not a dig - but I see a couple of things on your homepage that I don't understand (apart from no SEO) i.e. the images of a boy and a girls head - and the fruit dessert. I know its a wordpress template but couldn't he have edited it a bit more?

[wynne jones]

Hi Timmy

I have to ask - why hasn't the web builder done any SEO when he built it? Did you ask for it when it was being built?

Also this is not a dig - but I see a couple of things on your homepage that I don't understand (apart from no SEO) i.e. the images of a boy and a girls head - and the fruit dessert. I know its a wordpress template but couldn't he have edited it a bit more?

Stop trifling with him Kev. 

[Timmy Boy]

Hi
The boy and the girls head are actually (supposed to be) cartoons of me and the missus and the page layout was designed by an arty type and then the website guy made it function. The original idea of the box was it was supposed to represent a speech bubble and then it was supposed to be us saying what you see (not meant to be a catchphrase crack!)but it didnt quite come out that way. I wanted an image of pic n mix but was told he couldnt find a suitable image???!!

Anyway in regard to the SEO the quote said he would include the following:

'I will also provide backlinking for 5 keywords to improve the search engine ranking of the site for those.
This is posting on forums / press release websites with relevant links etc.. to help google “find” your site.'

Is there any way of accertaining he has actually done this?
Thanks

[Kev Loomes]

Ah right ok Timmy- good idea about you and the missus, they look a bit young lol. I dont really like the term given: ' 'I will also provide backlinking for 5 keywords to improve the search engine ranking of the site for those.
This is posting on forums / press release websites with relevant links etc.. to help google “find” your site'. as it all sounds a bit vague tbh.

I would ensure that the site essentially has independent SEO for each page (not normally done because its harder so the site is usually done a s a one lump) both front end and back end. Then concentrate on other areas to promote your site.

[Garyj]

Back links! Press Release! Bit 2010.

The very nature of the design on the Home page has severely restricted your SEO opportunities.

£650 is way too much for what is being offered.

[garry22]

'I will also provide backlinking for 5 keywords to improve the search engine ranking of the site for those.
This is posting on forums / press release websites with relevant links etc.. to help google “find” your site.'

Press releases I'm OK with. The other stuff is a bit risky for a newish site. The phrase "provide backlinking for 5 keywords" suggests a lot of keyword rich anchor text which is likely to trip a Penguin (over optimisation) penalty.

£650 is not the problem. It's what you are getting for that money that is iffy.

What worries me is that someone has, in this day and age, made a site that has white writing on a black background. Any big agency tests I've seen in the past have found it gets half the readership compared to black on white. The only exceptions were for overhead projector slides and theatre programs. It makes it hard on the eyes.

ps Where has Wynne's really good post about social stuff / local gone?

[wynne jones]

Press releases are good for real people checking you out and hopefully sharing but sadly it's another one that's bit the dust recently for seo.

[wynne jones]

ps Where has Wynne's really good post about social stuff / local gone?

I took it off Garry, thought it might be helpful but I think he wants to pay someone so long as they are up to the job.

[Deep Cleaning Solutions]

Website design is one of the few services left in life were a lot of companies can get away with charging you a lot for doing very little and this seems the case with your website. Looking at the front and back end of the site along with the off site seo or lack of it, this site is not going to do anything in the rankings. For £650 I would expect some basic website optimisation at the very least along with the design!

[petermaybury]

What sort of an idiot would design a site without any seo. Pretty stupid really.
Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.comhttp://

[garry22]

Tim

As it is Wordpress I am assuming you can access the dashboard yourself (www.mcsclean.co.uk/wp-login.php)?

Your designer has already installed the Yoast SEO plugin, so you should be able to do the on site stuff yourself. It's literally a case of filling in each box and saving the settings.

[Billy Russell]

What sort of an idiot would design a site without any seo. Pretty stupid really.
Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.comhttp://

The same idiot that hires you to do his carpet cleaning!!! 

[wynne jones]

What sort of an idiot would design a site without any seo. Pretty stupid really.
Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.comhttp://

Is he an idiot? He would have got another £650 for his services and has probably done that with every other client. He probably will offer ongoing SEO services when the site still doesn't rank well creating an ongoing income for himself. No idiot isn't the word I'm thinking of.

[peter maybury]

Only an idiot would think that ripping of the customers that put food on his table as being sound business sense.
Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.http://com

[wynne jones]

Only an idiot would think that ripping of the customers that put food on his table as being sound business sense.
Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.http://com

Only an idiot would think they can read minds.

[peter maybury]

it is a little like the enterprise way of cleaning carpets. A website that is not visible in the rankings is no good to anybody. What he is saying is , I did not realise you wanted people to actually visit the site.
Some people may admire this type of business plan but if he had charged me for making a site that was not fit for purpose, I personally would not consider spending another penny with him and would be looking to get any money spent with him back.
Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.comhttp://

[wynne jones]

it is a little like the enterprise way of cleaning carpets. A website that is not visible in the rankings is no good to anybody. What he is saying is , I did not realise you wanted people to actually visit the site.
Some people may admire this type of business plan but if he had charged me for making a site that was not fit for purpose, I personally would not consider spending another penny with him and would be looking to get any money spent with him back.
Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.comhttp://

The guy is doing what a lot of web guys do. Build a website. And like most website designers they are offering SEO as an after thought and something they have not got a clue about. I see sites and people say can you seo it and I shy away because its like taking on a carpet stain someones used everything under the sink on. Better off start from scratch.

[Timmy Boy]

Hi All
Thanks for all the replies, mostly helpful. Gary you mention I could do it myself, I have gone onto my control panel, where do I find this part which I can do myself where I fill in boxes? I am really keen to attempt some stuff myself so if you could point me in the right direction it would be really helpful.
Thanks very much
Tim