HELP "Website Ranking for Dummies"

[Nepat, PAT Testing]

Hi everyone.

Can anyone help? :|, my website is not showing up in the search engines high enough, i have listed it with every directory i have found 25+, i am attempting the blogging as well to see if that works. I have registered the site with Google Adwords and am about to register with Yahoo adwords too but it still isnt showing on the first page. Although when I list my services in sites like Gumtree i show up in 1 day..

I'm not a web designer, or did you notice that already... LOL, have a look at the site. Am i doing something wrong with my website??,

Fair enough i am using name as a transfer point when you click it in it diverts to a site that is hosted with a free hosting company, i kind of like it this way as i can change the site easily if i want too. I still dont understand why im not getting ranked highly enough.

Can anyone advise me on this?, or if you are 100% confident you could get my site ranked first for Newcastle Pat Testing or North East Pat testing etc... can you advise me how much this would cost?. if your talking around 100's... it probably wont be happening though...

Is there a package out there i can download and it does it automatically.. or is that me dreaming again. (why has it not been invented yet)..??

Hope someone in here can advise me a bit further

Thanks in Advance :)

(http://www.nepat.co.uk)

[streetslocal]

Hi everyone.

Can anyone help? :|, my website is not showing up in the search engines high enough, i have listed it with every directory i have found 25+, i am attempting the blogging as well to see if that works. I have registered the site with Google Adwords and am about to register with Yahoo adwords too but it still isnt showing on the first page. Although when I list my services in sites like Gumtree i show up in 1 day..

I'm not a web designer, or did you notice that already... LOL, have a look at the site. Am i doing something wrong with my website??,

Fair enough i am using name as a transfer point when you click it in it diverts to a site that is hosted with a free hosting company, i kind of like it this way as i can change the site easily if i want too. I still dont understand why im not getting ranked highly enough.

Can anyone advise me on this?, or if you are 100% confident you could get my site ranked first for Newcastle Pat Testing or North East Pat testing etc... can you advise me how much this would cost?. if your talking around 100's... it probably wont be happening though...

Is there a package out there i can download and it does it automatically.. or is that me dreaming again. (why has it not been invented yet)..??

Hope someone in here can advise me a bit further

Thanks in Advance :)


Problem with any free hosting is ranking on search engines.
I have sent you a private message which should explain further and also with some options i can offer.

[serendipitybusiness]

lol I wish there was a package that does it automatically it would save a lot of time.

The problem is you are using your domain to forward to a free hosting account. So you are entering your domain into directories (be careful as well as if you just randomly enter into free directories you can do your site more harm than good) but the content isn't on your domain it is on the free hosting account. So you have the content without the links and the links without the content.

So although you have the links going into your site there is no content to back them up, so they will pass traffic but are no use for your search engine rankings.

Before you do anything you need to get your information on your domain.

[murdoch]

your site looks fine.
But i agree with above.

and Created with Free Website Builder (http://www.000webhost.com/website-builder) at the bottom of your homepage (where your biz registration number etc should be) didnt inspire much business confidence?

[SmartBookings]

Keep building up those backlinks, PAT testing i imagine is quite competitive so the more you have the better and be patient for google to pick it up...

[Nepat, PAT Testing]

your site looks fine.
But i agree with above.

and at the bottom of your homepage (where your biz registration number etc should be) didnt inspire much business confidence?

I agree :redface:, ill have a look at that this week. i think the company is well past the stage of free websites now. I just loved the fact how unbeatable the whole package was to get up and running.. Great free hosting company though.


(http://www.nepat.co.uk)

[serendipitybusiness]

Keep building up those backlinks, PAT testing i imagine is quite competitive so the more you have the better and be patient for google to pick it up...

No point if the links are pointing to an empty domain

[Techsyn]

Comment on the site itself: I'm looking at it using Firefox and some of the text is really compressed and difficult to read. It almost looks like there are no gaps between words.

Can't help with the ranking thing though but I still hope this is useful.

[superprint]

There's an awful lot of work that goes into getting a site to the top of Google there is definitely no quick fix.

The reason some of your posts on other site have ranked well is because A) their site is optimised and B) because of it's popularity Google will rank content very quickly.

You're never going to get anywhere with everything free or nearly no cost.

You'll either have to learn the ins and outs of building a search engine friendly site and then follow search engine guidelines to optimise each page and that's just onsite work, then you'll have to do offsite optimisation like backlinks, inbound links.

A word of warning avoid link farms (directories) Google doesn't like link farms and can even penalise.

Search engine optimisation is an ongoing service, even if you did get your site up there you'd still need to maintain it using updated guidelines.

Not to put you off but unless your happy to learn you'll be spending 100's per month getting a pro to do it.

Good luck!

[MikeBzr]

Echoing what superprint has said - SEO isn't a quick fix, otherwise there wouldn't be an industry for it. At present there is a lot going against your site, particularly the empty domain issue, as well as the fact you have a free site which likely shares an IP with thousands of other sites of questionable quality (this can affect your own ranking).

From a technical standpoint the coding on your site is poor, and won't be doing you any favours with the search engines. You mentioned you've 'registered' the site with Google Adwords - have you actually set up an advertising campaign? If you have and your ads aren't showing then you'll need to look at raising your bid per click.

If you're unwilling or unable to assign a realistic budget to SEO ("hundreds" won't get you a huge amount of work done, since believe it or not there is actually a heck of a lot of work, time and knowledge involved in SEO) then there are a whole bunch of resources out there for teaching yourself SEO techniques.

On the plus side, blogging should help you out (moreso if you get the technical issues of your site fixed) - however don't make the mistake many others do of submitting your link to every site or directory you find, as that can work against you.

[Roytheartist]

You are top of the organic (not paid) as a good entry is in google maps, for the term 'portable appliance testing newcastle' This is because of googles new policy of 'universal search' You may have noticed thumbnails of youtube videos showing up in normal web searches on google. So it may be worth looking into the possibility of making simple, short video's of what you do. If your business is local, not global, that is a focus of some of googles efforts. After all it is relevant for your customers. Therefore make sure you tag 'newcastle' everytime you comment on a blog (btw more usefull to comment on others blogs, include your url, this helps link build).

Just some thoughts, good luck!

[OldWelshGuy]

You can get a site ranking from the off for local trades phrases, if it is built right structure content etc (I know I am going to get pulled apart right left and centre for saying that), but it is how it is, and if you put thought into your site development it can rank within days of being spidered.

There really is no sensible shortcut, and for the sake of a few hundred quid, businesses lose out.

For some odd reason Web design appears to be something everyone thinks can be done easily. After all it is only slap a bit of text and some photos on a page isn't it :)

[patinspect1]

Hi, I run a PAT testing company in Dorset. Don't worry about your ranking just yet...time is a great help, even if a little frustrating! Search engines will eventually familiarise themselves with the site....remember your keywords, ie the ones that people will search to get the work they require and insert them into your text on the website. Dont flood the front page with them, but make sure you have for example.........PAT testing, Dorset..or...electrical testing and inspection, Dorset. Look at your competitors sites and see what gets them to the top, whether its free sites or pay sites. Look at my site if you like, although its just being revamped..hope this helps, but remember the PAT testing business is getting alot harder. Your price should get you the business in these uncertain times!

regards Peter ( Patinspect )

[fisicx]

You site uses frames (because of the feee hosting). As a result you will never, ever, ever rank well for your trade and locality.

And if you are operating in Newcastle then you really need the word 'newcastle' in you page titles. AS OWG says, it's a doddle to rank well for local trades if your site is properly built.

[patinspect1]

My site won't rank or the chap from Newcastle?? Mine seems to do ok.......
I want to find the website design company that is right as they all tell me that they are and the others are wrong?? Confused.com
Am I wrong about the text which must include your key search phrases?? You can get a free check online of search terms...

regards Peter

[OldWelshGuy]

I think Fis was replying to the Op not you :)

[fisicx]

I think Fis was replying to the Op not you :)

I was indeed.

[Nepat, PAT Testing]

thanks everyone.

Im heading back to the drawing board to look at re-designing. my domain is currently with 1and1 hosting. can anyone rate this company for me? am i best to look elsewhere or do you think there website packages are good?.

Thanks again in advance

[superprint]

Depends what you want your site to do really and how big it is, we currently have a server with one and one, however, there have been issues of late which have resulted in down time, it's been fairly good up until recently.

One and one are good as a low cost host but perhaps go for something a little more reliable for high traffic or e-commerce sites.

[sunny09]

1) Go on to do the SEO.
2) Pay more attention to do SEM. That's to say, do the keywords promotion
3) Write more ariticles or discuss with each other on the BBS or BLOG to let more people pay attention to your website.

[Nepat, PAT Testing]

Depends what you want your site to do really and how big it is, we currently have a server with one and one, however, there have been issues of late which have resulted in down time, it's been fairly good up until recently.

One and one are good as a low cost host but perhaps go for something a little more reliable for high traffic or e-commerce sites.

Hi Superprint,

Thanks for that i agree, it is a reasonable site, its just that the templates for assisted website building are a bit naff.. not to say the one i have at the present is fab, but its just a little better than the ones i have found with 1and1 hosting. is there anywhere i can find a company that hosts, and also provides something like a "joomla" site in there free template box?? or even a company that you just pay £5 - £10 a month hosting that includes them to design a website??... as im sure its only a 30 minute job to drop my text and pictures into a template they already have.

Only wondering as i am looking at going down the lines of learning "joomla", as the websites available with them seem to have a decent base to there designs for a novice.

Any more suggestions?. Thanks alot

have a look at examples of basic websites with 1and1... I have started a couple (these are the best templates i could find that they offered!!) :-( buuuuu

[fisicx]

... as im sure its only a 30 minute job to drop my text and pictures into a template they already have.

Nooooo!

That's 100% the wrong way to build a website. You starting point should be to generate the content that meets you visitors needs (rather than what you want to tell them). The images should support your writing and be relevant.

You need to consider the questions they will ask, how to get in contanct, how to book an appointment, to check if they need testing, your qualifications, certificates you issue and all the 101 other things you clients ask about and need.

You then need to think a bout how all this will fit together, the arrangement of the content the links between the pages, your navigation, logos, taglines, footers and general layout.

Once all this is done you can look for a suitable template.

[Nepat, PAT Testing]

lol I wish there was a package that does it automatically it would save a lot of time.

The problem is you are using your domain to forward to a free hosting account. So you are entering your domain into directories (be careful as well as if you just randomly enter into free directories you can do your site more harm than good) but the content isn't on your domain it is on the free hosting account. So you have the content without the links and the links without the content.

So although you have the links going into your site there is no content to back them up, so they will pass traffic but are no use for your search engine rankings.

Before you do anything you need to get your information on your domain.

As you say my content isnt on my domain: if i change the DNS settings in 1and1 hosting (where my domain is held) to my free hosting company then does that mean 1and1 hosting is just a regitrar of my domain name and my content will then be on my domain with my free web hosting company...??? meaning my page ranking will improove?

can some one advise please.

Yes i understand that atr present its a free hosting site, and i will start paying for this site, its just i have a few sites with them, and once i know they are working i am happier to start paying for them. with hosting24.com i think there sister company is.

[OldWelshGuy]

Google can't read content in frames, if the free hosting company is framing your content then you are wasting your time, as it will spider it under the wrong domain, so all your content will be under the root name of the free hosting company.

The answer is simple, pay a few quid a year for some hosting and do it properly. There are tradespeople on here who are getting a LOT of business from a decent simple few hundred quid website, that has paid for itself within weeks of being spidered.

Online you often get what you apy for. (says OWG who is off to check his microwave with an AVO meter he found in the garage, 'can't be that hard, it is only sticking the contacts on the wires and looking at a reading panel isn't it?) :D

[Nepat, PAT Testing]

Google can't read content in frames, if the free hosting company is framing your content then you are wasting your time, as it will spider it under the wrong domain, so all your content will be under the root name of the free hosting company.

The answer is simple, pay a few quid a year for some hosting and do it properly. There are tradespeople on here who are getting a LOT of business from a decent simple few hundred quid website, that has paid for itself within weeks of being spidered.

Online you often get what you apy for. (says OWG who is off to check his microwave with an AVO meter he found in the garage, 'can't be that hard, it is only sticking the contacts on the wires and looking at a reading panel isn't it?) :D

Waht do you think of webplus version 10?? should i teach myself that to start with or do you recomend another website building package??.

Ideally i would like to learn to do the sites myself as i have a few basic ones that are starting to gain some attention. what package would you recommend? i only mention webplus 10 as i have downloaded mosgt of it already and only need to pay a tenner for the rest of it. or do you suggest another package... dreamweaver i know is good but... want to progress to that eventually. What do you suggest? Thanks

[OldWelshGuy]

Not looked at webplus 10 (I assume you mean Serif). I know that earlier versions chopped up all the site into graphics, so there was no text on there.

There are lots of free editors out there. and plenty of templates (if that is your thing of course). Dreamweaver is great, but it is a sledgehammer to crack a nut in many cases.

[Nepat, PAT Testing]

Not looked at webplus 10 (I assume you mean Serif). I know that earlier versions chopped up all the site into graphics, so there was no text on there.

There are lots of free editors out there. and plenty of templates (if that is your thing of course). Dreamweaver is great, but it is a sledgehammer to crack a nut in many cases.

Had a stab at dreamweaver years ago... and was going fine, then i had a travelling bug in me and never got back into it.. damn it.... would be sorted by now if i had stuck with it. Thanks any way.