Web site optimisation

markyboy.1967

markyboy.1967

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Mark Molloy
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Ok i got a call from a company today which i listed my website with last night for free.The guy on the phone went through some details and some other packages for me.Basically they are offering me to be on the front page of google and other search engines for a year for £300 plus VAT.I would get help from them at any time during the week etc and various tools to see hits, what search words are working etc and full support for the year.

I wasnt 100% sure on this but they also offered me a package including designing a website, hosting and all of the benefits for google etc that the first package included.Well the site i have is very basic and was meant to be temp anyway until i got someone to design a site properly. For this they want £350 plus VAT which i didnt think was to bad considerin i can cancel after a year and take the site with me. They have sent me a few sample sites but said if i find a site i like then they can do a site along the same lines.

So what im asking is whats the ins and outs of this type of company?
Are they worth spending cash on?
Are there better way of getting a website on the front page?
If all is ok then does the cost match other companies offering similar packages?
 
If the website you're talking about is threemphotography then you're already #1, 2 and 3 on Google!

But frankly that doesn't mean much.

What really matters is whether it's bringing you in any work?

Personally I wouldn't bother with any company like that especially since, as I said, you're already #1!

However that is only for your name which isn't a big deal.

Getting on the front page of Google for any meaningful key phrases is another thing entirely which takes a great deal of work and knowledge.

Also you DEFINITELY need a re-design as your code is absolutely awful (no insult intended) and cannot validate properly.

.
 
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One important thing to remember is that nobody can guarantee to get your site listed in the organic Google search results - the only way they can guarantee to get you on page 1 is by using PPC (Pay Per Click) which depending on the keyword(s) you want to be listed for could be very competitive and therefore costly. If you are paying a fixed price annually for this then once the budget is gone you won't be on page 1 anymore, or they will charge you more.

I run my own web design and hosting company, but even if I didn't I wouldn't use a company like this - I personally don't like the way they operate and (no offence) try to sell services to people that don't fully understand what they are paying for.

I'm not shamelessly plugging my own company, this is just for a comparison but I charge £149 for a 5 page static website which users can update themselves which includes hosting. SEO services I don't fix the price for as the effort required will vary for each customer.

Obviously I don't know the company you are talking about and they may be amazing, so would just say be careful and make sure you fully understand what you are signing up for.

Good luck with it all!

Tom
 
Cheers everyone. The company mailed me and its definately a fixed price and not pay per click as they say in their email--so its in writing.

Exactly i know nothing about websites etc hence why i thought i would ask before considering spending money.

Again the email specifies its garanteed to be on page 1 of google---wonder if they will put that in their terms and contract..:lol:They said i can use 7 search words in the price.

The factor for me was that they would design and build the site for me and that was appealing to me.

The company was hotfrog but te email i got were from Unitel Direct
 
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Mark, I've designed websites professionally in the past and, like taking photos, the copyright of the design belongs to me. I would imagine if you leave them after a year they would not hand over the design to you unless you have agreed otherwise (in writing) beforehand.

I'd also be very wary of any claims to get you on the front page of Google. For a start under what search terms? I bet it won't be on there if you search for 'photographer' or 'photography' alone. And the claim you'll be there for a year is pretty bold. Google's algorithms are incredibly sophisticated and can detect blatant SEO, making it hard to stay up the top.

Here's a good example, Stobist is one of the most popular photography blogs in the world. If you Google 'off camera flash' it isn't on the front page. It isn't there if you search for 'photography blog' or 'creative lighting photography'. It's very very hard to get high rankings regularly.

The only way to guarantee it is to use adwords and research has shown that most users skip over sponsored ads and always go for the top three results that Google brings up.

Considering how many free templates there are for websites, including Wordpress themes that combines good SEO as well, I'd save the money.
 
What search query do they promise will put you on the front page?

edit: Didn't read Adams, post.
 
I would avoid like the plague. We have been "had" by a simular company.
If you are not sure on something, find someone local and go and see them. Sit with them over a computer and understand what is going on. Only then part with money.
 
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