New Website open for Critiques or Applause

[SCgreenscapes]

Hey guys. We finally got my new website up and running. Take a look around and let me know what you think. The pictures in the design idea area are going to be bigger once he adjust them, but the rest should be right on the money.

www.SCgreenscapes.com


Thanks, John

[chardscapes]

I like it ! Alot nicer than mine.

[CaptainsLS]

It looks very well put together. I'm jealous of the picture quality, did you have them done professionally?

[MuirView Design]

Southern, I'm gathering those aren't photos of your work in the flash presentation, since they are the same photos in the "Design Ideas" section and they are not in the "Portfolio" section? Are they stock photos, or did you pay for them through a site?

[SCgreenscapes]

Stock photos froma a photography company. I didn't have any professional pics of my work, so i went with stock photos.

[Andrew Hardscape]

It's 100% lacking S.E.O.

You may get 1, maybe 2 hits a month....if you're lucky. For now, the site is just floating around in cyberspace.

Trust me.....I know :) My site used was lost in space too :)

Also, you must use your own pics! Buy a good camera, with a wide angle lens. No need for a pro to shoot your work. All our pics, I took. Just make sure you shoot the work....not the people's big mansions!

[Danny Greene]

No need for a pro

That's what the clerk at Home Depot tells the home owner who 's looking at pavers!

[Andrew Hardscape]

That's what the clerk at Home Depot tells the home owner who 's looking at pavers!



hmmmm...thats funny! I never heard of a clerk interacting with customers until after they have made they purchase selections.....

[SzotAllied]

It's 100% lacking S.E.O.

Sorry...what is S.E.O.?

[MuirView Design]

S.E.O. = Search Engine Optimization

[Danny Greene]

hmmmm...thats funny! I never heard

What Ever Dude

You gave em bad advice

DEAL WITH IT

[MuirView Design]

What Ever Dude

You gave em bad advice

DEAL WITH IT

huh? What's with all the touchy people lately? I think some of you new guys must be on your winter period or something.

[Colonial]

lol nice adam!!

[mpickel]

I think the site looks great, but I agree with using your own work. As far as S.E.O, I don't know how important it is unless your are a larger regional or national company. Mine is basic so I can make changes myself. The only hits I expect are people that have my business card, current customers or referrals.

[cgland]

What Ever Dude

You gave em bad advice

DEAL WITH IT

Not sure what your deal is, but your 3 posts have all been directed towards Andrew in a negative fashion. If you have a beef with him stemming from something that went down on another site, leave it at that site! We are running a professional forum here and would rather leave the mud slinging to the crowd at LS. So, unless you have some constructive input to divy up amongst the many quality posts here, please refrain from posting.

[SCgreenscapes]

Hey Andrew. Check the sight in a few weeks or so. My developer is working on it as we speak. The version that you see was right after he finished building the site. He is working on the seo right now and will up load after he finishes everything. if you have any recomendations for good meta tags let me know. I know that is one thing i need to work on.

[Andrew Hardscape]

SCgreenscapes - thats good to hear!

Although, most search engines do not index meta tags now-a-days.

I would love to give you some pointers.

But, lately we have been busy working thanks to the mild temps! This coming week, I have to work the field with the guys and will be running equipment all day, every day. Maybe the week after next I'll be freed up and can give some pointers over the phone.

I will say one thing, SEO is not for all areas. For example, in the DC Metro market - most people are computer savy and do everything online. they don't own any phone books.

But in more rural areas, where the pace of life is slower - those people would never dream to go online to find a contractor. They simply ask their builder or the usher at church who they recommend they call. If you're in such an area - then SEO would be of no value to you.

[mpickel]

I often wonder why they even still deliver phone books...

Being in the 5th or 6th largest market in the US I use keywords in my site, but my site is very simple. I put most of the "key words" I could think of, but unless I google the company name I am usually not on the first page. I guess it is good that if you search my company name it comes up first, but any other key terms you can't find me. I guess it depends on how you view your website in the sales process. Which leads me to another topic...

Does anyone pay/budget the googles of the world any placement fees?

[kootoomootoo]

Nice job Sc ...I see you went with the blue. I'd love to know what customers think when they click on a website. Sc's site for example you get hit with million dollar looking installs but the portfolio doesnt have the WOW factor of the first pics you see. Not a knock and we know why.

BUT

Do customers even care. Do they associate the WOW factor with you.

I pay for google,

The old meta tags are required though worthless these days.

Got to factor in
age of site and age of sites that link to your site.
Number of sites that link to your site
page rank of those sites
obviously content and keywords is king nowadays
googlebot luvs new content so update regularly. blah blah

[Evening Star Lighting]

Hahahahaha...

My Bionic eyes can see where you used a lot of photo retouching to expand your images. Nothing wrong with that.. I'm sure the patterns were hard. The site looks great.

[Andrew Hardscape]

........ Being in the 5th or 6th largest market in the US I use keywords in my site, but my site is very simple. I put most of the "key words" I could think of, but unless I google the company name I am usually not on the first page. I guess it is good that if you search my company name it comes up first, but any other key terms you can't find me. I guess it depends on how you view your website in the sales process. Which leads me to another topic...

Does anyone pay/budget the googles of the world any placement fees?


Heres the thing:

If frank & Helen homeowner are lookin for a contractor - they're NOT going to know your company name :)

Because if they already know your company name....then they won't have a need to turn to a search engine for assistance :)

Lets think about this. Ok, you're a homeowner, your company just transfered you to the area, so you're new to the Middleville Arizona community. You and your wife would like a nice patio. You don't have a clue where to start. So you turn to Google. And from there, you'll probably enter somthing like "patios Middleville Arizona". And from there the results will come up.


As far as being a paid sponsor with Google and other search engines - I don't believe in this. With some simple SEO, it's not necessary. When you're a paid sponsor you pay EACH TIME someone clicks on that blasted link. Wanna know what I do with local contractors that are paid sponsors???!!! I sit at my puter and I click away.....

[SCgreenscapes]

I appreciate all the complements and critiques guys. I am proud of my new site and i have received a ton of compliments from old customers, family and prospective customers who stumbled over the site. I know some of you don't like the pro pics everywhere and blah pics in my portfolio, but that is what i had to go with for now. My goal is to get a hold of my wifes cousin next time he is in town (professional photographer) and get him to help me with some good looking pictures for my portfolio. at that point, i will probally start replacing some of the pics in my flash intro. I am new to the optimization portion and hope that my developer is as good as he says. I will let you guys know when he gets it up and going and may have some of you "puter" savy individuals run various searches to test his optimization.

Keep it coming...

John

[Danny Greene]

My goal is to get a hold of my wifes cousin next time he is in town (professional photographer) and get him to help me with some good looking pictures

John

When I'm right no one remembers
When I'm wrong no one forgets

When you use a pro you'll see there is little more to it than point and click

Good luck with the site

[Andrew Hardscape]

When you use a pro you'll see there is little more to it than point and click

Good luck with the site


I don't think anyone would diagree with that. Nor, has that been the case from the start!!!

I advised SC to use his own pics. Because in the construction world, prospective clients always ask "are these YOUR pictures, of YOUR work?"

I hear that about once or twice a week.

Using your own pics, whether your 12 yr old took them or a National Geographic photographer took them, has far more value. Because if it's a really nice job, regardless of the photograghy quality - you can say "yes thats our job".

Danny, are you thinking of pullin away from mowing and gettin into the hardscape business??