Check a Trade

[dan494]

3 minutes ago, benedmonds said:

I have ignored 2 calls from our nice lady at yell last week, I just can't face the hard sell.  They sit you down and talk at you and show graphs, fiddle with calculators tell you about the number of hits on their web site etc etc... .  Being on the boarder of 3 books it always cost us a fortune but it is coming down each year..  We still have a presence, no idea if its worth it ...

 

Its the internet guys now who are the real sharks. Twice I have been duped... I was promised the world from this one firm and we were paying £500 a month so expected a fair bit.. To be fair I think they did a lot at the start, building the web site and creating some links but after a year or so all we were getting was a sheet showing us how we ranked in google. I asked them to explain what they were doing each month for us and they couldn't/wouldn't. When I said we no longer wanted there services they threatened to shut down our web site, and would post me the files on a DVD...  Luckily I owned the domain so they couldn't in the end but I found NO difference in calls after we dropped them..

 

I need to find a web guru who I can trust...  Any recommendations..?

 

 

 

 

What for? once you've got a website and its ranked high in your area they tend to stay there with little effort. I did mine myself, update it about once a year and come top in my area. Costs me £5 a month hosting it and that's it

Edited February 2, 2018 by dan494

[Mark Bolam]

5 minutes ago, benedmonds said:

I have ignored 2 calls from our nice lady at yell last week, I just can't face the hard sell.  They sit you down and talk at you and show graphs, fiddle with calculators tell you about the number of hits on their web site etc etc... .  Being on the boarder of 3 books it always cost us a fortune but it is coming down each year..  We still have a presence, no idea if its worth it ...

 

Its the internet guys now who are the real sharks. Twice I have been duped... I was promised the world from this one firm and we were paying £500 a month so expected a fair bit.. To be fair I think they did a lot at the start, building the web site and creating some links but after a year or so all we were getting was a sheet showing us how we ranked in google. I asked them to explain what they were doing each month for us and they couldn't/wouldn't. When I said we no longer wanted there services they threatened to shut down our web site, and would post me the files on a DVD...  Luckily I owned the domain so they couldn't in the end but I found NO difference in calls after we dropped them..

 

I need to find a web guru who I can trust...  Any recommendations..?

 

 

 

 

I know a guy Ben....

[Gary Prentice]

48 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

A very good website is the way forward these days.

As a matter of fact I know a very IT-savvy bloke who does them who knows the arb game inside out, he was a freelance climber of some note for over 20 years.

That means you’ll get a website designed by someone who knows what the crack is, rather than a fat bloke with soft hands and a massive watch.

 

Although he will certainly end up like that.

 

PM me for details.

Are you on commission? 

[Mark Bolam]

Yell told me with a straight face I’d had 3000 hits in a month on the website they designed for me. Saying I specialised in ‘palm and conker trees’, published without my consent.

The only relevant location was my village which has 2000 inhabitants, although they assured me every hit was from a separate IP address.

I hate liars.

[benedmonds]

15 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

Yell told me with a straight face I’d had 3000 hits in a month on the website they designed for me. Saying I specialised in ‘palm and conker trees’, published without my consent.

The only relevant location was my village which has 2000 inhabitants, although they assured me every hit was from a separate IP address.

I hate liars.

My "web consultants" used to post things on my facebook, that I would see and immediately take off as it was utter rubbish and used to make me cringe... 

 

My web site is still full of bits that I don't like to look at as it's naff. But I don't trust anyone to sort it out and am too busy (and a luddite) to try and do it myself..

Edited February 2, 2018 by benedmonds

[flatyre]

thing about advertisers is they're not in it for your benefit, sure the semi honest ones will tell you it of mutual benefit but in reality they know nothing about your business or care, they're in it for they're benefit full stop. Just had the local adds for free on the phone, some kid sounded like he was twelve asked how business was going, then replied "I know mate I know". Bollox you know sweet FA about my business. He then offered me a "discounted" advert due to me being such a great customer (despite not being a customer) to help promote the grass cutting side of my business in their February issue.......grass cutting in February????  Then there's the usual speel "we have 30,000 readers" yeah does that mean I get 30,000 jobs out of it? What about the fifty other tree surgeons, gardeners, and handy men offering the same service in the same paper? In my experience the kind of people who phone you through those adverts will phone every person in the phone book, and almost always go with the cheapest price, normally the local tile your bathroom, paint your fence, clear your garage, cut your trees handyman. rant over!

[Richard 1234]

thing about advertisers is they're not in it for your benefit, sure the semi honest ones will tell you it of mutual benefit but in reality they know nothing about your business or care, they're in it for they're benefit full stop. Just had the local adds for free on the phone, some kid sounded like he was twelve asked how business was going, then replied "I know mate I know". Bollox you know sweet FA about my business. He then offered me a "discounted" advert due to me being such a great customer (despite not being a customer) to help promote the grass cutting side of my business in their February issue.......grass cutting in February????  Then there's the usual speel "we have 30,000 readers" yeah does that mean I get 30,000 jobs out of it? What about the fifty other tree surgeons, gardeners, and handy men offering the same service in the same paper? In my experience the kind of people who phone you through those adverts will phone every person in the phone book, and almost always go with the cheapest price, normally the local tile your bathroom, paint your fence, clear your garage, cut your trees handyman. rant over!

I Agree with you except I would say advertise for grass cutting in February, March and April in the same places for the 3 months. It works I’ve done it for years and though I have a full round I like to advertise to try and drop some of the rubbish and get new better paying clients.
Besides that I’ll be slowly starting the grass cutting in the next 2-3 weeks a lot is ready just too wet.

[Steve Bullman]

4 hours ago, benedmonds said:

My "web consultants" used to post things on my facebook, that I would see and immediately take off as it was utter rubbish and used to make me cringe... 

 

My web site is still full of bits that I don't like to look at as it's naff. But I don't trust anyone to sort it out and am too busy (and a luddite) to try and do it myself..

I have seen loads of 'web consultants' trying to manage tree surgeons websites and posting some really cringeworthy stuff, both right here on facebook and elsewhere too.

 

Would you trust me to take a look?

[Rough Hewn]

I have seen loads of 'web consultants' trying to manage tree surgeons websites and posting some really cringeworthy stuff, both right here on facebook and elsewhere too.
 
Would you trust me to take a look?

One of my best friends runs a small media business.
Done loads of websites for other people with videos and social media stuff.
All I wanted was one page with a brief description, couple of photos and contact details.
A week later, I have a full blown huge corporate style website, with so much hyped bullshot. Made me out to be a nationwide, do anything out fit.
I'm a one man band.
Never went live.
Definitely a market for an "in the industry specialist website design"
But that's only half these days.
Now it's all Facebook, Pinterest, vlogging. Social media interaction...
Then it's regular updates of pics blurb and video to keep your google listing

Have got/started a portfolio Steve?

[Steve Bullman]

36 minutes ago, Rough Hewn said:

One of my best friends runs a small media business.
Done loads of websites for other people with videos and social media stuff.
All I wanted was one page with a brief description, couple of photos and contact details.
A week later, I have a full blown huge corporate style website, with so much hyped bullshot. Made me out to be a nationwide, do anything out fit.
I'm a one man band.
Never went live.
Definitely a market for an "in the industry specialist website design"
But that's only half these days.
Now it's all Facebook, Pinterest, vlogging. Social media interaction...
Then it's regular updates of pics blurb and video to keep your google listing

Have got/started a portfolio Steve?
 

In the process of putting one together mate