Wanted: Website Review Icecreammaker

[doodlebug]

I know I am not a great web developer but I want to know if you think I have put enough effort into the content in terms of SEO, I have wrote it all out fresh, I havn't copied and pasted any of it, I got the info from books and wrote it out my own way.

I can't think of anything else to add without talking cr*p

I got this domain to number 7 on Google just using Storeburst and last week let my main site go live, here's hoping it will go to number 1

All suggestions Thanks icecreammaker.co.uk

Also tips on how to keep it ranked high please.

 

[JMOT]

You spent a few grand on the name yet made no effort on content or design.

Nothing compelling for a user to see or do on the site.

I'm not by any means a master of my art and frequently make some stonking cock ups but you did not listen to a word I said via pm

 

[doodlebug]

I read all you said and appreciate the time you spent writing it but one of the problems I have is that one of the merchants I needed rejected me so I only have 6 products to show, also the individual page titles eg page.12548.html I don't know how to change them ?

I would do individual reviews on each product but without having the product myself I don't know what they are like ?

I am doing all I can but I guess it's not good enough, as I said before, maybe I took on something that's to much for me.

Thanks for your reply anyway

 

[mat]

Sometimes the merchants will reject you because they are not aware of how you are going to promote them. Send an email to the person/team who handle the affiliate side of the company once you have your site upto scratch and you should have no problem!

 

[JMOT]

Ok, go re-read my PM....

You dont need to have your hand on a product to publish a basic yet informative review. I told you where to find them and who to take the job of expertly re-writing in a 100% unique fashion to.....

You only need to do 10 to kickoff...

If you built the site for users first then worried about monetizing you would not get rejected. Especially if you spent a few quid on a decent design...

 

[springer]

You have hardly any content on your homepage (that will be read by a search engine). Perhaps have a table in place of the Affiliate Window unit with a little description of maybe the top 5 ice cream makers in your own words.

Maybe do some individual product descriptions and specifications - so describe the main features of each and incorporate some reviews from Amazon or magazines if they have been tested. You could expand upon this later if you do get some units and make videos, take high quality photographs and add your personal opinions etc.

 

[nnh]

Its ok...I think there are to many colours...pink,blue,green and yellow...I would lose the yellow. Your text pages needed something more, maybe underline, BOLD or italic some of your main points, ok for an initial launch otherwise...

 

[Edwin]

Pay for a decent design. Design's cheap these days. Try 99designs.com or somewhere like that.

 

[JMOT]

even a gash looking website will make money if the content is compelling and laid out well enough...

 

[retired_member16]

Buy a Joomla template, change the text and pictures.

Voila, a good looking website in next to no time.

 

[doodlebug]

Ok, go re-read my PM....

You dont need to have your hand on a product to publish a basic yet informative review. I told you where to find them and who to take the job of expertly re-writing in a 100% unique fashion to.....

You only need to do 10 to kickoff...

I have the details of the guy you recommended but not the cash at the moment.

You have hardly any content on your homepage (that will be read by a search engine). Perhaps have a table in place of the Affiliate Window unit with a little description of maybe the top 5 ice cream makers in your own words.
.

I agree, I definitely need more homepage content.

Its ok...I think there are to many colours...pink,blue,green and yellow...I would lose the yellow. Your text pages needed something more, maybe underline, BOLD or italic some of your main points, ok for an initial launch otherwise...

Thanks

Pay for a decent design. Design's cheap these days. Try 99designs.com or somewhere like that.

I'll take a look thanks

Buy a Joomla template, change the text and pictures.

Voila, a good looking website in next to no time.

I use a site creater so can't use Joomla etc sorry

I am going to contact that merchant, they rejected me while the site was on Storeburst so if they see my own site and I explain about the UK exacts for ice cream maker, they might change their mind ?

I am applying for a £300 loan to get someone to re-do the site for me, will this be enough including content ?

Many thanks.

ps. I am willing to do what it takes to make this work just need some guidance thanks

 

[domainseller200]

I have to be honest, I am totally shocked by the design and effort that has gone into it.

As Tom has said there is not much "right" with it, but alot wrong with it.

If you are dead set on not paying for a decent website, then you really need to make the best of your ability and make something a little more attractive than that, as it truly is awful.

I see this all too often, and I have to say I find it laughable - people will spend £10k on a domain name, and then loathe to spend even £1k on a decent site and some money on basic SEO work - it is a bit like spending £1000's on a top retail location in London and then selling £1 shop items in a shop that resembles an iron mongers - shoddy, cluttered and a bit old fashioned looking.

You have spent the best part of £2k on this domain name, and therefore to obtain the best from it then you really need to put more effort into it than you have.

I will try and help you out in as much detail as possible, and lay out each problem and solution below :

Problem - The tiny green writing on the blue background is hard to read for anyone.

Solution - Make the colours neutral and easier to read. If you are dead set on not having a proper site built on the name, I would consider using http://www.easycontentunits.com if you are not very good with HTML / feeds (I am assuming you are not, due to you currently using the affiliate window widgets)

Problem - You have less than 100 words of content on your home page

Solution - Pay a content writer to write you 1000-2000 words of informative, unique and relevant content for £20-30 maximum. There are plenty of great people on here offering content writing (I have used both Khalid http://www.acorndomains.co.uk/members/khalid.html and Maria http://www.acorndomains.co.uk/members/risingphoenix.html and both have produced excellent quality content for me)

Problem - Your site structure is awful for SEO (eg http://icecreammaker.co.uk/page_2115874.html)

Solution - I am guessing that over 95% of your traffic enters the site via your home page, via the search keyword "ice cream maker" Therefore I would rename the entire structure of your website ASAP and "start again" so to speak, as you have nothing to lose short term, but everything to gain long term.

Make them more suitable and SEO friendly. That page should be called http://icecreammaker.co.uk/icecreammakerbenefits.html (or whatever is more suitable for you)

You should also have a more relevant H1 and possibly include a H2 on each page also, as well as adding a minimum of 500 - 1000 words of good content on each page, and also elaborating on your meta description for each individual page.

Problem : You have limited skills and are not very good at design work

Solution : Join the club ! The best thing you could do in my opinion is to get a designer to make you a decent looking landing page (if your on a small budget), which fits the product well and is very clean and attractive and then use the basic knowledge you have yourself, to create the other internal pages from the original landing page design.


I also want to draw your attention to this thread : http://www.acorndomains.co.uk/domain-research/73682-just-crap-lazy-shites.html

I actually think you fall into this category yourself at the moment, but you are not identifying it, as your talking as if you are not "one of the people" - but I feel you are at present.

The greatest strength that anyone can have, is identifying their weaknesses.

If you really want to succeed with this project, then you need to bite the bullet and make it work for you - no good respraying a rough looking car, to make it more fancy. It is time to scrap the car and get something newer and flashy.

I have been there myself a few years back, and then realised that to succeed then I need to realise my skills and let someone else sort the elements I am not very good at.

Obviously it is horses for courses which I am aware of.

I suppose it depends how serious you are about making this work for you, and I would guess you are pretty serious, seeing as you have spent £2k on the name and also posted numerous questions regarding the website.

Good luck and I hope you can see my post as constructive criticism and a helping hand.

 

[doodlebug]

Hi Frank, I much appreciate your input, the file names such as page_12568.html I can rename them and tried but the site maker says I can't use spaces or characters such as hyphens which is confusing because I don't see why not ?
but putting icecreammakerbenefits.html instead of ice-cream-maker-benefits.html I think is bad for SEO.

I have been advised to purchase a site maker on cd and use my own hosting instead which I am looking into, I think the site I have now might be naff but has to be better than Storeburst.

As for the weakness thing I fully see that my weakness is web design and I am starting a course soon in November, in the mean time I am reading a book about html and css

Cheers 8)

 

[domainseller200]

Drop me an email [email protected] and I will help you out. I am not back online until tommorow late afternoon, but don't do anything until we have had a chat as I sense your frustration and don't want you give up

there are lots of things you can do to improve it with a limited budget, so lets chat more tommorow and spark even more motivation into it, than you already have got

chat soon

 

[JMOT]

wow, frank beat me to it... nice one frank. I'm off for some ice cream... bought it in a tub..

 

[doodlebug]

Drop me an email [email protected] and I will help you out. I am not back online until tommorow late afternoon, but don't do anything until we have had a chat as I sense your frustration and don't want you give up

there are lots of things you can do to improve it with a limited budget, so lets chat more tommorow and spark even more motivation into it, than you already have got

chat soon

wow, frank beat me to it... nice one frank. I'm off for some ice cream... bought it in a tub..

Frank and Tom, thanks to you both

I'm afraid I already made changes before reading your post, I think I have made some improvments to the site in terms of SEO and adding extra products.

I changed them page file names and redone my internal links.

Thanks again 8)

 

[grantw]

Rather than waiting for that web design course doodlebug you should really start learning basic html/css and probably have a play with a few cms systems - wordpress/joomla etc. A couple of months of trial and error and you'll be miles ahead of where you are now.

Grant

 

[doodlebug]

Grant, I am starting to have a play around with ideas now and definitely working towards leaving site makers.

I have made quite a few changes tonight and hopefully you will all agree that it has improved :? icecreammaker.co.uk

Thanks

 

[grantw]

Grant, I am starting to have a play around with ideas now and definitely working towards leaving site makers.

I have made quite a few changes tonight and hopefully you will all agree that it has improved :? icecreammaker.co.uk

Thanks

I agree it has improved. I'd ditch the youtube clip, get the products laid out on the front page like a proper shop rather than that widget and ask someone nicely to create you a decent logo.

Grant

 

[doodlebug]

Part of my plans is to get my own instruction video made, just need an Ice cream maker myself first to do it.

I would love something nice for my logo so that's on my list.

Amazon don't seem to have a shop style layout that's why I use the carousel.

Amazon do offer more products and better commission though.

Cheers