# Free 5 minute website/SEO evaluation



## dewebdesigns

Hello everyone,

Please let me know if this is not allowed. I'm not trying to sell anything. I know that each of your websites need help with SEO in some form or another. If you don't believe me, then you'll watch as home advisor, thumbtack, and several other companies start taking your placements on Google and pushing you down.

I'm trying to get my name out there, and I'd like to briefly look at your website and post improvements that I can find within 5 minutes. This will help your business rank better overall, and continue to drive more customers to you. Now if you're saying my website already ranks well, what have you done to it in the past month? New original content? Good verified links? Constantly minor tweaks to your content and website tags? There are always pages in your website that can benefit more. Unless you're #1 for every page in your area and surrounding areas for 4-5 different keyword variations, your website can always get better.

If you dont keep up, your competition and the bigger companies can move in and push you out. (By the way, has anyone used home advisor or thumbtack?)

I don't want to sell you anything. I simply want to give you some quick advice about your website that can be improved. Whether it's on your site or off your site, you are never done working. If your SEO guy doesn't touch your website anymore, he's doing it wrong. You should want long, sustainable results that will last in whatever update Google decides to implement.

Post your website and I'll do my quick 5 minute evaluation. 

Once again, if this isn't allowed, please tell me. I'm not trying to advertise or make you buy anything. Everything I'm offering is 100% free and if you my advice. 

Thanks!


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## daArch

Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but isn't your ultimate goal to promote your business on a professional painting forum?

Generally, this forum is for those in the architectural coatings and related fields. And when I was a moderator we would look suspiciously at new members who came on offering "free help" as they were essentially attempting to improve THEIR SEO and visability.

Now, whether this is still frowned upon or not, is up to the new owners, and it may have been better for you have asked them first for permission than to post first and ask forgiveness after.

just my 2¢


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## Dave Mac

I am already number one for all my search words, what I want to know is how to have three or four listing on the first page, any help on that would be great I already have two listing 

thanks


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## dewebdesigns

No, daArch. I'd rather help local painters like yourself by giving everyone advice. I understand where you're coming from, though and I was a bit reluctant to post, but if I can help 2 businesses out, then that's 2 extra businesses that I've positively influenced. I'm not trying to sell my sevices, simply offer advice. I know a majority of people on here already have a web and seo company, but I don't want to see you guys paying X amount monthly or a big payment for a site that no one can find or that's not working for you. Maybe it'll make you rethink your website and find a local company that will give a free consultation and tell you what I did (and more hopefully) so you can weed out the ones who just want your money with a company who can actually promote your business like they say they can.



daArch said:


> Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but isn't your ultimate goal to promote your business on a professional painting forum?
> 
> Generally, this forum is for those in the architectural coatings and related fields. And when I was a moderator we would look suspiciously at new members who came on offering "free help" as they were essentially attempting to improve THEIR SEO and visability.
> 
> Now, whether this is still frowned upon or not, is up to the new owners, and it may have been better for you have asked them first for permission than to post first and ask forgiveness after.
> 
> just my 2¢


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## Rbriggs82

I'll take you up on it. I'm always looking for improvements to rank better. :yes:

Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk


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## daArch

Dave Mac said:


> I am already number one for all my search words, what I want to know is how to have three or four listing on the first page, any help on that would be great I already have two listing
> 
> thanks


Dave,

When my webpage was active, I had a separate page for each town I serviced. That was about 45 separate pages. I also had little articles on things like grasscloth, papering over paper, liner, wall prep, etc.

So let's say a HO from Xyz was looking for a paperhanger to install liner. Google would show my page for "Xyz" "Why a Liner" and because she was in this state, it would also place high for "(this state) Paperhanger".

Generally there were at least three entries on the first page, right under the paid ads. 

Yes a lot of work, but if you remember, I built it during my back surgery recovery. 

And all the meta key words were also properly worded.


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## dewebdesigns

Hi Dave,

First off, your site looks and it's responsive.

After a couple quick searches, I noticed Google is pulling "Charlotte North Carolina Power Washing Services" from your homepage rather than your description on the homepage. I would consider slightly tweaking it. This is because it's 177 characters long, and it should be a max of 156.

To get more links to show up on Google along with your main website, you'll need to optimize your interior pages. For instance, your algae removal page has a main heading of "Algae Removal" - which is fine. However, you don't have any second headings (h2) or third headings (h3) that google is looking for. I would consider changing the bolded paragraph text "Dave Mac’s Power Washing Specializes in Algae Removal" to an h2 that says something along the lines of: "We specialize in Algae Removal in the Charlotte Area"

This will tell google and other search engines that your page is mainly about Algae removal, but it's also about algae removal specialists in charlotte.

There are also a couple content tweaks. I don't see main keywords for your algae page that are benefiting any searches for it. I just noticed you have two algae pages, and that's fine. One's more of an entry landing page, and the other is informative text. I would suggest moving the reviews above the associations on the entry pages. 67% of online consumers are influenced by reviews. If they don't scroll down far enough to see, they might miss it. If you don't want to change the order, consider adding one or two good ones before the tags after your call statement.

I would highly recommend getting as many high quality legitimate reviews on your google plus page. It'll take your 3rd/2nd spot into #1 and you should notice a bump up in traffic.

Overall, your site is in excellent shape and there is mainly just little things that I would tweak. You have the results, so now it's time to focus on Conversion Rate optimization (like adding the reviews I mentioned above).

Hope I was able to help!



Dave Mac said:


> I am already number one for all my search words, what I want to know is how to have three or four listing on the first page, any help on that would be great I already have two listing
> 
> thanks


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## dewebdesigns

Hello!

First things first, please remove the sounds. A huge majority of people do not like sound, and is a huge factor is making them click back and leaving your site. I do not recommend sound.

Next, the animation. Some is okay, but your site looks like it's a little overboard. You should especially remove this on your mobile site as it's an inconvenience to someone trying to type in your form.

Your links at the bottom that link to cities: only some of them link. You should create original content for each of these pages. I'll help your search placements.

Right above that, change the links on the two images to go to the actual interior/exterior page. There's also one of the door you should change also. These are more for user-friendliness and navigational things that an end user would expect. 

Note quite sure why you have a category of home on a majority of your links, but I would redirect them and change your linking structure.

This is just a few things that I noticed.



Rbriggs82 said:


> I'll take you up on it. I'm always looking for improvements to rank better. :yes:
> 
> Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk


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## DeanV

DaArch is right that we view things like this with great skepticism. No selling to members is strongly enforced. Once the moderators detect anything we feel is a little spammy, participation here would be ended. It may seem harsh, but a contractors often receive sales pitches and solicitations on an hourly basis throughout our day and we want to keep this place free from that kind of thing. 

I am letting this one go for now on the assumption that this is truly altruistic. But, I may be overruled by any other moderator here on that point as well.


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## Rbriggs82

dewebdesigns said:


> Hello!
> 
> First things first, please remove the sounds. A huge majority of people do not like sound, and is a huge factor is making them click back and leaving your site. I do not recommend sound.
> 
> Next, the animation. Some is okay, but your site looks like it's a little overboard. You should especially remove this on your mobile site as it's an inconvenience to someone trying to type in your form.
> 
> Your links at the bottom that link to cities: only some of them link. You should create original content for each of these pages. I'll help your search placements.
> 
> Right above that, change the links on the two images to go to the actual interior/exterior page. There's also one of the door you should change also. These are more for user-friendliness and navigational things that an end user would expect.
> 
> Note quite sure why you have a category of home on a majority of your links, but I would redirect them and change your linking structure.
> 
> This is just a few things that I noticed.


Thank you! :thumbsup: I did as you suggested with the sound and animation on the contact form, in fact I removed it from the contact form altogether because I could just remove it from one or the other. I agree the pic of the door needs to go (looks horrible in mobile too) do you think I should remove it and have nothing or replace it with a normal size image that is more centered in the page as opposed to the right of the text.

I changed those links for the interior and exterior pics somehow I never realized they were linked in the first place. The home thing is weird and I don't know how or why I made it like that. I'm a little afraid to change it because both my popcorn removal and garage coating pages rank incredibly and I'm kinda afraid to mess with it.


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## dewebdesigns

I highly suggest you don't change the home thing unless you know what you're doing and are able to forward the previous links. It's not hurting you currently, it's just not the best linking structure as it could be. You don't have to change it.

Personally for the door picture, I would change it to a picture of a house. Even purchase a stock photo if you don't have any pictures yourself. The reasoning behind this is to think like a user. Not even an inch above the picture is a heading that says "Charleston SC House Painters", so I would put a picture of a house.

When the screen size is <500 pixels, I would make the image 100% of the width and under the text so it separates the content. Otherwise, I'd just change the picture and call it good.

I'm happy I could help!



Rbriggs82 said:


> Thank you! :thumbsup: I did as you suggested with the sound and animation on the contact form, in fact I removed it from the contact form altogether because I could just remove it from one or the other. I agree the pic of the door needs to go (looks horrible in mobile too) do you think I should remove it and have nothing or replace it with a normal size image that is more centered in the page as opposed to the right of the text.
> 
> I changed those links for the interior and exterior pics somehow I never realized they were linked in the first place. The home thing is weird and I don't know how or why I made it like that. I'm a little afraid to change it because both my popcorn removal and garage coating pages rank incredibly and I'm kinda afraid to mess with it.


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## dewebdesigns

I understood the rules when I signed up. I'm not trying to spam or try anything deceptive. I 100% agree about how often contractors are sent pitches as I have several lead generation websites myself and I get about 10-15 a day that are automatically sent into my spam folder.

Thank you for allowing my presence here. If I do anything wrong, please let me know and I'll immediately remove it.

Thanks!



DeanV said:


> DaArch is right that we view things like this with great skepticism. No selling to members is strongly enforced. Once the moderators detect anything we feel is a little spammy, participation here would be ended. It may seem harsh, but a contractors often receive sales pitches and solicitations on an hourly basis throughout our day and we want to keep this place free from that kind of thing.
> 
> I am letting this one go for now on the assumption that this is truly altruistic. But, I may be overruled by any other moderator here on that point as well.


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## daArch

dewebdesigns said:


> I understood the rules when I signed up. I'm not trying to spam or try anything deceptive. I 100% agree about how often contractors are sent pitches as I have several lead generation websites myself and I get about 10-15 a day that are automatically sent into my spam folder.
> 
> Thank you for allowing my presence here. If I do anything wrong, please let me know and I'll immediately remove it.
> 
> Thanks!


I'm happy you can understand why I sounded a bit skeptical. I sincerely hope you are the exception that proves the rule. :thumbsup:


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## dewebdesigns

Oh trust me DaArch, I've been in my field far to long to think that I could join a site and everyone would accept me and my method without getting some sort of backlash. I am trying to join the community on here and make a name for myself.

The last thing I want is for you (or any business owner reading this) to spend an absurd amount of money on a website or SEO that doesn't generate results. By knowing the basics and what questions to ask, you can find a trustworthy business that'll be able to provide what they say in their sales pitch. No one can guarantee the #1 spot, but there are people (myself included) who can guarantee first page results. Spot 1 or spot 10, it's still first page. You just have to be weary and ask the right questions before you seriously consider that company.

Who would I speak with about writing a well thought out guide on choosing a web design/SEO company so everyone on here can be make a well-informed decision if they take the time to read it? I believe it could be a great asset to every business owner on here, and even you might learn a thing or two.

Thanks!



daArch said:


> I'm happy you can understand why I sounded a bit skeptical. I sincerely hope you are the exception that proves the rule. :thumbsup:


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## Repaint Florida

dewebdesigns said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> Please let me know if this is not allowed. I'm not trying to sell anything. I know that each of your websites need help with SEO in some form or another. If you don't believe me, then you'll watch as home advisor, thumbtack, and several other companies start taking your placements on Google and pushing you down.
> 
> I'm trying to get my name out there, and I'd like to briefly look at your website and post improvements that I can find within 5 minutes. This will help your business rank better overall, and continue to drive more customers to you. Now if you're saying my website already ranks well, what have you done to it in the past month? New original content? Good verified links? Constantly minor tweaks to your content and website tags? There are always pages in your website that can benefit more. Unless you're #1 for every page in your area and surrounding areas for 4-5 different keyword variations, your website can always get better.
> 
> If you dont keep up, your competition and the bigger companies can move in and push you out. (By the way, has anyone used home advisor or thumbtack?)
> 
> I don't want to sell you anything. I simply want to give you some quick advice about your website that can be improved. Whether it's on your site or off your site, you are never done working. If your SEO guy doesn't touch your website anymore, he's doing it wrong. You should want long, sustainable results that will last in whatever update Google decides to implement.
> 
> Post your website and I'll do my quick 5 minute evaluation.
> 
> Once again, if this isn't allowed, please tell me. I'm not trying to advertise or make you buy anything. Everything I'm offering is 100% free and if you my advice.
> 
> Thanks!


ok i'll give it a shot .... 

RepaintFlorida.com 

orlandokitchencabinetpainting.com


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## PressurePros

It seems kinda far fetched to keep defending the premise you are not here trying to drum up business. Your path is more classy and veiled but for what reason would you visit a forum of people you don't know and offer your professional service with absolutely no wish of future business? That would just make you good at design and SEO and a lousy business person.. or Ghandi. You obviously know what you are doing and good web designers that can also optimize a site/page are hard to find. You may have more success approaching an admin and inquiring about becoming a sponsor member, then being more straightforward about your intentions. 

I get emails daily from designers offering "free" evaluations. I consider them spam and no matter how skilled the designer, I would never hire them for that reason.


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## dewebdesigns

For your repaint florida website:

I strongly suggest you fix some of these issues: https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.repaintflorida.com%2F&tab=mobile

A majority of your alternative text on your images are not optimized correctly.

The last two h2 tags I would change to h3's, so they're not competing against each other. You can make them look exactly the same as they do now while improving the page markup. 

There's a couple other things I noticed but nothing major on the home page. I would however increase the height on your slider images to somewhere around 450px, it just looks better in my opinion and there is more to see and potential customers visuals, especially for painting. Two other small design changes I would make: shorten your entire header and make the main heading fit on 1 line. 1/3 of the page is pure header and navigation without scrolling.


For the orlandokitchencabinetpainting.com site,

1. Change the title from Home to "Orlando Kitchen Cabinet Painting" at the very least.

2. Add titles to your other pages.

3. Add a meta description to all your page.

I would strongly suggest adding more content to your website, and throw in specific keywords like the title I suggest in #1. 

If you truly wanted this website to rank well, I would remove all instances of your repaint florida website. (you could put Repaint Florida LLC in the footer if you wanted) By having your other website, it makes the user click or search your other site, which is another step for them. People are lazy. Give them what they want in the easiest way possible. Make the website 100% about 'painting kitchen cabinets in Orlando' so people searching will see that you specialize in that and create a gallery page and put the best before/after pictures you have. (see what I did right there? <-- I put specific keywords in the single quotes that you should use and it flows with the text)

I spent way more than 5 minutes on both of your sites... whoops :icon_cheesygrin:

Hope I could help!



Repaint Florida said:


> ok i'll give it a shot ....
> 
> RepaintFlorida.com
> 
> orlandokitchencabinetpainting.com


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## dewebdesigns

To be honest, I am a lousy business person. I am not a sales person, and that's okay. I would rather sell someone on my work, experience, and results of other clients rather than promising something that I know I can't do and making you sign a contract and having them be unhappy and cancelling once it's up.

With that being said, I know I'm great at what I do and I take pride in my work. I can only work with one niche in one specific area so I don't compete with myself. I know a long term client when I see one, and I don't take any business that I see will last less than 3 years.

The way I do business is a lot different than other marketing companies. I look for quality, rather than quantity. I have a much better chance of getting referrals and other things down the road than just being their marketing company that they email when they need something. I like communication and keeping my clients informed rather than just sending an invoice every month.

I am am giving free evaluations because I want local companies to better their business. It's as simple as that. I'm metaphorically holding out my hand trying to help you get back up on your feet after you've been trampled by Home Advisor, Thumbtack, and countless other large businesses.

I suggest you take a look at how Google ranks your site on speed, and I highly recommend you get a mobile website and stop losing potential business because of that.

https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pressure-pros.com%2F&tab=mobile




PressurePros said:


> It seems kinda far fetched to keep defending the premise you are not here trying to drum up business. Your path is more classy and veiled but for what reason would you visit a forum of people you don't know and offer your professional service with absolutely no wish of future business? That would just make you good at design and SEO and a lousy business person.. or Ghandi. You obviously know what you are doing and good web designers that can also optimize a site/page are hard to find. You may have more success approaching an admin and inquiring about becoming a sponsor member, then being more straightforward about your intentions.
> 
> I get emails daily from designers offering "free" evaluations. I consider them spam and no matter how skilled the designer, I would never hire them for that reason.


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## daArch

De (if I may call you that  )

OK, I am going to take you for your word and treat you accordingly, so let me give you some honest thoughts with that in mind.

I think many here in this field started out thinking more about quality than about being a business. I know I did. But we find out that to stay in business we must also realize that giving stuff away does not build a solid business foundation. And so we realized that one must have a good balance of business and quality. Sure, we would "give" here and there but still with an eye on business. If I continued the way I started, giving away my talents without an appropriate remuneration, I would not have been able to position myself financially to look forward to retirement with the relaxation of financial security I think I now have. 

And that's what we old farts try to instill in the young bucks we see entering our field. To CONTINUE to provide quality but to make sure they don't give away the farm. We try to teach the "kids" that they MUST become good business people. I learned the hard way and I would hate to see quality orientated professionals to go through the same hard years I went through, a victim of my own damn self.


Also, you gave PressurePros some same advise that I actually learned from him. You are preaching to the choir, my friend. Because of his advice and a few others here, my website was INSANELY successful. I say "was" because I have retired and took it down .

Anyways, that's just some idea of how we roll here on PT. And I do thank you for trying to improve the efficacy of our members' web sites. :thumbup: But I hope you also become as good a businessman as many here are.


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## dewebdesigns

The thing is daArch, I've been a successful internet marketer for 7 years, building niche websites for myself. Nearly 90% of my income from then to now is from all the websites that I've built. I rarely touch them to this day, besides updating the design every year.

I build websites for business because I want to, not because I have to. It lets me take everything I have learned along the way and provide the results that every client wants. That's why I can gladly provide a small portion of my services for free on here. I may be bad at sales, but I am a great at investing, especially in people.

With SEO, there are no shortcuts. It takes time, and that's what people don't understand, like clueless callers expecting you to be there in the next couple days. SEO is for the long term, and if done properly, you'll never have to worry about large businesses stomping all over you.

RepaintingFlorida will be hit by a google update (most likely the next one) due to all the spammy backlinks that the domain has. Once his domain no longer ranks, it's best to just get a new domain and start from scratch.

That's the downside of not asking the correct questions when hiring an SEO company. I want to help him and others like him that have no idea the choices they made for the long term success of their business. It may be good for short term, but once the update is sent out, he can kiss his rankings goodbye. 

That's a shame that you took your site down. Would you ever consider selling me your domain?



daArch said:


> De (if I may call you that  )
> 
> OK, I am going to take you for your word and treat you accordingly, so let me give you some honest thoughts with that in mind.
> 
> I think many here in this field started out thinking more about quality than about being a business. I know I did. But we find out that to stay in business we must also realize that giving stuff away does not build a solid business foundation. And so we realized that one must have a good balance of business and quality. Sure, we would "give" here and there but still with an eye on business. If I continued the way I started, giving away my talents without an appropriate remuneration, I would not have been able to position myself financially to look forward to retirement with the relaxation of financial security I think I now have.
> 
> And that's what we old farts try to instill in the young bucks we see entering our field. To CONTINUE to provide quality but to make sure they don't give away the farm. We try to teach the "kids" that they MUST become good business people. I learned the hard way and I would hate to see quality orientated professionals to go through the same hard years I went through, a victim of my own damn self.
> 
> 
> Also, you gave PressurePros some same advise that I actually learned from him. You are preaching to the choir, my friend. Because of his advice and a few others here, my website was INSANELY successful. I say "was" because I have retired and took it down .
> 
> Anyways, that's just some idea of how we roll here on PT. And I do thank you for trying to improve the efficacy of our members' web sites. :thumbup: But I hope you also become as good a businessman as many here are.


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## the paintman

Mine is a mess I know. I got royaly screwed with my design guy that was a schister and its been difficult to correct. Being an old fart I don't know much about the workings of all this stuff anyway. 

But give me the bad news Paintorlando.com 

TIA


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## dewebdesigns

Honestly, I like your site from the top until you get to where the text starts. With a little formatting, your site can look SO much different.

First off, you say you do interior & exterior painting & pressure washing, but you don't have any pages for them. You should get those 3 pages up ASAP with original, well written content. Preferably 500+ words, but I know that's difficult due to the topic. There isn't much to write about after you get through the basics. It's better to have good content that's short than long content with filler. 

I highly suggest you have your designer create you a responsive website that is mobile friendly. Google is negatively effecting your SEO because your site is not mobile friendly.

Your main heading is: "Our Services" -- The main heading is a tag that tells google that what the page is about, so when google looks at your page, it thinks it's about "Our Services". I would change that to fit some keywords like: Orlando Painters

As with any local business, try to get as many positive reviews on your Google + page. If you focus on getting 5 a month, in a few months you'll be ranking a lot better. If you try to get a lot of reviews in a short amount of time, it'll alert google and that's not always good.

With some small tweaks to your SEO & a responsive website, you should easily be able to get your website on the first page. 

Don't get scared when I show you this image. I made some in-browser modifications that only I can see, and I took screenshots so I could show you what a little formatting can do in such a short amount of time. If you like it, you could send the image to your design guy. If you changed the layout, I would make the paint brands images larger and put them to the far right side.

Besides that, there's really nothing terribly about your site (besides you probably paid to much by your message  )












the paintman said:


> Mine is a mess I know. I got royaly screwed with my design guy that was a schister and its been difficult to correct. Being an old fart I don't know much about the workings of all this stuff anyway.
> 
> But give me the bad news Paintorlando.com
> 
> TIA


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## daArch

dewebdesigns said:


> The thing is daArch, I've been a successful internet marketer for 7 years, building niche websites for myself. Nearly 90% of my income from then to now is from all the websites that I've built. I rarely touch them to this day, besides updating the design every year.
> 
> I build websites for business because I want to, not because I have to. It lets me take everything I have learned along the way and provide the results that every client wants. That's why I can gladly provide a small portion of my services for free on here. I may be bad at sales, but I am a great at investing, especially in people.
> 
> With SEO, there are no shortcuts. It takes time, and that's what people don't understand, like clueless callers expecting you to be there in the next couple days. SEO is for the long term, and if done properly, you'll never have to worry about large businesses stomping all over you.
> 
> RepaintingFlorida will be hit by a google update (most likely the next one) due to all the spammy backlinks that the domain has. Once his domain no longer ranks, it's best to just get a new domain and start from scratch.
> 
> That's the downside of not asking the correct questions when hiring an SEO company. I want to help him and others like him that have no idea the choices they made for the long term success of their business. It may be good for short term, but once the update is sent out, he can kiss his rankings goodbye.
> 
> That's a shame that you took your site down. Would you ever consider selling me your domain?


Only for* way* more money than it's worth. It's a domain that is my name, has nothing to do with the decorating trades. . So the short answer is no.

But, I'll leave you be now. I get a funny feeling the owners/admins/mods will soon decide that this forum is for those in the painting and related trades and although your intentions may be wonderful and your help appreciated, I think they will decide that if they let other professionals sign in, as helpful as they may be, even to dispense free and useful advice, the site would not hold to it's original intent. 

So good luck and thanks for helping our members with their websites.


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## Delta Painting

I know my site needs help, Have a go...


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## dewebdesigns

Worth is a relative term. Depending on everything, I've purchased domains for a little more than $1500. I was just curious but I don't want your name, lol.

I feel as if every company is only as good as the tools they bring to the job. If they're missing their roller, it's going to a hell of a time completing a complete interior. Their website is no different. If it shows up and converts more people into phone calls or web leads, you're going to be busier. If you're always busier, you can raise your rates by 2-5%. If you raise your rates, you make more money. And, if you make more money, you now have a dedicated advertising budget that can get you between $5 to $20 for each dollar invested, if they know what they're doing.

daArch, Which admin can I speak to about writing a guide? Am I able to PM him or does he have to PM me?

Thank you for the heads up.



daArch said:


> Only for* way* more money than it's worth. It's a domain that is my name, has nothing to do with the decorating trades. . So the short answer is no.
> 
> But, I'll leave you be now. I get a funny feeling the owners/admins/mods will soon decide that this forum is for those in the painting and related trades and although your intentions may be wonderful and your help appreciated, I think they will decide that if they let other professionals sign in, as helpful as they may be, even to dispense free and useful advice, the site would not hold to it's original intent.
> 
> So good luck and thanks for helping our members with their websites.


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## dewebdesigns

Oh my, I think I may have contacted you once before a looong time ago when I lived in Michigan! My sister live very close to you.

Anyways, here is some simple advice:

Change "Welcome to Delta Painting" to something with your targeted keywords. Like: Lansing House Painting | Painters

You should get a responsive website. Google's algorithm started including if the website was responsive or not as of April 21st. Highly recommend it for not only your business, but the new potential customers who find you online.

Another thing is to create a page for each of your services. You can have a dropdown under "Our Services" in the navigation and you'll put yourself in the running for searches such as "Lansing interior painters"

Your business shows up in the Maps section for "Portland mi interior painters", but your website isn't anywhere to be found. Some people think the maps section is an ad, and they avoid it. Just because you're in the maps doesn't mean you're good to go. You should always strive for first page results.

Overall, pretty simple site with a good domain with two keywords. I think you need about 5-10 times more text than what's currently on there, but that's me. If you put a little effort into your site, I'm 100% sure you'll be able to dominate Lansing, Portland, Okemos and several other surrounding city searches.

Hope I helped!



Delta Painting said:


> I know my site needs help, Have a go...


----------



## RCP

Thanks for backing off Bill! 
Ya, I think you are right, mods may step in, PT has a history of not allowing vendors or guys like this to openly (like the tags at CT) contribute without fear of banning or ridicule by members. More likely, the thread will die out, he won't gain any new customers and will move on. Have to give him credit for trying, and I think he is giving good advice for the most part.



dewebdesigns said:


> Overall, your site is in excellent shape and there is mainly just little things that I would tweak. You have the results, so now it's time to focus on Conversion Rate optimization (like adding the reviews I mentioned above).
> 
> Hope I was able to help!


Ironically, the guys that posted their sites are a few of the best sites and have done a lot of "SEO" work, often by taking advice like this. I know Ryan and Dave do a lot on theirs, and Repaint's looks like Footbridge, which has this concept nailed.

I'd like to hear more on your thoughts on conversion. Are you meaning user flow/interest by way of content?

I think this where guys need to focus, a few of the sites have blogs, some in a separate section, only a few where the blog post is linked in a page (like services or interior painting).
Like Dave asked about how to get his site listed several times, if the site as a whole had more original, helpful, fresh, optimized content woven through out, would those pages appear first, second, third?


----------



## dewebdesigns

Excellent questions RCP.

Conversion rate optimization is solely increasing the amount of leads (phone calls or web forms) with the same amount of unique visitors.

This is where A LOT of businesses fail to realize how many customers they're losing.


Here's a real life example using websites that I already reviews. Imagine that each website gets 500 unique visitors per month, over the course of 6 months, or 3000 total unique visits. We're going to assume each person of these 3000 people just moved to town and that they know 0 painters and they are not asking their friends or family. They are strictly using the internet to make their decision (which a lot of people do).

To avoid all location issues, we're going to say each person has 9 other businesses nearby to choose from.

Delta Painting, Paint Orlando and a website that is up to my standards.

Positive CRO (conversion rate optimization) techniques on Delta Painting:

He shows good, non-stock photos of what looks to be his work. Any unique visitor (a person who has never looked at his site before, aka potential new customer) would like this. +1

He shows a gallery. He could use more photos and open into larger photos without leaving the gallery page, but nonetheless, a gallery. +1

He has two testimonials. +1.

Negatives that effect his CRO:

Mobile responsive website. If a unique visitor finds his site somehow from their phone, it's not responsive, therefore making it difficult from him to navigate and read, giving the user a poor experience. -1

The website looks outdated, and there isn't a lot of information. -1

There is no "call to action" -1

The phone number is not clickable. This is mainly for mobile, but since he doesn't have a mobile website, making it much harder for potential customers to call him. -1


I'm assuming Delta Painting, based upon what I see, is getting somewhere between 1-2% conversion rate from his website, if that.

From those 3000 unique visitors over the course of 6 months, Delta Painting would generate 30 to 60 new potential customers, or 5-10 a month. That easily pays for his website and puts some into his advertising budget.


Next we have Paint Orlando.

Clearly a unique website +1
BBB (trustworthiness) +1
Good photos +1
10 Year Warranty +1
Gallery +1

No mobile website -1
Phone number isn't clickable anywhere -1
no call to action -1
no testimonials -1


I would give Paint Orlando of a solid 2-3%. If it was responsive, could be easily 5%. A 2-3% conversion rate would yield 60-90 new potential customers over those 6 months.


Now, a website up to my standards would include:

A professional looking website that doesn't look thrown together with everything all over the place.
Easy navigation to access the site
Easily found phone number that's clickable, making it simple for someone to call you
Large photos that show potential customers your excellent work
A gallery that shows large images with the ability to scroll through without leaving the page
As many positive testimonials as you can
A user-friendly design with a call to action "above the fold" (before the page cuts off without scrolling down)
Mobile friendly, obviously.
If they have a good ranking on BBB, I'll proudly display that.
Informative content that is easy to read and understand.

With everything I listed above, a 5% conversion rate is easily possible, if not more. If your competitors are below your site, chances are their website will not be looked because they already contacted you. A 5% would yield 150 new potential customers from those 3000 unique visitors over 6 months.

Now, 150 new potential new customers may or may not seem to be a lot, but here's the thing.. From going to Delta Painting to Paint Orlando, that's an extra percent or two. That should yield 30-60 new customers, just by having an updated website. Going from Delta Painting to my standards would yield 90-120 new potential customers.

Conversion rate optimization isn't getting you better rankings, etc. It's creating more customers from the visitors you already get. So just by having two different websites, you can completely change how many calls/web leads you receive.

And the thing is, if you have the website for 2 years, at the same rate, that's 12,000 unique visits. Using the max percentage I listed, Delta Painting would get a max of 240, Paint Orlando would get 360, and the other would get 600. That's nearly triple the amount of business as Delta Painting. 

After you figure in your closing percentage, you'll be able to see how many jobs you could expect. Then multiply that by your average job and you get your potential revenue.

There are so many factors that go into Conversion Rate Optimization, and web design/SEO companies that fail to implement these things are a waste of time and money.

Your website is your 24/7 sales person that answers questions and makes the first contact with your potential customers. You wouldn't send a drunk guy in a old t-shirt to sell a full home interior job, so why would you skimp out on your website when the number of people visit it yearly SHOULD EASILY triple the number of potential that you meet with.

That's why conversion optimization is important. I know this has nothing to do with painting, but currently, I'm yielding 12% on my nationwide home staging website, and I haven't touched it for 3 years. 3 years of constant traffic with 12 quotes out of 100 visitors. You can do that math.

RCP, to answer your question about the blogs, that's more content marketing than dealing with conversion rate. People DO like to see the website is being updated, but that's only for old/outdated sites so they know it's still functioning. 

For your final question, if Google deems 4 of your pages as helpful to the user's search query, it'll show those 4 pages in the results. The hardest part is telling google _why_ it's helpful and _why_ they should show it.

You get what you pay for, _IF_ you're paying the right company. You need to research and ask the right questions. You can spend $5000 on a the most brilliantly designed website and and $5000 on a billboard in the middle of the desert. If no one looks at either of them, you aren't generating any new business. 

I hope I answered your question and enlighten a few people about this topic.




RCP said:


> Thanks for backing off Bill!
> Ya, I think you are right, mods may step in, PT has a history of not allowing vendors or guys like this to openly (like the tags at CT) contribute without fear of banning or ridicule by members. More likely, the thread will die out, he won't gain any new customers and will move on. Have to give him credit for trying, and I think he is giving good advice for the most part.
> 
> 
> 
> Ironically, the guys that posted their sites are a few of the best sites and have done a lot of "SEO" work, often by taking advice like this. I know Ryan and Dave do a lot on theirs, and Repaint's looks like Footbridge, which has this concept nailed.
> 
> I'd like to hear more on your thoughts on conversion. Are you meaning user flow/interest by way of content?
> 
> I think this where guys need to focus, a few of the sites have blogs, some in a separate section, only a few where the blog post is linked in a page (like services or interior painting).
> Like Dave asked about how to get his site listed several times, if the site as a whole had more original, helpful, fresh, optimized content woven through out, would those pages appear first, second, third?


----------



## ReNt A PaInTeR

daArch said:


> Only for* way* more money than it's worth. It's a domain that is my name, has nothing to do with the decorating trades. . So the short answer is no.
> 
> But, I'll leave you be now. I get a funny feeling the owners/admins/mods will soon decide that this forum is for those in the painting and related trades and although your intentions may be wonderful and your help appreciated, I think they will decide that if they let other professionals sign in, as helpful as they may be, even to dispense free and useful advice, the site would not hold to it's original intent.
> 
> So good luck and thanks for helping our members with their websites.


Jeez daArch does your wife know you are harassing people on the internet. :jester:


----------



## Repaint Florida

dewebdesigns said:


> For your repaint florida website:
> 
> I strongly suggest you fix some of these issues: https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.repaintflorida.com%2F&tab=mobile
> 
> A majority of your alternative text on your images are not optimized correctly.
> 
> The last two h2 tags I would change to h3's, so they're not competing against each other. You can make them look exactly the same as they do now while improving the page markup.
> 
> There's a couple other things I noticed but nothing major on the home page. I would however increase the height on your slider images to somewhere around 450px, it just looks better in my opinion and there is more to see and potential customers visuals, especially for painting. Two other small design changes I would make: shorten your entire header and make the main heading fit on 1 line. 1/3 of the page is pure header and navigation without scrolling.
> 
> 
> For the orlandokitchencabinetpainting.com site,
> 
> 1. Change the title from Home to "Orlando Kitchen Cabinet Painting" at the very least.
> 
> 2. Add titles to your other pages.
> 
> 3. Add a meta description to all your page.
> 
> I would strongly suggest adding more content to your website, and throw in specific keywords like the title I suggest in #1.
> 
> If you truly wanted this website to rank well, I would remove all instances of your repaint florida website. (you could put Repaint Florida LLC in the footer if you wanted) By having your other website, it makes the user click or search your other site, which is another step for them. People are lazy. Give them what they want in the easiest way possible. Make the website 100% about 'painting kitchen cabinets in Orlando' so people searching will see that you specialize in that and create a gallery page and put the best before/after pictures you have. (see what I did right there? <-- I put specific keywords in the single quotes that you should use and it flows with the text)
> 
> I spent way more than 5 minutes on both of your sites... whoops :icon_cheesygrin:
> 
> Hope I could help!


THANKS .... 
First thanks for the review and i for one think you'll be a big help here on PT

i understand the owners want to make money and for you to buy advertisement but at the same time we have a few BM / paint stores here that post all the time 

some offer to "comp" a gal if your in their area, same as what your doing with a free review, so hopefully the site will see it the same 

website / seo is just important a painter as a good paint

hope they let you stay


----------



## dewebdesigns

Thank you! 

Depending on how much it costs to advertise on here (obviously within reason since I can't post on everything), it may be an option in the future. 

That's one of the questions I'll ask an admin whenever I figure out who to get in touch with alongside a guide of which questions to ask a potential web design/seo company and see if they are a good fit for your business.



Repaint Florida said:


> THANKS ....
> First thanks for the review and i for one think you'll be a big help here on PT
> 
> i understand the owners want to make money and for you to buy advertisement but at the same time we have a few BM / paint stores here that post all the time
> 
> some offer to "comp" a gal if your in their area, same as what your doing with a free review, so hopefully the site will see it the same
> 
> website / seo is just important a painter as a good paint
> 
> hope they let you stay


----------



## Wildbill7145

dewebdesigns said:


> That's one of the questions I'll ask an admin whenever I figure out who to get in touch


Ask Cricket, she's either the one or knows who to contact.
@Cricket. She's gonna see this now.


----------



## Admin

dewebdesigns said:


> Thank you!
> 
> Depending on how much it costs to advertise on here (obviously within reason since I can't post on everything), it may be an option in the future.
> 
> That's one of the questions I'll ask an admin whenever I figure out who to get in touch with alongside a guide of which questions to ask a potential web design/seo company and see if they are a good fit for your business.


There is an *advertising contact* link in the footer of the site.


----------



## Wildbill7145

See, it's like summoning Batman.


----------



## the paintman

dewebdesigns said:


> Honestly, I like your site from the top until you get to where the text starts. With a little formatting, your site can look SO much different.
> 
> First off, you say you do interior & exterior painting & pressure washing, but you don't have any pages for them. You should get those 3 pages up ASAP with original, well written content. Preferably 500+ words, but I know that's difficult due to the topic. There isn't much to write about after you get through the basics. It's better to have good content that's short than long content with filler.
> 
> I highly suggest you have your designer create you a responsive website that is mobile friendly. Google is negatively effecting your SEO because your site is not mobile friendly.
> 
> Your main heading is: "Our Services" -- The main heading is a tag that tells google that what the page is about, so when google looks at your page, it thinks it's about "Our Services". I would change that to fit some keywords like: Orlando Painters
> 
> As with any local business, try to get as many positive reviews on your Google + page. If you focus on getting 5 a month, in a few months you'll be ranking a lot better. If you try to get a lot of reviews in a short amount of time, it'll alert google and that's not always good.
> 
> With some small tweaks to your SEO & a responsive website, you should easily be able to get your website on the first page.
> 
> Don't get scared when I show you this image. I made some in-browser modifications that only I can see, and I took screenshots so I could show you what a little formatting can do in such a short amount of time. If you like it, you could send the image to your design guy. If you changed the layout, I would make the paint brands images larger and put them to the far right side.
> 
> Besides that, there's really nothing terribly about your site (besides you probably paid to much by your message  )


 Thanks a lot Deweb. Thats certainly a lot better news than I expected. And for the follow up where you compared it as well. 
Don't get me wrong I liked the end result look of my site. but it took a year and the guy just outsouced the work. So I never was involved with design or changes. He told the guy how he wanted it. Not how I wanted it. And then the monthy SEO after we went live he charged a monthly fee that seemed outrageous and then raised it a year later. I asked for a responsive website and his words where "you can't afford that". Eventually after months of frustration and it was obvious this guy was a control freak my son in law stepped in to help me escape this guy. 
The ironic thing is I did not update my site for years. And when I did the very reason I avoided it bit me in the arse. Like others here have indicated I avoided all solicitations because of my lack of knowledge in the field made me feel a certain disdain and mistrust for all solicitations and promises. So this guy was a good salesman and I caved in.
So in stepped my son in law who has done design, but not on a large scale. He does know his way around the workings of changes and sEO on a slightly better than average basis. But does not do it full time.
My question to you is. Can I make my current webSite responsive. He has told me I would have to basically start at ground zero all over again to get a responsive website. Its something I wanted to do as soon as I was told what "responsive" was. By my original designer. And that was before I went "Live" with this current site about 3 years ago now. And 2 to 3 years later I still don't have one.
Waiting your respinse. TIA

The Paintman


----------



## dewebdesigns

the paintman said:


> Thanks a lot Deweb. Thats certainly a lot better news than I expected. And for the follow up where you compared it as well.
> Don't get me wrong I liked the end result look of my site. but it took a year and the guy just outsouced the work. So I never was involved with design or changes. He told the guy how he wanted it. Not how I wanted it. And then the monthy SEO after we went live he charged a monthly fee that seemed outrageous and then raised it a year later. I asked for a responsive website and his words where "you can't afford that". Eventually after months of frustration and it was obvious this guy was a control freak my son in law stepped in to help me escape this guy.
> The ironic thing is I did not update my site for years. And when I did the very reason I avoided it bit me in the arse. Like others here have indicated I avoided all solicitations because of my lack of knowledge in the field made me feel a certain disdain and mistrust for all solicitations and promises. So this guy was a good salesman and I caved in.
> So in stepped my son in law who has done design, but not on a large scale. He does know his way around the workings of changes and sEO on a slightly better than average basis. But does not do it full time.
> My question to you is. Can I make my current webSite responsive. He has told me I would have to basically start at ground zero all over again to get a responsive website. Its something I wanted to do as soon as I was told what "responsive" was. By my original designer. And that was before I went "Live" with this current site about 3 years ago now. And 2 to 3 years later I still don't have one.
> Waiting your respinse. TIA
> 
> The Paintman



To answer your question, yes. Your current website can be changed to become responsive. However, that's going to require a lot of work AND most likely not be worth it when a new website can be done with responsiveness in mind. 

I'll give you a better understanding of what someone would have to do.

Starting from the top, they'd have to remove the BBB and phone number on a tablet view and replace it with a clickable phone number that only display on that view and lower. From there, your navigation will have to be completely redone since they have background images, and that won't be a good look on mobile devices, so that'll change. The slider will have to fit the screen moving down from tablet until the small iPhone sizes. After that, the painter for a day section would have to be split up and stacked vertically, and that may look weird with the gray backgrounds with the maroon between them, so more design work would have to come from that. 

That's half the page, on one page, and already a lot of work.

You're not starting from scratch, when you start over since you have content and an idea of what you want.

I understand EXACTLY what you mean when it comes to companies and outsourcing. I understand that a business is meant to make money, but you can't keep clients long term when they're unhappy. This is why I despise sales people, and my approach is much different. They'll simply stop paying or cancel the contract and they'll be gone, like what you did. I have found a lot of people who have been hit with the same type of salespeople. Their job is to sell, and they will say anything to get you to sign. That's when asking the right questions will save you. Like, asking to meet with the developer so he can get an understanding of what you want, so it's not funneled down and changed several times. I'm not sure where your company was located, but I recently moved to Jacksonville. If they were here and they wouldn't send them down for a two hour drive for a meeting, you should have immediately said no. Any good salesperson would make that happen because they know you'd sign the contract if you met them.

As far as monthly SEO payments, that's pretty standard. I know some companies you'll pay for the website separate from the SEO. Then you'll get a reoccurring monthly SEO charge. 

Personally, the way I do it and most clients prefer, is a single monthly payment with the website and SEO spread out over a year. As far as SEO, it never stops and your web presence should always be worked on every month. That's why I personally like the idea of splitting it up. That way the check comes in, and you know what site to work on next. Otherwise your site can sit on the back burner and you get nothing done for months on end. Splitting it up is also good for clients, because when the SEO kicks, their website is generating the profit and it's paying for itself, rather than them paying for a website that's not producing results. 

With so many solicitations, it's so difficult to trust companies. There's no personal relationship. There's no communication besides a cold call or a email. People offer guarantees and everything to get to click to see their promotion. Maybe 1 out of 100 emails are good, but you have to spot the ones that are personalized to you, as they're typically smaller and more client-oriented.

Do your research. Find out where they're from. What they specialize in. You don't want an eCommerce company building a painting website. Find out what services they offer and if they're inline with what you need. IE, if they can do pay per click when your website starts generating a lot of profit and you want to drive even more traffic. Find what their average client is and how successful they are. Is their guarantee possible & how can they guarantee it? Last but not least, find out what sets them apart from everyone else and why you should become their client.

My advice: never work with a large company or a company in California. Large companies will give you most likely the same problem you've already encountered, and same goes for California. There's thousands of web design companies there, and they all need sales to stay up. 

I hope I answered your question and my advice impacts your way of thinking when you are deciding on a new, responsive website in the future when you're ready to get back out there. (I'd save the text someone as others have mentioned that this thread may be deleted sooner than later.)

Thanks!


----------



## the paintman

dewebdesigns said:


> To answer your question, yes. Your current website can be changed to become responsive. However, that's going to require a lot of work AND most likely not be worth it when a new website can be done with responsiveness in mind.
> 
> I'll give you a better understanding of what someone would have to do.
> 
> Starting from the top, they'd have to remove the BBB and phone number on a tablet view and replace it with a clickable phone number that only display on that view and lower. From there, your navigation will have to be completely redone since they have background images, and that won't be a good look on mobile devices, so that'll change. The slider will have to fit the screen moving down from tablet until the small iPhone sizes. After that, the painter for a day section would have to be split up and stacked vertically, and that may look weird with the gray backgrounds with the maroon between them, so more design work would have to come from that.
> 
> That's half the page, on one page, and already a lot of work.
> 
> You're not starting from scratch, when you start over since you have content and an idea of what you want.
> 
> I understand EXACTLY what you mean when it comes to companies and outsourcing. I understand that a business is meant to make money, but you can't keep clients long term when they're unhappy. This is why I despise sales people, and my approach is much different. They'll simply stop paying or cancel the contract and they'll be gone, like what you did. I have found a lot of people who have been hit with the same type of salespeople. Their job is to sell, and they will say anything to get you to sign. That's when asking the right questions will save you. Like, asking to meet with the developer so he can get an understanding of what you want, so it's not funneled down and changed several times. I'm not sure where your company was located, but I recently moved to Jacksonville. If they were here and they wouldn't send them down for a two hour drive for a meeting, you should have immediately said no. Any good salesperson would make that happen because they know you'd sign the contract if you met them.
> 
> As far as monthly SEO payments, that's pretty standard. I know some companies you'll pay for the website separate from the SEO. Then you'll get a reoccurring monthly SEO charge.
> 
> Personally, the way I do it and most clients prefer, is a single monthly payment with the website and SEO spread out over a year. As far as SEO, it never stops and your web presence should always be worked on every month. That's why I personally like the idea of splitting it up. That way the check comes in, and you know what site to work on next. Otherwise your site can sit on the back burner and you get nothing done for months on end. Splitting it up is also good for clients, because when the SEO kicks, their website is generating the profit and it's paying for itself, rather than them paying for a website that's not producing results.
> 
> With so many solicitations, it's so difficult to trust companies. There's no personal relationship. There's no communication besides a cold call or a email. People offer guarantees and everything to get to click to see their promotion. Maybe 1 out of 100 emails are good, but you have to spot the ones that are personalized to you, as they're typically smaller and more client-oriented.
> 
> Do your research. Find out where they're from. What they specialize in. You don't want an eCommerce company building a painting website. Find out what services they offer and if they're inline with what you need. IE, if they can do pay per click when your website starts generating a lot of profit and you want to drive even more traffic. Find what their average client is and how successful they are. Is their guarantee possible & how can they guarantee it? Last but not least, find out what sets them apart from everyone else and why you should become their client.
> 
> My advice: never work with a large company or a company in California. Large companies will give you most likely the same problem you've already encountered, and same goes for California. There's thousands of web design companies there, and they all need sales to stay up.
> 
> I hope I answered your question and my advice impacts your way of thinking when you are deciding on a new, responsive website in the future when you're ready to get back out there. (I'd save the text someone as others have mentioned that this thread may be deleted sooner than later.)
> 
> Thanks!


Yes, I saved the other 2 and will save this one because of the reasons you mentioned. I really appreciate your advice and help. What you say makes complete sense to me. I'll tell you why. A famous wealthy golfer once asked us to look at an ocean front house he bought to remodel. It was a 60s style house and about a quarter the size he wanted. We told him basically the same thing. Your better of knocking it down and starting over. plus you will end up with exactly what you want in the end. Instead of an old house surrounded by a new one. I think the comparisons or analogy is the same.


----------



## dewebdesigns

the paintman said:


> Yes, I saved the other 2 and will save this one because of the reasons you mentioned. I really appreciate your advice and help. What you say makes complete sense to me. I'll tell you why. A famous wealthy golfer once asked us to look at an ocean front house he bought to remodel. It was a 60s style house and about a quarter the size he wanted. We told him basically the same thing. Your better of knocking it down and starting over. plus you will end up with exactly what you want in the end. Instead of an old house surrounded by a new one. I think the comparisons or analogy is the same.


Exactly the same. Even if it costs a little more, it's the better route to take. Otherwise down the road you'll realize you need to build the bigger house because that's what you need. And you'll realize that after you have already spent thousands on updating smaller house. In the end, for the goals you have in mind, it's more cost effective to build what you're looking for and be happy with it for years to come. The same principals apply to your website.


----------



## K.Kelley

I would love for you to look over my website and make any suggestions thanks you!

K.Kelley
www.paintingsiouxfalls.com


----------



## the paintman

deweb,

Thanks for your help. I could use some advice on design for a new website.


----------



## dewebdesigns

the paintman said:


> deweb,
> 
> Thanks for your help. I could use some advice on design for a new website.


I'd be happy to help.


----------



## dewebdesigns

K.Kelley said:


> I would love for you to look over my website and make any suggestions thanks you!
> 
> K.Kelley
> www.paintingsiouxfalls.com


Honestly, scrap the entire site and use a site builder if you plan on not spending some money. The only good thing I found was the gallery, but when I clicked to change the slide, it wanted to call you. The entire header is linked to your phone number, and that's not good because the phone number isn't even listed.

The pages have spaces in their names which should be removed and forwarded to pages with dashes (-) separating each word.

There is no text at all, which search engines thrive on, and that greatly hinders your SEO.

Your website is your first impression to new customers who don't know your business. Would you hire a tax accountant who's site was exactly like yours? My advice would be to use a site builder like wix if you want to do it yourself (I assume you do it yourself as no web designer should have done that)

Also, I'm sorry if my answer is a little harsh. You need to realize to me (and potential customers), my first impression of your business is your website. Even through word of mouth, they'll google you and find your number. If they see your site, they may have second thoughts about calling you. Just my $0.02.


----------



## straight_lines

Just had our main site JHC rebuilt. Other than getting better pics, we are working with a pro to improve on that and getting my blog theme fixed.

Our SEO stinks but its showing weekly overall improvement. Clients love it! What do you see?


----------



## dewebdesigns

straight_lines said:


> Just had our main site JHC rebuilt. Other than getting better pics, we are working with a pro to improve on that and getting my blog theme fixed.
> 
> Our SEO stinks but its showing weekly overall improvement. Clients love it! What do you see?


Without scrolling, I don't see a call to action. With that being said, I scrolled down and was stunned by a lot of attention grabbers. This is most likely going to negatively impact your conversion rates due to several factors. 

I would honestly replace all your homepage text and the bill of rights and put that on your about page. That way your homepage can be focused on SEO and not a lot of text as people don't like to read. The only reason you're reading this word for word is because you're interested in what I am writing, and I can get you to read anything I type. 

People who find your website aren't interested in what you're writing. They're interested in what you offer. Keep it short, simple and easy to skim with bold headlines and good spacing in between them.

As far as your SEO, there are a lot of things you should modify. Your title, description, h1, homepage content, etc. The list is huge.

If you changed all the info I've provided and optimize your SEO, you should notice DRASTIC improvements in not only your SEO but your conversion rate as well.

Your site definitely has potential and can be first page material. Personally, I'm not a fan of the design. That's because that would have been sometime I may have designed a few years ago. Your website's code isn't up to date using the latest technologies. HTML5 was released last year and it's a standard now. If your website was done after November of last year, I would ask to see if they can update it for you. Nothing changes visually, but Google and other search engines look into this. They know if the site is using HTML5, they site is new/updated and therefore relevant to the user. It's not a big factor, but something is better than nothing.

I'm working on a project that I will post on here most likely next week. It's a website generator. You put in your business name, phone number, and a few other fields and it'll generate a website preview for you. You can ask family, friends, etc. to compare what they like/dislike about each site and you can use their information to help your site.


----------



## RP Mike

I made my first website last night using a page builder, got this done in about two hours:

http://www.royaltypaintingbc.com

I used to do mixed martial arts journalism so it felt pretty familiar doing headlines and what not, but I would be interested to see what you think @dewebdesigns. Right now I'm working on a logo that looks better at a larger scale. Resolution doesn't stay too good increasing image size in Microsoft Paint


----------



## RP Mike

dewebdesigns said:


> Excellent questions RCP.
> 
> Conversion rate optimization is solely increasing the amount of leads (phone calls or web forms) with the same amount of unique visitors.
> 
> This is where A LOT of businesses fail to realize how many customers they're losing.
> 
> 
> Here's a real life example using websites that I already reviews. Imagine that each website gets 500 unique visitors per month, over the course of 6 months, or 3000 total unique visits. We're going to assume each person of these 3000 people just moved to town and that they know 0 painters and they are not asking their friends or family. They are strictly using the internet to make their decision (which a lot of people do).
> 
> To avoid all location issues, we're going to say each person has 9 other businesses nearby to choose from.
> 
> Delta Painting, Paint Orlando and a website that is up to my standards.
> 
> Positive CRO (conversion rate optimization) techniques on Delta Painting:
> 
> He shows good, non-stock photos of what looks to be his work. Any unique visitor (a person who has never looked at his site before, aka potential new customer) would like this. +1
> 
> He shows a gallery. He could use more photos and open into larger photos without leaving the gallery page, but nonetheless, a gallery. +1
> 
> He has two testimonials. +1.
> 
> Negatives that effect his CRO:
> 
> Mobile responsive website. If a unique visitor finds his site somehow from their phone, it's not responsive, therefore making it difficult from him to navigate and read, giving the user a poor experience. -1
> 
> The website looks outdated, and there isn't a lot of information. -1
> 
> There is no "call to action" -1
> 
> The phone number is not clickable. This is mainly for mobile, but since he doesn't have a mobile website, making it much harder for potential customers to call him. -1
> 
> 
> I'm assuming Delta Painting, based upon what I see, is getting somewhere between 1-2% conversion rate from his website, if that.
> 
> From those 3000 unique visitors over the course of 6 months, Delta Painting would generate 30 to 60 new potential customers, or 5-10 a month. That easily pays for his website and puts some into his advertising budget.
> 
> 
> Next we have Paint Orlando.
> 
> Clearly a unique website +1
> BBB (trustworthiness) +1
> Good photos +1
> 10 Year Warranty +1
> Gallery +1
> 
> No mobile website -1
> Phone number isn't clickable anywhere -1
> no call to action -1
> no testimonials -1
> 
> 
> I would give Paint Orlando of a solid 2-3%. If it was responsive, could be easily 5%. A 2-3% conversion rate would yield 60-90 new potential customers over those 6 months.
> 
> 
> Now, a website up to my standards would include:
> 
> A professional looking website that doesn't look thrown together with everything all over the place.
> Easy navigation to access the site
> Easily found phone number that's clickable, making it simple for someone to call you
> Large photos that show potential customers your excellent work
> A gallery that shows large images with the ability to scroll through without leaving the page
> As many positive testimonials as you can
> A user-friendly design with a call to action "above the fold" (before the page cuts off without scrolling down)
> Mobile friendly, obviously.
> If they have a good ranking on BBB, I'll proudly display that.
> Informative content that is easy to read and understand.
> 
> With everything I listed above, a 5% conversion rate is easily possible, if not more. If your competitors are below your site, chances are their website will not be looked because they already contacted you. A 5% would yield 150 new potential customers from those 3000 unique visitors over 6 months.
> 
> Now, 150 new potential new customers may or may not seem to be a lot, but here's the thing.. From going to Delta Painting to Paint Orlando, that's an extra percent or two. That should yield 30-60 new customers, just by having an updated website. Going from Delta Painting to my standards would yield 90-120 new potential customers.
> 
> Conversion rate optimization isn't getting you better rankings, etc. It's creating more customers from the visitors you already get. So just by having two different websites, you can completely change how many calls/web leads you receive.
> 
> And the thing is, if you have the website for 2 years, at the same rate, that's 12,000 unique visits. Using the max percentage I listed, Delta Painting would get a max of 240, Paint Orlando would get 360, and the other would get 600. That's nearly triple the amount of business as Delta Painting.
> 
> After you figure in your closing percentage, you'll be able to see how many jobs you could expect. Then multiply that by your average job and you get your potential revenue.
> 
> There are so many factors that go into Conversion Rate Optimization, and web design/SEO companies that fail to implement these things are a waste of time and money.
> 
> Your website is your 24/7 sales person that answers questions and makes the first contact with your potential customers. You wouldn't send a drunk guy in a old t-shirt to sell a full home interior job, so why would you skimp out on your website when the number of people visit it yearly SHOULD EASILY triple the number of potential that you meet with.
> 
> That's why conversion optimization is important. I know this has nothing to do with painting, but currently, I'm yielding 12% on my nationwide home staging website, and I haven't touched it for 3 years. 3 years of constant traffic with 12 quotes out of 100 visitors. You can do that math.
> 
> RCP, to answer your question about the blogs, that's more content marketing than dealing with conversion rate. People DO like to see the website is being updated, but that's only for old/outdated sites so they know it's still functioning.
> 
> For your final question, if Google deems 4 of your pages as helpful to the user's search query, it'll show those 4 pages in the results. The hardest part is telling google _why_ it's helpful and _why_ they should show it.
> 
> You get what you pay for, _IF_ you're paying the right company. You need to research and ask the right questions. You can spend $5000 on a the most brilliantly designed website and and $5000 on a billboard in the middle of the desert. If no one looks at either of them, you aren't generating any new business.
> 
> I hope I answered your question and enlighten a few people about this topic.


This was a very interesting read! Thank you!


----------



## BPC

I would like your feedback on my website. www.bakerpaintingcompany.com


----------



## Underdog

Interesting thread.


----------



## dewebdesigns

RP Mike said:


> I made my first website last night using a page builder, got this done in about two hours:
> 
> http://www.royaltypaintingbc.com
> 
> I used to do mixed martial arts journalism so it felt pretty familiar doing headlines and what not, but I would be interested to see what you think @dewebdesigns. Right now I'm working on a logo that looks better at a larger scale. Resolution doesn't stay too good increasing image size in Microsoft Paint


Honestly, for a wix site, it turned out better than most would. Congrats!

If you roll back in your chair though, and just look at the site, it's basically black and white with a few squares. What's impressive about that to a potential customer? They want to be WOW'd by your work. 

One annoying thing I seem to find everywhere is a weird looking dropdowns for your navigation. It's white on white. Also, you shouldn't have to scroll horizontal, ever. It's bad for the UX (user experience). On my screen the Facebook plugin is causing that issue.

You have two nice galleries, so that's good. 

Besides the galleries though, I don't see much of anything for SEO, your services you provide, a call to action, etc.

There is a lot of room for improvement. You will most likely always want a vector format for your logo BTW. 

P.S. I just finished my project that I posted about a few days ago. It's in my signature. Mods: I hope it's not against the rules, and if it is, please let me know and I'll remove it immediately. I looked them over before adding it and I believe it's fine.


----------



## dewebdesigns

BPC said:


> I would like your feedback on my website. www.bakerpaintingcompany.com


There are a lot of things about your site that are good and bad. Let's start with the bad first.

SEO:

Your lacking key elements on your homepage and the things you do have aren't optimized at all. 

Design:

It's not mobile friendly. Dark blue and black don't go together well. "Homepage" should be "Home". The logo looks like it was made in photoshop and has an emboss effect on it? You should consider updating that. I would get rid of the gradients on your navigation. A solid blue would look so much better.

General:

You don't list any of your services under the dropdown which is a poor linking structure which negatively effects your SEO and is poor for user experience (UX). Your phone number is not clickable which is also poor for UX, especially on phones since your website isn't mobile friendly. How do you expect a potential customer to call you from their phone? Remember it? Write it down? It's much easier to click back, select the next company and click their phone number to open up the phone with the number pre-populated.


Now for the good:

You have the basics of creating a first page search presence. With more work, a better design, a better linking structure and a few other things, you should be increasing the number of unique visitors AND converting more of those visitors into paying customers.

The best part of SEO is being placed in front of people who are searching for a service you offer with their wallets out and cash in their hand.

You have several pages targeting cities, which are great, but the landing pages aren't doing their job in making the user perform an action. They need a call to action to get them to contact you. There's a few bad things on these pages as well that may hinder your conversion rate.

Overall, it needs a little work but it's not to bad. I'm sure if you changed from the black to a lighter color that it would improve the feel of your site, which will improve your conversion rate. It feels like you're trapped in a dungeon. I modified the background on my screen only from black to white, and it completely changed the feel of your website.


----------



## BPC

Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate it greatly.


----------



## RP Mike

dewebdesigns said:


> Honestly, for a wix site, it turned out better than most would. Congrats!
> 
> If you roll back in your chair though, and just look at the site, it's basically black and white with a few squares. What's impressive about that to a potential customer? They want to be WOW'd by your work.
> 
> One annoying thing I seem to find everywhere is a weird looking dropdowns for your navigation. It's white on white. Also, you shouldn't have to scroll horizontal, ever. It's bad for the UX (user experience). On my screen the Facebook plugin is causing that issue.
> 
> You have two nice galleries, so that's good.
> 
> Besides the galleries though, I don't see much of anything for SEO, your services you provide, a call to action, etc.
> 
> There is a lot of room for improvement. You will most likely always want a vector format for your logo BTW.


Awesome input. I've been going over a few things here and there after reading your posts - I need some more high res pictures, that's for sure!


----------



## dewebdesigns

RP Mike said:


> Awesome input. I've been going over a few things here and there after reading your posts - I need some more high res pictures, that's for sure!


I'm glad I could be of assistance. I would throw up a nice slider with high quality, colorful photos of your work with some text prominently displayed on them in an attractive way. That's an easy way to add colors to your site and make it more visually appealing to visitors.


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## RP Mike

One thing I need to remember is not everyone has a 28" computer monitor. Heh.

I think I made some good improvements though!


----------



## dewebdesigns

RP Mike said:


> One thing I need to remember is not everyone has a 28" computer monitor. Heh.
> 
> I think I made some good improvements though!


The site looks 1000% better than it did. Nice work. However, the drawbacks with site builders like Wix are the limited ability to make it optimized for search engines.

An analogy about SEO that I'll always remember is this: A website with poor SEO is like a billboard standing in the middle of the desert – It’s big, nice and beautiful, but no one sees it.

The same can be said for a majority of page built websites. The only people able to find a business are the people who are searching for the businesses name. For the keyword searches that make your business money, you most likely won't show up unless you have 0 competition. 

And, if your website isn't showing up in search engines, did you just spend hours building a website that no potential new customers will ever see? That's the question.


----------



## RP Mike

dewebdesigns said:


> The site looks 1000% better than it did. Nice work. However, the drawbacks with site builders like Wix are the limited ability to make it optimized for search engines.
> 
> An analogy about SEO that I'll always remember is this: A website with poor SEO is like a billboard standing in the middle of the desert – It’s big, nice and beautiful, but no one sees it.
> 
> The same can be said for a majority of page built websites. The only people able to find a business are the people who are searching for the businesses name. For the keyword searches that make your business money, you most likely won't show up unless you have 0 competition.
> 
> And, if your website isn't showing up in search engines, did you just spend hours building a website that no potential new customers will ever see? That's the question.


Not sure about a desert, but I certainly do live in the middle of a cow-town with a small population surrounded by a couple of cities (Vernon, Kelowna, Salmon Arm) - not sure how many in my area are using Google to find painters, and I know I'm no expert but I'm almost certain my website will have a better chance at falling in front of locals via facebook, business cards, etc.. Though, that isn't to say I won't try and make it the most optimal it can be for now, as the entire point is to have it seen! Good analogy!

I certainly understand what you mean and I imagine once I get more experience with this website thing under my belt I'll likely not renew under Wix after my year is up if it is suboptimal as you say. I'll be saving your information for when that time comes! You seem to be very honest and open with your approach!

I'm assuming this is your Facebook page here, https://www.facebook.com/DEWebDesigns/ 

so I'll give you a follow!


----------



## dewebdesigns

RP Mike said:


> Not sure about a desert, but I certainly do live in the middle of a cow-town with a small population surrounded by a couple of cities (Vernon, Kelowna, Salmon Arm) - not sure how many in my area are using Google to find painters, and I know I'm no expert but I'm almost certain my website will have a better chance at falling in front of locals via facebook, business cards, etc.. Though, that isn't to say I won't try and make it the most optimal it can be for now, as the entire point is to have it seen! Good analogy!
> 
> I certainly understand what you mean and I imagine once I get more experience with this website thing under my belt I'll likely not renew under Wix after my year is up if it is suboptimal as you say. I'll be saving your information for when that time comes! You seem to be very honest and open with your approach!
> 
> I'm assuming this is your Facebook page here, https://www.facebook.com/DEWebDesigns/
> 
> so I'll give you a follow!


Thank you! I believe that's the best approach, even if it's not a strong/pushy sales pitch that generates more money. At the end of the day, both parties are happy and a long term mutually beneficial relationship is created. 

Yes, that's my Facebook page. If you're interested, I am giving away a free website for one company. I'm selecting that company on 12/07/15 for the new year. I posted about it awhile ago and the post says Jacksonville, but that's because I'd prefer a local company to help branch out since I recently relocated here. Either way, a random drawing doesn't care about location. You can sign up if you're interested or let others know if you think they're interested also.


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## CCpaintWC

*best way to build website?*

what are your suggestions to create a website? should i use wordpress/wix to start or create and host by myself?


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## dewebdesigns

CCpaintWC said:


> what are your suggestions to create a website? should i use wordpress/wix to start or create and host by myself?


If you think you should do it yourself, Wordpress and wix are both decent tools. With your time invested and learning how to customize your site, you can make your site like RP Mike did.

However, both options will lack the necessary SEO - even with the wordpress plugins. And, without great SEO, new customers won't be able to find your business for profitable keyword searches.


----------



## Peanut

Mind taking a look at mine? It's been dropping in the rankings lately, probably because I haven't added anything in a while..

www.hubbardpaintingllc.com


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## dewebdesigns

Peanut said:


> Mind taking a look at mine? It's been dropping in the rankings lately, probably because I haven't added anything in a while..
> 
> www.hubbardpaintingllc.com


Your site looks pretty nice for a weebly site. I would put your phone number in the top right next to your social media. It'll make it a lot easier for visitors to call you. I had to search for it on the contact page also. Make it prominent. 

As for SEO, I can't find your business on the first 5 pages for several searches. You should add homepage content, and increase the amount of content on nearly all your pages. Redo your meta tags also to target better keywords. 

On the services page, you have a testimonial at the top. You should have a "Testimonials" page listed under the About dropdown. The services page should list your services. The Discounts is okay, but it should really have it's own page also that you update consistently to match the discounts you're offering.

You don't have a logo, but that's not terrible.

Your photos are great quality on the slider. That's what people want to see. If possible, make them the full content area width wise and get rid of the free estimate button above them. The link to the free estimate can go in the top area next to the social media.

Overall, the site doesn't look to bad, but it lacks the proper SEO for people to find it.


----------



## QPP

What a great service your offering dewebdesigns . I just got my site built 3 months ago. And help would be appreciated www.qualitypaintingpros.com Thanks


----------



## dewebdesigns

QPP said:


> What a great service your offering dewebdesigns . I just got my site built 3 months ago. And help would be appreciated www.qualitypaintingpros.com Thanks



Your site looks extremely basic. Your logo is huge compared to your header. You don't show any services that you list and the site doesn't look very informative. You don't need your logo in the slider, show your work instead.

Your work should have some description about it rather than just thrown up.

The overall design is from a wordpress template that anyone can buy and throw in text and photos. 

Overall, nothing fancy and i don't see any positive SEO things. You're targeting Los Angeles county and your site will never hit above the 10th page without a major rework. Think about it. People will look at a couple sites before finding yours. What incentive does someone have to call your business vs lets say abpainting(dot)com? They're site looks extremely professional, and they'll judge their business and yours based upon their website.


----------



## dreamscapeptg

I'll take you up on that, I can always use some constructive criticism, the painting and wordpress skills don't crossover much!

www.dreamscapepainting.com

Thanks in advance!


----------



## dewebdesigns

dreamscapeptg said:


> I'll take you up on that, I can always use some constructive criticism, the painting and wordpress skills don't crossover much!
> 
> www.dreamscapepainting.com
> 
> Thanks in advance!


Hey there!

The design is better than most I've seen on here. However, there is no phone at the top. You should try to shorten the navigation and increase the size of the logo so it's all on one line. This will make it better in appearance. 

As for SEO, you're missing a lot of key elements and incorrectly using the ones that you are using. For instance, extremely long title tag and there is no text area describing your business besides those 5 text sections under the slider photos. 

From the users perspective, they will enjoy having a lot of photos to look at on your site. However, if they can't find it, they won't be seeing all your good photos.

Personally, I'm not a fan of one page websites because they lack several SEO elements needed to rank for specific searches. You aren't able to rank for every service you offer on your homepage unless you are literally the only person who does that specific service in your area. I have other posts that outline the importance of specific service pages.

Overall: Design is pretty decent for a self built wordpress site, but SEO can use a lot of work.


----------



## jason123

Ok not now but just wait till I update my pics and Im going to do a audit. I should be ready for a critique Im hoping for end of February. I love this thread and think about this thread all the time. The site is my sig. 

Maybe if you have the time and or want do a quick look now and then do the big critique after my update and my audit. 

Please dont do an early one I just dont want this thread to dry up and am letting you know my plans if your still available of course. Thank you.


----------



## dewebdesigns

jason123 said:


> Ok not now but just wait till I update my pics and Im going to do a audit. I should be ready for a critique Im hoping for end of February. I love this thread and think about this thread all the time. The site is my sig.
> 
> Maybe if you have the time and or want do a quick look now and then do the big critique after my update and my audit.
> 
> Please dont do an early one I just dont want this thread to dry up and am letting you know my plans if your still available of course. Thank you.


So far the site looks great. After a extremely brief look, I don't see any major design issues. There are a few SEO issues, but those will hopefully be fixed by the time you're done.

If this thread disappears by then, you can always get a free consultation on my website. The only difference between here and there is that it won't be a public response. There still isn't a hard sell, no email spam, etc.

Can't wait to see the finished product! :thumbup:


----------



## Stretch67

Ill bite. http://www.randhapaintingmn.com

Sidenote: I didn't read the entire thread, but I did read the first two pages. Since when did we start judging people on "intent"? I guess I'm more of the mindset to judge based on "action". If someone buys a gallon of gasoline, does that mean they are gonna start hucking molotov cocktails at their local political offices just cause someone else did?


----------



## dewebdesigns

bryceraisanen said:


> Ill bite. http://www.randhapaintingmn.com
> 
> Sidenote: I didn't read the entire thread, but I did read the first two pages. Since when did we start judging people on "intent"? I guess I'm more of the mindset to judge based on "action". If someone buys a gallon of gasoline, does that mean they are gonna start hucking molotov cocktails at their local political offices just cause someone else did?


I'm assuming your domain is randhpaintingmc.com (without the a). Design looks great, and so does mobile (even though the header picture gets cut off). However, the phone number isn't clickable. When someone on their phone has to go to their phone app and remember your number to type in, that is an extra step. If they try to click it, it will go to your homepage.

Design wise in your estimate form on the homepage, all your boxes are the same except for the "how did you find us?" box. Make the width the same as the others. Also, don't have the text show in the center in the "tell us about your project" box because the others are either. You should make it uniform. 

Under that, you have your recent blog posts. At first, I saw "Case" next to the picture and was confused for a moment. You should make the picture wider so the titles appear underneath the images instead of attempting to be displayed next to it like your post "How cold is too cold?"

As for SEO, you're telling search engines that your 3 blog posts on your homepage are more important the the subheadings in your text area. You have a lot of little things (and big things like the title, description, etc.) that add up. 

When I search for "Cokato mn painters", you show up in the maps (due to your business being based there) and are #1, which is great. However, the other 8 are lead gen type companies AND it's pulling your about page rather than your homepage. Your targeting general terms instead of the areas you're focusing.

For the areas you're focusing, I searched the main title of a few of them and you're not showing up on the first page. This is partly due to the errors I listed 3 paragraphs above along with several other factors.

Overall, the design looks fine for desktop. I would take a look at your analytics and look at your mobile visitors and see how long or how many pages they're viewing. You are probably losing customers due to your phone number at the top. Your analytics will provide the proof for that. The design needs a few minor tweaks here and there (homepage pic missing the borders as all your other ones have, etc). The SEO need some work, but you have the basics down. You just need to sit down and fine tune everything.


----------



## gpainting

Check mine out if you don't mind. I would like to improve if possible Tusla Painter


----------



## dewebdesigns

gpainting said:


> Check mine out if you don't mind. I would like to improve if possible Tusla Painter


Your site has a lot of weird little issues that I've found and has several design elements I would change.

First, remove the "Enter a date earlier than 2020/01/01" from the quote form. Change it to something like, "Click to select a date" and have a date picker box show up when you click on the field (like this: https://jqueryui.com/datepicker/)

Next, change the text on your slider image. They are aligned to the left and bottom and they don't look good. At least move them up and in a tiny bit and throw a shadow on it for a bare minimum.

As I move down the page, I see a crazy long h1 that takes up 3 lines. Shrink the size. It should be on 1 line, and it's way to long. You can get rid of "Located in Tulsa, OK"

Then your text. It's super long (which is good), but your subheadings are just bolded words. Separate the text with actual subheadings and throw some pictures of your work in, affiliations, BBB logo, click for coupons, anything!

Move the phone number inside the last paragraph and make it clickable. It shouldn't be an H1.

Your services page have almost no text, no photos, etc. Show off your work and write more text. 

When you click the phone number in the sidebar, it takes you to the contact page. Kind of misleading I would think if you are on a phone. If you click the number, you want the phone app to popup with the phone number automatically there.

Now for SEO on the homepage. Your title and description say painting and remodeling, which are your services, but you only mention remodeling in the service listed at the bottom of the page and in the list. I'd remove remodeling from important SEO factors. You need longer, more detailed pages for each of your services. Add a page for each type of painting/remodeling service you do and optimize it. You want that page to show up when someone searches "bathroom remodeler in Tulsa OK" -- rather that the middle of page 10 where you currently show up.

I checked mobile quick for the homepage. Like I said above, shorten & condense the h1, change the pictures, etc.

Hope that was helpful!


----------



## gpainting

dewebdesigns said:


> Your site has a lot of weird little issues that I've found and has several design elements I would change.
> 
> First, remove the "Enter a date earlier than 2020/01/01" from the quote form. Change it to something like, "Click to select a date" and have a date picker box show up when you click on the field (like this: https://jqueryui.com/datepicker/)
> 
> Next, change the text on your slider image. They are aligned to the left and bottom and they don't look good. At least move them up and in a tiny bit and throw a shadow on it for a bare minimum.
> 
> As I move down the page, I see a crazy long h1 that takes up 3 lines. Shrink the size. It should be on 1 line, and it's way to long. You can get rid of "Located in Tulsa, OK"
> 
> Then your text. It's super long (which is good), but your subheadings are just bolded words. Separate the text with actual subheadings and throw some pictures of your work in, affiliations, BBB logo, click for coupons, anything!
> 
> Move the phone number inside the last paragraph and make it clickable. It shouldn't be an H1.
> 
> Your services page have almost no text, no photos, etc. Show off your work and write more text.
> 
> When you click the phone number in the sidebar, it takes you to the contact page. Kind of misleading I would think if you are on a phone. If you click the number, you want the phone app to popup with the phone number automatically there.
> 
> Now for SEO on the homepage. Your title and description say painting and remodeling, which are your services, but you only mention remodeling in the service listed at the bottom of the page and in the list. I'd remove remodeling from important SEO factors. You need longer, more detailed pages for each of your services. Add a page for each type of painting/remodeling service you do and optimize it. You want that page to show up when someone searches "bathroom remodeler in Tulsa OK" -- rather that the middle of page 10 where you currently show up.
> 
> I checked mobile quick for the homepage. Like I said above, shorten & condense the h1, change the pictures, etc.
> 
> Hope that was helpful!


Thank you for this, I will work on those changes. Why you say to remove remodeling from important SEO factors?


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## dewebdesigns

gpainting said:


> Thank you for this, I will work on those changes. Why you say to remove remodeling from important SEO factors?


Imagine SEO as a circle. If you have half of it focused towards remodeling and half of it focused towards painting, both are at 50%. If another painter, equal to you, has his pages separated, they are 100% focused towards that specific service. His pages will be more relevant to a users search and show up above yours. That's why you need other pages specifically optimized for certain phrases.

Do some keyword research and find out what the best profitable yet easy to rank search terms are and focus them first. That will allow you to achieve better rankings. Your site has the potential to get there, just not currently as it is.


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## mblosik

*site check*

I would love an eval of my site. your analyis of other sites is impeccable.
www.goldenrulepaints.com


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## dewebdesigns

mblosik said:


> I would love an eval of my site. your analyis of other sites is impeccable.
> www.goldenrulepaints.com


After looking over your SEO, you're #1 for all the searches I ran for west bend. I'm thinking you're the only painter there :lol:

There is no call to action when you view the site.

Design wise, your images in the header are pixelated and so is the text on the slider. The phone number is fine because a clickable one shows up for mobile. However, your site isn't responsive for iPads if I'm thinking of the right size. Your site looks fine down to a normal laptop and anything under landscape phone (sideways, not vertical). I would suggest getting a phone specific slider to showcase your work as it doesn't invite your visitors in.

When you get down to mobile, consider making some of the headings smaller as they currently take up a lot of height/space. 

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the design. To me it looks outdated. If I had to guess, I'd say 2012-2013 is when it was built. If you've been tracking the number of leads through your Google Analytics (not sure if you can since you're using a form builder), this would be a prime example of how to improve your conversion rate. Otherwise you know about how many calls you get and the number of unique visits a month, this is where you can try out new things.

You're already on the first page, so the hard work is over. Your SEO is solid, so the next step would be to build a better converting site.

Your specials page has outdated coupons on it (2014). The little things like that may tell your visitors that you never update the site.

Overall, SEO is in great shape but I believe the design could be modernized and enhanced to pull in an extra few jobs each month. Your site would make a fun case study. Nice work :thumbsup:


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## Jared From RankNova

Kudos for all the work you've put in here, dewebdesigns. I certainly don't agree with all of the advice you've given out, but for the most part it's been good stuff.

*Question*: Has anyone here put dewebdesign's advice in action and seen an improvement in rankings, conversions, or both as a result of it?


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## dewebdesigns

Jared From RankNova said:


> Kudos for all the work you've put in here, dewebdesigns. I certainly don't agree with all of the advice you've given out, but for the most part it's been good stuff.
> 
> *Question*: Has anyone here put dewebdesign's advice in action and seen an improvement in rankings, conversions, or both as a result of it?


I'm curious as to what parts you don't agree on. Could you be more specific so I can explain why I said it?

By checking out your site, a few of your clients you list, and noticing your domain was registered on 12/29/15, I'm not even sure you know what SEO is. Did you rebrand or are you just starting out in the marketing world because of your new domain?

I noticed you are merely purchasing themes and adding content to them since you haven't removed anything that points back to the original template. Just because you install the Yoast SEO wordpress plugin doesn't mean the site has SEO if you don't optimize it. "Home » Orange County Vapes" is not a good title, and it takes 20 seconds to change it. Doesn't matter if they aren't paying for SEO, at least optimize the title tag.

I am also curious if anyone's taken my advice. Anyone who's received my advice want to chime in?


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## Jared From RankNova

dewebdesigns said:


> I'm curious as to what parts you don't agree on. Could you be more specific so I can explain why I said it?
> 
> By checking out your site, a few of your clients you list, and noticing your domain was registered on 12/29/15, I'm not even sure you know what SEO is. Did you rebrand or are you just starting out in the marketing world because of your new domain?
> 
> I noticed you are merely purchasing themes and adding content to them since you haven't removed anything that points back to the original template. Just because you install the Yoast SEO wordpress plugin doesn't mean the site has SEO if you don't optimize it. "Home » Orange County Vapes" is not a good title, and it takes 20 seconds to change it. Doesn't matter if they aren't paying for SEO, at least optimize the title tag.
> 
> I am also curious if anyone's taken my advice. Anyone who's received my advice want to chime in?


Oh, wow . . .

This is neither the time nor the place to be having this conversation. If I've offended you in any way, I apologize. That was not my intent.

With that said, since you're now on the attack, I'll defend myself.

Yes, RankNova Marketing is a new agency (our story is on our about us page).

No, I'm not new to SEO, nor is my partner. I have several years of experience working as a solo freelancer, as well as briefly working as a part-time consultant for i3MEDIA, a large agency in the U.K. (I'm American, for what it's worth). I would hope any tips and advice that I've shared on here would make it clear that I know my stuff.

As for our sites: Yes, we typically use WordPress to build our sites. Most agencies do, as it's the quickest, most cost-efficient way to build high-quality sites for clients, not to mention the huge degree of customization (for an example of a beautiful WordPress site, take a look at CornerStone Painting).

As for the advice you've given: Like I said, I agree with most of it. If you'd like an example of something I disagree with, okay.

When talking to RP Mike about his site, you said this:



dewebdesigns said:


> I would throw up a nice slider with high quality, colorful photos of your work with some text prominently displayed on them in an attractive way. That's an easy way to add colors to your site and make it more visually appealing to visitors.


The problem with this is that _sliders almost always lower conversion rates_, especially those that auto-play. There are two reasons for this:

*Lesser Reason*: People find them annoying. How many times have you been viewing a slider on a website only to have it change halfway through? It annoys and it frustrates people -- never a good thing.

*Primary Reason:* You ALWAYS want to place your most powerful selling point at the top of the page.

As soon as a visitor lands on your page, you need to be telling them the benefits of your services, and leading with the number one reason they should choose you over the competitors. A selling point that blows away your competitions' selling points will give you an enormous advantage in growing your business (Perry Marshall has some incredible tutorials on this).

If you do decide to go with a slider, you should turn off auto-play, and set the default slide to something which shows off your most powerful selling point. If clients want to see more, they can manually change the slides.



On a side note, I'll have to agree with daArch and PressurePros that you're being disingenuous about not being here to sell. True, you're doing it in a subtle, helpful way, but a soft sell is still a sell.

Just be up front about things: You're here with the hope that you can land new clients.

Guess what? So am I.

So is every other marketing and/or web design agency who's ever posted here_.

_These people are in business. They know selling when they see it. Don't treat them like they're stupid.


Everyone, especially Cricket, I sincerely apologize for this drama. If my account is banned for it, I fully understand.

Good luck with your business, everyone, including dewebdesigns.

If anyone here does decide to try out professional SEO, he seems like a good choice -- certainly much better than most of the incompetent sleaze buckets in this industry.


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