# Opinions on my New WEBSITE ???



## Bobbo

*I just started a website for my painting business here in central New Jersey as direct mail as well as other advertising venues have pretty well dried up with the economy . Anyway , I'd love to have you guys take a look at my site and give me opinions both good or bad on how I can improve it and reach more customers in my area . I appreciate any and all feedback ! Keep in mind there is still a bit of work to be done on the site yet . 

Bob 


http://valentiandsonspainting.com/


*






​


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## George Z

Just a quick look.
It looks good and shows a good company.


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## Bobbo

George Z said:


> Just a quick look.
> It looks good and shows a good company.



* Your too kind ! I still need to add a few interior painting pictures to the flashplayer on the homepage , So customers see we do exterior & interiors . *


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## aaron61

I like it! Simple & Clean!
Could make that phone number a bit more prominent.


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## Bobbo

aaron61 said:


> I like it! Simple & Clean!
> Could make that phone number a bit more prominent.



According to my web designer . Everyone wants their logo and business phone number large , He advised against it , Said it looks cheap .


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## PressurePros

Bobbo said:


> According to my web designer . Everyone wants their logo and business phone number large , He advised against it , Said it looks cheap .



Logo, I agree. Phone number, no way. One rule of making conversions (having people call or fill out a form) is to make it easy and have it in the same place on every page. With that being said, I think your number is fine.


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## 6126

Looks really good. :thumbsup: Im jealous. I cant afford a web designer at this time and I still havent done anything with my site other than some SEO to move my site up and my experience at that is still pretty limited, but I do know a little. Unless I am reading this wrong, you dont have anything in your "Title text" other than "sons painting" view-source:http://valentiandsonspainting.com/ You did your "Google site verification" and thats good. You have plenty of key words, but the title text is what matters from what I've learned. I would also submit your site to as many places as possible like Super pages, http://www.superpages.com/yellowpages/C-Painters/S-NJ/T-Old+Bridge/ Google maps, etc. I dont post links to my site here or mention my company name because I dont want anything from this site coming up in searches that pertain to my site or my company. And again, I do not claim to be a SEO expert by any means. There are a several guys here at paint talk like RGordon Aaron, or RCP who could probably crush me in SEO discussions. Again, the site design is awesome, but not much good if nobody can find it. JMHO


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## Bobbo

PressurePros said:


> Logo, I agree. Phone number, no way. One rule of making conversions (having people call or fill out a form) is to make it easy and have it in the same place on every page. With that being said, I think your number is fine.



* My phone number is displayed on almost every page of the site @ the bottom . Not to mention there is an online contact form for a FREE estimate as well . If they find my site and want an estimate , The customers have no shortage of ways to contact me  

Did anybody take a look at my interior & exterior picture galleries ? 
*


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## Bobbo

Woodland said:


> Looks really good. :thumbsup: Im jealous. I cant afford a web designer at this time and I still havent done anything with my site other than some SEO to move my site up and my experience at that is still pretty limited, but I do know a little. Unless I am reading this wrong, you dont have anything in your "Title text" other than "sons painting" view-source:http://valentiandsonspainting.com/ You did your "Google site verification" and thats good. You have plenty of key words, but the title text is what matters from what I've learned. I would also submit your site to as many places as possible like Super pages, http://www.superpages.com/yellowpages/C-Painters/S-NJ/T-Old+Bridge/ Google maps, etc. I dont post links to my site here or mention my company name because I dont want anything from this site coming up in searches that pertain to my site or my company. And again, I do not claim to be a SEO expert by any means. There are a several guys here at paint talk like RGordon Aaron, or RCP who could probably crush me in SEO discussions. Again, the site design is awesome, but not much good if nobody can find it. JMHO



* Are you sure about the title text ? I'll have my guy check it out ... My brother has a web design company called Prism Holdings , They did the site for me . Thanks for the suggestion about the Yellow pages ! :thumbsup: Do I have to PAY to be listed ?
*


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## Harry

Bobbo said:


> According to my web designer . Everyone wants their logo and business phone number large , He advised against it , Said it looks cheap .


Your web designer seems to be a family member?


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## Bobbo

Harry said:


> Your web designer seems to be a family member?



* How did you realize that ?*


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## Harry

Bobbo said:


> * How did you realize that ?*


I noticed that you both have the same accent 

Actually, I just clicked on the web designer link at bottom and put 2 and 2 together...


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## Bobbo

Harry said:


> I noticed that you both have the same accent



* Well we are from Joizey ... :blink:*


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## 6126

Bobbo said:


> * Are you sure about the title text ? I'll have my guy check it out ... My brother has a web design company called Prism Holdings , They did the site for me . Thanks for the suggestion about the Yellow pages ! :thumbsup: Do I have to PAY to be listed ?
> *


No, I am not positive about your title text. Talk to your brother about that one for better info than I can give. Like I said, I am by no means an expert. Thats just how I read it. I can tell whoever designed the site has talent. Everything looks great. As for the Yellow pages, etc...? NEVER pay for those!!!! No, the listings are free unless you go with an enhanced listing in bold print or such and I think thats a waste of money for smaller companies as is paying someone for SEO when you can easily do it yourself. Google ads, etc is a different story and can be a good investment. I do recommend being aware of some scams that will come your way, like getting a phone call ....."Hello, we were just updating your listing info..." The are trying to set you up for what is referred to as "Slamming" which is basicly a monthly charge added to your phone bill. Yellow Book is one of many who will send out "listing update info" in the mail clearly stating.."This is not a bill !!!! " but soon as you sign it and mail it back, $79.95 a month is added to your phone bill  Myself, I called the phone company and made sure I couldnt get "Slammed" or "Crammed" (long distance service) Heres what I did. There are plenty of free website submission sites you can go to. Now from my understanding, Google, Yahoo, and some others will pick up your site sooner or later anyway, But I would Google every combination of say "Old Bridge NJ Painters, House Painters, Paint Contractors, also, Essex County or whatever counties your targeting, etc and submit to all the Super pages, etc that come up. Once you submit, you will get an email that you will have to verify and confirm. Do that, and thats it. Theres a really good Google map thread here at Paint talk also. As for the Title text... the first 10 or so words are what will come up so I would choose them carefully mentioning your area, house painting or whatever your market is, etc. I dont feel this is good


> At Valenti and Sons Painting, we know that your home is your castle. We also know that great painting and home remodeling projects don't just happen.


 Because it only mentions your company name and not the area. I dont see anyone doing a Google search for "Valenti and Sons Painting" when theyve never heard of you. Most will Google "Old Bridge painters" and thats where you want to come up at the top. :thumbsup:


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## 6126

Bobbo said:


> * Well we are from Joizey ... :blink:*


I spent some time working in Joizey a few years back. Theres some pretty country there, although I hated Newark. And I was also convinced people in Jersey probably wouldnt be able to drive if they didnt have horns to honk. Probably dont even lift the hood when buying a used car. Just test the horn and say.... "I'll take it"  Just messin with ya Bobbo  But, I do have to ask now.... Does the horn on your vehicle work? LOL :jester:


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## PressurePros

Bobbo said:


> * My phone number is displayed on almost every page of the site @ the bottom . Not to mention there is an online contact form for a FREE estimate as well . If they find my site and want an estimate , The customers have no shortage of ways to contact me
> 
> Did anybody take a look at my interior & exterior picture galleries ?
> *


Which is why I said it looks fine. You're web designed was wrong in what he said about the number being prominent. Every web expert out there will tell you that your number/contact form should be at the top of the fold.

With due respect, your title tag is the result of someone that does not understand SEO.


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## Bobbo

Woodland said:


> I spent some time working in Joizey a few years back. Theres some pretty country there, although I hated Newark. And I was also convinced people in Jersey probably wouldnt be able to drive if they didnt have horns to honk. Probably dont even lift the hood when buying a used car. Just test the horn and say.... "I'll take it"  Just messin with ya Bobbo  But, I do have to ask now.... Does the horn on your vehicle work? LOL :jester:


* Newark is in North Jersey and is a very industrial area Old Bridge is very suburban and in some areas quite country ! I love beeping my horn !!! :thumbup:*


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## Bobbo

Woodland said:


> No, I am not positive about your title text. Talk to your brother about that one for better info than I can give. Like I said, I am by no means an expert. Thats just how I read it. I can tell whoever designed the site has talent. Everything looks great. As for the Yellow pages, etc...? NEVER pay for those!!!! No, the listings are free unless you go with an enhanced listing in bold print or such and I think thats a waste of money for smaller companies as is paying someone for SEO when you can easily do it yourself. Google ads, etc is a different story and can be a good investment. I do recommend being aware of some scams that will come your way, like getting a phone call ....."Hello, we were just updating your listing info..." The are trying to set you up for what is referred to as "Slamming" which is basicly a monthly charge added to your phone bill. Yellow Book is one of many who will send out "listing update info" in the mail clearly stating.."This is not a bill !!!! " but soon as you sign it and mail it back, $79.95 a month is added to your phone bill  Myself, I called the phone company and made sure I couldnt get "Slammed" or "Crammed" (long distance service) Heres what I did. There are plenty of free website submission sites you can go to. Now from my understanding, Google, Yahoo, and some others will pick up your site sooner or later anyway, But I would Google every combination of say "Old Bridge NJ Painters, House Painters, Paint Contractors, also, Essex County or whatever counties your targeting, etc and submit to all the Super pages, etc that come up. Once you submit, you will get an email that you will have to verify and confirm. Do that, and thats it. Theres a really good Google map thread here at Paint talk also. As for the Title text... the first 10 or so words are what will come up so I would choose them carefully mentioning your area, house painting or whatever your market is, etc. I dont feel this is good Because it only mentions your company name and not the area. I dont see anyone doing a Google search for "Valenti and Sons Painting" when theyve never heard of you. Most will Google "Old Bridge painters" and thats where you want to come up at the top. :thumbsup:



* I double checked and all the title text is proper ! I also did many different Google searches and any combination of searching for painters in Old Bridge NJ yields a Valenti & Sons result at some point on the 1st page . My guy did an excellent job of adding keywords and optimizing the SEO . I am putting a link to my brothers web design company below  He's a big Pink Floyd fan hence his logo and theme music .

http://www.prismholdingsinc.com/
*


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## PatsPainting

Bobbo said:


> * I am putting a link to my brothers web design company below  He's a big Pink Floyd fan hence his logo and theme music .
> 
> *


I would think he would know that any type of theme music or any sound when opening up a website is a not a good thing. 

Pat


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## Bobbo

PatsPainting said:


> I would think he would know that any type of theme music or any sound when opening up a website is a not a good thing.
> 
> Pat



* I think it's a great marriage of ideas ! Why would music put people off ? :whistling2:*


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## PatsPainting

Bobbo said:


> * I think it's a great marriage of ideas ! Why would music put people off ? :whistling2:*


from a simple google search..



> *  Why Background music in your site is a bad idea *
> 
> March 28th, 2010
> Why I don\’t like background music playing automatically.
> 
> 
> It\’s obtrusive: Having music playing in the background can interrupt whatever is currently coming through the users speakers. Many people use their computers as media stations that play music and video. Having this suddenly interrupted is the equivalent of having a newspaper that jumps off the table and wraps around your head like a facehugger and starts laying headlines in your throat. There\’s probably a better example to use when actually speaking to the client, but you get the idea: It\’s forcing something down the users throat they didn\’t ask for. Users expect web pages to contain useful information, not carry a tune.
> It cuts off when you click around: Unless you\’ve got some kind of hidden frame (if you do, you\’ve got bigger problems than music right now), the sound will cut off every time they click from page to page.
> Not all browsers and operating systems support multimedia content: There are a lot of older browsers out there on the net that might not support multimedia or will have serious issues playing it. This is a difficult point for the client to argue with because it\’s a technical issue. I always like to present them with the question: \”If you had to choose between some users being able to hear music and some having their browser crash OR having everyone be able to view the site without any issues, which would you choose?\”
> It slows things down: Having music playing will decrease the performance of the site, especially on slower machines. Not only will this make the user experience poor during their visit, it\’ll also make them less inclined to visit your site again for fear it\’ll once again transform things into molasses.
> It\’s tacky and unprofessional: Play to their vanity: having background music was cool in the mid-nineties when the web was first coming together. Now it\’s not, it\’s considered dated and the mark of an amateur. If you\’re gonna put background music in, you might as well put on a pair of hammer pants. You\’re a fossil, go sit in a museum and fart dust.
> There\’s a reason other sites don\’t have music: Many clients think that since the majority of the web does not play music, by having it on their site they\’re being exceptional and will stand out from the competition. This is wrong, the reason most sites don\’t have music playing is because most sites agree that it\’s a bad idea. Just because you\’ve never seen a site on the web with a giant kitten for a cursor doesn\’t mean that you should be the first one to try.
> Not everyone may like your music: What some people consider ambient and pleasant, others may find to be annoying, elevator music.
> Ask them if they\’ve ever surfed myspace: Ever gotten to someone\’s myspace page and found yourself frantically trying to find the STOP button on the music player they\’ve embedded somewhere in the abomination they call a profile? Meanwhile your speakers are blaring some crappy emo song about crying in dark puddles. Chances are many clients have experienced this firsthand and can directly relate to your frustration. If this backfires, however, and the client thinks that since myspace is huge and successful that mimicking them is a good idea, point out that they were voted the #1 worst website of 2006 by PC World.
> It uses up bandwidth: This is hardly an issue nowadays, but if it\’s a high traffic site having music may run the risk of putting it over its traffic limit and costing extra money.


Pat


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## Bobbo

PatsPainting said:


> from a simple google search..
> 
> 
> 
> Pat



*Everyone has an opinion , Just because it's in print doesn't make it correct ! I happen to like site's that have motion and sound . It's why I have a flashplayer on my main page showing multiple paint images .*


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## PatsPainting

Bobbo said:


> *Everyone has an opinion , Just because it's in print doesn't make it correct ! I happen to like site's that have motion and sound . It's why I have a flashplayer on my main page showing multiple paint images .*



Maybe you should do a little searching before making these type of comments. Statistics will say that playing music on your opening page is a huge turn off and annoying to most. Its not professional and your site looses credibility. 

Pat


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## RCP

Bobbo said:


> * I double checked and all the title text is proper ! I also did many different Google searches and any combination of searching for painters in Old Bridge NJ yields a Valenti & Sons result at some point on the 1st page . My guy did an excellent job of adding keywords and optimizing the SEO . I am putting a link to my brothers web design company below  He's a big Pink Floyd fan hence his logo and theme music .
> 
> http://www.prismholdingsinc.com/
> *


When you do searches for yourself, you need to log out of your google account and pause your search history. Otherwise, your searches are tailored by your previous ones. Google also finds results based on proximity.
When I searched, this what I got on front page, you are in top on maps, that is good, get some reviews on there and add some more content, try adding something every week to keep it fresh. But you are not in organic until page 3, and that is a Merchant Circle listing





Bobbo said:


> *Everyone has an opinion , Just because it's in print doesn't make it correct ! I happen to like site's that have motion and sound . It's why I have a flashplayer on my main page showing multiple paint images .*


I agree about not having music, just because you like it, does not mean the guy in his cubicle at work looking for a painter will! You could add some movies with music if you like.


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## aaron61

when checking your ranking don't be misled by what shows up on your screen.As Chris stated your searches are tailored to your search history among many other variables.Don't let ANYONE tell you they've got it figured out and can guarantee you 1st page every time....impossible!!


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## Bobbo

aaron61 said:


> when checking your ranking don't be misled by what shows up on your screen.As Chris stated your searches are tailored to your search history among many other variables.Don't let ANYONE tell you they've got it figured out and can guarantee you 1st page every time....impossible!!



* I don't believe I said 1st page every time . I'm happy if anyone finds the site , It's only been up about 2 weeks now *


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## y.painting

Valenti, your site looks good and everything is functional. SEO needs some work.

Re music on websites - when I visit a site that plays music in the background, I immediately feel like I'm in geocities era of web design. It usually slows things down and is annoying as hell. I've have, however, seen a handful of websites where background music was tastefully integrated. I've seen it work nice on music band websites and a wedding planner's site.


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## VanDamme

When I get to a site that automatically plays music, I click out without even looking at any content. If they want the option of music, it's really easy to embed a music player front end on the site and let the viewer choose if they want music or not.


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## nEighter

dude quit posting in bold. Seriously.

As far as your site goes looks good. cookie cutter but good. The pic show you have going may harm some from seeing your site.. but that will only be for load times. Do it to it and enjoy the wonderful world that is painting.


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## Bobbo

nEighter said:


> dude quit posting in bold. Seriously.
> 
> As far as your site goes looks good. cookie cutter but good. The pic show you have going may harm some from seeing your site.. but that will only be for load times. Do it to it and enjoy the wonderful world that is painting.



I really have a hard time reading regular type  , So please excuse my *Bold* ...


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## Harry

I think most people here are trying to be nice. I don't believe in that if someone asks for an honest opinion.

Plain English, I think your site is entry level. I was doing raw html stuff like that and playing with Photoshop basics.. back in 1993 when I had PS 3.0. 

Your brother's site is terrible also...he is not a good website designer at all. I'm sure he's a nice guy though.

Do yourself a favor and look up free websites in google...you'll find a million that look better...even at entry level standards.

main point here is that these guys are right...music is bad for business. You stated that you lked it...you're in the minority.

Hope that wasn't too harsh...you asked for the truth...

And you said.. that you have a hard time reading regular type? Why would you read YOUR type? lol


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## vermontpainter

Harry

Quit beating around the bush, there is enough of that kumbaya crap here. How do you really feel?


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## PressurePros

Harry, what you said my not be popular but I agree 100% (not necessarily with your assessment but with your style). I will be nice to someone and temper things with things like "it may be a good idea" or "if that were me, I might.." but when someone asks for advice and then counters every single piece of it with argument, they are looking for validation not constructive criticism. Then they need to hear things like they are.

The site is okay. It better than nothing. You do not waste space in a title tag with your company name. People don't search for that unless you are a franchise or have been around a long time and are pretty big. Music is 1999 unless done with a high end Flash intro and even then, it can be annoying. Not trying to be a d-ck here but you asked for opinions.

I like what you wrote on the home page. I think it is a great opener. It could be well complimented with more information.. not a novel but a few more teasers.


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## DarrenSlaughter

Looks good for the most part. One thing I would change is the "free estimates" page. I would change the name to contact us and I would ask for a lot less info. Name, address, phone, email, and a comments. For each additional question you ask, you are 10% less likely to have someone complete the form. 

Your picture gallery looks good. 

You gotta give me more info on the testimonials page if you want it to be credible. List names, get video testimonials or post letters people write for you. 

Lastly, on pages with big blocks of text it wouldn't hurt to break into smaller chunks. Nothing turns readers off more than a huge swath of text to try and read through. 

I would put some type of lead capture solution in a sidebar so that it is on every page. You want your site to be a lead generation tool, not just brochureware. 

Nice start, looks good! :thumbsup:


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## Bobbo

Harry said:


> I think most people here are trying to be nice. I don't believe in that if someone asks for an honest opinion.
> 
> Plain English, I think your site is entry level. I was doing raw html stuff like that and playing with Photoshop basics.. back in 1993 when I had PS 3.0.
> 
> Your brother's site is terrible also...he is not a good website designer at all. I'm sure he's a nice guy though.
> 
> Do yourself a favor and look up free websites in google...you'll find a million that look better...even at entry level standards.
> 
> main point here is that these guys are right...music is bad for business. You stated that you lked it...you're in the minority.
> 
> Hope that wasn't too harsh...you asked for the truth...
> 
> And you said.. that you have a hard time reading regular type? Why would you read YOUR type? lol




* Well I did ask about my site ! Which has no music . My brothers website does ! As for my site , While it is not complex , It serves my purposes just fine ! I did want honest opinions on my forum but you seem to take pleasure in being quite negative ! Since we're all making observations here ... *:sneaky2:


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## Bobbo

DarrenSlaughter said:


> You gotta give me more info on the testimonials page if you want it to be credible. List names, get video testimonials or post letters people write for you.
> 
> :thumbsup:



* Every testimonial on my website has been submitted by a Valenti & Sons client . Every testimonial is printed " word for word " As the customer submitted it . I will NOT list the names of my customers who submit testimonials ! **I feel it may expose them to** identity thieves , stalkers and internet scammers ! When I do an estimate , I have a list of customers who have given their permission to be used a references . *


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## Harry

Bobbo said:


> * Well I did ask about my site ! Which has no music . My brothers website does ! As for my site , While it is not complex , It serves my purposes just fine ! I did want honest opinions on my forum but you seem to take pleasure in being quite negative ! Since we're all making observations here ... *:sneaky2:


Come on...you asked for opinions and that's mine. I tell it like it is...if you don't like it, don't ask for opinions...


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## Bobbo

DarrenSlaughter said:


> Looks good for the most part. One thing I would change is the "free estimates" page. I would change the name to contact us and I would ask for a lot less info. Name, address, phone, email, and a comments. For each additional question you ask, you are 10% less likely to have someone complete the form.
> 
> Your picture gallery looks good.
> 
> You gotta give me more info on the testimonials page if you want it to be credible. List names, get video testimonials or post letters people write for you.
> 
> Lastly, on pages with big blocks of text it wouldn't hurt to break into smaller chunks. Nothing turns readers off more than a huge swath of text to try and read through.
> 
> I would put some type of lead capture solution in a sidebar so that it is on every page. You want your site to be a lead generation tool, not just brochureware.
> 
> Nice start, looks good! :thumbsup:



I think the " contact us " may be a good idea ! It does sound better . I may also change the " Why us " to " About us " . Seems more to the point


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## DarrenSlaughter

Bobbo said:


> * Every testimonial on my website has been submitted by a Valenti & Sons client . Every testimonial is printed " word for word " As the customer submitted it . I will NOT list the names of my customers who submit testimonials ! **I feel it may expose them to** identity thieves , stalkers and internet scammers ! When I do an estimate , I have a list of customers who have given their permission to be used a references . *


I get that. How about a few video testimonials? Think that might work?


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## Bobbo

DarrenSlaughter said:


> I get that. How about a few video testimonials? Think that might work?



I will be posting some in the near future , My son gave me a video camera for my Birthday and I'm just figuring it all out now . :thumbsup:


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## Colour Republic

Good luck with the site, hope it brings in some business for you.

If i've got any criticism it's with the estimate page, the less people have to fill out the more likely they are to do it, or at the very least I would make only a few fields compulsory


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## Bobbo

Since starting this thread , I've been getting tons of calls from internet services wanting to raise my web profile ... Anyone else getting bombarded by soliciters for these type of services ?


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## Bobbo

workersonly said:


> Hi,
> 
> Really nice and professional site, however being a fresh site you will need some efforts to put your website on high rankings.
> 
> Thanks for your time.
> Regards, Tom



I've been doing some things to increase my visibility ! Also been toying with some of the pictures in the FlashPlayer on the homepage to show our diversity of painting work ... Take a peek


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## Seattlepainting

Good site. Have your phone number as <h1> tag. If you don't like the size change it.


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## DarrenSlaughter

FYI...

Absolutely DO NOT have your phone number as a h1 tag since no one is going to search for your phone number. Sorry Seattle, you need to have keyword rich text in your h1 tags, not numeric text. If you just want to change the size, change the size, not the tag.


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## PressurePros

+1 on what Darren said. I have my phone number in the title tag not for SERP ranking but for searcher relevance. People will sometimes scan the SERP's to bypass directories or national listings to search for local listings.


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## Bobbo

DarrenSlaughter said:


> FYI...
> 
> Absolutely DO NOT have your phone number as a h1 tag since no one is going to search for your phone number. Sorry Seattle, you need to have keyword rich text in your h1 tags, not numeric text. If you just want to change the size, change the size, not the tag.





PressurePros said:


> +1 on what Darren said. I have my phone number in the title tag not for SERP ranking but for searcher relevance. People will sometimes scan the SERP's to bypass directories or national listings to search for local listings.



I have professionals to do these little optimizations for me . I'm an artisan not a computer expert !  My site is now pretty much 100% operational now .I'm starting to get some pictures of jobs into the galleries too .


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## DarrenSlaughter

Bobbo said:


> I have professionals to do these little optimizations for me . I'm an artisan not a computer expert !  My site is now pretty much 100% operational now .I'm starting to get some pictures of jobs into the galleries too .


Hey Bobbo, if you are paying someone, then you should know that:

Your home page has two addresses, so Google might be confused as which is the canonical address.

http://www.valentiandsonspainting.com/index.php?page=welcome.php and http://www.valentiandsonspainting.com/ both resolve to the same page. This needs to be fixed. 

You are trying to rank for "cheap painting", is that what you want to be known for?

In fact, your page structure is a mess, for example, why isn't your "Interior Painting" page called yoursite.com/interior-painting.php instead of it's current page name of "http://www.valentiandsonspainting.com/index.php?page=interior%20painting.php" 

You are getting no love from the search engines with URL's like that. I hope you are buying the traffic, cause you won't be getting any organically. 

Just wanted to give you an FYI since you are paying for it, you should get what works. And lastly, I would be suspect of any web designer that auto-blasts Pink Floyd when you land on their page. I'm just sayin'. 

Good luck!


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## Bobbo

DarrenSlaughter said:


> Hey Bobbo, if you are paying someone, then you should know that:
> 
> Your home page has two addresses, so Google might be confused as which is the canonical address.
> 
> http://www.valentiandsonspainting.com/index.php?page=welcome.php and http://www.valentiandsonspainting.com/ both resolve to the same page. This needs to be fixed.
> 
> You are trying to rank for "cheap painting", is that what you want to be known for?
> 
> In fact, your page structure is a mess, for example, why isn't your "Interior Painting" page called http://www.valentiandsonpainting.com/interior-painting.php instead of it's current page name of "http://www.valentiandsonspainting.com/index.php?page=interior%20painting.php"
> 
> You are getting no love from the search engines with URL's like that. I hope you are buying the traffic, cause you won't be getting any organically.
> 
> Just wanted to give you an FYI since you are paying for it, you should get what works. And lastly, I would be suspect of any web designer that auto-blasts Pink Floyd when you land on their page. I'm just sayin'.
> 
> Good luck!



Like I've said before . I'm no expert but the people handling my site are ! I would imagine they know a bit more than a painter who thinks he has good web knowledge . As a layman I don't see anything wrong with the current URL's , The one you pointed out seems to have interior painting in it's structure .... As a side note I happen to like the Pink Floyd thing !!! :whistling2:


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## RCP

Bobbo said:


> Like I've said before . I'm no expert but the people handling my site are ! I would imagine they know a bit more than a painter who thinks he has good web knowledge . As a layman I don't see anything wrong with the current URL's , The one you pointed out seems to have interior painting in it's structure .... As a side note I happen to like the Pink Floyd thing !!! :whistling2:


Just an FYI, Darren is not a painter, he is in construction marketing and has some good tips on his blogs and podcasts and has offered some good advice here.


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## DarrenSlaughter

Bobbo said:


> Like I've said before . I'm no expert but the people handling my site are ! I would imagine they know a bit more than a painter who thinks he has good web knowledge . As a layman I don't see anything wrong with the current URL's , The one you pointed out seems to have interior painting in it's structure .... As a side note I happen to like the Pink Floyd thing !!! :whistling2:


Bobbo, I am just trying to help you out. But, to each his own I guess. :thumbsup:


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## DarrenSlaughter

RCP said:


> Just an FYI, Darren is not a painter, he is in construction marketing and has some good tips on his blogs and podcasts and has offered some good advice here.



Thanks Chris for the kind words! :thumbup:


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## Bobbo

DarrenSlaughter said:


> Bobbo, I am just trying to help you out. But, to each his own I guess. :thumbsup:



I have my web designer looking into the issues you brought up . I'm not saying that you don't have valid points but If I was to freak out every time a weekend web warrior pointed out what they think is a glitch , I'd have an awful lot of gray hairs !


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## DarrenSlaughter

Bobbo said:


> I have my web designer looking into the issues you brought up . I'm not saying that you don't have valid points but If I was to freak out every time a weekend web warrior pointed out what they think is a glitch , I'd have an awful lot of gray hairs !



No problem Bobbo, good luck my man!:thumbsup:


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## PatsPainting

Bobbo said:


> I have my web designer looking into the issues you brought up . I'm not saying that you don't have valid points but If I was to freak out every time a weekend web warrior pointed out what they think is a glitch , I'd have an awful lot of gray hairs !


I would put my money on all the the painttalk weekend web warriors any day of the week then then the guy that designed your site.

Pat


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## Bobbo

DarrenSlaughter said:


> No problem Bobbo, good luck my man!:thumbsup:



I appreciate your input ! :thumbsup:


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## Bobbo

PatsPainting said:


> I would put my money on all the the painttalk weekend web warriors any day of the week then then the guy that designed your site.
> 
> Pat



In America everyone is entitled to their opinions ! Not matter how wrong or stupid they are . Great country ehhh ? :icon_wink:


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## TrustyPainters

The website itself isn't bad - although I am not a fan of the multi colored fonts and top navigation.

With that said....Fire your SEO guy. Most web designers don't know a thing about SEO. Just a couple of things I noticed...

Your title tags are being wasted. At least include the city/town you are targeting and not just the city abbreviation. 

Your URL's are not search engine friendly by any means

Internal linking structure can be improved to help with SEO

All the additional pages on your website should be optimized for SEO targetting different search terms to bring in what is called long tail keyword traffic.

You may not be a "computer guy" but that doesn't mean you should get ripped off if you're paying someone for SEO services. What Darren pointed out is not a glitch...the URL's are doing no good to help drive traffic to your site. Plain and simple, they are not SEO friendly. Simple things like this can be the difference between receiving 1 lead a month or 1 lead a week from your website.


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## Bobbo

TrustyPainters said:


> The website itself isn't bad - although I am not a fan of the multi colored fonts and top navigation.
> 
> With that said....Fire your SEO guy. Most web designers don't know a thing about SEO. Just a couple of things I noticed...
> 
> Your title tags are being wasted. At least include the city/town you are targeting and not just the city abbreviation.
> 
> Your URL's are not search engine friendly by any means
> 
> Internal linking structure can be improved to help with SEO
> 
> All the additional pages on your website should be optimized for SEO targetting different search terms to bring in what is called long tail keyword traffic.
> 
> You may not be a "computer guy" but that doesn't mean you should get ripped off if you're paying someone for SEO services. What Darren pointed out is not a glitch...the URL's are doing no good to help drive traffic to your site. Plain and simple, they are not SEO friendly. Simple things like this can be the difference between receiving 1 lead a month or 1 lead a week from your website.



I will agree that my URL's could use some improvement but to redo them would mean tearing my site down and rebuilding it at great cost ! I'm a small town painter on a budget and rebuilding my site from the ground up isn't in the budget ! I think what I have is just fine for the moment , I'm getting lots of hits and a decent number of inquiries for estimates through my Free Estimate page .


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## Colour Republic

Do you know where the hits are coming from, do you know what search terms people are using to find your site? and do you know the location of your users?

I get plenty of hits to my website but half of them are from users nowhere near me, I mean i'm hardly going to convert a visitor from Russia in to a sale am I. That said any visitors are good even if they aren't local as they might like the content and link back to you, which is why my blog is in my website rather than hosted by a third party.

I have a very good idea of the search terms people use to find my site, I also know which town they are based, I also know what pages they looked at and in what order, how long they spent on each page and what not. This then gives you feedback on how to better your website.

My website is far from perfect but the SEO is all done by me, I'm no expert but I spent hundreds of hours reaserching, there are things I would have liked to do differently and are a logistical nightmare putting them in place but they have to be done if I want my site to be effective in what it is ment to do - SELL OUR SERVICES.

There are still some basic problems with my site, stupid things like 2 home pages as mentioned above but i'm slowly working through my list to get them sorted or the whole exercise is a waste of time.

My site is fairly new but every week I add new content, like right now i'm working on a page http://www.colour-republic.com/colour_republic_portfolio_decorating_murals.html and it's one in the morning here!


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## Bobbo

Colour Republic said:


> Do you know where the hits are coming from, do you know what search terms people are using to find your site? and do you know the location of your users?
> 
> I get plenty of hits to my website but half of them are from users nowhere near me, I mean i'm hardly going to convert a visitor from Russia in to a sale am I. That said any visitors are good even if they aren't local as they might like the content and link back to you, which is why my blog is in my website rather than hosted by a third party.
> 
> I have a very good idea of the search terms people use to find my site, I also know which town they are based, I also know what pages they looked at and in what order, how long they spent on each page and what not. This then gives you feedback on how to better your website.
> 
> My website is far from perfect but the SEO is all done by me, I'm no expert but I spent hundreds of hours reaserching, there are things I would have liked to do differently and are a logistical nightmare putting them in place but they have to be done if I want my site to be effective in what it is ment to do - SELL OUR SERVICES.
> 
> There are still some basic problems with my site, stupid things like 2 home pages as mentioned above but i'm slowly working through my list to get them sorted or the whole exercise is a waste of time.
> 
> My site is fairly new but every week I add new content, like right now i'm working on a page http://www.colour-republic.com/colour_republic_portfolio_decorating_murals.html and it's one in the morning here!



I do extensive research to find out where my hits are coming from as well as what search terms where used . And like you I am always updating my site and adding new content .


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## SterlingPainting

Hey man I think the website looks great! However Im a newbie in the web presence game.


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## Bobbo

SterlingPainting said:


> Hey man I think the website looks great! However Im a newbie in the web presence game.



I appreciate the feedback ! :thumbsup:


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## Bobbo

I started out pretty ignorant about the internet when I put this site up and as time goes by and I do more and more research I realize that there is so much to know that it takes constant work ! But that's what I've been doing . I've gotten some pretty good information from some of you and I appreciate all of it :thumbup: I've updated the metadata and made the regional targeting of the site more refined . I've also tried to cross reference the site in relevant places so that the almighty Google monster finds !


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## DarrenSlaughter

Bobbo said:


> I started out pretty ignorant about the internet when I put this site up and as time goes by and I do more and more research I realize that there is so much to know that it takes constant work ! But that's what I've been doing . I've gotten some pretty good information from some of you and I appreciate all of it :thumbup: I've updated the metadata and made the regional targeting of the site more refined . I've also tried to cross reference the site in relevant places so that the almighty Google monster finds !


I like the new pic slider, looks good. Just an FYI, you may want to play a bit with the meta keywords and description. You have too many keywords, not the best choice of keywords, and your meta description is supposed to be "human friendly," so packing it with keywords is hurting the "user" experience a bit. Just an FYI. 

-Darren


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## Bobbo

DarrenSlaughter said:


> I like the new pic slider, looks good. Just an FYI, you may want to play a bit with the meta keywords and description. You have too many keywords, not the best choice of keywords, and your meta description is supposed to be "human friendly," so packing it with keywords is hurting the "user" experience a bit. Just an FYI.
> 
> -Darren



I assume less words focuses the search ? I just played with some of the keywords recently and it seemed to help people find me . How does one be more "human friendly " on a computer ? Seems like an oxymoron to me :blink:


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## DarrenSlaughter

Bobbo said:


> I assume less words focuses the search ? I just played with some of the keywords recently and it seemed to help people find me . How does one be more "human friendly " on a computer ? Seems like an oxymoron to me :blink:


Use less than 20 keywords. "painting contractor in Bergen" "wall paper hanger berlin, nj" works. You are trying to rank for words that are almost impossible to rank for these days. So use long-tail localized terms for better (more defined and closer to getting to a buyer) than "painter".

As far as the metadescription, here is what you have:

"Quality, Craftsmanship and Experience for Over 20 Years.
Residential painting, commercial painting, deck staining,
interior painting, exterior painting, wall paper removal, 
house painting, home painting, fence painting in Middlesex, 
Monmouth, Ocean County and Old Bridge, Freehold, Marlboro, 
Manalapan, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, County, Colts Neck, 
Holmdel, East Brunswick, and Red Bank. 



Human Friendly means this. The 165 characters that people read
as the description of the site in their search results. So you want
yours to be "Human Friendly" when they read it. 
I would use something like this:

"Experienced residential & commercial painter serving central and northern New Jersey. 20 years in business with long list of recommendations from satisfied customers."

You don't want to keyword stuff the description, this is your chance to sell your site to the searcher, so think of this as your "Headline" to getting them to click the link and go to your site. 

On your site is where you "Wow" them with all the stuff you do. 

hope that helps.

-Darren


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## Whajado

You asked for it, so here it is. It’s boring and wordy. If I am going to do a lot of reading on a paint site I would like to see a FAQ section. I’m not too concerned with roller sleeves or drop cloths. 

A picture is worth a ….. Where is your smiling face and how about your son’s? You are a family business sell it people like that. 

There are a few other things but you’re headed in the right direction.

Good luck and good night.


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## Bobbo

Whajado said:


> You asked for it, so here it is. It’s boring and wordy. If I am going to do a lot of reading on a paint site I would like to see a FAQ section. I’m not too concerned with roller sleeves or drop cloths.
> 
> A picture is worth a ….. Where is your smiling face and how about your son’s? You are a family business sell it people like that.
> 
> There are a few other things but you’re headed in the right direction.
> 
> Good luck and good night.



I agree it is a bit wordy but I think most will scan through it and find the bits they need . I would rather provide too much information than not enough . I have to disagree with your opinion on the sleeves and drop clothes . I think most customers would want to know that a painter uses quality rollers and drop clothes so thick that paint can't get through ! As for posting a picture of me , I'm selling a perspective client my painting talent and over 20 years experience ! Not how good looking I am ... :euro:


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## Mod Paint Works

Websites are a full time job themselves!!!
I think it really comes down to your market.
If you are in a rural, "everyone knows everyone" type situation then you can count on referral after referral. In the big city, I have to count on a lot of internet searches and people I will be meeting for the first time. That being considered, a "face" (pic of you. I keep meaning to add one to my site. have heard many times I should do that) to your company is a great thing (from what I hear)! People want to know who's coming into their home.
Sign up for Google Analytics. It will break down more info regarding your site than you know what to do with. You'll find that most people probably spend no more than 2 minutes on your site. Right there tells you that you need to provide short, eye-catching sentences of valuable info. The rollers and drops info is a nice backup for a potential client, but not a call to action for potential client. Catch their attention as quick as possible. Once you have their attention you can then delve into the more descriptive actions of your company.
That's all my opinion, however, experience in the advertising world taught me some valuable lessons.
Good luck!


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## Bobbo

Mod Paint Works said:


> Websites are a full time job themselves!!!
> I think it really comes down to your market.
> If you are in a rural, "everyone knows everyone" type situation then you can count on referral after referral. In the big city, I have to count on a lot of internet searches and people I will be meeting for the first time. That being considered, a "face" (pic of you. I keep meaning to add one to my site. have heard many times I should do that) to your company is a great thing (from what I hear)! People want to know who's coming into their home.
> Sign up for Google Analytics. It will break down more info regarding your site than you know what to do with. You'll find that most people probably spend no more than 2 minutes on your site. Right there tells you that you need to provide short, eye-catching sentences of valuable info. The rollers and drops info is a nice backup for a potential client, but not a call to action for potential client. Catch their attention as quick as possible. Once you have their attention you can then delve into the more descriptive actions of your company.
> That's all my opinion, however, experience in the advertising world taught me some valuable lessons.
> Good luck!



I have a good mix of the types of areas you describe where it's rural and I get lots of referrals and I have some very populated areas where it seems they find me via the web . I use StatCounter instead of Google to keep tabs on my site , It gives you all the same information :yes:


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## Colorjive

Overall: nice site. I particularly like the slide show on the home page. Some points of improvement that haven't been mentioned yet:

I'd use another font for 'Quality Craftmanship Experience', something less modern and more traditional. After all, you're offering traditional craftmanship.

The text starts with 'At Valenti and sons….' it should start with the client's problem, not a pedigree. Could be along the lines of:
'Your home is your castle. But great painting and home remodeling projects don't just happen…..'
Only then introduce yourself and come up with a solution…

The free estimate should be advertised with a big red button on the home page, not as item number 6 in the menu. And please try to avoid forms, especially when they have a lot of required fields. What's wrong with a simple email? You can start asking questions AFTER you've established contact. Not before.

Finally: put the testimonials on a much more prominent spot. A few on the home page and a link to the rest of them for instance…


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## Bobbo

Colorjive said:


> Overall: nice site. I particularly like the slide show on the home page. Some points of improvement that haven't been mentioned yet:
> 
> I'd use another font for 'Quality Craftmanship Experience', something less modern and more traditional. After all, you're offering traditional craftmanship.
> 
> The text starts with 'At Valenti and sons….' it should start with the client's problem, not a pedigree. Could be along the lines of:
> 'Your home is your castle. But great painting and home remodeling projects don't just happen…..'
> Only then introduce yourself and come up with a solution…
> 
> The free estimate should be advertised with a big red button on the home page, not as item number 6 in the menu. And please try to avoid forms, especially when they have a lot of required fields. What's wrong with a simple email? You can start asking questions AFTER you've established contact. Not before.
> 
> Finally: put the testimonials on a much more prominent spot. A few on the home page and a link to the rest of them for instance…



The font for the tagline matches the font used in the rest of the site . It's called continuity . As for the text , To tell you the truth I think most people don't even read it ! They see what services we offer in the bullet points and go from there . While I agree that my webmaster put too many required fields in the FREE estimate page , I think all the info I ask for is needed ! The testimonials are very easy to find , I see no problem where it's located but I do appreciate your feedback :yes:


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## Pressure Cleaning

Woodland said:


> I dont see anyone doing a Google search for "Valenti and Sons Painting" when theyve never heard of you. Most will Google "Old Bridge painters" and thats where you want to come up at the top. :thumbsup:


Good advice.


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## Pressure Cleaning

DarrenSlaughter said:


> Use less than 20 keywords. "painting contractor in Bergen" "wall paper hanger berlin, nj" works. You are trying to rank for words that are almost impossible to rank for these days. So use long-tail localized terms for better (more defined and closer to getting to a buyer) than "painter".
> 
> As far as the metadescription, here is what you have:
> 
> "Quality, Craftsmanship and Experience for Over 20 Years.
> Residential painting, commercial painting, deck staining,
> interior painting, exterior painting, wall paper removal,
> house painting, home painting, fence painting in Middlesex,
> Monmouth, Ocean County and Old Bridge, Freehold, Marlboro,
> Manalapan, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, County, Colts Neck,
> Holmdel, East Brunswick, and Red Bank.
> 
> 
> 
> Human Friendly means this. The 165 characters that people read
> as the description of the site in their search results. So you want
> yours to be "Human Friendly" when they read it.
> I would use something like this:
> 
> "Experienced residential & commercial painter serving central and northern New Jersey. 20 years in business with long list of recommendations from satisfied customers."
> 
> You don't want to keyword stuff the description, this is your chance to sell your site to the searcher, so think of this as your "Headline" to getting them to click the link and go to your site.
> 
> On your site is where you "Wow" them with all the stuff you do.
> 
> hope that helps.
> 
> -Darren


 Right on.


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## bobpeterspainting

I took a look at your website and thought that it was very good. I too am jealous because I couldn't afford to have a professional do mine. I think the ideas that everyone has been giving you are good. It has also been my experience that your phone number is extremely important and should clearly be very visible. I go along with the person who suggested that you get your site listed on search engines, especially the local ones. When I first started my website I went to a site called "getlisted.org" for direction on how to effectively establish my website presence on the internet. So far, so good. Good luck and congratulations on joining the technological age. I was stubborn and waited until I was 57 to join the technology explosion that is happening. I am amazed at how much it has benefited my business in just one year to have a strong internet presence for my painting company.
I would also suggest that you look into joining and getting involved in social media networking, ie. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, ect. In my opinion these kind of platforms are becoming more and more important. Many people are not searching with google, but are using social media networks to obtain the services that they need. Last fall I landed a $10,000 exterior painting job from Facebook. I have a buisiness Facebook page as well as a personal one. A friend that I went to school with found me on Facebook and saw that I owned a painting company, called to get another estimate, I was lower and got the job. I am going on two estimates this week that I got by connecting with people on Linkedin.


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## Bobbo

bobpeterspainting said:


> I took a look at your website and thought that it was very good. I too am jealous because I couldn't afford to have a professional do mine. I think the ideas that everyone has been giving you are good. It has also been my experience that your phone number is extremely important and should clearly be very visible. I go along with the person who suggested that you get your site listed on search engines, especially the local ones. When I first started my website I went to a site called "getlisted.org" for direction on how to effectively establish my website presence on the internet. So far, so good. Good luck and congratulations on joining the technological age. I was stubborn and waited until I was 57 to join the technology explosion that is happening. I am amazed at how much it has benefited my business in just one year to have a strong internet presence for my painting company.
> I would also suggest that you look into joining and getting involved in social media networking, ie. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, ect. In my opinion these kind of platforms are becoming more and more important. Many people are not searching with google, but are using social media networks to obtain the services that they need. Last fall I landed a $10,000 exterior painting job from Facebook. I have a buisiness Facebook page as well as a personal one. A friend that I went to school with found me on Facebook and saw that I owned a painting company, called to get another estimate, I was lower and got the job. I am going on two estimates this week that I got by connecting with people on Linkedin.




Thanks for the input . I spend lots of time each night listing my site on any directory I can !


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## shamrockbear

Decent


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## Bobbo

Is it true the longer you have your domain name purchased for , The more credence Google gives your site ? I have my domain paid for 8 years , If my memory serves me ...

Valenti and Sons Painting , Old Bridge New Jersey 08857


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## DarrenSlaughter

Bobbo said:


> Is it true the longer you have your domain name purchased for , The more credence Google gives your site ? I have my domain paid for 8 years , If my memory serves me ...
> 
> Valenti and Sons Painting , Old Bridge New Jersey 08857



Yes...it is true. The longer the better.


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## SouthFloridaPainter

Reason being that G sees this as a more serious site. There are so many domains being bought and so many expiring day in day out, and lot of those for " spammy purposes " that a domain purchased for a longer period of time shows G that you plan to stick around, and thus rewards you some brownie points.


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## Bobbo

SouthFloridaPainter said:


> Reason being that G sees this as a more serious site. There are so many domains being bought and so many expiring day in day out, and lot of those for " spammy purposes " that a domain purchased for a longer period of time shows G that you plan to stick around, and thus rewards you some brownie points.



Brownie points ... I feel so special :jester:


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## jtea858

*Call to action*

I like the site in general but why no call to action? I increased my conversions with a big yellow "submit project" button on my site. I also have live video chat capability for those seeking immediate gratification. When I or my assistant are the computer we turn the camera on and can see who is on the site and offer assistance. :thumbup:


Seattle Painters

Home Remodeling Seattle


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## sagebrush123

If I was hiring a painter for painting my house and saw your site, I would call. I would also check out the BBB and ask for some references. The photos of previous jobs look really top notch. I hope this website works for you.


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## Bobbo

sagebrush123 said:


> If I was hiring a painter for painting my house and saw your site, I would call. I would also check out the BBB and ask for some references. The photos of previous jobs look really top notch. I hope this website works for you.



I appreciate the kind words ! I supply references on request and we're top rated on BBB :thumbsup:


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