Thread: Mt first site - quite proud!

Hi all,

Any comments would be appreciated

www.hvbandb.co.uk

Hey Great Start Simon

I think the Google Adsense detracts a little bit from what your main theme is and that is your B&B.

I would consider using smaller adsense links and placing them slightly further down the page. You want people to remain on your site for a short time and not leave straight away because they click on other ads.

You should try and keep the Ads and banners within the width of the template to keep it looking professional.

I think your template is looking good.

Very nice site one problem that see is on your home page theres a lot of empty space which is caused by a element further down the page which nees to be removed.

Phil, thanks for the suggestions. I have moved the ads but not re-sized them. I will get around to that soon but it looks better already. I may just redesign the whole site now that I have got past the first stage!

Joe - I was aware of the rogue element, I just dont know how to get rid of it! It is related to the sitemap setup with Google so I just moved it out of the way. I cant delete it but there must be some script missing or something. Any suggestions?

Nicely done Simon for a first timer.

You could add more write ups to keep your visitors attention.

Hey Simon

Moving the adsense made an immediate improvement.

You may have pasted the sitemap html in the wrong location?

thanks Phil, now that I have got over the first hurdle, I am doing a re-design of the site taking abord the lessons learnt so far. Should be up by this evening. Thanks for your comments.

Hi..nice job nice and simple..however you have text overlapping itself all over the place.. your ad sense ads are also overlapping your text.. I am using firefox so you may want to take another look.

Cheers,
www.salobrenacleaners.com

I have now got the Mk11 version up - naturally think it's better but your comments would be greatly appreciated. I dont see any overlapping text Firefox - thanks for the alert.

Nice, but you might want to make your logo a little more creative.

Off to a real good start, Simon!
I happen to be one of those types that want everything in alignment, so of course this is just my likes. I would extend your header Text out to one line. That would just about make it the same length as your NavBar. Thus looking more organized, IMO!

Also, I would center it in the browser.

I think I preferred the first look to be honest. You need to deal with the following issues though:

1) Remove the google verification code at the bottom of the home page. This is not the way to verify your site with them

2) You need some better text content on your home page and you need to concentrate now on your meta data (page titles, keywords, page descriptions)

3) Remove the underscore between 'rates' and 'references' in your link menu.

4) If this is your only website weigh up the benefits of having Google Adsense on your pages as opposed to concentrating on giving your potential visitors to your site a more pleasing and encouraging experience. (You are unlikely to get enough revenue from a site of this nature for Google to even bother sending you your earnings)

5) Centre your website so it appears in the middle no matter what screen size it is viewed from.

6) Your local info page could be utalized to draw more people to your bed and breakfast. I lived near Newcastle for a couple of years and spent a fraction of that time driving tourists around in a coach. There are some real close by beauty spots and places of interest you could use as references.

7) Your Google map is a bit 'worthless' from that far out... It shows the A1. Having driven up the A1 (The longest road in England) every day for several years from London to Scotland, showing a 2 or 3 mile stretch of it seems a bit pointless. Go back to Google maps and get a more zoomed in map.

Just my opinions.. hope you may find some or all to be of use to you.

Um... Your page is titled 'Untitled'.

Some very good points and many thanks.
On a tchnical matter - I have pasted the google code into an html box but it still appears on the page - I just don't know how to get rid of it.

This site (and the adsense content) is a precursor to a more ambitious site so in a way, this is a practice run. Our B&B is a small add on producing a bit of spare income. No reason to not get things right and I will take on board all that you have said.

Things like the map, local content and layout, page titles, centering are important contributions - I will fix it all! Really, many thanks for your input

Hi, Looks like a great place. More text will help search engines find you, use keywords in the copy that people would use to find your place. Also pages are still not centered. The place is so charming, but a photo from the other end of the property showing the front door instead of the garage and car would give more of a 'quaint' feeling. Also the logo needs some improvement, but overall, it looks like a great place to stay so you conveyed that well. Good luck to you.

Hi Cathryn, I can and will get a photo withput the car but not from different angle - there is another house in the way - doh!

I am not very creative so a logo will probably be left for another day, but I do get your point. I am confused about the page not being centred as on my screen it is - with HighVeld Bed and Breakfast on one line (that's live on the web right now) can you hit F5 a few times and let me know if it changes?

Many thanks - isn't it the middle of the night in Florida????? Get some sleep!

Originally Posted by simon@hvs-uk.com

On a tchnical matter - I have pasted the google code into an html box but it still appears on the page - I just don't know how to get rid of it.

Just get rid of the html box.. it's not doing anything for you, this has nothing to do with your sitemap.

When I went through the sitemap process, Google notified me that I needed to put an html code or metatags on the website and provided the script.
This is the first time that I have done a website so still much to learn - if I remove the html box - will that not negate the sitemap?

Originally Posted by simon@hvs-uk.com

When I went through the sitemap process, Google notified me that I needed to put an html code or metatags on the website and provided the script.
This is the first time that I have done a website so still much to learn - if I remove the html box - will that not negate the sitemap?

Sorry for the delay in answering you, had to take the dog for a weight check.

The code has nothing to do with the sitemap.

http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/ Make yourself a sitemap here. Choose to download the uncompressed version.

Save it as sitemap.xml and place that file on your server in your root folder. If this is your main website then just place it in the public_html folder.


Go to google webmaster tools and click on sitemap.

Then in the drop down list choose 'add general sitemap'

Then just enter 'sitemap.xml' in field 3

Click submit and everything should be fine.

If you get stuck I will be around but popping in and out all day as I am off on a cruise tomorrow and have a lot to do before I go.

I just looked at your home page again and noticed you have toyed with the page titles... You need to be a bit more constructive though.

At the moment you have put 'Bed and Breakfast' only... this is being a bit vague with the SE's....

Bed and Breakfast, Newcastle Upon Tyne, North East, From £35.00

That would be better.

To understand the reason for this:

Type into a UK Google search box 'Bed and Breakfast' You get 687,000 results.

Now type in 'Bed and Breakfast in Newcastle' You narrow the search already down to 536,000

Now type in 'Bed and Breakfast, Newcastle upon tyne' it goes down to 480,000

See where I'm going?

'Bed and Breakfast' is to general. Your niche is that you are in Newcastle Upon Tyne, so you remove all those searchers looking for a B&B in Devon.. you don't necessarily want them on your site...

You know.. this could be extremely easy for several page one results without trying too hard. I would expect within two months tops to be able to type in 'bed and breakfast in Newcastle' or 'Bed and Breakfast in Morpeth' or 'bed and breakfast, North east UK' and see your site on page one of Google. Concentrate on the few tips I gave you earlier in this thread, add good content to your homepage, don't spam the page but just give a much bigger insight into your B&B on the home page.

Although I would still stick with the other pages, I would expect as a visitor to your site to be able to see what you do, where you do it, what are the benefits of staying at your B&B as opposed to one down the road from you, and how do I contact you.. ALL on the front page. You have no phone number on your home page, I would expect to see this.

Basically you should look for ways that a visitor could potentially get a majority of the info on your B&B and be able to see how they can contact you ALL from the home page and without delving any deeper into the site. Your other pages are there as a back up should they require any further info... e.g. more images, more detailed prices etc..

From your home page I can't see an idea of prices.

I can't see how to phone you? I might be stuck in a torrential rain storm on the A1 and looking quickly on my laptop for a place to stay for the night?

How many single rooms do you have? how many doubles? Is it purely for business men and women or can I bring my 2 month old baby? Can you accommodate my family of 12??? etc etc...

Are you close to the A1? I can't see that you are from the first page?

I know exactly where Morpeth is, but 100,000,000 other people don't.

Just a few ideas.... I may exaggerate some of my points (family of 12 etc) but I am trying to get a point over to you about the kind of enquirers you may receive.

Popping out again for half hour, if you have any Q's I'll answer when I get back.

Point taken on the page titles - I will change them straight away. I didn't realise the imprtance.

Now then, I dont even know where to look for public_html folder?

Originally Posted by simon@hvs-uk.com

Point taken on the page titles - I will change them straight away. I didn't realise the imprtance.

Now then, I dont even know where to look for public_html folder?

Ok...

Open BV... Tools > FTP Manager

Enter Log in and connect.

You will see two windows. The LH window is what's on your PC. The RH window is your server.

Usually the RH window will automatically open up your public_html folder. Check this by looking at the blue bar at the top of the RH window pane, it should read public_html.

Then search for the sitemap file on your PC by looking in the LH pane. Once located, hold down your left mouse key on the file and drag it over to the right.

Then go back to Google and verify your sitemap.

All done - sitemap published.

Ramsey, I owe you a big thank you, I have learnt a lot from your comments (and those of others). The site has been redone and it does make a lot more sense now.

Cheers and enjoy your cruise (where are you going?)

Originally Posted by simon@hvs-uk.com

All done - sitemap published.

Ramsey, I owe you a big thank you, I have learnt a lot from your comments (and those of others). The site has been redone and it does make a lot more sense now.

Cheers and enjoy your cruise (where are you going?)

You are very welcome, your site is already starting to look and feel much better. I am away tomorrow for a cruise around the Med, spain, Italy, France, Barcelona, Gibraltar to name but a few...

Ok, this site is starting to look nice!

Thanks VC - I have just been on your site and I have some way to go!

Good effort