time to sort my site

kakee

Hello guys. I have a website that badly needs sorting out.It is www.staydoggy.com. I posted already about page titles etc and read various other threads about SEO. I can do a little coding myself but need to be pointed in the right direction. Really I need to know where to start. I have images on most pages and should I tag all these into the code as alt text.
My problem is that my site has only dog accommodation and my competitors have alot of other dog services or accommodation services and also there are many different searches that people can do to get to my site.
I know you guys are experts on this forum and I hope together we can sort out my site as it is a mess at the moment. Thanks all.

Sully

You might be able to code, but I guess your not able to actually put together a decent design. Personally, if you want to do the coding - ask a designer to create your websites new design and they can give you the PSD to code it together. Thats where I would start personally.

Shaneod21

Yes I agree if your serious about it you should get a web designer to do it for you. Its an excellent concept and very unique idea.

Shaneod21

Have you started to advertise your site yet?

kdaly100

Hi Kakee

I think your niche is a good one and from a cursory look there is some nice traffic there for different search terms.

However the site looks very home grown and could do with a complete redesign. Dog Kennels Ireland already have a site it and are ranking number one and their web site is no great shakes either.

Doing some SEO is all well and good and VERY important but it goes hand in hand with people landing on the site and wanting to stay.

Here are some very 5 basic tips on the design for you (disclaimer I say redesign)

1. Use one font you have some strange ones mixed in there.
2. Reduce the doggy picture size its in your face
3. Don't say welcome to my site - its 80s
4. Reduce the size of the font overall
5. Get rid of the yellow box - have a consistent look and feel throughout site with menus and footers.

To be honest I could write a 100 points - my recommendation is to back to basics and google simple site structure for examples of very simple templates and use these from scratch.

In Summary Idea Great - Redesign - Some simple structure - Some simple SEO and you will be at the starting gate.

If you want to pay some money to get it redesigned I can help you out.

Shaneod21

If you plan on taking your business to the next step you are better off getting someone else to do it for you!

kdaly100

Its Catch 22 I guess. People are strapped for cash but want to make a 'few bob' from the web. I get queries from people every week who want to have a decent site, be number 1-3 on Google and want to spend a pittance.

Its like saying I have a car so I should be able to win the Circuit of Ireland. No offense to the original poster but he will need professional help to make the site look good and rank.

kakee

Thanks Shane and Kdaly for replying about the site.
I am going to sort out the coding and design soon. The reason why I posted originally was because I had actually chosen the design scheme and colours originally but every time I look at the sit now it looks more cheap and off putting really.
As for the ranking there are so many different searches someone could do to find what I am offering so I am going to go with "dog friendly accommodation" and "dog accommodation" and really get to work on ranking with those.

Thanks again lads.

notnem

Maybe have a look at Get a Freelancer.com where you'll be able to outsource the design of the site. If you put a job up on that site you'll have a lot of talented designers competing for your business and you'll be able to chose the best one based on examples of work and price. I use Get a Freelancer a lot.

D.W

Kakee,
I'd agree with all the previous posts-its potentially a good idea but the site needs professional attention. I'd have a serious look at the UK marketplace as they are much more geared towards pet friendly locations/accommodation than we are in Ireland and a lot of UK visitors to Ireland would potentially require the services your site. You might pick up a few useful ideas if you can see what type of services are available in the UK. Have you a facility for kennels to advertise on the site-just a thought.

Sully

Those freelancer site do not guarantee any professional designs because those sites are usually geared towards people who want cheap work at cheap prices.

kakee

Thanks everyone for your replies. I decided to redesign the whole website and now thankfully it is ready for upload.
I have it all put together on my desktop and it works fine in firefox, explorer and even google chrome.
Now the fun stuff.
Which way should I upload it?
Should I delete all trace of my existing site on the server or should I upload the new one first and then delete the old one?
Can both stay on the server at the same time?
Thanks all.



www.staydoggy.com

Sully

You can move all your old website files into a sub-folder then re-upload your new design in its place..

kakee

Thanks for the reply Sully I will give it a go. I will let you know how it goes.

kakee

Thanks for the help Sully, the new version of staydoggy.com is now online.

Sully

Are you TippWeb?

Remove the borders from the pictures..

HandWS LTD

Well done. Doing it yourself for the first time can be very tough. This is why all those people are telling you to get web designers to do it. As time goes by you will develop more experience in this area and complete what you are hoping to do.

I have seen that you have other posts about the design etc. What i wrote for you on your website design in the other thread should be done and will help your website's style.