Does a domain name with keywords help SEO?

Posted on January 2010 in Articles

Over the last few months there has been a big increase in the number of customers wanting to register keyword loaded domain names, so rather then the normal www.mybusinessname.co.uk for example they want to register www.hotelinyorkshire.co.uk or www.gardenservicescornwall.co.uk. So if someone searches Google or Yahoo for Garden Services Cornwall then you’d expect a match domain name to appear, well that’s the theory.

I too have read the usual search engine forums on the subject so as usual we’ve tested the theory and the results are surprisingly interesting.

We created a website of Self Catering Holiday Cornwall properties, with a domain to match. After less than a week the website appeared on page 1 position 2 of Yahoo, but as yet we have no show on Google, but then it’s early days, and we know that Google doesn’t do things quickly, it will look at this new website using a team of virtual forensic scientists to figure out whether it should appear and where!

Watch this space for further news.

An important point to remember is that the website is genuine, it contains relevant pages and information, therefore doesn’t break any rules specified by Google or Yahoo. Registering mulitple keyword loaded domain names and merely pointing them to your main website does not work. Keep it ethical and you’ll beneifit long-term from good organic search engine positioning.

More news please for online PR campaign

Posted on January 2010 in News

We’re currently in the process of helping to generate more business (quality traffic!) to the http://www.tamarvalleytourism.co.uk/ website. To help promote the site we need news! Are you on the Tamar Valley website, if so we need some news from you to assist with our online PR campaign. It doesn’t matter what the news is about although make sure it’s relevant!

Yahoooo! We’re number 2 already!

Posted on January 2010 in Articles, News

Having just released another website to promote self catering cottage website that we have designed the site has appeared as number two in Yahoo for the search term self catering holiday Cornwall. The site was released just last week and is already proving successful.

The site is an example of our continued commitment to help promote websites that we create, we believe no other website agency tries to do the same thing.

If you would like to appear on self catering holiday Cornwall website please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Goodbye coffee machine, goodbye Gaggia rotten customer service

Posted on December 2009 in Articles

I know this isn’t any technical or a fab new website, but since a wonderful machine has now given up I feel it’s only fair to document it for all to read (although you may not want to).

Imagine starting the day with a coffee made from Italian beans simply by pressing a button. The sounds starts with gentle click to let you know it’ll be delivered to the cup shortly, the beans are ground and a two clicks are heard as the fresh powder is dispensed, than water heated to the exact temperature is poored through and into the cup, coffee perfection every morning…

… imagine if one morning you press the button and nothing, not a click, before you totally freak out thinking that instant coffee could be the only answer, you run through the usual routine of checking the ‘bits’, pulling drawers etc. but nothing seems wrong, a sad morning…

Whilst the pleasure of creating coffee from a bean right through to a cup is an expensive one it did come with a 2 year warranty, and yes it still within warranty just! With 6 weeks left the machine had failed within the time allowed!

“Gaggia customer service, how may I help you”

“I’ve got a very expensive, though fantasic coffee machine that’s broken down, and we’re very”

“Oh, never mind if it’s within warranty, we’ll send you the labels, pay the postage and fix it for you”

“That’s wonderful news, thank you”

The whole office sang and danced with joy!

Many weeks had passed and morale was getting low, the problem was obviously serious, time to find out… (the following has of course been edited, there where several phone calls inbetween)

“hello Gaggia customer services”

“hello there, we just wondered how you are getting on with our coffee machine”

“what coffee machine?”

“the one we sent you”

“oh, did you, what’s your name”

“Mr Carne”

“well Mr Carne, did you know that the machine is nearly out of warranty, so I’m not sure we can fix it”

“but the machine broke down within the warranty”

“yes but there is only one week left”

“there was more than one week left when we sent it to you, it’s because you haven’t done anything, and besides where are we going with this conversation, don’t you know the law”

“ok, well want’s wrong with it”

“you’re suppose to find that out and then fix it”

“ok, leave it with me and we’ll get back to you”

A week had passed, time to call…

“… customer services”

“how’s are coffee machine…”

“well it needed a new motor, you’re very lucky that we were able to order one, the machine will be back with in next week”

And sure enough, the machine was returned time to test it.

The days of listening to the nice gentle sound of coffee being prepared were at an end, the motor was obviously replaced with a lawn mower engine and probably from a 1970’s diesel engined lawn mower, once the noise stopped coffee spat into the cup, which I think was now mixed with diesel oil.

When you get such bad customer service, and waste so much time, no one wants to call up and start the process again. The machine was well over £300, but the customer service was worthless, useless and rude.

Goodbye Gaggia machine, goodbye Gaggia.

Dynamic Pages to Static URL ‘Search Engine Friendly’

Posted on December 2009 in Articles

Hi

Here’s something I just sent a friend who had rewritten a simple CMS system, with dynamic pages (index.php?Pageid=nn), in this case directory

es were also used, so all you need to do is create a .htaccess file and place it in to the relevant web directory, here’s an example of the contains of an .htaccess files…

RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule about_us.htm$ index.php?Pageid=7
RewriteRule index.htm$ index.php?Pageid=7

Hope that helps, if not ask and I maybe able to help you further.

“Should I try Adwords?”

Posted on December 2009 in Articles

A question I’m often asked is “should I try Adwords?”, well the answers is always yes. It’s worth a try, as far as advertising goes it’s cheap and easy to control your spend, you can specify anything you want per day and adverts can cost as little as 0.4p per click (depends on competition), if you spend £30 a week and get one ’sale’ worth £500 it’s easy to work out your Return On Investment (ROI), you can normally work this out within a couple of weeks, so there isn’t any long-term costs, you can stop advertising (spending) instantly.

Flash _getURL and _self doesn’t work!

Posted on December 2009 in Articles

Well what an interesting afternoon. Although I don’t use Flash very often, I like to think I know what I’m doing. I had been given a Flash file from another company in order to integrate the file into the clients websites. The file needed some additions as in order to link up some buttons. This is normally very simple using the actionscript _getURL(URL,”_self”), however no ever told me that from Flash 8 security setting have changed, so after some painful hours of rewritting the actionscript and uploading etc etc. All you need to do is add the following to your html!

<param name=”swfversion” value=”6.0.65.0″ />
<param name=”expressinstall” value=”Scripts/expressInstall.swf” />
    <param name=”allowScriptAccess” value=”always” />

If you can’t get _getURL “_self” to work I hope you find this post!

Luxury Bed and Breakfast in Kingswear, Dartmouth Devon

Posted on October 2009 in Latest websites

We have just designed and developed a new website for - Kaywana Hall is a luxury bed & breakfast situated in Kingswear, just across the estuary from Dartmouth. The original 1960’s house was recently demolished and rebuilt in a modern contemporary style by a local architect Stan Bolt. The house sits in its own eight acre woodland and is a peaceful oasis away from the bustle of Dartmouth and the river; however it is a short walk to the ferries for Dartmouth.

For more information visit:

Luxury bed & breakfast Kingswear, Dartmouth
Accommodation in Kingswear

Order quality wines direct to your door

Posted on October 2009 in Latest websites

A newly created online wine shop for Cornish company Scarlet Wines.

The site aims to sell their carefully chosen wines direct and offer local purchases reduced delivery costs. With over 60 wines to choose from the website offers a great selection that can be chosen by country, price or flavour.

Why not visit Scarlet Wines by clicking on the following links:

Browse all white wines
Browse all red wines
Browse all rose wines
Browse all sparkling wines

Celebrity chef master chef new website

Posted on August 2009 in Latest websites

Four Degrees West Limited have just launched the new website for master chef Peter Gorton.

The new website aims to promote Peter’s consultancy work as well as sharing some of his amazing recipes.

If you would like to find out more about Peter and his chef services please visit one of the following links:

Peter Gorton Master Chef website

Chef consultancy services

Cookery courses in Devon