B D Design

Hi Roy, I parted from web design/development and went full time in SEO and Online marketing about 18 months ago. I can confirm that going freelance in this field is probably the best way as most clients only take SEO services for periods of 3-6 months and then have cooling off periods. Once you have a few successful jobs and good reviews from clients you will find that more potential clients ask you to tender for their contracts as your positive feedback will attract them. If you are still in the trial and error stage of your SEO development I wouldn't look at going full time with it as clients expect people with solid and proven techniques. There are several approaches to SEO on and off page. As long as you have a firm grip of on page optimisation and link building you should be able to pull in quite a bit of work using your current sites as proof of your abilities. As far as training goes, i'd take a look at http://www.seobook.com. Aaron Wall who runs it is considered one of the worlds best SEO experts and he has taught me quite a lot of stuff so I would recommend his site as your training guide if you wish to enhance your skills. There are free and paid training options both of which are worthwhile. Chris

There are many other alternatives to building traffic and improving your site that doesn’t involve scrapping it and starting from scratch. First, validate your code at http://www.w3schoools.com. Valid code doesn’t necessarily mean better search engine results but it will allow for better accessibility. On the w3 schools website there is a HTML tidy tool that will correct the errors in your code for you, that would be a good start. Then you could hammer the free directories and forums with your profile and site url, that helps towards your SEO, try to stick with popular sites that have a decent pagerank as they will give you more preference. If you know your stuff about your trade, write some articles up and post them on the article sites and embed links to your site in them, that can be a really powerful tool for generating 1000’s of links. Take a look at googles webmaster tools for other tips on how to improve your SEO. As for the design, its not bad for a start. Just aim to improve it and do it at your own pace. You could get a nice java based gallery for your portfolio which would add a nice touch to your site. There are a lot of free samples on the web.

Hmm. im split between the two. I can see the point Sandra is making and i agree, our taxes should be put to better use. There is a huge list of things that should be adressed before funding new businesses like the NHS, State pensions for the elderly, general upkeep of our cities etc. Yes these do recieve money from our taxes but nowhere near as much as they should. Then again, their are a huge number of people who have the skills and knowledge to make a business successful but simply dont have the money to fund starting up. In that case i agree with the government funding such organisations. Every new business takes someone off job seekers allowence and also opens the door for more potential jobs which in turn helps lower the un-employment rate and helps towards bringing the economy back to where it should be. Its easy for established businesses to say that they disagree with the government funding new businesses but if the tables were turned and we were in the same position as many new businesses we would be complaining that there wasnt any help.

Thanks for the reply steve, As the design its self didnt take much time i just put it down to an hourly rate. i was just seeking clarification that it was the right route to take. I didnt want to under price myself lol. Cheers

Yes, i would have to agree with john, Your FAQ link doesnt seem to work and the header/links and content are positioned different on each page. I would suggest maybe adding some more images and info to fill the pages out, add a better style to make your text look more appealing. And maybe add a basic contact form, you can find various free contact form on the web that just require you to change the recipient email address and code into your webpage. Isnt a great improvement but look way better than just an email address.

Hi, Thanks for the reply. yes i the current rate for business cards as we have just had a btach done our selves. Our printer does not print labes though:S The design aspect is already complete and ready to be sent to a printer, it took around an hour to design each lable and instinct would tell me to charge an hourly rate which is fair. Im just puzzled to if there is any extra value to be added on and my client is a puzzled as me about the going rate. Chris

Hello, we've been approached by a client to design the lables for his product, as we have never designed lables before we are unsure on how to price them. There is 2 lables to be designed, similar to the size of a business card, full colour. Can anyone tell me the average price for something like this and if there are any other associated fees. Thanks in advance. Chris

Hi Sharpend, It starts at 6pm and finishes at 9pm, as for signups im not sure, i was offered a place from my consultant at BIG so i dont know how people get places. Chris

Hi Raggy, Thanks for the advice, there is 46 different businesses attending and range from start ups to 2 years established i am told. I would have to say main goal is to obtain contacts and get our name more widely known as this will help more in future.

Hi Saka, The event isnt aimed at Web Hosting/Design, from what i have been told there will be a mixture of businesses there. As for our website, it is only down for today while we have some new pages added. The event is being held at the forum in sheffield city center. Chris

Hello, I was just wondering if anyone on here was attending the Senta networking event on the 27th of Jan? Thsi will be my first networking event and was wondering if there was any tips to pass out. Chris

Hello, Do know all the ins and outs of what you need? for example, premisis, staff, investments, marketing or website etc. We help any new businesses that come through us get the right advice for their ventures. if you could tell me about the above i may be able to advise you a little. Regards James Back Door Solutions

Thanks Viney, You too mate

I agree Viney, But at least its a good start to a new year and the more business that takes place, the best chance we have of salvaging the economy.

hello, My area of work ventures far from construction work but i found myself with nothing to do through september-october and november then out of nowhere was swormed with work in december and im already having to pass work on for january. This is really wierd considering that its the most expensive time of the year and with the economy how it is. either we are indeed comming out of recession or people are trying to get things done before things get any worse, either way i think its a good thing for local businesses.