[NFS]

Originally Posted by redE93cab

Nobody will get you to number one on Google for a 'small fee' I am afraid!

Google uses 'adwords' to get you high on the rankings which is pay-per-click. It all depends on your daily budget you allocate google. Whoever offers the highest pay-per-click will get to the top. Then they will stop there until their daily budget has been met (if they set one!)

A competitor of ours in the Test Equipment industry is ALWAYS number one on Google (search 'Fluke 1652' for example) - He runs a company called ISS. They only sell on the internet so google rankings are important to them. They spend between £2k and £3k per MONTH to keep that position maintained. Web site optimisation used to assist once upon a time, but nowadays it is all about feeding the greed of the search engine companies!

I have to disagree. I know someone who does this for small businesses.

He set up a website for the bloke who installed our fireplace for us (If you ever tried to find a fireplace installer it's pretty difficult because most corgi gas fitters don't do the building work).

He did the web search optimisation over a year ago and I just checked it.

Google 'fireplace installation birmingham' and you'll find him as the number one 'non advertised' hit.

I think he charged a couple of thousand all in. I agree that there are companies who charge several thousand a month for this, but it's wrong to say that it can't be done for less.

[NFS]

Originally Posted by Porscha!

You been watching too much Changing Rooms??!

The proper interior designers (from what very limited experience I know about them) have to beable to draw up plans, models etc. 3D CAD I presume??

Of said rooms, certain things will have to comply with all kinds of rules and regulations, then you would have to project manage said Mr. Dec and Mr. Spark and Mr. Plumb. Source bespoke items, get client to approve all. Find next client! Market and advertise business against all other competitors as being the most original, most creative, most stylish, most get the work done to deadlines Interior Designer!

This is what I imagine a real world Interior Designer does, of course I maybe wrong ....

I think that there may be people working like this, but it's far from the norm.

I've worked with quite a few creative agencies over the years and the main criteria is artistic ability. Most designers spend their time sketching and meeting clients. Good designers have CAD jockeys and renderers to do the leg work etc.

Again your problem is basing this on a concept where you can work for yourself as a 'one man band'. If you want to get into interior design you need to spend some time with an agency as that's the only way you will build up decent contacts to enable you to survive on your own.

In my opinion you need to 'think bigger'. Are you going to dabble around the edges for the next 10 years or are you serious about running your own business for profit. If it's the latter, then you need to get some experience in the business world in order to avoid failing. That will unfortunately mean working for other people for a bit, but if it's doing something you really enjoy that's not necessarily a bad thing.

[Dave_3]

Search engine optimisation is easy to get wrong.

But doing it well really helps.

It also helps if you have a unique product (less chance of bumping into a competitor with a search).

Some other VERY important things to assure a good placing :

Get a good domain name - relevant/descriptive about your business.

Get linked TO from other relevant sites (sites that themselves have a big SE rating). This counts a LOT for your own position in ratings. Having many links from buzz in relevant forums also helps. Monitoring your stats to identify these links, what is being said, and any ripping-off of your ideas is priceless.

A small website with little text will never place above a more extensive site with more text (not padding or repeated text, search engines will actually penalise you for that, amongst other attempted fiddles. Look what happend to BMW and their website ).

Use correct pagetitles, metatags etc., and even better if you can make SEO paths and address links. So not http://porscha.com/index.php?article=1234 but http://porscha.com/lovley-gift-thing.htm

Always assume that any page could be the first page a visitor sees, so try and explain everything or offer links to find things. Catch them. Interest them. Guide them.

I'm guessing you want to create an online catalogue, and shopping basket ? So you will probably run some sort of Content Management System (CMS) - which will allow you to edit things on your site quickly and easily without ongoing support costs. [I wrote an online showroom for my Dad 8 years ago, and he confidently uses it everday without contacting me. He is approaching 80.]

I've dabbled a little in this with quite a few websites ... takes a lot of persistent work And you may find you will get more traffic by other means (than trying for a high SE placing, which is really carpet bombing). All about marketing and product placement.

D.

[Porscha!]

Thanks all lots to read here!

NFS - I don't want to be an Interior Designer, it was Will who mentioned that As for being serious about running my own business for profit, 100% serious!

Another thing to be noted I don't see this gift thing lasting all that long (it is not my long term business goal) more a trade for a few years, make a profit (hopefully going up each year), sell the business. Type of thing.

My long term goal is to restore and sell Classic Cars, which has been my long term goal for ages and ages and ages! I don't want to do anything else. I've sold cars before but it is a world away from what I want to do! Learning different parts of the restoration process through both my own cars and a few courses I've done. Eventually though I don't see myself doing the actual restoration, as it can be very heavy work but more overseeing and doing the marketing and selling.

[SoYank]

If that is what you really want why waste time, effort, and money on a shop that at the economic moment would have to swim against the current just to break even? Try to get in with an established classic car restoration firm. Learn the actual ins and outs of what's involved from the work in the shop to the work in the office.

[squeezebm]

Originally Posted by Porscha!

Thanks

It's not really craft fair sort of stuff I do well not for round here anyway! Internet could certainly work but as you say it does cost a lot of money to be number 1 on google. From what I can see, more investigating does NEED to be done though from what I can see, a shop with a supplementary website shop would just about fit the bill, again I've made this post to investigate potential costs associated.

Income will be supplemented by usual Porscha car buying and selling, normally about 2 per month and I usually make about £250-500 on each car. Eventually this is what I want to do, always have done, specialising in Sports and Classics.

More or less worked out profit per item but need to work out overheads, again hence this post!

Presume the £500 to a grand each month your making on selling cars is all being declared

[Porscha!]

Of course