So, I’m in the process of starting up a new business on a budget and I’ve just finished teh website. It’s a wordpress site hosted by 1&1.

I was wondering if you could all have a look around it, and pick any holes in it you can find.

Also, once it’s finished I was wondering how to go about getting it up th rankings in google.

http://www.prestigemotortransport.co.uk

Many thanks

I think you need more legal info about the business on there. See http://www.ukwda.org/blog/is-your-website-legal – this may not be current.

But I’d drop the map.

Maybe some more personal ‘ we’re a small business and here’s who we are’ type stuff?

I think you have to pay 1&1 extra in order to get it registered and recognised by Google.
If you have a small localised market, you may not need Google to recognise the site. If you’re going global, you might.

Site looks good, but I’m not sure I’d want my £200k car looked after on a £20 site, but you know your market better than me.
I’d also want an address and a land line that I could Google before handing my pride and joy over to you.
I think I’d want some corporate clients that could vouch for you too.
A few more photos wouldn’t go amiss.

I think it works well. Good job.

The layout and format is good, not distracting and easy to understand what you’re clicking on.

The Logo at top left didn’t render properly, as small thing I know, but important I feel. And some of the photos look a little amateurish, which contrast with others that look very classy. They just need a bit of cropping to only have the interesting bits in the frame.

😀

Overall, it’s a damn sight (site!) better and more professional looking than many!

I like the look of that. Nicely done.

I’d drop the map.

Agreed. Especially if it advertises the location of a lot of shiny nice things….! 😀 I suspect many of your potential clients would prefer discretion over that.

I’d use justified text blocks. Left alignment, with the ragged right edge, looks, well, ragged.

Funny – I didn’t like the big pictures I don’t like scrolling down to see whats at the bottom of the page – but I think what I like in a website is not what others like. I like plain simple and easy and I hate text over pictures but as I say I am probably very atypical on this

What does ‘fully insured’ cover you for?

Not sure what you’re really looking for but here’s some stuff:

The logo changes dimensions as you scroll down.

Stick some quotes from customers saying what a good job you do on on there.

Stick your phone number front and centre on each page and say something like ‘Call now: <phone number>’

Create a ‘contact’ page of its own. Clicking ‘contact’ from any link on the site loads the homepage and scrolls down, it’s slow.

Search engine optimisation is all about copy. Put descriptions under images stuff like that. Make pages specifically about the terms you want to be found under.

Lack of prices might put people off. Maybe a ‘prices from’ link or something?

The photos are weird, like the diagonal lines are pixelated from something

I’d also use a darker font colour, #949494 is too light.

Always good to add an icon to the tab as well – adds to professional look…

Thank you for the quick feedback.

The map goes to Swindon, not where the unit is. (well it does now) It’s so people can easily see if it’s local.

There is no landline, because I only got the business unit a week ago, and I’ve not had one installed yet. TBH I might not as there is no need for one in an empty unit. However I guess I could just use my home one and redirect to my mobile, or get vodaphone one where you can have a landline as a mobile number.

I’ve justified all the next now.

I have a plan to get some professional photos taken, but my budget is a bit stretched at the minute, probably will get them done in the next month hopefully.

The logo should resize properly because it is a vector file?

I will have a testemonials bit, when I start moving cars, I might move some for a friend and get them to rate me.

These are my competitors:

http://www.russellstransport.co.uk/
http://straighteightlogistics.com/exotic-car-trans&#8230;
http://www.beechesrecovery.co.uk/Prestige-Car-Tran&#8230;
http://www.westbournemotors.co.uk/p-prestige-vinta&#8230;
http://www.transcars.com/prestige-car-transport/

Is mine that much worse it’s noticeable that I did it?

The logo should resize properly – but it’s maintaining the width while the height changes, thus the image, ‘squishes’ as the page scrolls and the image resizes. Oddly it’s fine on my phone.

Just confirming what others have said, would probably just settle for Swindon as location, map showing position relative to major cities/tracks/posh places.
Equally, avoid any outside shots of your unit, if a customer can’t guess the location, neither can the wrong people.

Looks nice enough site though. Any trade or club affiliations to add.

I’m no Web person so can’t give a much more detailed critique on that, but your choice of tow vehicle? 😉

Edit: viewed portrait on tablet, it scales fine and the long scroll makes sense.

I think you have to pay 1&1 extra in order to get it registered and recognised by Google

No you don’t. They might find it themselves eventually but the easiest way is just to google add url to google and they give you a link to add your site. Bing will do the same

Best though is to create an account on google search console and add your sitemap as then you can see which of your pages they have indexed. You can also see which searches you are appearing in and how high which will help you change your content to include the right keywords

site is good but too many images at top. Google cares about above and below ‘the fold’ and your text starts to far down. Look at the strrighteight site for a better way to do it. Site had good varied relevant keywords stuck everywhere buy streighteight is better again. Points for address and phone numbers for geolocation though. I cant see from my phone buy I am assuming that your images all have alt text. Extra points for matching the alt text to the subject if the surrounding paragraphs.

Overall very good though. Go for google ad words and pay for searches for your competitors names so you appear in searches for them as you are just starting

That logo has been done to death, Google ‘Prestige Cars logo’ and look at them all! Hope the graphic designers didn’t charge you too much for that ‘cough’ design.
The website looks professional though.

I am assuming that your images all have alt text.

What is alt text?

And yes, I’m still sitting on the fence regards the logo. It’s almost as if I don’t like it, but can’t be bothered to sort it out right now, and therefore am telling myself it’s good.

I would look at specifying classic cars, luxury cars, race cars with relevant bumph in the tabs. (track days, race meets, auctions, private sales etc)
You are close to the classic car auctions at Brooklands, Mercedes Benz world where I know there is demand for transport so definitely worth having a section on it even if you have to borrow a car for the promo photos!

A couple of examples of of the companies i know.
http://www.emrogerstransport.com/
http://www.ontime-globalautomotivetransportservices.com/
http://www.rudler.co.uk/

As above keep your tow vehicle out of the promo shots if possible unless it is branded. Its too prominent in a couple of the pictures.

Other than that it is a good business to get into with loyal clients so wish you luck.

I am not a prestige car kind of person but if I was and I came across your site I wouldn’t really know why I would want to use your services? Maybe it obvious to car people, but maybe a couple case studies of what you’ve provided for others and how it benifited them?

What is alt text?

It’s the text that shows when you hover over an image. Google won’t know exactly what your image is so it will use clues to work it out such as filenames, titles and alt text. If they are related to the main text and title text then they look more relevant and your site might get rated higher. Normally when you add an image you can add a title and alt text and you should use both

The ontime site is good. Nice clear call to action at bottom of every page and phone number at top. Images nicely mixed with text.

On a slower connection and it was pedestrian to load here, going to be bad news for those out in the sticks probably.
I’d echo the map comment, who wants to be reminded where Swindon is. If you want UK wide business then don’t put people north of Watford off.
On the pics, same some decent ones picking a classic up from a stately home etc. would look better than a trading estate.