Mobi website questions

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Original Message Added : 22 Apr 2012 - (Edited : 22 Apr 2012)

I have a website for my business and I built it with MS Publisher and it has been running for a couple of years also my website building is basic ie I can point and click but cannot write code. So I have bought a mobi domain name and I want to build a simple site that just gives you the facts ie

Name (home)

About

Services

Contact

Yes I know publisher is not the best but on a limited budget can i download a mobi template or make one on a site and then download it for a fee I guess.

Also would I run the .mobi domain as a separate website or make it a sub domain of my site (I purchased the 2 from the same company)

Any advise would be nice and also be gentle with me as I am a novice in this but I also enjoy doing it as I like to problem solve.

Also I understand MS Publisher is a bit clunky so how would I convert it to a better OS or platform

Website aew-electrical.co.uk

Mobi domain electricianedinburgh.mobi

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	Andrew White from AEW Electrical
Location :	Edinburgh
Joined :	23 June 2010
Contact :	Send Private Message
Posts :	95 ( 18)

Reply : 23 Apr 2012 - (Edited : 23 Apr 2012)

Hello Andrew,

First off, well done for thinking ahead and taking the plunge with a mobile website.

Answers to your questions:

"can i download a mobi template or make one on a site and then download it for a fee I guess."

Yes you can. Apparently there are quite a few websites with fairly simple "wizards" to help you build a mobile template/site on your own. I do believe there is some fee but I think they are pretty easy to use and pretty advanced so it should give you exactly what yo need as a mobi website.

Also would I run the .mobi domain as a separate website or make it a sub domain of my site (I purchased the 2 from the same company)

Normally, you would add a little piece of code into the header of the main website/domain. This piece of code will check what device the user is viewing your site on and then take them to the appropriate site (main or mobi) or give them the choice to decide for themselves.

As an alternative, if you don't want to run two seperate websites, you can just create a second alternative CSS sheet for the mobi site. In essence this uses your main website design and system and then the new mobile CSS sheet will just cut out what you don't want displayed and relay everything you do so its easier to view on a mobile device.

"Also I understand MS Publisher is a bit clunky so how would I convert it to a better OS or platform"

MS publisher adds in alot of rubbish. What you want to do is just create the website on another piece of software (there are plenty of free versions available). If your not that handy with coding then it might be a problem but there may be a tool that will help you convert publisher into something more compliable. (give it a google).

Hope this helps and good luck.

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	Chaten Parmar from Conceptstore
Location :	Hornchurch
Joined :	23 September 2008
About :	Branding, design and marketing expert
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Posts :	52 ( 34)

Reply : 23 Apr 2012

When you said it was built in publisher, I was expecting a really bad website. If I'm honest, your website looks better compared to web design companies I know. You have a few SEO problems you could deal with but apart from that the actual website looks great.

Well done :)

Brian

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	Brian Martin (BM&Co Web) from BM&Co Web
Location :	Manchester
Joined :	05 January 2012
About :	SEO Consultant & Web Developer
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Posts :	38 ( 12)

Reply : 23 Apr 2012

Hi Andy

Mobile is a great idea, but 80% of web searches are still made by computer.

SEO should be your main priority, as after two years online your website still doesn't seem to rank well for 'Electricians in Edinburgh'. (apart from your Freeindex entry)

Optimise and promote your website online. You may get so much work that you won't have time to create your mobile website.

Good luck.

Gil

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	Mr Gil Sluis from Business Website SEO
Location :	Hull
Joined :	21 February 2010
About :	Google SEO Services, Website Promotions, Website Content Advice
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Reply : 23 Apr 2012

Thanks for the replies guys so my next question is you say SEOs I take it that is keywords and if that is the case what am i doing wrong as for the mobi thing well here in Edinburgh it is all young professionals who live with their phone so make no mistake we took years to go to digital tv to free up the airwaves for 4G but everybody else just did it and they are 3-4 in front of us plus they are saying web access on smart phones are rocketing. So how I look at it I specialise in small electrical repairs the young professional is sitting on the bus going home and they need their bathroom light switch fixed so why wait to get home when you can look for someone .

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	Andrew White from AEW Electrical
Location :	Edinburgh
Joined :	23 June 2010
Contact :	Send Private Message
Posts :	95 ( 18)

Reply : 23 Apr 2012 - (Edited : 23 Apr 2012)

You may be right regarding the speedy switch to mobile web browsing, but how do you think all these people will find your website? (same old SEO

)

SEO and website promotion is about much more than just keywords.

Creating, optimising, and promoting a website is on par with rewiring a house. Would you give a novice a few tips on how to rewire their house in their spare time on this Freeindex Forum?

If you are determined to do it yourself, please read the related info in Google Webmaster Tools and this pdf in particular; www.google.com/en//webmasters/docs/search-engine-optimization-starter-guide.pdf (clickable link)

You will find it's much quicker to pay an expert, than to struggle with it yourself.

Hope you find my advice and the links useful.

Kind rgds

Gil

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	Mr Gil Sluis from Business Website SEO
Location :	Hull
Joined :	21 February 2010
About :	Google SEO Services, Website Promotions, Website Content Advice
Contact :	Send Private Message
Posts :	321 ( 127)

Reply : 26 Apr 2012

You can also try this: http://www.google.com/sites/help/mobile-landing-pages/mlpb.html

It's free!

Martin

blueflux.eu

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	Martin Hookem from BlueFlux Graphic Design
Location :	Chesterfield
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About :	Graphic Designer/Web Developer & Marketing Professional
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Posts :	31 ( 6)

Reply : 26 Apr 2012

Thanks for all the info so what have I done about it well I have bought some web design sofware to "tart" up my website(s) i will also be buying a mobi website template why well so far it has cost me £20 for the domain £45 for the software and £12 for the template £77 in total with £30 for 2 years of web hosting so I think its worth a punt plus it has 2 years to prove itself.But thanks again all this is a great forum to bounce ideas around plus my next problem solving will be how to make my websites mobile friendly plus does Freeindex do a widget so my mobi users can tap straight into my testimonials

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	Andrew White from AEW Electrical
Location :	Edinburgh
Joined :	23 June 2010
Contact :	Send Private Message
Posts :	95 ( 18)

Reply : 26 Apr 2012

If you need any advice with regards to search engine optimisation. SEOMoz is a great free resource. Otherwise BM&Co Web can provide you advice and point you in the right direct :)

Brian

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	Brian Martin (BM&Co Web) from BM&Co Web
Location :	Manchester
Joined :	05 January 2012
About :	SEO Consultant & Web Developer
Contact :	Send Private Message
Posts :	38 ( 12)

Reply : 27 Apr 2012

Thanks for all the advice guys I have bought a new website builder software and a .mobi domain plus a mobi website template and have managed to edit and upload it to my ISP webspace for testing now i have to find out if I can put it on my main website as a subdomain so that if a mobile device looks at it then they will get the short punchie type mobile template

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	Andrew White from AEW Electrical
Location :	Edinburgh
Joined :	23 June 2010
Contact :	Send Private Message
Posts :	95 ( 18)

Reply : 29 Apr 2012

Hi Andrew,

This maybe of interest to you.

We offer mobile websites as a service. We simply build a mobile version of your website (with your logo, text, images etc - which is branded to your existing website).

We embed a 'clever bit of code' in your normal website which 'detects' mobile users and diverts them to the mobile website which we test on iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Windows phones.

So if someone on a normal computer visits your website, they'll see your normal/desktop website, whereas if they type the same website address in off a smartphone, they will see the mobile site.

There's really no need for 2 domains.

You could concentrate on the SEO of the normal website, get it on Page 1 Google for Electricians in Edinburgh - and you wouldn't have to fork out further for SEO to the mobile site (we offer SEO too) as your're normal website would be on page 1, so therefore desktop/mobile users would see the relevant website.

Mobile websites cannot be designed too fancy, with lots and lots of images. Think of the end user going on your mobile site on a 2G or perhaps a GPRS mobile data connection - this would take ages. We keep our mobile sites as simple as possible, with a logo, contact number and basic business information etc.

If you would like a chat on how we could potentially help you with building a mobile site and connecting it with your existing website, please give me a call on 07858 88 59 44.

Thanks,

Jamie

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	Jamie Gordon from iOptimise4u Ltd
Location :	Stockton-on-tees
Joined :	02 April 2012
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Posts :	4 ( 0)

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