9 replies to this topic

[chris whewell]

Hi SEO Boffins,

As in my previous thread SEO is hurting my head, I need some advice, and without a review, I'm not sure how you could help!!

The site is how2holidayspain.com.

I have previously posted, because I think there are numerous url's pointing to the site (www.title.com, h2hspain.com and www.h2hspain.com.

I gave up on my webmaster/designer/scuba diving instructor because of late/conflicting/wrong advice.

What I feel I need is a timeline description of the items I can optimise myself, a review of the construction of the site and it's code, and any drastic problems that are getting in the way of everything else.

All of which I expect, everyone else has asked for in *their* reviews.

Thanks Guys

[chris whewell]

By The Way, any of you who'd like to link to the site from your high-ranking sites.....Hey! Go Right Ahead!

[Jill]

Chris, you'll need to go back and answer the questions regarding site reviews that are pinned at the top of this area of the forum. Until/unless you do that, no reviews...

[chris whewell]

Sorry, OK, here goes.

General
Is this site completed or under construction?

The site is completed construction wise, but SEO has hardly begun because I'm not sure where to start, As I add content, I add keywords and meta tags.

If completed:
How long has the site been up?

The site has been up since August 2007

SEO
Do you have incoming links?

300+

What keywords are you targeting?

spain holiday rentals, spanish holidays, apartments in spain

Do you want your code reviewed for errors or improvements?

Yes please. It is one of my big doubts, as the site was built by someone who, it seems, knew how to talk about things, but not necessarily how to do them right.

Marketing
Who is your target audience? Think about:
Gender Either
Nationality British, American, Canadian, English-speaking Europeans
Age Range 20-75
Income/Education level Low to Middle
Likes/Dislikes The site is concerned with renting out holiday (vacation) properties to those people who book their own flights and accommodation, rather than taking a package holiday in an hotel. (Obviously, that is narrowed down to people who do, or would consider a holiday in Spain)

The more you tell us about your target audience, the better. We don't know them- you do!

Why is your site different from sites selling/offering similar info/goods/services? Why will someone want to do business you? There are many, many similar sites already, some very successful, others less so. My aim is to encompass everything that a tourist might be interested in doing whilst on holiday, and is therefore very content rich, (or on the way to being so) Other sites I have seen are purely listings of properties, with minimal information about the area in which the property is situated. I feel that the holidaymakers want to know about the ameneties and facilities of a resort, and that this is an important part of the decision-making process. By being able to access an encyclopedic information base on one site, their decision will be easier.

How important is usability?

I have recently got rid of the drop-down menus that the site originally had, as they were difficult to navigate. This took me nearly three days, so, all in all, I'd say pretty important!

What is the purpose of the site? (inform, sell, online community, support B&M business, contact info only, etc) Income is to be generated from people advertising their rental properties

Design
Do you want design suggestions? Anybody who is prepared to take the time to make suggestions that they feel will be helpful is welcome to do so.

[Ahmed]

I dont have time for a full review atm but I'll make some quick suggestions and I hope they are of some use

1. Your title "how2holidayspain" makes no sense. Make sure that the title tag on each page is different. Use actual words that describe the page like "Spanish Holiday Rental Accommodation and Information" or something of that sort.
2. When you navigate the site and then click on "home" it sends you to "how2holidayspain.com/component/option,com_cmsrealty/Itemid,61/". It seems very messy to me and might cause "canonical issues". Make sure your homepage can be accessed from one URL only. To read more about "canonical issues" visit Matt Cutts' blog. I think there are at least 4 URLs that point to the same page (your homepage) and that needs to be fixed.
3. You have a link exchange directory that in my honest opinion is there only for the sake of links. These links are very low quality and mean nothing, you're wasting your time by trying to link exchange with hundreds of websites.

[chris whewell]

I dont have time for a full review atm but I'll make some quick suggestions and I hope they are of some use

1. Your title "how2holidayspain" makes no sense. Make sure that the title tag on each page is different. Use actual words that describe the page like "Spanish Holiday Rental Accommodation and Information" or something of that sort.

This reaffirms one of the original issues I had with the site designer. The original title was to be How2holidayinspain.com but he assured me that we would be better lodging the name as how2holidayspain. (This is the first of seven planned sites, the others relating to other countries, so the how2holiday would remain, with spain being replaced with, say, france, italy, greece etc).

2. When you navigate the site and then click on "home" it sends you to "how2holidayspain.com/component/option,com_cmsrealty/Itemid,61/". It seems very messy to me and might cause "canonical issues". Make sure your homepage can be accessed from one URL only. To read more about "canonical issues" visit Matt Cutts' blog. I think there are at least 4 URLs that point to the same page (your homepage) and that needs to be fixed.

As I said in the post before my reminder from Jill, and have written in a previous thread on here, there are 4 urls pointing to the homepage, and it is one of my major concerns. I don't have the technical ability to do a 301, and don't understand what the .... i'm supposed to do with the webmaster page at Rochen, and how to actually access the pages within. I can edit the html in the admin of the site, but the Rochen thing has me just staring at the screen! Web-guy was webmaster, but I could never get a straight answer from him.

3. You have a link exchange directory that in my honest opinion is there only for the sake of links. These links are very low quality and mean nothing, you're wasting your time by trying to link exchange with hundreds of websites.

I hated the idea of these links, and said so (to the web-guy right from the start, but he said that we would get zip in the way of google cred if we had no links. Therefore, we joined several link directories and now, if any visitor to my site needs the number of a taxi driver in Athens, we can help!

I think I need to get the 301 issue taken care of first - would you agree? Would that give the single most significant boost?

Edited by chrishirst, 02 February 2008 - 02:35 AM.
fixed the quotes

[SEO_Gal]

Hi Chris,

I actually reviewed your site back in late September when it was very new. I had sent you a mini site audit and a proposal but never heard back. Your site looks much better now as far as the design. The last time I reviewed your site, it was very text heavy.

As for SEO - I see that you've followed most of my previous advice, but you still need a well constructed, keyword rich Title tag for each page of the site, among other things.

As for the 301 redirects - call Rochen support - I'm sure they can will walk you through the steps.

Also, if you're unsure about the code, run your site through the W3C Validator (do Google search for site). The validator will tell you exactly how many errors there are and will show you the line of code where the error exists.

And my last bit of advice. If you haven't already done so, check out Google Webmaster Tools. These tools give you great insight into the workings of your site - and it's free.

Good luck!

Patti Fousek

[chris whewell]

Hi Chris,

I actually reviewed your site back in late September when it was very new. I had sent you a mini site audit and a proposal but never heard back. Your site looks much better now as far as the design. The last time I reviewed your site, it was very text heavy.

Hi Patty,

thanks for once again taking the time to have a look at the site, and for the comments above. What was a partnership is now a solely owned-business (me) which has forced a rethink on finance (I ain't got none !) so hence the lack of progress on the SEO front.

Consequently, I am trying to do as much of it as possible, to then hopefully generate a rise in my ranking in the SERPs to then generate the cash to finish ( ) the SEO, by having the things that I can't do carried out by a pro.

I have tried to take on board a lot of what advice I received, and am trying to get to grips with the Rochen thing, but in reality, I'd prefer to employ the services of a knowledgeable and trustworthy webmaster, leaving me to concentrate on filling in the missing content!

Silly things such as changing meta tags and descriptions I can do, as with all the internal linking I have been doing.

It's going to have to be a long-winded crawl, rather than the sprint to the top I had naiively hoped for

As for SEO - I see that you've followed most of my previous advice, but you still need a well constructed, keyword rich Title tag for each page of the site, among other things.

Changing the title tags. They all start with the site name - hyphen- page title. Is this the best format (and Do I have a choice in this in the first place?)

As for the 301 redirects - call Rochen support - I'm sure they can will walk you through the steps.

I downloaded a 'how to do a 301' (possibly from HRf) but also did the 'preferred domain' thing on Google Webmaster Central. Will the G thing work on it's own, or have I got to do the 301?

Also, if you're unsure about the code, run your site through the W3C Validator (do Google search for site). The validator will tell you exactly how many errors there are and will show you the line of code where the error exists

.

Will do, and report back findings to this thread.

And my last bit of advice. If you haven't already done so, check out Google Webmaster Tools. These tools give you great insight into the workings of your site - and it's free.

I did that over the past hour or two and, yes, thanks. It points out (besides 8 404's on urls) that I have 165 duplicate meta tags and descriptions (or something like that)

Seems like I have my first stage decided - change all the meta descriptions and keyword tags

Anybody want to practice doing 301's??

Thanks

[ScottSalwolke]

Chris
You have an ambitious site. Perhaps too ambitious at this point. I first wouldn't worry about optimizing your site. Make the site user friendly so that you speak to the needs of your market. Get them to picture themselves in Spain enjoying a holiday. Having high rankings won't benefit for your business if people are turned off by what they find or can't locate what they need. First impressions do matter and these visitors might not come back.

There also still seems to be a lot of broken links. A simple broken link checker showed there were 113 broken links.

You have links on the map that people can click to see properties, but when you click on Murcia, for example, you only get a larger map.

I'd also try to make the site more user friendly. I realize the drop down navigation didn't work, but you need more navigation buttons. They should be able to find travel insurance, airport car parking, etc. with ease. I'd also make the text larger so that it is easier to read.

I think you need to prioritize your work and begin with getting the design and navigation down first. Then focus on getting visitors to the site.

[ceuyan]

i would really love to review your site design but there is nothing much i can do since the site seems to be under construction.

the only think i can comment on is the header which i like