Hi to fellow Brits

[Doreen]

Hi there, just thought I would see who else is out there. I would love to hear from anyone in the UK who has a successful site and is willing to take the time to chat. I have published three sites so far, having purchased six. Having now found this forum have made loads of improvements to two of them - still have lots of work to do on the third - but am still waiting for orders to come in.

Looking forward to hearing from some of you whether your successful or struggling like me.

[Shoshana]

Well I'm not from the UK but I did have an English boyfriend for quite a while and my grandfather was born in Scotland so I'm chiming in here about one of your stores.

Your products store has some really neat product and I think it has the potential to be your biggest money maker if it is optimized and marketed correctly. You have some things I would love to be able to find in this country.

There's a TV show here, HGTV, which stand for Home and Garden Television (maybe you have it there too). One segment is "Got to Have THAT!" Maybe people are actually searching for that term or something similar.

This is how I am looking at your products store.

[Doreen]

Thanks Shoshana - the Products store is the one that needs loads of work. I need to implement all that you and others have suggested for my other stores. Once I have got the other two exactly where I want them, i.e., pulling in orders I will work hard on the products one.

[Croninhart]

Hi Doreen,

I'm not from the UK either, but a little closer. Just across the Irish Sea!

I've been on the forum since July 05 and have made huge improvements to my sites since finding it. I'm not making a fortune but I'm breaking even and I think that's good as my sites are still only young. The flower site was published June 05 and the Games one in October 05

People here in the forum are making money but I think I've resigned myself to the fact that it takes a few years. So struggle on and with the help of the forum, you'll make it. :wink:

Regards

[Doreen]

Teresa Hi,

Thanks for contacting me - it is great to know that others are/have been through this phase I am in now. I too have had shed loads of help from the Forum and I think that the first two of my sites are now not too bad, they both have a Google page rank of 3, but still I am waiting for my first orders.

Looked at both of your sites and think they are great, you are obviously far more acomplished at web design than me, can I please ask how you picked up the Pay Pal Logo?

Also I have taken the liberty of asking for links with both of your sites, I have posted links to both on each of two of my sites, Candles and Pedal Cars - I will send the relevant e.mails from your sites requesting a link back.

Hope you do not mind me mentioning it but the HTML string you have for your Board Game site does not show properly when pasted, I have had to make some alterations - you may want to look at that. It only shows the name of your site - no description appears.

Great to hear from you - I will now send the e.mails for links.

[Croninhart]

Hi Doreen,

Thanks for that. I haven't looked at your sites yet, just in the middle of getting dinner organised. :lol: I'll have a look in a while.

I am not at all accomplised in web design. Everything I have on my sites is done through the forum. I didn't realise the html on the games site was out so thanks for mentioning it. That's what the forum is about, picking up the errors. That was generated by links assistant so I'll have to look and see what I've left out!

Here's the code for the paypal logos that I have. You can paste it into your footer or an element whichever you prefer.


<center><table><tr><td>
<table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" align="center"><tr><td align="center"></td></tr>
<tr><td align="center"></td></tr></table><!--

PayPal Logo -->
</td>
</tr>
</table></center>


Good luck with your stores. Back to the kitchen!

[Doreen]

Teresa, thank you so much for the Pay Pal info - have now loaded that to two of my sites.

Have a great evening - and good luck with your sites.

[Croninhart]

Hi Doreen,

Your sites are indeed looking well. If I can make one suggestion. You say payment is via paypal but that might put people off, they might think they need a paypal account.

Maybe something like "payments processed via paypal, you do not need a paypal account, use your credit card at checkout" would let people realise that they can use their credit cards. Also, now that you have the logos with the credit card symbols there, they will see that too.

Hope you get some sales soon. You're doing well to have a PR of 3 if you're not published long. Well Done!

[Doreen]

Hi Teresa, sorry for delay in replying but was at trade show all day yesterday trying to find more products to put on my sites. Thanks for the point re Pay Pal - I will change my wording - valid point.

I got my first order - wow. Quite a small one and it will not exactly re-imburse what I have spent so far - but at least its an order. Just wish I could get more traffic then maybe the orders would flow in. My trafic figures are abysmal - still I will keep trying.

Hope you are doing OK with your sites. Once again thanks for the coment on paypal - will get on to that.

Doreen.

[Croninhart]

CONGRATULATIONS! :lol: :lol: :lol:

It's great to get your first order, no matter how small. The way I look at it is, if you were running any business do you make a profit in the first year? Why would this business be different. You have to think long term, a few years down the road.

Hope they keep coming in!

Regards

[tony1958]

Hi Doreen
I based over near Leicester and have been working with SOL for about 2 years. I also have three sites - it apppears I do one each year.

Happy to chat

Rgs
Tony :D

[Croninhart]

Hi Tony,

I just had a look at your site. I'm very interested. I live in Ireland and have been looking for educational software for my daughter. She's 11 and has difficulty with English. I've just recently purchased some material for her so I might be a customer yet.

I know you didn't ask for a review but I will comment that on your home page, the title that's showing up in the Internet Browser is showing html tags. This will hurt your chances of being found by the search engines. It has the <center><h1><font size>etc. before it gets to your keywords. Thought you might like to know that.

I'd also like to know if you ship to Ireland. I couldn't find that information on your site and I think you've got a great product that's easily shipped. The Irish and UK curriculum are similar and most software that's available here is based on the UK curriculum.

Regards

[KarenMac]

Dropzone, Youre almost in the END zone, soon as I can get you deleted :)

(Dont mind me here, was chasing a spammer, but we didnt get this post deleted)

Karen

[MariaMenetti]

I don't see product summaries on any of your stores.... just a note....

[Doreen]

Hi everyone, seem to have missed out on some of these replies, not sure why I did not get e.mail notification. Nevermind.

Maria, not sure whose site you are referring to - was it mine?

Tony, how are your sites performing - I have started advertising with Google and a local site called The Best Of - which has sites around the UK showing business and interests in the local area but customers can also look at other area sites. The google ad has given me more traffic, though not as much as I would like and I still have only had one order on my candle site. Nothing on the others. Have just added more products to the cadle site and am now hoping that this will be the time of year to make sales, if I do not get any sales shortly I am wondering whether it is worth carrying on.

Doreen