Sean wrote:Wordpress did not hamper SEO. How much any of that is true, I don't know.
WordPress can be great for SEO. Out the box it's pretty well set up. With 1-3 additional plugins, it's just about perfect.
But SEO does
not stop at your website structure or website content.
It barely begins there.
The most important part of SEO is getting links and shares around the web. And that takes a LOT of work.
Which is why I no longer focus on SEO.
I mean you should make sure the content is great and well-researched.
You should make the website well-structured but as a long-term strategy, SEO will take a LOT of your time.
Sure there are blackhat methods to get quick gains but, just as with anything in life, quickly gained is quickly lost.
I speak from experience and frustration.
Sean wrote:
Anyway, I hired someone to set up the sites, and do basic maintenance, and be available to sort out the odd problem. Results are inconsistent.
That comes down to experience. They might simply not know how to do what you need.
Sean wrote:
The problem is I know next to nothing about any of this, I'm supposed to spend some time understanding Wordpress, but ja, my time is taken up by other business priorities.
If you're not getting the results you need, you either need to invest more time (learning how to run your website, or researching freelancers to help) or you need to invest more money (hiring more expensive developers or using more expensive tools).
Expensive doesn't always mean quality so a referral goes a long way.
Sean wrote:
Even now, there is some sort of glitch on the one site and we can't update anything (and waiting for it to be sorted between the person I pay to maintain it, and the hosting company), so in general, I find it all a huge pain.
Care to go into detail here?
Sean wrote:
So yes, if I can understand the fundamental basics of what is what, and do problem solving, and just keep the sites running smoothly, I'll be happy.
Fixing an existing website that you didn't build yourself, especially when you don't know much about websites, will probably give you more problems than solutions.
In this case, I would recommend you hire someone quality to fix the problem.
Find someone who charges well and who comes highly recommended. Don't skimp.
The problem will be solved in a day or 2 instead of a few months.
If you tell me more about the problem you're experiencing, I can try and advise you.
It MIGHT be something simple.
So feel free to reply here or PM me or email me.
Sean wrote:The one site seems to be fine, and is with another hosting company to the one that is giving issues, I'm not sure if that is the cause of the problems, but I'm looking into moving it sometime anyway.
Who are you using to host the sites right now?
Sean wrote:
Norio, these are the two sites:
ilsemoore.com (this is the one that is generally fine)
and
gingeralephotography.com (this one makes me want to pull my hair out)
More details on why you wanna pull your hair out will help.
Sean wrote:So yes, I'll be keen to learn whatever you have to offer in this regard ?
Really glad to hear it.
To recap:
1. Fixing it yourself might cause you more headaches. I'd love to put you on my course but I don't want you to hate me ? First let's fix the issue.
2. Hiring someone more experienced to fix the issues is likely wise.
3. You're still welcome on my course when it launches but I really think that, if you join, you should build a new site. You will learn a ton and you won't have any past bugs on your sites stopping you from making progress.
