SMW

Many thanks for the comments guys. Yeah, I used Wordpress for the blog until I have sorted out one on the main site. Your comment on the genericness of it is exactly what I was thinking. I love websites that look quirky and fun but I don't seem to be able to grasp how to do more creative layouts. Ideally I would like it to have a liquid layout but each time I try one I always come unstuck once I start testing in IE6 because I don't want it to span the full width of the page (especially if someone has a 2560 wide monitor).

I'd second ModX. I use it all the time, and I think there are a few people who have used the Web User plugins along with snippets like Maxi Gallery for user created photo galleries.

I've not had much success with them. Digg is a difficult one because they only seem to go for technology and computer news stories. Most other stuff seems to get buried, and God help you if you try to openly promote your site there.

Not sure about the US, but pyramid schemes are illegal in the UK, and that sort of thing doesn't generate relevant quality traffic. Yes, the viral videos are becoming more popular now. The problem solving is a big thing that I try to concentrate on. Many companies are web aware now, but so many of them simply do not understand the benefits of video. In fact many companies actually pride themselves on not using video! Which is silly really considering the conversion increases that they could be getting.

Thanks Andy, some great suggestions there. I have considered my own You Tube video in the past, but the thing that always stopped me was that nobody would find it on there unless they were looking for it. I couldn't imagine there being too many people that type in "video production company" into YT. And this seems to be the fundamental problem, like you say, how to market to people who don't know that something exists. I'll certainly concentrate my efforts toward website designers and consultants in my area. For some reason that is one idea that is so obvious that it completely bypassed my mind! Doh! I think it's an issue with being a creative person rather than a business minded one!

I posted my business website up for evaluation in the critique forum, but one of the things that has always perplexed me about my particular business is how to use the web properly to promote it. I also run a fairly popular website with tutorials and reviews for all things video related, and I get a lot of hits for that from posting on various related forums. The trouble is that for my actual video production company website it isn't so easy. I'm not interested in getting hits for that from other people who make videos. Instead I want people who run non video related companies to come to me for their video production needs, ie customer testimonial videos, training videos, product promotion videos, etc etc. I have managed to get my business site to page two on the Google search listings for video production in my region, but I do not think Google is really a relevant marketing method in this particular case. It certainly can't do any harm to have a higher Google ranking, but it relies on businesses actively searching for a video production company in the first place. Many businesses aren't even aware of how professionally shot video, especially on the web, can help them and increase their product sales. The big problem is how to reach these people and get them over to the site? I'm not sure that banner ads would work too well because the people I am targeting are involved in all kinds of different subject matter. I am trying the rear car window sticker method, and maybe that might bring in a few curiosities. But I'm stumped for anything else. Spraying graffiti onto the side of buildings?

Hi, This is my first post to these forums, so I hope you'll excuse a website review request being my induction here. I've been trying to get my head around web design and I always seem to end up banging my head against a brick wall. I have made a website for my company. It is still under development, but I'm not sure that I am happy with it. I keep revamping it, but at some point I'm going to have to settle on something! I found these forums and was wondering whether anyone might be able to give me any suggestions for mods to my layout that might help sell my services? For example would it be better to have a more graphical front page rather than one with text? Is the colour scheme okay? Go easy on me, I'm not a web pro! http://www.5ep.co.uk