Website reviews [Archive] - Mobile Disco Directory Forum

rth_discos

09-03-2021, 07:04 AM

Hi all

I’m after some views on my website http://www.eastangliandiscos.co.uk

I keep updating it and blog, but visitor numbers are low.

Thanks

So a couple of things...

First, get https - SSL certificate installed on your website.

Also, it looks like your website has been hacked and has a redirect code - which seems to redirect when you click through from Google.

Might explain why there's very few views!

*******************

<html>
<head>
<META http-equiv="refresh" content="1;URL=https://truework369crowd.live/?utm_campaign=pEv9cTd8QNHYzqqr5UNFx2COHvnp_JE3r8uV Ihm3Qww1&t=main9">
<script>
window.location = "https://truework369crowd.live/?utm_campaign=pEv9cTd8QNHYzqqr5UNFx2COHvnp_JE3r8uV Ihm3Qww1&t=main9";
</script>
</head>
<body>
To the new location please <a href="https://truework369crowd.live/?utm_campaign=pEv9cTd8QNHYzqqr5UNFx2COHvnp_JE3r8uV Ihm3Qww1&t=main9"><b>click here.</b></a>
</body>
</html>

*******************

East Anglian Discos

09-03-2021, 07:25 AM

So a couple of things...

First, get https - SSL certificate installed on your website.

Also, it looks like your website has been hacked and has a redirect code - which seems to redirect when you click through from Google.

Might explain why there's very few views!

*******************

<html>
<head>
<META http-equiv="refresh" content="1;URL=https://truework369crowd.live/?utm_campaign=pEv9cTd8QNHYzqqr5UNFx2COHvnp_JE3r8uV Ihm3Qww1&t=main9">
<script>
window.location = "https://truework369crowd.live/?utm_campaign=pEv9cTd8QNHYzqqr5UNFx2COHvnp_JE3r8uV Ihm3Qww1&t=main9";
</script>
</head>
<body>
To the new location please <a href="https://truework369crowd.live/?utm_campaign=pEv9cTd8QNHYzqqr5UNFx2COHvnp_JE3r8uV Ihm3Qww1&t=main9"><b>click here.</b></a>
</body>
</html>

*******************

Thanks for this.

How do I get rid of the redirect issue?

DJ Jules

09-03-2021, 07:25 AM

In light of the above.... Sign up to Google Search Console.

Linking your Gmail account with your website will mean that Google will send you emails whenever something changes on your website that will impact on its search ranking (like being hijacked). It'll also give you valuable insight into how Google sees your site and what you can do to improve it.

Julian

Marc J

09-03-2021, 10:46 AM

How do I get rid of the redirect issue?

Most likely a compromised plugin, theme or core wordpress vulnerability that wasn't patched (you do keep WP and all your plugins up-to-date, right?).

Check your plugins, your .htaccess file, index.php, theme's files (esp. header and footer files), uploads folder, wp-config.php file. If you don't know what you're looking for that might be tricky (it won't look like the code above, it'll most likely be obfuscated javascript that injects the above into the page, so it'll look like a lot of unreadable code).

If you have a known good backup that might be your best approach, then bring everything up-to-date, and change your passwords.

ppentertainments

09-03-2021, 12:56 PM

Like most DJ sites there is too much 'I' and not enough 'you'

'I can do xyz' instead of 'you can have xyz'

rth_discos

09-03-2021, 02:22 PM

Like most DJ sites there is too much 'I' and not enough 'you'

'I can do xyz' instead of 'you can have xyz'

Absolutely.

Compare:

Nothing makes me happier than a full dance floor!

with:

Nothing will make you and your guests happier than a full dance floor!

East Anglian Discos

12-03-2021, 06:10 PM

Absolutely.

Compare:

Nothing makes me happier than a full dance floor!

with:

Nothing will make you and your guests happier than a full dance floor!

Many thanks for your feedback

Retrodisco

13-03-2021, 12:19 PM

Most likely a compromised plugin, theme or core wordpress vulnerability that wasn't patched (you do keep WP and all your plugins up-to-date, right?).

Check your plugins, your .htaccess file, index.php, theme's files (esp. header and footer files), uploads folder, wp-config.php file. If you don't know what you're looking for that might be tricky (it won't look like the code above, it'll most likely be obfuscated javascript that injects the above into the page, so it'll look like a lot of unreadable code).

If you have a known good backup that might be your best approach, then bring everything up-to-date, and change your passwords.

Download Wordfence plugin, it will fix all your issues for you.

DeckstarDeluxe

14-03-2021, 10:28 AM

Not a bad site, though I feel like it could do with some tweaks on the appearance front.

I would check about the load times, it seemed to take my PC awhile to load up the site. Have you also checked how it looks on mobile/tablets as that's where most traffic comes from now (for most sites anyways).

East Anglian Discos

14-03-2021, 04:18 PM

DJ Jules

14-03-2021, 05:27 PM

Scores well in Google but I’m not getting a single enquiry

With malware on the site, it wouldn't have been showing up anywhere until Google rechecked it yesterday.

How are you testing how it ranks?

Julian

ppentertainments

14-03-2021, 06:09 PM

Scores well in Google but I’m not getting a single enquiry
Are you getting any hits though ? And how long are people staying on your site for ?

Must admit, I have 2 sites which perform really well on google yet get very few enquiries direct from people searching. Ironically the site which performs the best, and I like the most, gets fewer enquiries from google than the second site.

No logic, or proof either, but I find ranking in 3rd/4th place brings the best results.

DeckstarDeluxe

15-03-2021, 10:46 AM

Scores well in Google but I’m not getting a single enquiry

How it is "doing well" in google? If you look at Google analytics it'll tell you how people are generally behaving on your site. Visit times, entrance/exit pages etc...

rth_discos

15-03-2021, 03:44 PM

Scores well in Google but I’m not getting a single enquiry

Here's a brief overview of a few changes that might help - others may find it useful too:

https://www.loom.com/share/e9e656fa70294fbea861abe923181b81

East Anglian Discos

17-03-2021, 08:14 PM

Here's a brief overview of a few changes that might help - others may find it useful too:

https://www.loom.com/share/e9e656fa70294fbea861abe923181b81

Very helpful feedback. Much appreciated.

Imagine

17-03-2021, 10:12 PM

Very helpful feedback. Much appreciated.

The suggestions in Gavin's video work - he did that we me a few years back. Potential customers just need to be nudged in the right direction half the time. It always amazes me though that they'll very quickly find the prices page on my website but fail to find the contact me page :daft:

Something else that might be worth looking into (I can't remember how technically minded you are Robin....it's been a while since I've seen you), is to look at an SEO overview tool. There's loads out there but I personally use Ubersuggest because it works for me. These things all work in a similar way and check you site for various metrics like loading speeds, errors, possible problems with titles and keywords not making sense etc.

I think there's also a bit of a sluggishness going on in this part of the world as well regarding booking what we do at the moment (several that I know in our area are saying similar). I'm getting less "hits" on the site than this time last year and those I have had the opportunity to speak to are staying very cautious at the moment as they're really not sure whether their event will actually go ahead or not.

East Anglian Discos

21-03-2021, 03:34 PM

The suggestions in Gavin's video work - he did that we me a few years back. Potential customers just need to be nudged in the right direction half the time. It always amazes me though that they'll very quickly find the prices page on my website but fail to find the contact me page :daft:

Something else that might be worth looking into (I can't remember how technically minded you are Robin....it's been a while since I've seen you), is to look at an SEO overview tool. There's loads out there but I personally use Ubersuggest because it works for me. These things all work in a similar way and check you site for various metrics like loading speeds, errors, possible problems with titles and keywords not making sense etc.

I think there's also a bit of a sluggishness going on in this part of the world as well regarding booking what we do at the moment (several that I know in our area are saying similar). I'm getting less "hits" on the site than this time last year and those I have had the opportunity to speak to are staying very cautious at the moment as they're really not sure whether their event will actually go ahead or not.

I’m not a techie person, but I think the referral hack is solved; fingers crossed!

I’m using MDJN server for my site which seems slow. Anyone else uses this server or NDJ?

Regardless of blogging, altering the site I’m getting no enquiries.

Imagine

21-03-2021, 04:05 PM

I’m not a techie person, but I think the referral hack is solved; fingers crossed!

I’m using MDJN server for my site which seems slow. Anyone else uses this server or NDJ?

Regardless of blogging, altering the site I’m getting no enquiries.

Well done on sorting the hack :)

I use Zen Internet for hosting. It costs me a tenner a month but they've never let me down. Can't comment on the MDJN servers as never used them personally, but you do see a lot of moans from time to time on the FB group about it.

As for enquiries and traffic....it's very uppy-downy at the moment. My site has been busy all week and I've booked a couple in for later this year (fingers crossed), but today....not a single visitor yet. I still think there's an element of doubt going through peoples minds as to whether or not life will really resume this year, especially reading some of today's headlines about masks and SD potentially being here for several years to come.

Marc J

21-03-2021, 04:52 PM

I’m using MDJN server for my site which seems slow. Anyone else uses this server or NDJ?

Get in touch if you want to move, I host plenty of DJ's Worpdress sites, as well as this forum ;)

I'd stick it on Cloudflare for additional speed and security benefits, including CF's Railgun technology (https://www.cloudflare.com/en-gb/website-optimization/railgun/) (normally requires a package starting at $200 per month) as well as an SSL installed at no extra cost.

Excalibur

21-03-2021, 05:43 PM

Get in touch if you want to move, I host plenty of DJ's Worpdress sites, as well as this forum ;)

I'd stick it on Cloudflare for additional speed and security benefits, including CF's Railgun technology (https://www.cloudflare.com/en-gb/website-optimization/railgun/) (normally requires a package starting at $200 per month) as well as an SSL installed at no extra cost.

I didn't understand a word of that after " get in touch", but I'd recommend Marc J unreservedly, as would others. :approve:

rth_discos

21-03-2021, 08:31 PM

As for enquiries and traffic....it's very uppy-downy at the moment. My site has been busy all week and I've booked a couple in for later this year (fingers crossed), but today....not a single visitor yet. I still think there's an element of doubt going through peoples minds as to whether or not life will really resume this year, especially reading some of today's headlines about masks and SD potentially being here for several years to come.

I think it's exactly this.

Not dissimilar to the cruise industry. I was booked to on a cruise in February this year - we booked it last January.

It was cancelled in October of last year, and rather than move the cruise, I took a refund.

My sister who was booked on the same cruise moved it to another date - and now that one has been cancelled too.

So we're now in a situation where I'm simply not going to book a package holiday/cruise etc until these things are actually active again.

Similarly, if I were planning my wedding, I wouldn't be booking anything until an actual wedding, with a reception party and disco, went ahead. So I can understand the lack of enquiries.

Most work this year (if it comes off) will be from the postponements from last year. A couple of enquiries were from those looking for new suppliers for their postponed date because their original supplier wasn't available for new date. And the odd enquiry for weddings towards the end of this summer.

But certainly nowhere near the usual numbers.

If we actually see things unlock this summer, with full weddings going ahead, then I would expect to start seeing the 2022 enquiries coming through. But I think most people have had their fingers burnt now in one way or another, so will be holding off until they actually see normality back.

Imagine

21-03-2021, 09:53 PM

Most work this year (if it comes off) will be from the postponements from last year. A couple of enquiries were from those looking for new suppliers for their postponed date because their original supplier wasn't available for new date. And the odd enquiry for weddings towards the end of this summer.

But certainly nowhere near the usual numbers.

Yup, the couple I've picked up this weekend up reschedules from last year that were cancelled and in need of new suppliers. I'm getting a LOT of window shoppers (been working on my "technical SEO" over the past couple of weeks so traffic is getting a LOT better), but very few actual enquiries especially when compared to last year which is when I started actually recording the stats.

I'm now at the stage where I've made it soo easy to book, I barely need to engage in a conversation other than replying to an "are you available?" email/text. I now have a contact FORM on every page AND the price for that particular service. There's very little need for them to talk to me before booking which for those that are getting in touch seems to be working very nicely. Maybe this is the future :)

Benny Smyth

22-03-2021, 08:26 AM

Imagine

22-03-2021, 08:49 AM

By this date last year, I had 105 enquiries, and converted 19 of them. This year, I'm currently at 115 and have converted 32 (4 of those wins are for 2021).

People are out there looking to book. It'll be mostly for 2022 onwards, and I dare say that June 22nd will be the beginnings of a flood of 2021 dates, but my own experience is that they are there.

Completely different story here :(

This time last year, 45 enquiries and 12 converted
This year, 14 enquiries and 5 converted

And there's quite a few of us over this way saying the same thing at the moment.

Benny Smyth

22-03-2021, 09:11 AM

Completely different story here :(

This time last year, 45 enquiries and 12 converted
This year, 14 enquiries and 5 converted

And there's quite a few of us over this way saying the same thing at the moment.

I can't speak intelligently on why that would be the case for you, but every time I've experienced droughts, I always approached them on the assumption that I am not where people are looking. Am I on page 2 of Google? Nobody is looking there. I'm on Hitched but not RMW, so maybe I need to look at that. Should I drop my Facebook ads and try to focus more on Instagram? How can I get the most out of my directory listings? Have I recently tapped up photographers and videographers that I have worked with so I can get more content on my website with a link back to them. Did they blog about a wedding I was at? Maybe I'll cheekily ask them the link back to my website. Maybe I'll drop my regular venues an email asking how they are. Probably do the same with local suppliers too.

I'm no good at marketing, so I genuinely believe that if this bearded moron is still getting enquiries in, then everyone else can too.

rth_discos

22-03-2021, 10:43 AM

I'm getting a LOT of window shoppers (been working on my "technical SEO" over the past couple of weeks so traffic is getting a LOT better), but very few actual enquiries especially when compared to last year which is when I started actually recording the stats.

I'd be definitely looking at running remarketing ads on the Google Display Network to keep in front of those browsers so you're there when they come to book.

Very low cost - a budget of £1 a day would do perfectly fine.

Vectis

23-03-2021, 04:17 PM

Slightly OT but reading the last few threads made me go away and look through some NaD stats and user comments.

Up until Boris's roadmap announcement, enquiries had been depressed for quite some time, creeping up gradually since Christmas to a level around half of what we were seeing in 2019-20, majority for late 2021/2022 weddings with a sprinkling of private functions.

Since the announcement the level of enquiries has shot up to well above average for the time of year (ignoring 2020), but so has the number of enquiries without a defined venue. Digging a bit deeper and it seems we're seeing around 8-10 times the number of VENUE enquiries going through compared to 2019. Deeper still and I'm seeing several comments from frustrated would-be customers that suggest they're having great difficulty finding and securing venues at the moment. We're now starting to see lower-level functions coming through again like kids parties, school discos etc. which have been absent for a long time.

So an even deeper dive into mail server logs shows that a very large proportion of venue enquiries are being met with autoresponders along the lines of "We're currently shut, all the staff are on furlough, we don't know when we'll be open, now sod off!"

Methinks part of the problem is not a lack of demand, but folks not being able to secure their venue - which, let's face it, is usually the first thing to get booked before other services get a look-in.

Excalibur

23-03-2021, 09:40 PM

Methinks part of the problem is not a lack of demand, but folks not being able to secure their venue - which, let's face it, is usually the first thing to get booked before other services get a look-in.

Hence, so many enquiries for the vague " Scunthorpe, Hull, Nottingham, Leeds..........................". Who knows whether we're quoting for a five star hotel, where you can reverse the van into the function room, or a truly grotty boozer, parked half a mile away, and five flights of stairs to ascend. :confused:

Thanks Martin, that makes sense of what we've been seeing lately. Perhaps it isn't just the customers being lazy or inconsiderate.

Imagine

23-03-2021, 10:45 PM

That explains an awful lot - thanks for the info Martin.
Something else I learned today, Cambs registrars aren't booking ANYBODY in until 1st September, which explains why the two I booked over the weekend are for September

Roll on normality :daft:

Vectis

24-03-2021, 09:09 AM

To add a bit more meat, I looked back at enquiries received in the last 7 days to midnight Tuesday and compared to the same week in 2019:

Overall number of enquiries were UP almost 30%
34% of all enquiries were for VENUE ONLY compared to less than 10%
62% of all enquiries were for services PLUS venue recommendations, compared to less than 15%
56% of all disco/services enquiries were for 'venue not specified' or 'venue not confirmed', compared to around 25%
92% of all disco/services enquiries were for dates at least 90 days in the future, compared to around 60% (not surprising)

But perhaps most importantly, average suggested budget is up 46% on 2019 (we've not raised the suggested defaults in this time period).

Slightly more than HALF of all venue enquiries met with either an autoresponder about being closed / slow due to covid or a mailbox full error. I don't have stats for 2019 but from experience these used to be few and far between, perhaps 1 in 50 would bounce.

Window shoppers on the website are significantly up, way more than the +30% who are enquiring. Difficult to put an exact finger on it but it looks to be about DOUBLE 2019 rates.

There's a deluge waiting to happen folks. I also suspect there's going to be a deluge of existing bookings that have a change of venue once their preferred place lets them book. I base this assumption on the number of enquiries that specify a venue but also ask for venue recommendations!