News -
09/06 2009:searchrankresults.co.uk

You'll need a lawyer to tell you if it's legal or not...
SearchRankResults.co.uk (among others) cold-calls small business with a web site and promises them a place on Page 1 of Google. They offer a 3-month trial at (say) £100 per month and take a credit/debit card payment for the full amount. The 3-month trial leads into a 12-month rolling contract unless cancelled.
The phone call is recorded.
The small print is just that - very small, faint print on the back of the invoice. It states that to cancel trial the customer must give one month's notice in writing - i.e. after 2 months.
After 2 months SearchRankResults take full payment for the year's contract.
Should the customer manage to stop this payment SearchRankResults starts threatening legal action.
We have heard from a couple of victims and would be happy to hear from more. Our advice is AVOID AT ALL COSTS - as it would be for any such offer from a cold-caller.
Remember - anyone who guarantees you top spot in Google is either lying, or (as in this case) just spending your money on Google Adwords (Sponsored Links).
28/10 2008:New Year's Resolution

Just like me, our web site is getting wider! Unlike me, I think it's better looking too.
We've given it a make-over with a new "skin" and layout. As you'd expect the colours for the design are all derived from our logo.
The re-vamp was prompted partly by some new, bigger monitors in the office. Suddenly the old site looked a bit lost in the middle of our screens. Time for a change...
We are not alone in feeling like this, I suspect. When it comes to monitors there are a few sources of statistics on the web, notably the W3Schools site. The most interesting statistics are here.
(reproduced below).

Date | Higher | 1024x768 | 800x600 | 640x480 | Unknown |
January 2008 | 38% | 48% | 8% | 0% | 6% |
January 2007 | 26% | 54% | 14% | 0% | 6% |
January 2006 | 17% | 57% | 20% | 0% | 6% |
January 2005 | 12% | 53% | 30% | 0% | 5% |
January 2004 | 10% | 47% | 37% | 1% | 5% |
January 2003 | 6% | 40% | 47% | 2% | 5% |
January 2002 | 6% | 34% | 52% | 3% | 5% |
January 2001 | 5% | 29% | 55% | 6% | 5% |
January 2000 | 4% | 25% | 56% | 11% | 4% |

The main thing to note is that the vast majority of site visitors are now using a screen resolution of at least 1024x768 - this is the usual resolution for a standard 17 inch monitor. 19 inch monitors and wide-screen laptops will normally use a higher resolution. It's worth noting that the BBC is changing to this format.
We've stuck with our favoured content management system (CMS) and fold-out menu system. Between them they allow us to change the site as and when we choose, adding, changing and removing content. If you're using Firefox or a recent edition of Internet Explorer you'll be able to enjoy our nice, rounded fold-out menus.
So, if your website was constructed a few years ago, to a fixed-width design, it probably looks a bit narrow too. If so, why not contact us, ask for a quote, and give your site a new look for 2009?
Best wishes
Alan Jewitt
Director