[Closed] PSA - Ammonite Knives website now live.

They look lovely!
I might get in touch with them about a kitchen knife.
Any one have any experience of these?

Thanks for the PSA! Cokie, the ones on the website went to a chap that uses them ecvery day... He loves them!

daftvader: your site?

Little template text left here:
[img] [/img]

Also the grey text on the drop-down is pretty hard to read on my monitor:
[img] [/img]

Hope that helps. Lovely looking knives.

Discount for clowns?

Cheers graham, yes it's mine... Still noticing little things like that! Nice spot!

Not responsive 🙁 (And Google now prioritise responsive/mobile sites over static ones in their results).

I follow this on Facebook. Daftvader, very well done. Your Facebook page is on point - good content, just the right frequency of updates, not spammy or sporadic. Keep up the good work.

Daftvader – Good looking website

If constructive comment is helpful, in your UK LAW section:

carry a knife in public without good reason - unless it’s a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62cm) or less

Really needs to be something like:

carry a knife in public without good reason - unless it’s a knife with a [b]non-locking[/b] folding blade 3 inches long (7.62cm) or less
or
carry a knife in public without good reason - unless it’s a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62cm) or less [b]that does not lock in position[/b]

HTH

Hey sands... That's a direct from the government website!!! Will change it tho. Him jam thanks!

Johndoh working here... Give it another go!

Daftvader,

Looks good.

Keep making them knives.

Never too many knives to have.

All the best.

Cheers chewkw!

daftvader - Member
Hey sands... That's a direct from the government website!!!

Lock knives are not classed as folding knives and are illegal to carry in public without good reason.
Lock knives:
have blades that can be locked and refolded only by pressing a button
can include multi-tool knives - tools that also contain other devices such as a screwdriver or can opener

penknife law
(See my post toward the bottom of page 1)

sands (knife collector / knife law ‘anorak’) 🙂

Fairnuff... Will go on the list of stuff to sort!

By enquiring about purchasing my knives you are agreeing to the fact that you are over 18.

I know its difficult and costly to set up a new business, but I don't like that statement at all.

Is there anyway you can do checks on age?

Its almost I don't give a shit.

Also when you hover over the 'Knives' menu the font that comes up is too pale compared to the background.

FunkyDunc

By enquiring about purchasing my knives you are agreeing to the fact that you are over 18.

I know its difficult and costly to set up a new business, but I don't like that statement at all.

Yeah, I'm in a lather too just thinking about all those hoodies and yoofs hell bent on buying expensive, bespoke, hand crafted high carbon steel knives.

Daftvader, are you on instagram?

right i have sorted out the other bits... hopefully the drop down is a better colour now...
funkydunk.... its not about not giving a shit. it is about complying with uk law and not selling to anyone under age. its like the sign in shops saying they wont sell alcohol. unfortunately i cannot age check people (even the box on the front of websites saying put your age in here are worthless), so by placing that statement on the page with the law and in the t+c page stating once again that it is illegal to sell a knife to anyone under 18 i am covering myself.

and jimjam i am not on Instagram yet... been trying to get the website up and running first then i will look into it...

daftvader - ygm...

Johndoh working here... Give it another go!

Another thing to throw out there - the business name is difficult to spell (if not familiar with the shell) so you'll have lots of missed opportunities where people try to guess the name of the site then give up.

Looking good but just like to say asking for people to post on your behalf about your goods is against the rules too. 8)

It *works* on a mobile device but it is just the desktop site scaled down to fit - it hasn't been built with phones/tablets in mind.

Yep - appears okay on my iPhone, but it is just the desktop site.

Johndoh, that's te price you pay for having to use go daddy or similar... As for the business name being difficult??? Really???? I can't say that anyone I've spoken to has that issue...
Drac... Where did I say that?? 😉 if it's an issue feel free to close the thread.... I won't ask anyone next time.

There appears to be no evidence of Andy saying he'd done it. 😉

That's handy then... 😉 can this PSA stay open then???? Pretty please? The other one about my Facebook page got shut, even tho I asked permission!!!!

Fair enough @daftvader (re GoDaddy) but yes I had no idea how to spell ammonite and I am sure there will be plenty of others with the same problem and any missed chance is a potential sale lost.

Nice knives fella, but your photos are far too small considering it's the detail the buyer is normally interested in. I recommend getting carried away with the size of the images and separating the knives into pages on intended use or just a single knife per page and linked from the dropdown.

I'm a web developer and I appreciate businesses struggle to get started on the web and it can be very costly but the cost of not showing your products can be more damaging.

I'd even say something like "shopify" instead of godaddy site builder would be worth looking at.. possibly even "etsy" but I don't know if they allow knives.

Best of luck with it all

I can see where you are coming from johndoh...
Alexxx I need to change the photos so they can expand... I thought I had till I tried it earlier, will get onto that tonight. Separate pages for all my base models wouldn't really work imo, especially on the basic site builder.

@daftvader - a future plan could be to register some domain names that reflect Google searches and have them redirect to your site - for example:

handmadeknives.co.uk
handcraftedknives.co.uk

Because someone wanting a hand crafted knife will Google 'hand crafted knives' and you would need lots of Google Juice to come up on Google with your current domain name.

Wouldn't cost much at all (no more websites needed - just redirect the domain to your site).

Not a bad idea johndoh, but I am very new to the web side of things... Baby steps!

You might want to check that with someone who knows about SEO.
I'm pretty sure the Google algorithm punishes redirect websites.

What's seo?

Search Engine Optimisation.

Ah! I think I paid extra for that anyway

Well done daftvader, his knives are superb craftsmanship. The three I bought are coveted like jewels.

Great to hear the websites up and running.

All the very best Sir.

Thanks bikebouy, glad they're loved!

Coveted Sir, like shiny baubles 😆

johndoh is wrong - you cant point multiple domains to a single site and expect all of them to get credibility - you in essence tell it which is the most important domain and thats the only 1 you should be going for credibility on.

You haven't "paid for seo" ignore anything godaddy says its bollocks.

I recommend you also ignore anyones great SEO advice and stick to making the content on you're site as user friendly and insightful as possible. If you are indeed looking to attract people via the web then I'd suggest getting some money together and then talking to an advisor so you're not being told false truths all over the place.

Another option for a better site (much better than godaddys site builder) and cheap would be "squarespace.com" they will work better and look better (you can use one of their templates). It's not as good as a custom built site but it'll work a bit harder for you.

If you are looking to attract people organically - you need an hours chat with an advisor sooner to help give you some focus.

Works of art. One has gone straight onto my "frivolous purchases - stuff I don't need (but still WANT)" list.

One thing from the website - there's no sense of scale in the photos.

How much bigger is a Bushcraft 2 from a Bushcrafter? Quite how dinky is the Field Mouse?

You either need to include a fixed point of reference in each pic (a ruler would be dull but effective), or have a pic of all the knives together. Saying how long they are in the description would be useful too

cheers alexxx. food for thought, seeing as i have just sorted and paid for the whole sebang, and its the first year, ill see how it goes..

I recommend you also ignore anyones great SEO advice and stick to making the content on you're site as user friendly and insightful as possible

Jonedwards: that's not a bad plan actually... Will sort out blade size in the description... Good spot
Johndoh...Thanks for your bits of advice but the brand isn't changing, the name isn't changing and the spelling isn't changing. If you can't remember it then you are evidently not interested in the product, those that are will and do remember , sorry if that sounds harsh but I've spent too long setting this up to change it....

still can't recall the OPs URL nor the name of the business

Even know it's in the thread title you're responding to?

Errrr yes - if I look at the title of the thread or re-read the OP I would be reminded but off the top of my head I don't easily recall the business name or URL.

Feel free to ignore my thoughts on it, but they are my opinion.

For example, if it was fossilknives.co.uk then it might stick - I know the words 'fossil' and 'knives' and can easily put them together mentally. But I don't easily recall ammonite (which, incidentally, doesn't even come up in Apple's auto-correct).

I can't tell if you are being deliberately obtuse or playing devils advocate

looks brill daftvader, all the best. I am definitely not going to order a camping knife. No. Definitely not.

Ahem.

Agree with the 'scale' comments, but as an average Joe customer, rest looks fine to me, but maybe an obvious 'oder here' button/page? Name also OK.

It would be quite a good idea to explain what the different steels mean, what the different finishes are, what the different cutting edges do. Otherwise you're only going to sell to a market that knows what you're talking about, and losing the sale to a person who's interested but knows nothing about knives and process - like me.

Ooooou, they are lovely!

Sorry if i have missed it, but how long does it take to make these blades? From confirmation of design to delivery?

What is the blade and handle length of the field and the fish knives?

so tempted to buy something I really don't need 😀

Maybe I'm a bit old fashioned and over cautious but I don't order from websites without a bricks and mortar address. Maybe it's there and I couldn't find it but if it's not you may need to consider how many Luddites like me there are in the world who are potential customers.

daftvader - Member

I can't tell if you are being deliberately obtuse or playing devils advocate

Ignore them daftvader. Type in anything similar to Ammonite Knives on google and it will correct the spelling anyway. I would remember it due to the logo matching the name and it being so distinctive and attractive on the blade.

Very well done for sticking your neck out and starting a business.

They're a little on the dear side for me, but I shall covet them nonetheless.

Beautiful work.

Good luck!

thanks for the replies people...
big_scot_nanny... lol! blade sizes will be up soon

aP... good call. will be doing that today on both counts.

Philholmes... field and fish is a 3" blade and 3" handle, lead times are 3-5 weeks from point of deposit to delivery and everyone needs a decent knife!!!

wwpaddler... i did have my address on there but the boss asked me to take it off. and tbf i agree, i dont have a shop front, or people to visit so its not really needed... it may be something that i discuss with her but she was pretty insistent!

AlexSimon... cheers! covet away!!! pricing is a sticky subject really, i can see your point, but from my side its not just materials that have to be taken into consideration, as i am sure you are aware. on top of which i have to be competitive in the hand made market. too cheap and people will wonder about the quality, and i wont make ends meet, too much as a starting brand and they will wonder why they don't go to a well known maker. i hope i have priced things about right and in the right area.

Type in anything similar to Ammonite Knives on google and it will correct the spelling anyway. I would remember it due to the logo matching the name and it being so distinctive and attractive on the blade.

Funnily enough so does Apple autocorrect I know as my spellings crap but ammonite pops up.

Cheers Daftvader,

I am only back from Switzerland over Christmas so I Will have a think about what i want and email you for a proper quote.

no worries Philhomes, any time!

Funnily enough so does Apple autocorrect I know as my spellings crap but ammonite pops up.

I was using an iPad.

Tested with my iPhone 6 and it didn't have it as a suggestion. 😕

OOOOOh, nice. I'm after a nice small knife for a bout in the garden.

On the site there are a few things I went to click but they we're linked. e.g. the Knives, Customisable & Leather bits at the bottom. They should link through to relevant pages. Also your website homepage title is home, ideally the browser tab should come up with the company name, which I too have now forgotten.

As for the other SEO stuff, read it all, if it seems like a logical thing that makes sense or will make your site better for visitors, do it. SEO gets a bad wrap because of the various people selling snake oil, its not a voodoo art but more a form of best practice to make sure your website is as effective as possible.

I would look to add more text to the home page, and other pages but only if you can write more about the products in a natural way.

Might also (for unknowing folk like me) be worth saying what knife might be best for what (if its not in the name).

On another note my BiL runs a game/fishing/countryware shop, are you interested in supplying commercially?

Nice knives, not that I can afford one and living in Spain I can't order one anyway 🙂

Couple of comments about the website: one minor and one major.

* The logo on the bottom of the pages has a white background (not transparent) and the website is grey. Not an issue but it's a bit ugly.

* Major issue: it's awful on mobile (at least Android). Way too small, and if I click on Chrome's "Make page mobile-friendly" thing there's no way to tell which knife is which. I don't expect some kind of all-bells-and-whistles page you'd get from a big company, but it does at least need to be readable.

I'd also echo the bit about something to give a sense of scale - including your hand in the photos could work, or perhaps a group photo including a ruler?

I was using an iPad.

Tested with my iPhone 6 and it didn't have it as a suggestion.

BTW - can you install Google Analytics on the site (have to ask as I have no idea if GoDaddy allow it, or do you need to use their analytics software)?

If you can, do it - then over time you will start to get a picture of who is visiting your site and that might help you refine the content.

Also you can get an overlay in chrome which shows how people move about your site, very useful when making/trialing changes.

The best content in the world with a poor URL will struggle to beat a URL that is keyword rich.

Complete and utter crap ^ it's not 2004 and there is such thing as building a "brand" rather than a generic phrase to hope to stand out. If he wants to do well organically it's going to take a lot more effect with backlinks and a steady stream of quality content than any benefit a keyword rich domain name will give.

Head in hands.. if you want to actually help johndoe I recommend you have a read up of current practises: [url= https://moz.com/learn/seo ]https://moz.com/learn/seo[/url]

No more "true facts" please.

I'm sure godaddy will let you install analytics and it's good to do so now to get an idea of traffic and browsing habits however you'll read it wrong and you'll find it dull or jump to the wrong conclusions... my advice is install it and hand it over to someone who knows how to read it in a years time..... focus on getting credible sites to link to yours with reviews ect... also if ranking organically in google is your thing start writing a weekly blog with related quality content... probably answering the main q's that people ask a man in your profession.

Complete and utter crap

Yes... and when seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.

Just as a wee follow up to this, I was so taken with the knives, and my need for a new one, that I had a rather fabulous dialogue with Tim that resulted in a bespoke Beast and Field Mouse winging their way across the English Channel to me.

Absolutely wonderful they are too, and ridiculously good value. Cheers Tim! need a kitchen knife soon BTW... 🙂

Here is the Beast during a momentary pause in batoning wood and feathering fire sticks at recent Scout camp.

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