Site ready for critique

[proactivator]

Hi,
Have built my site http://www.jamesbartondesign.com to the stage that structure is in place, navigation, contact forms, email addresses, shopping cart. From now on it is along slog assembling product, photographing it and making the web pages. I want feedback at this stage because I have another 60 or so pages to go, so it is best to make any neccessary changes now. I'll tell you what I have tried to do.

1). To keep a clean look but designed in a way that is in keeping with the product and my market.

2). Keep my pages small (at present all between 48kb and 131kb).

3). Am aware search engines use text in their searches but have tried to keep it to a minimum in short paragraphs.

Feedback I am particularly keen to receive is as follows.

1). The stripped down style (quite difficult to achieve funnily enough): is it boring?

2). Have not completed all the page info as regards keywords and meta tags, but where I have, am I on the right track? Bethers- help!

3). Anything else that will put me straight. Am not worried about spelling mistakes and the like: my wife will apply the fine toothcomb as far as that is concerned.

4). Harsh criticism is fine. I won't take it personally even if you mean it that way!

Thanks in advance.
James.

[Bethers]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi James,
I'm limited in time but looking at the home page- I'll work straight down:

Title - not worded well for users or se's - how about: "Statuette Manufacturer to British Armed Forces, Emergency Services - James Barton Design"

That's still long, but should fit and gets rid of all the extraneous words except one "to".

Get rid of "site under construction" - totally unnecessary -

Get rid of "Welcome to our site" That is where you should have a page headline in h1 tags- using your best keywords for THAT page.

Get rid of the line "It is pretty straightforward to describe what we do" - Yep, no one needs that extra text - you say you don't want lots of text - make every bit of text be important to the people reading it. A possible start: "James Barton Design manufactures statuettes for a specialty market including the British Armed Forces and Emergency Services.

Then you go on saying you don't sell to the public, etc etc - and it is a pity - so I would have clicked off - if I wanted those statuettes, you just told me what a pity - I can't have them - gone I go. I would NEVER HAVE seen that you are going to change that. Why say the other at all - don't do that - TELL me and possible customers what you ARE doing - not what you might have done in the past etc. Do you have any products that can be bought as is? Are all products only special ordered? Make it clear - in easy, concise terms what you have/do - with a picture or two (so you might have to have more on the page than you said you wanted). But pictures SELL products - they are necessary in a product environment.

Make sure you add your contact info - preferably including a phone number - to your footer - make it easy for people to reach you. And get a privacy policy link on the home page with your privacy policy.

That's it for now - and remember - you need to write about what you have - in terms of the customer - not in terms of yourself - and in a positive and exciting way whenever possible.

[choco777]

Re: Site ready for critique

You really should have some type of pictures...I wouldn't buy just from this site without seeing what I was being offered, even if it is very nicely done site like yours.

[proactivator]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi Beth,
Lots of sound advice and I have started already. If you have a moment I'd be grateful if you would advise me on meta tags and tell me if I'm on track or not. I have done as you suggested re the rewording of the page title that appears at the top line in the browser, but can you tell me reasoning behind that.I know this stuff is your baby so I want to learn as much as I can from you. I know you have only looked at the index page but if you have a chance to just take a quick trip around the structure of the products pages I am sure your input would be invaluable.
Many thanks,
James.

[proactivator]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi Chocco777,
Is your advice that I should have products on the Index page? There are masses of photos in the site, but If you're saying what I think you are then I'll have to work out how I'm going to approach it. But that is why I'm asking for opinions.
Thanks,
James.

[Collectors-info]

Re: Site ready for critique

Site looks really good; you say that you have a lot more pages to do? Will this fall within the 4 categories you have at the moment. If so don’t worry, I was just thinking if you may start to need a fuller index area if this was to grow.
Hope you don’t mind! I was having a play with one of your pages.

http://www.collectors-info.com/testing/as1.html

Beth may be able to give some better advice, but I think the SE’s will struggle to find you without giving them some more info to work on. IE: Key words within your pages & your images named well with an alt tag. This was the reason for playing & getting an area for some text.
When I say struggle with the SE’s, I mean in the fact you maybe able to give them a lot more to go bye with a good description on each item for sale & being able to use more key words. Maybe a little about the history/army/famous personal & so on. Its just there is hardly anything for them to go on at the moment.

Good luck with the site.

[Danny Canada]

Re: Site ready for critique

James

They say a pictureis worth a thousand words...

Place about 3-4 of your products on the main page in a lightbox feature to make people know right off the bat what it is you sell!

You have some nice products so why not show them as soon as they enter.

Good job!

Danny

[proactivator]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi Chris,
What you have done is certainly worth considering, but my goodness I'm going to work some to get all the info. Yes all the pages will now fall into the existing product categories. This site is going to take so long to finish. I knew it was something that I could not put out to a professional: the cost in time would have been prohibitive.
Thanks for the time you have taken with your help.
James.

[proactivator]

Re: Site ready for critique

Danny,
I think I may well run with that one. Many thanks.
James.

[proactivator]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi to all those who have given of their time and advice,
1). Beth, as you can see I have started: will take your advice re contact info and privacy policy.
2). Chris. I will work around your suggestion re text. I still want to keep 2 images per page, so probably a longer page with a bit of vertical scrolling.
3). Thanks Danny. Have incorporated light box in the index page. Does it work? The only thing that bothers me is that I now have an index page that is 339kb. Is this too big? Does it take too long to load.

All input is gratefully received. Working on one's PC is a solitary activity and it is easy to make wrong assumptions and bad decisions.
Regards,
James.

[alas]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi James,
your index page with the light box is loading fast, do not worry.
Two small suggestions.
1) you can use the light box for all the other pages, it will give a bit of dynamic to your site.
2) your products pages:
this page has three pictures http://www.jamesbartondesign.com/non-military-tmbs.html , it will look nicer if you center them.
The navigation menu bar they are confusing me, because from the product page you have four links for the different products, but when you navigate you have only three navigation button, I know why you have done it in this way, but it will be better if from your product page all the links to different products are " -blank " links, the viewer will have to close the page to go back, so he will be back to your products page.
The last one, the color of the background of your pages, is very military,
maybe a more lite color will give a bit of energy to the pictures.
Also, i would like to thank you for your positive comments about my website.
Ciao
Alas
www.mediterraneotanzania.com
Tanzania Hotels

[proactivator]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi Alas,
Thanks for the time you have taken to give me your suggestions. The size of the page does worry me.
1). I am thinking about that. I cannot work out at present how to effectively link a lightbox page with my shopping cart.
2). These pages will have more items added the whole time. My lazy way is just add until the line is complete and then I start the next line. But I do hear you. Same goes for navigation. As for background; I shall experiment a bit more to see if something else works better.

As regards your site: I still want to stay at your hotel! I showed it to my wife and she was really taken by it as well (she lived in Kenya for the first 18 years of her life).
Regards,
James.

[alas]

Re: Site ready for critique

Let me know when you want to came to East Africa, and I will give you a Vodahost friends special price.
Alas

[proactivator]

Re: Site ready for critique

Thanks Alas, it just keeps getting better and better.
Regards,
James.

[Bethers]

Re: Site ready for critique

James,
I don't have time right now - but looking better.

Your paragraph of text still needs to be rewritten - you're still telling me you don't do what you do do LOL - and that won't help you.

The pics are great, but your alt text on them isn't - it needs to tell someone who can't see the picture what the picture is they can't see. That helps people and se's.

I'd also do the paragraph in two short paragraphs and get those pictures in between - so that they are further up on the page - noticed right away.

If you haven't already, please click on the final link in my signature and read some SEO stuff in my ebook.