Please Check Out My First Website

[Sabrinamcc]

This is the first website I've ever done, so please check it out and let me know what you think. This is for my business, so I'm a little nervous to announce it. Plus, there's a few kinks to work out. Thanks to everyone who offered advice during my panic attacks!

www.goldenlimousinechicago.com

#17363

[azuredesign]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

good job on the ease of navigation. a good idea would be to use a video format that anyone can view though.

[Sabrinamcc]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

Any suggestions? The only program I have to work with is Windows Movie Maker. I think the clips are too short and I don't like the jerky movement when it first starts. It seems to take a couple of loops to smooth out. If anyone can suggest a *free* program I'd appreciate it.

[Vasili]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

Really great start, Bri!

You might want to "center" your logo over your Menu nav, to balance the top a bit better, and apply page centering also.

Is the grey background in the text box the way you wanted it, or was that supposed to be transparent?

The colors add to your theme nicely, and you have done well keeping things focused having implemented simplicity throughout.

Personally, I avoid having videos auto-start on pages (clogs page loads) and leve it up to viewers as an otion based on interest --- also a good way to "stack" them in a particular area without load delays, especially by using text links to "on-click" formatted pop-ups.

Good start indeed!

[beegud2]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

Hi,

Nice site ..easily navigable. Loaded easily in IE for me and had no problems with the video. You need to center your pages and can be easily done by right clikcking to bring up the properties box. One other thing, I think you might see if you can make all the pages the same size (height and width) and make the size of headers you are using on the various pages the same size. The pages appear to change up nd down ...although this could be because the page is not centered.

Good job though and good luck with your online business.

[Sabrinamcc]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

Thanks for the feedback! I've centered the logo. The banners appear to jump up and down because I was trying to match the banner width to the image width, but I agree, it's too jumpy. I'll center the pages and see if that makes this better. I didn't know I could do that! Learn something new everyday. As for the text in the light gray boxes, that was something I added today. I'm not sure I like them. I wanted to add contact info on each page, not just on the bottom, but I don't think I like the affect. Any suggestions?

[Vasili]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

. As for the text in the light gray boxes, that was something I added today. I'm not sure I like them. I wanted to add contact info on each page, not just on the bottom, but I don't think I like the affect. Any suggestions?

I always like the phrase "Click or Call To Reserve Your Special Time" and just have the phone number and maybe an email "envelope" icon all by its lonesome under that text area (most everyone knows what it means: email).

If you lay a black rectangle down, and a light grey rectangle over that (makes a bordered effect) you can lay your text in a 'themed' textbox nicely with that line and the phone number....and consider using the logomaker with a transparent (text only) background instead of straight BV-writing.....looks classier!

[Sabrinamcc]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not exactly sure I followed your directions, but the result wasn't bad. Take a look and let me know what you think. :)

[Vasili]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

Yes....getting there....I would make the "envelope" much smaller, and keep it below the phone number --- maybe even outside of the box altogether, for as it is now, it is somewhat cumbersome to read your invitation easily (let alone be an effective conversion). Don't you have a grey or white "envelope icon" that would look nice? Lemme email you one through your site....

And....I would make your text background a more prominent grey (like found elsewhere on your page --- use the eyedropper in Custom Color) to make the text contrast more *****ly and "pop"....experiment!

And lastly, I would rely on using at least the simple php-based email form described in the Forms Tutorial # 1, which you should create a Contact page around, rather than use a "mailto:" function as you are now.....when you get that page up, simply change the link of the envelope to the new Contact page!


PS: I went to Trinity College in Deerfield, and lived in the area afterward until I couldn't take the winters anymore....

EDIT: Icons emailed....I hope you are getting them via your website!

[Sabrinamcc]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

PS: I went to Trinity College in Deerfield, and lived in the area afterward until I couldn't take the winters anymore....

You're not missing much... winters still suck

Thanks for the icons. But now I seem to be having an identity crisis over this contact box. I'm also having family and friends checking out the site and giving thier opinions. I created two more (on About Us & Contact Us) and there seems to be a split between the three. Care to wiegh in?

[Vasili]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

OK, fine. Lemme make a mock up to see if I can demonstrate some of the basics I am trying to communicate. Back in about 20......

[Vasili]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

I came up with this quick mock-up (despite being way-laid by a rogue business call) using whatever I could pull off your site and by doing a 'balancing act' somewhat.

* Note that I maked the video player controls, and picked up on the "Gold" theme throughout, and drastically changed your footer area. I used a different font, but it is for funa anyway --- I think you get a different perspective from this, and can see how visual balance and subtle highlights can add a dramatic difference to the appeal from the get-go: your whole uniqueness is your video display, to allow the viewer to "picture themselves" in the picture (mock interaction) and the gliutziness of being in a limo against the city lights.....ok, so let it be the Main Event by cleaning up the rest of it.....>>> this makes the 2 most important pages of your site "Reservations" and "Contact Us", so you need a classy act there. Definitely an email form (use the simple one I mentioned at least), and a brief tell-all reservations page with compelling invite to convert.....

PS- Note that I put a transparent rectangle over the "Click or Call" and hyperlinked it....(thus the "Click")....you will need to do the same, linking to your Reservations Page = no longer the need to use the email icon or to confuse any more between Contact and Reservations.
Also...think it's time to make your Menu button font smaller and maybe Tahoma instead of TimesRoman?

You have my email and some inspiration, so let's see what you decide from here on out....

[Vasili]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

PPS: Your video is stretched horizontally to distortion --even the fonts are bordering legibility-- so I would re-format it first (I had to use the file as you had saved/published it, so if you want to simply make it taller it will be easily corrected. Because I had to save your buttons as images, the gold color wiped, but they should be gold as you have them in YOUR file.).

[Sabrinamcc]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

That looks great! I'm going to have to go back through the tutorials because somehow I am totally missing the layering thing to get the borders you're reffering to and masking the controls. And I love how you adjusted the bottom information. It looks much cleaner and more professional. I'm ashamed admit I just threw them in there without much thought. There's a lot of cleaning up to do. One of my friends (who dabbles in web design) suggested I move the movie down and center it like you did, but it looks horrible without the border and masking.

I am planning on putting a form into the Reservations page, still playing with that one on my computer to get it right before I publish it, and a weather link. I got a great HTML code from The Weather Channel so it looks like a box with the local weather and links to check on flight status, but I can't get it to load correctly. Any suggestions on that one?

In the meantime I'm going back to tuturial school and will let you know when I've cleaned it up a bit (or a lot LOL). Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

[Sabrinamcc]

Re: Please Check Out My First Website

Okay, I think I'm starting to get an idea of how to layer, etc. But how in the world did you mask the movie controls?