accepting critics before i launch

[lawnman777]

anyone who wants to check my web site out that would be cool so i can get some feed back if it seems good or not before i launch it

thanks http://www.landscapersconnection.com

[SChajin]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

It looks just a bit off centered, colors are good. You are getting there.

[Collectors-info]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

Hi, looking good,
You may be able to get your front page down to 800 wide to get rid of the bottom scroll bar. The text may look better in justify rather than centre with the way the page is set up. The parts that you highlighted may look better if you put them in a separate paragraph & highlight them or place a shape box with a border to make them stand out. But all is looking good & working fine.

Good luck.

[Vasili]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

Another Florida entrepranuer!

Checking page size is a definite, as well as centering....and I might suggest you go back and change your text-over-images: change Properties of your text boxes to "Auto" so the background becomes transparent, leaving your text 'floating' over your images....a cleaner look.

Great start, and a good business idea to boot!

[Aliens Anonymous]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

Another Florida entrepranuer!

Checking page size is a definite, as well as centering....and I might suggest you go back and change your text-over-images: change Properties of your text boxes to "Auto" so the background becomes transparent, leaving your text 'floating' over your images....a cleaner look.

Great start, and a good business idea to boot!

just like to add to this, try useing the align tool on some of your bulitins.

overall well done keep it up.

[beegud2]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

Hi,

Nice sight and very informative. Alittle overlapping at the bottom of page. May I make one suggestion...just my thought...when I think landscaping I think of beautiful green landscapes or gardens and flowers. I guess I thought I would see liek a greenery type background or green grass type of color. Hey but then I like green...only the builder knows his own vision in the end. Good job though.

[Spiritsoul]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

Great start. Just an idea or two here.

I’ve been in the lawn and landscape business for about twenty years now. I’ve learned a lot over the years, mostly by trial and error. Not many veteran business owners were willing to give up their knowledge to beginners or to anyone who seems like a threat to their business

as a paragraph, looks neater, than centering the text. You can still move it over. One way is to use a table to line-up against. Takes a bit of work, but you might like it better.

Idea 2:. Line up the colored balls vertically also. Would look more organized.

Also -

1 - Item 1
2 - Item 2
3 - Item 3

looks better than

1] Item 1
2] Item 2
3] Item 3

Also - use spellchecker...

im should be I'm

Things like that. Proper English, you know, and all that stuff...

[lawnman777]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

all great advise. thaks to all. i didnt add a lot of pictures because im not trying to sell landscaping. more information type site. plus i didnt want the pages to load slow. think more oictures would be a good idea anyway?

[Dream Lady]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

I can tell you've put some work into this site. A few comments. I would get rid of the background image on the articles page. It's blurred and distracts from what your primary intention will be for that page.
I'm not fond of the yellow highlighting on a site like this. That has its usefulness on some sites, but I don't think it is as professional as I think your site should be and especially of people are going to pay to be a part of what you have to offer.
You'll have a lot of marketing to do to get other professionals in your trade to participate in your portal, but with some more work, you could pull it off! Good luck to you as I think any site that offers more education and interaction is good. Just not sure if I'd pay to be a part of it.
Cindy

[Vasili]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

Somewhere along the line, you fell in love with yellow!
Your use yellow highlighting is incongruent with your original intention of presenting a professional (especially trade-oriented) website, and even for casual visitors, is an immediate turn-off. Emphasis of content can be achieved using normative grammatical parameters and careful construction.

It looks "OK" on your buttons against the charcoal, but you should either choose another style of button or rename "Classifieds" to maybe "Ads" to fit the button design.....

Also....you have created sections of text (content) that have been organized, but deserve separate pages to access, not be stacked on your main page. Try to refrain from forcing visitors to scroll down to find your pertinent or featured information.

Always keep navigation, important relevancy, and the "Main Idea" Above-the-fold. *Above the fold refers to the assumption of standardardized formatting 800x600, and in the most common monitor settings what is visible on the web page on the monitor from top of screen to bottom of screen without scrolling or mousing. Thus, the "fold" is approximately at about 600-625 pixels, and every effort should be made to keep important site features above that imaginary line for visitor attraction/retention.
>>> This design "model" helps keep our focus on content management, and serves as a "self-editor" when composing content, so as not to let it get out of hand....
Your site has WAY too much on the page, and could be effectively broken up into pages to present to visitors "topic specific" don't you think??
Let visitors quickly drill in or click up items they are interested in rather than force them to read looking for it - they won't stick around more than 10 seconds, if that is what you make them do! Offering more choices demonstrates your understanding of this, so if you have everything broken up into tightly construed pages, chances are greater that they will opt to discover more along the lines of what THEY are interested in....

You've made a lot of improvements, and you are definitely on the right track!

[lawnman777]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

thanks for the advise and i would tend to agree with alot of it, however in the internet marketing course that i modeled this site after totally says the opposite of what you said. maybe it's not meant for my type of site though.
it says long copy sells better, dont make people have to click alot to get info, ie: too many pages} maybe i can tone down the yellow a little but i want the main subjects highlighted because most people will scan thru and only stop at certain highlights and bullets. see what im saying? if you check out the internet marketing website you see the same type of model and it's hard to find the price and and order info but some how they are making millions> if something appeals to you or you want it enough you will stick around to get it. like i said though maybe my site is a different situation.

[Vasili]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

I think that is what the case is here....those internet marketing sites are prolific and generally promote a "hard-sell" product, rather in a the way a telemarketer does....
....and your site is to-the-trade resource, correct? It should reflect the professional front-end that would not only impress but establish the credibility you would expect from a "service" worth paying in to, don't you think?? I was under the impression that you were setting up more like an Association, rather than a "quick-sell" to fellow tradesmen, and the benefits of setting up as a service (even if by subscription) means a more simplified layout rather than one with a belabored "pitch"....
I mean, if I were in the industry,m I would be willing to pay a modest price to participate in a service that is viable and worthy for me.....but if I had to drill through a long winded pitch, I would pay more attention to what I was really getting.....know what I mean??
Just trying to help with a perspective you can use....

[ez-ez]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

I don't know if I am repeating what someone else had said already.. I am sorry for not reading the entire thread.. In any case, here's what I think..

All looks good.. One thing though.. The form on the page looks a bit off-centered.. I would try making the form space bigger so that all content in aligned properly.. Example: all labels like 'name, email, how you heard about us' are aligned and same for the text input.. The submit button can then be centered in the bottom of the form.

A part from that, the site looks mighty dandy.

[lawnman777]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

all good advise. i have made a lot of changes. im still deciding on a few things though. i appreciate the input!!

[Dream Lady]

Re: accepting critics before i launch

Hi Lawnman777: Yes, I see the changes you have made and I like that much better. Better suited to your purpose. Keep up the Great Work!