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OK MY WEBSITE IS READY FOR YOU TO SEE and comment

majenjewelmajenjewel subscriber Posts: 1
edited January 2009 in Website Critique
I am so glad to have found this section on start up nation.  I think it would be great to hear what the general public have to say outside of my friends and family who cheer for me no matter what. 
My website was designed by me.  So, it would be great for sets of eyes besides my own and outside of my customers to fill me in on their experience at my website.  As I write this it`s like I already know the feedback, although the additional opinions are only going to lead me to make my site better which is why i`m so glad I found this application. 
 
It`s a wonderful day and a great time in the land of entrepreneurship.
oH, the website is:  WWW.ARTSYFARTSYCOUTURE.COM
tHANKS,
Deborah
Owner/Designer
Artsyfartsy Couture

Comments

  • WeblineWebline subscriber Posts: 13 Bronze Level Member
    Interesting name ....
    First of all, what does the splash/intro page accomplish for you?
    ( Theme music from Jeopardy playing ........................... )
    Answer: nothing. It isn`t serving any purpose....no message to indicate where I am or what you do ( I have my sound off, so if I missed music or something, sorry, but even that isn`t beneficial to have ).
    Second, why is your content area so narrow? It feels kinda cramped.
    Third, the top of the site that I see without scrolling gives me no indication of what you do, or what I should be doing. I see your name a couple of times, and some links, and that`s all. So right away I have no idea what the purpose of your site is. Scrolling down, you mention art and a few other things, but still, why am I here?
    The gallery starts out with a neat looking little system, until you actually start using it, then I have no clue how to navigate through it in an understandable way.
    The Wholesale page has terms and conditions, etc., which I don`t quite get; what does one have to do with the other?
    Visually it looks nice, and is pretty easy to get around, but in the end I really don`t feel too informed about the overall purpose.
  • vwebworldvwebworld subscriber Posts: 40
    You may have some limitations on what you can change because your using a website builder from your web host 1&1.
     
    However, your should try to be more consistent with the size, type, and color of  the fonts you use throughout the site. Too many different fonts make the site look unprofessional.
     
    Also, check the color of your fonts. Past Present and Future page - a dark font may be easier to read than the white on gray background.
     
    Certainly the flash page, is not needed.... even though it automatically opens your home page.
     
    The gallery page.... may be I`m too old, but It was not easy to figure out how to view the images or see the next one.  Such pages should be intuitive - any person should be able to understand how to work it, without instructions.
     
    I agree, the site content area is very narrow, but that`s your design choice. Consider, on lap tops and other computer`s with a 1280px or larger display, your site will show a lot of back ground as compared to your content area.
     
     
  • NuevolutionNuevolution subscriber Posts: 30 Bronze Level Member
    I have to echo everyone on this post. I know 1&1 limits you on what you can do but you could have tried to use at least 60% of the screen. I`m on a wide screen and to the left I have this tiny web page, perhaps about 510 pixels in width. I just did a CSS check up and it seems you`re running at 775 pixels total.
    The problem with it is, that the graphics are too small in width forcing you to only use about 500 the other 10 pixels are the margin left and right set to 5 pixels or so. The Flash Intro didn`t do nothing for me...
    If it`s CSS based, I would suggest opening the header tag to about 900pixels, and manipulating the images to open up some more... I looked at all your images individually and they can be modified, but it`s going to take alot of percise slicing This looks like the image you want to open up some more... and the rest will follow through. My only concern is this one, but it can be replicated or stretched enough to keep the pixels from breaking.
    I like the design, the rough edges are cool... You can get away with the design if you do some advanced image manipulation. It`s CSS so it should be easy putting it back together.
    I hope this helps... Nuevolution10/13/2008 6:14 AM
  • majenjewelmajenjewel subscriber Posts: 1
    Thank you for everyone`s amazing insight.  I really appreciate the time you have taken to assist me in my very own entrepreneurial adventure.  I have made MAJOR changes and redid my entire website completely.  I also changed the name of my website to reflect myself as a designer and form a clearer picture.  I know there is still much work to do and this Holiday Vacation has served me very well.  Please view and comment:www.deborahmajendesigns.com
    I welcome all suggestions and comments good and bad.
    Happy New Year!...  And buy yourself something nice from my catalog.
    Deborah
    Designer
  • WeblineWebline subscriber Posts: 13 Bronze Level Member
    I vaguely remember your previous site, based on the posts above. Looking at this one, you have nice colors and good clear images. However, this version does nothing for you. I give you credit for making changes and trying to make it better, but viewing it as a first time visitor, I just don`t get the point you`re trying to make with it. What do you offer me as a potential customer?
    You have an image of an old car at the top. How is that relevant to what you`re doing? It brings to mind autos, maybe nostalgia, but nothing about design in the context of your business. You have an empty left column, serving no purpose at all. You have different font sizes, types and colors, which lacks consistency.
    You barely mention what you actually do, and you aren`t showing us what you do when your service is mentioned. Overall, there is very little information about design services for your visitors to make them want to look any further.
    Clicking on "Products", I expect to start seeing, well, products. Instead there is a message, and more clicks to actually get to what you should already be showing me. If the small image is a visitor counter, it shouldn`t be in the middle of a page, but in the footer so it isn`t part of your content.
    Clicking "Design Services", the top of the page is all text, again different fonts, and reading it, it doesn`t make a lot of sense. Note that I still don`t see what you actually offer until I scroll down.
    Now, off to "Catalogue/Order". Again, all text, shipping information, sale prices .... where is the product? In a photo album that doesn`t really show off your products.
    We live in a "microwave" society, and on the net people can have very short attention spans. If Site "A" doesn`t show me what I want right away, there is always Site "B", "C", "D", and probably thousands more that I can go to. So, make everything on your main page relevant to your service, get your point across quickly and easily, and set yourself apart from the others. Make me, my needs and your solutions, the focus of your introduction.
    I know this all probably sounds like I`m being mean or overly critical, and I`m not trying to sound like a total jerk. I really think the look is 100% better than before; you`ve done a great job in making the site more attactive and improved the general layout, but I believe you need to focus more on simply showing off what you do right away, and how it benefits your visitors.Webline1/2/2009 5:37 PM
  • vwebworldvwebworld subscriber Posts: 40
    Another thing to consider is the name of each web page. Your home page is "3.html"; products page = "4.html".... etc. It would be better for search results if the pages had name relevant to the page content.
     
    ~Roland
  • VideographyVideography subscriber Posts: 401 Silver Level Member
    Your homepage doesn`t tell me what you do, but the subhead on the "design services" page does.  I would copy it to the home page.  I also don`t see anything that sets you apart from other designers and about you.  Why are you special?  Why should someone want you to do their design?  Don`t just rely on the photos because a search engine won`t find that.  If you describe some of your projects, then the search engines have something to match a search with.  For example, if your text mentions that you have designed renaissance costumes, then someone searching for "renaissance fair costume design" just might find your site.
    The newsletter sign-up has a spelling error.  ("50% off you first purchase")
    Overall I like the colors and the basic design.
    Games??  Kind of unprofessional isn`t it?  And get rid of the visitor counter.  What purpose could it possibly serve?
  • majenjewelmajenjewel subscriber Posts: 1

    Gosh!  Creating a website is harder than my actual work LOL.  Soon enough I must delegate this responsibility. 
  • VideographyVideography subscriber Posts: 401 Silver Level Member
    Don`t sell yourself short - this is a very good start and just needs some fine-tuning.
  • WebJunkyWebJunky subscriber Posts: 8 Member
    steve is right - baby steps are key. as you learn along the way you can tweak your site accordingly.  focus on the basics right now - the keywords that you are using, the necessary meta tags. and back to an earlier comment, make your file name relevant to the keyword. for example if one of your pages is about apples, your html file should be apples.html. this makes a big difference in how search engines view and rank your site.
     
    it may seem like a lot of work now, but as you get more versed it will all seem second nature. rewards are tremendous if you keep the focus.
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