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Introducing our website and need advices

lyrixlyrix subscriber Posts: 2
edited November 2008 in Website Critique
Greetings, you all,
My company recently released our first website www.sharemydeal.com
I know, it sounds like just another one of the too many affiliate marketing/hot deal sites. But we have a lot of unique features built-in from day one of the design phase. For example, we give cash backs to members shopping thru our site and we also reward members who refer others and deal hunters who find all the deals from internet per transaction, in anthor word, the reward is unlimited.
We believe in our model but I`d like to get some suggestions from you all that how we could drive more traffic to our site, especially in the early phase of our website campaign. Where we could use some improvement in our web site, etc. Basically any comments and suggestions are highly appreciated!
And for anyone interested to add a friendly link to our website from your site or blog, simply register an account and follow the instruction in the welcome letter to start earning referral bonus...lyrix11/11/2008 5:03 PM

Comments

  • WebsitesUnleashedWebsitesUnleashed subscriber Posts: 4
    I don`t deal shop online that much, just a couple minutes before deciding a store most times. Occasionally I check techdeals.net so I`d like to point out (in comparison) how you will probably retain visitors much better if the deals were accessible to non-registered users. The incentive to register for your site is very low when there are many more that give me the same information without the formalities.
    I don`t see many people registering on a new site when there are many others with more information. I would consider offering the deals (links) to the public and more features to the registered users. Then when you have a userbase consider making the switch, because at that point you`ll have a better database of deals to leverage for new users to register.
    Lastly, I`m looking for categories, because most times I look for deals I don`t know what exactly I want, but I know what I don`t want. Without the categories you force me to know exactly what I want, and search.
    PS- Link your logo to the homepage!
  • lyrixlyrix subscriber Posts: 2
    Hey, Colin, thanks for your comments. the deals are indeed accessible to non registered user, you just won`t be able to get cash back, but you can still click `Thanks, I just want to shop` to go to the product page from the stores.
    we probably should make that "take me to store" link bigger. and yeah thanks for the suggestion to link logo to home page.
  • WebsitesUnleashedWebsitesUnleashed subscriber Posts: 4
    Oh, you do have a link to go to the store... Make that link more clear like `Thanks, but just take me to the store`s deal`. Definitely make it bigger too. As soon as I saw the user login fields, I moved on.
  • lyrixlyrix subscriber Posts: 2
    Thanks for the comments, Craig. I didn`t know that was a big deal, but since two of you both pointed out, we`ll add them for sure. Actually we already have something in place, in each deal we have those small links under the title, if you click the category name, it will bring up all the deals in that category.
    From a GUI stand point, we are just not sure where to put those categories. Would you put a list of categories underneath the `tip of the day` side bar?
    The other two suggestions are pretty simple to change and we have them taken care of already. (thanks, Colin!)
  • WebsitesUnleashedWebsitesUnleashed subscriber Posts: 4
    Depending on how many categories there are, I would use the empty space under the logo (two or three short rows possible there). If there are too many categories to fit there, then move the Hot Deals to Community buttons up into that empty space, and put the categories across the line where those buttons are. Maybe use two rows depending on the # of categories.
    I would consider the current buttons with `hot deals` as the secondary menu, and the categories as the primary, which should go where the current buttons are located. New visitors care about content, not community. I think new visitors will be more interested in categories than `their account`, `all stores`, or `community. Then when they`re more familiar with the site, they will know to always go to those four buttons at the very top for those things.
    Lastly, I see you updated the `Just take me to the store` text. Not to belittle the point, but I was implying to make just the link bigger so the user can scan over the intro text call to action (to join). If they like your content (deals) and keep coming back, they will eventually read the whole page and realize your offer`s reasons to join; otherwise you risk turning off all the busy/fast/`smart` users that immediately see `Login` and `Wait`, and internally decide you `just` want them to sign up. Instead offer the `continue on` link first, or at least the most clearly (be bigger text than the intro), and then offer to join secondly.
  • lyrixlyrix subscriber Posts: 2
    Hey, Colin, we did enlarge the font 1.5 times but i guess that wasn`t bigger enough. I will adjust again.
    As for the categories, we have about 15 of them. I don`t know about putting hot-deals as secondary menus, after all, i want to give the customer some deals at the first look our site to warm up the idea of buying something now.
    But we will think about it.
  • WebsitesUnleashedWebsitesUnleashed subscriber Posts: 4
    Sorry I don`t think I was clear. I`m suggesting you make the `continue on` link bigger than the "WAIT! Log in or Sign Up to earn CASH BACK from stores" text. This way, the eye is drawn to the default action first, satisifying the majority of users.
    Most people are not going to sign up, so why make your core service frustrating to the majority by displaying a `registered users only` type screen? Instead of reading `Login` and "Wait ..." and potentially leaving before reading any more, you need to provide the value (the deal connection) quick and easy so the visitor is satisfied and comes back to eventually sign up.
    How would you like it if every magazine-type site put your kind of insertial before every article, and made the `continue-on` link just as subtle? You might also want to consider how DeviantArt.com does their signup
    promotion, by displaying it in-between every couple (7+) of page views
    instead of right before viewing every single image. All this would be more quantifiable if you do an A/B test, but that`ll be hard with a new site and low traffic.
    Lastly you may want to consider playing with the text to see if something else works better like: "Did you want CASH BACK for using this deal? Then sign up or log in!" and have the continue-on link (still bigger) as "Just show me the store`s deal".
    PS- I would try to display the Login form and the Sign Up form on the same page that we`re talking about (use two columns). You want to make it easy for them to sign up, so why put it on another page and with the link to that page at the very bottom?WebsitesUnleashed11/11/2008 5:49 PM
  • lyrixlyrix subscriber Posts: 2
    Awesome!
    First let me just say thank you for taking the time to review the site and you guys even did it twice.
    Craig, I see where you are coming from with the old drill down concept but I don`t know man, some veteran shoppers would prefer rich and more dynamic information in one page so they don`t have to click around. For me my rice/salad isles are in the "all store" tab and those hot deals are door buster. I can see a lot of design details are coming down to whether I want to attract new shopper without much online shopping experience or to get the veteran shoppers using my site. And I just don`t know which one is more difficult.
    About the categories for hot deals. why I put them all together by default? I hope you buy the stuff you don`t NEED to buy. for example, you probably don`t need a prepaid phone today. But would you accept $5 to take a free phone from tmobile? that kinda of thing.
    Colin, I can see you are very detail oriented with that `go to store` button, which is a good thing. To tell you the truth, I did that because most of other players in the affiliate market are doing the same thing if they offer cash back programs. I got the same feeling as you but I just didn`t want to believe it.
    I may actually take one step further and take out the login screen all together, instead i will put some note in the 3 second `connect to store` screen, such as "hey if you were about to buy the product, don`t forget to sign up with us to receive cash back". I am very interested to see what`s percentage of people who doesn`t like to sign up even though it means they lose a few bucks they could easily get.
    The other option would be ask them once and store the setting in cookie so we don`t ask again. Both changes will affect the business flow so I`d have to think it over before making change, after all, while we are making it convenient for users who don`t want to sign up, we lose some opportunities to get them on board.
    Yep, sign up and login should go side by side. Just haven`t got time to put the two together.
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