new site neds reveiw

[stuman]

This is my 2nd attempt at a website and would like to receive some constructive critisism. Im not sure how long it will download on dial-up so this would be useful to know.
Thanks

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ufotest

 

[Slewey]

not bad... not bad!
altho it all looks so, ehmm.. simple.
can't really explain
but, not bad! keep up!:tu:

 

[stuman]

thanks for your input

How would you suggest to improve the simplicity?

I'd appreciate any feedback to improve this site b4 I golive and publish it properly for all to see.

 

[pinkfluffybunny]

Ok here goes

you're at 20 seconds 56k.

You can cut another second or two and improve SE ranking by replacing the transparent gifs with anchor links

another 3-4 seconds by removing the icons or at least put in alt text

put in meta tags, title

work on your SEO

Develop a marketing plan - who's your target, why will they come - (no not just to buy stuff, the big guys can sell it for less then you can buy it), how can you get them there.
Video's, story's, reviews, tips, tutorials, maintainance, etc.

Trust - who the hell are you, do you have a store, a staff, you involved in this or just selling something you don't know a damn thing about. Have you determined your Support system, warranty / return policy, shipping and handling cost.

Are you targeting globally, locally or just europe.

What choice of shopping system asp or cgi - benefits vs limitations (and take into consiteration mutiple shoppers at the same time, if you have expansion plans)

Why should they by from you? Think about having information for these Weston-Super-Mare Wind and wheels club, BKSA, BBC, and PKA clubs on your site - newsletter, events, activities, photo gallery for each, build each a forum, and on and on (build a site for each within your site if they don't have one) Go video their events and stream it up for them - got the idea

It's a lot of work - you just can't throw it up and think you're going to get rich, you'll have to work for every pound.

Don't worry about the looks now, you have work to do. It's got a good layout structure, the looks will come.

Contact a printer find out what colors they will convert to cmyk, "and are cheap to print" so your business cards and letterheads match your website (when they get there from your business card, you want them to feel at ease right away - "aaah this is the right place", without having to look for your name)

 

[stuman]

Thanks for the info

20 seconds is obviously too long.
The pop-up menu I used was from fireworks and was a whopping 30k. I will probably have to remove this.
Do you know where I can get some help creating a similar menu without the large file size.(I am a beginner to javascript)

As for your other comments the site is not intented to be an e-commerce site but just providing some web presence for the store.

Im not sure I under stand how replacing transparant gifs with anchor links will decrease the download time.

Thanks again

 

[Spirited]

I counted (maually - so maybe I count too fast) 21 secs for anything to show on the page (it was blank and white for ages) and a further 10secs for my browser to shout "done" (after loading all graphics etc.) I am on broadband

As Slewy has already said there is something hard to describe about the site which says "simple". I assume this has something to do with it being your second site (nothing wrong in that! - I'm hardly an expert).

To make the site look more professional - and therefore make consumers more likely to part with their cash - I would recommend -

Think about the company's offline image and brand and try and replicate that on site. The graphics, specifically the logo need to look a bit cleaner, perhaps try and use vector graphics (so that they don't look fuzzy) and try and get it to match the offline logo (as PFB suggested - try to get a colour match).

The photograph montage is particuarly nice, I would perhaps make this a bigger feature of the home page.

The navigation needs work, it doesn't react how I would expect (example the drop down menu around over the kite text but not for the rest of the links?) the graphics you are using for there look a little dated and I think either new, cleaner graphics would look better or make it a text link only.

Try changing the border colour of the blocks to black instead of green and try and find a different way of bringing that colour into the design (if it is one of the company's main colours).

Try to work on the colour scheme - there are soo many its a little confusing. Pick out the most important colours from the offline buisness and only use those in the design (plus maybe black and/or white)

The layout is okay, but tables for layout can cause problems with loading speed and are hefty to code or change. Have a look into CSS which helps browser compatibility issues, accessability and its main advantage for you? it is much easier to update or change. It gives you better control over layout - a job which tables were not designed for.

I definatly found that when I made the switch my designs started looking a LOT more professional, though I maybe still have a way to go.

I would also endorce much of what PFB has said.

Good luck and although I have said a lot of changes, I do think you have made a good job.

Spirited

 

[pinkfluffybunny]

This is probably the best java menu available - AND IT IS FREE

http://www.udm4.com/

Examples -
http://www.udm4.com/demos/style-officexp.php
http://www.udm4.com/demos/style-blue.php

But remember Google is the only engine that can read java links. so your anchor links are important.

What I meant to say about the icons: remove them to save load time or "at least" put alt text inside. . The link should look like this:
( <A href="whatever.htm"><IMG height=68 alt="good relevant description with keywprds" src="images/pic.gif" width=100 border=0></A> )

If it is not intended to be e-commerce site, that is all the more reason you should develop a marketing strategy. Provide a reason for local clubs Weston-Super-Mare Wind and wheels club, BKSA, BBC, and PKA to visit your site, come to your store, feel a loyalty to your store and web site.

In fact no one should develop a "just" an e-commerce site - They should develop an online marketing stratgey. E-commerce is only part of that strategy. Example one goal of your site may be to increase customer comfort. So you have to develop objectives to obtain that goal, and a means to measure your progress towards it, so if it is not working you can develop new objectives.
So how do you do that? Online surveys can be "one" measuring tool (for you to see, not posted) to monitor your progress toward that objective, but it is not the objective. Then you have to develop a way to entice them to complete the survey, and then you... lol starting to sound like to much work?

If your goal is to bring in "more" customers, (the goal is to broad). New customers, past customers, local customers, and tourist, etc., each is a separate goal. Now you have to develop objectives (ways to get each there) and how are you going to measure each.

You do the creative thinking or you hire a someone with who creates online marketing strategies (not a guy who can make pretty designs for you)

Most designers don't have a clue what their job is. They think if they put up what you want to see they can take the money and run .....

A good developer will help you develop clear measurable, quanative goals and objects and show you in numbers your return on Investment "ROI".

The good news is most of the site designers don't have a clue and if you start to think online marketing you don't need to need an expert at flash, java code, (You can hire a real expert that will work for $2.00 an hour in thailand).
Develop a strategy and if you need some coding done find a local kid who has ideas of making money as a "web designer", and pay him to do exactly what yoiu tell him to (they work cheap)

It is a lot of hard work to make a site productive. You just can't design something pretty, throw it up.

Most people settle for a "web presence", and hope it may do something for them. That's what 99% of the sites on the web are and why 99% fail.

a "corporate Presence", or a "web Presence", basically means I'm really excited right now about a web site, but in a couple months you'll have to remind me I even have one.

Read This it will help you. http://www.forextips.com/webhelp.htm