Web Designer's Own Website - Suggestions Please!

coolaboola

Hi folks,

I'd very much appreciate your opinions and suggestions on my own web site. Please be gentle! Here's my site: marygnolan.com

I'm a web designer though my background is technical rather than design. So I'm throwing myself at the mercy of you, my professional colleagues!

The audience for my site is anyone looking for a website but targeting Dublin SME's. I'm aiming for a clear, easy-to-use, credible site that answers the sort of queries that many small business' raise when they start to think about getting a website. I'm a bit neurotic about usability and keeping things above the fold ... perhaps to a fault?

I've had some feedback already from friends, family and clients, which is great (not the feedback necessarily, but the fact that I got feedback... oh, you know what I mean ). Its sometimes tricky to know what to act on and what to ignore. Some recent feedback for instance, is that my black and white (or #444444 and #ffffff if you want to get technical!) colour scheme is 'too retro'. Hmm.

If you could spare a few minutes to take a quick look I'd be grateful. And happy to reciprocate for your site for what its worth if you wish. The site again is marygnolan.com.

Thanks!

c

EIREHotspur

Mary....you would be surprised at the few businesses that don't have good websites themselves as designers.

I will go gentle and say those Wordpress Themes you are using are probably the Free Theme kind because they are really really Bare looking.

There are no facebook like widgets....no widgets of any kind actually and very little in the way of interaction with themes like that...

I know people want simple etc but I would increase the quality of your Themes...that is my honest assessment.

MouseTail

Not a professional, but as a potential client, I think it looks great. But the menu doesn't work on tablets (services), that would have me discount you if your own site isn't set up for mobile.

coolaboola

Hi EIREHotspur and MouseTail,

Thanks a million for your feedback. Much appreciated.

EIREHotspur, I was tinkering with the idea of adding more widgets but I'm not sure what value they would add for either me or my potential clients... They might be fun to have but if they're not serving a purpose (and one didn't jump out at me) I didn't want to include them on the site (in the spirit of decluttering and keeping things very simple). Have you used widgets usefully on similar sites? What widgets would you suggest I use and why?

MouseTail, thanks for the feedback. Had minor panic re Services menu not working as the site is fully responsive. Have checked it and it does seem to be working for me (Services is a parent menu that opens a submenu of three items: websites, SEO and UX and Social Media) It doesn't open a separate page per se - just a drop-down menu to each of the different services. Can you tell me more about how its not working for you? What browser/platform are you using (e.g. Chrome on Android)?

Thanks again to you both for taking the time to offer your feedback. I really do appreciate it.

EIREHotspur

coolaboola wrote: »

Hi EIREHotspur and MouseTail,

Thanks a million for your feedback. Much appreciated.

EIREHotspur, I was tinkering with the idea of adding more widgets but I'm not sure what value they would add for either me or my potential clients... They might be fun to have but if they're not serving a purpose (and one didn't jump out at me) I didn't want to include them on the site (in the spirit of decluttering and keeping things very simple). Have you used widgets usefully on similar sites? What widgets would you suggest I use and why?

MouseTail, thanks for the feedback. Had minor panic re Services menu not working as the site is fully responsive. Have checked it and it does seem to be working for me (Services is a parent menu that opens a submenu of three items: websites, SEO and UX and Social Media) It doesn't open a separate page per se - just a drop-down menu to each of the different services. Can you tell me more about how its not working for you? What browser/platform are you using (e.g. Chrome on Android)?

Thanks again to you both for taking the time to offer your feedback. I really do appreciate it.

No problem Mary.....boards is just a fantastic place to get help on almost anything and trying to return the favour is the least we can do on here.

I love widgets....they make websites interactive and exciting.
The term "keeping things very simple" is not how you should be thinking.

You like me are in the Sales Business......you are trying to show people that you can build websites that will enable people to buy from them and/or buy directly from their websites.....otherwise a website is a waste of time and money.

If I come to a "simple" website and memorise the 3-4 pages....chances are there is no reason to go back to it.

As it is Business:
Facebook widget is great for getting likes and then in turn having people aware to latest updates/offers
Countdown Widgets for offers can be great for getting people to buy
Rotating adverts that change per day
Coupon Popups, Quick Checkouts, Newsletter subscription...

A website needs to be changing and entice clients back to check it out....

MouseTail

Using IE on Surface. Can see the sub menu, but it vanishes before you can click on it.

coolaboola

Hi EIREHotspur,

I hear what you're saying about your widget-love I think they're fantastic for e-commerce sites and other high-traffic sites where you're seeking repeat visitors. However, I'm still not convinced they have a place on what is essentially a brochure site like mine. They'd be just what some of my clients need to keep their site interactive and current. But for other clients e.g. consultants (not dissimlar to my own business) they just don't seem that relevant as offers, likes, coupons, etc. don't apply to that type of business. Perhaps we'll have to agree to differ on the wonderfulness of widgets for brochure sites I do appreciate the feedback though, so thank you again!

Hi MouseTail,

Thanks for the info on browser and platform. That sounds very annoying (I know a few sites like that, with disappearing menus, and it drives me nuts!) I'll try and fix it. Thanks for taking the time to come back with that info.

Trojan

I like the simplicity of the black and white but I'd add a 3rd colour as a highlight (maybe on all of the circle objects and calls-to-action).

Speaking of which, every page should have one primary call to action. On the website page it stands out, but it's below the fold, maybe move it up into a sidebar or have one top and one bottom.

The homepage title isn't search engine friendly, at least not for the terms you're looking for. I'd switch it to "$servicename in $targetmarket: $companyname".

Most of the items listed on the benefits page are features, not benefits. I see where you're going with it, but I'd change that up a bit, maybe as an "Our Process" kind of page or similar (I see you have an image of that on the pricing page).

HTH.

dinneenp

HI,
I focus mainly on what I'd change. There are many great things about the site (easy navigation (mainly), very clean site) but constructive criticism/feedback is better I think:

I like your logo but marygnolan.com|websites|social media under it confused me- one could think social media is clickable and opens your social media presence, websites could link to your other websites.

I like the simplicity of the homepage but as Trujan said inject a small bit of colour- maybe make the large button coloured

I'd center the footer (copyright 2015....
The PolicyBee image seems too big, doesn't fit in with the small font in the footer.
clicking on 'Get Your Free Quote' opens in a new tab- why?

Why does your contact page state 'Hello to Jason Isaacs'?
On contacts page consider stating 'For a FREE quote or to discuss your online needs contact Mary via the contact form below or by phone/e-mail (obviously don't word it like this but let people know that they can reach out to you by any of the means you have listed.) sounds obvious but maybe good to add.

Contact
Your Email (required)- could be a personal thing but I like to add something about you will not be put on a mailing list/spammed.
Contact header is 'Contact'; maybe change to 'Contact Mary', it makes it more personal.

Benefits
I didn't realise the bold text were links- at first I though you were emphasising them.
I like the colour graphic on this page- as earlier mentioned add some colour to the homepage.

Prices
The graphic on the right isn't very sharp.
The line 'For a FREE quote for your website get in touch.' doesn't sit right with me.

About
Same as 'contact' page, I'd change the header to 'About Mary'
I'd try to upload a better photo; this one seems a bit dull (not you but the colours). As the page is all white the image looks a bit at odds with it if you know what I mean.

Services Website page

Page is very text heavy, maybe add in an image or two (like on social media services page)
have a link at the end to your other services.
'Get Quote' button should read 'Get a Quote'


Same as 'contact' page, I'd change the header to 'About Mary'
I'd try to upload a better photo; this one seems a bit dull (not you but the colours). As the page is all white the image looks a bit at odds with it if you know what I mean.

Good luck with it. In return if you could provide me with some feedback on my Photography website I'd appreciate it and also complete the short feedback survey.

Thanks in advance,
Patrick

ithorizon

Poor image quality hurts my eyes:) Besides, use thx for slides not images so You have some SEO benefits .

Red Hare

I am not a web designer but I liked your website. Like one poster above I would like to see one other colour beside b&w. Maybe in the circles have a color - each circle that appears could be a different colour.

I liked the way you gave advice on the cost of designing a website and the process involved. This is really helpful to the viewer.

gctest50

coolaboola wrote: »

Hi folks,

I'd very much appreciate your opinions and suggestions on my own web site. Please be gentle! Here's my site: marygnolan.com

I'm a web designer though my background is technical rather than design. So I'm throwing myself at the mercy of you, my professional colleagues!

The audience for my site is anyone looking for a website but targeting Dublin SME's. I'm aiming for a clear, easy-to-use, credible site that answers the sort of queries that many small business' raise when they start to think about getting a website. I'm a bit neurotic about usability and keeping things above the fold ... perhaps to a fault?

I've had some feedback already from friends, family and clients, which is great (not the feedback necessarily, but the fact that I got feedback... oh, you know what I mean ). Its sometimes tricky to know what to act on and what to ignore. Some recent feedback for instance, is that my black and white (or #444444 and #ffffff if you want to get technical!) colour scheme is 'too retro'. Hmm.

If you could spare a few minutes to take a quick look I'd be grateful. And happy to reciprocate for your site for what its worth if you wish. The site again is marygnolan.com.

Thanks!

c

/contact/ page is broke - linkedin goes to facebook, twitter link is dead, facebook needs a login

the prices/benefits thing along the top is a bit odd / might be a bit "confusing" to some - since it just has one thing in the list

coolaboola wrote: »

, is that my black and white (or #444444 and #ffffff if you want to get technical!) colour scheme is 'too retro'. Hmm.

no no no its great -

some would only be happy if every site was like this :

coolaboola

Hi folks,

Firstly, sincerest apologies to Trojan and Dinneenp for not responding sooner to your feedback (I didn't see it until just now - no idea why as I've been following this thread - anyhoo, please accept my apologies for not acknowledging your contribution sooner).

Ithorizon, Red Hare and gctest50 thank you very much for your feedback.

Note that since my last post in this thread I've rejigged my navigation menu, adding a new page 'Testimonials' and re-ordering the page hierarchy (mainly to make room for the new page). I've also edited my contact page to remove the contact form for now as I've been having problems with the form plugin I was using, Contact Form 7.

Trojan, thanks for the suggestion of a 3rd accent colour. I think its a good idea and I'll work on how best to incorporate that. Ditto the single call to action on each page - I'll have to have a think about that one. And I hear ya re the benefits v.s features (perhaps Features is a better name for the Benefits page?). Could you explain what you meant by "$servicename in $targetmarket: $companyname" for the SEO for my home page please (sorry if that's a terribly noob query!)? I like your blog - when's your podcast coming out? I've registered

Dinneenp, thanks for your detailed feedback. I appreciate the constructive criticism. Re the logo I have a version that doesn't have the 'marygnolan.com | websites | social media' text so I replaced the original with that one to avoid the confusion to which you refer. You're right re the Policy Bee image. I've halved it in size, changed the colour to match my colour scheme and linked it to my Benefits/Features page. Well spotted on the 'Hello to Jason Isaacs' on the contact page! That's a bit of an in-joke among fans of Wittertainment aka the Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo Film Review podcast. A bit of silliness. Re the extra intro 'For a FREE quote... ' you suggested, would you believe I did have that almost word-for-word on my contact page until very recently (note above that I've had to remove the form for now) I'll consider rewording the contact page per your suggestion. Noted re your other points. I've implemented some of your suggestions already and am working on the other ones I'm going to take your feedback survey very shortly (hopefully will have it done by the time you read this)

Ithorizon, noted I'll work on better images. Could you explain what you mean by "use thx for slides not images so You have some SEO benefits" please? (Again, if that's a noob query, apologies )

Thanks Red Hare, good idea re circles. I do need to use an accent colour for emphasis. Thanks for your feedback re offering prices. I included that after realising that many small business owners don't realise that the cost of setting up a website can be far less than they might have anticipated. Anyway, I know when I'm looking for information about a services, price is one of the things I need to know.

Gctest50, thanks for your feedback. Love the picture (and so true!) I've checked the social media links today and they seem to be working. Could I ask you to do a big favour and check them once more and let me know if you still have problems please? I understand what you mean about the Benefits being the only item in the Prices submenu. That was a bit of a compromise on my part as I thought the main navigation menu was getting a bit crowded when I added the Testimonials page. I'll have a look at that one again.

Thanks all! You're all brill

coolaboola

Oops! Gctest50, I've found the link errors... am fixing them right away! Thanks.

ithorizon

What i mean is to use txt instead of img which contains the unreadable text for serp robots. For this reason You would have propably use a diffrent slider.

coolaboola

I hear ya ithorizon. Thanks for clarifying that