Will you look at my site and comment

boysbach · Joined: 27 Dec 2005 Posts: 195

I would appreciate all comments on my affiliate site. I know it needs to go a long way yet and that is why I haven't advertised it yet, want to make any changes first. This is a site for the UK and I am still making changes to the US pages.

Thanks

Bev

www.robbev.com

elizabeth · Joined: 15 Jan 2006 Posts: 21 Location: Sunny San Diego

Hi Bev,

One thing that drew my immediate attention was that your screen is
too wide. I have to move the scroll bar to the right to capture everything.
I would bring it down to the standard width of 800 pixels.

It also might be better to narrow down your site's topic instead of trying to cover so much. Your site takes a bit of searching about to figure out
what it really offers and you're likely to lose visitors. It's also going to be hard for the search engines to categorize as you cover such a wide range of things.

Also, your news category doesn't seem to be functioning.

Try to get a little more focus on a niche and offer some information on that niche that viewers might be intereste in.

Hope that helps Smile

Elizabeth

Rosalind Gardner · Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 6:27 pm Post subject:

Hello Bev,

Yes indeed, that IS a hefty undertaking you have there.

In addition to the points Elizabeth made, you might want to consider putting your top row of navigation buttons all in a row.

The downside to using buttons is that you won't really benefit from SE traffic like you would if you were using text links.

Keep up the good work!

Cheers,
Ros

callie47 · Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 54 Location: NB, Canada

Hi Bev...

Ditto what they said... but just to underscore one point...

Surfers HATE a bottom scrolling bar... If I see a bottom scroll bar I'm outta there without even looking... I don't care, I hit the back arrow and go to the next site... first impressions are everything.

Also, I didn't like the fact that an applet loaded for your site... applets make a lot of people nervous, they think it might hide a virus. If you can find a way to get around that, do it.

The site name at the top Does NOT tell me what your site is offering. Rename it Rob & Bev's Web Store, Rob & Bev's Fabulous Web Mall, Rob & Bev's Stupendous Super Store.... Something to let people know what you're all about at-a-glance... Don't make people search to find out... You've got like, 3 seconds, max, to grab them, inform them and sell them.

boysbach · Joined: 27 Dec 2005 Posts: 195

Thanks for all the comments they were appreciated. I had tried to make sure that it wasn't too wide and everytime I checked it using different machines I didn't need the scroll bar, what browsers were you using?

I have made lots of changes now to the site and hopefully it is now better. I will work on the niche aspect of it during the next few days but the whole idea was a shopping store.

Bev

callie47 · Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 54 Location: NB, Canada

Hi Bev

I use Firefox for my browser, exclusively. The last internet estimate I read stated that 25% of Internet users use the Firefox browser and that number is steadily increasing. You have to check your site with the big 5 browsers, IE, Netscape, AOL, Firefox and Opera...

Here's the latest stats:
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

boysbach · Joined: 27 Dec 2005 Posts: 195

Thanks Callie for that I appreciate it. I had checked with some but obviously not all of them. I will correct that today and download them all onto my computer

callie47 · Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 54 Location: NB, Canada

WOW Bev... that's looking 10 times better! WooHoo, way to go.

Couple of other little suggestions...
"Subscribe for Free Ezine". Ummm... what's it about? What free Ezine? Do you have a name for it? I subscribe to a number of ezines, but they're for specific information... Can you give a short sucinct description of your ezine for your visitors to let them know the value they'll be getting?

Your little banners are flicking at me left, right, and center... One of the best pieces of advice I ever received for web design is to have your ads stand still so your "potential" customers can read them. It's like they're running all over the place in my brain and I just want them to stop. It's confusing and I just scroll by them. If you must, have ONE moving banner... but make the rest of them still.

Put some white space between them too - it's easier on the eye and easier to focus your attention on. Can you space those Ads out... Two Ads, Content, Two Ads, Content... like that? Put one of those wide banners at the very bottom of your page... If any of them blink, then that's the one that should.

Hope this helps.

(My newest site)
http://flowersandromance.com