website opinions

[jennifer]

Please give me your opinions. I have temporary photos for many of my products which will be replaced with actual product photos. I am updating the stock levels of each item currently also. Thank you for your thoughts.

www.heavenlycreationsoklahoma.com

[nursenancy]

Looks good to me -

Nice and clean, easy to navigate, and I like the blue color

I've been working on a website recently and I know how much work it is.

Good job!

[SEORoss]

Being 100% honest:

Pros -

1. Great color scheme. Very easy on the eyes.

2. Pretty clear navigation.

3. Estimated shipping costs without signing in (big bonus for me).

Cons -

1. Overall site looks like it came straight out of 2002.

2. The fluid architecture breaks when I maximize site on widescreen monitor.

3. Logo/header look extremely amateur.

4. Lack of buttons/effects leaves me wanting more. Too plain. Again, see #1.

5. Remember to generate an .xml sitemap for GWT (Google Webmaster Tools)

6. Need some basic on-page SEO work (optimizing title tag, meta data, header tags, etc...).

Here's some free info for ya - your meta description tag is full of keywords - a very common mistake.

That's what the "meta keywords" tag is for.

Your meta description tag should be just that, an actual mini-description for your site. Why? Because this is what Google and other search engines will potentially use in the search results....in other words, it's one of the first things that potential customers see when they come across your site on a search engine results page (besides your title tag). So make the description neat and professional, but don't forget to "naturally" work in a few keywords/keyphrases. Character limit for meta description is around 150 characters before Google truncates it.

These may be little things, but taking the time to write unique title tags and meta data for each page will go a long way in your overall SEO strategy, making your site much more visible (which means more customers, of course!). These little things are what SEO service providers will charge an arm and a leg for.

Otherwise, I hope you don't take my "2002" comment negatively - it just looks like something from "back in the day". Perhaps when you get things rolling and have the extra dough, it would enhance sales and your customer "trust" level to have a more professional looking site done. With tons of freelancers out there looking for work, you won't have to pay sky high prices for it either.

Also, get a good logo done as soon as possible. Just having a sharp looking logo/header can actually help keep a customer on your site longer (again, that "trust" thing). When people see amateur designs/layouts, they assume that you're potentially another fly-by-nighter, and they have no reason to spend their money with you. You can land an awesome looking logo these days for as little as $20-$30. As a "mom & pop" small business, you need every advantage on your side that you can get in order to gain customer trust these days. Why order from a questionable looking website when they can go to your competitor's NICE site and buy a similar product at a similar price. Being completely honest, if I didn't know anything about you and ended up on your site, I highly doubt I would shell out any amount of money just due to the overall look. Not everyone is like this, but many are!

I could go on and on, but I don't want to offend you or make it any more complicated. Looking at my notes above, there is a positive in all this - at least you have something out there! Your site isn't terrible by any means (I've seen a ton worse), but I just think it could be soo, soo much better.

Just think of some of the suppliers that are mentioned on these forums...if it weren't for the positive feedback and general popularity, I HIGHLY doubt they would get half the business they do because their websites are look like stuff I used to design back in '98. I can't imagine how much their business would ramp up if they took the time/money to overhaul and get current. A few of the suppliers that DO look current are some of the top suppliers talked about around here (CandleScience, Peak).

Ah, but I digress....again.

If you're serious about doing serious business online, invest in that little piece of virtual real estate and make the most out of it. It really will pay off in the future!!!

[jennifer]

Your comments don't offend me. I actually am not sure that I know what you mean by '2002'.

I understand the keywords better now and will make appropriate adjustments. The header/logo isn't one that I entirely plan to keep--where I live we have a 'mountain' range called the Gloss Mountains, I've been taking pics and plans to place my business name in the clouds above the mountains. I didn't have problems with my large moniter at home, perhaps you could tell me what browser you were using. I'll have to think about the buttons/effects concern. And thanks for reminding me about the GWT.

And thank you nursenancy!

[SEORoss]

Awesome!

As far as "2002"...I meant it reminded me of the overall style of websites in that particular time period. Again, not horrible, just looks a little dated. But seriously, that's only my personal opinion, I'm sure others will disagree/agree. I do really like the soft blue color though, very easy on the eyeballs.

As far as the browser situation, when I maximized (in FF and IE) on my monitor at home, the "new products in June" bar is broken on the right side. If I start sizing down the browser window, at some point it will look right again.

Anyway, best of luck with your site and your products!!