Thread: New page design.......

I am asking everyone here at VodaHost to please give me pros and cons
on our new website design.

I do know that there are those who have been having trouble with the video slide show used on the Home Page. That was done using the Microsoft Movie Maker program.

I am looking for anaswers in the following areas.

How do the pages look?
What can be done different?
What would be best left alone?
How to create a Merchant Account Program?

Overall look and feel of the website and the topics.

Anything else not mentioned here which could be thought of fixing, adding, removing.

The website in question is: http://Martech-Inc.biz Please turn your speakers down since there is music in background.

After viewing the main page, clicking on the word next will take you to the internal pages of the site.

Or simply clicking on this link to go to the next page. Terms

Thank you

Ram_Industries
Robert Montgomery
http://Martech-Inc.biz

Everything seemed to be okay when I first opened it up but when the video started it stopped the banner scroll and then the video got hung up. The colors and photos are okay but I would suggest reducing the width of your pages down to 800/1000 pixels wide. Not a bad start... just needs fine tuning.

Hi Robert,

It looks good to me, are your links are not working.

Sharon Chajin:

Thank you for your reply.

To the best of my knowledge all links are working.
I do a daily link verification to make sure they are.
Will however check again just to make sure they are operational.

The only links I know that are not working are on the Advertisers page.
Due to no advertising being placed in some or at least 2/3 rds of the Headings. Maybe that is where you had links broken?

Thank you again

Ram_Industries
Robert Montgomery
http://Martech-Inc.biz

Dori:

Thank you for your reply.

Not sure how to set the video to now hang up after you begin to scroll!

The pages are all set to 1000 pixels wide due to what I am viewing on my end. I used a 12ft by 18ft Positron screen when I did the website. Hard to tell just how it will look on a 17inc. screen size. Since all our screens are as large as stated above...... we have 15 of these screens. no laptops or small monitors here.

I will continually check the options available

Robert
Ram_Industries

Sorry but I clicked off after waiting for the video to load.
about 1 min 20 secs.

Originally Posted by choco777

Sorry but I clicked off after waiting for the video to load.
about 1 min 20 secs.

A Perfect Example of why all Windows Movie Maker files should be converted to .avi and optimized: faster loads, better reproduction, and even sound.

You can also elect to not have the show's slidebar/toolbar presented, since you have meade it to autoplay as it is....
> If you do not find a means to do that, simply lay an "object" over it, and be sure to click "Bring to Front" on that preperly colored (so it blends to background) object before saving Page.

I like the transitions but I'm not sure what they will do or look like on the slower systems and connections. The video took some time to load for me but I waited it out. Clever idea but I wonder if it is possible to pop the video up on a windows media viewer or something like that.

On your Home page, you might want to open up your scrolling text a bit as when it stopped the word "No" was cut off on the left side. Same thing on your terms of use page (which I initially thought was your Home page), text scrolled off the page on the left cutting off part of your message. If there were a way, I would break the sentence up into two parts and scroll the first part in and as it is reaching its finish, have the second part scroll in under it.

Just a few suggestions from a non expert.

I agree with Rick about the scroll bar. Either have them going continuously or stop at a point where all of the sentence is showing.

How do the pages look?
Nice look. readable text...goes with backgroung. The movie keeps "bouncing?" as I try to scroll up or down. I'm not sure what's going on. Second page looks good to me.

What can be done different?
Fix the movie problem on the first page. Use another program that can do the same (http://www.slide.com/arrange?sk=0&tt=1&cy=ms&th=0) without the baggage or find another way to display your information.

Try to end your first page the same way you ended your second page to add uniformity. Right now, your first page has a lot of extra space at the bottom after "create website"

What would be best left alone?
Right now, the only thing I can think of is the movie clip...that is, if you can't find a way to make it more manageable.

How to create a Merchant Account Program?
Can't help you there. E-commerce, I might have a thing or two to say, but that's because I set that aspect of my clients websites up for them. What they do when they get their sales are up to them.

Originally Posted by Ram_Industries

How to create a Merchant Account Program?

If you are asking about establishing a "Merchant Account" rather than rely upon PayPal to transact business on your site (which is a shopping cart option, and not applicable to a BV-created website), VodaHost will introduce you a Preferred provider if you Submit Your Request via a Support Ticket: keep in mind, this is a referral, and not a guarantee, as you must qualify accordingly.
Since you already are apparently an established business, you might find a more convenient and favorable offer from your current bank, and be able to then simply select the proper 'gateway' within the Cart options during configuration.

If, however, you are referring to establishing an Affiliate Program (where you compensate those who refer consumers who transact business on your site), VodaHost offers "PAP:Post Affiliate Pro" software Free with each account to enable this functionality upon Submission of Request via a Support Ticket.
Although possible, it is not easliy formatted for use with a BV-created website, as the changes required to properly accommodate PayPal are intricate.....thus, it is more suitable for an eCommerce foundation such as Soholaunch, Cube, or osCommerce.

Originally Posted by Vasili

If you are asking about establishing a "Merchant Account" rather than rely upon PayPal to transact business on your site (which is a shopping cart option, and not applicable to a BV-created website), VodaHost will introduce you a Preferred provider if you Submit Your Request via a Support Ticket: keep in mind, this is a referral, and not a guarantee, as you must qualify accordingly.
Since you already are apparently an established business, you might find a more convenient and favorable offer from your current bank, and be able to then simply select the proper 'gateway' within the Cart options during configuration..

I thought it best to expand on the above...
Just to make very clear your understandings and options: A Merchant Account can be used for a BV-created website if you are using a third-party cart system such as MALS or some of the others commonly mentioned by Beth and Amanda. There aren't too many carts that install onto a BV site, but they too are carts nonetheless, and should also provide the option of using a Merchant Account to transact business rather than rely solely on PayPal.
This use of such a third-party cart would be the only way to combine such transactional functionality and Blue Voda without requiring you to re-do your site upon another foundation.

Hi. No joy for me on the 1st time, but took 60 seconds the 2nd time to load, Think most will give up at these speeds. Don’t think you will find many people putting this type of intro on a home page due to loosing to many visitors. May be worth getting visitors onto the site 1st & giving them a hint that the images & music may take some time to load vai another link. The 1st page to any website should be around the 200 kb max, but preferably even less.

Good luck.

Thanks to all who responded to my request.

The video was created using the Microsoft Media Player at first.
Then I grabbed Camtasia Studio to see how it would function after
I copied the original file from Media Movie Maker.

I think I will stick strictly with Media Player, place a notice that the slide does open only in Media Player so as everyone will know that Quick Time or some other format will not work.

As for the scroll bar:

The scroll bar was created to stop after it was thru staing its message.
I have sent out requests to many to ask what the scroll bar marquee did when they viewed it and was given several feedbacks. Some said it worked fine, and others said it would knock off a portion or would be best to shoten the message to work in smaller steps. while others have said to leave it alone....

I may go as far as having the marquee be swiped into the page and stop or maybe disappear completely after it shows. The actual use intention was to make it noticeable for new changes which will inevitably happen to each page. But I may use a Newspaper front page as a newly added section on each page or create a page after the home page that states all new updates.......

Thanks again and will take all information under advisement.....

Ram_Industries
Robert Montgomery
http://Martech-Inc.biz